I reached down, picked up the last box of belongings we had and brought it to the truck, I was thankful we didn't own much and that our uncle was helping us move, the thought of paying a moving company made my head dizzy, moving costs was something I shouldn't be worried about at 15 years old. Going back inside to pick up Kim, who still refused to step one foot out of the house, I looked around, the photos we had hung now gone leaving only discoloured walls behind.
"I'm now leaving, not without mum and dad!"
Kim was on the floor with tears streaming from her face, her long black hair dangled in a mess, clutching on the memorial. Two framed photos of our parents sat there, not a single spec of dust allowed on either frame, the smell of incense still lingered in the room. We hadn't packed the memorial yet, specifically, we couldn't, Kim wasn't letting us.
"Come on Kim, they'll come with us and be there at our new house, along with our aunty and uncle. You'll like it there, in the city there are plenty of ice cream stores and I'll take you to one the second we get there, promise."
"Promise?"
"100 per cent!"
She began to pick herself up, wiping away her tears and waddling towards me, hugged my leg. 2 hours of convincing finally paid off! It was obvious why she didn't want to leave, she spent her entire 7 years of life not only in this house but in this small town. We knew its people and its locations. Perhaps sulking and refusing to leave would have been a more suitable way of acting for me, I had been here 5 more years than she had but looking at the two photos we had yet to pack I knew I couldn't, one of us had to mature and it surely couldn't be her, plus with our parents gone, there was nothing left for either of us in this town.
"Riley! You two done yet? It's almost rush hour!" Our uncle's impatience was fair, we were meant to leave hours ago.
"Coming!"
I picked Kim up and placed her on my back, grabbing the framed photos and gently placing them into a box. I felt my back starting to dampen.
"Mum, Dad, I'll see you soon..."
Saying my farewells, I started to feel the ground rumble, an earthquake?
The small rumbling soon turned into a violent shake, I could feel the house caving on top of itself, in confusion and fear I screamed to Kim.
"Kim! We need to go outside!" I tried to stay calm but felt my voice raise and tremble.
"Riley, what's happening? I'm scared..."
My heartbeat became heavier, I ran outside holding Kim tightly to my chest, she was shivering in fear. Just as we'd left the house fell crushing the only box we hadn't packed, the only box I cared about, but I had no time to worry as I stared outside seeing our uncle.
'Is that... blood?'
Our uncle was on the ground, red liquid splattered on the floor, he was missing an arm.
"Grahhhh!! Wha- What the f*ck are you?!"
Standing over him was a beast that resembled a man, it had to be over 2 metres tall. Its body was disproportionate, with tall lanky legs, thin arms that reached the ground. It had black skin, red piercing eyes and a wide a gap mouth with crooked sharp teeth. In its jaw was my uncle's arm.
That was the first encounter I ever had with the enslavers and murderers of mankind, a demon.
It snapped its head towards me and Kim, crushing the remnants of the arm in its mouth, I could hear the bones and flesh churning as it swallowed. Its mouth started to contort and bend into a sick twisted smile. From its mouth came a low, disgusting voice.
"Ahhh! It's you! To think I could find you so quickly! Lucky me! Lucky me!!! I must be blessed by Lucifer himself!"
"W-w-what the hell are you talking about, s-stay AWAY!"
I felt Kim's body go limp, she had fainted, her skin pale from the sight of the monster. I took a step away, I could hear screams in the distance and saw multiple similar creatures hovering in the sky going throughout the town. I had no idea what was happening but knew I had to run away, but my legs were stiff I couldn't move.
Suddenly a light appeared in front of me and a voice entered my ears, its way of speaking was direct and robotic, but the voice itself was beautiful, serene even.
[Outside substances detected in earth's atmosphere, now beginning proper measurements to ensure mankind's survival. Terraforming shall begin.]
The bright light started to form and turn into words, as though I had a screen in front of me, it displayed information almost in the same way one would see in a video game.
[Name: Riley Phan
Age: 15
Race: Human
Class: Civilian
Stats
Stamina: 7
Strength: 6
Mana: 0
Agility: 12
Intelligence: 10
Charisma: 7
Talents
Natural Hunter: Rank E
You will have an easier time learning skills related to hunting or archery, the forest is your home stats will be increased slightly when in forest terrain.
Born protector: Rank B
When the ones you care about are in danger, you can find yourself surging in strength in the need to protect them.
Skills
Archery: Rank F
You have a bare knowledge of archery and its usage, you can hold a bow but both your form and accuracy are only a step higher than novices.
Abilities
N/A]
A torrent of information entered my head, what was happening? What was the thing in front of me, what did that voice mean and where did it come from, how was I able to see the screen before my eyes. Just the monster approached me and my sister and I had begun to accept my death in confusion and terror a loud, screeching roar entered my ears.
"ROARRRRRRR"
I felt the temperature around me suddenly drop, my breath became visible and my skin began to turn blue. All around me ice erupted from the ground, snow started to fall and a large flowing mist from the sky enveloped the ground.
"What?!!! NO!! WHY ARE YOU HERE??! JUST AS I WAS ABOUT TO REAP THE REWARD LUCIFER GAVE ME HIMSELF!! LEAVE!!"
As the monster began to scream it was covered by the raging mist, both its body and the ground around it were covered in think ice. Kim and I were lucky enough to be in the few spots not frozen, I looked down towards Kim, I could see a faint cloud of breath coming from her mouth, she was alive, I thanked God.
I looked up to where the mist came from and what I saw made me turn stiff, larger than any building I'd seen was a colossal beast flying through the sky, pale blue scales covered its body, from its mouth spew mist that targeted the ground, attacking both the monsters and people alike. Its giant, beating wing encompassed the sun, leaving the shadow to cover the now frozen town.
In my mind I made a connection to what it could, something I had only seen in video games and movies, a legendary creature from fantasy.
It was a dragon.