Andre walked out of his hut and looked around with a suspicious gaze. "No four tailed wolf in sight. Even the horses are gone. Was I dreaming? Did Craig not actually return?" He mumbled to himself before turning towards the main hut and moving toward it.
He soon pushed open the door and entered, his gaze immediately locking onto the bed. "She's still lying there, he didn't return after all." He muttered after a quick glance and walked over to a table, about to grab a bowl with some herbal mush inside; the incomplete medicine he was feeding A'ina all this time. As soon as he extended his hand however he froze and quickly took another look at the bed...
"Craig?" He cried out in puzzlement before rushing over to the bedside and looking at Craig up close. "It really is Craig!" He looked around in confusion. "What the hell? What is going on here, have I gone insane?"
Andre was once again caught in a mental predicament. Earlier under his lack of sleep and stress, Craig had returned with a four tailed giant talking wolf that left him a bit... more than a bit perplexed. Craig had assured him that this was normal and told him to get some rest. Right now he was definitely well rested. Yet he was seeing things again. There was no giant talking wolf, the horses that Craig had arrived on were gone meaning he hadn't arrived, and A'ina... had somehow transformed into Craig.
Andre closed his eyes and took in several deep breaths. After confirming that he was calm and that he was feeling completely normal, he opened his eyes again.
The person lying on the bed was still Craig.
Andre frowned with concern for his well being, however he suddenly noticed the tiara on Craig's chest and slowly, he reconsidered his analysis. After a short moment he laughed at his ridiculousness and muttered, "That's probably way more likely." He then shook his head in disappointment. "Leave it to my brother to haggle such a valuable object as payment from such beautiful women."
After coming to the conclusion that the elf princess was healed and Craig asked for her tiara as payment, Andre cast away any thoughts of madness from his mind. He looked at Craig with a taunting expression and began smacking him with the back of his hand in order to wake him and discuss what happened. After several increasingly powerful smacks, Andre felt that something was wrong and closely studied Craig's condition. "His breathing is fine and so is his complexion. He couldn't be sleeping that deeply could he?" He cast his gaze at the bottle of valerian liquor on the table. "It doesn't seem like he had anything to drink." He looked at Craig again. "Maybe he's just tired from the long journey. I should leave him rest then."
He took a seat on the chair beside the bed and gathered his thoughts as he looked at the sleeping Craig.
.....
A sky of dark gloomy clouds expanded as far as the eye could see. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as if they were demanding the life from the world itself.
A large ship struggled to remain afloat atop a raging sea of utter turmoil. Waves peaked over the ship and repeatedly crashed onto its deck as if attempting to sink it by all means.
Standing on the deck of the ship a tall muscular man with a shocking resemblance to Craig stood, dressed in black armour with spikes at the shoulders and elbows. In one hand, he held a large black sword and in the other he held the hand of a four year old boy.
Next to the man, there was a stunningly beautiful woman in black battle wear. She had long black hair that seemed as if they were made of black flames. Her cold dark eyes were locked onto a person standing across from the three of them. "Do you really have to go this far. We weren't hurting anyone. We have a son. Look at him!" She yelled. "Are you truly going to kill an innocent child!"
"Innocent?" A harsh cold voice rhetorically asked. "There's nothing innocent about your kind. The world is better off without you in it. I am more than overjoyed to rid the world of evil scum the likes of you." The person directed their voice at the little boy. "Have no fear kid. After all, you won't be dying alone. You'll follow your parents to the underworld as one big happy family."
The four year old Craig had his eyes locked onto the man before them. The man was dressed in white holy robes with the symbol of a gold cross embroidered at the chest area. His face was hidden behind a plain white mask with a horizontal cross curved into a smile etched onto it. His long silver hair danced in the wind from behind; the only feature that could give away his identity.
Craig was breathing erratically as he looked at the man with fear, hatred and anger mixed together in his chest. All he wanted to do was to remove this man from the world. Erase his very existence. Unfortunately, what could he do at four years old when even his parents were clearly trying to avoid fighting the man.
Craig's father spoke at this moment. "Don't think it so easy to send us to the underworld. You'll have to pay a price for such an outcome." His voice was deep and indifferent, as if he wasn't feeling any fear at the moment.
The masked man laughed and took a step forward, continuing to walk as he said, "I would never underestimate one such as you. The amount of people you've killed is enough to usurp the devil from his throne. However, even gods can be killed so a mortal like yourself isn't an exception to the rule." As he took another step he suddenly paused and looked down. "Hm?"
Craig's father suddenly tossed him into his mother's arms and yelled at her, "Take him and don't look back!"
Craig's mother looked at his father and wanted to speak but she was interrupted by another shout from him. "Leave now, I won't be able to hold him for long!"
Craig looked on helplessly as his mother abandoned his father and dashed away from the ship atop what seemed like a floating symbol. It didn't take long before the sound of weapons clashing echoed from the direction of the ship. A few dull explosions could be heard as pieces of wood scattered through the air.
The ship grew smaller and smaller as Craig's mother escaped, and a moment later Craig saw a massive explosion of light take place and when it faded away, the ship was nowhere to be seen.
Craig extended his hand toward the location where the ship had been, unable to even utter a cry as he breathed intensely with a pained look on his tiny face.
His mother didn't even look back and as tears flew from her eyes she held nothing back in rushing away with Craig in her arms.
Some time later, she suddenly came to an abrupt halt.
Craig who was facing behind turned his head only to see that standing in the air a short distance ahead of them was the masked man. His arms was folded behind his back as he leisurely stood there, observing the sky. With his gaze fixed on the sky he said. "I wonder if he went up..." and lowering his gaze to their level he continued, "Or down."
"Hahaha." After letting out some unsettling laughter he added. "Your husband thought he could stop me, how naive. I was perfectly equipped by the Holy Empire for this mission. There is... No escape."
Craig's mother tightened her grip on Craig and tried to dash to the left but as soon as she moved, the masked man was already standing the same distance away ahead of her. She frowned and looked at where he had been a moment ago. He wasn't there anymore. She cast her gaze back at him, her frown deepening with perplexity.
The masked man chuckled. "Confused?" He asked rhetorically. "Good. That's how you should leave this world. Not even understanding how you died."
Craig's mother remained quiet for a moment then she slowly descended near the surface of the ocean with her eyes fixed onto the masked man.
He looked at her with masked curiosity, wondering what she was up to.
Craig's mother placed him onto a similar symbol to hers and rubbed his tiny chin and kissed his forehead. "My little angel, listen to mommy okay." She spoke to him in a low voice. "Mommy's going to fight against the bad man okay. This... platform will carry you away whilst I fight and keep you safe. Here, take this." She handed Craig a small blue pearl. "When you see another bright flash of light like the one before, quickly swallow this pearl. Do you understand?"
Craig looked at his mother with tears in his eyes and a worried expression.
"Do you understand?" She repeated harshly.
Craig nodded. "Yes mother."
She smiled and ruffled his hair. "Good boy. Remember, swallow it only when you see the light." She reminded.
Craig nodded again.
She then hovered up into the sky on the symbolic platform and faced the masked man.
Craig looked up, and amidst the noise of the raging ocean and roaring thunder, he listened to the small fragments of conversation he could hear.
"A final stand, how wonderful." The masked man said joyfully. "Truly only a mother's love could warrant such action. Although, I doubt your attachment to your offspring can be considered love." After a momentary pause he added. "A sense of duty perhaps?"
Craig's mother did not speak and only a moment later a sonic boom was heard as she appeared next to the masked man instantly engaging him in an all out melee confrontation.
As soon as their fight started, Craig felt the platform underneath him start to move, its speed increasing as it whizzed away.
The last words from the masked man echoed from the distance and faded into an imperceptible chatter. "A futile attempt at saving your son's life, once I kill you he....."
Craig could no longer hear any conversation between the two and as he drew further and further away he could barely make out the two of them battling in the sky.
He looked at the blue pearl in his hand that seemed to contain a vast universe inside and closed his hand, hoping, hoping that there was no bright light, hoping that his mother would return and pick him up once again. He kept his gaze fixed onto the location of the battle that he couldn't see and waited...
Boom!
There it was...
A flash of bright like just like the one before. Tears streamed out of Craig's eyes as he understood that most likely his mother was gone. He trembled in grief and anger and placed the pearl into his mouth and swallowed.
The platform underneath him slowly disappeared and when it completely vanished, he fell into the rough sea. He tried his best to swim but the raging ocean was just too terrifying. In just mere moments he had gobbled several mouthfuls of water and eventually, he passed out.
.....
A sky of dark gloomy clouds expanded as far as the eye could see. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled as if they were demanding the life from the world itself.
A large ship struggled to remain afloat atop a raging sea of utter turmoil. Waves peaked over the ship and repeatedly crashed onto its deck as if attempting to sink it by all means.
The nightmare-like dream had started again for the hundredth time. Craig had no control over this and could only experience the dream over and over in his current state. He had no presence of self and only this dream existed for the time being as it replayed over and over in his mind.
.....
Outside, Andre had been looking at Craig for a short while, wondering if he was truly just tired or if it was something else. He noticed that every now and then Craig's face would contort as if he was in some kind of pain. "I hope he's okay." He muttered as he prepared to stand up and leave to take care of other matters. However as soon as he stood up he froze, frightened by the figure standing in the doorway.
"He isn't okay." The person said as they stepped into the hut, looking at Andre.
If Craig was awake he would notice right away that it was the old merchant from his childhood, when he bought his first sword together with Asclepius. The monk who had proclaimed him to be the Transcendent King.