Toby's eyes snapped open at the sound of the rooster's crow, heralding a new day. He sat up from his bed in a cold sweat his breathing heavy, yet again he was dreaming about that fatefull day, he ran his fingers across the red scarring left as a reminder on his arm. The breathtaking view that greeted him as he gazed out from the window of his cabin was nothing short of mesmerizing - the sky was ablaze with vibrant shades of pink and orange as the sun peeked above the horizon. The warmth of the sun's rays flooded through the gaps in the wooden slats of his cabin, casting a golden glow on his tousled blonde hair. "Time to get myself moving..." He said to himself.
For quite some time he wandered aimlessly around the village, helping fix the wheel of a wagon, carrying an old ladys shopping and playing ball with some kids. Bored he decided to take a rare outing outside the village walls, heading off over the many large green hills. As he headed towards the neighboring village of Greenhaven, Toby felt an irresistible pull towards it, as if fate was calling out to him. His mind raced as he trudged through the fields that separated the two villages, with the autumn leaves crunching under his boots. Greenhaven was quite a small village of quaint cottages surrounded by gardens of beautiful flowers and the tastiest fruits, it was a close-knit peaceful place to live.
But when he arrived what he found in Greenhaven was nothing like he had ever seen before. The air was thick with terror, and the villagers were in a frenzied state. Right at the center was a blazing pyre, and tied to it was none other than the green haired beauty Seraphina Nightshade, a young woman he had only heard about in whispers and rumours.
She was the village's Witch, no one knew where her abode was but every once in a blue moon she would walk into the village like she owned the place taking what supplys she wanted without opposition, it seemed the villagers must have finally caught her off guard judging by the fact she is tied up and none of the villagers are transforming into plants or farm animals, seeing her up close felt nervewracking. There were very few people in this world who were able to harness any form of magical abilitys, and an even fewer amount of them lived in Eldoria, Seraphina was the only sorceress in the Kingdom Toby had heard of.
Despite the chaos, the flames and the smoke, Seraphina remained unyielding, apearing unfazed and stoic as the flames danced around her,as she glanced through the mob she looked over, her eyes locking with Toby's across the crowd. He tried his best to avert his gaze, after all he couldnt help but feel bad for the death of a human being sorceress or not... He couldn't help but wonder if she deserved this. Sure, he knew she would take what she wanted from the villagers without compensating them, but in reality, everyone knew the reason Greenhaven was so peaceful was that other villages and even some kingdoms were intimidated by its magical resident. He couldn't help but wonder if the peace would remain now that she was going to-
"YOU MORONS!"
A loud voice cut through the rambling of the crowd Toby pushed through the bewildered villagers, to the front where Seraphina had started to speak; "Dont you all see whats happening in our world? after hundreds of years of peace monster sightings are steadilly rising, something is stirring and if you get rid of strong assets like me this village will be crushed by giants or burned by a dragon, my magic outclasses the strength of all you villagers put together!"
Unsure if it was real or just emotion, the scars on Toby's arm began to burn "he couldn't help but think back on that day and wonder what his village would do if waves of creatures attacked. his mind now certain on what he wanted to do, whether it be right or not, he took a small dull knife from his belt and threw it at the pyre.
people watched in shock as the knife whizzed past Seraphina's waist; inches away, it sliced through the rope and stuck into the wood. the ropes fell into the roaring flames and Seraphina just smirked.
She hopped down with ease seemingly floating over the flames causing the villagers to gape in disbelief as they watched on. Toby acted quickly grabbing her hand which was softer than he imagined, he used his elbow to barge through the mob tanking a few punches as he went onwards shielding her with his body out of the village, disappearing into the dark and ominous forest beyond Greenhaven's borders. The misty haze that hung low among the trees only added to the spine-chilling atmosphere, and Toby felt a mixture of fear and thrill coursing through his veins.
As the towering trees swallowed them, anxiety clutched at Toby's heart. The promise of something magical loomed in the air, as tangible as the misty haze that hung low among the emerald canopy overhead.