As Aurelio heard the war horn blast its terrifying melody, a chill shot down his spine, the high-pitched notes echoing through the village like a harbinger of doom. He staggered back, trying to make sense of the chaos unfolding around him. Turning behind, Aurelio stood frozen in horror, his breath catching in his throat at the sight before him. The once-familiar streets of Bavona village now lay in ruins, swallowed by merciless flames.
Everywhere he looked, to his left, to his right, it was all the same.
Carnage engulfed the village, flames licking at the sky, casting an eerie red hue over the scene. Unfamiliar soldiers, clad in uniforms marked with insignias Aurelio did not recognize, rampaged through the streets. Their faces twisted into masks of cruelty, they laughed callously at the desperate cries of villagers pleading for mercy. Swords gleamed in their hands, dripping with the blood of those unfortunate enough to cross their path.
The sky above churned with smoke and ash, a sickly red backdrop to the unfolding tragedy below. Sparks danced through the air like malevolent fireflies, casting fleeting shadows on the charred remains of homes and shops.
Aurelio's heart pounded in his chest as he took in the nightmarish scene, his mind struggling to process the horror before him. It felt as though he had been transported to a realm of pure chaos, where death and destruction reigned supreme.
His eyes darted frantically from one atrocity to the next, each sight more horrifying than the last. Innocent lives snuffed out in an instant, their pleas drowned out by the crackling flames and the merciless laughter of the invaders.
In the distance, a woman in her forties sprinted desperately with a child in tow, tears streaming down her face not from fear for her own life, but for the safety of her child. Her anguished cries were lost amid the cacophony of chaos, the soldiers' laughter ringing in Aurelio's ears like a cruel mockery of humanity. Her shrieks couldn't be heard over the sickly laughing of the soldiers, and eventually... the soldier cut her head off, right in front of her child.
Aurelio felt like vomiting, he felt a wave of nausea rise in his throat, torn between the urge to intervene and the paralyzing fear that gripped him, but whether it was the fear that encompassed his heart, or the powerlessness he felt in that moment, he never did so, he merely covered his mouth with his hand to hold back the disgust he felt in his stomach from rising up, as his eyes darted around frantically, unable to look at the woman's severed head, yet unable to look away knowing that he might be next. He felt sick for not running up to the crying child and saving him, but his shaking body wouldn't allow him to.
He took a step back, and another, and one more, until he turned around and ran as fast as he could, he ran straight inside his his house, where Valarie was clutching Haiya and her friend, their faces pale with fear. He wanted to reassure them, to provide solace and protection, but words failed him. His mind raced with thoughts of the woman and child he had seen, the images seared into his memory like a brand.
Suddenly, Fabian burst through the door, his expression grim and determined. Sweat glistened on his brow, his hands clenched into fists. "We need to leave," he said, his voice low but urgent. "Now."
"Come, follow me quickly, I don't have time to explain!"
Everyone was gripped by fear, their instincts overriding rational thought as they followed Fabian out of the house. The basic logic that usually guided their actions seemed to falter in the face of such imminent danger. Possessions and material things held no value in that moment; survival was the only thought that mattered. Death loomed indiscriminately over them all.
Outside, a line of horse-drawn carriages awaited them, arranged in a makeshift caravan. The carriages were filled with people of varying ages and appearances, but each face bore the same expression of dread and uncertainty.
Valarie, clutching Haiya and her friend tightly, followed Fabian alongside Aurelio as they made their way to an empty carriage. The caravan set off, the rhythmic clatter of hooves on the dirt road punctuating the tense silence.
During the journey, Fabian managed to calm their nerves, his voice a steady anchor amidst the turmoil. He gathered them close and began to explain the grim reality unfolding around them.
"The 6th Veridian Empire has declared war on Miliscient," Fabian announced gravely, his words hanging heavily in the air.
Shock and disbelief rippled through their group. Aurelio felt his stomach churn with a mixture of fear and anger, his mind reeling from the suddenness of the revelation.
"They've had their eyes on the lands Miliscient occupies for a long time, especially Meraleth," Fabian continued, his voice tinged with bitterness. "We knew this day might come, but no one expected such brutality. Attacking civilians, burning homes—this is a blatant violation of all international warfare laws and ethics!"
He paused, his jaw clenched in frustration. "The village elders feared this might happen. That's why the security meetings became more frequent in recent years. We thought they might try to annex Bavona, but never did we think they'd strike so swiftly. If only we had known sooner..."
Fabian's fist slammed down on his thigh, the sound punctuating the gravity of their situation. he used to be one of the best soldiers in Miliscient, yet, he couldn't save his village. Aurelio remained wide-eyed, haunted by the images of horror he had witnessed back in Bavona. The innocence lost in the face of senseless violence weighed heavily on his heart.
After what felt like an eternity of travel, the caravan finally reached the towering walls of Meraleth, the capital city sprawling before them like a fortress against the chaos consuming the countryside.
As the asylum seekers neared the capital of the small kingdom, their eyes were drawn to the imposing fortifications that encircled it. The great wall stood proudly against the horizon, a testament to the realm's determination to defend its heart against any threat.
Constructed from weathered stone and earth, the wall bore the marks of its age, yet its resilience remained unyielding. Turrets and watchtowers dotted its length at regular intervals, silhouetted against the fading daylight. From their posts, vigilant guards scanned the surrounding countryside, ever watchful for signs of the Veridian Empire's advancing forces.
Approaching the city gates, the travelers marveled at the sight. Flanked by sturdy towers and reinforced with heavy wooden doors, the gates stood as a formidable barrier against the chaos beyond. Unlike Bavona village and its surrounding settlements, which had likely fallen under Veridian control, Meraleth stood defiant, its defenses unbreached thus far.
Beyond the protective walls, glimpses of the city revealed narrow streets lined with timber-framed buildings. As their carriage navigated the cobblestone paths of Meraleth, Aurelio's heart sank at the sight before him. Once bustling with life, the city now lay eerily silent and deserted.
Rows of empty houses and abandoned shops bore witness to the city's plight. Darkened windows and shuttered doors painted a grim picture of the uncertainty that gripped its remaining inhabitants. The few souls who dared to venture out moved swiftly, their faces etched with fear and weariness.
Aurelio felt a profound sorrow wash over him as they traversed the desolate streets. The weight of impending conflict hung heavy in the air, casting a pall over the once-vibrant cityscape now reduced to a shadow of its former self.
Their journey led them to a makeshift refugee camp hastily erected outside the city walls. Flimsy tents provided meager shelter for the displaced, a stark contrast to the sturdy defenses of Meraleth itself. As they disembarked and passed through the camp's gates, Aurelio's gaze fell upon a woman in the distance, her cries echoing through the air.
She had lost everything—her husband, her parents, her children—all taken mercilessly by the Empire's soldiers. Yet, through her tears, she vowed to endure, to honor their memory with a pledge of vengeance against those who had torn her world apart, her voice was cracking with emotion but the more she tried to compose herself the harder the tears fell.
Beside her, a child wept inconsolably, the same child Aurelio had seen earlier, whose mother had been slain before his eyes. Anger simmered within Aurelio as he recalled his own fear and inability to act in that moment of terror.
-- How could they, of all people, do something like this?" Aurelio's voice trembled with a mix of anger and disbelief as he reflected on the horrors inflicted by the Veridians. "They should know better than anyone how wrong it is to subject others to such cruelty. They were once victims of similar atrocities themselves, yet now they've forgotten their own history and become the perpetrators. Do they have no sense at all?
He sighed bitterly, recalling his teacher's words: "Those who cannot remember the past are doomed to repeat it."
After settling down in the refugee camp and comforting Haiya and her friend, reuniting Haiya's friend with her family, everyone queued up for the basic rations being distributed—potatoes, bread, and other essentials. Despite the desperate need shared by all in the camp, there was no fighting or discord. Each person understood their equal right to the provisions, fostering a cooperative spirit among the displaced refugees from Bavona and the surrounding villages.
When Fabian and Aurelio were done securing rations that would barely last the family for a day, they made their way back to their tent. As Aurelio was about to enter the tent he looked towards his right and saw a familiar silhouette, one of a pretty girl with long, black hair in the distance. He gasped as he realized who it was.
-- How could I have forgotten about her!? Was I really going to leave her to die there alone?
Jane had tears flowing from her eyes as she ran as quickly as she could towards Aurelio, and when Jane reached him, she hugged him tightly, her tears slightly staining his tunic with small watermarks.
"I- I'm so glad you-" she took a moment to sniff and calm herself down.
"-you're alive!~ I thought you died!" She continued as she buried her face in his shoulder.
Aurelio hesitantly hugged her back. "I'm glad you're alive as well" Aurelio said as he forced a smile, not as if Jane could even see his face as they were hugging. After talking with Fabian and Valarie a little, Jane went back to her tent which was a few meters away from Aurelio's tent.
After eating a little Aurelio and his family went to sleep, although their sleep wasn't peaceful that night, that's for sure. Though, Aurelio was grateful that he and his family were safe, they had successfully made it out "hell" and now sought refuge in the sacred sanctuary of the 'city of heaven'.