The stars glimmered in the night sky, and crickets chirped and sang throughout the calm and stillness of the farm. Fireflies filled the air until the smoke of the burned home overcame them. A flash of light appeared, and the Man sat upright confused as to where he was; until the smell filled his nose. A smell he is all too familiar with, he turned to where the home stood. To his dismay, he cried out into the night, "GODS NO NO NO, NOT AGAIN YOU HAVE BROUGHT THIS UPON ME AGAIN!" The man gripped the dirt in clenched fists. His heart raced, and thoughts of their pain ran wild in his head. Through it all he calmed himself. As if he turned off his own emotions. He walked over to the tool he had just used that morning and began to dig; he continued until he could not control his emotions any longer. He began to attack the ground, every strike that connected impacted the ground harder and harder than the last; the tool snapped due to the force, and dirt was flung into the man's face. In a rage he punched the dirt, breaking through the ground. He stopped and tried to calm himself, but it had been so long since he was forced to dig graves for innocent people. He sat there still in the grave, moments passed and he was able to have his emotions under control for now. The Man climbed out of the massive hole he had made. He slowly and begrudgingly made his way over to the remains of the burned home. As he looked over the remains his head was filled with the laughter of the children, the games they used to play. The smell of evening supper being prepared by their mother as she humed her favorite tune, and the stories being told about the Heros of old. He searched through the remains looking for the family, he came across the Aunt who only a year ago came to stay with her sister's family due to the loss she suffered to a raging beast in the south. He pulled her from the charred remains and carried her to the grave he had dug. With gentle care, he placed her in the grave. He continued back through the charred home, he found the doll of the little girl and the wooden sword he had made for the boy, and he placed them to the side. As he reached into the rubble he felt the small hand of one of the children, the pain crushed his heart. He painfully spoke to the heavens, "I begged you to either let me exist alone and away from the world or to just allow me to enjoy a small piece of happiness, I begged you." I Did everything I thought would appease at least one of you damned gods." He lifted the rubble and found them held together by their mother. The sight was unbearable, his throat filled with what felt like the very rocks he had cleared out that morning, his hands began to shake uncontrollably; it seemed he couldn't catch his breath, and began gasping at the air. He couldn't stop crying, it was like a waterfall on his face. But he knew he had to still himself and do what needed to be done. So he wiped away his tears and carefully placed them next to each other in their mother's arms and their aunts. Putting the small toys with them. Normally they would be wrapped in a family blanket and lay in a beautiful box covered by the family or the village but there was nothing left. He buried them. He pushed the largest stones over that he had pulled from the ground to the grave, and craved the words. "Here lies the Brewer Family, a loving mother, a caring Aunt, a Brave son, and a beautiful daughter." He grabbed a small rock and said, "I am sorry". He placed it at the bottom of the stone. As he stood up, the sound of a horse and carriage echoed down the road, he turned to see that their father had come home early. He stood there, and the father in a panic rushed to the charred remains of his small home. He grabbed the Man, shouting," Please, tell me my family is alright Diomede." Diomede with tears in his eyes, said nothing and only stared at the panicked father. The father looked behind Diomede, and saw the freshly made grave; he was unwilling to look at the fresh grave and cried out," PLEASE NO, I WILL NOT LOOK." The Father begged Diomede, "NO NO NO, TELL ME MY FAMILY IS FINE"." TELL ME, MY CHILDREN, AT LEAST WERE SPARED OF THIS FATE". Diomede gripped the broken father by his arm and dragged him to the grave, and he wept and cried out into the night sky even louder than Diomede had. These were the cries of true anguish. The Father turned to Diomede with anger shouting," I CURSE THE DAY YOU PULLED ME FROM THAT FIELD OF CORPSES AND I CURSE YOU DIOMEDE". Diomede looked at the grieving father, unable to say anything to him. Diomede walked past the father, out to the small hut that lay across the wheat field. He opened the door to the place he had called home for the last eight years. He slowly walked inside, to the middle of the room, and knocked over the table and chair that were placed there. He began to break through the floorboard, ripped pieces out, and threw them across the room. He reached and grabbed what he was looking for, he stared at it with hate and dread in his eyes, in his heart. He reached down and pulled out a large chest, one that could fit an average-sized man. He laid it out, speaking a word in another tongue; it opened, inside and sat a brown fur cloak wrapped around a great sword and two twin axes covered in wrappings. Underneath lay a set of armor, it was thick and carved with runes and ornate with battle scars. Diomede dressed, and as he did, the horrors of war and the deeds he had done flashed before him, the mere of these items of war and death triggered something in him. Something he had prayed would never awaken again. He finished tying the armor to himself, he pulled the great sword from its sheath, it did not reflect the moon's ray but captured it. He placed it on his back. He pulled the axes from their wrappings, each carved with what appeared to be the likeness of bears. He placed them into two slots that were on his belt. The weight of everything didn't just hang from him but felt like the embrace of an old lover from a distant past. He had prayed to never think about these things again, less of all dawn them. He draped the fur cloak over his shoulders, letting out a sigh. The father stumbled over to him," You think this will do anything?'' All this does is bring trouble to anyone and everyone around you"." Like my family you are going to get someone killed." Diomede looked the father directly into his eyes," I am truly sorry Brunos for bringing my curse to you and your family"; He wiped his face one last time. And his hand fell, the emotions that just a few seconds ago curled his face faded and his presence changed to that of an emotionless being. Diomende opened his mouth and spoke in a dead tone, "The ones who have done this were from Umar, I am going there to find answers", and "I pray for the days become easier to bear". Brunos watched as Diomede walked into the night disappearing into the dark shadows of the road. Brunos kicked the chest, and as he did, it warped out of this realm. Brunos grunted," Figures", he turned to the hut and began to throw things around. All through the night he did this, until mid-morning when a few men came walking up the road. They were from the village, they all cried out in anguish. And then Turned to the site of Brunos, they rushed to his side, and each one said the same thing," They hit here too! Why would they do this?" Brunos, confused by what they were saying, yelled out for them to explain. A soft deep voice carried through the crowd; the town's elder walked forward, "They came and attacked everyone that lived on the edge of town, saying that they were demons. And then turned to the families they had, calling them half-bred spawns of devils''. Brunos, shocked at this news, collapsed to the ground. "Why?"He asked," Why do these things to us? We are nothing but farmers and hunters``. The town elder placed his hand on his shoulder, "We do not know why, if not for Fjord who was out in Canoot's wheat field we would not know what had happened to the families." Confused Brunos looked around at the others who had lost their families, one of the farmers spoke up, "they had performed some spell, to send us to another place and when we returned we found our farms in ruin", They returned to the remains of their homes," to the same sight as you". "I was not here," Brunos exclaimed," I had just returned from my trading with the road inns last night." The other farmers shook their heads and ask," So they just attacked your family?" Brunos stood up, "no they must have thought Diomede was the head of the house". "Where is he now?" a farmer asked; Brunos pointed toward the direction Diomede walked," he said they were from Umar and he was heading that way to find answers", the Farmers looked out to the road. The elder walked to the front of the group and stated," That man has borne the burden of the many who have been lost, I only pray this event has true meaning from the gods".