It had all started with a knock on the door.
Austin, with his scarred face and blind eyes, had rapped sharply on the wooden frame of their home. The knock echoed through the quiet night, and a few moments later, Ronan had opened the door.
"What is this?" Ronan had asked, confusion and suspicion lining his face as he took in the sight of the eight robed strangers standing at his door. His gaze had flicked to Kael, who stood trembling in their midst. "Kael!? What are you—"
Before Ronan could finish speaking, Austin's hand shot out, and with a mere gesture, Ronan was yanked from the threshold of the door and flung onto the ground.
"You must be the father of this child," Austin sneered as Ronan struggled to get up, bewildered and furious.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ronan growled, rising to his knees. "Who are you people?"
Austin ignored his question. With a flick of his hand, Ronan was lifted off the ground, floating helplessly in midair. His hands clawed at his throat as he struggled for breath, the unseen force choking him without Austin ever laying a hand on him.
Kael screamed, "Stop! Please, stop!" But before he could do anything, one of the other mages silenced him with a sharp slap to the face, sending him reeling.
"Shut up, boy," the mage growled.
Lira and Mia, startled by the commotion, rushed down the stairs. Lira gasped when she saw Ronan choking midair, helplessly struggling, while Mia stood frozen in horror.
"What's the meaning of this?" Ronan croaked, his voice a strangled gasp. "What do you want with us?"
Austin's cruel gaze slid over to Lira. "What is your full name?"
Lira remained silent, her eyes darting between Ronan and Kael. But before she could muster a reply, Austin flicked his hand again, and Lira was forced to her knees, held by some unseen power.
"What. Is. Your. Name?" Austin repeated, his voice edged with cruelty.
Shaking, Lira finally spoke, "My name... is Lira, daughter of Kaedric Eldenwood."
A heavy silence fell over the room as Austin's eyes gleamed with realization. "Eldenwood," he muttered, the corners of his lips curling into a sinister smile. "There's no mistaking it now. The bloodline of the Eldenwood. You're the last family left to carry this ancient blood."
Ronan's eyes widened in disbelief. "What are you talking about? We're just farmers!"
Austin chuckled darkly. "Farmers, sure. But your blood—your ancient lineage—carries something far greater than you can imagine. And it's necessary that we kill you both."
Mia screamed, "No! Please! Don't!" Her voice trembled as she fell to her knees, her hands reaching out toward her parents. Kael tried to run to them, his heart pounding with terror, but another mage pulled him back, holding him firmly.
"Please!" Kael begged, tears streaming down his face. "Please, don't kill them!"
Their parents, Ronan and Lira, glanced at their children one last time, their faces softening as if to comfort them. A weak smile crossed Ronan's lips, and Lira's eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"It'll all be okay," Lira whispered softly, her voice breaking.
But in that moment, something horrible happened. Blood began seeping from their orifices—first a trickle from their noses, then their eyes, and finally their mouths. Kael watched in horror, frozen in place, as his parents' bodies began to swell grotesquely. Before anyone could react, they exploded.
Blood, bone, and visceral matter sprayed across the room. Kael was splattered in his parents' blood, the warm liquid covering his face and dripping from his hair. Mia, kneeling nearby, was thrown back by the force of the explosion, her dress and skin smeared with the gore of her parents. She let out a strangled cry, collapsing to the ground in shock.
Kael's heart pounded in his ears, and his vision blurred. His parents were gone. He had just watched them die in the most horrific way imaginable.
Austin stepped forward, surveying the scene with a look of satisfaction. "How fortunate," he said, his voice low and sinister. "Not only a son, but a daughter, just as the prophecy foretold. You two will serve our purpose well."
Kael's body trembled violently, but he couldn't move. The ringing in his ears drowned out everything else, and the only thing left in his world was the sight of his parents' blood staining the floor and the horror etched into Mia's tear-soaked face.
As Kael and Mia stood there, frozen and in shock, a few of the mages circled around them. They began chanting in a strange, guttural language, their hands glowing with an eerie white light. The light started to swirl and surround the two children, and Kael felt something shift in his mind. The overwhelming horror and grief were suddenly numbed as if his thoughts were being forcibly scattered. His mind went blank, and the intensity of his emotions dulled to a cold emptiness.
Mia fell to her knees, her eyes wide but vacant as the light surrounded her as well. Both siblings stood helpless, prisoners in their own bodies, unable to react or even think clearly.
Austin, watching them closely, allowed a small smile to creep across his scarred face. "We don't want our new prospects to break too early," he said with a sinister chuckle. "There's still so much we need from them."
Kael's mind drifted into a dark haze, the world around him fading, as Austin's