A tall young boy with silky jet-black hair walked into an old small house carrying lots of fruits on his back. "Pa, I'll be out for a while," Zion said to his father who was sitting on an arm-chair.
"Where are you going, kid?" The man asked, turning his head around.
"To sell the fruits I plugged yesterday," Zion replied.
"Why don't you leave it tomorrow?" His father asked, sounding worried. "It's getting late."
"If I don't sell the fruits today, they might spoil before tomorrow. Pa, don't worry, I'll sell them quickly and then buy some food stuffs for the house," Zion replied.
His father sighed. There was nothing he could do. "You know how dangerous the night is so you must return before dark!" He said and Zion smiled and rushed out of the house.
"I will be back soon, pa. Bye bye!" He yelled as he rushed down the hill.
Zion and his father were living alone on the top of a small hill in the village. That's because they wanted to live a secluded life, away from the world and its hassles. His father made this decision after going blind due to some rare diseases and because they were very rich, they could not afford the treatment.
In order to survive, Zion would go into forests, picking so many different fuits and in the end, he would go into the village and sell them to the people. The money he made, he then will use them to buy food stuffs for the house.
He continued this for years and now he is seventeen years, this has been his job for years, and it never bored him. He loved his father more than he loved himself and his father was of course aware of this.
On the way, Zion hurried down the hill quickly. He needed to sell all the fruits on time so that he would be able to return home before night fall. The sun beat down on his back, warming his skin. He adjusted the basket of fruits on his back, making sure everything was secure.
He walked through the village, greeting familiar faces and exchanging pleasantries. The villagers knew Zion well, and they admired his dedication to taking care of his father.
Zion made his way to the village market, where he set up his stall and began to arrange his fruits. He had a variety of fruits, including juicy apples, sweet berries, and tangy oranges.
As the day wore on, Zion's stall attracted a steady stream of customers. He chatted with the villagers, laughing and joking as he made sale after sale.
Despite the bustle of the market, Zion kept a close eye on the time. He knew he had to sell all his fruits and get back home before nightfall.
Just as Zion was starting to pack up his stall, a wealthy-looking merchant approached him. "Young man, I'll take all of your fruits," the merchant said, his voice booming across the market.
Zion's eyes widened in surprise. He had never sold all his fruits to one person before. "How much are you willing to pay?" he asked, trying to sound calm. He had wanted to go home early but seeing someone who is willing to buy everything from him at once made him refrain from it.
The merchant smiled, his eyes glinting with amusement. "I'll give you a fair price, boy. Let's say... 10 gold coins?"
Zion's eyes nearly popped out of his head. 10 gold coins was a small fortune, more than he had ever made in a single day.
"Let me pack them for you!" He said, enthusiastically.
The man watched Zion pack all the fruits into a bag and handed it to him. "Here you go," he said and counted the 10 gold coins which he gave to Zion.
"Bye bye!" Zion waved the man happily as he left. "I can't wait to tell Pa about this, he's going to be happy. Definitely!"
He carried his basket and rushed to purchase things for the house. After buying what he needed, he went to the medicine store to purchase a bag of medicine for his father's eyes. Even though there was no cure for the blindness, he could buy drugs that will reduce the pains his father was having in his eyes.
By the time he was done buying everything, it got dark so he headed back home immediately. He ran all the way up to the hill, his blood boiling in eagerness to share the good news with his father but as he neared his home, he felt that the air around was stained with a fowl smell. The more he got closer to his house, the stronger the smell was and he could not shake off the feeling that something was wrong. With that, he quickened his pace untill he finally arrived home.
Zion's eyes widened in horror as he took in the scene before him. His house, his home, was in ruins. The trees around the house were uprooted, and the door was hanging off its hinges.
But it was what was inside the house that made Zion's blood run cold. Blood was everywhere, splattered on the walls, the floor, and the furniture. And in the middle of it all, a massive monster sat, munching on a bloody object in its hand.
Zion's eyes were fixed on the object, and his mind refused to accept what he was seeing. It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.
But as he looked closer, he saw the unmistakable features of his father's face, frozen in a permanent scream of agony. The monster was eating his father's heart.
Zion's world went dark, and he felt himself falling to the ground. He couldn't breathe, couldn't think. All he could do was scream, a loud, anguished scream that echoed through the night.
The monster looked up, startled, and saw Zion lying on the ground, screaming. For a moment, it just stared at him, then it let out a deafening roar and began to move towards him.
Zion's eyes were fixed on the monster, and he knew he had to get up, had to run. But his body wouldn't move. He was paralyzed with fear and grief.
The monster loomed over him, its hot breath washing over him. Zion closed his eyes, waiting for the end to come.
But it didn't. Instead, he heard a loud crash, followed by the sound of snarling and growling. Zion opened his eyes to see a figure fighting the monster, a figure with a sword on his hand and a determined look on his face. As for what happened next, Zion didn't know as everything went completely dark.