The soft rustle of leaves and chirps of distant birds painted a deceptive picture of peace on the outskirts of the village. Kael, Dren, and Lyra wandered the edge of the forest, laughter breaking through the otherwise tranquil air.
Lyra, ever the sharp-tongued one, nudged Dren. "You'd think you'd stop tripping over roots after all these years in the village."
Dren flushed, rubbing his shin. "Roots are crafty! They wait until you're distracted."
Kael chuckled but soon found his gaze drifting toward the village. Something about the day felt off, though he couldn't place why.
A distant rumble pulled them all from their conversation. It was faint at first, like thunder rolling through the hills. But it grew louder, resonating with an ominous cadence. Lyra instinctively reached for her bow.
"Do you hear that?" Kael asked, his voice low.
Dren nodded, his earlier humor replaced with unease. "Yeah... what is that?"
The trio turned toward the village as smoke began to rise above the rooftops. Panic surged through Kael's veins. "The village!" he exclaimed.
Without hesitation, they sprinted back. The closer they got, the louder the chaos became. The cries of villagers echoed in the distance, mingled with the metallic clash of weapons. When the village came into view, the scene was nothing short of a nightmare.
Men clad in dark, tattered armor rampaged through the streets, wielding swords and torches. Houses burned, and people scattered, screams punctuating the air.
Lyra drew an arrow, her face steely. "We have to help."
Kael hesitated. His family was somewhere in that chaos. "I have to find my parents," he said firmly.
Dren grabbed his arm. "Kael, wait! We can't just run into this without a plan!"
But Kael wasn't listening. He tore away and sprinted toward his house. The familiar streets were now unrecognizable, littered with debris and bodies. He dodged through the chaos, his heart hammering.
When he reached his home, he found Aiden in the middle of the street, standing like an immovable wall. His father's usual calm demeanor was replaced by a ferocious intensity. Wielding a sword that gleamed in the firelight, Aiden cut through mercenaries with unmatched precision and strength. Each swing was a deadly arc, his movements fluid yet devastating.
"Aiden!" Kael's mother, clutching a small knife, stood behind him, her eyes darting between the advancing attackers.
"Kael!" Aiden barked, his voice sharp and commanding. "Take your mother and siblings and run! Now!"
Kael froze, torn between the instinct to obey and the overwhelming urge to stay and fight. "I can't leave you—"
"Go!" Aiden roared, his voice reverberating with an authority Kael had never heard before.
Kael grabbed his mother's arm, pulling her toward the door where his younger siblings were huddled. "Come on!" he urged.
But before they could make it far, a mercenary broke through the line and lunged at them. Kael's mother stepped forward, knife in hand. Her movements were swift, her strikes calculated. She fought with a determination that Kael had never seen before.
For a brief moment, it seemed like she might hold her own. But then, the mercenary's sword found its mark.
Time seemed to slow as Kael watched her collapse, her knife slipping from her hand. "No!" he screamed, rushing to her side.
Blood pooled beneath her, and her breaths came shallow and labored. She looked up at Kael, her eyes filled with a mixture of love and sorrow. "Protect them," she whispered, her voice barely audible. "You must protect them."
Tears streamed down Kael's face as he cradled her. "I can't... I can't leave you."
Aiden's roar of rage echoed through the streets as he saw what had happened. He charged forward, his strikes growing even more brutal, his shouts filled with a grief and fury that shook Kael to his core.
"Kael!" Aiden's voice cut through the chaos. "Take them and go!"
Kael, trembling, turned to his siblings. They were crying, clinging to each other. He forced himself to his feet, pulling them close. "Come on," he said, his voice breaking.
The three of them fled, tears blurring Kael's vision. Behind him, the sounds of battle raged on. Aiden's voice rose above it all, calling out names and cursing the mercenaries.
Kael didn't stop running until they reached the edge of the village. He turned back, his heart breaking as he saw the flames consuming the place he called home. And then, through the smoke and fire, a shadowy figure appeared on the hill above.
It was just a flash—a man standing tall and unyielding, his silhouette etched against the burning sky. For a brief moment, Kael felt a strange, inexplicable connection to the figure. But before he could make sense of it, the vision was gone.
Tears still streaming, Kael clutched his siblings tightly. The weight of his mother's death and the sight of his father's ferocity weighed heavily on him. He vowed, then and there, to protect what was left of his family—no matter the cost.
And deep within him, something stirred. A spark of something he didn't understand, but that felt powerful and ancient, waiting to awaken.