"Oi, raise your head!" a deep voice barked, sharp and commanding. Just as loud as the thunder around them as a storm brewed across the midnight sky.
A group of Aelvarians stood in a circle, their faces covered in masks, replacing their expressions with the cold stone faces of the demons and ogres of this world, the dispute hidden amongst the forest.
The rain poured mercilessly on a certain boy, his fingers digging into the sopping mud that encased his bruised body. His body struggled to stand, with a brown gaze that carries a deep seated hatred despite his fear.
"You're not dead yet are you—" Despite his words his eyes were filled with bloodlust, if he wasn't dead yet, he was sure to make sure of it soon.
At his words the boy stood his ground, his foot slightly off on the sloshing mud below him. His breathing was slowed, sweat hidden among the many dewdrops that dripped down his dark blue skin.
"Raise your hands…" The man ordered, his features hardly visible in the night, though his massive stature was hard to miss.
The boy's body trembled in fatigue and terror, His eyes glanced back at the hunters that surrounded them, they didn't move, they didn't speak, like statues just staring into the storm.
It was clear they weren't going to help him.
"I said raise your hands!" The man's roar sent a jolt through the boy's body like a physical blow. His knees nearly buckled as he staggered back, arms halfway raised but uselessly weak. His vision blurred with a mixture of rain and tears.
The beast in front of him snarled again, taking a step forward.
"Fight me, Tanaka!" the man snarled, his voice a whip-crack of command. "Or you'd rather die a coward!?"
"Y-yes father…" Tanaka murmured, his hands raising fully to continue where they left off. The wind picked up between the two, both refusing to move as lightning struck for a brief moment, illuminating the area around them.
In the blink of an eye the boy's father blitz towards him, his hands coiling back to drive into the gut of his son, Tanaka's eyes snapped to his fists, his hands though tiny in comparison, pushed against it, moving to the side as fast as he could, the sudden force causing him to stumble into the mud once more.
Even though Tanaka was down, his father didn't stop. Each strike drove him further into the mud. Some hit home, rattling his feeble frame
"You think this is enough to take my place?" The father snarled, reaching to grab his son by the hair, his arms hanging limp besides him, only causing his father to stare at him with deep disgust. "Are you trying to insult me?!"
His muscles tightened against the roots of the boy's hair, Tanaka screamed in pain, his hands suddenly gaining life to loosely grip his father's arms. His gaze filled with anger
"There it is…" He grinned, tossing the boy across the field and to the feet of the hunters, watching as he struggled to stand. "Use that hatred of yours to kill me!"
"At my old age, surely you can!" The wind only got harsher, howling loudly over the boy's desperate pants to cling onto consciousness. "This is a trial all must go through!"
"War is never ending, I need to make sure you can guide my people, Tanaka! Stand up and kill your father!" The boy's arms shook under his own weight, his eyes narrowing in the fatigue of it all before he fully got to his feet.
"That's it! That's my son!" His father laughed, the mere sound grating the boy's ears, he couldn't stand it, his breathing growing heavier and heavier before finding the strength to charge forward.
"Yes! Yes! Yes!! This is my successor!" His father sounded overjoyed, for the first time, he heard his father with genuine happiness…
"Tanaka!"
"Hey Tanaka…"
"TANAKA!!"
Tanaka suddenly jolts to reality, his heart racing and his breathing heavy as he takes in his surroundings in a panic, his eyes snapping to meeting a beautiful red gaze filled with worry, gentle hands caressing his forehead searching for a fever.
"Are you alright? You've been spacing out a lot today," Aurelia pondered, her brow furrowed with worry and her husband's sudden dazes.
His eyes took in the area around him, carrying a shock in his gaze as if he was teleported to another world. He was sitting on a cliff side, a place Aurelia always liked to go. The high winds were always nice here, sending chills of pleasure down his spine.
"Am I that boring?" She pouted, staring at him demanding an answer.
"N-no! That's not it at all!" He reassured, waving his hands as if to immediately dismiss her claim.
"Then what's been on your mind?" Her voice was softer, hands sneaking up to hold onto his. This was a stark contrast to back then, his gaze falling to their joined fingers.
"Nothing," He lied, a soft smile playing at his lips before a soft chuckle escaped. "Just can't believe I'm already chief, that's all…"
The wind blew past them lightly, embracing their skin as the sun began to set along the horizon.
"I wonder if i'll be as good a chief as my father…" his fingers tighten slightly around Aurelia's as the memories flood back to him, the rain, the constant beatings, all to groom him to become the best chief he could be, for his people.
"I have no doubt," Aurelia smiled, her words catching Tanaka off guard, his head quickly turning back to her to search for any form of lying or hiding the truth.
"R-really…" He asked, just wanting to make sure he heard her right. The beautiful sunset long dimming before them replacing itself with the stunning sight of the night sky stretching overhead, the many stars peaking out to witness her words.
"Really…" She said nodded, "You'll make a wonderful home for our child, I know it,"
"In this new world of peace,"