Beginning After The End (Part 2)

The sun was setting in the east casting a red hue across the world.

An old man was trudging along the stony path of the mountains. It was the routine time to collect water from the stream flowing from the mountains. The green meadow bathed in the humid light of the sinking sun against the fading layers of orange and yellow.

It had been a routine for the old man to go to the mountain stream every evening to collect water for the day. Today was no different.

"Hah, I am getting old. It is getting more difficult to walk the path with each passing day". The old man complained to himself as he walked.

Slowly, the stream appeared in front of him. As we went towards the stream, he took the surrounding view into his eyes.

"I made a good decision by settling here after retiring", he said with a smile blooming on his face.

The evening fog gave the lake an ethereal appearance while the stream's surface sparkled. He stopped at the side and started filling the water bucket. Being the only person, a single bucked of water was enough for him to last a day.

While filling the water bucked, he saw a basket stuck among rocks at the bank.

"Idiots. How can someone throw their waste into the water? Don't they have any regard for nature and people living downstream?" While complaining in his haggard voice, he put the bucket aside and stood up.

"I am tired of cleaning after other people's wastes". He went to the rocky area to pull the basket out of the water. Irritated, he made his way to the basket. As he moved closed, the contents of the basket became visible.

"O Dear God!" he loudly exclaimed, surprised by what he saw. There was an infant in the basket.

"O' Dear Mother, what kind of heathens abandon their child like this?" The old man said, raging with fury. A parent abandoning their child was unthinkable for him, especially more so because he never had a child, to begin with.

He carefully picked up the infant in his arms and the bubbled rage calmed down when he saw the innocent child, giggling at a stranger. The infant seemed to be a 4-5-month-old boy with blue eyes.

"God won't forgive those who abandoned you in this condition" As warmth filled his heart, he complained. The baby was swaddled in cloth, while a pendant hung from his neck. "You are safe with me now".

Carrying the baby in his arms, the old man made his way back. Filled with happiness and excitement, he forgot why he came to the stream in the first place, leaving the bucket behind.

After an hour of walking on the stony path, the man reached an old farmhouse. A weather-beaten slat cottage sat at the far end of a mostly brown lawn; the wood silvered by the sun, roof shingles warped.

As there was no one to welcome his arrival, without hesitation, he opened the door and entered the cottage.

"You must be feeling cold. Let me heat the place," Worried about the baby's health, the old man quickly went to the fireplace to light some fire. Very soon, warmth spread across the hall.

The old man quickly went to the kitchen to get some milk for the baby. He knew the baby was starving and might die if not fed.

Morgan was a hundred-year-old retired Knights Commander. He had spent all his life protecting the aristocracy that he didn't get the time for himself. Due to the risk of his job, he didn't marry at first and when he grew older, marriage seemed like a waste of time to him.

When he finally retired from old age, he was awarded a piece of land on the outskirts of the Aston Kingdom where he set up his farmhouse. At first, life seemed to be good, full of peace and relaxation. However, as time passed, the loneliness became unbearable. For the first time in his life, Morgan regretted not getting married. Whenever he saw families with little kids enjoying the city market, he felt envious and sad. In such times, the baby was a God-send for him.

When he saw the baby, he felt his heart melt. He now had a newfound purpose in his life. He slowly held the baby and bought a milk bottle to his mouth. He guided the bottle to the baby's lips and the baby drank a little bit.

"How was it? Was it tasty? Do you need more?" When the baby didn't say anything, he put the bottle down.

"Do you have a name?" Being inexperienced with kids, he wanted to talk to the child more. But all he ever got was silence. Curiously, he checked the pendant for any clues, but it seemed like a normal pendant to him.

"So they abandoned you but decided to leave a pendant. Hah. What did they want to achieve by this? Your parents didn't even name you," Morgan felt irritated again whenever he thought about the baby's parents.

"Since I was the one who found you, I will raise you as my son. Since I found you by the stream, your name will be Vance. Do you like it, son?" Morgan felt gleeful and happy when he named the infant Vance.

* * *

Somewhere in a distant land.

Amid a dark valley stood a majestic castle with its gates shut. The moonlight fell upon the thick cobblestone walls, leaving stark, vivid shadows while four towers stood at the top, giving a sense of power and control.

The insides of the castle were cold and humid, looking like cold-black murder valleys. One of the rooms was lit up, a round table sat at the center of the room. Atop settled a glistening grey ball while someone clad in black with a veiled face sat on the opposite chair.

"Velecto Padri"

With these words uttered, the grey ball started gleaming and a set of runes slowly appeared.

'The day legend becomes history, a proposition shall usher forth the rise of a kingdom; a marked child shall bring a cursed age with the rise of a new god and an age of warlords.'