CHAPTER 3: BETRAYAL IS THE SHARPEST ARROW

During the night, I feel somehow hot, like burning even, and I am sweating a lot. I wake up by myself, even though it is usually Tatiana that would come to do it. I go to the kitchen, but I notice bright lights dancing by the window. Is there another party in the village? when I approach and look, the scenery fills my eyes: THE VILLAGE, BURNING. HUGE FLAMES ENGULFING IT WHILE DANCING.

What is happening? Is there really another festival? I run to my parent's bedroom, but as I arrive there, dad comes out with a big sword in hand. That sword is at least twice my size I think, and so wide, with blood gripping from it. Did we have weapons in the house? He is breathing heavily and covered in blood. The armor he is wearing is red with blood. It has cuts and cracks here and there.

"Come!! Hurry!!!" He shputs horribly, making rush to him. I enter the room and find Mom dressing up with some weird clothes that I have never seen before.

A robe covering her whole body. Not too thin but still thick enough to not be seeing through and big enough to hide her assets. Then, she puts on a weird white like chest plate and gloves as well as metallic shoes.

She takes a long piece of wood with a sphere on one extremity and a blade on the other. Where did they keep all this? Something is going on. Something terrible is going on if Father is looking like that.

"Kevin, dear, please do not ask anything for now. We don't have much time, just follow us and make sure you stay near at all times."

"Y-y-yes mother, I will. " I am so scared my teeth are shaking, making a clack-clack noise.

When we get out of the mansion, there are maids and weird people on the ground and a horrid metallic-like smell in the air. My eyes become instantly wet, and my throat feels like I ate sand. The maids, what are they doing? And those people, why are they here on the ground? Who are they? They don't look like villagers. Why are they dressed in those armors and helmets?

"M…" I remember mom said not to ask anything and close my mouth.

Dad takes us to the forest near the village. While looking around, he is advancing step by step, in silence, mom is behind him holding her stick with one hand while the other is holding mine.

Suddenly, we hear a crack sound; we all stop. A moment that feels like an eternity. Behind us, something comes out like a flash, and before I even understand what was going on, a red flash passes by.

"Dear!! Duck, I will burn them!"

"Okay!"

KABOOM! KABOOM! KABOOM!

I hear three big explosions as I am face to the ground, still not knowing what is happening. When I raise my head, mom is standing, holding her stick, and Father is now right in front of her.

"They are too many of them. We will have to run; I will open a path."

"Yes, dear! Kevin! hold my hand as hard as you can!"

"Ye-"

As soon as I grab her hand, she accelerates so much that my feet don't touch the ground anymore. Tatiana was nothing compared to that kind of speed.

After roughly two minutes of running, I feel like we just moved a hundred of kilometers away. When I try to raise my head to look at mom, it's like my neck might snap, so I stay with my head crooked between my arms.

Mom stops after another five minutes or so.

"My Angas is depleted. I will need to rest."

"Mine too, but we should be near RAGUS now. They can't advance to that point since it is just a skirmish."

"I hope so."

"Mom! What is going on?! Why are we running away!? What happened to the village?! Where are we?!"

I can no longer restrain my mouth as I have pied on me already.

Mom looks at me, and simply shows me that calming smile she had whenever I was uneasy.

"Don't worry, my little dragon. Everything is going to be alright."

"That is not what I-"

"Shss... "

Dad signals us to quiet down. Even though I do, I can only hear the sound of my heart beating so fast it could burst out of my chest.

Out of nowhere, something pierces my left leg with such force I fall.

"ARGGHHH!!!!!"

"KEVIN!!!!"

"YOU BASTARDS!!!!"

Everything becomes blurry, I cannot see properly, maybe because I hit my head as I fell. I can only hear clashing sounds around me. My arms are trembling, and I have no strength whatsoever. Gradually, Dad's voice becomes higher and clearer. No, every sound is becoming clearer to my ears.

"We must go!!!!"

"Whaaaatt!!! I won't leave our son to them. What are you saying, William?!!"

"Let's go, I said. He is just dead weight to us right now!"

"No! No! No! Kevin! Kevin!! NOOO!!!"

As their voices become more and more distant, I am waiting. Waiting for father to carry me and say that we can go, mom to smile and say that everything is alright, but nothing. Nobody. Only the cold floor of the forest. Then, I hear footsteps, people are approaching. Ah! father came back. Of course, he did. Who would leave his precious son behind because of som…

"Ah, this one is alive. Your shot missed your target fucking hawk eyes." A man wearing a shining purple armor and a black mask lifts me like a bag.

"It did not. I didn't plan on killing him." The man next to him is also wearing the same armor, but his armor seems lighter.

"Ah! You, not killing, I will be damned to the Longinus!"

"Think what you want. Anyways, let's go, the captain is waiting."

"Yeah. Yeah."

The man who has me in his hand puts me on his shoulders like a trophy of some sort, and they start running almost as fast as mom earlier. My vision just darkens more and more until i can't see anything anymore.