Dusk Till Dawn (1)

In the dark night, the gentle moonlight bathed every corner, casting an ethereal glow.

In a secluded corner of the world, nestled within a humble village.

A man and a woman, married couples, were sleeping on the bed.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Goose? Go and check outside; I can hear strange noises!" The woman's voice erupted with anger.

"Ahh..thos...da... noono..." the man replied, still in his dreams, murmuring.

Three continuous, flying slaps were launched.

Pakk!

Pakk!

Pakk!

"Aahhhh!"

"Ghoosttttttt!" the man bellowed as he jolted from the pain on his cheeks.

Pakk!

"It's me, you idiot. Wake up from your dreams."

"Heh, my cheeks feel hot."

Pakk!

"Yea-Yeah! I-I'm awake at 90 per cent."

"Let's check outside; I hear some strange noises."

"Um, what? where?"

"Let's go." Gesturing to move, both the husband and wife hastened towards the door to uncover the source of the noise.

The husband, in between this journey from his bed to outside, seized a weapon, arming himself for what lay ahead.

Creak!

The husband opened the door, which unknowingly sounded a little haunting today.

As the door opened, he positioned himself in a stance, ready to do anything. If he needed to fight, so be it; if he needed to protect his wife, then so be it.

Prepared to take any action necessary.

The door opened, and finally, the moment of truth was about to be revealed.

"Ah, it looks like there's nothing blocking the door! I'll go check outside, but don't worry—I've got it covered! Just focus on lighting up the area and leave the rest to me!" The husband declared this as he concluded.

Suddenly, the hand of the wife radiated a radiant glow, conjuring a small energy orb that emanated luminosity. It transformed into a brilliant light source, illuminating the vicinity beyond their threshold.

And so the husband took cautious steps forward for the further investigation.

In that precise moment, as he readied himself to take the next step, a peculiar sound reached their ears.

Wuuua!

Wuuua!

Listening to this sound, just as he was about to put his leg forward for the step.

"Nooo Gooseyy!"

Bang! Bang! Pakk! Pakk!

His wife shouted in panic and smacked the shit out of him, sending him flying outside and thwarting his attempt to take the step.

Not minding the situation of her husband, she bended over and looked at the peculiar creature.

"What is this?"

And after looking carefully in the lit environment, the information that she could not process in her brain finally processed.

"A baby."

"A living human baby."

...

Her mouth agape, she swiftly scooped the baby off the ground.

"What in the world... who could abandon this child at our doorstep?"

Questions

Confusion

The question of why one would neglect a child like this and even leave it like this outside of someone else's entrance left her feeling different kinds of emotions.

Her husband finally came back and was about to plead for justice, but the moment he saw the baby, justice receded to the back alley.

He was shocked to every bone in his body because, what his wife, consumed in this emotional state, hadn't noticed, he had.

He knew his wife's love for children was as vast as heaven, but she was only able to give birth to one child, so with much difficulty, she was heartbroken, and only ten days after their heart-wrenching loss, this unfathomable situation unfolded before them.

He glanced at the child and spoke to his wife in a brittle voice.

"Um, Emmyth, the baby has the same hair as you."

At that moment, as his wife, Emmyth, grasped the truth, tears cascaded from her eyes like an unyielding river.

***

After consoling his wife for a long time, she finally managed to regain control over her emotions.

It became evident that the baby with the same hair colour as his wife was, in fact, her sister's son. Confirmation of this revelation came from the necklace adorning the baby's neck—a cherished heirloom passed down by his wife's mother.

She and her sister both had one.

Confirming this, Emmyth's tears continued to flow unabated.

After she finally stopped and regained her composure, they examined the necklace more closely. There was a small leather cloth attached to it, and as they opened it, it revealed three sentences, and those too were written in the language of the high elf, confirming the baby was indeed her sister's son.

With trembling hands, she read the sentences aloud.

"Skylar Reigns."

"Raise him as your own, and withhold the truth about us until he surpasses Yakarl in strength."

"Yakarl is no more."

They both took deep breaths, and once again, Emmyth was overcome with tears.

Her husband embraced her tightly, providing solace and support.

***

Next morning.

It was a heart-wrenching situation for both of them, the Yakarl Reigns they knew was no more in this world.

That person was the only reason the husband and wife were able to meet, the catalyst to their lives, and despite Emmyth's frail health, they were able to lead a relatively ordinary life.

And this signified not just the demise of Reigns but also the perilous situation faced by Emmyth's sister, whose location remained unknown to them.

The fact that she entrusted her child into their care could only imply one thing: they were being entrusted with the responsibility of raising young Skylar.

He took a deep breath and steeled his nerves because if he faltered, his wife would probably suffer the worst.

While hugging his wife, he spoke in a gentle tone.

"Look, Yakarl has lived for his ambitions and Scyl... I don't think she's in good... you know... good condition to take care of her son... and

...ahem, I think we'll have to... I believe we should raise Skylar just like our son."

Pakk!

Pinch.

"That goes without saying." She responded in her own way.

"Um... yeah! Yeah!"

A sudden, boisterous voice interrupted their chat.

"Hey Armstrom, come out; we've got to go hunting, man."

Hearing this, Armstom released his grip on his wife, Emmyth, and rose to his feet, planting a gentle kiss on her head.

"Look, I'll hunt big for our new member of the family, and then we'll celebrate. oke!"

Having spoken those words, he made his way towards the newest addition to their family, Skylar.

He gazed at Skylar, his eyes brimming with delight. Even though he had experienced the bittersweet loss of one of the twin baby girls just ten days ago, he couldn't suppress the deep happiness that now filled him upon having a son.

The passing of one of the newborn baby girls had brought immense sorrow—a heart-wrenching loss of a life that had entered the world only to depart so swiftly.

'He just looks like both of them.' he reflected as he observed, and at last, he cradled Skylar in his hands.

"Welcome to the family, champ."

Putting him down, he then went to different rooms, picked up his sword and small axes, and went outside.

"I'll be home soon. Take care, oke!"

As he went outside, what greeted him was an environment of rich flora and fresh morning air.

He looked around; even though he had been awake the whole night, he didn't feel tired.

He looked at the road, constructed of compact soil and rock, which connected the whole village in a link. Towering trees stood with the firm grasp of the earth, cascading shadows over the expanse of large fields where crops flourished.

Today's morning breath for him just felt like the fateful day—the day they first set foot in this place.

That was one of the happiest days of his life.

The day he first arrived at this place with the love of his life and the cherished people who helped them the most

The day he, Emmyth, Scyl, and Yakarl arrived at this place, the air felt like the distance of infinity, where the stink and dirt of this enigmatic world would never reach them.

"Yo man, you sure took your time! Eh eh! Busy with your baby girl?"

As he was thinking about the things of the nostalgic past, a sudden, boisterous voice interrupted him and pulled him back to the future of the past, the present.

His gaze shifted towards a towering tree, and in its shade were seven men armed with hunting tools and sturdy spears.

He looked towards the man who had just spoken; he wore a vest and had a large spear hung on his back. His face had a squarish shape to it, and he looked like a healthy hunter with his full pack of muscles on his hands. He had a rough, handsome, squarish face with a well-groomed moustache and a neatly trimmed beard.

This man's name was Hector.

In this world, commoners like them didn't have the privilege of having last names or family names; such privileges were provided to the people above the commoner class or people with notable contributions to their country.

"Yeah! So what do you expect me to do? Hang out with rough dudes like you instead of my cute little pie." Armstrom retorted grumpily.

"Huahuahua!" Hector laughed.

Everyone laughed together, and the laughter echoed.

One of the men, Kena, inquired once the laughter subsided, "So which beast are we hunting today?"

Everyone's expressions, from laughter to that of a veteran hunter, changed in an instant, and they all looked in one direction: the strongest and most formidable man among them, Armstrom.

"The Hultian Boar in the Inner Part of the Outer Region of the Forest," Armstrom responded nonchalantly, capturing everyone's undivided attention.

Silence ensued for a fleeting moment.

Kena spoke again, breaking the silence: "That will be an arduous task."

Another man named Zota chimed in, "Yeah, and in just hunting a single one, which will be a hassle; from what we know till now, they tend to roam in groups of two or three."

Kena fixed his gaze upon Armstrom and proposed, "Why don't we assemble a group comprising individuals from various regions? By hunting together on a grand scale, we can ensure we won't need to venture out for an extended period."

Armstrom glanced at Kena, he was a man who had been here for the longest, along with him and Hector and was a good guy. Not only was he a trustworthy comrade but also a selfless individual who had ventured beyond the mountains and learned things so he could help the people living here.

Armstrom then directed his gaze towards Hector; they both were childhood friends and had been in life-or-death situations many times. They both were very powerful, but they deliberately restrained themselves in front of these individuals to avoid instilling fear in them.

Hector silently nodded.

Armstrom nodded back.

Hector then spoke in his boisterous voice, "Okay, buckle up, people; let's gather everyone and hunt on a large scale."

As everyone agreed, they all started moving towards the other parts of the village.

Armstrom surged forward, taking charge.

'Yakarl's death, huh? I don't even know how to feel. I've seen so many people die that I don't know how to feel, but this will change the world.'

'I'll have to prepare and shoulder the responsibilities.'

***

Plop!

Plop!

'Where?'

'What happened to my eyes?'

'How can I feel this sleepy? Which heinous creature gave something~ something~ to this God to feel this sleepyyyy~~?~'

'What creatures hands are these ?'

'Unhand me, you mortal buffoon~~!'

'um'

'ummm'

'ummmmmm'

'Um, what is this pressure? What is this pressure I'm feeling from my backkkk?~~'

'This God can't controlllllllll~~'

'Ahhhhhh~~~'

Relief!

ε=ε=ε=(~￣▽￣)~

***

A few moments later...

'What is this foul stench?'

'What creature have I become to face such an adversary?'

'Me a God, experiencing such harshness.'