WARRIOR WAYS

Kai had always known that the world was a dangerous place. From a young age, his parents taught him how to hunt, fish, and defend himself against predators. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened on this fateful day.

As the sun slowly descended over the dense forest, situated miles away from a peaceful village, Kai embarked on his routine errands of checking his traps and collecting firewood for his mother. However, his tranquil evening was abruptly interrupted by distant growls and roars that reverberated through the still air. Initially, he assumed it was merely an animal, perhaps a deer caught in a trap or a bird of prey seizing its prey. But as the screams and howls persisted, his intuition warned him that something was amiss.

Without hesitation, he abandoned his current task and swiftly ascended a nearby tree to gain a better vantage point. As he reached the apex, a sense of dread overtook him as he focused on the distant village he called home. A horde of menacing beasts emerged a few meters away from the village's entrance, their eyes piercing and filled with hunger and malice. The sight sent chills down his spine, for he knew that these beasts were charging toward his home. The ground beneath them trembled as the monstrous creatures trampled everything in their path, leaving behind nothing but destruction and chaos.

The tranquil streets of the village, once a picture of serenity, now lay in utter chaos and turmoil. Panic-stricken residents scurried helter-skelter in search of safe havens as thick, billowing clouds of dust and smoke engulfed the entire area, shrouding the moonlight in an eerie veil of darkness.

With lightning speed, Kai descended from the tree and sprinted towards the village with all his might, his pulse racing, and his mind inundated with a flurry of thoughts. "Father, Mother, and everybody, please be fine," he implored in his thoughts, tears streaming down his face as visions of the village's destruction flashed before his eyes. His every step was fueled by anxiety, fear, and a desperate hope that he would reach his destination in time.

But when he arrived at the village, he found something far worse than he could have imagined.

From massive, lumbering behemoths to swift and cunning predators, the invading beasts represented a nightmarish diversity of size and shapes, some unleased deafening roars that echoed through the night, while others moved silently like shadows, making their approach almost impossible to detect.

As the village's defensive attempts proved futile against this ruthless onslaught, a sense of desperation filled the air. Brave souls took up arms to confront the encroaching danger, but they were quickly overwhelmed by the sheer ferocity of the beasts. Homes were reduced to rubbles, buildings were burning, and screams of agony pierced the night.

During the chaos, families were separated, and friendships were put to the test as people relied on their survival instincts. The village community, which used to be close-knit, was now forced to scatter as each person sought safety. Witnessing the destruction unfold before their eyes caused fear and sadness to grip the hearts of those present.

Kai's heart was filled with sorrow as he watched many of his loved ones become food in the belly of the beast. However, he ignored this as he started running toward his house in search of his parent, but upon getting to see his house, he couldn't find his parents, and all he saw was was a crumbled building and destructive sight.

As the destruction unfolded around him, tears streamed down the face of the young eight-year-old boy named Kai. The chaos of the village shook him to his core, and he frantically searched for his parents amidst the debris. "Father! Mother!" he cried out, desperately hoping to find them safe and sound.

When Kai reached the middle of the village, he was stricken by what he saw; in front of him stood his parents, his mother's lifeless body was lying on the ground, while his father was almost on the verge of collapsing as he was surrounded by five beasts while holding unto his bow tightly.

"Run, Kai, get away from here and find somewhere safe to hide," Kai's father yelled at Kai; immediately, he spotted Kai's dumbstruck expression.

However, Kai couldn't hear him as he stared at his mother's body lying in a pool of blood; many emotions welled up in his heart, sorrow, hatred, anger, and pain; all these emotions appeared in his heart as he looked at his mother's lifeless body.

"Arghhhhhh"

Kai suddenly screamed in pain; his eyes turned red as he was filled with sadness; he picked up a stick and charged toward the beast, "DIE!!!!, DIE!!!!, DIE!!!" yelling and shouting as loud as possible. He had no idea what he was doing; his sadness and resentment were controlling him as he threw multiple objects he could find at the beast that surrounded his father.

"Kai, get away from here," His father yelled at him, but Kai couldn't hear him, suddenly one of the beasts turned toward Kai, and immediately, Kai was stricken by fear upon feeling the intense bloodthirsty gaze of the beast.

Before he could react, the beast lunged at him, teeth bared and claws extended. Kai tried to dodge, but he wasn't quick enough. The beast caught him on the arm, tearing through his clothes and ripping into his flesh, Kai screamed in pain, but he didn't fall. He started trying to escape, dodging, running, and eventually, he was able to get away.

But the damage had been done. Kai's arm was bleeding heavily, and he was feeling light-headed and dizzy. He knew that he needed help and fast, or he would die in the chaos.

He stumbled toward one of the nearby buildings hoping to find someone to help him; luckily, he saw an older woman; she was one of the village healers hiding from the beasts. "Kai!!!" the old woman looked at him, and knowing he was the son of the hunter who risked his life to protect their village, she immediately dragged Kai inside the building and started working on his wound.

As the old woman worked her magic, Kai lay there for the next few hours, Half-delirious with pain and exhaustion. She cleaned his wounds, tourniquets his arm, and gave him herbs and medicine to help ease the pain.

And all the while, the sound of battle and destruction raged outside, screams and roars filled the air with the sound of clashing metals and breaking wood. Kai had no idea of how many people were still alive, how many beasts had been killed, or if anyone was coming to rescue them.

Memories of the lovely time he spent with his parent surge into his mind as he lay down helpless, tears streaming down his face, as he found himself powerless to save his loved ones; he knew he had to survive, for himself, for his parents and everyone else who had died to this unexpected assault.