The Attack

Amidst the chaos in the village, Eric ventured out and eventually found his friend Thorian. Thorian was clad in chainmail, a helmet, and a coat of arms displaying the Kingdom's symbol. At his side, he wore a sword, and on his back, he carried a shield, while in his hands, he held a spear.

Thorian was the first to spot Eric. "What are you doing out here? Shouldn't you be at home preparing?" he inquired.

"Can't I wish you luck?" Eric asked, although his smile appeared somewhat forced.

Thorian replied, "I don't need luck. We'll fight them off and return before it's too late to celebrate our victory. But for now, you should help your parents."

Eric patted Thorian on the shoulder, and Thorian reciprocated the gesture. With that, Eric made his way back home.

There, he assisted his parents in barricading the door and the basement, where they planned to take refuge. The basement was dark and cool, colder than it should have been. Eric's father fidgeted with an axe, which he claimed was for worst-case scenarios, while his mother sorted through the basement's inventory. Eric, however, sat silently, lost in thought, his expression dark and filled with worry.

Despite Eric's attempts at small talk, the atmosphere grew heavy with silence. The basement seemed to swallow sound, and the village outside was eerily quiet. Suddenly, every head in the basement shot up as a distant sound reached their ears, and it was not a good sound—it was the panicked screams of villagers.

Moments later, they heard banging from upstairs, followed by the door to the basement being struck repeatedly. After a brief struggle, the door broke open, revealing two men—one in full plate armor wielding a battle axe and the other bearing a sword and shield adorned with a winged crown on a blue background. As soon as the swordsman reached the basement's bottom, Eric's father attacked with his axe, but the swordsman easily deflected the blow with his shield, leaving Eric's father exposed to the axe-wielding assailant, who struck him in the head. His lifeless body slid off the axe, hitting the ground with empty eyes staring above a deep, oozing wound. Eric's mother screamed and dropped to her knees, while Eric stood frozen in shock.

The intruders shouted some orders, but Eric remained distant and unresponsive. Frustrated, they dragged Eric's remaining family out of the cellar and into the street. There, a scene of horror unfolded before him—bodies of people he had seen alive just hours ago were strewn across the road, and smoke billowed into the sky.

The only thing that snapped Eric out of his stupor was the sight of a knight atop a horse, adorned in green-scaled armor, with a helmet and shield to match, all made from what seemed to be dragon scales. The knight approached slowly, and then the faceless knight spoke.

"Where are your valuables?"

Neither Eric nor his mother answered; they were both too shell-shocked.

"Come on, boy, I don't like wasting my time. Tell me, or I'll kill your mother," the knight threatened.

"He doesn't know where we keep them. We kept it a secret from him," Eric's mother shouted, finally grabbing the knight's attention.

"Why didn't you say so? You, take her inside and get everything," the knight ordered, pointing to the soldier in plate armor. The soldier obeyed, leading Eric's mother into their home.

Eric stood in the street, still in disbelief, while the knight and the soldier waited. After some time, the village began to burn, and the screams grew louder. The knight, growing impatient, looked around. His mother and the soldier emerged from their home with a few valuables. The knight examined the loot.

"That can't be all," he declared.

"But it is. We don't have any more," his mother insisted.

Two can play," the knight said, his patience wearing thin. He pointed to Eric and ordered, "You, take the boy and lock him in the mill."

Before Eric could even process what was happening, he was dragged to the mill, thrown inside, and the door barricaded behind him. Eric tried to break free but quickly realized it was futile. He found a small window, just enough for one eye to look through, witnessing the horror unfolding outside. His mother was on her knees, crying and taking a kick to her stomach. Eric's face welled with tears and anger.

The knight calmly drew his sword, and around it, soft orange glimmers gathered, gradually forming a gentle, fiery sphere with a fluid grace. With a measured swing, he pointed the sword towards Eric, sending the subdued ball of fire and impending doom in the direction of the mill. Eric leapt from the window and lay flat on the ground, shielding his head.

A muffled explosion and a faint blue glow were all that Eric perceived before the world faded to black around him.