Chapter 1: The beginning

Anonymous!

I still remember the day it all started.

Spring was in full bloom in the kingdom of Eldoria, all was peace and quiet.

I was lying in a field full of flowers, listening to my three brothers playing in the far reaches of the field and my mother beside me, preparing food. It was a delicious wild rabbit stew that I managed to catch. I looked up at the relaxed sky, sighing I said:

"How peaceful."

My mother, smiling, called out to everyone:

"It's time to eat!"

When all my siblings gathered, before eating we prayed to the spirit of the forest for the food that was on our tables today. I began the prayer:

"O Spirit of the forest, guardian of all living things, we thank you for this food present on this table. With humility and gratitude we accept this food, may each morsel honor your bounty. And may we always remember to care for your dominions, as you care for us."

I finished the prayer and, holding hands, we gave thanks:

"So be it."

We began to eat. My mother distributed the food to each of us. Happy, we tasted it.

"Mmmmm, yummy!" smiling, we said to our mother.

The food was so delicious that we finished it instantly.

"THANK YOU FOR THE FOOD!", we shouted.

While we were shouting happily for the food, it suddenly happened: the earth started shaking, the sky turned a dark reddish color and the animals in the forest lost control and started running away.

"An earthquake? Everything went dark? What's going on?", I wondered.

Frightened, my family and I crouched down until everything stopped.

"What's going on, brother?" my sister said with a frightened expression.

I stroked her head and, with a calm look, told her:

"It will soon pass, calm down."

Even as I said this, the earthquake did not stop. Our house began to collapse, trees were falling, many animals were crushed to death. Leaving fear behind, we decided to stand up and go to the corral where our animals were to take shelter.

"RUN TO THE CORRAL, KIDS!!!" my mother shouted.

As we ran, I looked up at the sky and watched in horror as the sky split in two, opening a portal of sorts from which strange creatures flew straight into the town down the hill from my house.

I decided not to go to the corral, turned around and ran up the hill to see what was happening. Surprised and terrified, I saw the town in flames.

Screams could be heard in the distance.

"Help!!!! I don't want to die!!!!! Save us!!!!"

All the people in the village were being chased by these creatures that came out of that portal. They went straight to attack any life form present in the surroundings. I saw these creatures, they were creepy looking, their face deformed, their limbs of different animals like a lizard, a griffin, lion head, goat head and so multiple combinations. They were deformed, with a big disturbing smile on their face. The villagers, when caught by these creatures, were dismembered alive. Their heads were thrown like a ball; they played with them until they got tired. Then, when they lost interest, they would open their skulls to eat their brains. Their bodies were cut open at the stomach, their entrails were eaten, every part of their body was tasted. Then they raped their dismembered, mutilated and headless bodies, no matter if they were men, women, children or old people. They smiled as they did it, they satisfied their carnal desires, in the end they ate his whole body like animals that were not satiated with anything.

Horrified by everything, I fell to the ground on my knees crying, I vomited because of what I had seen. So I tried to scream, but I couldn't; fear paralyzed me, took away my voice. I hit myself once, twice, three times until my body responded. It was in vain. So I began to think about what I could do, remembering the knife I always carry with me. I took the knife, stabbing my left hand. Thus my body and my voice came back to me, so I shouted:

"RUNNNN!!!!"

I ran back crying, with my left hand full of blood, scared. Seeing my family I said to them:

"WE HAVE TO RUN AWAY NOW!!!!! THERE IS NO TIME!"

My family saw me and, scared, asked what was going on, why I was desperate.

"NO TIME FOR QUESTIONS, LET'S GO!!!! WE WILL DIE IF WE STAY!!!"

My mother saw me calm, giving me a hug to calm my fear and anguish. She remained calm, asking no questions.

"You need to calm down," she told me.

"Children, gather your things, what you need. I'll get the carriage."

My mother remained calm, telling us what to do. We hurried, packed our things, got in the carriage and fled. 

It was too late.