Chapter 1: The Calm before the Storm

In a distant mountain side, far away from the Capital city of Merioll, a young boy is seen gathering plants along the riverbank. He is holding a basket beside his hip full of what looks like some herbs and mushrooms. The boy has gray hair, light blue eyes and normal stature. Near him is a man holding a fishing rod sitting on the edge of a wooden platform. Fishes are seen jumping on the shallow parts of the river, rocks line up the middle part and on the other side is a forest. The man suddenly felt a slight tug on his fishing rod.

"I think I got one. Hope it's not a boot!"

The man stood up as he readies for the catch, he raised his arms opposite of the direction of the fishing line, he can almost see the silhouette of the fish underwater. Then as the fish got tired, he pulled on the rod and a medium sized fish is caught on the hook.

"Crowa! Come here! I got one."

The young boy heard the call of the man and immediately ran towards the platform. His eyes lit up as he saw the fish in front of him as if it is his first time seeing one.

Crowa: "Whoa father! Thats a nice catch! Dinner is going to be tasty tonight." He smiled and nodded.

It's been days since a good-sized fish has been caught because bears and some small monsters hoard a portion of the river to eat fish.

Crowa's father: "Yeah you said it, for the past couple of days food has been very difficult to get. How are the herbs and mushrooms you gathered?"

Crowa: "I collected some edible mushrooms and some green herbs, but I don't know some of the plants and I don't recognize them."

Crowa's father: "Don't worry, I'll check them and discard some it if its poisonous."

The two walked back to the edge of the river and suddenly they heard a sound on a nearby tree, like bushes moving and stems crackling. A small wild boar appeared, and it seems hungry and ready to ram anyone with its tusks.

Crowa: "It's a boar, a small one... and it looks angry."

Crowa's father: "Not just any boar, notice the red eyes and discolored skin? This boar was bitten by a monster."

As he readies his dagger the small boar monster rushed in front of him. Crowa's father did not flinch as the monster approaches. The wild boar made a loud grunt as he stomped forward.

GROOOOOOOH!!

Crowa: "Father!! Here it comes!"

Patiently, he waited for the right moment, he moved out of the way just as the boar's tusk was about to hit him. He stabbed the boar on the neck and blood gushed out. The boar let out a loud snort and eventually fell on the river.

Crowa: "Th- That was amazing! I thought you were going to get hit but on the last second you managed to evade!"

Crowa's father: "Boar monsters are very predictable, the moment they see you, they come rushing towards you. Unlike the normal ones, they are usually docile and afraid of people. Still, that was very dangerous, monsters are apparently increasing in number nowadays."

Crowa: "Should we report this to the chief?"

Crowa's father: "Yeah, let's get back to the village"

It is already sunset when they got back. It was a small village; it is a town where in farming and hunting is the main source of food. Merchant caravans sometimes pass by to trade. Children can be seen running along and playing games with each other. Huts and houses are made of makeshift wood and straw roofs. In the middle is a small village square. Crowa and his father headed straight to the village chief hut. They entered and an old man can be seen sitting on the floor.

Crowa's father: "Chief, we saw another monster down by the river. More and more are appearing near the vicinity of the village. What is the cause of this?" The chief let out a soft sigh and proceeded to look out the window.

Chief: "An alpha. A monster capable of spreading its monster traits to other animals. It has appeared near our village; a scout saw it this morning deep in the Fieso Forest." Crowa: "...an alpha?"

Chief: "Yes, not only that, but it can also absorb the strength and abilities of anything it eats. The good thing is its still on one spot, waiting only for anything unfortunate that may come its way."

Crowa's father: "This must be dealt with as soon as possible! We do not want this monster to mobilize and wreak havoc here in the village. Chief, we should request hunters from the Capital. Our men are not capable of killing this monster, it's too risky."

Chief: "I'll send a letter; it might take days for the Capital to receive this. Let us hope for the best."

As Crowa and his father left the hut a woman approached them.

"You two boys have been busy. I've been waiting for you both all day long."

Crowa: "Mother!"

The woman is Crowa's mother. She has long black silky hair, a beautiful woman. Her eyes are also black, like that of the midnight sky.

Crowa's father: "Sorry, we ran into some slight trouble, a boar attacked us, but I managed to fend it off. Here, the fish we caught earlier."

He hands it to her and smiles. Crowa's mother: "I know you can fight and defend yourselves, but be extra careful next time, ok?"

Crowa: "Father was amazing! He stabbed the monster right in the neck. I thought he was going to get hit, but in the last moment he got out of the way."

Crowa's mother: "Oh that's amazing honey! You can tell me all about it at home. I'll prepare dinner."

Their house is made out of many driftwoods and some rusted metal roofs. The door squeaks as they enter their home. Her mother prepares the fish, and she also cooked some rice as well. After they ate Crowa gets ready to go to sleep. His mother and father talked to each other regarding the increasing amount of monster in the area.

Crowa's father: "Eileen, I'm worried about that alpha monster, the chief said it can make monsters out of animals. What would happen if they attacked, and we can't fend for ourselves? "

Eileen: "I'm sure that letter can get to the capital by tomorrow and the king will send some fine warriors and hunters to help. Besides, we got you! Noah! The former captain of the hunter's guild!" She said confidently while washing some plates.

Noah: "Oh please, those days are over. I can hardly fire a bow now. All I care about right now is keeping our family safe. That reminds me, I'm worried about you. The sickness you have right now and the baby... How are you feeling?"

Eileen: "I feel sick most of the time, coughing and sweating during noon. I don't know if it's because of the heat or because I'm pregnant. More importantly, we should tell this to Crowa. I'm sure he will be excited to know that he will be a big brother soon."

Noah: "Yes of course, tomorrow we'll reveal the big news to him."

After their conversation, the two also gets ready to go to sleep.

It was a quiet night.