Rayan

It was a dark, moonless night, and the fog seemed to hang in the air like a thick blanket, obscuring all hope of navigation.

A small ship drifted slowly through the dense fog, its sails billowing in the wind. The deck was deserted, and the only sound was the creaking of the mast and the lapping of the waves against the hull. The fog shrouded the ship, obscuring its destination and casting a pall over the sea.

Suddenly, a voice broke the silence - a small, frightened voice saying "Dad, I'm scared."

A weak sobbing noise could be heard coming from the wheelhouse.

As the voice drew closer, it became clear that it belonged to a young boy, no more than ten years old. He was trembling and his eyes were wide with fear as he stepped out of the wheelhouse and onto the deck of the ship. He was alone, and the fog seemed to be enveloping him like a thick blanket.

He looked around the ship, but the fog was so thick he couldn't see anything. He felt a chill in the air and an overwhelming sense of dread.

"Dad, where are you?" he pleaded, his voice rising in desperation.

As he walked further onto the deck, He heard hushed voices coming from the fog, whispering something in his ears. They seemed to be beckoning him. He quickened his pace, desperate to escape the fog.

When suddenly, he stumbled and fell onto the wooden deck, his hands and knees scraping against the rough surface. He gasped, startled by the sudden contact, and he looked up to see what he had stumbled upon.

But to his horror, he saw a dead body with a large cut on its chest, lying in a pool of blood. The man's eyes were wide open and staring at the starless night sky above.

"Ahhhh!" The boy screamed in terror and scrambled away from the body, his heart pounding in his chest. He felt the cold hand of fear gripping him and he ran faster and faster, desperate to escape the fog and the voices that seemed to be calling out to him.

He was horrified by what he saw - more and more dead bodies. He could feel the bile rising in his throat as he ran past them, and he felt a deep sense of dread as he realized that he was the only one alive on this cursed ship.

He stopped abruptly as he came across one of the dead bodies. He stared at it for a moment, trembling, not wanting to believe what he was seeing. He slowly reached out and touched the body, feeling the coldness of death as he realized the truth. He backed away slowly, still trembling.

"Dad?" He said in a small, frightened voice.

He covered his mouth with one of his hands, trying to suppress the scream that was bubbling up in his throat. He felt a wave of terror and grief wash over him as he looked at the dead body in front of him.

But instead of tears, a deep rage began to well up inside him. He felt a burning hatred toward whoever had done this to his father and the other innocent people on the ship.

"I will kill them! I will kill them!" He muttered under his breath, his hands shaking with rage. It was strange for a young boy who was not even ten to say such words, but he felt as if something dark and foggy was affecting his mind and pushing him towards such thoughts of revenge.

Suddenly, a pair of gigantic, glowing eyes appeared in the fog, seemingly staring directly into the boy's soul. He was so filled with anger that he didn't even notice the giant eyes in the fog, and he continued to swear revenge against whoever had done this to his father and the other innocent people on the ship.

"So be it!" Suddenly a voice rang through the fog and the gigantic eyes disappeared.

The wind suddenly quickened and something dark emerged from the fog and entered the boy's body.

The boy's body suddenly started emitting a dark, eerie glow and his eyes turned totally black. His mouth opened wide and a deep, guttural voice came out, filled with rage and hatred. He clenched his fists and his body started to shake with the intensity of his emotions. "Whoever did this will pay!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the fog.

But all of a sudden a terrible pain swept over him. "Ahhhh!" He screamed at the top of his lungs as he felt a deep, burning pain in his chest, radiating throughout his body. He clutched his chest, gasping for air as the pain intensified. He could feel something dark and powerful coursing through his veins, and he felt as if he was being consumed by an unknown force. He closed his eyes and let out a long, agonizing scream as the pain became unbearable, and he felt himself slowly slipping away.

Suddenly, everything went dark and he lost consciousness, his body collapsing to the ground in a heap.

A few hours ago:-

"Captain, what should we do?" The man with green hair asked the man walking in front of him, "We're outnumbered, and they're stronger than us!"

The captain looked up at the man, his eyes burning with fierce determination. "We will fight!" he said sternly. "We fight with all our strength, and we don't give up until the last man stands." He paused and looked around at the men gathered around him. "We may be outnumbered, but we have courage and strength on our side. We can do this!" He shouted, raising his fist in the air. The men cheered and raised their fists in solidarity, ready to fight for their lives.

The captain then looked at a small boy who was grabbing his hand. He gently placed his hand on the boy's shoulder and said, "You must stay here and be safe. I promise you, I will do everything in my power to keep you safe."

"What's happening, dad?" The boy asked, fear in his eyes.

"Nothing to fear son," he said and pointed at a small cabinet. "You can hide there for a while, and I'll be back in no time," the captain said reassuringly.

"Rayan, no matter what happens, remember that I love you and I will do everything I can to keep you safe." After giving the boy one last hug and exchanging a reassuring smile, he led the men into battle.

The boy named Rayan watched as his father marched away with the other men, his face filled with worry and uncertainty.

He could hear the shouts and the clashing of swords in the distance. The cries haunted him and filled his mind with dread for what he knew was happening to his father and the other men.

He could not bear to listen to the sound of battle any longer, and tears started streaming down his face.

Suddenly something unexpected happened.

The ship entered a dark and eerie fog. A chill ran down Rayan's spine as he watched the ship slowly move forward into the unknown.

"No, it can't be."

"We must have entered the devil's den."

"We are dead."

Suddenly the voices seemed to be more intensified, and the boy could hear screams of pain and terror echoing through the fog.

The sound of battle faded away suddenly as everything around him turned pitch black.

***

Rayan slowly opened his eyes and could feel the warm sunlight on his face. He looked in front of him, and it was a dense forest with tall trees and thick bushes. He could hear the birds chirping and the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves.

"Where am I?" Rayan asked as he looked around, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. He couldn't remember how he got there, or what had happened to him.

The last thing he remembered was feeling a sharp pain in his chest as his soul was being torn apart, and then everything turned dark.

Remembering the previous events, the figure of his father's dead body came into his mind. He remembered the lifeless look in his father's eyes and the way his body had crumpled to the ground. Rayan felt a wave of sadness and despair wash over him as he thought of his father's death.

But he quickly shook his head, trying to clear his mind of painful memories and focus on the present.

"I need to get out of this place." He stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. He had no idea where he was or how to get out, but he knew he had to find a way. After taking a deep breath, steeling himself and beginning to walk in a specific direction.