Chapter One

It was chaos, the likes of one that Reylan had never seen before. People he didn't recognize were running into the small village. Torches lit the highly flammable wooden houses, burning those hiding inside, dashing their hopes to survive.

Men who could wield weapons tried protecting their homes, but due to their lack of skill, they ultimately died to the invaders.

Reylan stood there, staring at the scene uncomprehendingly, this hadn't happened before in all of his years of being alive, however small the count may be.

Suddenly, he was grabbed from behind and pushed back. Snapping out of his confusion, Reylan noticed that his father for once, didn't look like he just woke up, instead, he already wore his leather armor, his quiver was in place on his waist, and bow in hand.

"Come! Quickly!"

Reylan was dragged back into the house and the skin of a bronze bear, the one his father told him had hide tough enough to prevent arrows from piercing it, lay on the floor as a rug.

To this day, he still has no idea how his father managed to best the beast.

Pushing it away revealed a trap door that the older of the two opened.

"Go inside and whatever you hear, do not come out, you will be fine, and I will find you."

Reylan was guided inside the small hole that was below the house, how come he did not know of this place before?

His own bow and quiver were pushed into his hands and he looked up at his father who was handing him a dagger that was too big for his hands, and he noticed which one it was.

It was the one that his father always used to skin the animals they brought back from the forest.

Reylan still didn't understand what was going on, Why were the houses burning, better yet, who were the ones that were setting them on fire? Why was this happening now, of all times?

The door was set back into its place and all the light that was coming from the fire outside was cut off as the skin was placed back to cover it.

Much like the fire outside, Reylan's thoughts raged inside his head. Processing and realizing what was happening. People were killing people, robbing them of their future, and their present, and considering that this place was not even named on the map, burying their pasts alongside them.

For Reylan, this was absurd, they were all people, so why would they do this, why did his father hide him, why did his father look ready to fight a dire wolf?

Like he was ready to stare death in the eyes in the form of a brown wolf, four carries tall, and two carries wide with its wings, that were not strong enough to lift it off the ground, beating and kicking up dust around him.

It took most of the village men working together to finally prevail against that monster.

Was his father going to die? He didn't want that to happen.

Tears prickled his eyes, but he tried to ignore the feeling of dread like he had been every time he went hunting.

He could help, he was decent with a bow, and he could protect his dad. But he was ordered to stay here, and he understood why, his father explained it after he refused to run to the village after encountering a four-eyed hound.

It would be easier for him if he didn't have to worry about his weaker, smaller, and more fragile son.

The small hands that were gripping the dagger trembled in terror. What if his father didn't come back?

Before the child could go down that road of despair, he heard an explosion from outside, no, not outside, right above him.

Something had happened to his house and the sound of burning that reached his ears made his concern grow deeper than it already was.

Steeling his nerves, Reylan looked at his dagger for a moment before trying it to his waist like he saw his father do countless times and then proceeding to place his hands on the trap door right above him.

If the house was burning, he wouldn't survive for long anyway, better be alive to see his father's disappointment rather than die and leave him alone. The older man already lost a wife, so the least Reylan could do for his dad was to stay alive.

Pushing with all the might his ten and another summer old body could muster, he opened the trap door, allowing the skin of the animal to dangle from the edge of the square door.

With one final push, the door was thrown back, and the boy climbed out of the hole that was below the house, only to notice the said home burning. The fire flickered everywhere, and somehow, some way, there was a giant hole where the whole front of the house should have been.

The heat was rising and sweat was forming on his forehead, which reminded him to move, preferably away from the burning building.

His feet carried him to the exit that was suddenly larger than it was moments ago, but where would he go? Where could he go so that he wouldn't be a nuisance for his father, it had to be somewhere he would be familiar with.

His eyes fell on the treeline and his direction changed immediately, aiming for the shortest route toward the forest.

He would hide, somewhere where he would not be found, and come out when everything calmed down. His father would be there, his dad would be searching for him, surely. His dad would still be alive.

Tears fell as he finally broke the treeline, entering the forest and allowing the moons light to show him the path to where he knew would be the safest place that was close enough to the village, so he would not get lost.

He could only hope that everything would be okay.