After two millennia of bloodshed, peace once more graced the gentle lands of Eonspire. Yet there was one born from the echoes of time, with a fate that dared to aspire. Cradled under divine benediction, he sought but one conviction. Retribution. Humanity chose not to interfere for the one only brought upon fear. They boasted of might and valour, yet when met with power, they could only cower. Hatred, despair, lust and greed, merely the fragments of the seed on which true evil thrives, as even the house of Gods, as petty thieves, he would dishevel and deprive.
"Are… Are they thieves? Will they take everyone and everything away?" muttered Caden with a shaken and broken voice, his head tilted up toward Celestine's. "What about papa and mama? Will they also take them?"
Both Celestine and Caden were hiding in the dark of the storage cellar, peeking through the holes in the cracked door.
"Fear not Caden. You father is strong, he will take care of everything and if not——"
"Take every valuable thing you can find. Kill all the men and chain up all the women and children."
A deep voice roared right in front of Caden's house. Caden was trembling, he could hear the cries of villagers screaming in pain and agony. He pushed his hands covering his ears so he would not have to hear the voices. The smell of blood and sweat filled the air. The boots of people, scrunching in the snow as they ran for their life.
Suddenly the front door of Caden's house is busted open by someone with brute force. At first Caden could not manage to see who the person was but as his eyesight gradually adapted to the narrow hole, he was finally able to see who the man was.
A large stature, he wore black rugged armor, his sword in hand tainted with blood. Beard, long enough to cover his entire chest, bald head and eyes filled with greed and lust. A true sinner.
As if an animal, he tried to sniff his prey out with that gigantic nose on his face. Gradually he moved towards the cellar sniffing out Caden's fear. Caden's eyes widened knowing that the thief is coming towards him and his life is in danger, in fear he tried to scream but before he could utter anything Celestine pressed her hands against his mouth keeping him shut. The cries outside the thin wooden walls were ever increasing.
Just as the thief's shadow loomed over the cellar door, a sudden clatter echoed outside. It was Layla, sprinting through the chaos, gasping for breath as she came back for her child and Celestine unbeknownst to her that an uninvited guest was already in the house.
She froze at the threshold, her heart pounding louder than the chaos around her but even more than that, she could hear the man drag his boots in the house, as every second passed he was more and more closer to Caden.
She had to do something, "What is but a mother who cannot protect her child!" She thought and stepped into the lion's den.
Without making a noise, she picked up the spare sword hanging near the hearth. The intruder's back was to her. He was inches away from the cellar door. Layla's heart raced but her body moved without hesitation.
"Get away from my son!" She roared as she swings the sword right onto the thief's head. Unfortunately, this was not a normal thief.
Before the sword could land on his head, the thief had already moved, with pure instincts. As Layla came to senses, she realised that not only did she miss the chance but the thief's sword was already on her throat, inches away from slicing it.
She tilted her head sideways. She saw it. The grin on the thief's face. A devil? Caden saw all of it happening. He had no power. A seven-year-old boy, watching in dread as his mother is on the brink of death. What could he do? Caden looked over his shoulder, hoping that Celestine would do something but only to be shocked that Celestine had passed out. The exhaustion from the previous night hit her once again as she sat in the dark and musty cellar. Hopeless. Despair. That's all Caden could feel in that moment.
"Aha. So you must be the one I snuff out huh?" spoke the thief, "Judging from how you yelled. I suppose there is someone hiding behind this cellar eh? Tell me! Is it a child? The more the merrier. My boss would be happy."
The thief's leg rose and he hit Layla's knees with all his might, breaking the bones in her leg, yet, she did not scream in pain but kept her eyes locked onto the thief's. Agony, hatred, pain. It all filled her eyes. The eyes which were once sparkling deep blue, now turned to pitch black.
"Whoosh" an arrow came flying piercing through the thief's skull. In a second, the evil was down on the floor. Dead.
As Layla peeked over her shoulders, she saw a man wearing gold and white clothes entering the house. Behind him there was a soldier in gold armour with a bow in his hand.
"Sighs! Rafael. What did you do to the poor woman. Didn't I tell you not to harm any woman or children? Good grief." he spoke with a smile on his face. His voice was soft, calm and composed voice.
With measured pace he walked towards Layla sat down in a squat position next to her. Gently he held her chin, slowly raising her head to meet his eyes.
"You're a fine one miss. Your husband must be lucky. Now what would happen if he can no longer find you? Do you think he will come for you?" he spoke.
Layla could not speak anything. She had frozen. It was fear. She had never seen someone with those eyes, those deep red eyes like that of a devil.
"Too bad you're already injured. You would have been sold for a fine price for that body."
With both his hands on Layla's visage, without a single blink he beheaded her as he kissed on her forehead.
"Kilmer." He yelled calling the man in the gold armor. "Burn her with Rafael. She was a kind soul."
Souls cradled by affliction shall repent once more;
For the sins of man are theirs to endure.
Meekness of thy world shall be a stranger
For the souls in affliction will sprout to be an avenger.