Corneus squinted as sharp beams of sunlight pierced through his blinds, hitting just the wrong angles in his eyes. The light was unforgiving—bright and concentrated, like a flashlight shoved too close. Still, there was something hopeful about it. Something desperate.
Today was graduation day.
Corneus jolted from bed, threw on his clothes, and rushed downstairs—only to find the house empty. Alone. On the biggest day of his life. The day he would cross the line from boyhood into adulthood.
He checked the time and froze.
"Shit…" he muttered, already halfway to the door.
The streets of Prumore were quiet, unusually so. As he ran through the familiar roads of his small hometown, his mind drifted. He had never left this place. Not once. To him, the "outside world" was more fiction than fact. He often joked that he was like a monkey raised in a cage, ignorant of the forest beyond.
But that could all change today.
Driven by the spark of possibility, Corneus began to speedwalk, then jog, and soon he was outright sprinting. He was filled with hope. Nothing, he believed, could change his future.
The moment he arrived at the ceremony, someone called his name.
They must have seen him enter. With a name that started with "C," he was bound to be called early anyway.
Corneus scanned the crowd and spotted his parents right by the stage. He hadn't seen them this morning, but now he knew why—they were already here, waiting. Still, a question tugged at him: why didn't they wake him?
Were they trying to make him miss it?
Both of them looked like they might burst into tears at any moment. They held it back—for his sake.
Corneus had always made them proud. He wasn't a genius, but he wasn't dull either. When something caught his interest, he latched onto it with a stubborn grip until it burned him out. That determination alone had always been enough to set him apart.
Dressed hastily in the formal suit expected for the occasion, he stepped on stage, shook the principal's hand, and received his diploma.
"Was that it?" he thought, stunned by the emptiness of it all.
Just like that, he was an adult. The culmination of his entire life up to now felt… anticlimactic. Hollow.
Still, he kept his composure, walking down the stage with a practiced smile. He felt a quiet sadness bloom in his chest.
At the edge of the stage, he met his parents.
"Can we go now?" he whispered, his voice barely carrying past their ears.
Embarrassment colored his cheeks. His parents looked at him, stunned into silence, then nodded, their faces stretching into awkward smiles. The moment had soured, and they all knew it.
That evening, the house was filled with relatives and the smell of roasted meat and sweet bread. Everyone came to celebrate Corneus.
"How does it feel, my boy?" asked Dagr, his father, clapping him on the back. "Finally a man!"
Corneus let out a tired sigh. "I... I don't know what to say. It feels... disappointing. Like I was building up to something bigger. And then—nothing."
"I'll get to teach ya how to hunt my boy! At least on paper!" Dagr chuckled proudly. He had taken Corneud hunting many times before. But it was the legal from now on it seems.
The namd "Corneus" echoed from room to room. Praise followed him like a shadow. Eventually, it all became too much.
He retreated to his room, where the silence welcomed him.
He sank into his bed, letting the soft warmth of the sheets wrap around him. The chirps of birds and the buzz of cicadas floated through the open window. He listened to the summer night, closed his eyes, and whispered:
"This is it, huh? My new life."
Sleep took him slowly, then all at once.
When he woke again, the room was dark, and his shirt was damp with sweat. The heat lingered even after the sun had gone down.
He shuffled downstairs, where only his parents remained.
"Here we are, celebrating our big boy, and you go off snoozing?" his mother Cassandra teased, her voice almost dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, calm down," Dagr replied. "The boy's tired. He's had a long day."
Corneus rubbed his temples. "Sorry. But Dad's right. I'm exhausted... I don't need a pep talk right now."
"Oh no need to apologize, honey," Cassandra chuckled. "I was only being sarcastic."
Corneus tried to laugh, but it came out hollow and flat. He never really understood his mother's humor.
Then, everything stopped.
A thunderous explosion rocked the walls. The family froze.
"What the hell was that?" Dagr asked, standing. Worry flashed in his eyes, then faded just as quickly. "Probably someone dropping something heavy. Or fireworks... hopefully."
But then came another boom.
Then another.
Screams erupted outside. Shadows ran past the windows. The sound of chaos grew closer with every passing second.
Rain began to pour. Perfect.
One explosion struck the roof directly above. The ceiling collapsed.
Corneus didn't see it coming. One moment, he was standing. The next, he was buried under rubble.
Dazed, ears ringing, Corneus barely made out his father's voice.
"It's the Plalees!" Dagr screamed, panic cracking his words.
The Plalees.
A ruthless empire driven by greed and bloodlust. Drake-riders. Skyship pirates. Mercenaries in steel.
A hulking barbarian landed in front of their home. Dagr rushed out with a bow and unleashed a flurry of arrows.
They bounced harmlessly off the warrior's armor.
One arrow found its way into the barbarian's knee, and he grunted—but only for a moment. With terrifying speed, the invader swung his blade once. Fast, but still made it gory. Blood splattered across the window.
Dagr's head followed, bouncing off the glass like a grotesque doll.
Cassandra, blinded by grief, charged right after him.
She didn't make it two steps before her body hit the ground—headless.
Corneus remained frozen under the debris. Even if he could move, terror had locked every fiber of his being in place. His breath was shallow and fast, his heart pounding at the speed of a Frash. A small rodent creature so fast it outruns almost anything in nature.
The barbarian didn't enter. Perhaps he assumed everyone inside was dead. Maybe it was for the better.
After what felt like an eternity, Corneus began to crawl free. Every movement sent pain lancing through his limbs. His head spun, and he retched on the floor.
Outside, the streets were painted crimson. Bodies—friends, cousins, neighbors—lay scattered like broken toys. He walked backwards and stumbled over his parents. Or...what used to be his parents.
Corneus stumbled back inside and collapsed, too weak and broken to stand. Blood trickled from his scalp and into his eyes. The floor beneath him was cold and slick with rain and death.
Warmth surged through him—not comfort, but adrenaline.
"Why now…" he muttered bitterly. "Where was this when I needed it?"
Everyone was gone. Everything lost.
He had no one to protect anymore. No reason to live. Only failure haunted him now.
Corneus felt himself slipping into madness. In his mind, he saw himself slaughtering the barbarians—but it was just a fantasy. He was powerless. He knew it was impossible, yet, it was what kept him alive currently.
Corneus frowned, his eyebrows furrowing, but he knew it was useless.
Why did he even bother?
He wanted to scream. To cry until his lungs gave out and his voice became hoarse.
But he couldn't make a sound, not even a sign.
He had survived—but at what cost?
Paralyzed and broken, he lay on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. His final words before the darkness swallowed him:
"I'm useless... I couldn't protect them. I'm not a man. I'm a joke."
Days later, Corneus awoke.
He didn't know how long he had been unconscious. The sun burned his eyes, and he quickly looked away, rubbing the afterimage from his vision.
He looked around from his laying positions, his legs still stinging like they do when they "fall asleep".
All Corneus could see was carnage. Carnage and destruction.
If he could, he'd find a thick piece of glass and slit his throat right here. But, he couldn't.
Like death was at the door, but he chose not to open it.
The town was silent. Too silent.
No birds chirping. No cicadas buzzing.
Just stillness.
Then… the gravel shifted.
Footsteps.
Someone—or something—was coming.