The Beginning (Closed)

[Anonymous]

In the foothills of the Terrin Mountains, a tiny village has existed since time out of memory. It's a close knit village, accepting of strangers and always willing to help out another person who needs it. It has a solitary, two-story inn in the middle of town where merchants and the occasional traveler stay in cozy rooms. Patrons of the inn, mostly the local farming folk, are served by the innkeeper's family with the occasional hired help when the merchant trains visit.

All of the houses that the villagers call home are one story, thatched roof houses and the villagers take pride in how cozy their homes are. Surrounding farmers come into town frequently for supplies, a pint or just to visit. It's the kind of community where everybody knows everybody. There is almost no crime, nothing is ever shocking, and everybody pretty much knows what the next day will bring.

The rain was coming down particularly hard the night a knock awoke the innkeeper. It was the middle of the night and he wasn't too pleased at being woken up. As he made his way through the common room, he thought he heard the sound of a baby crying over the sound of the rain coming down, but that was preposterous. The third set of knocks had faded just a few seconds ago when the innkeeper reached the door.

"Yes? What is it?" He said, opening the door. "This better be good to wake me up in the middle of the night." He stood in the open doorway, confusion on his face at the sight of the rain and nobody standing there. "I can't have imagined that." As the innkeeper stood at the doorway, rain falling onto him from the wind blowing it in the doorway, a noise made the innkeeper look down.

And into a basket with a very upset baby in it.

"By the Gods above!" The innkeeper exclaimed, bending down to pick up the basket. "Who in their right mind would leave you out in this weather?" He wondered aloud. As he closed the door with his hip, the innkeeper took one last look outside and into the rain that obscured everything two feet away. He shook his head as the door cut the sight of the downpour off.

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Many years later
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"Johnny! Lunch time!" Liris, the innkeeper's wife, called. "Where is that boy?" She wondered aloud, planting her hands on her hips. She shook her head and headed back inside. Meanwhile, Johnny was about half a mile away, playing in the trees farther away from the mountains. He loved being out in the forest, away from the village. Don't get him wrong, he liked the village, but Johnny knew he didn't belong there. Oh sure, everybody treated him like they would treat everybody else, but Johnny knew that he had come here in a basket. Enough on the dark thoughts, he was hungry. He hopped down to the ground and made his way back to the village.

[Anonymous]

It was a pleasant afternoon. Kids were playing in the streets, adults were talking to each other, everybody was just out and about and enjoying the day. Johnny merrily skipped into town, waving at the people who called out to him and stopping to talk to friends. He had to excuse himself from more than one game of tag on account of his hunger but he left groups of kids promising that he would be back and play.

He arrived at the inn and went straight around back and into the kitchen where Liris was busy making food. Johnny always loved the smell, and of course the taste, of Liris' food. The smells would always lift him up off his feet and the tastes would always send him on a delicious journey. He couldn't wait to find out what she was making today.

"Hi Liris." Greeted Johnny as he walked through the backdoor.
"Johnny! There you are! I've been wondering where you've been for a while now." Liris gently chided him.
"I was playing in the woods like I always do." He responded, taking a seat at the kitchen table covered with food waiting to be taken out to inn patrons. "Wow, all of this looks good. Can I have some?"
"So you think you can just walk in here, plop down, and expect food after making me worry enough to turn my hair white?" Liris asked him, but with a smile on her face so Johnny would know she didn't really mean it. "You can't have any of the food on the table but, if you can wait for few minutes, I'll make you something."
"Thank you." Johnny replied.

When Johnny was done with his meal he went back outside and played with the village kids. Johnny and his friends played a variety of different games, from tag to games with sticks. They sat around talking, imagining how their lives would unfold. They would be great adventurers and slay fearsome beasts or they would go on to become royalty. Johnny even got to play with the girl he really liked. It was a good day indeed.

But alas, all good things must come to an end and as the sun got lower and lower in the sky, Johnny's friends started heading back to their homes. The girl Johnny liked, Aera was her name, squeezed a promise from Johnny to take her into the woods and show her all the fun spots and, as Johnny was walking home, he was looking forward to that.

When he got back to the inn, Johnny walked into the common room to find Nathan, his adopted father and the innkeeper, Liris, Kathrine, his fourteen year old adopted sister, and Richard, his thirteen year old adopted brother, gathered around the hearth. As Johnny closed the door, Nathan looked up.

"Ah, there you are Johnny." Nathan said. "We were wondering where you were, I was just about to start telling stories without you." Nathan smiled.
"Were you out playing with your little girlfriend?" Kathrine teased.
"She's not my girlfriend!" Johnny shot back. "Besides, girls are icky." Kathrine giggled.
"Cut it out you too." Richard said. "You know dad won't tell his stories if you two are fighting." Richard had a point, so Johnny and Kathrine quieted down and arranged themselves in a semi-circle in front of Nathan.

Nathan took a moment to light his pipe before settling back in his chair in front of his children who were so eager to hear what story their father might tell them this night. Liris settled in the chair next to her husband and started to knit. The click-click of the needles because a focusing background noise as Nathan started to talk.

"Tonight, my children, I shall tell you about The Legend of the Eye of Fire."

[Anonymous]

"In a very distant land many, many, many years ago. Before your mother and I, before the village Elders, before the Elder's Elders. There lived a very powerful wizard. A very evil wizard. He was said to be a giant among men. A being so tall that he dwarfed almost all the mountains."

Nathan paused for a moment so the image could sink into his children's heads.

"He was a being of fire and a devourer of men."

All three kids gulped at that.

"His name was Kalidos and many a noble warrior and many a powerful wizard would test their might, skill, and will against him. All failed and all were devoured. Year after year, brave souls would venture into Kalidos' lair and never be seen again. Year after year, Kalidos' minions would cause untold mischief, chaos and destruction but nobody could do anything about it."

Nathan paused to take a long draw on his pipe. Liris' needles still making a steady clicking noise in the background.

"One day, one of the most powerful of sorcerers summoned the strongest, bravest, and noblest of warriors to an audience at the sorcerer's tower. It was there that the sorcerer gave the warrior a magic orb and said to him:
'When you face Kalidos, say these words: Malum res. Per spes totus clementia, per spes orbis terrarum, Inquam vobis. Genitus!' The warrior accepted the orb and the sorcerer's words and set out to face the evil Kalidos. The warrior's journey to Kalidos' lair was long and hard, and is a story for another night, but our hero eventually made it.

Hordes of Kalidos' minions were camped around the entrance of their master's lair but this was of no matter to our hero. The warrior drew his magical wrought blade and joined battle with the intensity of nature's fury. Hundreds of monsters fell to every sweep of his sword. He fought and fought and fought until our hero was at the entrance of his target's lair. There were still hundreds and hundreds of monsters trying to stop our hero's advance and he was ready to take them all on when a loud and sinister voice called out from deep within the lair.

'Stop! Let this would-be god slayer try his might where untold numbers have failed!'"

"Wait wait wait." Johnny interrupted. "I thought you said this guy was a wizard, not a god."
"He is a wizard." Nathan explained. "But after years and years of beating opponents and having lots and lots of creatures under his rule, he came to think of himself as a god."
"No matter what he is." Kathrine added. "Just let him finish his story."
"Sorry." Johnny mumbled.
"It's ok." Nathan replied, smiling.

"Now where was I? Oh yes."

"Kalidos had just told his minions to let the warrior through without fight. After hearing what his foe had said, and seeing that the monsters weren't going to stop him, the warrior put his sword away and ventured to the heart of Kalidos' lair, where the fiery giant's throne was.

'So, you think to kill me.' The evil wizard boomed. 'Fine then.' He got up off his throne. The warrior wasted no time. He took the orb the sorcerer had given him out of his bag, pointed it at his foe and said the words he was instructed to say.

'Malum res. Per spes totus clementia, per spes orbis terrarum, Inquam vobis. Genitus!'

There was silence as both beings waited for something to happen. After a few seconds, the evil wizard laughed.
'This is it? This was your plan to kill me?' He laughed again. 'Foolish mortal! Now die!' Kalidos pulled back his hand to crush the warrior into the ground when the orb flickered then shone brightly.

'What?! What is this light?! What's happening?!' An intense, magical vacuum came out of the orb and started sucking the false god into it. 'No! This cannot happen!' The wizard yelled. Try as he might, he could not stop from being pulled into the orb. With his last breath, wanting to kill the warrior no matter what, Kalidos cast a spell to bring his lair crashing down on top of anything inside of it.

And so it came to pass that, without their master, Kalidos' minions could not live on this world. Peace eventually settled onto the planet. Of the warrior and the orb, nobody ever saw either again but they honored the warrior with tales of his bravery. As for that cursed orb, it became known as the Eye of Fire"

Nathan emptied his pipe in a nearby bowel while the last of the story faded from the children's imaginations. Liris put away her knitting and stood up.
"Since your father's story is done, it's time for bed now." The children groaned but reluctantly got up and followed their mother upstairs.

After doing all the necessary things to get ready for bed, Johnny lay down, ready for sleep.
"Goodnight Johnny." Liris softly said to him as she pulled his blanket over him. "Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight." Johnny said sleepily. He rolled over to get more comfortable and dropped off to sleep.

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A scream woke him in the night.

[Anonymous]

He lay there for a moment or two, wondering what had woke him up. He had been having a pleasant dream too. Not that he could remember it but he knew that it was a pleasant one. Johnny rubbed his eyes to wake himself up more as he climbed out of bed. There was something about the window that was different. The light coming through the window didn't seem right. It was more of a glow than the steady stream that the sun usually sent.

Johnny stood looking out of the window. The scene he was presented with had a hard time registering with his half-asleep mind. The houses were putting of their own light. Not just from the windows either. The roofs, the walls, everything was emitting its own light. The lights danced back and forth across the houses.

There was a banging on his door before Liris burst in. "Thank the Gods you're alright!" She ran up to Johnny and hugged him tightly. He still didn't know what was going on, still not fully awake. "Come on. The others are down stairs in the kitchen." She took his hand and lead him out the door of his room before he could answer.

By the time they had reached the bottom of the stairs, Johnny was fully awake. "Liris, what's going on?" But before she could reply, the sound of talking had reached them coming from the kitchen. Some of the voices weren't familiar. "Who else is staying in this inn?" A voice demanded harshly. "I tell you, there are no others here." Nathan replied, his voice pleading to be believed. A sharp smack could be heard before a thud. "You three." The voice said again. "Get upstairs and see if anybody is up there." Liris put a finger to her lips, silently telling Johnny to be quiet as she quickly pulled him out the front.

When they got outside, Johnny recognized why the buildings seemed to glow before. They were on fire. The whole town was on fire. Liris pushed Johnny ahead of her, telling him to run as fast as he could while she did the same. He couldn't just leave her though. Liris wasn't his real mother, Johnny was well aware of that, but she and Nathan had been there for him for as long as he could remember. He couldn't just abandon her.

So instead of bolting off, he stayed just a few yards ahead of Liris, much to her protests. It was during one of these that he turned around to explain why he wasn't leaving her. He would never forget how she looked then. Face flustered, hair flying everywhere, running as fast as she was able while still in her night gown. It was a far cry from the gentle face he knew.

An arrow blossomed out of her chest followed almost immediately by another one.

Time seemed to slow down. Johnny was scared. No, he was terrified, beyond terrified. The force of the two arrows hitting Liris forced her off her feet. Her hair sprayed everywhere, arms reached out in front of her trying to prevent more damage from the expected hard landing. She almost looked like she was flying.

Johnny scrambled under a nearby wagon, pressing low to the ground to get under it, as she hit. Liris hadn't been too far behind Johnny, so the momentum of impact sent her briefly sliding along the ground to where she was in line with Johnny. He lay under the wagon, trembling, his eyes fixed on hers. Blood was starting to puddle around her. Her mouth tried forming words, trying to tell him something, but blood obscured whatever she had been trying to say.

He watched, transfixed, as the light faded from her eyes and she gave a final shuddering breath. Then she moved no more.

Johnny, being the young kid he was, couldn't really comprehend what had happened. He knew he was scared though. Terror raced through his veins. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, could hardly breathe. What was happening? Why had it happened? Why wasn't Liris getting up to come comfort him? He silently asked these panicked questions to his adopted mother before an exhilarated cry snapped him out of it.

"Told ya my arrow would get to her first!" An unrecognizable voice said triumphantly. "Right between the shoulder blades too. Looks like your shot wasn't needed." The voice sounded far too happy for the situation. A pair of feet came into Johnny's view. "Gloat all you want, Ciam." A second voice said. "But when the boss finds out that that little brat of hers got away, he's gonna be pissed." The first man made an exasperated noise. "I tell ya, there was no brat."

The two men stood arguing over Liris' body for a few minutes before a third voice called out from the inn. "Looks like we ain't done." The second man said. "Hope not." Said the first. "I'm having way too much fun with this." They turned and headed back towards the inn.

Johnny's eyes darted this way and that, frantically keeping an eye out for any movement on the street. Where were everybody else in the village? Why weren't they trying to stop these people? Eventually, his body grew tired from the toll his terror was taking and he succumb to exhaustion.

[Anonymous]

He woke up later, aching. Johnny wasn't used to sleeping on the ground. Sure, he'd done it before but it was always on grass, not just dirt. He pushed himself up off the ground and his head hit something hard. "Ow!" What? All thoughts stopped as memory rushed back, threatening to overwhelm him. The lights, the fire, and above all, the fear. He had been so afraid. Afraid that the scary grownups were going to hurt him. Hurt him like....

Liris!

The thought smacked him between the eyes. Johnny crawled to the edge of the wagon, looking up and down the street, keeping a watch for any movement. Liris lay in the exact same spot, in the exact same position, that she had last time he saw her. The feathers at the end of the arrows rustling in the wind. Liris lay there looking like she were sleeping except for the fact that her eyes stayed open.

He couldn't take his eyes off hers. They seemed to be pleading with him. Johnny could almost put together what she wanted to tell him. Perhaps If he looked a bit closer, he would be able to understand. Just a little longer....

"You know, that's a quick way to insanity."

Johnny jumped and smacked his head on the underside of the wagon again. He poked his head out from his hiding place and looked up to find a woman standing there. She smiled down at him. "Hello." She greeted warmly. "Uh...Hi." Johnny replied timidly. Johnny couldn't make out much about her because she was clothed in a long, black coat that covered her neck to her toes. The coat even had long sleeves that covered her arms and ended in soft looking black gloves. The woman had a gentle look about her which comforted Johnny. He knew she wouldn't hurt him.

Johnny looked back down at Liris but the lady stepped in front of him and squatted down, blocking his sight. "It won't do you much good. She won't be getting back up ever again." She told Johnny gently. Johnny stared at her blankly. Liris wouldn't be getting up again. She would never again make the treats that Johnny loved. She wouldn't be there to comfort him when he was sad or afraid. She wouldn't be able to play with him ever again.

She wouldn't be able to....
She wouldn't be there to...
She wouldn't....
She wouldn't....

Johnny's eyes filled with tears as the thoughts went on and on. Sobs racked his body at the loss that settled over him. Liris wouldn't ever be there again. It bounced around his skull for what seemed like forever. He lost himself to the tears and the pain, crying into the earth. After a while, he was aware that the woman was patting the back of his head and saying comforting words. It would have been something Liris would have done for him. The thought made him cry harder.

When Johnny was all cried out, he crawled out from under the wagon and stood over Liris, just looking at her. A few, small aftermath sobs went through him but, overall, he was mostly numb inside. The lady came up to stand next to him, holding her hand out so Johnny could take it if he needed it. He did.

Johnny watched as Liris' body lifted into the air, some part of his mind vaguely wondering how, before it stopped at his shoulder level. It was in the same position as it had been on the ground. Something told Johnny that her arms, legs, and head should be dangling in the air, but Johnny didn't care right now.

"Come on." The woman said, as gentle as before. "We'll go give her a proper burial." As the two walked along, the body floating on the other side of the woman, Johnny blankly took in how the town looked. Charred buildings greeted him just about wherever he looked, some no more than shells of their former selves, others no more than crispy foundations where fires had consumed the buildings whole, while a lucky few had completely escaped the fire's touch. Something in his mind shouted that he should feel sad, or afraid, or something but the rest of his mind just couldn't muster the will to care.

They stopped at the edge of town, just before the woods started, where three mounds of earth were laying peacefully next to a hole in the earth. Liris' body slowly shifted into a more peaceful looking position, her eyes closing, before being lowered in gently. As dirt was burying Liris, Johnny look to the mounds that would lay next to hers, dimly registering that they must house the rest of his adopted family. A few tears ran down his cheeks as the dirt at the top of the pile now housing Liris magically smoothed itself out, presenting a nice, smooth dome to match the others. He felt like he would never be able to cry again.

He looked up as the woman squeezed his hand. "Would you like to stay in this town?" She asked him. He shook his head slightly. With his family dead, Johnny knew he wouldn't be the same again and, frankly, he didn't want to be near them. It hurt too much.

Still grasping Johnny's hand, the lady lead him away from the ruin of the town. Away from the happy years he had spent there. Away from the painful memories of the night his previous life had been ripped away from him. He didn't look back.