Age of Heroes

The Elder crawls away from the battlefield, his hand clawed the scorched ground. He had a specific destination even as death is nearing him

As he crawls over the body of his friends and the Darkly Things, blood drips from all of his wound. 

He come to the altar and look at the altar. He looks at the stars above and he could see one of the star twinkle.

He believes that it is just his illusion. But even illusion sometimes has meaning. The wind blows around him, bringing him the feeling of the coldness of death.

He knew his time is near. At least before he embarks in the last journey of his life, he wanted to be close to the altar that he had protected for almost all of his life

he smiles as he saw the empty altar.

'That thing is not ours. Since it is not ours, I should not have been that obsessive' This is the thought he had at the end of his life

But he did not simply smile because he had let go of this obsession. He smiles because at the last moment he had succeeded in protecting the next generation of his tribe

he hoped that his soul would be able to go to the Heavenly Realm 

Before he took the last of his breath, he prays to Asrana to bless the young child of his tribe. May the Gods favor him and protect him from the Darkness of the Deep.

And with that prayer, he takes his last breath. Up there in the sky, a star seems to dim. Another hero had fallen tonight.

And at the same time, a young child is running with his tribespeople coming out from the Tree Rings. 

This young child that is barely of teenage years is none other than Aegir. Even though Aegir is around fourteen years old, he was tall than his other peer, standing at the height of five feet six. 

He had sturdy body and his muscle is toned and lean.

He had an amiable appearance and his hair is long, reaching pass his neck and nearly reaches his waist. But it is tied tightly in locks.

Aegir is panting in exhaustion and his entire feet is trembling. There is wounds on both of his shoulder and the bottom of his feet is also bleeding profusely

But, he did not even register the pain as his chest heaved up and down.

And he was not the only one. 

All of the other people that run away from the village all have this kind of injury as they run inside the forest. Some of them even stumble during the flight.

Since they do not want to attract the attention of the Darkly Things, even the Gifted ones did not dare to use their fire to light up the way forward.

Hence, they would crash onto trees and fall down in the darkness of the night. Then they also have to run from the sudden flame that envelops the forest and spreading.

Now, the fire behind them has stopped. The wind had extinguished the fire that spread out on the trees

But this did not make them at ease. Instead they feel even more fear. They could sense before that the fire is the fire of the Arakian elders.

But now the fire had been extinguished. 

The Elders had fallen. 

The question on everyone mind was whether the Elders had managed to kill all of those Darkly things or not? 

If they did, then they still have time to navigate the large forest and went out from this area.

If not, then they had to prepare to fight. 

Aegir among all others of his tribespeople felt like he is enduring the largest pressure of them all.

Aegir had hidden the Orb of Fire on him. He is now in the possession of the treasure of the tribe. This is the treasure that has been protected by all Elders and Chief of the tribe since they got possession of it

The Orb of Fire. He leads the other to run and even kept encouraging the others during their flight form the village.

Now, however, he had halted. And the people behind him also no longer runs forward. They could only gulp in fear.

Aegir clenches his fist as he saw what is in front of him

There is only thick dark mist spreading out in front of them. It was like a sea of dark shadows.

Night should not be dark like this. The moon above would usually shine its light, and even if it does not, it is still should not be this dark

It is like this darkness covers the Heaven and Earth, covering the eyes of their Gods.

This is the thought of everyone. 

But the mist in front of them is like a darkness that threatens to swallow them if they move forward

It brings the feeling of death even closer to them. No one knows whether this dark mist would produce Darkly Things. 

Mudborns are born from soil drenched with the blood of the fallen and the resentment of the dead

And Darkly Things are born from the shadows of resentment of the past. 

Preceding the appearance of Darkly Things is thick dark mist. 

These thick dark mist is unlike the mist that appear naturally. 

One could easily tell them apart. There is this feeling, a sense of being overwhelmed by dark emotions.

That is how one would know. And this is the feeling that Aegir felt and the tribespeople behind him felt.

They halted because they did not dare to wade through this dark sea. 

The Elders had sacrificed their life so that they could survive. 

But now, there is this thing in front of them, preventing them to move forward. 

They couldn't move forward. But they could not also go back. 

They did not know the outcome of the battle between the Elders and the Darkly Things.

And even though if the Elders had won, the ancestral land is not safe anymore. If they return back to the village, sooner or later, today tragedy would happen again. 

They need to go to the three kingdoms and participate in the Great Chaos.

The heat of the Orb had also dissipated. Aegir was the first one that notices this since he is in the possession of the orb.

And he could feel the coldness of the dark enveloping his people. Some of them even shivers. 

the sound of fighting could also no longer be heard but none of these things could ease their heart. 

Their heartbeats beat loudly in their heart.

Aegir look behind him. There is one woman holding her baby, consoling her baby so that she would not cried.

Some had tears on their eyes. Some are dazed. 

Other had an expression of anger. And some others look anxious and fearful, looking left and right, fearing the sudden appearance of some Darkly Thing to manifest from the Darkness that seems to pervades every space of area around them

Aegir could understand why they all felt this way. 

Many of those who stay behind are somebody grandfather, somebody fathers and mothers, somebody brothers and sisters.

there is no longer Darkly Things chasing for them from behind

But none of them feel happy. There is this feeling in their hearts that those who stay behind have all sacrificed their life for them.

There is a sense of sorrow all over them. 

They were safe. 

But now they are alone. 

Their parents, the people that had been around them and protected them and guide them, most of them probably had been killed by the Darkly Things.

These tribespeople are lost. 

The Chief is not here. And most of them are young people. There were some who were pregnant, and they have to protect other people too.

It is not the way of the tribes to easily leave their people. 

Maybe, for some other tribes. But for Arakians, unless it is truly necessary, they would do their best to fight for each and every one of their people.

The dark mist in front of them is like the sea of darkness. Now, that they are out of the Tree Rings, there is no feeling of safety

But to turn back would mean to die. To go forward is to go to an uncertain future

Aegir himself did not know what to do. 

The Elder did not appoint the Chief as even the Chief himself fought in the battle. Everyone look at each other

Someone had to take the leadership position. The tribe needs a leader more now than ever. 

But who should take it? 

The Seers did not give any indication. 

Silence fills the area. 

But they need to move. 

This anxiousness in their hearts prompted them to move forward. 

But as each of them look in front of them, and see the boundless darkness that seems to have no end, fear held them back

The Darkness is a story old people tell the young. It is a lore that had been passed down generations after generation

One would listen to it, shivers in fear in remembrance of it, but by the time one sleep and awake the next morning, people would forget the dreary story of the Darkness that always lurks in the veneer of the Sun.

But, today, those old stories now come to life.