Before the town of Rigas sprouted, the once empty divot of land that it would sit upon was found by nine men and women. All of them were looking to escape the oppressive lives they held in their hometowns towns, hundreds of miles away. Within their journey to new lands, love had bloomed and visions of new lives filled their heads. They had conquered rough terrain, long stretches of valleys, and held off beasts who seek prey in the world. Their luck had proved its successful, giving them the opportunity to live long enough to begin what they had been longing for, a new home.

Among these nine young adults, was a man with shoulder-length maple hair and dark brown eyes that sent chilling messages to anyone looking at them. The very same man who would be the owner of the oldest Inn in town, Yale. The only things Yale knew of was construction and architecture, he took pride in this of course, but the difference from what he did as a younger child and teenager was much different. In the time before the present he loathed heeding his fathers' words to become a businessman, it left a feeling of loss in his heart.

His flee from a divided community was an attempt to instill in himself the courage he held as a young boy. Using the craft that he was so laboriously taught, he found partners who had similar ideas and disdain to their current place. This new impromptu group included who would be known 20 years later as Chief Reginald, along with his wife.

While traveling with the group, that same young man had found his heart throbbing for who he thought was the greatest woman alive. A woman who was extraordinarily headstrong and prone to giving off an I can handle myself aura. He found himself captivated with her, the confidence and courage she displayed during their travels was nothing short of exemplary. With what she lacked in short height, she made up with knowledge of tools, crafting skills and handy survival techniques.

The hair upon her head was a ruby red and stopped to the back of her neck. The bangs covering her eyes were cut with an amateurish straight line, they eyes shielded by her hair were a florescent Asiatic Lily Yellow. Along the months of travel, the smile and laugh she showed him were endearing. The way she got angry if he caught something wrong, or for cooking the wrong parts of an animal carcass, made him feel happy she cared so much to teach him.

There were so many things he found in her, that he couldn’t even see within himself. What he wanted though, was not the missing pieces, but the whole dish. He loved interacting with her, the way she spoke, the way she walked, how she held herself with a fierceness when it came to expeditions and forestry activities. She was just that great of a woman that he wanted to enact his selfishness for once.

Yale had finally bucked up and decided to profess his love for her. Nervously and awkwardly he told her what he felt, and to his surprise, she was waiting for him to say something the entire time.

Thus, they spent 10 years together, along with their partners they explored various areas, traveled to different towns and built the beginnings for what would be the first actual buildings in Rigas, besides their smaller shelters. In that this, hundreds of people who had heard of a new town sprouting up and jumped on the idea of starting a new shop or home in the middle of a trade route.

Things progressed well, it was finally beginning to look like an actual town, albeit small but no less a town. It was at this time though, that hearings of cultist activities began to sprout. Kidnappings, human and animal experimentation, promise of goods and valuable trades if a new member joined. From all directions of the continent Celcilin these rumors grew.

The claims began came in more droves as time passed, strange sightings of animals with brightly lit eyes and children who had been taken from their mothers or given up willingly had the same defects in their eyes. Yale had something to protect, a life that would soon be born, he couldn’t afford to lose something so precious. His will had been tested though, months had gone by and his most precious gift had been delivered to him, Anya. His wife Anina had done well, even through Rigas was constantly being attacked by groups of rabid glowing-eyed animals.

Weeks had gone by after her birth and large stocks of wood had come in to be used as a fortifying gate. The town could have possibly been rid of the constant attacks and the Inn was had enough progress where some sections could be used for resting. Unfortunately, for Yale and his family, their peace couldn’t be reached. An animal similar to the wolf family slipped through an unfinished section of the gate and had entered the unfinished Inn. It was not large but it was also not a small animal.

While still reeling from the after-birth effects, Anina had gotten up to wash her self and grab more blankets for her daughter. While coming out of a usable restroom the sight of the feral, she thought it had been some kind of dream. The smell it let off though was pungent, the eyes it had were a brightly lit green and senses alerted her that it was no dream. She let out a heightened scream for Yale’s name, to which he immediately ran in a frantic panic too. Seeing it canine-like teeth trying to sink its way deeper into the hip of his wife, he swiftly tried to strike its head with a blade he kept on him for protection. He got a good hit in and gashed it’s forehead cleanly. It yelped in pain and hurriedly scurried away from danger.

It didn’t end though, it was in need of some sort of nourishment. It stayed in the Inn looking for something to take back before leaving. Seeing an open door, it invited itself in. A delicate looking pile of meat was defenselessly staring at the ceiling, the animal took its chances and hopped on top of the bed it was laid on. The animals head had been dripping blood along the floors and then sheets of the family's bed. It put a paw to the moving meat and flipped it over to examine it. With a sharp claw, it cut a line on it’s back to see if it was real meat. The scream it let out and the blood that dripped from its back assured it.

Hearing the awful sound of her child left in the room, Anina sprang to her feet, ignoring her husband's warnings for him to go first. She ran out of the bathroom and down the hall to the bedroom. Yale wanted to stop her but blood on the floor had made him fallen and hit his head on the wall edgings. Anina was greeted with the sight of her daughter crying and a large animal with a paw to her back, it sent her heart into overdrive. She couldn’t quite keep up with the reality she was seeing. Her body moved on its own accord and lunged at the animal. With fast reflexes, it bit down on her arm. With all the strength she could muster she threw it into a wall.

It yelped once more and tried to regain its balance. The small woman jumped for it again, wrestling with the wild animal. She saw the unfinished closet with the deep hole inside to be used as a path for more piping. She tried to grab its legs and tried to throw it inside but she couldn’t gain footage on the floor slick with blood and began to slip. She fell and lost balance into to the closet herself, seeing an open opportunity, the animal jumped into the closet to gain superiority over her. It furiously bit down on her neck, crushing down hard but she was still able to let out some form of loud wordage.

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Yale regained himself, still seeing the world slosh and slide, he slowly heard the sound of his name being screamed. Wide-eyed he felt his heart would explode, he sprinted to the bedroom, cautious not to slip again. He was presented with the sight of blood covering his sheet and floor, his only child screaming in pain also covered in blood and his wife screaming from somewhere in the room. He looked to the open closet door, hurriedly he went to grab it and see inside. His wife had her neck crushed and parts of her body were almost gnawed off.

Her hand reached out for him, but he didn’t take it. Instead, he jumped inside and aggressively grabbed the neck of the animal. Yale at the time was not a huge man, he was tall and lean but not muscular. With the adrenaline he had and oxygen flowing through his body at rates what would cause heart attacks, he forced the animal into a headlock. Slowly but surely trying to twist the animals head, it eventually gave and sounds of bone cracking were the last thing heard before silence.

This silence was the most heartbreaking thing to Yale. His wife was still breathing but unmoving and the sounds of his child stopped. Anina’s eyes had no light to them, they only held tears that ran down her face mixing with blood. She started to utter words, it was Yales name. Over and over. Tears streamed down her face until her lips stopped moving, along with her breathing. Yale couldn’t believe what he was seeing, he got up to check for his daughter. Her tiny body, covered in blood. A small gash on her back.

Yale began to cry. He didn’t understand, he didn’t want to. While looking at his child, he picked her up and held her in his arms. To his dismay, he could feel her faint breathing. He didn’t know if she was seriously injured but he didn’t want to lose anything more. He ran with his child outside the Inn and was met with the faces of people who had heard the screams. He didn’t care, he only kept running to the closest doctor he could find.

Yale let go of the ladle of the pot he stirred. He sighed, slowly clutching his chest. His eyes low and attention away from the food he was cooking. Past memories faded into the air.

[Yale: This pain never seems to stop Anina. I wish you could see how much we have both grown…]

Anya pulled down her shirt from showing them the scar on her back. Zeais had seen many scars in injuries, but for an infant, it was probably too deep to completely with herb wrap. He knew it could heal generally bad wounds, but he thought that maybe wraps weren't as potent 10 years ago.

[Anya: That basically sums up what my father told me. Along with the scar, the animal that gave dripped blood into the wound. For this reason, I also have eyes that faintly resemble those of children like you two. That isn’t the important part though. My muscles gained other properties and strange things occurred to my body. I gained a type of fast muscular expansion and contraction, which gives me a speed not normal for humans.]

She rubbed her legs, her eyes filled with a sort of wonder.

[Anya: Not only am I tall, but I’m also strange.

She sat back down on the bed, her grip tightening around her dress.

[Anya: Like my father taught me though. “Trust those who would do the same for you.” He said this is what my mother first said to him when she met him.]

Anya looked at both Zeais and Eris, with believing eyes,

[Anya: Honestly, I’m very afraid of being outside this town. I’ve only once tried to go out and play with other children but… Those enormous monsters were pointing in my direction. No eyes, no mouth, the strange creepy sounds of incests slithering over each other…. It terrified me.]

As Anya said this, she brought her arms together and embraced herself, as if no one else would. A face of subtle terror, remembering her past horrors.

[Anya: There were tons of them. I knew better than to go out while it rained, but that might have been my only chance to gain real friends you know. I couldn’t just pass that up just because of a little sky water. I was stubborn though and my father knew it. Luckily he knew what I was up to and soon ran up to me with Charrette.]

She sighed.

[Anya: I’m not just afraid of those things though. Sometimes I think “What if I’m torn apart just like my mother?”. “Is it worth it to go outside, only to struggle?”. Those thoughts run through my mind sometimes, and it only reassured me that working in the Inn and helping my Father were much better.]

[Eris: So, you’re basically saying you might be troublesome.]

Anya reluctantly shook her head.

[Anya: Yes.]

Sighing once more, she put her hands on her lap and stood up confidently.

[Anya: This is why I have you two! I don’t need to fear anything after hearing what you two did last night!]

[Eris: Don’t worry Anya. You aren’t a burden and I’m sure you will be fine outside these walls.]

A flicker of hope lighted inside of Anya’s eyes. Zeias almost felt bad to tell her when she gained such hope but,

[Zeias: Sorry Anya, but Eris won’t be joining us to brights.]

Anya’s face turned into one of shock. She looked to Eris and said,

[Anya: You won’t be coming? Is it because of me?]

Eris waved her hand denying her questions.

[Eris: No, of course not. I just have to take care of— Grab somethings first.]

Anya’s face saddened.

[Anya: I see. Then… Just Zeais?]

She turned slowly to Zeais, her eyes quivering.

[Zeais: Just me. Hope you aren’t disappointed.]

Anya nodded her head.

[Anya: No... It’s just that, it feels like I’m losing someone another potential friend…]

Her downcast eyes gave Zeais a sharp pain in his chest. Something about what she said stirred something in him.

I’ve never seen a child without others to be around. Is this what they’re like? I don’t know how I would feel being afraid of the forests and not having my group.

[Anya: When will you be coming back?]

[Eris: About two days from now or sooner.]

[Anya: I see.]

She breathed a sigh of relief.

[Anya: That's not long at all. Wait. Eris you are from Don’te right? Why are you going to Brights as well.]

Together in unison, they both remembered what they forgot to tell her.

[Zeais: Oh.]

[Eris: Ah]

[Zeais: We have to pay debts to the chief so we’re going on an expedition to a Lument forest within the next week.]

Taken aback once again, she went silent. A long pause for what felt like a whole minute, she finally stammered,

[Anya: —I-I see. So, you will be leaving soon after this… And going to where those beasts live.]

Zeais gave a confirming nod.

[Zeais: Unfortunately yes.]

Anya looked as if she were on the verge of tears.

[Zeais: Don’t worry though, I have a group of others who will help us. And you can rest easy that we will come back just fine so that we can meet another day.]