Blood drained between Cillian’s fingertips. Tears blurred his vision till he couldn’t see.
“They are all dead,” he whispered.
He rested his head on the lifeless body below him.
“It’s all my fault. It’s all my fault,” he kept repeating.
How did it get like this?
***
"The mighty warrior gripped his sword and shield tightly. He felt the ground rumble and shake when suddenly, the Earth cracked and split open. From the growing breaks in the stone a -"
"Dragon!" Amalea gasped. The little girl was gripping the sheets of the cot she sat on. Her eyes were fixed on her brother, and like emeralds, they sparkled with delight. The orange light from the lantern, resting on the table next to Amalea's cot, illuminated the room with a warm glow and transformed the child's green-tinted skin into an earthy brown.
Cillian smiled at the interruption, then resumed, "a dragon burst into the sky! It had dark black scales and breathed red hot fire. The dragon flew around the sky and then charged towards the brave warrior."
"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" Amalea kicked her legs around with excitement. "Is he going to die?"
"Just wait and see." Cillian scanned the book in his hands for his place. "The warrior brought his shield up to block the molten flames of the dragon. He waited for the dragon to draw near, then swung his magic sword. In one fell swoop, he had severed the head of the terrible dragon." Cillian lifted the book to show his sister a drawing depicting the scene.
"Wow, just one swing." Amalea looked at the drawing with awe. "Brother, could you kill a dragon?"
Cillian laughed at the sudden question. "Oh no, I wouldn't last a second. The dragon would gobble me up."
Amalea gave him a puzzled look. "But Brother, you're strong. How come the warrior from the story can kill the dragon but you can't?"
"Well Amalea, in the story it said that the warrior was level 15. That means he is so so so much more powerful than we can imagine," Cillian replied.
"Is he stronger than Mike the Innkeeper? He's as big as a bear!" Amalea exclaimed.
"Yes," Cillian chuckled. "I don't think anyone in the village is even close to level 5, so no one would be close to strong enough."
"Hmph," Amalea pouted and crossed her arms. "Well, I am going to be so strong when I grow up that I could kill two dragons with one swipe."
"Oh really?" Cillian shut the book and got up from the chair beside Amalea's cot. He lifted the lantern and said, "Well you have to sleep or else you're going to be short forever." He moved to the door of the room and turned around. "Goodnight Amalea."
"Goodnight, I love you," Amalea whispered.
"I love you too," Cillian said then left towards his room.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
***
Cillian stood motionless in his room. His room was nearly identical to Amalea's room except for the mirror that hung on the northern wall. He remembered his mother hung it when she used to live in this room. It took an entire month of saving to buy, but she had been insistent to get it. Now, he hadn't the heart to remove it. Cillian gazed in the mirror and saw a tall thin boy. Black messy hair reached well past his ears and a combination of dirt and raggedy clothing covered his body. Cheekbones protruded strongly on his face, framing his dark brown eyes.
Level 15.
He sat down on his cot and pondered the feat.
What would it be like to be level 15?
Cillian reached down under his bed and pulled out a small wooden box. He opened it and gazed for a moment at its contents. A single pink crystal lay in a box of fluffy straw. It was about the length of his hand and maybe as thick as his middle three fingers. The ends both formed points. Even in the dimly lit room, it had a luster about it that could not be described as anything but captivating. Cillian took the crystal into his hand. He gripped the crystal and closed his eyes.
Me. Me. Me. He recited in his head.
Suddenly, Cillian could sense a bright light through his closed eyes. He opened them and saw that the room was now doused in pink light, and the origin was the crystal he held. Just above the crystal, radiant pink light took the form of a screen. The screen was simple, and he read the contents to himself.
Name: Cillian Drake Norwood Level: 0 HP: 15/15 Age: 19 Body: 5 Spirit: 6 Mind: 4
Cillian looked upon his modest numbers with pride, but it would be unlikely those numbers rose any time soon. Besides, for Cillian, there were many more important things than getting his numbers up meaninglessly. Amalea's excitement flashed into his mind.
Finished. Finished. Finished. Cillian repeated the words using the voice of his mind, this time without closing his eyes. The light from the pink crystal slowly abated until the room was a dim orange from the lantern. He put the crystal back into the box and slid it back under the bed. Cillian got under the covers of his cot and let his body start to drift towards sleep. He had to rise early tomorrow anyway, might as well get as much rest as he could.
Just before Cillian passed completely into slumber he heard his door creak open. The noise struck Cillian's instincts and he shot up to see the doorway. It was nearly impossible to see in the room, save for the dim moonlight streaming through the only window in the room. Cillian held his breath and made his body completely still. His eyes were fixed on the door as it slowly opened. He cursed his heart for making a nearly audible beat as it raced in anticipation.
"Cillian," the noise came from the now ajar door. The voice was familiar but that did not ease the tension in Cillian's body. Footsteps signified the presence was moving closer to him. With each thump on the wooden floor, his stomach tightened.
"Are you awake?" the voice had stepped into the moonlight and revealed Amalea. The tired girl's messy white hair was a sight of relief for Cillian.
"Yeah, I am Amalea. What's wrong?" Cillian asked.
"I heard a noise outside, and now I'm scared. Can I sleep with you?" Amalea responded sheepishly.
"Of course, you can," Cillian said while signaling her to come to the cot. He made space for her on the small cot and she curled up next to him.
"What do you think is out there?" She whispered.
"There's nothing for you to worry about. I've lived in these woods for my whole life and I haven't seen anything." Cillian adjusted the blanket to make sure it was covering Amalea.
"Sarah told me there is a monster in the forest," Amalea whispered quieter than before.
"Sarah? Who is Sarah?" Cillian asked.
"The girl down the creek I play with," Amalea said matter of factly.
"Oh, her," Cillian remembered.
"She said that the monster comes out at night. And it has super sharp teeth and runs really fast," Amalea paused, her breath quivering. "And, and she said that the monster likes to eat little girls."
"Shh," Cillian stopped her from continuing. He hugged her and said, "You're seven now, not so much a little girl right?"
"Right," Amalea whimpered.
"Sarah was just trying to scare you, there is no monster. Plus, even if there was, I would protect you." Cillian rolled away from her and onto his back. He felt the pull of sleep strong again.
"Goodnight," Amalea whispered.
"Goodnight," Cillian replied half awake. He drifted away with thoughts of what the next day would bring.
But, his imagination would have never predicted the life-altering reality.
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Identification Crystal