Deep in the dark of night, within a place called Darkwood, its air thick with an eerie silence, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves and hooting of strange owls.

A small village by the name of Bleak-ridge lay within the far edges of its thick fog, made with simple wood, thatched roofs, and shoddy clay chimneys. Entirely open to the elements, with no walls nor gates to keep the wild at bay.

It is within this little village that a young boy was swinging a small wooden sword at the center of town, his short brown hair fluttered with each strikes, his eyes a brown tint.

The sound of rustling leaves breaking the silence from time to time, only when the sound of footsteps echoed out that he stop and meet the gaze of the man approaching.

The boy could feel a strange oppressive feeling whenever he would be near him. Dressed in a simple linen shirt and pants, a rugged shock of hair covering his head, and a scar over the left side of his head reaching to the back of his head, barely above his ear.

“Shouldn’t you be inside right now boy? The fog is thickening and the darkness is encroaching ever so closer.” The man said, turning his head to gaze deep into the darkness. The boy simply stood by, looking at the old man his hand still held tightly to the wooden sword. Answering with a question of his own.

“How can I get stronger if I don’t train?”

The old man could only sigh, “Basira, you can’t grow strong if you disappear in the darkness. Now go, I heard Claudia had been waiting for you at home.”

The boy silently looked back at his home for a few seconds before nodding his head at the man and walking back. Leaving the man behind in the foggy night, his hands behind his back, his eyes gleaming an amber light.

“Tonight’s gonna be rough on huh? Haizz… I hope he doesn’t become like you Karos…”

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Upon entering his home, a shack in all meanings of the word, the smell of the bubbling stew could be smelled from the center hearth. Causing him to smile, only to turn to one of fear. As his mother was standing by the corner, arms crossed.

“Um… hi mom.” The boy muttered, grasping his arms anxiously.

“And where have you been Basira?” she asked, her eyes practically stabbing at his face.

“At the town center, nowhere near the outside.” The boy raised his hands in a panic as if to defend himself.

All he received was a warm hug and soft wet tears, he knew why his mother was crying. After all, it was barely a week earlier that his father was the one to punish him for staying outside too long, not her.

“Always watch your back boy, who knows what might come out and snatch you out of the fog.” He would say every time he caught him outside for too long. Now, there was only him and his mother.

After a few moments, the two of them had their dinner. His mother would hear him talk about his training with the younglings of the village, of his physical feats, of how one of them freaked out when a squirrel jumped on his face, laughing all the while. As the night grew darker to pitch black, he closed his eyes for a nap by his mother’s side. Her warmth enveloped him like a blanket, keeping him close and safe.

His eyes closed ever so steadily, and he faded into sleep.

At the center of the small town, the man stood still, his eyes sharp and precise, he gazed around the outskirts and beyond. Something was coming, and it was fast. He leaned his body forward bent like a mantis, and within a split second, broke into a sprint.

The creature in question was a giant centipede, It had sensed life in the village, setting its sights on the village, eager to consume everything in its path.

The thing was gigantic, nearly 20 meters long, its numerous legs, each ending with jagged spikes, dragging limply on the wet ground. Encased in a dark onyx exoskeleton that shimmered like starlight in the dark, its head coated in a multitude of antennas and two pairs of venomous mandibles.

But as it approached, closer and closer, a black linen boot came into view. With a loud crack and a squelch, the centipede’s head was shattered and blown off the body, spewing gray matter and ichor across the forest grounds.

The man stood by the thrashing, headless body, turning his head at the deeper reaches of the forest, an amber glow in his eyes.