On a farm, a young girl worked with her brothers on the fields. Scythe on her shoulders, she walked through the well-trodden path leading to a grain field. Hosting the scythe high up, she moved it with her little trembling hands, cutting a bunch of stalks.

The reflection of the sun's glare from the scythe attacked her eyes. She squinted them, trying to lessen the pain on her sensitive eyes.

After some time, she took a bunch of stalks she cut and carried it to her father who was also working on the field. His sweat glistened on his naked upper body, skinny to the bone. His long fingers were wrapped onto the handle of his scythe.

He saw her coming with a bunch of stalks to which he smiled and stopped his work.

"Let your brothers help you if it's too much," He spoke to her, resuming his work afterward.

"Yes, father," She said, obeyed him obediently like the good girl she was.

"Good girl."

Humming merrily while carrying the stalks, she imagined herself going to an adventure, fighting against evil monsters and rescuing the princess. The path before her transformed into a hellish battlefield where evil grotesque monsters overshadowed by their ugly faces loomed for their preys. Heroes were seen fighting these monsters with their sharpened swords.

She-

- fell to the ground as her right foot got stuck in a hole. Pain enveloped her foot as she tried to get her foot out of it. She cried a little at the pain. With her dirty hand, she wiped the tears. Although she didn't want to trouble her brothers, she couldn't endure the pain anymore, so she shouted to her brothers, "H-hendrik! Jeremy! H-help! I-i got s-s-stuck!"

Fortunately, her brothers were nearby and could hear her bawling.

"Alex, what happen?!" She pointed with her trembling finger at the hole her foot got stuck. Cold swept into her stuck foot. Seeing the problem they both took carefully her foot out of the hole while she tried to endure through the pain as her brother pulled on her ankle a little bit to get the necessary leverage her foot out of the hole.

She whimpered when Hendrik got her foot out, he gently touched her foot and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Alex nodded her head frantically. Jeremy wipped his dirty hands on his shirt and reassured her with a hug, his body embraced her little form. She leans into his touch, grabbing onto his shirt.

She cheered quickly up with the help of her brothers. Jeremy took the stalks and carried them to the stored stalks, while Hendrik carried her in his arms.

She sighed happily in his arms. Sweat gathered on Hendrik's forehead, he panted loud, trying to get his breathing under control as he used his remaining energy to carry his little sister

Late in the night, Alex was dozing off on a bunch of stalks, making herself comfortable. The cold bothered her little form. Tossing back and forth in her makeshift bed she tried to sleep. The wind blew some of the stalks, giving her skin goosebumps, she shivered in the cold.

Trying to ignore it, was an impossible task for her, so she distracted herself with her imaginary world.

Meanwhile, her parents were outside discussing something they didn't want the children to hear. Her father who held a torch with his left hand, grabbed a handful of his hair with his other hand and sighed in defeat, he said, "Mary, are you certain that the rumors are true?"

"Yes, dear. The wife of the chief told me about it. She got the information from her cousin in the other village," She couldn't hold her tears back anymore, so she cried. Her husband took her into the embrace, while he himself teared up.

"It will be alright. We will survive." He tried to reassure her, and maybe even himself.

"B-but what about Alex. If they discover..."

"Even our neighbors didn't notice that our girl is a boy. Even then they wouldn't rat us out. Back then I saved his life from a bandit attack." He didn't let the doubt enter his mind, he knew it wasn't completely hopeless.

They both stilled, uncertain of the future, apprehension crept into their very being.

A loud scream awoke them, they were worried. Her husband took the lead and followed the source of the scream, while she gripped his hand so hard that her knuckles whitened. Her heart pounded in her ears, she tried to stay calm yet as she saw the source, she couldn't help but cry in distress. Her husband tried to comfort her to no avail.

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He saw the soldiers occupying the village center, dragging all villagers to the middle. Their torches illuminated their gloomy faces, some even missing body parts. The soldiers' shadows morphed into horrifying gestalts as they patrolled the village.

One of the patrols discovered them. His wife tried to drag him with her, but he stopped her from committing a stupid decision. A squad of soldiers walked to them, the leader, his face scarred as if someone burned his face, commanded him, "You there! Get to the center! Your children, too!"

"Y-yes, milord!" Her husband spoke in affirmation as he tried to be the secure rock for her.

"I'm no lord! Repeat that once more, ye limbs shall part ways with ye body!" The leader said and spit at them, then commanded his squad, "Take a look at the peasants' shack. Drag the children off! Double time! You don't want to explain to our Lord why we needed more time!"

Her blood ran cold. An uneasy feeling overcame her. The shadows of the soldiers glared at her as they dragged off her children.

Some villagers struggled in the soldiers hold. One of the villagers was lucky to escape from a soldier, but he didn't make it far as a very particular obese man in blue robes made a grabbing motion with his hand, an invisible force took hold of the villager who tried to run and squished him like a bug. Blood exploded from the force, spread to the other villagers, some vomited, some fainted. This show of force frightened the rest of the villagers into obedience.

The obese man floated easily to the center of the village like he was swimming in water. His fat chest jiggled at the motion. The jiggle echoed through the dark night. She gulped, her fingers clamped onto the arm of her husband. Please, please not my husband, she repeated it like a mantra.

After he floated to the center, he completely stilled and let the silence go on. Some of the villagers shuffled, uncertain of what he wanted, doubt poisoned their minds with fear. Only his soldiers were not affected at all, their only expressionless faces spoke volumes about the situation. She paled at the implications. She hoped they wouldn't find it out...

Without warning his monstrous mouth cracked open, his razor-sharp teeth were an imitating sight for the villagers. His long tongue came out like a serpent, it flickered a little bit as if tasting their sweat, sweet fear.

"All males belong from now on to the Kingdom of Juvina." After he laid out the death sentence for her family. What else could it be if not death by war? Her mind went numb, the screams and cries began, some even tried to fight the soldiers. They died quickly.

"Silence!" The obese man commanded. Everything from animal to human stilled, no sound escaped. The dark night was once more silenced.

"All males. I said."

His breath knocked villagers near him to the ground, overwhelmed the children.

"I will not repeat myself." His voice cracked like thunder to the ears of the villagers. They reluctantly separated themselves, her husband and her two sons, too. Only her 'daughter' remained at her side.

She tried to stay strong for Alex as he bawled, while she cried in silence. Tears were streaming down her cheeks. She comforted her 'daughter', wiping off her tears with her dress. She could smell the dread, or was is in her own mind?

The obese man suddenly opened his eyes and focused them on her and Alex. His piercing gaze, penetrated their inner being in a matter of seconds. Very intimate. Their breathing stilled, time stopped. Everything lost its color.

Then as quickly as he opened his eyes, he closed them. Everything resumed. Breathing. Time. The soldiers continued to drag the conscripted males away.

"Wh-hat h-happened?" She muttered a little numb as a headache made itself noticeable.

Alex, however, received a familiar feeling. His stomach growled, he didn't eat at all since he woke up into this nightmare. She glanced at her 'daughter's' tear stricken face, the pain in her heart was unbearable to watch her lovely family forced to part ways. They aren't gone, she tried to convince herself.

The last people in the villages were the wives and daughters. Their mourning disturbed the gloomy night.