Clang~ Clang~
The bell of the church reverberates around the town signaling the end of the coming of age ceremony of youths and baptism for the newly born, it also signals the start of the harvest festival that happens every season of harvest in the Evergreen Town, a small town north of the capital of the Empire.
Alexis welcomed this harvest season as an adult, because in Mayden Empire 15 years old was the age one could become apprentice before becoming a worker after a year or two, but it was just practice of middle and upper classes of the kingdom as most started working already before they even know what the empire is.
“Dad can I have drink now?”
He is been a curious kid and of course he wanted to take a taste on what many adult men like his father considered tasty that they even slept together with the bottle of it, sadly for him his parents was a responsible one and only promised to allowed him take a taste of it after he became an adult.
“Haha! The sun still up the sky and you are already thinking about drinking!? Will your future alright son?”
His father joked before patting his shoulder with his rugged hands, “Do you know what makes the alcohol we drink taste better?”
Alexis gave his father a confused looked, “I heard from Uncle Tenor that shelving them will make it taste better.”
“...”
His father sighed as he rubbed Alexis black hair.
“You truly know a lot of things, my son that's for what they call wine and for those expensive ones, what we drink, the cheaper ones has no need of that.”
Seeing Alexis nod he pointed towards the plaza where bunch of people gathered before he answered his own question.
“The alcohol taste much better after a hard work and—” his finger moved towards the side pointing to where the salivating smell gathered, “—delicious food.”
“So lets work first and drink later.”
“Why are you being so serious all of a sudden I just want to take a sip that's all.” Alexis smiled helplessly.
“Hahaha, maybe because you're already an adult.”
The father and son chatted as they went and help the others make the town have a festive atmosphere.
Just before the sun went down colorful cloth in the shape of triangle can be seen in the plaza, they were hanged from the houses near the town's plaza before they gathered at a wooden pole erected in the middle of it, it filled the skies of the Evergreen town with different colors.
The singing voices of many, the youth that dances with their own partners following the beat of the song, the children's laughter, the smell of newly roasted meat and before the sun went down they all lit the torches simultaneously, combining all of them together a festival was made.
Alexis couldn't help but smile when he saw this scene as he wiped out the building sweat in his forehead.
'This festival will be the most memorable one for me.' Alexis thought as he looked at the hard work that him and others created.
Right, this scene truly became a memorable, one that cannot be forgotten even erased by a spell.
When the night arrived it bringing with it was a full moon that added the light in the town filled with smiles so bright.
“How's the taste?”
Thud!
With frowning face Alexis slammed down the cup containing alcohol down the table spilling some of it.
“Pleh~ Bitter.” He couldn't but take a gulp of fruit juices to wash away the bitter taste.
“Hahaha, you're still a kid after all.” His father laughter echoed before he chugged his own.
“I'm already adult I can drink like that too!”
Irritated by his father mockery he was about to imitate him but when he looked down the table he found his cup missing.
Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!
Then from his right a strict but warm voice came, “Don't be like your father dear, remember that men who reeks alcohol is not popular with women.”
Alexis looked at his right there sits his mother, she looks much younger than her age told and you can imagine how many courtships she had when she was younger, sitting on her lap was Alexis little sister, which is sleeping after expending all of her energy running around.
“But mother almost adult men and even father drinks.” he rebutted.
“Sigh, those drunkards already have wives like your father over there but girls at your age likes to fantasize a lot things and too emotional, do you really think girls like that would like a drunkard at their age?”
“I just want to try it, why did the topic turned about girls?” Alexis hides his embarrassment by scratching his head and turning his head to the side where his father listening with interest are.
Seeing her reaction his mother got an urge to tease him so she asked, “You already became an adult a ripe time to get married, so who you fancy the most among the girls your age? Is it Anna from the bakery shop, or Bella...”
His mother slowly listed most of the girls he knows until his cheeks became beet red.
“Hahaha!”
The laughter of his father added shame to his embarrassment and to escape Alexis snatched the cup put down by his mother and chugged it down before she could stop him, he did not tasted the bitterness as the alcohol went straight down his throat.
Thud~
“Phew~ Burp~”
It was already empty when Alexis moved the cup away from his mouth.
“Alexis!” Her mother shout woke him from his stupor.
He was about to stand up and apologize to her but when he stood up he almost fell to the side without his father support he would surely kiss the ground.
“It just a cup of beer but you're already feeling dizzy, its best if you don't drink too much son or else you wont be able to walked back home, Hahaha!”
Alexis took a seat back but his father's laughter sounded so far from his ears and when he looked around the fire from torch stretched weirdly and even his seat felt like it is shaking.
“...So t-this is the feeling of being drun—ommph.” before he could finish the rest of his words something rise from his stomach towards his throat making Alexis clasped his mouth with both hands, in the end he barely stopped it from coming out of his mouth.
His mother look at him with warmth as she massaged his back with her free hand, “Sigh, how time flies I still remember when your still a kid sucking your thumb.” She did not reprimand him instead she reminiscence about the time of old.
Before Alexis could complain at her mother a shadow casted over the plaza followed by strong winds that came blasting from the skies.
'Is there a sto—'
“AAAHHHH!!!”
Alexis thoughts were cut short as a woman's shout echoed the plaza it was a voice filled with fear towards something.
And it did not stopped from a woman’s as it was soon followed by shouts from both men and women, tables were overturned, the chairs falls, and the people that once enjoying the festival happily started screaming in horror, panic ensues as chaos occurred.
This scene filled Alexis dizzying vision, slowly he followed the rest and looked up the sky, what he gaze at sobered his intoxicated mind.
A creature bigger than of the church which is the biggest building in the town, it looked like an enlarge lizard but instead of a front feet it has a bat-like wings and its remaining feet has glistening talons, its gigantic body was covered in blazing red scales that shone in the darkness of the night.
Its glowing yellow vertical pupils coldly looked down the panicking ‘ants’ below meanwhile its maws and throat slowly brightened up like it swallowed a sun.
Alexis was stunned by the monster he is currently seeing that his thoughts came to a stop it was not until he was tapped in the shoulder by his father's shaking hand that he moved to looked towards him.
His father is a hunter and has a lot of experiences fighting monsters but in front of that creature he was nothing but an ant, his voice couldn't but shake.
“A-Alexis ru—!”
He couldn't finished what he was saying as a bright and blazing orange fire brushed past him turning most of his body to an ash except for his right arm that weakly fell from Alexis shoulder.
Even though he was next at the biting flames his heart was chilling cold, his father whose taught him a lot of things suddenly went and vanished like a magic that magician have in the fairy tales, if only this was a fairy tale and everything will end in happily ever after but those fantasy are nothing when your this close to a fire.
'Its burning...'
It was not until he felt warmth of someone else did he mind came back he hurriedly look at his side and saw his mother who already stood up carrying his little sister that was woken up by the noise in one hand while the other holds Alexis right hand forcing him to stand up.
“M-mom...daddy was—”
“Sshh! Were getting out here first!”
“Bu—”
He could not continue anymore when he saw tears streaming from her eyes, she was in more pain than that Alexis could imagine, so all he could do is follow her lead.
“Let's go!”
But just as they took the fifth step away from their previous spot the burning orange fire descended again burning both his mother and sister, all of this happened in the blinked of an eye it was like a magic that made the people disappear but more crudely and barbaric.
“Aarrgh!”
This time Alexis also felt the pain of being burned, his right hand that once his mother holds was also affected but it did not turned to ashes like everyone else making him felt a pain of this kind for the first time.
He rolled over the grounds until the flames went out and his body was filled with mud, he wanted to cry and scream to vent what he currently feels but even that was luxury as he could feel the smoke invade his lungs while the temperature is too hot enough for his tears to evaporate before they even come out.
Alexis tried to stand up but he fell on his knees due to pain, all he could do is watch that monster slowly turn his town to hell.
He looked at that monster flying in the sky with hate-filled eyes but all the monster did was look at Alexis coldly before spatting out a house-sized fireball from its maws.
“Aaaaaaaahhh!!!”
“Huff!..Huff!..Huff!”
The human coal suddenly sit up and started panting but no one inside the tent became flustered instead a calm and soothing voice sounded.
“Looks like you survived, may God bless you little fellow.”