***
Tao woke up in the middle of the night. He had a strange dream, if you could call it that. It wasn't quite a nightmare, more of a... feeling. It was as if someone was looking at him, but he couldn't make out who it was. Every time Tao turned back, there was no one behind him, but this haunting feeling did not go away...
Strange... the boy could only shrug.
The dream was rather unpleasant, so he was glad for his sister's presence and snuggled closer to her. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite put the dream out of his mind, and what's more, the feeling that someone was watching him began to appear even when he was awake. Unable to stand it, Tao opened eyes and scanned the room. The weak winter moonlight didn't allow him to see much, but he was sure that everything was normal, there were no strangers in the room.
Is that the body of a child? Influencing my mind, making me think that monsters are under the bed? The boy tried to understand.
Well, in this world monsters were real. Also, invisible spirits.
Tao considered going to his parents' room, hoping that the adults presence would drive the bad feeling away. But before he could make a decision, something happened.
Outside, in the distance, noises began - voices, shouting and honking of horn. Safia woke up from the commotion, and there was movement in parents' bedroom too.
"A group of monsters south of the village! At least ten spawns! Hunters and soldiers not on duty – come help!" someone ran through the village in a loud voice, announcing what had happened.
Tao heard his father's heavy footsteps in the hallway and then at the front door.
Safia dared to open the door and went out into the hallway. Tao decided to follow sister.
"Children, come here!" Sofra called from her bedroom.
The candles and lamps were not lit, Sofra used light magic to illuminate the room and the hallway. Indres, meanwhile, was getting dressed at the front door, also using the light from her palm. Teru was next to his master and looked restless. Tao went with his sister to their mother and crawled into bed at her side.
"Stay inside! If you hear noises getting closer, hide in the basement! Don't come out until I'm back, or you're sure everything's all right! Understand?" Father's voice was harsh and commanding.
"Yes, may the Eternal Father and all Holy Ones protect you!" Sofra responded, embracing both children.
"Thank you." Indres nodded.
For a moment he seemed to stand still, looking at Teru beside him.
"Terano! Stay here! Guard! Understand? Guard!" The man pointed to the family in the bedroom.
Woof! The dog barked in acknowledgement.
After making sure the order was understood, Indre left the house, closing the door behind him. The light now came only from Sofra's hand, but it too was soon extinguished, shrouding the mother and her two children in darkness. Teru, obeying his master's order, moved to the bedroom but remained standing, his ears moving, trying to pick up the noises from outside.
"Where daddy go?" Safia asked nervously.
"He'll be back soon. Don't worry, go to sleep." Mother stroked her head reassuringly.
Tao could only snuggle closer to mother. More than ever, he felt that all his training was useless.
Despite Sofra's urgings, the children did not sleep. They stayed awake, listening alertly for noises from outside. Gradually sounds became quieter, more distant, instilling confidence that the worst was over. But then suddenly the shouts and trumpets sounded again.
"They are at the gate! All men - at arms and at the gates! Men! At the gates!" A minute later someone shouted in the street, running past the houses.
"Mummy..." Safiya's voice trailed off, it looked like the girl was close to tears.
"Shh! Quiet! " Her mother asked rather bluntly. She continued to stroke daughter's head though.
For a moment, men's voices could be heard as they hurried towards the gate. Then it became quieter again around the house.
The window of his parents' bedroom did not face the village gate, but muffled sounds could be heard coming from there - shouts, cries. The roars of animals. Or roars that resembled beasts. Teru reacted to them with muffled roars. They could also hear other dogs barking in the village, but that made it harder to understand what was happening at the gate. Every now and then a light would shine from there, as if something were on fire for a moment. Tao thought it was battle’s fire magic.
How long it lasted, the boy could not say. Each minute lasted an eternity and at the same time only a moment.
*BAM!*
The boy was distracted by a noise nearby. It sounded like it was coming from the attic, no - from the roof of the house. Teru's roar got louder, he bared his teeth and looked quite aggressive.
Despite her pregnancy, Sofra scrambled out of bed. She grabbed something from a drawer, took Tao in arms and also grabbed her daughter by the hand.
"Come on! Quick!" she ordered in a muffled voice.
Like Tao, his sister realized that now was not the time to talk.
The noises on the roof continued, but the woman ignored them and led the children into the kitchen through the darkness. Under the dining table was a door on floor that led to the cellar. Even without the help of a light, the woman found and opened it. First, she went down the steep stairs with Tao and put the boy on the cold floor, in total darkness. Then she climbed up to get her daughter.
Sofra used light magic to orient herself underground for a moment. The basement chamber was a room of about nine square meters, full of food supplies and other things that kept well in the cool air. Sofra sat in the corner furthest from the hatch to the kitchen, partly hidden behind the bags of cereal. She took the two children in her lap. Before the light went out, Tao noticed that the objects the woman had taken from the drawer was a long dagger.
"Mammy, Teru..." Safia called out.
"He's too big. Now - sit quietly." Mother made her shut up.
Despite the warmth of his mother's body, the boy felt a shiver go through his body. It was not just because of the cold air in the cellar, or the absolute darkness. Nor was it because they were all still thinly dressed.
Someone, or rather something, was above them.
*KABAM!*
Again, a loud noise came from above, but this time closer. Tao felt his mother's fingers cover his mouth to prevent him from making a sound. Footsteps could be heard, no, like claws scratching along the floor. Something had been inside their home.
Teru's roar sounded, but it was soon drowned out by another sound.
SREEEEEK!
Not really a scream, not a roar, shrill and unpleasant. Tao’s hair was sticking up on the back of his neck, he could feel as his mother's body shuddered too.
The strange screams were interspersed with the dog's barks, followed by the noise of a struggle, but not for long.
Teru whined. And fell silent. Silence fell in the kitchen above the cellar.
Safia's breathing became faster and seemed unpleasantly loud.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Please, go away... Someone, come and scare it away... Tao prayed for a successful resolution to the situation.
Unfortunately, no help came, the source of the noise moved through the kitchen and seemed to stop just above the cellar hatch.
The door opened.
The kitchen above the cellar was also dark, but not completely so. The small amount of night light made it possible to see something big slip inside.
The ladder creaked with the creature's weight, and Tao thought he heard the scratching of claws along the walls. Two small dots, like glowing embers, moved in the basement, in the middle of a darkness blacker than night. They were too far apart to correspond to human eye sockets. Nor did they reflect light like the eyes of a cat or a wolf. The dark red glow came from the creature itself. It was clearly a stare, but a totally repulsive one. Inhuman, cruel and unfeeling.
And it was looking directly at Tao.
Not at the place where boy was, but specifically at Tao.
It knew.
The two blazing dots were getting closer.
"Ilata tara orea!" Sofra exclaimed.
The light in her hand seemed blinding and the creature reared back. The woman stood in front of the two children. With one hand she continued to cast light on creature, and with the other she pointed a dagger at it.
This… thing was a black, hairy creature over two meters in height with a grotesque elongated snout and filmy wings on its forepaws. The creature somehow resembled a bat, but much more terrifying. With its size, he had to wonder how it got in through the small hatch in the first place. Tao did not want to see it. He wanted to close eyes and pretend the creature wasn't there, but he couldn't even move his eyelids.
"Begone, spawn! BEGONE!!!" Sofra shouted, hoping to scare it away.
The monster lunged forward in response.
The next moment, the woman was thrown sideways and hit the shelves along the wall. She fell to the ground and gasped in pain. The light from his mother's hand went out, once again enveloping the cellar in darkness.
Tao knew his mother needed help, that he needed to do something, but he couldn't think of anything.
It's not happening, a simple answer to this problem occurred to him.
Safia started to cry, but the creature ignored the girl. The glowing coal-like eyes were focused only on Tao.
This is not happening.
The creature opened its jaws and lunged forward.
This is not happening.
The boy felt pain in his stomach and back, as if he was being sawed in half. The ground disappeared beneath his feet, his body turned sideways, something painfully sharp stabbed him around the waist.
This is not happening. It's just a dream.
Tao almost lost consciousness when his head hit the hatch cover, when this creature left the basement. The monster crawled over a large, grey body on the kitchen floor, its fur would be silvery in the daylight.
This is not happening.
*Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh! Huh!*
The creature was breathing loudly and nervously. It moved on all four paws, claws scratching along the floor. The monster left Tao's house through the broken front door.
This is not happening. The cold night air did not convince the boy either.
Something warm and slimy touched the boy's skin, probably the creature's tongue. The spawn began to crawl along the wall of the house to get to the roof.
This is not happening.
Once the creature was on the roof of the house, Tao saw a light flash in the distance. People screamed and monsters roared. The battle at the gates continued. The creature, meanwhile, approached the ridge of the roof, and then spread its wings.
Where will it carry me? To a nest or a den? Will it... eat me? Some thoughts appeared in the boy's mind.
No, no, no! I already died once! I don't want to die again so soon! Not that way! No! Tao's shock turned into a panic. He raised his hands to try to loosen the monster’s grip, but it was too tight. Sensing the child's resistance, the spawn shook its head for a moment, at the same time painfully clenching its teeth tighter. Tao was sure he was bleeding, but he couldn't tell how badly. The tossing made the boy dizzy and his arms limp.
The creature again took a flying pose.
No, if I do nothing, I will die! The boy collected his will and attacked the beast again, this time concentrating spirit power in his hands.
Unfortunately, it was not enough. Even if he was much stronger than a normal baby, it was nothing compared to the monster's tough skin on its snout. Tao was unable to properly punch the monster or rip it’s skin. Once again, the creature shook the boy, even hitting his head against the roof.
Tao felt a darkness in his eyes, but he did not give up.
Damn it! Do I try battle magic? But I've never done that, and so close... he quickly tried to think of another solution as the monster prepared to fly again.
The precious seconds passed unforgivably fast. Tao's ability to manipulate water didn't seem useful here, all the other magic he knew was only suitable for everyday things, like heating water or writing on tree bark.
Wait, something occurred to the boy just as the monster broke free from the ground.
Like a bat, the creature was flying up and down, disorienting Tao. He managed to stick his hand in the monster's mouth and pointed a finger at its tongue. The boy then softly spoke the words to summon heat for making fire.
Maximum temperature at one tiny point.
SKREEEEE! The spawn screamed, opening its mouth.
Tao felt himself falling. Not knowing if it would help or hurt, the boy concentrated the spirit power into muscles.
*Tuff!*
He landed on his legs painfully, but the snow cushioned fall. Tao rolled onto his back and breathed heavily. He was alive.
*BAM!*
Something bigger and heavier landed nearby.
SKREEEEEH! The spawn wasn't going to leave its prey.
Tao tried to stand up, but his legs started to hurt badly. He didn't know if he had broken or just dislocated them, but he understood that running away was not an option. It might not be possible even with two good legs. The enemy could fly and seemed extremely agile.
The boy saw that he was now closer to the village fence and did not recognize the houses next door. They were dark, and even if there were people in them, they were probably hiding from the spawns.
The bat-like creature turned to Tao. There were about five meters between them.
In the distance, the light flared again.
Battle’s fire magic! The boy remembered.
He raised his hands, just as he had seen the reckless groom do, and recalled the spoken words.
"R-regda! Ugne q-q-qure!" Tao exclaimed.
Nothing happened. His voice trembled the words were not right. Or was this magic too complicated?
The creature opened its mouth, its red coal-like eyes seemed to radiate rage.
No! Try again! Spirit power! Concentrate on the spirit power! Tao commanded himself.
Until now, magic required the power of the spirit in the brain and hands, so the boy concentrated it there.
"Regda! Ugne qure!" Tao's voice was clear and precise this time.
The monster lunged forward.
For a moment he forgot what was happening; this was just another experiment in magic. The familiar alien presence in his mind, only more pronounced, revealed a new magic formula.
Similar to fire magic, but bigger, like light magic, it wanted to take something from Tao's body.
Take it all, just do it!
A bright light dazzled the boy.
*VOOM!* Something from Tao's palm hurtled towards the monster.
*BOOM!* A sea of flames spread before his eyes and swept over the boy about a meter above him, bringing with it a wave of heat.
SHREEEEEK!
SHREEEEEK!
Tao heard terrible screams behind him. Looking back, he saw that the front of the monster's body was in flames, which the creature tried to extinguish by rolling in the snow. Or it was writhing in pain. The monster had stumbled into the wooden fence between the two houses, tearing it apart. After a moment, the flames grew smaller, and the creature turned towards the boy again, ignoring its smoldering fur and the mutilated skin around its head.
Ignoring his the pain in his own legs, Tao turned his body towards the creature and raised his arms again.
"Regda! Ugne qure!"
Once again, a flash of light followed and the projectile-like discharge hurtled towards the monster. It managed to leap nimbly to the side, but...
*BOOM!* The explosion engulfed its left forepaw and wing.
Once again the creature began to writhe in pain, but this time Tao didn't wait for it to recover and shot at it again.
*BOOM!* This time it seemed that the whole body of the creature was on fire.
Screaming horribly, the creature stopped trying to wriggle in the snow but ran away from the little boy.
Before Tao could decide whether it was worth attacking again, the monster burst over the woodshed behind the house and disappeared from sight, although for a moment the glare of flames could still be seen.
For a while, Tao remained sitting on the ground with hands raised ready to shoot, just in case the creature returned. He realized that he was breathing heavily, that his waist was burning with pain, and that it was painful to move his legs. Only now did the boy smell burning flesh in the air.
He still did not see any lights on or any movement in the nearest houses. But the noise of fighting from the direction of the gate sounded fainter. After a while, there were shouts of joy.
Victory. The defenders of the village had won. Now people will come out and find me... Tao thought.
He slowly lowered his hands.
A moment later, the boy heard a familiar voice.
"TAO! Tao! Where are you!?"
She's alive! Immense relief swept over his heart.
Everything happened so fast that Tao didn't even have time to think about what had happened to his mother. No, he did not let the thought crystallize. But now he didn't have to worry about it.
"Mom! Mom!" the boy began to scream as loud as he could.
He felt his eyes begin to water, but it was unclear whether it was from stress, physical pain, or relief.
"Tao! Where are you? Tao!" The woman kept calling, her voice slowly getting closer.
"Mom! Here! Mommy!" The boy raised his hand, hoping it would make him easier to spot.
Soon she appeared. Sofra was still in her room clothes, with no shoes on her feet. With one hand she was illuminating her surroundings, and in the other was the same dagger. The woman's forehead was bleeding, but otherwise, she looked fine.
"Tao! Thank the Eternal! Thank all the Holy Ones!" She knelt in front of her son, dropped the dagger to the side, and let the light go out.
"Do you hurt anywhere? Badly?" Sofra began to feel her son's body.
The boy felt his vision begin to blur. A huge lump filled his throat, preventing him from speaking.
"Tao! Your stomach... does it hurt?" She repeated the question.
"Ma-it hurts a little... my stomach. My legs too, I can't move." Tao was somehow able to answer.
"Aye... hold on a second!"
Sofra gently took her son in her arms and slowly got on her feet. The woman was heading towards home, or so it seemed to Tao. Tears in his eyes prevented him from seeing clearly, his ability to concentrate was snuffed out. Sofra was breathing heavily, it sounded like she was in pain herself.
Other people appeared nearby and wanted to help, to take the baby from mother's arms. She did not let them and carried Tao all the way to the house.
"Mummy! Mammy!" The boy heard his sister's voice, even though he could not see the girl.
Luckily, Safia was all right too.
Eventually, Sofra finally let another woman take Tao.
"Help... my water broke some time ago..." she said tensely, clutching her stomach.
Tao could barely catch the meaning of the words.
His mind went dark.