Alab knelt in a bed of trampled grass and scanned the track with practiced eyes. The prints told him that the deer had been in the grassland a few hours ago. His prey is a small doe with a spot on his forehead. The doe has been separated from the herd, and he was following it for a few days. He almost hit it with his bow and arrow several times, but for some reason, his luck was so bad he keeps on missing the target. He wanted to give up on it, but he had already invested too much time and effort on the hunt.

The sky is getting dark, and he is getting hungry. The food he prepared beforehand is already half-way gone. The mist started to permit the valley and began to obscure the surroundings. The sky is covered with clouds, and the moon is barely seen.

Alab is 15 years old, one more year to manhood. Dark eyebrows rested above his intense brown eyes. He is wearing worn-out clothes; a hunting knife with a wooden handle is sheathed on his belt, and a quiver made of a beast hide is slung on his shoulders.

The deer lead him deep part of Dorsum, an untamed mountain range that extended up and down the land of PenTerra. He was not familiar with this part of Dorsum, but he is not afraid because he always finds his way. Strange tales of danger comes from men about these mountains, but Alab is a hunter and dares to venture in.

It is already the third day of the hunt, yet Alab has nothing to bring back home. He and his younger sister need the meat for the rapidly approaching winter, so he needs to catch that doe. They can not afford to buy meat on the market so that they might endure another arduous winter. Thinking about her sister, he persisted in hunting his prey.

He followed the trail towards a grove of pine trees and spotted the doe hiding under the large roots. For the doe not to notice him, he approached it very slowly without making any sounds. He breathed slowly and made sure that he is calm and steady. His work for three days leads him here at this moment; that is why he will make sure nothing will go wrong. He drew three arrows and nocked one. He readied his bow, pulled the string, and aimed. He took a long breath, and as he exhaled, he released the arrow.

The arrow flew through the air towards his target when suddenly there was an explosion. Blinding light covered Alab's eyes, and a loud sound rang throughout the valley. The shockwave did not reach Alab, but debris from the blast hit him square in the head. He stood up, groggily with a ringing sound in his ears.

Alab walks towards the place where the doe had been. A wisp of smoke is rising, carrying a burnt smell. The grass was charred, and a lot of stone and debris are scattered around. At the center of the explosion lay a wooden box. He went closer for a better look; what he saw is a bare wooden chest. Its width is about 40 cm and a height of 30 cm. The chest appears to be made of cedar or maybe redwood because of its color and texture. No clasp or any locking mechanism can be found. He prodded it several times with his bow to make sure there will be no more explosions, and it is better to be safe than sorry.

Alab went around it several times, thinking for five minutes and at last, decided to pick it up. By the time his hands touch the lid, it started to glow with different symbols like zigzagging lines and lines like waves all over the chest. After a few seconds, the top began to open, revealing a small statue of a man standing upright.

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He brought out the statue with trembling hands, more of excitement than fear. He studied the sculpture and found markings all over its body. A vertical design resembles a snake or crocodiles' scale pattern zigzagging from its legs to its waist. Symbols correspond to a gaping jaw of a lizard-like creature on its back and the face of an eagle. A sword's pattern on both arms running from the forearm towards the end of the hand; there are other patterns he doesn't recognize all over the statue's body.

Alab has an inexplicable attraction towards the statue. He feels like it is calling to him. The sky is already getting dark, and it is starting to get chilly. The cold snapped him from his focused inspection of the statue. He tucks the figure inside his wooden-framed bag; he did not bring the chest because it is tiresome to carry. It's already getting dark, and I need to find shelter for the night.

This forest is a dangerous place at night, so he needs to find a place to sleep, which should offer protection and safety for the night. He slipped back to the forest and looked around. He found a hole under an uprooted giant oak tree. He cut a few palm leaves nearby to cover the hole's opening and spread his bedroll on the bottom. After a cold dinner of bread and hard cheese, he wrapped himself with his blankets, pondering upon what happened. Where did it come from? Does it have a purpose? Then a disturbing thought came to him: Was it sent here by accident, or am I meant to have it? He fell asleep with this thought running on his mind.

The pitter-patter of rain on the palm leaves woken Alab from his dreams. It is still pitch dark when it suddenly light up, then "boom," the sound of thunder rumbled. He closed his eyes, trying to go back to sleep, when he heard another sound. It is the sound of gnashing of teeth, emitting a snarling sound more menacing than anything Alab has ever heard. This jolted him awake, and he bolted up as he fumbled for his bow and quiver in the dark.

Alab forced his self to calm down. This is not the first time he encountered danger while hunting in Dorsum. He slowly packed his things, and after everything is ready, he climbs up the hole and peeks through the palm leaves to see what he is up against. What he saw is the most prominent wolf he has ever seen, sniffing around. It is as big as a horse with a drench grey mane with glowing yellow eyes. Wolves are very territorial animals, and I may have intruded on this lone wolf's territory. It may have smelled his scent but cannot pinpoint his location because some of his tracks were washed by the rain.

Alab has an internal debate; whether he would stay and hope that the wolf will not notice his hiding place or instead run for his life. He was deciding what to do when the wolf snapped its head toward his direction. He could smell a rotten odor of decaying meat coming from the wolf's mouth. The wolf's mouth is impossibly big; the long, curved teeth are razor-sharp, dripping with saliva and blood. But the perfect rattling sound rising from deep within the creature's chest froze Alab's blood. He knew that he needs to run away, but Alab stayed rooted in where he stands.

Another booming sound jolted Alab, and he willed himself to move his hand. He drew an arrow from his quiver. Instead of nocking it, he drove the arrowhead towards his left shoulder, not enough to cause any lasting damage but enough to cause burning pain. The pain helped him move his body; without wasting any second, he burst out from his hiding place and run towards the wolf's opposite direction.

A black streak suddenly burst out with incredible speed and slammed into his chest. He went down on his back on the muddy ground. The colossal wolf was on top of him, pressing him down with one paw; he reached for his knife strapped on his waist, determined to fight to the death. The other paw swipes down toward his chest, leaving a deep claw mark puncturing his heart and lungs. When the wolf is about to go for the kill, a blinding glow came from Alab's pack. The statue emitted an intense aura making the wolf back away, trembling with fear. It howled towards heaven and ran away.

About a half-hour later, Alab began to struggle, gasp, and gurgle as he breathed. The pain was overwhelming, but it was almost over now, almost dead. The inevitable was upon him. His life flashed in front of his eyes, and the only thought in his mind is his sister. He was lost in the rain, a haze, drifting…