Whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire among the guards stationed outside the elders’ hall.

“Did you hear?” one guard whispered anxiously to his comrade. “The messengers of the stars have arrived!”

Another guard clenched his spear tightly, his face pale under the flickering torchlight. “This isn’t supposed to happen yet... Something’s wrong,” he muttered.

“Last time they came, disaster followed,” a third guard added in a hushed tone. “I hope we aren’t facing that kind of calamity again.”

Inside the hall, the elders turned to the panicked guard who had rushed in, their faces etched with confusion and fear.

“Who has come?” Elder Lyra’s voice cut through the thick tension, her brow furrowed in worry.

The guard’s eyes darted between the elders, his voice shaky as he tried to respond. “The... the messengers of the stars... they’ve arrived!”

A stunned silence fell over the room, the words settling like a heavy weight on the air.

Elder Varek’s face drained of color, his voice tight with fear. “It’s too soon!” he exclaimed. “They shouldn’t be here yet!”

The room buzzed with rising dread as the elders exchanged looks of disbelief. Even those who had once appeared composed now showed signs of faltering under the weight of the news.

Elder Rina was the first to break the silence. “If this is anything like last time…” Her words trailed off, leaving an ominous tension hanging in the air.

Aren quickly regained his composure and turned to the guards standing at the entrance. “Escort them to my residence immediately,” he ordered, his voice stern and sharp. “And make sure they stay away from the village! Do whatever they ask, but do not anger them. I cannot stress this enough!”

The guards nodded hastily, retreating with worried expressions as they went to fulfill Aren’s command.

Turning back to the elders, Aren’s voice dropped to a grave tone. “We don’t have much time. We must find who Zarek, they will probably look for him—the fate of our entire village depends on it!”

The elders exchanged uneasy glances, their earlier anger and sorrow now replaced by fear. The weight of the village’s survival bore down heavily on their shoulders as they prepared to act.

---

Zarek moved swiftly through the shadows of the village, his steps light and deliberate as he kept close to the towering wooden fence. He couldn't help but glance up at its looming height. The fence, standing strong at five meters tall, had withstood the onslaught of countless threats—both man and beast.

As he continued to move, the faint sound of footsteps caught his attention.

“Yip... Yip... Yip... Yip...” The rhythmic stomping of the village guards echoed through the night, their leather armor gleaming in the torchlight as they made their rounds.

‘How will I leave with the guards watching the gates?’ Zarek wondered, panic starting to creep into his mind.

The memories of the beast tide, the terrifying growls and roars that echoed through the village each

, flooded his mind. It was always the same—a time of chaos, when the creatures of the forest awakened and surged forward in a desperate bid for survival.

Suddenly, a strong hand clamped down on his shoulder. Zarek’s heart raced as he prepared to defend himself, but before he could react, another hand covered his mouth.

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He turned his head, eyes widening as he recognized the deep gray eyes of Brannik, Elder Alaric’s right hand.

Before Zarek could protest, Brannik struck him sharply on the back of the head, and darkness overtook his vision. The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was the flicker of torchlight reflecting off the armor of the approaching guards.

As the darkness swallowed him, thoughts of regret and guilt filled Zarek’s mind. ‘will they turn me in? Is this how my journey ends? It’s pathetic, but I guess I have lived enough, I was supposed to be dead anyway!!’ he wondered as his dark eyes shook, his eye lids slowly closing.

Dark thoughts slowly started filling his mind as he imagined himself being tied and sacrificed. ‘I hope it’s for the greater good…’ that was his last thought before he saw a flicker of his mother’s figure in the torchlight… everything then went black.

…

Zarek found himself taken back to a place he never wanted to visit, a time he never want to go back to, this was one of the nightmares that plagued him since he was nine years old.

His mother was pregnant, and he was being bullied by other kids his age. They taunted him, saying he was not welcomed or loved by the village.

The accused him as being the cause of all the destruction and misfortune in the village.“You’re better off dead!” one of them sneered.

Zarek ran home, snot streaming down his face as he held back his tears. “Mother, is it true that the stars don’t want me?” he asked, his voice trembling.

His mother, a gentle and kind woman, hugged him tightly. “Zarek, ignore what others say. You are a shining beacon of hope,” she whispered, her voice soothing.

Tears fell involuntarily from his eyes.“Is it better that I’m dead?” he asked, his voice breaking.

His mother hugged him tighter. “Never think that, Zarek. You are our hope. Your father and I named you Zarek because we believed you would shine the brightest.”

Yara, standing behind, was angered by the boy’s words. “Who told you that?” she demanded, storming off to teach the bullies a lesson.

As the wind picked up, lifting his mother’s black hair with it, Zarek vision blurred, and he found himself transported to another painful memory.

Tap! Tap! His father was pacing outside their home, women rushing in and out. It was the day his mother was giving birth. Grunts of pain echoed from inside, and his father paced nervously while Zarek watched him quietly.

‘Will this be like the last time?’ he wondered. ‘will I become a bigger brother or will they die again’

Suddenly, the grunts stopped. Both father and son sighed in relief, they were too used to this routine by now. They thought it was over, but as time passed with no news, their relief turned to worry, then rage. Zarek’s father slammed the door open. Inside, all the women were surrounding his wife, crying.

Yara, upon seeing him, started wailing loudly. Zarek stood at the entrance, frozen.

The midwife stumbled as she got up, kneeling in front of Zarek’s father. “I couldn’t save her, my lord,” she sobbed. “I’m so sorry, she lost too much blood!” Tears streamed down her face.

All the women knelt, repeating their apologies. Zarek’s father was in shock, falling to his knees. “Why?” he mumbled, then screamed, “Why must the stars do this to me?”

Zarek stood in shock, his blood freezing. His father turned to him with a glare filled with hatred, a glare that terrified him. ‘Was this all my fault?’ he stuttered in his thoughts. Before he could remember anything else, water splashed in his face, jolting him awake.

…

The sound of rushing water pulled Zarek back to consciousness. He awoke with a start, coughing violently as water poured down his face and into his lungs. It rushed into every hole and crevice it could find.

Gasping for breath, Zarek blinked away the water and looked around. His eyes settled on a pair of brown leather boots standing in front of him, polished and pristine. His gaze slowly traveled upwards, taking in the sight of the armored figure sitting before him.

His vision centering on a the armor this figure was wearing, which didn’t look worn out, instead they looked as if they were well taken care of. As he looked up further, he got a glimpse at the sitting armored figure.

He was wearing armor that covered every part of his body, from his feet all the way to his head. Only two things could be seen, some strands of gray hair that was sticking out, and a pair of sharp sky blue eyes that were steering into the depth of their onlookers souls.

Standing near him was a man on his right, he was standing a little behind him, shadow covering most of his features. To his left was a woman, her figure was striking, she was slender, and despite the cold, her attire exposed much of her fair skin, showcasing a body both strong and alluring. It left little to the imagination.

The minimal leather armor she wore hugged her curves tightly, her long, toned legs and defined waist were on full display, with her armor highlighting the gentle curve of her hips and the swell of her chest. Her long, dark brown hair was tied back, drawing attention to her sharp, calculating green eyes. She confident stood there, casually leaning on a long carved staff.

Attempting to lift his hand, he failed! *Shink!!* was the only sound that reverted into his ears. Looking down, he saw realized with horror that his wrists and ankles were bound tightly and shackled, thick chains binding his hands and feet. He was kneeling on a cold, hard floor, tightly tied, unable to get up.

The figure sitting before him chuckled darkly, while the woman beside him smirked with amusement.