An eternal darkness has fallen upon the world. The priests tell us that the bright one has fallen to the one whose name should be forgotten. Ever since I was a child, I remember the village priests chanting their hymns and prayers to keep the darkness from consuming us. Their chants filled the air with an ominous tone, and their words always made me feel as though their prayers were not meant for mortal ears but for the creatures that lurk beneath the guise of darkness.

In their efforts, the priests were often aided by the Watchers. Some say they are heroes, pushing back the tide of darkness; others whisper that they are little more than bandits in fancy armour, singing their praises to squeeze more money from the already poor villagers. As for myself, I am one of these Watchers, and the story I am about to tell you is of my journey to join them.

Before the Watchers took me in, my family and I lived in a small village deep in the woods. I was the youngest of three children and one of only two boys. My father was a timid man who preferred the company of his family and books over the local priesthood, despite being a lower-ranking priest himself. My mother, on the other hand, was wild and free-spirited. She was the village blacksmith, who would often fix or make tools for the villagers. Because of my father’s role in the church, we could usually live slightly better than most. The most notable difference I remember is that we could eat meat, alongside mushrooms that the village grew on the edges of the village. Although, knowing now where the meat came from, I would much rather have preferred only to eat mushrooms, even if they had a bland taste.

My upbringing was much like the other children in my village. The largest difference would be that I was educated in matters of faith so that I could continue my father's trade. On the other hand, my brother was trained to replace my mother when she eventually laid down her hammer. In all honesty, I wasn't all that interested in continuing my father's trade that's why I was excited to learn that the watchers have come to our village looking for volunteers to join them.

Usually, when Watchers enter the villages, one of two things happens: people either hide in their houses, hoping to stay out of their way, or they crowd around, praising them for their heroics. In the case of my group, they were welcomed with cheers and small gifts that we had set aside for such occasions. To honour the Watchers, the priesthood had prepared a small festival, and the entire village was expected to join in the festivities.

Some villagers celebrated and drank until they could barely stand, while others grumbled about how much of the harvest had been set aside for the occasion. Once everyone had their share of revelry, the leader of the Watchers stepped onto a small wooden box that creaked under the weight of his heavy armour.

The leader was a man around forty-three harvests old, with long, unkempt red hair and a thick beard. His face bore the wear of a man who had seen too much death and battle, marked by scars that could only have been inflicted by creatures from the darkest fairy tales.

Before he said anything to us, he gave a hard stare, as if sizing us up. I remember feeling tense, as though I was standing before some unspeakable horror. Finally, he spoke in a booming voice.

'All of you who wish to make something of yourself, come join us. We are looking for boys and men between 8 and 20 harvests passed. If any women wish to join, you may also come with us, our sister order is looking to bolster their ranks. However, because of their sacred duty, they are unable to come here themselves.'

He paused and looked around, gauging our reactions, then spoke again.

'We will give you a short moment to decide, but please do not waste our time if you are unsure or if your too weak to come with us. We only want men and women who do not doubt and are of strong body.'

With that, he stepped down from the box and muttered something under his breath.

I don't even remember thinking it over. It was as if I was possessed. I simply walked over to the Watcher and told them I wanted to join.  The captain gave me a look over and in a stern voice told me that well be leaving after they have rested. He’s eyes drifted to something behind me. Then he signalled the others to leave.

Shortly after that Watchers went to get their rest, I suddenly became aware of what I had just done. I looked around and noticed that my brother Admir and sister Bela had also come with me.

“What? You two are going as well?”

“Michael. You know we would leave you to go by yourself. Plus, I don’t really feel like blacksmithing is for me.”  Said Admir in a playful voice that was filled with confidence. His face was relaxed and showed no sign of doubt.

I looked at Bela. She gave me a shy smile her eyes filled with hope. However, she did show a tinge of doubt about our little stunt. Before I could say anything, I was shaken by the fury of my mother’s voice.

“What do you think you’re doing? Do you have any idea. What you just did!”

Her eyes were filled with fury and her hands were shaking as if she heavily restraining herself from giving me a slap. As she yelled at me the villagers simply stared and whispered to each other about what was transpiring.

My father quickly intervened and rushed us all inside of our home. So that we could talk this over in private away from the eyes and ears of the other villagers. As soon as we were all in our house. I heard the door slam shut as if a great force had pushed it. When I looked, I saw that my mother was standing in the doorway clearly read to give a stern lesson and an earful of what I had just done. My mother was furious with me. She said that I had wasted my father’s time and that I had roped my brother and sister into joining me. Soon my father intervened once more. "I foresaw this happening." He told her, "This is the path that the Bright One has chosen for him, as He does for all men and women." She looked at him with eyes that seemed defeated. Then she simply took a deep breath and, in a defeated voice, said, "Fine, do as you wish zealot. I will have no part of this." After that, she left the house and went to her forge to calm herself.

Then Father calmly helped pack our sacks. We filled them only with essentials that we would need for the journey: some dried meat, a waterskin filled with water, and a small piece of mushroom bread.

After we packed everything, we needed, we simply sat in our house and waited until the Watchers were rested.

As the hours passed, my mind kept nagging me as to why I had joined. Was it out of a boyish want for adventure, or was it simply because I didn't want to be a priest like my father? Before I could come to a conclusion, I was shaken from my thoughts by my brother. He looked at me with his usual confident smile and said, "Come, they should be rested by now. Let's go outside. What is a little bit of cold compared to being a hero?". He took my hand and dragged me out the door. In that moment I felt a glad that he had joined with me. I felt that together we could do anything as long as we were together.

While we waited for the Watchers to arrive, a cold wind blew over us, almost as if urging us to leave already. Then, suddenly, the Watchers emerged from the shed that had been set aside for them. As they approached, the doubt and fear returned, clawing at my resolve. Sensing my unease, Admir grabbed Bela and me by the shoulders and said, “You two should really stop looking like were about to die. We already got yelled my mom, and I doubt there’s anything worse than that.”

At that moment, his words washed away my fear and doubt, and I felt my resolve returning. Bela pushed him away and laughed. “Well, she wouldn’t have been so angry if you had told her” She said. “I think she was probably just overwhelmed.”

Before Admir could reply, the older leader cut him off. His voice was sharper now, with a hint of energy, and his long hair was tied into a rough ponytail. In a gruff voice, he said, “Is this all we got from this village? Three little runts looking for adventure?”

His words surprised me. Was he not happy that we had joined him?

A younger man from the back shouted, “Captain, I bet they won’t make it through the first night!”

The rest of the Watchers burst into laughter, but the leader silenced them with a sharp look. They quickly fell quiet. He turned to me, his piercing eyes studying my face, and said, “Boy, I’m told you’re versed in matters of faith. Is that true?”

“Yes,” I replied, trying to steady my voice.

“Good,” he said. “Then you’ll receive your first lesson. You’ll assist our faith-bearer with his duties.”

He pointed to a man who looked to be around twenty-five harvests old. The man wore a full coat of chainmail, with robes underneath that reminded me of the priests’ garments. He gave me a small nod and beckoned me to follow him.

Before I could say anything, the leader barked orders for us to leave the village. Quietly, we began our journey, leaving the only home I had ever known behind.

As we were leaving the village, I noticed some of my friends—the ones I used to play with—giving me nervous waves, while others acted as if I didn’t exist. Nearing the edge of the village, the houses became more and more dilapidated, their walls leaning as though tired of standing. Then, suddenly, we stopped.

The older leader barked at someone standing in our way. I heard a woman’s voice, and in an instant, I realized it was my mother.

“You look like a fair man; surely, you wouldn’t keep a mother from saying goodbye to her children.”

“They are not your children—they belong to the Order now! So, step aside, or we will make you.”

“Anton, you owe me this favour. Or are you too ashamed to admit that you know me?”

I noticed the captain hesitate, a flicker of embarrassment crossing his face. After a brief silence, he replied: “Fine. I’ll give you a short moment with them.”

As the rest of the Watchers stepped aside, I saw my mother standing there, holding three objects. She approached me first, her sorrowful eyes meeting mine, though I could see a glimmer of determination in them.

“I don’t agree with your zealot of a father,” she said softly, “but if this is the path you’ve chosen, how am I to stop you? I suppose your stubbornness is one thing you got from me.”

She gave me a slight smile, then placed something heavy and metallic into my hand. Looking down, I realized it was a regal mace, the likes of which would befit a king, not a lowly peasant like me. Before I could say anything, she moved on to Admir.

She handed him a spear so finely crafted it looked as though it could pierce a dragon’s hide. Then she turned to Bela, whose eyes were watery with emotion. Though I couldn’t hear what my mother said to her, I saw her give Bela a hammer that seemed far too heavy for her small frame.

Positioning herself so we could all see her, my mother spoke in a kind, sorrowful tone.

“You have all received weapons I meant to give you when you were older, but it seems you’ve grown up far faster than I ever imagined.” She took a deep breath before continuing. “When you find yourself in doubt hold them tight and remember me and your father. I promise that we will pray for you everyday.”

Then she turned to me, her expression hardening slightly.

“Michael, you dragged your siblings into this mess. Now it is your duty to protect them.”

Before she could say anything else, the captain gave her a sharp look, signalling that her time was up. My mother stepped aside, her shoulders slumping as if weighed down by an invisible burden.

As we resumed our journey, I glanced back over my shoulder. My mother stood there, watching us leave. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wouldn’t be the last time I saw her.

As we reached the edge of the village, the captain suddenly brought us to a stop. "Faith-Bearer, begin your blessing." The bearer simply nodded and dragged me to the front of the group. Then, he unshackled an old, thick book that had been hanging from his belt. The book was clearly well-used, its pages worn and frayed. In a soft, raspy voice, he said, "Listen to me carefully. Your job will be to carry these parchments. As we get deeper into the woods, their seals will begin to burn. When that happens, I want you to break the seal and read them aloud. Can you do that?"

I gave him a wary nod. From his leather bag he took two pieces of cloth and gave me one.

“Tie this around your eyes”

“What, why? If do that I won’t be able to see.”

“Trust me boy. Do as I say and all will be right.”

Hesitantly I did as he said. When I finished tying in noticed that I could still see clearly. I noticed that I was able see slightly better than before.

“What how? I can still see.”

“See I told you to trust me.”

He was also wearing a blindfold. He smiled warmly before returning his attention to the book. Taking a step forward, he began to chant from its contents.

"Hear us, Lord, you who battle your eternal twin, you who brought joy and mercy to this world. Grant us your protection as we embark on our journey to your refuge."

As he continued to chant, I saw the darkness recoiling from him, as if it were being burned by his very words. Without even looking back, he continued to walk forward, his voice unwavering. The rest of us, like a herd of sheep, simply followed him.

We walked for what felt like hours. I could feel my body becoming sluggish, and my mind grew unfocused as we trudged along the rough dirt path. Then, suddenly, one of the seals on the parchment began to glow. The glow quickly turned into a small flame. The whole group stopped; their worried eyes fixed on me.

In that moment, panic overtook me. I dropped all my precious possessions and broke the seal. To my surprise, touching the flame caused no pain. On the parchment were names, dates and various other seemingly meaningless words. Without wasting a moment, I began to read them aloud.

When I took a quick glance around, I noticed that in the deep woods there where shambling monstrosity closing in on us. There gait looked almost human but looked as if they were stumbling over themselves. With each step it looked like there body’s snaped and twitched. Some walked on two legs others looked like they were on all four. Some looked like they only had one leg or were dragging them self on the cold, hard ground. Their bodies were equally misshapen. They looked almost human but had unnatural proportions. Some were too thin or too big other were too small or too tall.

The urge to flee consumed me, each passing second amplifying the instinct to survive. My legs ached to move, to run, to escape the relentless terror closing in. My mind screamed at me, demanding I abandon the group—to save myself and leave everyone else to their fate. But my voice, though trembling and uneven, refused to falter. Each word I uttered felt like a fragile thread tethering us to life, the only barrier between us and certain death.

The rest of the Watchers drew their weapons and formed a protective circle around me and the Faith-Bearer. Bela and Admir stood frozen in terror, unable to move. The shapes crept ever closer, concealed in a thick fog that had appeared as suddenly as they had.

Nervously, I began to fumble my words. With each step the creatures took, the darkness seemed to press in tighter. The Watchers gripped their weapons and shields firmly, steeling themselves for what would surely be a horrific battle.

But just as the creatures drew dangerously close, I spoke the final word on the parchment. Instantly, they vanished. The last word I read was "Vrinda.". There forms evaporated and the fog began to lift.

Before I could ponder the significance of the word, the group resumed their march. The Watchers said nothing, their expressions unreadable as they silently returned to walking. Admir and Bela quickly helped me gather my things, and we hurried to the front of the group, walking closer to each other than ever before.

Still shaken by what had transpired, we walked in what felt like pure agony. Every snapping twig or rustling leaf made my heart race, my mind conjuring visions of the horrors returning. Paranoia gripped me with every step.

Then, suddenly, the captain called out, ordering us to make camp. The thought of sleeping in the open woods churned my stomach.

"Do we really have to sleep out here?" I asked, my voice trembling despite my effort to sound calm.

The captain turned his gaze on me, annoyance flashing in his eyes. "Oh, initiate, are you scared? Would you rather turn back?" His mocking tone stung, but before I could answer, his expression shifted.

His face went pale, his eyes fixed on something behind me.

Then I heard it.

A sound like chattering teeth, unnaturally loud, just behind me.

My body froze. My chest tightened, and every instinct screamed for me to stay still, not to look. Yet whether from stupidity or a desperate need to know, I turned.

And I saw it.

Even now, when I think about it, a cold chill runs down my spine. The creature looked like an old woman, but something in my mind told me that it wasn’t human. Its body was long and spindly, its face obscured by long hair that cascaded down to what appeared to be its chin. The only feature I could make out was a large reddish eye, staring directly at me.

The only word I could muster was, "How… how did you get behind us?"

To my surprise, the creature answered in a strained voice, as though it might collapse at any moment. "Ooo, little Watcher, would you like to know?" Then it let out a horrifying laugh that seemed somehow decayed. The creature lift up its boney finger and tried to lift my blindfold. With every moment its body let out a snaping sound. Her fingers twitched.

Instinctively, I backed away and bumped into the captain, who had already drawn his sword. Instead of attacking, however, he began to speak to the creature.

"We’re looking for shelter, ma’am," he said, his voice careful, measured. He cleared his throat, as though gathering himself, then continued, "Would you be so kind as to let us stay with you?"

As soon as he finished, the creature snapped its head toward him, fury burning in its eyes.

"Oh, very well, dear captain," it hissed. "You may stay at my house—but only until you are rested. Then leave."

"Thank you for your generosity, ma’am," the captain replied, his tone polite, as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred.

The creature began to lead us somewhere, and the rest of the Watchers followed in silence. Its movements were unnaturally jerky. At first, it moved like a normal person, but with each step, it ground its teeth, its body wobbling, and at times, it looked as though its limbs might snap like brittle twigs.

After a short while, we arrived at its house. Surprisingly, it looked like any other house. No—scratch that—it was too well-maintained. How could such a wretched creature take care of a place like this? As though sensing my confusion, the creature let out that horrible laugh once again.

"Dear Edesa, we have guests," it called, addressing someone inside the house.

Then, in the doorway, stood a young girl, no older than eight or nine harvests. At first glance, she seemed normal. Her hair was neatly tied in a small bun, just like any girl her age would have, and her clothing appeared typical for someone her age. In the sea of darkness and madness, she was the only thing that seemed normal.

"Oh, Nan, you're back from your walk?" she said cheerfully.

She gave us a long, measured look before her eyes settled on me and my siblings. But she said nothing. Without a word, the creature pushed past her, and we followed it into the house.

The inside of the house was much like the outside—well-maintained, with not a speck of dust on any of the shelves. The creature told us we could sit in the kitchen. The space was larger than expected for such a small house. We all took our seats: me, Admir, Bela, and the girl, who sat beside us.

After a short moment, the creature brought out some food. The captain thanked her and began eating immediately. I, too, began to eat, too afraid to refuse. The food itself seemed normal—there was nothing odd about how it looked or smelled. But when I took my first bite, I was overwhelmed by how delicious it was.

Once we finished, the creature spoke again. "Captain, I think your little Watchers should help my dear Edesa clean up the mess we made." At that moment, I became aware that I hadn’t seen the creature sit at the table or touch any of the food. Before I could say anything, the captain replied in a respectful voice: "I think it’s only proper."

We helped the girl carry the plates into another room, where there were washing buckets. We set the plates on the ground. Before anyone could say anything, the girl introduced herself.

"Sorry if my Nan scared you," she said. "She’s just an old woman. I’m Edesa, but you probably figured that out."

I was baffled by her words. Just an old woman? Did she not see the creature the same way we did? Before I could ask, she turned to Bela, eyeing her dirty, worn clothes, then said, "That’s a nice dress you’re wearing. It’s so clean, and the little patterns you sewed into it..."

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Bela gave her a strange look. "Thanks, but how do you know I sewed the pattern myself?"

For a moment, hesitation crossed the girl’s face, but she quickly ignored the question. Instead, she turned to me with a friendly tone. "I heard you helped your faith-bearer. Is that true?"

I gave her a slight nod, unsure of how she knew that. She turned to Admir next. "I didn’t hear anything about you. Can I ask your name?"

Admir, seemingly unaware of the girl’s odd behaviour, cheerfully replied, "I’m Ad—"

But before he could finish, the captain interrupted. "Edesa, I think your Nan needs you."

The girl looked truly annoyed for the first time, but she regained her composure quickly and pushed past the captain, presumably to help her Nan.

The captain waited until she was out of earshot, then spoke in a quiet voice: "Do not tell her your name, no matter what."

"Why?" Admir asked, confused.

"Just don’t," the captain replied, annoyance creeping into his voice. Before he could elaborate, one of the younger Watchers entered and pulled the captain of the room.

Shortly after, Edesa returned, and we helped her clean the dishes. She kept trying to make conversation with us, but we mostly gave short, clipped replies, too unsettled to engage.

Afterward, Edesa led us to our rooms. As we passed by her, she turned to Bela and said, "If you’d prefer, you could sleep in my room, so you don’t have to share with the boys."

Bela gave a wry smile. "No need. I’m already used to it."

Edesa’s face darkened with annoyance at Bela’s response. "Okay. Have a good rest," she muttered, and with that, she left the room.

As soon as she left, we all looked around the room for anything strange. If you ask me, I think we were hoping to find a monster—just to rationalize the whole ordeal. But we found nothing, not even a creepy speck of dust. For a while, none of us said anything, then suddenly Admir spoke up.

"All things considered, pretty nice people."

Bela let out a groan and rolled her eyes. Then, in a mocking voice, she said, "Don't start. These people are nuts. I mean, who lives in a house in the middle of nowhere?"

"Come on, don't be so judgmental. Maybe Edesa's nan isn't some evil creature. I mean, the parchments that Mich—"

We both gave him a glare. He cleared his throat and continued, "Right, sorry. All I’m saying is that sure, they both act strange, but the magic paper didn’t light up. What’s up with those papers anyhow? When you finished reading them, the creatures all vanished."

Bela looked at me and said, "Yeah. How did you do that? It was like magic."

In an unsure voice, I replied, "I don’t know. I just read what was written on the paper. There were only meaningless words, nothing special." I took a moment to gather my thoughts before I continued. "I just hope I don’t need to do it again. I don’t think I could handle seeing those things again."

After I finished, nobody said anything. Then Admir broke the silence. "Well, whatever you did drove them off—no point mulling it over. Best we all get some rest." And with that, Admir laid down on his bed and almost instantly fell asleep.

"Did he seriously just fall asleep in this creepy house?" said Bela in disbelief.

"Well, that’s Admir for you," I said in a slightly cheerful tone. Me and Bela talked for a bit before we both agreed that we should at least try to get some rest.

As I laid my head down on the surprisingly soft pillow, my mind began to drift, overwhelmed by how eventful the day had been. My thoughts kept trying to rationalize how I had gone from living in my village in fear of the darkness to traversing it with the watchers. As my mind mulled over the details, eventually, sleep overtook me

Then suddenly, something woke me up. My body was tense and alert, much the same as when I read from the parchment. My mind, still groggy from sleep, tried to find what had jolted me awake. I carefully scanned the room with my eyes. Despite looking multiple times, I couldn’t find what had woken me up. After a while, I simply told myself it was a trick of the mind.

But as I was preparing for sleep to overtake me again, I finally noticed what had awoken me.

The door to our room was nudged slightly open, as if somebody had been watching. I tried to wake up both Bela and Admir to no avail. Then, I carefully asked, "Is anybody there?"

I nervously gulped and continued, "Edesa, is that you?" There was no response.

I slowly approached the door, every step feeling like I was carrying the weight of the world on my back. Just a few inches from the door, I saw it.

It was watching us, covering its mouth. Its reddened eyes peered into the room.

Then suddenly, its eyes became fixated on me. Below the creature's head, I noticed Edesa also glaring into the room, her eyes obsessively fixed on Bela. The creature looked as if it hesitated, and then it finally spoke.

"Little watcher, how is it that you do not sleep, hmm?"

It paused for a moment, as if thinking what to say next.

"Are the beds not to your liking?" said Edesa in an indifferent tone, her eyes still locked on Bela. Then the door slowly began to open.

The creature spoke once more in a more assertive tone. "Dear Edesa, has this little watcher told you his name already?"

The girl, as if broken from a trance, finally looked at me and in a cold voice answered, "No, Nan. He did not."

Then Edesa stepped into the room. With heavy steps, she walked toward me. With every step, she asked the same question in a cold, emotionless voice.

"What is your name?"

I began to back away from her until I hit the wall. She continued to get closer to me, staring with hungry eyes. Eventually, she was so close that I could feel her breath on my face.

Suddenly, out of desperation, I yelled, "Vadmir!"

The girl recoiled, meanwhile the creature simply stared at me, its reaction hidden by its long hair.

Out of nowhere, the faith-bearer and the captain appeared behind the creature. I noticed that both my siblings had awoken, as if broken from a spell.

Soon, the doorway was surrounded by watchers—some wore their armour, others only carried their swords and shields. For a few moments, nobody did anything. Edesa was still sprawling on the floor as if she were in terrible pain, while the creature simply stared at me, its teeth grinding even more loudly than before.

The first to break the silence was the captain.

"Is there a problem?" he said, unsure of what had transpired.

The creature simply ignored him, still looking at me.

Then the captain spoke once more in an unsure voice, "Runts, get your things. I think we’ve rested enough."

Then the creature, in a frustrated voice, finally spoke. "Yes, you have, Captain. I think you’ve overstayed your welcome. Dear Edesa, see to it that you show our guests out. I am going for my walk."

When my mind understood what it said, I had already noticed that Edesa had recovered from whatever had caused her so much pain. She simply stood in the middle of the room with an unnaturally wide smile.

We collected our belongings as quickly as we could. As we were leaving, Edesa grabbed me by my arm. My heart leaped out of my chest, afraid that she was going to drag me back inside the house. Then she said, "It was fun playing with you tonight. I hope we see each other very soon.". She gave me an unnaturally large smile it was if here face couldn’t contain it.  Yet despite her wide smile her eyes were still cold and fixated on Bela.

I said nothing. I simply broke free of her grip and ran out the door as fast as possible not daring to look back.

We spent what felt like an eternity walking through the cold, dark woods.

"What happened?"

The captain’s voice shook me from my trance.

"I... I don't know, sir. They were watching us, and when I saw them, they began to move towards me. The girl wanted to know my name, but I didn’t tell her."

"That’s enough. At lest you got enough sense in you to listen to my orders. We'll need to report this when we reach our sanctuary."

After that, no more words were spoken. My thoughts were consumed by the events that had transpired.

Suddenly, in the middle of the road, we could see a humanoid figure hunched over something. The captain called for us to stop.

"Hail! Sir, do you need help?"

He called out to the figure in the road. His eye’s very nervously looking around for any sign of trouble, but they never left the figure alone for long. The figure slowly turned its head towards us. With every twist of its neck, I could hear snaping sounds. As soon as it locked eyes with us, the seals of the scrolls I carried lit up with a bright golden flame. I tried to read one of the scrolls same as before, but the faith-bearer stopped me.

"Form a circle! Looks like we’ve got a fight on our hands."

The rest of the watchers formed a defensive circle around us while the faith-bearers began chanting a different prayer. This one sounded harsher, more aggressive. Around us, the ground began to emanate with golden light, slowly enveloping us and pushing the darkness farther back.

Looking around, I could see that the figure had now fully stood up. Its body was twisted and contorted, like a grotesque imitation of a human form. Then, in a cold, raspy voice, it spoke:

"Hail. Sir, do you need help?"

We stood in silence for what felt like an eternity. Then suddenly, the creature lunged at us with inhuman speed, its body twisting and contorting with every step. It’s many arms danced in the air. Where one would expect nails, it had sharp claws. It was getting closer. Before I could even register that it had reached us, I heard one of the watchers screams. Turning towards the sound, I saw that one of the watcher’s hands had been torn off. My mind barely had time to process what had happened before I heard a cracking sound behind me.

When I turned back, I finally saw its full form.

It was a pale, spindly, almost humanoid monstrosity. At a glance, its head looked human, but it was malformed—its features were all in the wrong places. Its head had eyes, but they were too numerus and in the wrong places. Its mouth was too large for its head. Its teeth were all different size and shape. Some were sharp other were dull.

Two of the watchers had stabbed it through what I presumed was its chest. For a moment, I thought they had killed it—until it suddenly sprang to life and bit off the head of the watcher closest to it. As it tore of the head it made a sickening gurgling noise. As if to signal a kill of its pray. The body of the unlucky watcher fell with a heavy thump. The captain pushed me aside and swung his sword at the creature’s head.

He missed but managed to chop off its arm. The creature made no sound. It simply backed off and gave our group a hard stare. Fog now enveloped its body. It behaved more like an animal than an intelligent being.

"Pain… Arm… Mother… Help…"

It spoke. A part of me wanted to say something, but then suddenly, it lunged at us once more. This time, the faith-bearer swung his mace at its leg. The creature collapsed in the middle of our circle. The hit broke its large malformed leg. My siblings and I quickly moved away as the rest of the watchers fell upon it with bloodlust in their eyes. As they began to hack away at it, I could hear bones breaking and blood splashing.

"Cold… Mistake… Mother… Hel—"

Before it could say anything else, one of the watchers delivered the killing blow.

"How many did we lose?" said the captain in a stern voice.

"Sir, the bloody thing bit Armeh’s head off, and… well, Darmir probably won’t make it."

"Step aside, fool! You spoke their names," said the faith-bearer. He began to chant in a calming voice, and Darmir—the watcher whose hands had been torn off—began to heal, leaving only a stump.

"There, boy. Thank the Bright One for granting you mercy. And as for you—what were you thinking, mentioning their names?"

"Sorry, faith-bearer. I forgot the rules… This wasn’t anything like the drills."

"Don’t be sorry. Remember the rules of this place," replied the faith-bearer in a hard voice.

"We need to get moving. Take the body and help the cripple. If we make double time, we should be home soon," said the captain in a cold voice.

As we prepared to leave, I slowly moved my eyes to the dead creature. Its body was broken and bloody by the onslaught of the watchers’ blows. Then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I nearly jumped from fear. When I turned, I saw the faith-bearer. He’s face was hard like stone. He’s had felt cold on my shoulder.

"Remember this moment. This is what you chose to fight against."

"What was that?"

"This? This was a weaker creature of its kind. That is all I will tell you until we reach the sanctuary."

Before I could respond, he simply walked away, returning to his duties. Even after he left, I could stop staring at the dead creature. I felt paranoid that it will spring back to life and consume us all. Then one of the watchers came and began to cut a piece of its body.

“What … What are you doing?” I said in a shaky voice.

The man gave me a strange stare and replied in a dumbfounded voice.

“I am getting the meat form its body. It might look disgusting but its apparently edible. We don’t eat it our self, but we do sell it to the villagers.”

I felt my stomach turn. The idea that the meat I was eating at home had come from a creature such as this made me sick. My sibling seemed to share my disgust at the thought. Even Admir who is usually positive looked pale and Bela was shaking as if she had just about enough of everything.

"Alright, people, let's get moving!"

As the captain spoke, we quickly began to march once more. I remember trying to forget what I had just saw but the sickening felling still linger for a while.

We continued at a quick pace. My body felt tired coupled with the nauseating thoughts that swirled in my head I was just about ready to give up. But just before I gave in to the fatigue, I saw, for the first time in my life, light. It shined with an almost supernatural glow. When I looked around, I saw that everyone had begun to walk more slowly. Their faces showed relief. Even the captain started to loosen up.

Bela and Admir moved closer to me. Once we stepped into the light, we saw a bright circle in the sky surrounded by shimmering lights.

"What… what are those?" I asked, awestruck by their beauty.

"That's the moon, boy. Those are the stars," answered the captain. When I looked at him, he had a big smile on his face, clearly enjoying my reaction. Embarrassed, I tried to regain my senses, but it was to no avail as my siblings joined me in my fascination with the shimmering sky.

"Okay, you can speak your names now. We're out of the woods," said the faith-bearer in a tired but cheerful voice.

"We’ll rest for a moment, then we need to make our way to the crossroads. The sisters should be waiting there to collect you, Bela," said the captain in a commanding tone.

As he spoke, I suddenly became aware that Bela had been recruited into a different order.

"Wait, she won’t become a watcher?" asked Admir.

"Are you daft, boy? When we recruited you, we told you that women go to our sister order."

"But why can’t she become a watcher?"

"Boy, I’m too tired to argue. Now go spend the last few hours with her," the captain said in a frustrated voice.

Admir turned to me. And I a cheerful voice said "Well, I guess we can’t do much about it?"

"I guess not." I replied in a sombre tone. My mind was still trying to figure out how I could forget such a detail.

"Well, best we spend these last hours together!" Admir said, almost irritatingly cheerful manner.

"You really make up your mind fast, don’t you?" I replied in a voice that was irritated at him for so quickly changing he’s mind. How could he just let her go so quickly and why didn’t the captain want to explain anything.

“Oh, you know me. No point in arguing with them I mean between you and me. I don’t think we can take them on." He gave me a smirk and dragged me to where Bela had set up a small spot for us to sit.

As we rested, we spent the time talking about our journey and the creature we had encountered. Bela looked almost sad that we had to separate. Despite her sadness, she tried her best to sound cheerful.

Almost too soon our rest was over, and we once more began to make our way to the crossroads. As we walked down a stone road. I noticed that the lands scape was dotted with fields that had golden like plants.

»What are those? « I pointed with my hand.

»Hmmm … oh those are crops. Problely Wheat. I wouldn’t know I am not a farmer« said one of the watchers.

»Wheat? Is that a type of mushroom? «

The group started to laugh. My cheeks began to redden from there laugher at my question. Then crippled watcher said »You’re a funny one boy. No, it's not a mushroom. We use it to make bread and other things. «

Being afraid of embarrassing myself further I decided not to ask any more questions and simply contend myself with looking at the land scape that was dotted with fields of wheat and farmhouses.

We walked for a short time before I began to notice a group of heavily armoured people in the distance. The captain raised his hand and waved at them. They waved back, and we walked toward them.

As we drew closer, I noticed they were all women. They wore heavily adorned plate armour, their faces concealed beneath helmets decorated with religious texts and images. The leader of the group—whom I presumed to be the leader—wore the most regal armour I had ever seen. It was covered in dates, names, prayers, and various seals. Her helmet was larger and taller than the rest, resembling a weeping woman covering her face.

"Greetings, Watchers. I see you have brought some recruits."

"Hail, Faith-Sister. Yes, we were able to find some recruits. Sadly, we only managed to bring one girl and two scrawny runts."

"Ah, Captain, do not speak ill of the children. You are frightening them," she responded in a sweet, almost motherly voice. She walked toward Bela, knelt, and looked directly at her.

"Hi, little sister. Are these your brothers?"

Bela slowly nodded, tears gathering in her eyes as she realized the time had come for us to part.

The woman’s heavily protected hand gently wiped away her tears.

"Do not cry. I promise you will see each other again one day, but today you must part. You will join our order, and we will grant you a higher calling than most women can dream of."

"Do you promise that I will see them again?" Said Bela in a sad but hopeful voice.

The sister remains silent for a moment. The expression of her face hidden beneath the helmet.

"I promise on my faith," said the woman. Despite her helmet covering her face, I could feel that she was smiling. Then she stood up and turned to the captain.

"Watcher, I thank you for bringing her to us, even though you seem to lack a way with children."

"Pah, woman. You can act motherly all you want, but you and I both know which one of us is truly cares for these runts. Why do we always have to get them?" replied the captain, his voice laced with venom.

"Oh, Captain. Please. Your order is simply too careless—you reveal too much about yourself. And for what? So that you can show how good and honest you are. Tell me which one of our orders takes in bandits and thieves?"

"Well, Sister at lest we don’t keep secret from our fellows unlike your order. Are you even really the leader of this group?"

Before she could respond, the Faith-Bearer intervened.

"Now, now, we both serve the same cause, even if our methods differ. Isn't that right, Sister?"

"It seems your Faith-Bearer has more sense and eloquence than you, Captain," the woman said sarcastically.

The captain said nothing. He simply let out a snort but restrained himself from starting another debate.

The woman turned to her group and gave the signal to move. She then gently took Bela’s hand and began to walk her away.

Suddenly, Admir grabbed my hand and dragged me with him as he ran after Bela. He embraced her tightly. I quickly joined him, and together we shed a few tears. The sister paused for a moment but soon continued leading Bela away.

Admir shouted, "Bela, stay strong! I promise—Michial and I will come to see you as soon as we can!"

"I will hold you to that promise!" she shouted back, then turned to follow the group of sisters, who slowly became smaller and smaller as they made their way down the road. We watched them for a bit until our gazing was broken up by the captain barking orders.

"All right, boys, let's get a move on. Your new home is just over that hill," said the captain, pointing at the hill where we could see a stone-like structure towering over it.

The group of watchers began to move. Admir and I took one last glance at the road where the sisters had taken Bela, then we both started moving with the rest of the watchers.

When we reached the top of the hill, I finally saw the stone building in its full glory. It was an enormous fortress, its spires reaching high into the sky. On top of its walls, I could see men in armour walking around. The fortress was surrounded by a moat. The wall of the fortress was decorated with carving of what looked like religious text’s. The parchments covered whole sections of the wall.

Then I heard a horn.

"Well, looks like they spotted us. Best make our way home, or the Sentinel will chew me out," said the captain. He unclasped a horn that had been dangling from his side and blew it as hard as he could.

The sound shook my bones. Then suddenly, it stopped, and our group began making its way toward the humongous fortress. With each step I could feel the size of the fortress wall almost pressing down on me. The stone statues that adorned its walls looked to me as if they were judging me. I felt as I was standing bear naked before the bright one himself.

As we got near, I could hear metal hitting against metal and voices of men barking orders.

"Uh… are they fighting?" I asked in a weary voice.

"No, no, no. They're probably in the middle of drills. Not that they do much good, considering how these fools acted" said the faith-bearer, casting an angry glance at the other watchers. The few that meet his eyes seemed to look away in embarrassment or pretend not to hear his words.

Before I could say anything else, we came to a halt in front of a drawbridge. Then I heard mechanical sounds and men shouting. As the larger wooden bridge began creek with every movement. The ground itself began to shake. I felt all my senses begin overwhelmed by the noise and rumbling it produced. Then suddenly it stopped, and the bridge was fully lowered.

We began walking toward the opening it revealed: With each step the bridge creaked as if our meagre weight was an annoyance to it. As we passed under the walls of the fortress, we were greeted by an older man, guarded by men who wore simple plate armour and carried large shields and spears. The man wore a long robe. His robe was plain yet clearly showed signs that it belonged to someone important. The mans face showed scares from numerus battles. One of his eyes was missing leaving only a deep black abyss that stared at us. Upon closer inspection I could see that he was also missing a few of his fingers but had just enough to hold a shield and spear.

"Captain Anton, I see that you have brought us some initiates."

The captain stiffened his posture and spoke in a more respectful and restrained manner

"Yes, Sentinel. Sadly, they aren't much use, but one can use the words of faith."

"Oh? He can?" replied the older man, his voice sounding amused.

"Yes, sir. This one right here," the captain pushed me to the front of the group.

The older man cast his gaze upon me. I could feel his remining eye casting a judging glance at me.

"Very well then. Faith-bearer Dusan, I leave him in your care. See to it that he is placed near your quarters. The other one will be placed with the rest of the initiates. Now, Captain, come with me and give your report."

The captain nodded and followed the older man. Before I could say anything, Admir and I were separated. He was taken away by the other watchers while I was guided through the winding corridors of the castle by the faith-bearer. As we walked through the corridors of the castle, I could help but feel isolated. This was the first time that I can remember that I was truly away from both my siblings. My mind kept worrying what if something happens to them and that I will never see them again. Soon we came to a stop at a door. The faith-bearer took a key, and I heard a clicking sound as the door creaked open. He gently pushed me into the room.

The room was small but still far larger than our house in the village. It had a bed and a small table. Near the table was a bookshelf, and a window let in some light.

"Well, looks like we're stuck with each other for a while," he said in a kind but tired voice. Looking at him I could see that his face was weathered, and heavy bag gathered under his eyes. He’s hair was unkept and his robe and armour were stained with blood and dirt.

"What do you mean? I thought I was going to become a Watcher?"

"All in due time. For now, get yourself settled in and get some rest. You've had an eventful journey—far more eventful than most."

He began to make his way out of the room. Just as he reached for the handle on the door he quickly turned around and spoke.

"Tomorrow, we'll start with your lessons. And if you need anything, my room is right next to yours."

With that, he closed the door, and my new life as a Watcher began.