DARKLANDS Book 1:Contempt

Chapter 1: The World, and Our Place in it

My head was pounding, everything hurt. I forced myself up onto my knees. My eye hurt the most. I went to cover the empty hole that was now replacing it only to come to the realisation that my arm was gone as well.

My legs started to get soaked in what I could only assume was a pool of my own blood. I can't believe that it has all come to this. Maybe this was meant to be. Maybe I'm meant to die. There was a loud rumble as everything started to shake itself apart. 

I heard voices calling my name. Getting closer and closer. I couldn't tell if the voices were angels, beckoning me to come into the light, or voices of those who I once knew. I could see the silhouette of whoever the voices belonged to getting closer. I could only make out a small part of them before I started to lose consciousness.  

                                                                                 4 MONTHS AGO...

"Declan!" I woke up to grandpa calling me. The sun was shining into my room, blinding me as I stretched. "Declan hurry up! you're late!" I rolled out of bed and got changed into my day clothes, Nothing to fancy just a black pair of cargo pants and a grey tank top. My room wasn't anything special, It used to be the attic. I had enough room for a bed, a dresser and a shelf. 

My room didn't have a door, just a set of stairs leading up to it.  We lived in a small house with a forge connected to it. Grandpa was the town's blacksmith, it was only a matter of time before that became my job, or at least that's what grandpa wanted.

Our village wasn't the most rich compared to others. Other towns had fancy tech, powered vehicles and ships, even powerful weapons. plasma rifles and energy swords. We on the other hand, houses made out of wood, swords and axes made from steel for our weapons, and horses for our transport.

We had the basics though. We had lights and power, clocks and ovens. It wasn't fancy but it was enough to live on. Sometimes I dreamed about getting out of this town, but once I gave it more thought, I didn't have many other options. A lot of tech city's are reserved for rich and powerful people, and the only other choice of place to live would be a elven city. the elves aren't too fond of humans.

Before heading down, I looked in the mirror. I wasn't big or anything, working at the forge gave me some basic muscles but nothing massive. A lot of the villagers called me special, not only was I the only one with bright cyan eyes, but I had naturally snow white hair.

Some people think this is simply something that just happens, but a lot of the people here believe that it's a sign of being marked by an angel. a sign of higher purpose. I sure hope so, but I wasn't going to hold my breath.

I kept my hair short, just above a clean shave. having short hair made working in the forge easier, less sweat getting trapped. 

I walked into the living room where grandpa was I sat down on the chair across from his rocking chair he is always sitting on. When he isn't sweating to death at the forge, he's sitting here in this chair smoking a pipe.

Grandpa had a dark grey beard and thinning hair that was always covered by a bandanna on his head that he used when forging. His skin had some wrinkles and his hands were littered in cuts and burns. He called these his lessons. Each a mistake in forging.

"It's about time you got up boy, you're late."

"Late for what? We don't open the forge until ten, it's only eight right now."

"You're late for your birthday, you thought I'd forget?"

Grandpa flashed a smile at me, something I rarely ever got to see. He was a kind man, but he was also a tough person. He was hard on me, but he still cared about me.