Family

Chapter 1

- 10 Years Later -

The blonde squinted as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight falling from the sky to meet him. It was a great deal different from the darkness within the cavern that he had just emerged from. In there, the only light came from the illuminated blue lights across the walls, powered by some mystical substance.

After a moment or two, the stinging in his eyes passed, and he was able to look at his surroundings in a natural light.

And what he saw stole his breath away.

Before him, a bright and beautiful land spread out as far as he could see. Trees and grasslands, vibrant green, lay right before him and lasted for miles.

Mountain ranges, strong and resilient, painted the horizon, casting mighty shadows on the land below. Among them, he could almost swear he saw a volcano, lava pouring down the sides like a tangle of waterfalls.

And speaking of water, vast lakes and rivers of it were scattered across the land, creating a beautiful contrast of blue to the green of the fields. Groups of animals, too far away for the young man to see properly, gathered around them, seeking the cool relief from the sun that the water offered.

Wind glided through the blue, endless sky, clouds of pure white dotting across it. The breeze ruffled the youths blond hair, pulling it back to reveal the small smile that colored his face.

As if in a trance, he walked to the small landing a few feet away, and to the edge of a small cliff that allowed him a grander view of this enchanting land before him. The boy closed his eyes, and with the small smile still on his lips, took in a breath of the air surrounding him.

A moment ago, he had been absolutely terrified. The cavern had been dark and almost scary, giving off an aura of silence, mechanical energy, and, dare he say it, loneliness.

But out here? Out here there was a sense of life, a sense of freedom and adventure. It was beautiful and endless. It was wild, and in the few moments he had been out here, he had fallen in love with this land and all it had to offer.

Opening his eyes, the blonde continued to stare at the scenery, watching as birds of different colors and sizes flew across the sky, and what appeared to be horses ran in groups, carefree, across the beautiful grasslands below.

And then a certain something caught his gaze. Miles away, a large building, big enough to pass for a small mountain, stood. It had the appearance of some sort of castle, it's spires reaching upwards as if to pierce the sky. Once, it may have been a lovely sight to see, a landmark of beauty.

But now, something dark and evil swirled around it, disrupting the lovely landscape, like oil when mixed with water. It gave off the appearance of fog or mist, if either of those things could be black and violet. It circled the castle like a vulture waiting for the death of its prey, lazily floating around.

It was just simply wrong. The young man knew little to nothing about, well, anything at this point, but he knew just by looking at that monstrosity that it did not fit in with the rest of this gorgeous land. It was off putting, and unpleasant, and just plain wrong. It didn't help that, just by looking at it, the youth immediately felt a surge of anger, as if he had some personal grudge against whatever it was that he couldn't remember.

Then, with a sense he couldn't quite place, the boy knew he was being stared at. Tearing his gaze from the castle, he turned to look to his right, where he saw something he rather wasn't expecting.

A person, just a little while away down the hill from him. It was hard to tell from this far away, but the boy believed that they were a man, and a rather elder one at that, judging from what he guessed was a white beard poking out from underneath the man's hood. He wore dark colors ranging from brown to black, and held what looked like a staff with a lantern on the end.

What's more, the man was staring right at him.

The two stared at each other for a few moments more, waiting to see what the other would do, before the elder of the two without warning turned around, and walked away to a small fire before sitting down.

The youth was hesitant. He obviously didn't know this stranger, and wasn't very well prepared to defend himself should this unknown person have ill intent toward him. The boy would be at a disadvantage if a fight between him and this man were to occur.

However, the blonde also knew that he would be endangering himself should he choose not to speak with this stranger. As magnificent as this land may appear, he knew that there very well could be many dangers he didn't know about, and could easily get himself hurt, or worse, should he choose to attempt to strike it out on his own.

Plus, the fog-like substance that surrounded that castle in the distance intrigued him for some reason, and he knew the only way he would receive answers was if he asked others of it.

As well, it was only an elder man. How much trouble could he truly cause?

So, with a last longing look at the beautiful scene this viewpoint offered and a large sigh, the youth turned and began heading downhill towards where the old man, and hopefully some answers, awaited for him.