Starborn

Chapter 1 (Part 2)

The Herald growls as the swarm of Fiends outside the chapel start to moan in harmony. Pressing me against a wall, his hand on my throat, the old man opens his mouth wide and roars in my face.

"Grandpa!"

Then, at the sound of the frightened girl, the old man slowly looks to the ceiling.

"Ameline. There you are, child!"

Suddenly, the Herald melts into a dark pool, and it creeps up the wall before fading through the ceiling. More gnashing growls come from the Fiends outside as the doors swing open, and they start pouring into the chapel. Spotting a fallen support beam, I use it as my path up to the roof. I have to tear away pieces of lumber in the ceiling to make enough room to crawl through, just in time to see Ameline being chased by the crazed Herald.

"Now now. Come to me, my sweet. Be one with the dark!"

Little does he know, this Shadowheart has met his match. With a fierce swipe of my dominant hand, my Auryn is released as a burning blue sword. I've held this sword many times. It has always been my closest companion. I step in front of Ameline just in time to block the old man. He lunges at me, but I'm quick to stab him in the gut. He coughs, and I feel his blood splatter on my shoulder. Ameline utters a loud sob as the old man drops lifelessly to her feet.

"Grandpa!" she cries. "You... you killed him!"

But she scurries away when a shadow starts to grow under the corpse. Soon, dozens of smaller dark puddles leak out from the chapel, coming together and morphing into a larger mass of shadow. Long claws on each of its hands signify a beast far greater than an average Fiend. It has to crawl like a bear to support its weight. Small horn-like formations poke out from its head and arms.

I can feel my heart beating faster as I frantically slash at the monster. Every cut makes the Fiend roar even louder as it charges around, trying to strike me with one of its large claws. Finally, I raise my left hand and prepared myself for a new maneuver. The Fiend stands on its hind legs, its claws ready to impale me. I close my eyes, hold my breath and swat at the air, feeling the cold dark pound against my knuckles.

PONDERO!

The Fiend roars pathetically, its guard broken long enough to pierce my sword deep within its face. The beast growls and thrashes about, then its skin begins to crack before it bursts. From inside the Fiend, a small orb of light dances about, freed from its dark prison. The orb quickly darts into my chest, winding me for a moment. But my Auryn feels stronger.

'A dying ember tinders a greater flame.' That's an old mantra I heard from my own Herald.

Little Ameline gives off a few sniffles before she bows her head in mourning. Her hair is long enough to reach her back, with a tight braid across her crown. She's wearing a light green dress, and her eyes are golden, almost like two suns.

"Did you get hurt?" I ask.

All she could do was shake her head.

"Good. Now, let's get off this roof," I tell her gently.

Ameline holds onto me tightly as I climb down the chapel wall. The moment we reach the ground, she slides off my back and gazes around at her empty village. Before long, Ameline sprints away, her soft weeping gradually becoming a heartbroken sob.

I can't just leave her like this. So I follow her into a small hovel and notice how everything is packed together with barely any room to walk. The dining table has only two small stools with a framed drawing of two figures resting on top of it- her and that Herald. A wooden rocking chair stands in the corner, with a pipe on top of another small table and a pile of sloppily organized books stacked near it.