Lost In The Callallis Maze

chapter 3

Veller, beside me, kneeled down in disbelief, mumbling to himself while crying. I couldn't feel anything; the feeling was too empty. I was too shocked. Memories of our mother's death flooded back-her final scream, the sight of her lifeless body. It was happening all over again.

"Why did I make Pa promise to come back if it rained hard? N-no, why did I say it-AARRRHHHHHHHH," I screamed, a raw and guttural sound torn from my throat, a mirror of the agony that had festered since we lost her

Veller was still frozen, his eyes vacant, as if he had retreated into a dark corner of his mind. This wasn't the first time he'd seen death up close, but it was the first time since... her. He was breaking, just like he had back then.

Soon then, what seemed to be a noble shouted at the "knights" for something, their faces were covered by a mask besides the noble.

"QUICKLY, FIND THE CALLALLIS FRAGMENT!"

I was dumbfounded when I heard that, Callallis...? My village was purged merely because of a myth? I... couldn't handle it

In my moment of shock, a few of the cloaked knights noticed us. I flinched back with tears, but Veller hadn't recovered yet.

I had no strength to run nor could I leave Veller behind; they approached us. As they neared us, they appeared to have the same armor as the ones who took shelter in Uncle Achil's house.

"You... Monsters...!"

Veller screamed while tearing up and quickly got up. He unsheathed his short sword in a clumsy stance.

"It's a child, finish it quickly," said one of them as another nodded and sprinted towards Veller.

In the blink of an eye, without any resistance from my brother, he was split in half by the knight.

"A-ah, no, NO, NO, VELLEERRRRRRR!" I screamed with bloodcurdling agony.

I was suffocating, I felt like something was pressing on my neck. The pain of losing my brother, father and grandpa made me entirely numb.

As the hooded knight came closer to finish me off, I felt a sense of rage. Why did they have to kill us? What did we ever do to them? As if taking my mother away three years ago wasn't enough now my remaining family?

"Why..." I said, my voice trembling with fear, pain, and anger.

At that moment, out of sheer anger, I screamed at the knight.

The knight... no, barbarian was startled then walked towards me,

Suddenly,

A dark figure manifested, it didn't look human. A human-like body scarced of any skin, a body of exposed muscle and bone. Tattered masses of its flesh tearing off its own body and falling. Its eyes a bloody red, overwhelmed with thirst for suffering, it had four arms. Its elongated arms ended in sharp claw-like fingers. Eyes embedded in its limbs that had their own consciousness... I could feel and understand it.

It was a creature of darkness, of pure evil. It's existence a whole fact that the gods neglected the state of their world.

I was startled by its appearance, however, I, for some reason, could interpret that it wanted to protect me.

It lunged forward to the barbarian, crushing his entire body in a split second.

The group of barbarians became disorganized by its... or should I say his appearance; I could tell it was a male. It may have been that... Mystic flower's power.

Before they could fight back, the creature jumped towards another barbarian and turned her into bits,

Another barbarian was nearby, and his white armor was painted red by his companion's splattered flesh pieces and blood.