Demon Dimensions

Chapter 03: Meeting.

In the distant horizon, Adam spotted a small cart laden with straw and wood, making its way along the same path toward the village. He hurried toward it, waving his right hand and calling out cheerfully, "Hey, hey!" The cart was driven by an old man with a white beard, wearing a straw hat, who turned to glance at him.

With a short whistle, the donkey pulling the cart came to a halt, and the old man regarded Adam with a questioning expression, sighing heavily, "What do you want, boy?"

With a faint smile, Adam replied, "Are you headed to that village?"

The old man responded cautiously, "Yes, I’m on my way there. But where are you from?"

"I'm from the blacksmiths' village..." Before Adam could finish, the old man's face paled, and terror gripped him. "What village? Damn it!" He cracked his whip over the donkey, causing the cart to lurch forward as Adam called out, "Hey, wait! What’s going on?"

Adam froze for a moment, bewildered by the sudden shift in the old man’s demeanor upon hearing the name of his village. He took a deep breath and gazed up at the sky, trying to gather his thoughts. "I must continue; there’s no other choice. I will walk."

He pressed on, his steps steady as he traversed the sun-drenched path through a full day until darkness fell. "Night has truly fallen," he whispered to himself. "I suppose I’ll have to spend the night here."

Lying on the grass beneath a tree by the riverbank, he covered himself with a small gray shawl he had salvaged from his father’s blacksmith shop before it was burned. Staring up at the stars and the moon, he clutched a shiny crimson stone no larger than a marble, which he had taken from that cave. He attempted to break it with a sharp knife but failed. "This is strange; the stone is so hard. Perhaps I should strike it with another stone."

He picked up a blue rock, placed the red stone on the ground, and struck it. A massive spark erupted, followed by a sudden explosion that threw him backward. Adam landed on the ground, coughing violently from the smoke of the blast. "Damn! What just happened?"

Regaining his footing, he wiped his face, gathered the stones, and tucked them back into his pocket, walking toward the tree where he intended to sleep, dismissing his curiosity about the stones. But soon, he noticed two masked men dressed in black rummaging through his bag. "Hey, what are you doing there?" he shouted angrily.

The two men exchanged glances, and one said, "It’s just the bag's owner, a mere boy. Keep him occupied while I look for something here."

One of the men stepped toward Adam, but courage surged through him as he drew his small knife and pointed it at them with a serious face, "Come closer, and I'll kill you!"

The man laughed, saying, "What will happen if you stab me with that kitchen knife?"

"This little knife will be the end of you!" Adam retorted.

The man brandished a large, sharp sword in front of Adam, "What will you do now, little pig?"

Adam charged at him with a swift attack, but the man kicked him down to the ground. "Damn, I’m no match for him!"

The other man approached, saying, "Damn, he’s just a beggar. I didn’t find anything in his bag; he doesn’t even have any food."

"What?" came the other’s reply.

"Well, we can take him and sell him as a slave to some rich person."

"Indeed, he has a pretty face; he would fetch us a good price."

One of them stepped forward and grabbed Adam by the neck, causing him to yell, "Get off me! Let me go!"

The man struck him in the stomach, and Adam retched on his face. The man wiped his mouth while the other laughed at him.