Legacy of Aeon

Chapter 3 - TA 748: Early Summer

It had been a week since the incident. Life had returned to normal, though the faces of those impish creatures still linger in my mind. My mother had chewed me out for venturing too far into the woods and getting hurt. I could see the worry on her face, a mixture of fear and frustration.  I knew her scolding came from a place of love so I kept my mouth shut and let her have her say.

Still, I couldn't shake the unease growing in my stomach. What if the Wyldermen decided to seek revenge for the fallen? Would they even think like humans? I had no real grasp on how they operated. My mind raced as I tried to focus on something, anything else.

I found myself dedicating more and more time to training, not out of a desire for self-improvement, but rather a deep-rooted fear. Days blurred into weeks as I swung my sword, pushing myself to the brink. I swung it until my hands began to bleed, even then I gripped the hilt tightly and swung it some more. 

Eventually as dusk settled over Haro, an unsettling stillness enveloped the town. Shadows shifted just beyond the tree line, where the twilight danced with a faint glimmer of flickering flames.

Without notice, they came—a sudden surge of movement that shattered the quiet. Dozens of Wyldermen emerged from the dense thickets, their figures silhouetted against the fading light. Cloaked in tattered garments that blended seamlessly with the wilderness.

The ground trembled beneath them, a rhythmic heartbeat of chaos descending upon the peaceful settlement. 

They rode in on wolves, brandishing an assortment of poorly maintained weapons. Ignoring the terrified townsfolk, they began to ransack our storehouses and silos, leaving chaos in their wake. I hid in the dim shadows of my room, heart pounding in my chest, praying they wouldn't discover me. The eerie silence outside was only interrupted by the faint sounds of chaos—shouting, shuffling, and the unmistakable clatter of goods being uprooted. It seemed like a raid, but a strange one at that. The creatures lurking just beyond my door didn't appear to want to harm anyone; their intentions were more focused on pillaging our supplies.

Could this all be part of a bigger plan? My mind raced, grappling with the implications. These creatures were hardly sentient; their instinct drove them to chaos, not coordination. So who was pulling the strings? Was there someone— or something—guiding them?

The thought sent a chill down my spine. Surely, if it were merely them acting on their own, the townspeople would be dead. But instead, they rummaged through our resources as if looking for something specific, leaving us unharmed... for now.

Perhaps a third party was orchestrating this chaos, manipulating the creatures for a darker purpose. I bit my lip, trying to make sense of it all. The truth hovered just out of reach, shrouded in confusion and fear, every shadow in my room felt like a potential threat—yet here I was, trapped in a web of uncertainty, waiting for the world outside to give me answers.

I had reached my limit. If we allowed them to plunder our home without a fight, what would happen next? If we stood by and did nothing, what was stopping them from returning for another round, emboldened by our weakness? Adrenaline surged through me as I snatched my sword and pouch, heart racing as I sprinted toward the door.

With a determined breath, I pushed open the door and stepped into the chaos, ready for a fight. From behind cover, I hurled my knife with all the precision I could muster, feeling the satisfying twang of the blade cutting through the air before it struck one of the Wyldermen in the back. A thrill coursed through me, quickly overshadowed by a surge of adrenaline.

"Hey! Freakshow! Over here!" I shouted, my voice piercing through the incoherent chaos. Every fiber of my being urged me to flee, but I had a plan—drawing them away was the first step.