The Descendants of Ardwall

7. The Man Called the Commander

Raiden could still see it. He could still remember it. Like some twisted film his mind kept replaying, his parents' murder threatened to consume his thoughts for the countless time since it happened.

It had started like a normal day. But then again even the worst event in history started with what felt like a normal day. Things only began to feel out of the ordinary when Raiden got home from school and didn't find his mother and father waiting for him by their usual spot on their red couch. That was the first thing that struck him as strange.

His parents always, always waited for him.

They got like that sometimes. Overprotective. As if Raiden were always in danger, and they needed to be the first to see him come home safe.

He looked around now, taking in the paintings on the walls, the windows across the room, the coffee table in front of the couch, the bookshelf near the door... Nothing looked out of the ordinary. And why was it so quiet? As if all life had been drained out of the house. He shuddered just as a chill went down his spine. The silence was unnerving.

There was a sudden crash of metal from somewhere in the house. And then another eerie silence.

Now that was definitely strange.

Raiden inhaled sharply, holding his breath. He looked towards the kitchen, sure that the noise came from there. What had that noise been? Should he check? A voice in his head was telling him to run away. Far, far away. Away from whatever it was...

But Raiden dropped his school bag by the door and raced for the kitchen.

Something was very, very wrong. And then Raiden found out why.

Standing by the open doorway of the kitchen, he found his parents, but there was somebody else with them.

The sight of the stranger made Raiden's heart skip a beat.

The man had his back turned to Raiden, but even then you could sense his dominating presence in the room. He hadn't noticed him arrive by the doorway. The stranger wore weather-beaten clothes, gray and dull compared to the vibrant white of the kitchen. Neither of Raiden's parents saw their son standing there. Their eyes were on the man before them.

Raiden looked at his parents, hoping they wouldn't be as shaken as he was right now, hoping the man before them wasn't as dangerous as instinct was leading him to think. His father's dark eyes were piercing daggers into the stranger. He stood bravely in front of his mother – his poor, sweet mother. She was looking over his shoulder to keep an eye on the ominous man before them. Her bright golden eyes darted around the kitchen.

Raiden felt himself go pale as a sheet. You could see the fear in his mother's eyes. That was enough to plant fear into his own heart.

She suddenly caught sight of Raiden and gasped, her fingers clutching her husband's gray sweater. His father must have heard because he followed her gaze. The look of astonished fear that flashed across his face was enough to glue Raiden to the spot.

The stranger hadn't missed their reactions. He turned around. Raiden's heart suddenly jumped into his throat when he saw stone-cold gray eyes stare right at him.

What was going on? Who was he? Was he a burglar or...or...?

The man smiled an eerie smile. He looked an entire decade older than Raiden's father, but regardless of age, something about that demeanor of his was frightening. And if he showed such calm when Raiden's parents displayed such caution and fear, he couldn't be good news.

Why was he here? What did he want? Their money, their things...?

Your life, something whispered in Raiden's heart. He tried so hard to ignore it.