Silex

PROLOGUE

Prologue

Smoke.

Nothing could be seen through the thick haze of smoke that enveloped the place.

Nothing can be heard except the soft choking noise that escaped the family's lips as they inhaled the smoke-filled air.

In the middle of the pitch-black forest, a house stood, engulfed by a monstrous fog.

In that house, lies a family of four.

Fire.

It started out rapidly, consuming everything in its path.

Mercilessly opressing its victim within.

Trapping them inside the four-walled compartment they once considered home.

All hope was lost.

There was no escape.

The man held his son tightly in his arms and reached for his wife. And in her arms lies a shroud, the only garment covering their young daughter. Their children were young. Too young to know what was happening.

But neither cried.

The family sat there, in silence. Their lives hanging only by a thread. Waiting soulessly for the moment for all of it to end. They embraced each other, for the very last time, and then the roof fell, crushing the family along with it.

Outside above the trees, lurked a shadow, witnessing the scene from the very moment it started. It saw how the locals lit up the house. How their torches and pitchforks danced in oblivion, cheering for the death of the family who are said to be mixed up with dark magic. And how their screams of victory flared up, filling the air like the flames of the monster they just ignited.

It remained in the trees until the very end. It saw how the native left without even a look or sympathy nor regret plastered on their faces.

It decided to depart when the fire died down. But just when it was just about to leave, a soft cry echoed in the air. A soft sound that resonated through the deafening silence of the woods. A cry of a tiny, mindless little baby.

It approached the remains of the burnt house. It followed the muffled cries of the infant. It removed the burnt structure mounding the lifeless bodies of the family. And within the deceased woman's arms, lies a baby girl. Safe, unharmed, and unscathed.

The infant continuously cried as the shadow morphed into a figure, a man.

He leaned down and lifted the baby away from the arms of her now burnt mother. He clutched her in his arms and lulled her down.

"Hush now little baby" He whispered, holding the bundle tightly. "You are gonna be safe" With that, he disappeared into the woods, along with the child.