Flames of Genesis

The flames crackled as they spread throughout the small village, eating through the wooden structures causing some of them to collapse. The locals-or rather the few that were still alive struggled to get away as they were massacred by those they had determined to be bandits. The two, mother and daughter amidst the chaos slipped through the village entrance blindly heading into the thick forest.

The terrain bared no sympathy to the two’s situation. Low sharp branches and thorny bushes that comprised of the Arelion forest taking their fair share of flesh as the two ran through fighting through the pain. A distance ahead of them, towering above the forest into the clouds, the Arelion Mountain stood as their compass. The two were tired and in obvious pain, the fact twice as much for the young blue-haired six year old. This the mother was aware but could do nothing about. Getting to a safe distance from their enemies was first. Her plan was but with its risks and one of them had showed itself. Behind them, a creature masked by the darkness followed, its steps loud enough for them to hear. This was the first hurdle they had to get over. Without hesitation, she lifted the young girl while they were still running, swerving through the trees in an attempt to slow the beast down. The small spaces between the trees allowed the moon’s light to flow through revealing the beasts black fur, its growl growing louder-it was catching up!

The Arelion Mountain’s base came into full view as they approached the small clearing her hopes igniting. She made a leap to the clearing escaping the beast’s claws and landing on the soft grass. It stopped, not daring to move out of the forest into the clearing. The large wolf, same height as the panting mother stood there its growl growing as it stared at her. The young girl on her back looked forward unsure of what to make of the situation. The wolf looked up at the mountain and turned tail in protest, the mother heaving a large sigh. She put her daughter down to catch her breath deeming it safe to do so. Monsters would never wonder off to the mountain’s base. It was common sense to them just as it was for the village’s locals to be careful while treading on those grounds. It was known to be the territory of a great beast. Only adventurers had the gull to approach the area. All this the mother knew and planned to use it to her advantage. Hopefully the raiders would have the same worry and avoid following them.

“If it weren’t for Abyssal’s presence that would have been the end.” She sighed looking up at the mountain. Looking back at her daughter who despite the situation stayed calm for a child her age. Pulling out the pendant she’d been wearing, she locked it around her daughter’s neck, a soft reassuring smile forming on her face.

Getting off from the ground, she took her daughters hand, ready to continue her journey forward. If they tried, they could make to day break and find a way to Escher. It went through her left shoulder abruptly, blood trickling down as the pain shot through her. Her assumptions weren’t accurate. Looking down at her daughter she shouted what she knew would be her final words. “Go!” It would be foolish for the daughter to offer resistance or be reluctant and with that, she obeyed, disappearing into the darker sides of the mountain’s base.

The blade went through her navel from behind, being pulled as swiftly as it was lodge into her, the blood gushing out. “There’s supposed to be two of you there is no use hiding the other one. The barrier set up around the village had two people leave it.” A dark figure spoke behind her. She slowly turned to face her attacker amidst the pain her left hand covering her gut wound. She didn’t look despaired but rather had an accepting expression. “-just leave her alone. She’s of no significance to you.” She stated, almost choking on her own blood. Her right hand was behind her- plotting.

“A ‘she’ ------- if it’s a she then I have every reason to find her. Plus if you’re the one left behind it means she’s young.” The man stated, his voice filled with glee. Behind her, small flakes converge as ice forming a blade in her grip and in a final bid she swang it point blank, every tissue protesting the abrupt movement. The blade despite how close it seemed to be to him, slashed through empty air, her face filled with horror as her head slid off falling to the ground, her body following.

“The other two I came with seem to have gotten themselves eaten.” The man sighed walking towards the direction the blue haired girl went.

. . .

The girl stopped at the cave’s entrance, her emotions whirling but her expression the same. Something inside sent a chill down her spine but she ignored it, dismissing it as a childish response to the dark. If she stayed hidden and wait, her father might come to their rescue. That was the hope she clung to. “when that woman said ‘her’, I thought of a young girl but you seem too small for anything interesting. Once again, ive wasted my time over nothing, but a job is a job.” The man sighed, appearing behind her. By reflex the girl found herself running into the cave. The man towered over her, his black coat unbuttoned and a white shirt dropping over his black suit trousers. To the girl, he was a demon who could easily devour her, daring not to imagine her mother’s fate.

Ignoring his own instincts, the man walked on forward, focused on the small girl ahead of him. A step closer and a shell made of pure ice materialized between them, a defense mechanism the girl conjured with the little knowledge she had of magic. He sighed, tapping it with the back of his hand and it shattered. “You can use magic despite still being a child not more than seven years old. If you grew up to that woman’s age, you could become a problem for a lot of people in the higher ups.” The man stated a steel sword materializing in his grip raising it ready to strike her down.

At the corner of his eye, he saw the flicker of purple and before he could contemplate on it further, it came as a raging flood. The purple flames engulfed the entire cave obscuring any view of the two who were at the cave’s frontal part. “Humans……………., stooping so low as to butcher their own like the monsters that roam around this mountain. I wonder what Hestia and Meldia see in them.” The being deep within the cave thought to itself as the flames died down.

The two were now visible inside a spherical barrier, the man put up. The cave shook in alignment to the echo of giant footsteps approaching them. The man just stared into the cave deep in thought.

“Why didn’t I notice this before? This presence………………. This girl…………..of all the caves she could enter…………………… why did it have to be his?!” the man thought to himself as the steps got louder. “it doesn’t matter I can just as easily teleport out of here. Either way, this girl ends up dead so my job is complete.” The man stated, a low grin forming on his face as a pentagram formed beneath him and he disappeared along with its glow. Seconds later he re-appeared where he once was, to his surprise. The large being only a few steps away for it to come into view. He tried to teleport again, only for him to re-appear in the cave again despair washing over him. The cave continued to shake threatening to collapse, the girl too confused to make any moves.

The man was desperate. The being before him could kill, that was for sure. Red spheres of concentrated flames appeared beside him seconds before they were shot at the large being whose body wasn’t yet visibly exposed. The two flames hit their mark in violent explosions shaking the entire cave. His attack seemed to go unnoticed despite the power they packed. All the man could do was grit his teeth blasting the being before him as it finally stopped moving.

The girl struggled to dodge all the rocks falling from above due to the man’s spells but her reaction speed was to slow. Something hard hit her hard, everything going dark as she fell on the rocky floor.

The man stopped his assault, out of breathe and mana. Two purple horizontal slits appeared as purple flames, the beings eyes glowering at him. Black lightning sparks crackled all about the cave as the man fell to his knees. A large explosion ensued, the trembles extending through the Arelion forest as crows fled their nests from it.

The dust cleared revealing a large, deep hole that seemed to have no end at the caves entrance. “I wonder why he didn’t use his sword. Either way the outcome would still be the same.” The being thought, a bright purple light enveloping its body as its form shrank, taking on a humanoid form. Male and appearance as that of a teenager. The clothes covering his body, a perfect replica to the now dead man’s. Pale skin, purple eyes and two horns sprouting from the sides of his head, forming an arch.

He saw it at the corner of his eye, the girl’s frail, badly wounded body slowly slipping into the hole. A purple hue envelope her before she could fall in, lifting her up and releasing her a few steps away from him.

“Sealing this would be wise but……………………….turning to this child, what approach am I to take? This is all your fault….. Hades.” He sighed his voice matching his teenage-like appearance. The rocks all around the cave seemed as if to stretch filling the large whole, the cave reverting to its previous state. “Surprisingly she survived through the whole ordeal most probably due to that thing she’s wearing on her neck. A protective artifact, that protects against magic but can’t do much against physical afflictions. Either way her injuries are fatal. A dilemma indeed…” he sighed to himself.