Eli woke up lying on the ground. What just happened? Did I pass out and fall out of the tree? How am I not hurt?

Then he looked around and saw how dark it was. How long did I sleep for? I’m so dead when I get home! He went to get up but suddenly shot into the air by about five feet before instinctively landing gracefully.

WHAT JUST HAPPENED?

He didn’t know if he was going crazy. He needed to get home and figure out what was going on. Maybe he parents knew what was happening. He took off at a run towards his farm.

As he was running, he felt a peculiar sensation. It felt like a force was boosting him along, giving him energy. He couldn’t figure out what it was, but he would have to deal with it later. Maybe I’m just dreaming right now. That would explain a lot.

Suddenly he saw smoke. Was it a forest fire? No, it looked like it was coming from the village. Why is there smoke coming from the village? He picked up his pace, something he wouldn’t have though possible. He was now running at a speed he had never even seen before. Something bad is happening, I feel it in my bones.

At the pace he was running, it wasn’t long until Eli had made it out of the forest and saw the smoke. It was coming from a bunch of houses in town. One of those houses is Casiel’s. He thought and picked up the pace even further, but when he saw what was happening he came to a stop and froze. A group of men dressed in black armor were circled around three people.

Oh my God. That’s Casiel and her parents. What’s happening? Eli snuck slowly closer, until he could hear the words they were saying.

A tall man was speaking, and he was holding Cass’s father in the air and choking him. He had a deep voice and he seemed familiar. Almost like Eli had seen a picture of him at some point.

The rest all had their hoods on except for one. A redhead with bright green eyes was scanning over the surroundings, as if looking for something. Eli wasn’t worried, he had long ago learned to conceal himself in the shadows from hunting.

Yet despite this, when those piercing eyes reached where he was crouching, Eli saw them widen in surprise and… recognition?

Eli shrunk back further into the shadows, and then the redhaired man moved on and kept scanning.

The tall man was dressed much more extravagantly than those surrounding him. His clothes were almost kingly. Eli wondered who he was and why he recognized him. He was yelling at Casiel’s father.

“I know the traitor is hiding here or at least has at some point. His father is an enemy of our nation. He would be pretending to be an orphan, but his secretly powerful magic should have shown when you tested him. Now, tell me where he is!”

Who was the man talking about?

Casiel’s father replied, saying “I don’t know what you are talking about. There is only one orphan in this village and he has no magic whatsoever. We have tested him upwards of eight times now and he has never shown anything. There is no way he could have hidden it this well.”

“Then it’s not him, is it?” The tall man said sarcastically, in a deep voice so powerful it seemed to rattle your heart. “So, was there ever an orphan that passed through here? Or anyone who refused to tell you where he was from? His age would be in the teens now.”

“Actually, yes. Several years ago, a boy, he was around six I would say, passed through here with an older man. The boy didn’t speak much, but the older man said they were heading to a village south of us. He was a powerful warlock, and he made it clear that the child wasn’t his son.”

“Good. That’s better. Now, where exactly did he go?” The tall man said, snapping his fingers in front of Casiel’s father’s eyes before letting him fall to the ground, barely staying on his feet.

“A town named Othen. It’s about two days walk south.” The man seemed to be in a trance now. Eli wondered what happened, was he under some kind of spell?

The tall man turned to his armed companions and said, “It looks like we are off to Othen.” Turning back to the entranced man, he began moving his arms in weird patterns. Then he touched the mans head with his finger.

Eli watched helplessly as an impossible scene unfolded. He was rooted to the ground, unable to move. There, in the darkening dusk of a small village surrounded by trees, Eli watched Casiel’s father take the sword out of his belt and stab his own wife through the chest, instantly killing her. Casiel’s screams were the only thing that stopped the assassins from hearing Eli’s gasp.

A second later, the father turned on his own daughter and took a step forward, sword raised. Casiel only whimpered. Just before Eli was about to move out of cover and do something, anything, to stop him, the tall man spoke again. “No, not her. Not yet. She may come in useful another time. You’ve done your part, now finish it off”

The poor man, still in a trance, turned the sword around in his hand and stuck it into his own stomach. He didn’t die immediately like his wife, but instead fell to the ground, gurgling blood for what seemed like eternity.

As if unfazed by the violence, the redhaired man said “Sir, will you allow me to stay here a short time to inspect the area and talk to this orphan and see if anyone knows anything?” That’s not good. Eli thought to himself.

“I don’t see why not, End. Just don’t die. Oh, and when you are done, burn it to the ground.” The tall man said with a smirk. “Let’s go.” He said to the group of hooded men.

Then, instantly, they all took off into the sky. The tall man moving to the front, seeming to ride on a wall of wind. The others were propelled by various different elements. Is that advanced magic? What are people without magic supposed to do against that?Eli thought.

Then, in an instant, the red-haired man appeared beside Eli, who immediately recoiled as if stung. He stared with his mouth open for a moment. How did he move that fast? He was over across the field a second ago.

“It’s been a long time, Eligor.”