(Gabriel's Memory.)
Gabriel rode into the village with his men, their horses moving slowly through the narrow path between the houses. There was no smoke, no fire, only silence. The kind of silence that didn't feel peaceful. It felt strange, like something had happened, but there was no trace left.
The houses were all still standing. The doors were shut. And the windows were dark, with not a single sign of life.
Gabriel tightened his grip on the reins.
There were no bodies, and no signs of a struggle. Not even a single drop of blood. It felt like the whole place had vanished without a fight.
"There," one of the scouts said, pointing ahead. "I saw someone in that house."
It was the last house at the edge of the village. It was smaller than the rest. The wood looked old, and one of the shutters swung lightly in the breeze.
Gabriel dismounted. His boots crunched softly against the dirt as he walked forward, sword already in his hand. He pushed the door open. It gave a loud creak, almost like it didn't want them to come in.
Inside, the air was thick. It was warm, but not in a comforting way. It smelled like smoke, herbs, and something faintly metallic, like dried blood.
A woman crouched in the far corner of the room, holding a baby around the age of one tightly in her arms. Her dress was torn near the bottom, but it wasn't filthy. Her face was pale, and her dark hair clung to her skin. She looked exhausted, but her eyes were sharp.
"Stay back," she said, her voice shaking slightly. "You're not taking him. He is not the one you are looking for."
Gabriel took a step closer. The baby in her arms was wrapped in a thick blanket. His head rested quietly against her shoulder. From where he stood, the child looked small and harmless.
"Let us see his face, then we would know if he is really the one we are looking for or not." Gabriel said, as he approached the woman cautiously.
Meanwhile some of the soldiers stood outside, only a few followed him inside the house.
The woman held the baby tighter. "No. He's just a child. He is not the one. He is my child." her voice cracked.
Gabriel didn't say another word. He gave a quiet nod to the soldier beside him.
The man rushed forward. The woman screamed and tried to run, but another soldier grabbed her from behind and pulled her back. She kicked and scratched, but it didn't matter.
"Don't do this!" she cried. "Please, don't!"
The baby shifted slightly in her arms. Then his eyes opened.
They glowed gold, bright and sharp like fire trapped in glass. It wasn't natural.
Gabriel froze. His heart thudded against his chest. It was really the star of doom, white hair and burning eyes.
Then the faint sound of wood crackling reached their ears.
One of the men moved to the window. "The houses," he said, stunned. "They're on fire."
Gabriel turned and looked. Flames had begun to rise on the rooftops outside. The fire spread fast, but not wildly. It moved like it knew exactly what it was doing.
No one had lit it. It came from nothing.
"It's him," the captain said. "This is the child."
The woman broke free of the soldier's grip and reached for the baby, tears running down her cheeks.
"No! He's not what you think!"
A blade cut through the air.
She collapsed.
Gabriel closed his eyes, as the woman slumped to the ground.
However the baby didn't cry. He just stared at them with those glowing eyes.
"Cut the hair," Gabriel said quietly.
The captain stepped forward, took out a curved blade, and gently sliced a lock of the child's hair. He placed it inside a small black box and sealed it shut.
"That should be enough," he said. "The Emperor will want proof."
Gabriel stared down at the child. He took a deep breath, then raised his sword. Doing this made his heart hurt, especially when he also had kids at home. But this was his duty, he closed his eyes.
The strike was quick.
The baby's body went still.
Outside, the flames roared louder. The ground beneath them began to shake. Shadows on the wall stretched in unnatural ways, even though the fire outside should've made them smaller.
They quickly made their way out of the house. "This went better than expected." one of the soldiers said.
But Gabriel felt unease rushing through his spine, as if something was coming, and that everything was wrong. But he didn't know where exactly everything went wrong.
He walked towards his horse to mount it. But he stopped midway, he snapped his head towards the woods covered with mist at the end of the road.
"That must be the border of the land of Skulls." the captain said following his line of sight.
A gush of cold wind blew through the air, ruffling their hair.
From within the mist, a distorted view of a huge figure appeared.
"What is that?" Gabriel asked, his brows furrowed.
"What? I don't see anything." The captain looked back into the woods.
Then came heavy, dragging sound of footsteps through ice. A figure of a tall and huge man, twice the size of man. Its body looked like it had been pieced together from bone and blackened metal. Its face was hidden beneath a cracked helm, but two dim green lights burned from within it. An axe swept through the ground, trailing behind it.
The soldier's eyes widened in horror. One of the soldiers pointed at the creature. "A… a… a Vorrak!" he stumbled back, stuttering.
Gabriel unmounted his horse. His eyes narrowed. "Everyone, we must kill this creature. He must not leave here!"
He pulled his sword out, his eyes turning to a shade of green.
Gabriel unmounted his horse. His eyes narrowed. "Everyone, we must kill this creature. He must not leave here."
He pulled out his sword, and the green hue in his eyes deepened, glowing faintly as his essence stirred. The Vorrak kept coming, slow and steady, dragging its axe across the ground like it had all the time in the world.
"Spread out!" the captain shouted. "We surround it… don't let it get close!"
But the Vorrak moved faster than expected. Its massive foot slammed into the earth, and in the next second, it was in front of one of the soldiers. The man barely had time to scream before the axe tore through his body, splitting him clean in halves.
Blood sprayed across the dirt.
Panic spread through the men. The soldiers charged with battle cries, magic sparks flying from their fingertips. One of the mages raised his hand and sent a wave of flame toward the creature, but the fire flickered, then died in the air before it could even touch the Vorrak.
"It's not working!" the mage gasped. "My magic isn't…"
Before he could finish, the Vorrak's hand swung toward him like a hammer. His bones cracked, before his body slammed into a nearby tree, slumping lifelessly on the ground.