A Childhood Sweetheart

The small town of Yeral bloomed with cherry trees. Their fields were abundant with wheat, and there was not a single drop of sorrowful tears to be shed on the land. For if it were to be ravaged by bandits, their fears lay within the Goddess of harvest, Demetre. To plague her lands, would be equivalent to killing her child. Thus the land remained bountiful, and the people with surplus food, which out of gratitude gave it away as charity for those in the surrounding towns. This was a mere ritual to ensure that the God's would see that Humanity can be good.

"Hey, Kole! So what level did you get your axe-splitting skills, since last year?"

The girl came out from the pasture where the horses were kept. She waved and smiled towards Kole, a young man who was the son of the village smithy; said to be blessed by Hephaestus himself.

Kole paused for a minute, calling forth a system command. A console appeared before him, and with a few clicks his statistics rested in front of him.

"You know there's an over abundance of wood, Seph."

Kole finished up the touches to the pig pen. The fence reminded him of his first time meeting Persephone, her nickname was Seph.

They were roughly five years old, and Kole set out on his mission to slay the evil mythical monsters of imaginary fairy tales. He removed the dagger from his pants that he created at the time to go hunting. The blade had ancient symbols naming the dagger, Hypnos. It seemed all too fake for a five year old to know he was imagining creatures yet still hunted them anyways. Naming the dagger Hypnos after the fact that he knew he was chasing a dream. He smirked, leaving his oily-muddy fingerprints all over the blade.

"You didn't answer the question."

She leaned over the fence, allowing tight clothing to become even more revealing.

"Three levels. Level 15 now."

She patted Kole on the head.

"Once a kid, always a kid."

She giggled it away. It was almost a year since Kole had last seen her. Both captivated by their search for their career. Kole was brought as the village handyman/blacksmith behind his father, whereas she was on the other side of the town rallying up the horses and tending the cattle. He attempted to see her whenever he had the chance to.

"Seph, would you go to the Night Festival with me?"

Kole kicked the dirt with his boots. He had never asked a girl out like his friends had, and really obtained no real experience with anything outside his career. But when he thought of her, it reminded him of happiness, so he decided to take the shot.

"Yes!"

She jumped into a hug squeezing like a bear. Although she hadn't looked like it, she was a little too strong.

Kole and Persephone gave their goodbyes leaving to attend other matters at hand before the festival next night.

Persephone stopped at home to talk to her father.

"Father! Kole asked me to the Night Festival!"

She couldn't help herself. She jumped up and down and shrieked in excitement.

"Calm down darling."

He sat himself down at the counter top with his beer in his hand.

"What are you planning on wearing?"

Persephone paused. She hadn't thought of that. All of her clothes were mainly for wearing on the ranch with the occasional cold weather clothes in case of traveling. She looked at her dad with tears.

"I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR. And… AND ITS TOMORROW! WAHHHHHH!"

Tears dropped from her face as if she was a child again. Her father crackled as he pushed her into the thought.

"Wait here. I have something you can wear."

Persephone sucked her tears up imagining the things her father could prepare for her. She shook the thoughts off, as her in a suit with a tie crossed her mind.

When her father came down the stairs he hid the dress behind his back, slowly creeping up on Persephone.

"Your mother, if she was still here, would have jumped just like you were to now. And this, she would've had you wear this."

Except he already knew if her mother was still around dresses would be loitering the yard since she was a fanatic of fashion. The local tailor. She might've died in childbirth, and Persephone might've never seen her mother before, but she was an exact imitation of her. Personality and Looks. It made him proud to be a father.

It was a Yukata, decorated with a beautiful flower that grows once a full moon. The main color was pink, and the flower was white with a tint of yellow. It had some sort of grace to it, even if it were just clothing.

"Father! This is mothers?"

She held it. She could feel its warmth; the emotions put into a single piece of clothing.

"Hand crafted while she was pregnant with you. I never knew what was on that lady's mind. I could only infer it was meant to be worn by you, so I kept the damn thing."

"Thank you, Father!"

Persephone bowed her head and ran up to her room to try out the new dress she acquired, happy to wear something crafted directly from her mother.

Not too far away at the smithery, Kole still remained distant with his father helping him, create a sword, in silence.

"Father."

He said as his Father's hammer struck the metal that just came from the fire.

"What is it, Son?"

They spoke to each other awkwardly.

"I've asked a girl to the Night Festival, she said yes."

Kole worked on turning off the fire of the forge, it was getting late at night and the sword was almost done. His father didn't speak back. He simply nodded and continued the piece of work. At the time, Kole sat down waiting for his father to finish the sword. You could see the passion in his eyes. He never really shared how he felt; the only way you could understand was holding a sword of his own.

The last clang , he set down the hammer. Grabbing other pieces of the sword, he put it all together.

"Son, this sword is now yours…"

The look in his eyes showed desperation for new hope. He almost felt pity towards his son as if he could see into his future.

His father walked into the house and slammed the door shut leaving Kole with his new sword and anger he felt the need to release.

Time moved on, and the moon shined on the black smithing training field used to test the might of the blade. Kole slashed away at the training dummy hearing the system congratulate him on leveling up his skill.

"Proficiency of one-handed swords: 21"

"Proficiency of one-handed swords: 25"

"Proficiency of one-handed swords: 32"

And when he finally ended in his frustration he stabbed the sword in the ground releasing a cry only a wolf could respond too. He echoed into the distant sky,

"Why can't you just act like a normal Father! Why did mom have to travel far away! Why! Why! Whyyyyyyy!"

The sky responded back with thunder and lightning. Rain slowly appeared before deciding to release all of its deception upon the world. No matter how beautiful the water was, it was the saddest thing. Something his mother once told him. That it remains calm holding in its depression during the hours of light, but the moment darkness came, the water released its calmness into a fury like no other. Rushing into waves, and eroding beauty into its depths never forgiving another for its wrongful past that no-one ever remembered, for water, it was here before the Gods. Water was always present…

"A storm?"

Kole held his hand out. A storm hasn't arrived in Yeral in centuries. Not since Demetre took the town in her protection. Storms were bad omens meant that soon a plague will bear upon all.

Kole grabbed his sword and ran inside to wake his father. Running into his room, his father was already awake. Staring out the window towards the forest that portrayed the darkness of the storm.

He looked towards Kole, screaming with all of his might,

"RUN BOY! GO! PROTECT YOURSELF AND THAT GIRL!"

He quickly sorted armor from his closet and grabbed his own sword said to be forged by his father. Kole stood there. He didn't want to move. He didn't want to lose his father.

His father realized that there was still one thing that he left lingering far too long. One thing he would regret if he hadn't said it now. Leaning down beside Kole, he whispered in his ear.

"Son, I love you. You have no idea how proud I am of you. Damn, I wish I could fight beside you right here, but you're not ready. You must run, run as fast as you can. Follow the path in the south east until you reach Summerville. Warn the God there of the destruction to come. Now go my boy, you have someone to protect that's far greater than me."

He gave Kole the push he needed. Kole ran towards the Ranch, banging on the door. Answering the door was Persephone's father.

His eyes opened wide in the sight of the darkness that had befallen the village. He was stunned in his delusional drunken self. The sound of a huge explosion shook the ground and everything on the walls.

Kole pushed past him upstairs, looking at a door with girlish decoration all over it, determining it was Seph's room. He opened it, finding a half asleep Persephone.

"Kole? What is the noise outside?"

Kole's eyes examined the darkness for a moment too long, discovering that she was only in her undergarments. He quickly looked away, followed with a shameful look from Persephone as she realized he saw her body.

"G-g-get Dressed!"

The explosive sounds only boosted her speed in dressing. Within a mere minute, her normal ranch clothes were already on her.

"Care to share now? Why wake me in the middle of the night? And what are those sounds?"

Kole grabbed her hand. And started running down the stairs, and out the door.

"There's no time for explanations. What are your fastest steeds?"

She pointed towards two horses that stuck together away from the other herde of them. One was pure white, and the other pure black.

"Follow me to the south-east path to Summerville. It'll all make sense when we're safe!"

He jumped on the dark horse, rubbing its subtle fur. Hearing it whinney in fear of whatever came from the north-side woods accompanied by the storm.

"Hiyaah!"

Despite his low riding skills, he still had some proficiency to ride it from his times with Seph before. The two rode side by side.

"Boom…"

A stream of light broke the sky, releasing a shockwave that reeked of death and felt at the touch, the heat of the sun. Kole rode on, holding onto the back of Seph. They were only a few yards from breaking out of the clearing. They would be onward to the path to Summerville in just a couple seconds.

Slice…

It was dark red. The red that only a living thing would know and instantly understand, it's staining, it's thick and warm feeling.

Kole gagged at the sight.

It was death.

His hand was now holding a cold and lifeless body. In a mere second, the woman he loved… Her head was rolling on the floor.

All else was irrelevant for a moment. Stricken by grief, he could only ride on. One thought was on his mind. Survive.

On both sides of him, two orc's swung their polearms, lances, towards him and the horse. Must it have been mere luck, the two struck each other's blades just above Kole's head. He leaned forward, hugging the horse's body.

"Ride on. Ride on. Ride on."

He continuously said the words to the horse. Over and over. Speaking like a mad man of riddles, his words became clogged out by the tears and choking of his throat. He had no clue how long he rode, yet the storm was over. He was on the path to Summerville haunted by what happened on this accursed night.