Outlander's Ballad

The warm and humid breeze of the silent plains caressed the young boy as he lay amidst a patch of vibrant scarlet grass. His short arm was extended toward the sky as he heard the sounds of battle reverberating all around him. The intensity of the moment engulfed him like a blazing fire, vivid and all-encompassing. The beautiful black flowers that danced along the length of his body and the dripping of purple blood from his hand to the ground all felt so natural. The three bright suns drawn upon a light red sky shone far above his head, yet they seemed so close for some reason. The screams of innocents, warriors, and beings from realms far beyond this simple plain merged into a chaotic symphony. Past, present, and future are intertwined like a violent storm, always there yet newly formed. "Whose fault is it? Is it mine? No... it's theirs... I vow to-"

"Zuzu! I've been looking all over for you! And what in the world are you muttering about?"

In the blink of an eye, everything washed away like a slash of water—the blood, the flowers, and even the mark of death that loomed over him. Was it all a simple daydream? No. Some of what the boy experienced was certainly real. The light red sky and scarlet grass at the very least were real even if not truly notable seeing as they were staples of this world, the Nether Realm. A hellish land with wild and nonsensical landscapes that can change at random. And a land inhabited by demons, hell beasts, and all sorts of odd creatures.

Sitting up the boy looked over at the one who had called out to him. Approaching him was a young woman in her twenties, her light brown skin glowing under the morning sun. Her vibrant energy radiated as she hurried toward him. She wore a dress adorned with a delightful floral pattern, its colors accentuating her lively presence. Jet-black hair cascaded down her back, flowing with graceful elegance. It was Elly, a widow living in Balor Village and one of Zuzu's neighbors. As she ran her head jolted from side to side, peering into the forest surrounding them. "It's not good for a growing boy like you to be running around by yourself! The creatures that live around here are dangerous you know!"

As the woman stopped at his side the boy stood up from where he was sitting. "What do you mean 'growing boy'? I'll have you know that I'm a whole seven years old! Before you know it I'll be hunting those beasts and providing for the village."

"And you can't do all that if you don't start taking your duties seriously. Now let's hurry back. I'll walk you to your parent's house."

"No way am I going to walk home with an annoying woman like you! An elder candidate doesn't need help!"

"Fine but bad boys get eaten by Larks!"

"Shut up those don't exist!"

With that, the boy took off. Running mindlessly toward the village as the woman called behind him. He wore a black shirt and dark blue shorts that went just past his knees. Zuzu had dark brown skin and a head of black hair that ran just past his ears. By now the daydream that he'd experienced only a short while earlier was far out of mind. The small wooden houses with smoke blowing out from their chimneys were a familiar sight for the young boy and the only one he had known. It was a small village with a population of only 83 and yet it made up his entire world. Beyond here was the forest and plains which only the men were allowed to traverse in order to get food or supplies. As he ran the boy stopped once he spotted a group of other children playing war. One child in a yellow jacket, Milo, wielded a wooden sword while the other in a long white shirt, Hugh, held two short wooden daggers. The pair swung their makeshift weapons at each other, watched eagerly by the remaining children forming a circle. They were undoubtedly the last survivors of their teams. A broad bright smile grew on Zuzu's face as he busted straight through the crowd and stole a sword from one of the bystanders. Rushing into the center he took both boys by surprise and swung his sword at them, winning the battle. "There! I'm the winner!"

While lying on the ground the boy in the yellow jacket began yelling, "That's not fair you weren't even playing!"

"Yeah!", shouted the boy in the long white shirt.

Sticking his tongue out Zuzu said, "Doesn't matter I still won!"

"Cheater!"

Before the situation was allowed to escalate any further an older girl by the name of Jia made her way from the crowd to the center of the circle. With her hands on her hips, she loudly proclaimed "Idiots."

"Who are you calling an idiot!?"

With a determined spirit, Zuzu braced himself and stood his ground directly in front of the girl, attempting to assert his presence. However, the noticeable contrast in size between the two became glaringly apparent. The younger Zuzu was far shorter than the girl four years his senior. Despite that fact, he stood there for he had been taught by his father that standing down against an opponent was an act of great shame.

"Zuzu you're the one that jumped in randomly. It's not fair to the others."

"Shut up I won fair and square. You guys are just sore losers!"

Zuzu continued loudly shouting and rambling about how he was the true winner of the game, wearing down the ears of the children around him. The longer that he went on, the more the children became tired of him and so with a swift punch to the stomach Jia made him be quiet. Zuzu held his stomach as he kneeled on the ground. "Now then let's start up another game and decide who the real winner is."

The children then started to run around and pick teams and Zuzu slowly stood from where he was. "Hey someone hand me a weapon! I don't have one."

Milo replied, "No way! A blade is the warrior's soul so get your own. Ask the woodworkers to make one for you."

"I can't. The last time I asked they waved me off and said I couldn't because of my brother."

Hugh laughed and said "Then why don't you get something from the armory? Your dad's a hunter so don't you have a key or something?"

His face flushed with anger the young boy began loudly proclaiming, "Of course I do! And when I come back, I'm gonna have the best weapon you could think of!"

Clicking his tongue Zuzu yelled something before running off toward the armory. The idea of stealing his father's key was definitely off the table, but at the very least Zuzu planned to attempt to break into it. Arriving in front of the armory Zuzu began analyzing it. A large wooden shed that had a single window in the back. Grabbing a stool from outside one of his neighbor's houses, Zuzu brought it over to the window and set it down. Climbing atop it Zuzu peeked into the shed. There was little light so Zuzu couldn't get a good look at everything inside, but he could make out that the walls of the armory were covered in weapons. Quickly moving away from the window, Zuzu grabbed a stone and turned around excited and completely ready to break the window. That was until he saw the large dark figure standing at the side of the building. Its piercing eyes stared directly at Zuzu and peered into his soul.

Dropping the rock onto the ground a sinking feeling engulfed Zuzu's heart. "F-Father!"

"What exactly were you doing?"

"Nothing I-I!"

"Boy don't you dare lie to me."

The man's presence was powerful. The most renowned and respected hunter in the entire village so much so that he managed to ascend his bloodline to be one under inspection for the next village elder. He was known for his impressive hauls that could feed the village for weeks. He was a man of few words to the point that Zuzu, his own son, didn't know his old name, only the one imprinted upon him by the village, Shikari, but even that was just a word from a section of the old script, a small piece of text from before the clan had moved to this location.

His gaze facing the ground, Zuzu couldn't bring himself to lie any longer and was forced to speak the truth. "I... I wanted a weapon from the armory..."

"Why? For what reason would you need a gun? It's a tool only needed to bring down big game so why would you need it?"

Breathing heavily the words seemed to get stuck in Zuzu's throat, but even so, he needed to respond. In that immeasurably tense moment, his daydream flashed through his mind—the vivid scenery that beckoned him to march to the ends of the world. "I-! I want to kill them... the ones in the forest and beyond that... So that one day we don't have to starve or fight or... or!"

"That's enough." His father's voice cut cleanly through the air and demanded attention.

With that, a silence washed over the area, and the only thing that confirmed the passage of time was Zuzu's quickened heartbeat. "To be a hunter is the most noble pursuit in all of the Nether Realm."

"Huh?"

"To be a hunter requires one to kill without end and bring home the spoils. To kill without end and strip their victims of all they're worth, such is the true profession of a hunter. What right do we have to take life from others while holding on to our own? Such questions have no place in the hearts of demons much less in the heart of a hunter. As demons we are strong and as demons, we take for the sake of only ourselves. Zuzu, can you promise me that you'll never entertain such notions? To embody what it truly means to be a demon?"

"Ye-Yes!" Despite his response, Zuzu didn't truly understand the meaning of his father's words. To be a hunter was undoubtedly a noble profession. To exploit the forest and provide the village with the spoils of the hunted was something to be admired. Selflessness? All of this was irrelevant, wasn't it? This is just the natural order.

Turning around Shikari waved his hand so that his son would follow. "Today will be your first hunt. Go to the house and get my binoculars. Meet me in the plains."

"Yes sir!"

Running off once again Zuzu sported a large smile and a well of energy. For the first time, his father had truly accepted him into the fold and allowed him to join during a hunt. What kind of hell beast would it be? All creatures that inhabited the Nether Realm were dangerous in their own way so no matter what it was sure to be fun. As the boy exited the house with the binoculars his eyes met another familiar face. His elder brother. A fourteen-year-old boy who only served to bully and drag his brother down. "What do you want?"

"What kind of greeting is that? Scared to be around me cuz of what the villagers say?"

"No... Just move so I can leave."

"Well, aren't you such a good little dog? Unquestioning and loyal to whatever the adults say. I overheard your little interaction with Dad. You must think you're special or something."

For only a moment he stopped talking and instead looked down at the ground. Clicking his tongue, his head shot back up and he began ranting again.

"The only reason the people in this village treat you so well is that you listen to every word they say without questioning anything. And-"

Before we could continue a window opened at the side of the house. A head poked out that yelled, "Kay stop bullying your brother!" It was their mother, a refined housewife used as the golden standard for how young girls in the village should grow up to be.

With a huff, Kay turned around and went off somewhere. With that Zuzu ran towards the plains which he had been lying in just an hour earlier. Not knowing that he'd just taken the first step toward the wild flames of his daydream.