[i]You are hiding from the blazing summer sun in the shadow of a large, so-familiar to you tree. With a relaxed, content smile occupying your lips, you wipe the sweat from your forehead and let out a tired breath. Closing your eyes and hoping for at least some rest for your aching body, you lean onto the tree's bark. Your dreams of slumber, however, are interrupted by a sweet giggle coming from left. [i]"Can't you keep quiet?" — you grumble, annoyed. [i]"Sorry, sorry!" — a cheerful voice replies, and yet, despite the apparent apologies, the giggles continue. [i]Exasperated, you turn on your side, supporting your head with your hand, and give your sister a questioning look. You always considered her to be plain-looking: slim, with a narrow build, and an ordinary face, she was never one to attract attention — but now, as she smiles brightly, shaking her head in excitement while looking at the cloudless sky, you can't help but consider her to be quite cute. [i]"What is it?" — you ask with a sigh — "It seems you didn't work hard enough, since you still have enough strength to smile like a fool." [i]Your sister turns her head and sticks out her tongue. [i]"I'm not telling!" — she exclaims, quickly avoiding your gaze afterwards. [i]"We both knows that's a lie." — you chuckle, with a roll of your eyes — "You can't keep secrets to save your life." [i]For a moment, you delve into your memory, trying to figure out why caused the girl to behave this way, and realization comes to you soon after. [i]"It has something to do with your coming back late yesterday, right?" — you say, grinning — "Spill it." [i]Your sibling lowers her head, and a pink blush appears on her cheeks, before she agitatedly clenches fists and replies. [i]"Yesterday… Yesterday Big Brother Lan told me… Told me he liked me…" [i]"What?!" — you shout in surprise, prompting yourself on your forearms — "You? Why?" [i]"What do you mean why!" — your sister huffs, hitting your shoulder with her palm — "I won't tell you anything else if you keep on being mean." [i]"Else?! Something else happened?!" [i]"We… kissed under this tree." [i]Her revelation puts you in a state of stupor: for a moment, your head is empty, mind blank. Sure, your sister is already nineteen, past the initial age suitable for marriage, but still… [i]"How was it?" — you ask, your own heart in turmoil. [i]Your sister gives you another smile, one half-shy, half-happy. [i]"It was a-" [i]Her words, however, are interrupted by startling ringing of a bell. Both your and your sister's eyes go wide, as you look at each other with panic clear in your expressions. [i]"The village's alarm bell!" — your sister yells, grabbing you by the wrist — "Run, quickly!" [i]Stumbling, you get up to your feet and struggle to match your frightened sister's pace… *page_break [i]You stand, rooted to the spot, as fear overwhelms your senses. Your serene village, a place of joy and peace, is no more. Instead of bored kids running around with sticks in their tiny hands, there are ruthless bandits, armed with swords; instead of the houses you spent your days walking, there are burning, smoking structures of wood, and instead of that fresh, pure air there is a rotten smell of blood and death. [i]"Be careful!' [i]Your sister screams and pulls you to the side — just in time to save you from a charging horse. She shakes your arm, hoping to wake you up from your trance. [i]"We need to find Mom!" — she shouts, dragging you with her. You're thankful for that, grateful for your presence of mind, because the sight of corpses that riddles the intimately known streets rids you of your ability to think. [i]You find your mother in your house, one still untouched by the fires, packing something in various bags. Hearing your footsteps, she, startled, grabs a nearby knife and turns around, clumsily waving the kitchen weapon. [i]"Don't come close!" — she yells, but breathing out in relief after recognizing you. Soon, however, that relief is turned into anger — "Why are you here?! Run, escape!" [i]Your sister tries to interject, but your mother shushes her, covering her mouth with her hand. [i]"Why are you not listening to me, you little brats?! Ru-" — hearing the clangs of armor coming from the outside, your mother stops talking, grabs both of you by the shoulders and guides you to on one of the rooms. [i]There, she suddenly removes one of the wooden planks in the walls, revealing a large, concealed before, compartment. [i]"Inside!" — she urges, anxiously looking in the direction of the coming footsteps — "You go first!" [i]Still in too much of a shock to argue, you don't resist your mother's push, cramping your small body into the hole. Your sister is supposed to be the next one to hide, but a man's rough, low-pitched voice forces your mother to hesitate. [i]"I know you're here." — the voice says and soon, you hear the sounds of knocked down furniture — "Come out, while I'm still in good mood!" [i]Your mother gulps and pats your sister's cheek. In return, your sister nods and turns away from your hiding spot, while your mother, with shaking hands, puts the plank back into its place. [i]Only a teeny-tiny hole is left of you peek through. By instinct, you lean close, and see your mother embracing your trembling sister with a tight hug. *page_break [i]It doesn't take long for the owner of the voice to found your family. He's a broad-shouldered, middle-aged man wearing chainmail and with an axe in his hand. He smiles, wickedly and lewdly, as he stares at the women. [i]"A young beauty and an old hag. Not a bad find, hehe." — he chuckles, his tone sinister and evil — "Hag, let her go. Let me look at this pretty little thing." [i]"Please…" — your mother sobs, the first time you ever heard her cry — "Don't touch her. I'll do whatever you want, just don't touch her…" [i]"What do I need a granny like you for? Move!" — the man replies, shoving your mother to the floor. [i]She doesn't let up, however, and sits up, clinging onto the bandit's leg. [i]"Please…" [i]Annoyed, the man knees her right in the face without any apparent remorse. Bloodied, your mother falls once again, only this time her bloodied, beaten visage comes right into your sight. [i]For a second, your body almost moves without your command. The desire to protect, to guard almost overcomes your reason, the rage and wrath burning in your unstable psyche. But then, you look into your mother's eyes and you see her wordless pleads. You see her want for you to stay in your spot, for you to stay [i]safe[/i] — and, just as wordlessly, you comply with her wish. [i]Your mother, however, refuses to give in to the bandit's request. She gets up again, clinging onto him, and this time he doesn't hold back: he swings his ax, embedding the weapon into your only parent's skull, freezing her terrified and beginning expression forever on her wrinkled face. [i]Your sister shrieks, piercing, eardrum-shattering sound full of emotion, and runs to your mother's body. But before she can reach it, the man yanks her by the hair and pulls her back. Struggling, your sister claws at his forearms, attempting to substitute daggers with her delicate fingers, but the bandit pays it no heed. Instead, he plucks his ax from the corpse, shoves your sister down and puts the blade to her throat. Her movements cease, with the only exception being her unstoppably crying eyes. [i]"You better be obedient, you fucking bitch." — he threatens, before snorting and grabbing her hair again, hauling your sister across the room as if she was a bag of rice… [i]And you? You stay behind the plank, face-to-face with your mother's corpse. [i]How long? You don't know. An hour. Two. Five. Who cares? For you, time is frozen, a single moment keeping on replaying inside your mind. [i]How did this happen? How did a sunny, happy day turned into this? How? Why?… *page_break [i]A single tear breaks your petrified state. With more of them pouring from your eyes, you finally decide to get out. And yet, the treacherous plank refuses to be moved — so you start to bang your fist against the wood. After a couple of desperate smacks, it gives in and you climb out, unsteadily crawling to your mother's body. [i]Minutes pass as you hold your lifeless parent, caressing her now forever still face. Finally, in need of fresh air, you get up and exit the building. *page_break [i]The outside is riddled with corpses of the villagers you were so close to before. You expected it, although, somehow, hoped for a different outcome. What you didn't expect, however, is to find a girl of around your age, about thirteen or fourteen, kneeling over one of the corpses. [i]Unaware of your presence, the woman stabs the body with a dagger, meticulously carving a hole in its chest and taking out the unbeating heart from its rightful place. [i]Seeing this scene, the casual disregard for the sacredness of death, something in you just [b]snaps[/b]. The rage born out of powerlessness, the wrath you kept bottled inside, pours out. You scream and start to run, without any other plan in mind than to hurt the on in front of you.[i] [i]You gradually pick up speed, coming closer and closer to your target, when the girl shifts, questioningly tilting her head. Her icy-blue eyes stare into yours, her deadpan expression chilling your soul — and before you could do anything to her, the girl grabs your arm and, without any effort, throws you to the ground. She then climbs on top of you, putting her knife right under your chin. [i]"Ah, it's sure good to be young, hehehe." — a cackle prevents the girl from using her weapon for its intended purpose. [i]Gulping, you turn to face the voice, finding an old, hunch-back man to be its owner. The geezer walks slowly, as if every step took him an unimaginable amount of effort, and as he finally comes close, he drops to his knees. Coughing, he puts his wrinkled, dirty palm onto your forehead and closes his eyes. [i]A moment later, he recoils backwards, so taken back he almost falls. His ugly, mole-infested face takes one a smile, allowing you to see his crooked teeth that could be numbered with a single digit. [i]"Lad, would you like to be my disciple? This King will help you get revenge." *page_break You wake up and the first thing you do is inspect your own flesh: your hands finally seem like yours, the reflection in the mirror nearby finally showing your face. What happened just now was a dream, and yet… it felt too realistic to be one. The emotions you felt, the feeling you just experienced, are still present. Inside your heart, you can sense the boundless anger born out of ineptitude and you can barely endure the weight of the mountainous grief for the people you don't even know. That dream… looked more like a memory. A painful past most would rather to forget, a past that you are not supposed to have. Shaking your head, you, for the time being, suppress the strange hallucination. You have matters to attend to, and this phenomena will have to wait its turn. *page_break *goto_scene expedition_free