The forest was quiet that night — too quiet. Not even the insects sang.
Arin sat on his father's shoulders, laughing as the fireflies danced above the fields. His mother smiled softly, her voice low as she hummed a lullaby older than memory. The stars glittered over them like a thousand watching eyes.
Then the earth trembled.
A deep, hollow roar rolled across the plains. The birds scattered. A red glow rose beyond the horizon, faint at first — then brighter. Flames.
His father's eyes hardened. He set Arin down, gripping the hilt of a sword that had not been drawn in years.
"Stay inside," he said, his voice tight. "Lock the doors. Don't come out, no matter what happens."
"Papa?"
But he was already running toward the light.
The screams reached them minutes later.
Steel clashed. Magic thundered. The scent of burning flesh and smoke choked the air.
Arin's mother held him and his sister close in the corner of the room, whispering prayers through trembling lips. The walls shook. Something outside crashed — and then, through the shattered doorway, his father stumbled back in, armor torn, covered in blood.
"Run!" he gasped. "Take them—"
A shadow fell across the doorway. A demon — massive, horned, its eyes burning like coals.
His father turned, sword raised — but the blade met a claw faster than thought. Blood sprayed across the wall.
"Papa!"
The world shattered in that moment. The demon's blow hurled the man through the air. The roof splintered. Arin's mother screamed as the house collapsed around them. The weight crushed her legs; her daughter's hand slipped from hers in the dust.
Arin coughed through the smoke, crying out for them — but the only answer was the demon's growl.
And then — a flash of gold.
A figure descended from the flames, cloaked in light. A Hero. One of the Seven. His sword cut the air in a single, blazing arc — the demon's head fell, hissing, into the dirt.
Relief never came.
The Hero turned toward Arin and his mother. His eyes glowed not with kindness, but cold resolve.
"More demons are coming," he said. "The woman will slow us down."
Arin's mother looked up in terror. "Take my son," she whispered. "Please. Take him and run."
"I'm not leaving you!" Arin screamed.
The Hero's blade gleamed. One clean strike. A thud.
Silence.
Arin's world went white — then red — then nothing at all.