The smell of my mother's roses and feeling of warmth I used to was replaced with death and stench of rot. I stepped inside of this nightmarish hell, my heart was pounding like drums. I spoke with conviction and a nauseous tone "Is this hell or a foolish nightmare?"
I kept walking searching for my mom but I found nothing. Then I walked upstairs.
I checked the closets, the bathroom and my room. So I figured there's only one thing. She's in her room so I rushed towards her, with a smile on my face but that smile immediately went away.
My face was twisted in anguish. The sight of my mom was bloody and terrifying. I walked towards her with a tearful and sorrowful face, I held her hands and in a desperate and terrified voice "Mom?!".
She heard it. I smiled with happiness knowing she was still alive.
In a desperate voice that sounded like she was struggling to speak "C– Come here". She clutched my hand harder and harder, she was gasping for air and wanted me to come towards her so I rushed towards her. In a low and quiet voice.
In a low, shivering voice "Hide under me there are still the empire's soldiers here".
I was surprised and scared so I didn't leave yet. How carnage and bloodlusted they are. I went under her playing like I was dead. She laid atop of me covering up for me. I heard her heartbeat slowly getting slower and slower. I tried not to cry because she knew and I knew she was dying.
She looked at me one last time and she spoke in a whisper "Thank you for being born as my son, I will always cherish you always even in death you're still my son. So be proud and live a happy life.".
With a smile and tears on her face she died with a peaceful look. Knowingly that she protected her child from harm.
I looked at her with a dreadful expression with a teary face and I frantically shouted "MOM". She couldn't hear me anymore. I tried to shake her body and kept calling her name. But she died. I can't believe it. She can't be dead yet.
After the soldiers left the area I sat in the corner in disbelief. I kept repeating
"No way she's dead." Over and over again. Time wasn't there, it was just an endless nightmare that came true. I kept repeating it, so much like a broken clock, I didn't sleep or eat. I was sitting there looking at my mom. I didn't smell nor could I hear anything as the only thing I could see was my dead mother's face being eaten by bugs.
I cried until there were no tears left, I heard footsteps but I didn't care at all. It sounded like multiple people looking for any survivors. They smelt the air of death and horrors. Different people walked into different rooms and one mysterious person found me. One of the soldiers has green hair and white eyes and is probably an elven woman. The other one looks like a kid around my age 10 or 11, pink twin tails and black eyes that looked like an empty void that is seen so much for such a young age. I couldn't see the other mysterious people but still I didn't care at all. They turned on the light and they were shocked.
A kid that was sitting in the corner pale, lightweight and dehydrated. One of the people said this is a kid that has seen death and horror. They were shocked and terrified of the situation I was in but, one of the masked people pulled down their mask and asked me
"Do you want revenge on the empire for those who slain your mom?"
The purple eyes that were luring me in. The eyes of madness and eeriness. Like a snake slithering around me. In an angered and cold tone I said "Yes.". My red ringed eyes glow brightly as ever. The other people I don't know yet, felt a chill when I said that. They were whispering saying I was special. And I have mana levels for even a kid. I didn't care as the woman picked me up and carried me away.
I noticed on the way out they said the mysterious woman was wearing an emblem of some sort. Her grip was soft but strong at the same time. Like she was holding back some of her strength. As I look closely it resembles the wings of a phoenix. While she was holding me, I saw my small town was in destruction, dead bodies, broken houses, small animals feasting on dead bodies. Some of the survivors are ready to kill themselves because of the emotional trauma they see. It was heartbreaking the neighbors I used to talk to and eat with are either a corpse or ready to die themselves. There was no hope in their eyes and all I could do was watch them helplessly. Something dwells inside of me, like a burning fire that can't be extinguished. An emotion I don't know yet. As I smell something like a fire, or something being cooked on a fire. She kept holding me on her shoulders, until they reached into their camps that were nearby.
Their tents were big, the campfire was blazing in heat and warmness. The girl with big elf-like ears walked up to me with wolf meat that was roasting on the fire. She had an untrustworthy look, but nevertheless, she handed the meat. The elf girl said "Eat up at least. It looks like you haven't eaten for days kid." She covered her mouth and in a calm but nervous voice. It seems like they didn't trust me just yet but they will at least try to communicate with me . They went back into their tents as me and the mysterious woman were alone. I began to eat the meat slowly and I closed my eyes for a moment.
I started to break down a little bit because the meat reminded me of my mother, some of the memories of her cooking started to pop up as tears started to form, I started to hyperventilate. I was shaken in fear and grief as the girl with purple eyes rushed towards my side and couldn't stand the look I was bearing for a young kid at my age. She hugged me tightly and in a calm and soothing voice "It's going to be alright now. You are safe.". As she rubbed my back and stroked my hair gently, I started to calm down. I wiped my tears and kept eating the wolf meat. She held a motherly smile. roasting towards me and telling me to eat it. She looked in my eyes and said, "It's too young for you to experience something like this." In a sad and grief tone. She looked at me with her notorious purple eyes that lured me in before.
She asked me " As I did the woman with purple eyes that wrapped me into her soul, in a confident and proud voice "My name is Jane, the leader of the Phoenix resistance group." With a smile on her face. Then I asked with still a cold and emotionless tone "Who are you guys? I noticed you have phoenix emblems on your collars, and I saw shadows of weapons in your tents." They look surprised and shocked a little bit for a kid for a nice insight on things. Jane slightly chuckled and said "You're not the type to miss out on anything even the little details kid." I stared at her with a blank face.
Jane said in a strong and serious tone "My group is a resistance group here to defy the emperor's tyranny and oppressing ways." "Our dream is to take down the emperor and free his oppression on others." Taking the information in, I really didn't care at the moment, all I wanted to do was to get revenge on the empire. I stared at her with my lifeless like red ringed, the air changed about me. She senses something deep inside of me. A path of hatred and destruction. An all consuming darkness that swallows everything in its path, even myself. She looked at me with a dark and worried look. Like she wants me to stay with her so I don't do anything bad. With a smile on her face. Her smile was gratifying and welcoming but I sensed something much darker at play but I never said anything more. Jane with a welcoming and calm voice "You want to kill the emperor and we do too, let's team up. I will train you into a proper combatant that will use magic and martial arts. Then you will get your revenge on that mighty emperor."
With a smile on her face. Then I opened my eyes at her burning with revenge as I remembered the times I had with my mom. Her cooking, her smile, her voice, her reading her books to me, then that night happened, her body was leaking full of blood, her heartbeat slowly going lower and lower. Her shallow breathing, her leaking blood that felt warm on my skin, angered me even more that showed my will to kill the emperor and save more people from this ever happening again.