There was something about this cold, quiet night which overshadowed such a small village as this one, the village of trees, Luminos. Like most small villages, one would be nestled in a quiet, peaceful environment. Like most villages, the view of such surroundings would even place a nobleman from the city under an envious state. Like most villages, the village would be booming with life, everyone to their own chore and enjoying the night's supper. Small, peaceful, little villages like that would not be in flames.

Cries of disorder and fear were heard throughout the smoke filled air as a hut succumbed to the ember's fury, burying whatever lied within. Riders bolted around the carnage, looking to severe whatever life that managed to escape the flames of their torches. The clashing of blades ringed for a few moments before a cry of death as a man fell flat on his back, the wound across his chest looking to be almost deep enough to have cleaved him in two. A woman who was under some of the rubble tried to escape but, couldn't get off her knees; a rider dropped off his horse and brought his sword down, severing the woman's head from her body. Luminos was utterly destroyed, every single hut was burnt to the ground and all that looked to survive, perished under the sudden onslaught.

The rider, who had slain the woman trying to escape, climbs back up onto his horse and approached the other riders of his company. "What of the remaining inferior beings?" he asked to his company as he pulled off his bloodstained helm, revealing ears that were sharp at the tip and blue, long hair that dropped down onto his shoulders as soon as he removed the helm "Don't tell me that you let a few of them get away?" A lower ranked rider from the company stepped up from the back. "No, sir." He replied, "Not one of those pathetic humans even made it ten feet from the village. There are no survivors!" Satisfied, the long, blue-haired man returned his gaze towards the burning rubbish. "Good. We must always show these humans that the Desians are law. To question the Desians means death! We are done here; let the other villages nearby know of the price, to see their neighbor, Luminos, in ruins."

The riders fall into their formation, waiting upon their leader to move them out. The blue-haired man urges his horse to go forward to meet his company when, he stopped, glancing over the rubble and into the forest of trees that surrounds it. His green eyes squinted a little, looking to make something out of something he saw within those woods, or something he had thought he seen. His focus on the woods was broken as he heard a shout addressed to him coming from behind. "General Raifar… your riders are ready for your orders… Is something troubling you, sir?" the voice had asked him. Raifar glanced back into the woods and noticed that there wasn't anything deep in there. There couldn't be, he thought, my men saw to it that all survivors were dispatched. And they said that not one person made it past ten feet from the village. It must be my imagination. Raifar turned to his soldier and nodded "All is well. Let us make our leave." The soldier saluted Raifar and made it back towards the company. Raifar glance towards the woods once more before urging his horse before his company, leading them back from which they had come.

- -

The forest that surrounded the village was what the villagers come to call "a vast barrier from the outside world". A good shield against small bands of thieves, who would easily get lost within the forest's natural maze however, the forest didn't even serve as a small distraction for the Desian invaders. Deep within an open area of the forest, shaded by the shadows of the trees, a boy is seen sitting among the trunks of an old tree, holding himself as he shivered. "W-why?" he muttered to himself, "Why are the Desians attacking us? W-we did nothing; we didn't try to start a fight with them. So, why- Mother… Father… I'm s-scared." The boy leaned up against his knees, his eyes told nothing but, fear. "T-that man's eyes… I feel as if he could tear me to shreds with his glare alone." The boy slowly pushed himself up to his feet and staggeringly made his way back towards the village. "Mother, Father… I need you, help me!"

Stepping out from the boundaries of the dark forest into the opening of the moonlit sky, his fears grew heavier, seeing the pile of debris and smoke that piled miles high and a deathly silence. It was so much to keep him from gagging; the smell of death, blood, and burning corpses fills his nostrils. His foot bumped into something lying within the grass and he couldn't help but, gasp as he realized that it was one of the children of the village, an arrow had pierced through the back of his heart. Tears welded up in his eyes as he continued on into the village, all his friends being dead… What of his mother and father? It became apparent when he saw his mother and father's bodies lying within the rubble of his house, their bodies burnt to a crisp. At the realization of these tragic events, he became weak in the knees, he was out of air, not even enough air for him to cry, all of his muscles tightened up and became sore; he is alone, all alone.

Tears wailed down his cheeks as he dropped against the dry dirt under his knees. Wh-what do I do? He thought to himself, Mother! Father! Don't leave me!!! … Don't leave me alone... "Do not worry, Child… you are definitely NOT alone." At the sound of the voice, the boy's body twitched as a chill ran down his spine. Must run away… Must run away… the boy's panicked thoughts echoed through every cell of his body. Must run away… RUN!!! The boy tried to press himself off the ground but, he felt a hand press against his shoulder, holding him down. No... I don't want to die... I DON'T WANT TO DIE! The boy flailed and fought to escape but, the strength of the hand was too much for him to fight against. The boy turned to look, only to see General Raifar of the Desian Regime, clasping down on his shoulder, with a wicked smile on his face. "… There are to be… no survivors…" Raifar said, thrusting his blade into the gut of the boy. "… None whatsoever…" The boy coughed as the world he had come to know was spiraling out of control.

… I don't want to die…