Chapter 1 Der Erlkönig
Who rides there so late through the night dark and drear?
The father it is, with his infant so dear.
He holdeth the boy tightly clasped in his arm.
He holdeth him safely, he keepeth him warm.
In the late dark night with the moon appearing in the black sky. A forest but there's no leaf, grass, animal, and sound. The mist flowing everywhere when the sky and earth closing the path. There is a man and his children running with horse out from the dead forest, they searching a way out to run from them, a 'Demon'.
When the sky fall, there's no escape. But when the sky rises, they will be save. That only the matter of time until the Demon reach them, the Demon still waiting the right time to take the boy from those man's arm. A lone moon was a right time to take that child, now the Demon make his move.
There's a path, a straight part lead to the capital where they will be saved from the Demon. With his children in his arm, he hold him tightly, and the boy buried his face to his father arm. The man hurried before the Demon take his child from him. The mist surrounded him with Demon who slow down and meet the man and the boy.
They are singing, dancing. The Demon pleased to meet them, but the man told his children to ignore them away. The Demon still pleased with them, like they will be have a new toy from now on. Its not a matter of time, but their fate now in Demon's hand. "They will not be saved" the Demon said it a loud.
The man know he, or his child will be died shortly. But the man doesn't give up, they still running from the Demon with the horse. And the boy shut himself with a pain in his chest, all his know is only silently wait in his father arm without knowing he will die soon.
It's to late, now the man must find the another way or they will be killed. The man chose the another way where only his child will be saved. He must not let the Demon kill his child, and make his child happy in his new life after this. Drawn in by an unseen cold hand, as his eyes look away into hazy distance. As the moonlight shines on his bitter cold fingers, frozen tears of his begin to flow anew. The man look at the sky, that distant far off dream. The man look at the child, the last time he look on his child face.
The man left the horse and let the boy run with it, while the man must protect his child with his own life.
From far beyond the infinite dark. I feel pass even time as it flows to eternity. I look out the sky, there is pit black. No moon, stars, even. . . my father. At that time father left me, I still don't know how to do. I didn't even want to remember. But, I still remember at that time. The Demon catch me, and I. . . . died.
Yeah. There's no mistaking it. When the Demon touch me, I feel like my force had taken away. Everything I see became a white, I feel pain but I feel much sleepy. On that time I dead.
I reach my hand into the darkness. "What if I stay here a longer my father will came?" that was I though, "What if my father doesn't come here?. What should I do then?". I'm confused, I didn't have anything anymore. I'm alone in this dark place.
. . . . .
My hand reach the light, the light who came before me. The gentle loving touch of light on my face, and hold me out of here from the trapped inside this cage made of dim glass. Now I remember those hand who protect me, those arm who warm me, those hand who had the frozen tears from his eyes. I must keep living, I don't want to disappoint him. I will make sure his life is not in vain. From now on, I shouldn't have to redoing again.
The night sky fall has begun to the twilight. With the million stars has appearing on the dark side of the sky, animal who tried searching the food on whole day now has return to their slumber, with the hungry animal who seek their prey on the night now came out from their slumber. There was a church where people prying everyday with the bright tears, they prying they will be saved some day from the demon who slaughters them. But today was different, there's nobody there except the man who wore white priest's robe with a staff on his right hand and a boy who dying on the center. He is waiting the boy wake from his deep sleep.
The moon shine upon the boy who sleep in the church, bringing him from his dark deep slumber. He open his eyes where he see the glass ceiling of building he didn't know. While the man who smiling after the boy wake from his sleep, he's smiling because the time has come. The time when the human can take revenge from the demon and retake their stolen home, gold, or even their beloved one.
The boy doesn't moving, instead he was crying. The boy didn't say anything, his cheek now full of tears with red liquid flowing on it. He was crying so hard but he didn't scream anything. "why you wake me up" said the boy to the man who standing on his left.
". . . . . I'm sorry to raise you from your sleep, but I have a request for you" the man spoke, his tone was calm.
The boy didn't say anything. The tears keep flowing in his eyes, he couldn't stop it. No, it just cannot be stop. The man continuing his phase.
"I want you become hero in this land"
"I don't want" the boy intercepted
The man still smiling and he ask the boy " why?"
"there's no way I can do that" said the boy with no emotion in his face
"you didn't even try it yet right?" ask again the man.
". . . . . ." the boy keep his mouth shut.
". . ." the man still wait his answer. But, he says something again "do you know your father died in vain?. He sacrifice his own life to make you out of there, but you didn't even know that?"
"!?" the boy still shut his mouth, but now his face are pale. He know his father protect him with his own life and he can't betray his father feeling. From now on, he must stay alive for his father and his own sake. The boy shut his eyes, he was remind about his past life with his father. On their own farm, place, grassy land, and the memory of his only family. He shouldn't have forget them all, but in the future there will be no more. He open his eyes with the flowing tears. He stand in front of the man the flowing tears has stop with the burning passion he said to the man "please, let me become a Hero".