Alright, here we go~ First chapter!

I think I'll be writing quite a bit today, if I don't get dragged away. I hate fireworks…

Sweat dripped from his brow as he emerged from the cave, immediately greeted with the cold winter air. He shuddered violently and closed his eyes, hoisting his bag further up onto his shoulder. As usual, Vreagon tended to the farm as a sort of relaxation, having returned from mining several hours before. Mor took care of the animals before walking into his home, cold and desperate for some sort of relief.

And Ari was still gone.

Mnem sighed and opened the door to his home, grunting as he set the bag down in the corner of the room. He made his way to his own bedroom, leaving the door open as he flopped onto the mattress, his muscles weak and tired.

The door opened once more – and a familiar face appeared.

The boy had grown faster than Mnem had imagined. It seemed like only yesterday Ari held the baby in her arms, shushing him as he wailed. His son now stood at fifteen, unusual eyes bright despite the lack of sun.

Those same eyes followed the bag as it slumped slightly, and in turn the boy looked over into his parents' room – and he smiled. Mnem smiled back, pushing himself from the bed and sitting up, patting the mattress. The youth attempted to remain nonchalant but he failed, sitting beside his father with a toothy grin.

"Glad you're back safe," he said softly, and Mnem nodded.

"As am I."

"Did you encounter any problems?" the boy asked, and Mnem raised a brow, curious.

"And why are you so intent on knowing the answer to that? You've never been so interested before, Alistair."

"…Mom was getting worried."

"Aah. She's always worried." He smirked as the brunette appeared in the doorway, her lips set into a frown.

"I am not always worried. And besides, you've been gone since the sun rose this morning! I thought- Ash! I thought you were…"

Mnem rolled his eyes but smiled to soften it, standing and bringing the girl closer. Ari sighed and crossed her arms, keeping her eyes away from him before smiling and leaning against him. "I'm just glad you're alright." She huffed, pulling away.

"Mor's starting on tonight's meal – we're eating in his home, tonight."

The boy cheered and laughed, "Yes!"

"That doesn't give you reason to harass the cows."

"Aw…"

Mnem smirked, watching his son fix his hair before following his mother outside. He watched them from the window for a moment before frowning, slipping out the door and behind their house. He broke into a sprint despite those tired muscles and made his way into the valley, jumping from a rock and looking out at the river. It flowed uninhibited by any unnatural interference and he chuckled, leaping across it and walking carefully, descending into a cave. He took hold of a torch left there for that very purpose, making his way down the steps and taking a right, setting the torch down once more and entering the library.

It wasn't much – he hadn't been able to bring much with him from his old home, what with the water, in fear of the documents being destroyed beyond compare. Ari still had no idea that his old notes were down here, as the girl was normally remaining at home for their child. She was always close by for someone and if she wasn't, Mnem was sitting at home, impatiently waiting for her. He hated to lie to her, but he had to – despite the portal to The End being destroyed there was always a chance. Always. It was a low chance, especially since they demolished what was left of the danger as well, but he was trained to always be prepared. He was getting older, and he wanted to pass on his teachings to Alistair – but with Ari in the way, he was finding it more than a little difficult to do so. He'd considered bringing the boy down to his study, but he'd noticed that Ari always had a way of knowing where the boy was. Her maternal instincts were strong as ever, and with the years they'd only gotten stronger.

He snatched a book from the makeshift desk against the cave wall and flipped it open, setting the torch down as he read.

Old drawings of portals, of strongholds and creatures he'd never been able to recognize. He frowned, mumbling to himself as he paced within the light's reaching. It was a disturbing thing, grotesque features morphed into something more terrifying than Mnem could ever imagine – the Dragon was nothing compared to this monstrosity, if the old notes of his Great Grandfather would tell him anything at all. The question was, of course, what was it? It was nothing Mnem himself had ever seen or heard of, but if it was drawn here then it either exists or had at one time.

He groaned, hearing Ari's voice.

"Mnem? Where the hell did you go?"

Mnem snapped the book closed, grabbing the torch and sprinting up the steps, replacing the torch halfway up and making his way to the top. He sat a ways away from the entrance of the cave by the water, pretending to wash his hands.

"M- Aah! There you are. We've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry. I suppose I got caught up in my thoughts. Shall we?"

Ari smiled weakly, nodding and taking Mnem's hand as he stood, beginning to walk forward.

Her eyes slowly looked back at the cave, a firm frown set upon her lips.

Damn it, Mnem…

The meal was perfect – as usual, Vreagon and Mor had done a wondrous job keeping the entire group fed, with enough to keep them at least a little nourished for a few more days. Alistair could feel the tension as soon as his parents walked through the door – his mother's jaw was set but his father seemed unaware of it, greeting his friends in a jovial tone.

And Alistair didn't like it.

He knew better than to approach it bluntly, at least not with Ari – the woman, when on edge, tended to snap at whoever asked her about it and he'd witnessed it several times in his fifteen years of life. But his father may give him more answers. The only problem was getting him alone long enough to ask.

Ari had disappeared home with the complaint of a headache, and Alistair watched her leave with a surprised blink. Mnem, too, frowned in her direction but said nothing to stop her, merely nodding and patting her back. "Get some sleep," he'd said, "You've been working hard lately."

The woman barely even grunted. Vreagon, too, decided to leave it alone, shifting uncomfortably.

This was his chance. "Papa," Alistair asked quietly, leaning over to the man. Mnem looked over and swallowed his food, wincing as the hot soup burned his throat. He cleared it and smiled.

"Yes?"

"…Can I talk to you outside?"

If the two opposite them heard, they made no indications. Mnem announced their departure and the two smiled and nodded, wishing them a good night.

It was freezing when they stepped outside, and Alistair shook slightly, frowning and holding his arms over his chest.

"What is it that you needed?" Mnem asked, walking slowly toward home. Alistair nearly cursed under his breath.

"I wanted to talk to you – without mom."

Mnem's gray eyes narrowed suspiciously and he frowned, stopping in his place and taking cover in the last rays of the sun, searching for some sort of relief.

"…Aah… well… Mom looked a little… Mad…?"

"I think 'pissed' is the correct term. You're fifteen, I'm not going to skin you for cursing," Mnem joked, though the humor died as Alistair looked toward their home. Mnem followed his line of sight and he frowned, realizing why he was staring in worry.

There weren't any torches lit – nor was the Redstone lamp switched on.

He'd have first thought that she was lying in bed – but the woman hated to be alone, and hated even more to be alone in the darkness. There would at least be a torch lit in their room as she waited for Mnem or Alistair to return home but there was no such luck. Not only this, but Duck was not raising a fuss in his pen beside the house, as he normally did. The mere fact that he was in the pen was a dead giveaway.

Ari wasn't even home.

Mnem clenched his teeth and started walking toward the cave, Alistair sputtering in surprise and confusion as he followed.

"Where are we-"

"Hush."

Alistair silenced, pouting.

They turned around the corner to the open fields, Mnem sneaking quietly in the grass. Alistair followed his lead, looking up at his father nervously. Just what were they sneaking up on? Where was his mother? Was Mnem attempting to scare her? If so, Alistair wanted out of that little deal before things kicked off.

"Papa-"

"Shh!" Mnem glared at him, stopping at a cave's mouth. Alistair peered down nervously. He'd picked up his mother's fear of the darkness – and with the torch missing from its hold on the wall he became even more nervous. Mnem, however, cursed quietly.

"Alistair. Go home, alright? I'll take care of this."

"But why are you-"

"Just go home."

Mnem disappeared into the cave, his black clothes and hair blending in with the shadows. Alistair considered following his father's order but curiosity was stronger in him than it was in anybody else… and he followed several minutes after the elder's footsteps died away.

"Ari."

The girl sputtered and nearly dropped the book, her head whipping around to face her lover. The man leaned against the wall and he frowned deeply, gray eyes swirling in nervousness and anger. "What?" she snapped, closing the book. "I was just looking around. After all it's not very often you find an abandoned library in a cave." She glared at him, slamming the book onto the desk. Mnem winced, the anger dying as he rubbed his neck.

"Look, I was going to tell you at some point, but-"

"But what, Mnem! You decide to… to lie to me instead? You said you'd leave all of… all of this behind."

"Ari you have no idea-"

"Then why don't you explain to me what's going on! After all you seem to have all the answers, now don't you?"

Mnem squeezed his eyes closed, shaking his head as he pushed himself off of the wall and paced, opening them once more to see Ari crossing her arms. "I just… okay. Yeah. I lied. I told you I'd leave it behind and I didn't. But damn it… this is my family's work we're talking about! Centuries of studying, and… and mapping, and theorizing, and… I can't just leave it behind! My entire life was based around these books. I've studied these things instead of survival for the first sixteen years of my life. Instead of how to cook, my father taught me how to kill. Not just monsters, like you learned, but people. Living people. I'm not like you! I can't just leave my entire past behind at the drop of a hat like you did-"

Wrong choice of words. Ari's sympathetic eyes hardened into anger and disbelief, stepping closer dangerously as her arms dropped to her sides. "How dare you." She snapped, cornering the man against a bookshelf. Mnem looked away from her, pursing his lips in attempts to remain calm. Shouting at her would do no good – she'd only retaliate with violence, if the past told him anything. "I gave up more than you know. You have no idea what I've been through, Mnem."

"…What…" Mnem closed his eyes. Biting the bullet was the thing it seemed he would be forced to do, and with Ari's brown eyes on him, he knew there was no other way out but the truth. "…What if I told you that I did?"

She stepped away from him, head tilted in confusion.

"Excuse-"

"What if I told you I knew exactly what you went through? The village? Your home?"

"How do you- Did Vreagon tell you?"

"No. I…" he sighed. "…I was there."

"You… were… Don't mess with me, Mnem. This isn't funny." Her voice trembled as her hands shook, her lips wobbling as she held back tears.

"I know, I know… it's not a joke. I'm not messing with you… Ari, I'm sorry. I didn't know you, I didn't know what I was doing, and I… I thought it was the only way out-"

"So you-…You killed…?"

Mnem's eyes slowly fell, listening to the girl's huff of disbelief. She hit the wall with her back and slid down, covering her face with her hands. Mnem slid forward, his face contorted into desperation.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry won't bring them back!" Ari screamed, slapping his hands away when he tried to bring her against his chest. He reeled back and pulled his hands closer to his chest, clenching his teeth. He considered yelling back at her but her sobbing stopped him, his chest aching. "That was my family. Saying 'sorry' just adds insult to injury. The fact that I… that I-… and with you…-"

"Ari. Listen to me-"

"No! I'm not listening to anything you have to say! You've said enough!" She stood sharply, attempting to run. In a desperate attempt to keep her still Mnem grabbed her, pulling her against his chest. She screamed shrilly and struggled against him, flailing her arms and kicking backwards at his feet. Her plan had worked in the worst way possible – the kick landed against his ankle and he hissed in pain, falling to the side, but he did not release her. Instead he pulled her tighter, twisting himself to avoid her getting hurt. He hit the stone ground with a crack and a cry of pain, and the girl stopped struggling, her eyes brimming with tears as she glanced back. "You…- You asshole! Let me go!"

"Mom, stop!" Alistair shouted, finally emerging from the shadows. Stunned by his appearance Ari paused and blinked at him, gasping and releasing a short yelp as he forced her away from his father.

Mnem lay on the ground, wincing and attempting to stand back up. Ari stood nervously, wincing as he yelped once more. Alistair grabbed his father's hand and pulled him up despite the older man's protests, the cracking echoing in the semi-empty cave. Guilt seeped into Ari's gut as Mnem tried to walk, his leg twisting painfully. She thought back to their previous conversation and backed away from Mnem as Alistair attempted to bring him up the steps, grabbing the torch as an after thought – and sneaking out one of the books.

They were halfway up the steps when the groan startled them.

"Oh no…" Alistair mumbled, but Ari set the torch in its place and sprinted up the stairs, pulling her dagger from its place on her thigh. Alistair watched the woman as her shadow, elongated by the setting sun, danced and jumped from invisible assailants. She snarled angrily as a Skeleton launched an arrow at her, dodging it easily and kicking its head away. Bits of skin hung from its bones and Ari made a disgusted groan, moving behind Alistair as he appeared at the top.

"Alistair, go."

"What-"

"Go home, get the boys, and then go inside."

"But-"

"Just go!"

Alistair sprinted away, his breathing increasing the longer he ran. He jumped over a rock and leapt over the fence to Vreagon's home, hearing both men speaking inside.

He shoved open the door.

"Mom and dad are in trouble!"

Both men looked at each other and grabbed their weapons, rushing out as Alistair pointed in their direction. The two were hobbling along, Mnem limping worse than before, and Ari trying her best to keep him moving. Vreagon drew his bow and aimed, falling to one knee as he steadied his shot. Mor rushed forward, and as he knocked over a zombie straggling behind, Vreagon let go, the arrow sailing through the air and piercing a spider mid-jump. Alistair ducked as another spider hissed behind him, nearly running inside before Duck's frantic clucking alerted him. He opened the pen quickly, gathering the chicken in his arms and running inside, slamming the door. It took him a few moments to feel the blood on his cheek and on his arm but he released Duck slowly, letting him waddle toward Ari's and Mnem's bedroom. String, their dog, barked and howled angrily, snarling and clawing against the door. Rio hissed at a Creeper outside and scared it away, its fear only drawing the cat closer. Alistair shoved the door open and String launched out, growling as he pounced on another zombie inches away from his owner. Ari moved to the side as she slipped into the door, Vreagon assisting her in bringing Mnem to her bedroom.

Alistair called in the animals and they sprinted into the house, allowing the boy to close the door just before a zombie could enter.

He fell to his knees, trembling as Mor dropped beside him. "You alright, kid?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm… I'm alright. Wasn't so bad." He lied, closing his eyes.

Mor sighed and helped his friend's child to his feet, leading him away into the boy's room to patch him up.

Ari set Mnem onto the bed and moved out of the way for Vreagon, who pulled the man's slacks from his legs. She wretched and looked away, unwilling to watch as Vreagon attempted to set the bone back.

Alistair sat in his bedroom in silence. Ari looked at him quietly and frowned, feeling his gaze move toward her.

"…What are you two hiding from me?" Alistair asked, and the woman frowned further.

"…Nothing."

Alistair scoffed, lifting himself from the bed and walking away into the center of the house, leaning against the wall and looking at his father as the two men leaned over him, fixing the damage dealt to his body. Alistair closed his eyes carefully and leaned his head back, sitting on the floor and allowing his body to thump against the side of the closet.

Just what were they fighting about?