"Auron, hurry up," his mother called. The entire village was having a harvest party, and they were due to bring the dessert his mother made. It was comprised of every fruit on the island, chopped and mixed up, and drizzled with honey. Auron loved it, and so did the whole village. His father was carrying two baskets filled with large bowls of the fruit dish. Auron stood up, a shell in his hand, and ran up to her.
"Here, mom, I found this for you."
She took it and smiled. It was beautiful, and whole, and shimmered wonderfully in the sunlight. She hugged him around the shoulders and kissed his cheek. He grinned and ran up to his dad.
"What can I do to help, dad?"
His father looked down benevolently.
"Only eight and already eager to work." He shook his head lightly. "You've got more energy than half this village."
Auron smiled and ran ahead a little ways.
"Stay close, kid, you don't know if there are fiends on the shore…"
No sooner had the words left his lips than a hideously disfigured monster rose from the shore, dripping sea water and weed, its odd fangs bared and scooped hands readied. Auron drew his blade and stood completely still, his veins pulsing with that familiar feeling of destiny. He heard his father run up to him on the sand, drawing his own sword.
"Auron, get back!"
"No, dad."
He looked down at his son, at the intensity in his eyes, and knew. Auron lived for this.
"Let me go first," he said.
Auron nodded.
Tarak lunged forward and hacked at the beast's arm, though it did not do much damage. It swung back at him, hitting his side and making him fall to his knees.
"Dad!"
Amma joined the fight, healing her husband. Auron knew he was in good hands, and jumped at the creature to strike at the same arm his father did. It did not do much damage, either. Tarak readied himself and quickly performed an Armor Break. The creature howled in agony, and Auron hit its arm again. It fell off and disappeared, and the creature swung with its other arm, hitting him and launching him back onto the sand. His mother healed him, as well, and looked into his eyes with concern.
"You do not have to join this fight," she urged.
"My place is by your sides," he said, smiling at his parents. They both nodded, and Tarak attacked the other arm. This time, it fell off with just the one hit, and the creature shrieked again. Amma cast fire at its head, stopping only to heal her husband and son while they attacked the monster's body and arms when they reappeared. Finally, Auron, using all of his strength, vaulted with his blade aimed at the beast's chest, and drove it in, slicing down as he fell to the sand. It gave one last, angry scream and disappeared. Auron was gasping for air, his heart pounding, but the thrill and adrenaline he felt pulsing through him was better than anything he had ever felt before. His mother and father held him closely, but there was worry on their faces.
"I've never seen a fiend like that, before. What was it?"
They looked at each other before his father answered slowly, "A Sinspawn."
"But… but they only come when…" Auron stuttered. His eyes drifted out towards the sea, where a gigantic monster, impossibly large, was heaving itself out of the ocean. Auron screamed and his parents held him tightly, picking him up and running away. From between the safety of his parents' arms, Auron could hear the entire village shouting, children crying, and everyone's footsteps beating the earth as they ran as fast as they could away from the sea. But even so, they could feel a cool mist settling down on the village like salty spring rain, and they knew.
Tarak and Amma stopped and fell on the ground, shielding Auron.
"Mom, dad, what are you doing? We need to run!"
They only smiled. Auron noticed the tears in their eyes, and began crying, too, a silent weep not for himself, but for everyone else he had already failed to protect.
"Listen, honey, whatever happens, wherever we go, we love you," his mother said.
"Don't ever forget that," said his father.
They were both smiling.
"B-b-but… I… I don't want you to go!"
His mother and father both wrapped their arms around their son, and he could only see the barest glimpse of the sky, and an odd shadow was blocking it out.
"Love you," they said, clutching, shielding, and before he knew what was happening, his parents were yanked from his grasp, and he, too, was pulled into what he knew must be some kind of tornado. He closed his eyes tightly; he did not want to see where he was going, but, more importantly, he wanted to keep the memory of his parents alive in his memory as vividly as possible… he wanted to be able to tell them how much they meant to him… Later on, he thought, he could. But suddenly, he hit the earth hard and all he knew was darkness.