Lucius walked quickly through the forest. The medallion, still embedded in his chest, pulsed occasionally like a living thing. Since receiving this ancient artifact, he had felt a strange force within him—strong, yes, but also terrifying. He was no longer just a child. Something inside him had changed.
He wanted to talk to Elenya. She was the only one who might understand.
But as he neared the elven village, a sharp, acrid smell filled his nose. Smoke rose high into the sky in thick columns. In the distance, screams, cries, and the clash of steel echoed through the trees.
— "No…"
He broke into a run, heart pounding, fists clenched. The village was under attack.
When he arrived, the scene before him was a nightmare. Grotesque creatures—ghouls with pale skin and hollow red eyes—tore through everything in their path. They poured from the shadows like a plague. The elven warriors fought desperately, but they were outnumbered, overwhelmed, and clearly outmatched.
Lucius scanned the chaos, looking for Elenya. He caught a glimpse of her, fighting alongside her father. But a magical explosion erupted nearby, toppling a tree and scattering the defenders.
A wall of fire, monsters, and panic rose between them.
Lucius found himself isolated. In front of him, a group of elven mothers and children ran, screaming, as a swarm of ghouls gave chase.
He froze. Time stopped. He had no time to think. No time to weigh the consequences.
Then the medallion pulsed harder—once, twice—like a heartbeat.
— "You have been chosen. You bear power. Release it."
Lucius raised his hand. He'd called upon the wind before, but this time he would go deeper. He would use everything.
— "WIND!"
He unleashed the energy without restraint—guided by instinct, fear, and desperation.
A raging hurricane exploded from his palm. A massive blade of wind tore through the air, howling like a storm's cry. It cut down the horde instantly… and everything else in its path.
When the wind finally died, a heavy silence fell over the village.
Lucius opened his eyes—and what he saw shattered him.
The monsters were gone. But so was half the village.
Homes reduced to splinters. Trees uprooted. Bodies—children, mothers—scattered across the earth. Some of them still clutched each other, frozen in terror.
Half the village had been erased.
And it was his doing.
Lucius dropped to his knees, trembling, hands stained, eyes wide.
— "What… what have I done…?"
Around him, the survivors emerged slowly from the smoke. First in silence… then in horror. Their eyes widened. Their hands pointed.
— "He… he killed everyone…"
— "That's not a child… that's a monster…"
Lucius could feel their fear pierce through him. They looked at him like a curse.
Then, a voice he knew too well.
— "Lucius?"
Elenya.
She was covered in ash, bleeding but alive. She approached, slowly, her eyes locked on the ruins.
She saw the bodies… the destruction.
— "Was it you…?"
Lucius looked up at her, his voice broken.
— "I… I just wanted to save you…"
But no words could undo what had happened.
He had saved them from one massacre…
Only to become another.