-THE BRIGHT LAND THEY THOUGHT -

- (a bright sunnyday with clouds shadow passing by, a sweetness filled the air along with the bitter aroma of the earth, winds whistling, orchestrating the dance of the grass, along the beat of their footfalls and click clacking sounds,  

-  but even with the bright land before their eyes, little sobs and cries could still be heard throughout their parade. 

- the villagers turned refugees mourns for the need to abandon their home, but as feeble as they can be, the refugees can do nothing but just quietly grieve their homes. 

- Luc with his family, even though griefed, cherishes the meal they're having, unfortunately their father is away coaching a separate carriage with their livestock, crops, and valuables unable to join their meal. 

- though even in blue, Luc along with, Bel, eased up and marvel at the view laid in front of them, the unending meadows, the towering alps, and the wave like pattern of the hills, a surreal view that calms their heart. 

- they were ecstatic of the view before their very eyes, however, as they traveled further, Luc noticed the appearance and increasing number of armaments... shields, blades, armors, and other weaponries scattered in the land,

- erected from the ground, rusted, broken in pieces, everything consumed by time

-  though Bel is in awe, Luc found it breathtaking and a chilling view at the same time, Luc is reminded by their village, the impending war and the dangers he yet to discover.

- he understand that as promising as it may be, this new world is not a land of dreams and fairytales, but a world where reality still resides,

-Luc gazed in the blade covered land and ponders on what may have happened before, though his eyes is on the land Luc heard a voice and looked, his mother, so close to his face, smiling and calling his name. 

- Luc almost fell in shock, while, Bel, laughed in face of his brother's rare jest, their mother quickly reminded them to respect and finished their food first before doodling around. 

- Luc refrained and didn't dare to look any further outside, he got back to his seat and continued his meal, though the thought... still tarries his mind.

- Miri saw Luc's sulleness, she asked Luc what seems to be the problem, Luc with eyes on his meal, asked his mother, "mother what happened in this lands."

- Miri her mother simply said that its a former battlefield back in the ages, but Luc already knew, what he was hoping to know was the details that transpired, so he asked again, "what happened in the battlefield"

- seeing Luc's interest Miri could do nothing but speak of the battle that happened before the land. 

- Miri sighed and looked to afar recounting the stories, while the brothers quietly listen for the story she will tell. 

- ages ago even before the village was born, the frontlines are not as far as they are today, and the frontlines are fought on this very land, the knights successfully push the enemies back but the holy order didn't have time to clean the land, they had to push the enemies further and as far away as they can. 

- Luc wondered, why did people back then didn't loot the field, he knows that the valuables back then will fetch pretty good price. 

-  but Miri said the peasants back then didn't loot the battlefield out of respect for knights that entered the battle knowing that will be their last. 

- the peasants also loathed the enemies belongings, they pride themselves for not taking the cursed arms of their foes that has wounded and slain their patrons who protected their land, that is why these swords and shields are left untouched until to this day. 

-  Luc asked, who are even their enemies at all. 

- Miri with a gloom in her eyes look straight to Luc and said "the faithless... those who abandoned their faith... and all who sided with the accursed beings. 

the enemies of God.

- Luc sat their speechless and look in awe of her mother, while the contrast of sun and the shade is seen in her beautiful face. 

- Luc then asked what should they do but Miri says that it is not up to them to think what to do but to the God that will deliver them to their own rightful destinies. 

- But for now it is their duty to rest through their journey and not step to the boundaries they're not meant to explore.

- Luc didn't dare to ask more,

he quietly pass his time and rest throughout their journey.

-THE REFUGE THEY SEEK-

- after a gruelling travel they arrived at a monastery that is much further from the disfusion from the frontlines and situated closer to the alps, the monastery have a church, lodgings, and a field to tend. 

- as they arrive they are immediately welcomed by the parish and aids of the church, attending to their belongings, and to those who are sick or old, they quickly guided the refugees inside to rest and offered meal after their long journey. 

- as they go inside, a mundane look of the church can be seen, stone walls, tainted windows, chandeliers hanging, and the smell of Incense filling the air. 

 they all sat in rows of while the aids hand their suppers for the night.

  - the parish, gave his heartfelt sympathy for the tragedy that have struck them, sorry for their lost and that the monastery will give what it can to aid the refugees in every way they can. 

-  after the regards of the parish, they are told that the refugees will be waiting at the monastery for a while, they've been given quarters to live in for their stay and church will provide for all their needs. 

- regarding to where they will go, they will wait for the affiliated kingdoms to take them in, but until then they are obliged to help the monastery until they depart. 

- they will be tasked to tend the crops clean, take turns in cooking and attend masses, while the knights patrol the fields day and night. 

- a taste of their former daily lives. 

  - BROTHER'S PRIDE - 

- days have passed, and since then everyone is working hard contributing to the monastery, 

- while working, Luc noticed Bel has been working hard to do his chores , this is the first time Luc saw his brother helping earnestly. 

- he thought that Bel must have felt the responsibility as the eldest son has come and the time to fool around was over. 

- Luc felt a little sorry for his brother that they have to go through such an ordeal in such a young age, that Is why he dicided to find time after his chores to go and visit Bel. 

- As he visits Bel he tried to tease him and temp him into looking around the field 

- Bel was almost enticed But Bel pass, he wants to act with responsibility and help the monastery in anyway he can. 

- Luc respects Bel words and decides to leave him with his work and just watch in a distance away. 

  - UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL - 

- It was dusk and the mass is about to begin, everyone is gathering to the church and find their seats.

  - Luc and his family is also about to enter, but Luc decided to pass some time and stay outside for some breeze before the mass starts, 

  - Luc sitting outside, admiring the scenery, reflecting to the things that had pass, but as he stands to go inside, he noticed lights from a far, a parade of wagons that appears to be escorted by a group of knights.  

  - as the parade arrives, he saw Sir Mercy with their lamps and torches, welcoming the incoming parade, 

  - the knights looks ragged and worn out, maybe a battle has occured, but Luc did not look any further and joined the mass inside. 

  - another refugees he thought, then suddenly sir mercy step unto the altar and whispered into the parish's ears and silently step down and go outside. 

  - the parish then signalled the choir for the hymns to be stopped, "the mass is cancelled for the day" the parish said. apparently another batch of refugees will come, just as Luc thought, the mass will be cancelled to tend the refugees who have just arrived. 

  - Luc and their village is been tasked to help the new refugees who have just arrived, cooking, setting tents and distribution of meals.  

  

  - as Luc go outside he saw fires, camps, and tents being placed outside, setting accommodation for the new refugees and breads being handed while the meal is still being prepared inside. 

  - Luc unknowingly walked towards the refugees, observing them. 

- they look ragged, ravaged, and traumatized even more from the way Luc's village arrived. 

  - he knows that they have suffered much more, Luc move further to the refugees, he saw wagons lined up. 

  - as he was looking at the wagons one of the tarps of wagons got blown of by a strong wind, uncovering the tarp, and in good heart Luc chased it and caught the blown off tarp, and the guard and refugees noticed Luc. 

  - as they noticed that one of the wagons tarp is missing with a kid nearby, panick in their faces showed and hurriedly tried to called out to the child, but it was too late

  - as Luc turns to the wagon, its not supplies that he thought it would be... 

  - child, woman, and men, bodies stacked in the wagon is what Luc saw, pale skin with eyes still open, blood dripping in ears, eyes, nose and their mouths, with terrified expressions frozen in their face. 

  - his heart frozed along with his whole body, his mind went blank and his eyes glued to the wagons, 

  - the knight in charge quickly covered the wagon. 

  - the captain of knights walk to Luc examined him and look straight to his face asking the boy if his okay, but the boy was silent. 

  - he quickly questioned everyone how a kid got close to the wagons without anyone's notice, no one answered. 

- He look to the knight assigned to look over the wagons, but the knight have no excuse and admit to his fault. 

  - Mercy just quietly look in the knight, averting his gaze back to the boy, he asked his name, "Luc" the boy answered 

  - Mercy asked for the parents of Luc as he slowly guided the boy back to the church 

  - his parents hurriedly came and the mother quickly embrace the boy into his arms. 

  - his father then asked what happened, 

  Mercy paused for a second and said that he saw the bodies of the villagers who didn't make it alive. 

  - the mother of the boy even hold him tighter after hearing Mercy's words. 

  - the father was speechless, and thanked Mercy for caressing his son after what happened.

  - Mercy quietly nodded and said one final farewell to the boy and got back to his post. 

  - after what happened Luc is quietly caressed by his mother thru the following days, Bel never heard of the incident and never will. 

  - after the incident, eventually everything got back to where it were, the new refugees adjusted to the monastery, and everyone continued on thier daily lives. 

  

  - UNWANTED GUEST - 

- in a chilling night with stars illuminating the land, sounds of crickets and hoos of howls could be heard in shadows outside. 

- the monastery and refugees is having a mass, listening to the oration of the parish, hymns and chorals resounds. 

- Orating, carefully reading through the word of the scriptures, reading the word of God.

- Luc and his family is sitted along the mass, quietly listening to the sermons and passages being read aloud. 

- Luc is listens knowing that the scriptures may hold hints and knowledge about the world, but even Bel could be seen behaved and mannered, as the scriptures is a respected treasure not just by the church but the whole nation. 

- but unbeknownst to the monastery, in peace amidst their mass, a corrupted human imbued with curse have come to disturbed their holy gathering and invited itself in the church.

- Luc suddenly felt a tingling sensation behind his whole back, Luc turned to look and saw a ragged human,pale and hallowed, with dark aura enveloping its whole body. 

- the creature stands alone, erratic, shivering, ang gasping for its life 

- Luc with a stuttering voice, could not hold himself but question what creature is standing behind the mass. 

- and amidst the silence, Luc's words rang through the whole church. 

- everyone looked and saw an unknown figure have come to join the mass. 

- the parish is dumbstrucked, with his eyes widening only more as he realised their situation in his mind.

- and after a brief silence, the parish mumbled under his breath, 

" a wandering accursed..." 

- as everyone heard the parish, terror quickly set in their face and silence filled the church. 

- But out of fear, one the refugees tripped and moved. 

- and in a blink of an eye, a blow of a whip resounded through the air, blood splashed and smothered everywhere. 

- Like a signal that starts a race, everyone started running for their own lives. 

- and chains of screams and Limbs came flying as everyone tried to ran. 

- Luc's family quickly ran outside, Miri holding Bel and Ruvir holding Luc, 

- But even before they could get out of their seats another sound of whip is heard, a d in a flash Ruvir's arm came flying off the air. 

- Ringing in their ears, deaf from the sound of the whip, Luc's whole family is stunned, Miri tried to help Ruvir but another whip came striking back, narrowingly misses Miri. 

- Tears came streaming down Miri's face 

as she saw Ruvir sitting on the ground, bleeding and missing an arm, but Ruvir looked straight to Miri speaking with his eyes, Miri knew what she had to do, and Miri ran first with Bel not looking back, entrusting their child to Ruvir. 

- after Miri ran with Bel, Luc shiveringly tored his clothes and wrapped it tight around of what's left over of his father's arm. 

- Ruvir barely concious asked Luc where he learned to do that but Luc couldn't even answer from terror of the situation, and just continued to wrapped the cloth on his father. 

- Ruvir ratracted his question and instructed Luc to crawl under the seats and aim for the nearest exit, but Luc refused to leave his father just like that. 

- But Ruvir said that if don't escape on his own they'll both die. 

- still, Luc refused, he said that the knights should be arriving soon, they'll be rescued if they just silent and not be noticed by the monster.

- While they hide the accursed whips and lashes could be heard, with it's every blows splattering of blood came after. 

- growling, gasping and bones cracking. 

Luc with his father is pinned not knowing what to do, crawl, stand, or make a sound and their heads will came flying to the air. 

- Ruvir on the other hand from the moment he lost his arm already intends to sacrifice himself just so Luc could escape, but Luc will not let that happen. 

- Unfortunately with all his tinkering in how to escape the situation Luc did not that the accursed is already behind them. 

- Ruvir tried to push Luc away but it was too late, the accursed tentacle like limb pierced both Luc and Ruvir from Luc abdomen to Ruvurs chest. 

- Luc couldn't do anything but watch as his father slowly loose his life. 

- the accursed then pull his arms out of Luc leaving a gaping hole in his stomach, with his punctured abdoment and possibly obliterated spine rendered Luc incapacitated and disabled. 

- Luc tries to crawl with all the strength he could muster, in all of his patheticness he tried to crawl just so his father's death would not be in vain

- however the Accursed already caught up to Luc, pinning him to the ground. It strangled luc while  mounting on him and began to vomit a dark goo  on luc's  face. 

- Luc couldn't resist but gasp for air, but as the creature strangled him, he is forced to swallow the goo it puked out. 

- as he swallowed the goo Luc's resistance weakened, clouding his mind, and Luc blacked out.

  - AFTER DEATH - 

- Luc find himself floatinging in void, just barely hanging to his conciousness In a dark endless sea, " so I died again" he said, it was brief but well lived he thought. 

- " Don't lie to yourself Luc" at that instant the void turned into a blissful field of blooming spring and clear blue skies.  

- Luc couldn't even say a word, and after a moment of tranquility

" like I said don't lie to yourself Luc" he then noticed a person beside him repeating the words he just heard... 

- The entity beside him spoke likw human but doesn't remotely look human, almost like a being without physical body, bare noticeable because of the projected environment warps passing thru him. 

- he asked the man where they are 

And the man said "nowhere". 

- afterwards he asked who the entity is but is answered with silence, 

- and after a moment of pause the entity said that no one knows. 

- "But in that case who are you?"  

- " Oh YOU know who I am Luc... 

but does it really matter?, you'll die anyways. " 

- And Luc remembered that he just died... Again, " so this is the afterlife?" 

- The entity then bursted in laughter, he laughed continuously and rolled to the ground, and his stale expression broke like a brittle glass. 

- The seriousness in Luc's face dissappeared and switched to disdain and shame towards the unknown entity. 

  -" No Luc not quite right, but doesn't really matter, cause what you need to do now is not know where this is but to Lived Luc"

- "Don't you want to live?" the entity said. 

- But Luc knows he just died. the entity then speak, " I know you just died Luc but trust new world you're in" 

- Luc didn't say anything for a while but then spoke " so you can read my mind?" 

 Luc was astonished and he didn't show but he didn't tried to hide it as he was sure the entity jus read his mind. 

- "So? Like i said Luc it doesn't matter at all, I'll ask you one last time, don't you want to live?" 

- " you answer it you can read my mind right?" 

- "Inherited even the stubbornness huh?, okay okay, just remember okay, No matter what happens Luc, live... " 

- the entity then lightly pushed Luc's shoulder, pushing him into a hole in the ground that appeared behind Luc, Pushing Luc to oblivion. 

- Luc closed his eyes didn't bother falling at all, for some reason he completely trusted the entity's words, to LIVE. 

- Luc then opened his eyes only to see he's being drowned in a black goo and strangled by the monster that pierrced his chest. 

- Even though in the brink of death Luc trusted the words of the entity that waked him from his death. 

- Just as the entity said Live. 

  - BEFORE BIRTH - 

- at that time mercy's unit is scattered around outside the church doing their patrol duty, that’s is until they heard the crying voice of the refugees 

- all of them rushed to the church at that very second. Wondering what may have happened  that slipped their guard. 

- as they arrived, the scene that greet them shock the knights, especially mercy, not only is there an Accursed there, but the boy he saw is at death's door barely hanging on his life. 

- mercy didn't waste a single second and quickly draw his sword, but just before he could even slash the Accursed, an explosive energy erupted sending waves of energy throughout the land. 

- baffled by the sudden explosive energy, there he saw Luc enveloped in light, his abilities is being awakened and able to control temporal mana, " though it seems he's not able to use an ability yet, he used raw mana  like a extension of his body to bind the Accursed ".

- Mercy the tried to Finished the accursed with his sword but just before he could even kill the accursed the monster released an even more thicker cursed energy desperately clinging to its life. 

- but to Mercy's surprise Luc's control did not just bind the Accursed but also controlled the cursed energy coming from the accursed. 

- what mercy saw baffled him, he thought to himself  that awakening at a young age is rare but controlling the cursed energy is a different matter. 

- controlling cursed energy is far from forbidden ability but a skill only obtained by those who have completely fall to sins and those who allied with a fallen. 

- but now is not the time to think... He used his sword finally slashing through the enemy and appeasing the night. 

- After Mercy killed the accursed Luc completely Lost conciousness and fall to the ground. 

- Mercy didn't even tried to help Luc after what he witnessed but quickly ordered the knights under him to send a message to the capital,

- An inquisition is to be held against the village of Paulm Agnus and trial against the whole house of Ruvir. 

  - end of chapter 2-