Foolshope was a small town of little more than one thousand permanent residents, close to the edge of the forest. The roads were paved and wide enough for two carriages to pass each other while also giving enough space for pedestrians to walk.

The majority of the houses were made of wood, sturdy manually processed tree trunks and planks, while others looked to have walls of but clay. Some looked poorer, others wealthier. A distinct separation was made by their grouping.

On the main street that crossed the entire town, street vendors, boutiques and fancy shops littered both sides. From food to clothes, from herbs to weapons, from buying to selling, everything was done on the main street. Even the local authorities had their offices there.

However, while the greatest concentration of houses was in the town, there were families that had chosen to build their homes on the outskirts, and Weller’s was one such house. 

It was entirely made of wood like a chalet perfect for a vacation, from the stairs to the slabs of slate on the roof. It was a beautifully clean house that revealed their status, a middle-class family.

It had a big enclosed courtyard around the house where a handful of cross-horned goats grazed peacefully, long-beak hens, and a couple of dogs playing with a boy no older than 8 years old.

He had black short hair, brown eyes, round cheeks, and a pair of dirty clothes.  

Ravi, Parcey, and Louie headed towards the house. A wave of anxiousness washed over them when the boy saw them.

“Mom, dad’s home!” yelled the boy towards the house before happily rushing towards the group.

“Hi, uncle Ravi! Hi, uncle Parcey!!” The boy looked behind them. “Oo! Congratulations, big brother Louie, you killed wild boar. I knew you could do it. But where is daddy? Did he go to the market?”

The group just looked down, ashamed and unable to say anything. They didn’t know how to break the news.

Salvina, Weller’s wife, walked out of the house with an apron around her neck and wiping her hands full of flour with a piece of cloth.

“Already? That was fast, it usually takes them at least two weeks,” she said with a smile.

However, as soon as her eyes fell on them, a dreadful feeling grasped her heart as her hands fell down and the smile faded away. Unlike her, the boy was too young to notice and understand the atmosphere.

The piece of cloth slipped away from her hand as she took a slow step towards them. Then another. With each step her pace increased, running towards Parcey.

“Wh- whe- where’s my husband?” No one looked at her. “Parcey, where is my husband?” she asked again, more sternly.

Parcey looked up, tears running down his face. “I’m sorry!”

This told her everything. There was nothing more to add, nothing to clarify. Salvina broke down crying, falling to her knees. Soon after everyone burst into tears.

The boy looked confused at everyone.

“Why are you crying, mommy? Don’t be sad, look, they even brought a deer.”

“Fen, No!” Ravi yelled, but he was too late. The boy already pulled the cover away, revealing his father.

The young boy was in shock, staring at the pale face of his father, at the deep cut into his shoulder, at the red dried blood.

“D- d- da- dad?”

 Salvina rushed towards her boy to hide his face in her stomach. “Don’t look Fen,” she said as she saw her husband laying on the stretcher with eyes closed, with a content smile on his face.

The boy struggled and fought to escape his mother’s embrace. He wanted to see his father.

“Dad, dad, wake up. Please wake up, daddy, please.” He shook his father as he was trying to wake him up from sleep.

“He isn’t waking up, Fen,” said Parcey.

“No, you’re lying. He promised to take me with him next time. He always keeps his promises.”

“Calm down, baby. Everything we’ll be alright,” the mother tried to soothe her child but with no success.

“No, he isn’t, Fan. He isn’t coming back,” added Ravi.

“No, you’re wrong. He promised,” said the boy as he shook off his mother’s hands and rushed past them, crying and running as fast as his legs would allow him.

“Fen!” yelled Salvina.

“I’ll go,” said Louie as he ran after the boy.

The woman nodded and looked at her husband, at his warm smile. She bent down and united their foreheads, gently caressing his face. She stood like that for a long time, tears running down her face down on his. No one said a word.

“What happened?” she asked after she wiped away her tears.

***

The orange-gold stretches far and wide, the color of fire that brings both destruction and creation as the sun slowly set, bringing the end of a day and the promise to return with new hope.

Serene sounds of gurgling and rippling water took the place of a beautiful melody as the gem-blue river flowed towards the forest.

Two lone silhouettes sat down on the bank of the river, one small and one bigger.

“Dad is really not coming back?” asked Fen. His eyes were red from the constant cries.

“No, he is not. I wish he could though, I have so much more to learn,” said Louie.

“Me too, I don't know anything about hunting or how to protect my mom. Now I’m the man of the house and dad always said that the man of the house has to protect his family.”

“I’ll teach you everything I know,” said Louie, at which the boy just nodded. “Ravi and Parcey will do too.”

“Mm-hmm!” The boy nodded while dangling his feet in the cold water.

“Big brother, Louie. I want to get strong and beat up the man that hurt my dad,” said the boy. “Do you think I can get that strong?”

“Your father said that revenge—”

“What a beautiful view,” a calm yet melancholic voice came from behind them.

Both boys turned back, yet their reactions could not be more different. Fan had a sense of curiosity towards the stranger, especially because he looked as if the man had just come from a hard fight.

However, Louie was terrified because the man in front of him was no other than Weller’s killer, Jon Qao