I walk through the town towards Elder Fulven’s house with my parents. The overcast sky gives me a gloomy feeling, as if Mysthera was feeling sullen today.

The houses that once gave this village the look of prosperity were now burnt and broken and memories of the past seemed to pass by. The faces I’ll never see again in this life give me a feeling of emptiness.

I can’t help but feel a tightness in my chest, my nose sours and I rub the tears away.

Both mother and father also seem lost in their thoughts, they both lived here far longer so the impact on them must be much greater. They saw the village they had grown to love destroyed and violated.

‘Most of their friends were now gone, even I will...’ Shaking my head, I bury that morbid thought and pick up the pace.

It doesn’t take long for us to reach our destination, Elder Fulven’s house. He was the oldest in our village at over 400 years though he never clarified his exact age. His purpose here was not as a leader, but a teacher.

Elder Fulven taught most in the village how to read and write and sing the old songs, he also taught history and ancient legends to those who would listen.

‘I was never interested in such things but now I’ll never have the chance to listen to the elder’s tales.’ I sigh inwardly.

“Look, it seems that everyone has gathered.” Redan whispers.

Eyla looked around and said softly. “None have taken that step yet.”

“It’s not easy my love, those stout-hearted have already gone onward. All that was left were those who were too reluctant.”

I look around and see a few recognizable faces, Aela one of the few remaining warriors. She was marked, the same as me.

Dehgan, one of the few remaining in my age group. My impression of him was that he always seemed quiet and most enjoyed tending to his family’s crops.

And then there was Nylan, Elder Fulven’s great great grandson. I don’t know much about him other than he was set to take his place once he passed on to the verdant garden.

I look towards the Elder’s house around which everyone was gathered. It was the largest house in the village, expertly built from the surrounding ironwood. On its sunset colored walls were many ancient carvings telling legends of the past.

And there I saw him, the strange elf who saved us. I was unconscious at the time but apparently from what father told me, the human soldiers just seemed to fall dead as if struck by an invisible sword.

It sounded like terrifying magic but father said that there was no sign of magic on Soren at all, then how could he have saved us? I didn’t believe father at the time but now that I see this savior, I know that he is right.

Although we have lost our ability to use magic, seeing one who possesses it is quite easy. All elves have the ‘sight’ and not even the curse could take that away. Those with magic have an unmistakable glow about them, often colored with their most compatible element.

‘He has no magic aura, no warrior force..nothing. So how did he save us?’ I can’t help but wonder.

It was difficult to tell his age as it is with most elves, but from the way he carried himself, perhaps he was a young adult.

He had obsidian hair and grey eyes that seemed to pull those who met them in, but from his temperament and his deep gaze, I could feel something.

I frown but can’t think of what it is. ‘It’s certainly not fear or closeness...no, it’s freedom! As if he is not tethered to anything in this world. I wonder why?’

As I was lost in my thoughts, Soren began speaking.

“Hello my dear clansmen, I am happy that you have come.” Soren smiled and swept his gaze across, making sure he met the eyes of everyone at least once. “I’m sure you have many questions like how I can save those of you with the red mark or even who I am and why I’m here. These are valid questions which I will answer now.”

I feel curious, especially towards his claims of the vile red mark. Perking my ears, I listen intently.

“Let me first say that who I am is a mystery in itself. I fell from the heavens, bare as the day I was born with no knowledge of who I am, I almost died from that fall.”

Hearing this, I unconsciously raised my brow. It was a crazy claim but I continued to listen.

“As I was dying, strange memories filled my mind of another world and with a thought I created the means to save myself with an artifact from that world! It was from that point that I discovered that anything from there that I wanted, could be created easily.”

All the elves expressions change drastically, many showing intense looks of skepticism and doubt. I myself was also in their camp.

I couldn’t help but think. ‘Is this elf a swindler?’

“I see that you don’t believe me and I understand, let me demonstrate with something familiar.”

Soren raised his hand and a light flashed, after a second what appeared in his hand was a long curved sword.

I gasped along with everyone else. ‘He just created a sword from nothing and there was no magic involved so he may be telling the truth. Does he truly have a way to save me?’

Soren stuck the sword in the ground and gestured. “It’s real, check for yourselves.”

A couple curious elves including Aela went over to the sword and touched it.

“This is a fine blade!” Aela snatched the sword from one of the other elves and she greatly admired it, her eyes sparkling.

Soren chuckled. “It’s called a katana and it was made from a smithing process that took centuries to refine. You can keep it.”

Aela’s expression brightened up as she asked. “Are you sure?”

Soren nodded.

Aela couldn’t help but let out a laugh of joy, the two elves nearby showing an expression of envy.

One of them couldn’t help but think. ‘I touched it first..it should be mine!’ But he knew better than to argue with Aela, a strong warrior who guarded the village and even managed to fight off a turtle-back bear. She was rumored to be very combative.

“There’s also something else that you have seen from that world. My arm.” Soren’s eyes surged with passion as he raised his strange looking arm. “You all saw its might didn’t you?”

The surrounding elves looked at each other and nodded slowly, though I was in confusion. I tug on my father’s robe and ask. “Father, what is he talking about?”

“Daughter, that strange arm of his can leave his body and fly faster than an arrow and then return, it truly is a strange arm.”

I ponder for a moment finding it hard to imagine such an absurd thing and it shows on my expression, my father sees this and adds. “You would have to see it, to believe it. I had to pinch myself when I saw it to make sure I wasn’t delirious.”

“I have not lied to you, as you have seen for yourself. It is with this divine ability of mine that your salvation lies.”

I hear chatter and then someone speaks, it was Nylan’s voice.

“You mean to say that you can create something from that world that will remove the red mark?” Nylan asks with a calming voice.

I feel a slight hope but it is immediately crushed in the next second.

Soren shakes his head and replies. “No, that other world is one which is void of magic. There is nothing there that can remove your red marks.”

Despair seems to flash on the surrounding elves faces including mine. Both father and mother show their feelings on their faces and it’s a terrible sight, one I wish I could remedy.

“Although I can’t remove the mark for you, I can give you the means to fight back!” Soren clenched his fist in anger. “With a weapon from that world!”

Aela who was an experienced warrior narrowed her eyes, she then asked the question that everyone had on their minds. “How can we stand against them? No sword, staff or bow could allow the ordinary to face a mage or even an amateur knight with warrior force in any meaningful capacity unless we outnumbered them by a huge factor. We’ve already learned that the hard way through countless painful lessons.”

Soren’s eyes seemed to show a dark light as he said. “You have already seen the answer for yourselves, when you saw the deaths of those knights. Even a mage couldn’t survive.”

“I shall reveal that weapon to you now. Please turn your sights to that tree over there.”

I turn my gaze and see a distant tree about 20 meters away, with my sharp eyesight, I can easily spot a dead human knight with a mangled head tied to it. I almost feel an urge to vomit just from the gruesome display.

“Watch closely, now. You don’t want to miss this.”

Confused I turn my gaze and see Soren reaching out his hand. Suddenly that same gentle light appears again.

But there was no sword there, only a strange crooked stick.

Soren stroked the stick with a slight grin. “This my friends is a weapon from the other world that’s far more advanced than primitive swords and bows. It’s called an Ak-47.” Soren pulled something on the stick making a clicking sound, he then pointed it towards the dead knight.

‘An ak what?’ My thought was interrupted by a horrendously loud banging that echoed in my ears.

Fire seemed to spew forth from the end of the stick like dragon breath.

Surprised I turn my eyes to where the human knight was and what I saw sent a feeling of shock and rippling throughout my heart.

The knight’s steel armor which swords and arrows found difficult to penetrate seemed to burst open, blood spurting out like a fountain. It was torn asunder by something I could not see.

I heard my father’s shocked gasp. “This is..similar to that time..”

When the stick finished throwing out fire and smoke, the corpse of the knight stopped spraying out blood. It was totally mutilated with a large bloody red cavity.

When I looked at both the stick and the knight, I understood what just happened and it left me shaken.

Many of the elves, my father and even my mother began to breathe heavily. Aela looked very strange, showing a look similar to when father and mother....ahem.

Soren showed an expression that seemed dark and twisted. “The other world may not have magic but its weapons are absolutely horrifying. This simple Ak-47 that was so easily produced there could be used by anyone, including children. In the many years following its creation, the people killed by it numbered over a hundred thousand.”

Nylan and a few others with a greater understanding of numbers had their eyes open wide in fright.

“This common weapon is capable of easily slaughtering those that are 300 meters away and no armor can stop it as you saw.” Soren looked at everyone with blazing eyes. “This weapon is your salvation. Just imagine it. If all of you had one of these in your hands, forget about a hundred...Even a thousand enemies couldn’t withstand it!” Soren raised his hand and a light flowed outward throwing tens of Ak-47’s on the ground.

I felt an unbearable heat grow within my chest.

“This weapon is just the beginning. There are many more ready to be brought forth, to tear apart the darkened skies that cloud our race.”

Soren opened his arms wide. “Do you understand now? No longer will you have to die unjustly or be constantly afraid of another attack. We can finally fight back and protect ourselves from those who would enslave us!”

I heard a sniffle and saw many of the surrounding elves shedding tears including my father. Some elves had even begun praying fervently.

“My brothers and sisters, right here, right now...our 3000 years of oppression ends today.”

“For those who would terrorize us, violate us and enslave us...there is only one word-”

Soren took in everyone’s reaction and showed a vicious smile, he raised his fist and shouted. “Vengeance!”

First there was one and then another and by the end, everyone held their fists high shouting. “Vengeance!”

I feel the burning fury that I felt when I was moments away from my own death ignite like a great firestorm.

I raise my clenched fist and scream with all my might. “Vengeance!”