In a dirty alleyway, a child ran with his short feet skipping past the rubbles and puddles and his thin hands tightly secured two loaves of bread against his chest. He soon arrived at a small shack gasping for breath and woke up three other children huddled together, his voice a shrill high in happiness.

“Wake up! Wake up Amel! Jaeb! Reed! Guess what I got?!“

The children blearily opened their eyes and upon seeing their friend proudly grinning and waving the bread, their dead pupils widened and burst with joy. They huddled around the child with their hungry eyes never leaving the bread. The child smiled and shared the loaves equally. In seconds, the bread vanished and only puffy cheeks munching greedily remained.

“Alven! Alven! Where did you get this?”

One child questioned, the words obscured through a mouth full of food.

“Amel, eat slowly”

The child, Alven, gently reprimanded and removed some crumbs sticking to the younger child's cheeks. He then spoke chewing intermittently.

“Well.. the gruff lady at the bakery down the street who always chased us away gave it to me. She said today she’s being generous because some evil villain is gonna be brought to justice today”

“I think the whole town is in a festive mood because of that. Everyone whispered the same name, what is it….?”

He pondered with his munching mouth momentarily pausing.

“Yeah! The SoulRipper”

“““The SoulRipper”””

The children echoed, their voice a tense chirp in the alleyway.

“Whatever, people are happy so we get free food!”

“Yes yes”

The twins, Reed and Jaeb cheered happily. The children nodded then ran out the alleyway hopping energetically after eating a hefty meal for the day.

They soon reached a bustling street filled with people moving busily; their gait light and faces happy. Alven steered through the crowd with Amel Reed and Jaeb on his tail. On the way, his hands sneakily stole an apple. When the vendor noticed, he cursed and yelled at them. But the children deftly sprinted through the crowd and soon sneaked away.

After a short adrenaline dash for the apple, they gasped and leaned against the tavern wall breathing heavily. Alven passed the apple after taking a juicy bite. When the others were eating, his wandering eyes saw a person clad in a showy cloak with his long black hair swaying as he entered the bustling tavern. His eyes widened when he saw the lute the person carried. Definitely..

“ Guys! Guys! It’s a bard!”

“Bard? The one who sings beautiful songs?”

“Where? Where?”

The children hurriedly ate the apple and questioned excitedly.

“Shhhh..!”

Alven shushed his chirping friends.

“The tavern uncle won’t allow us children in. Be quiet and let’s peek through the window”

Three small heads popped by the window but nobody in the tavern hall noticed in their drunken stupor. The bard with a thin veil hiding his face sauntered to the counter with the patrons' eyes following him curiously. The bard’s blue green eyes spotted three small heads watching him through the window. The children froze in fear upon blowing their cover but soon smiled happily with red ears when the bard gave them a playful wink.

“A pint of Moonbreath”

“Aye!”

The barkeep soon placed a mug of bubbly beer that frothed a silvery white on top upon the counter. The bard leaned casually and chugged the whole beer whose bubbles caught the light and emitted gleam like that of a moon. As he placed the empty mug with a loud thud on the counter, the hushed whispers upon his arrival stopped and everyone turned their eyes to him. The bard turned around with a cheerful smile tapping his lute playfully.

“Ahoy there, mateys! Who’s ready for a song that can cheer your hearts on this joyous day?!”

““Woahhhh!!!””

The crowd cheered, tapping their mugs that echoed booms across the tavern walls.

“You know whose judgment day is today?”

“The SoulRipper!”

One childish voice echoed through the tavern. When the crowd glanced around in tension as if just saying that name might incur his wrath and rip their souls from the shadows, Alven clamped Amel’s mouth and the children ducked down away from the crowd’s eyes with their faces pale.

“Amel! You almost blew our cover,”Alven scolded in a fearful hush to the blank child.

“They didn’t find us. Come on he is starting, ”Jaed and Reed tugged them both up.

“Fear not my friends, the fiend’s terror ends today”

“The SoulRipper, ” the bard shouted boldly and raised his lute high like a toast, “A song to his death!”

““To his death!””

““To his death!””

People cheered loudly, melting all the fear and tension in the room.

*tring~*

All noises stopped when the lute was struck, its tune echoing through the crowd's excited hearts.

Having everyone’s attention, The bard's fingers danced across the strings of his lute creating an evoking melody.

“Oh, gather 'round, good people, and listen well,
To a tale of darkness, and a broken spell.”

The melody was hauntingly beautiful, like the echo of a forgotten lullaby, yet it carried a hint of foreboding like the whisper of a cold wind on a dark night.

“Of the SoulRipper, that fiend of night,
Who brought us terror, and stole our light.”

The patrons in the tavern tapped their feet slowly feeling the rhythm.

“Hooray for justice, hooray for the day,
The SoulRipper's finally going to pay.
We'll drink and sing and dance and cheer,
For the end of the SoulRipper's reign of fear.”

The music shifted to a more upbeat tempo, as the bard sang of the SoulRipper's downfall.

“He terrorized us for too long,
With his evil deeds and his wicked tongue.
But now, his time is up, he's met his end,
And the people of the kingdom can rejoice again.”

The drunk crowd sang along, their voices echoing through the rafters like the sound of a war horn calling to battle.

“Hooray for justice, hooray for the day,
The SoulRipper's finally going to pay.
We'll drink and sing and dance and cheer,
For the end of the SoulRipper's reign of fear.”

The music slowed down to a more somber pace. The people in the tavern fell silent, their faces reflecting the sadness in the bard's song, like the shadows of the dead cast upon the ground by the moon.

“In the dark of night, he stalks his prey,
With eyes of red, like burning flame.
The SoulRipper, that's his name,
He brings fear and death and endless pain.”

The bard slowly raised his pitch.

“But today, his reign of terror ends,
For justice has finally made amends.
The SoulRipper's fate is sealed,
His judgment day has been revealed.”

The bard’s voice reached the highest pitch;

“So let us rejoice, and sing with glee,
For the SoulRipper is no more, you see.
The people of the kingdom are safe again,
And justice has finally prevailed, my friend.”

And ended in a happy whispered voice.

Then the music picked up once again.

“Hooray for justice, hooray for the day,
The SoulRipper's finally going to pay.
We'll drink and sing and dance and cheer,
For the end of the SoulRipper's reign of fear.”

“So raise your glasses, my fellow drinkers,
To the execution of the SoulRipper.
May he never again trouble these lands,
And may justice always prevail,
Like a beacon of light in the darkest night.”

“Hooray for justice, hooray for the day,
The SoulRipper's finally going to pay.
We'll drink and sing and dance and cheer,
For the end of the SoulRipper's reign of fear.”

The music came to a crescendo, as the bard finished his song.

“Hooray! Hooray! Hooray!”

The tavern hall erupted in cheers. The bard took a polite bow, his eyes beaming with satisfaction. Amidst the fading cheers, some childish voices still excitedly squealed “Hooray!” repeatedly. Even Alven failed to reign in his excitement. The bard once again gave a pleasant bow towards the children. Seeing this, the children grinned ear to ear with reddened cheeks but soon their faces turned pale when their eyes met the fierce one of the burly tavern owner behind the bard.

“RUN!”

As if Jaed’s cry was the cue, the children sprinted away leaving behind a confused bard tilting his head.

As they reached the town’s square, their faces were etched in happy smiles.

“Guys...”

*TONG TONG TONG*

When Reed opened his mouth to say something, a booming bell cut off his voice. Everyone in the square turned their head towards a tower that stood proud in the distant capital; its size so gigantic, one can even see it from this bordering town and its reach, a high that seemed to pierce the sky.

“The bell!”

“It’s finally happening!”

Reed and Jaed cheered, breaking the astonished silence in the square. Soon everyone clamored in excited voices as they all knew what the bell signified.

“The SoulRipper! It's his execution!”

As if on cue, a gigantic screen spanned the sky of not just Alven’s town but the whole kingdom with the tower as its focal point. Like how you can view the moon anywhere, everyone across the kingdom could see the screen that sparkled like moonstone even in the daylight.

A face so mesmerizing one would wonder if he is god’s own child, filled the screen earning a surprised gasp from all over the square.

“Who is that, Alven?” Amel questioned innocently to which Alven shook his head in ignorance. She turned to the twins but they ignored her, their eyes fixed on the screen.

“It’s our king”

A pleasant voice answered her from behind. When the children swiveled their heads back in surprise, there stood the bard. Leaning against the wall casually. He gave them a smile then walked over and patted their heads.

A deep baritone voice made them all whip their head back to the screen.

“People of my kingdom”

“Today, we stand united in the face of evil. We have gathered here to witness the execution of the SoulRipper, a creature of darkness who has brought us nothing but fear and despair.”

“For too long, the SoulRipper has terrorized our kingdom, preying on the weak and the innocent. He has left a trail of death and destruction in his wake, and our hearts have grown heavy with grief.”

The crowd listened with bated breath.

“But today, that grief turns to anger. Today, we stand together and say: "No more!" ”

““No more!””

““No more!””

The crowd shouted with vigor, their eyes burning in fiery anger. Some eyes even dripped hot tears.

“I know that many of you have suffered at the hands of the SoulRipper. You have lost loved ones, your homes, and your livelihoods. But I urge you to take heart. With the SoulRipper gone, we can finally begin to heal and rebuild.”

“But before that can happen, we must ensure that his execution is carried out swiftly and justly. We must send a clear message to all those who would seek to do evil in our kingdom: justice will always prevail.”

““Justice will prevail !”” The crowd echoed.

“I have therefore decreed that the SoulRipper's execution will be a brutal one in lieu of the usual guillotine due to his many crimes and high treason. The faint at heart should look away.”

““Never!””

The crowd screamed their determination to watch. But some parents shielded the eyes of their children while some walked away reluctantly.

“I call on all of you to join me in building a brighter future for our kingdom. A future where all are safe and secure, where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. A future where the SoulRipper's name is nothing more than a distant memory.”

“So let our voices boom out to the heavens: Long live justice! Long live the kingdom! And long live the people!”

““Long live the king!””

With the thunderous cheers of the people, the king's face on the screen faded out replacing a high raised gallow in the middle of the capital square. Surrounding it were death knights in dark armor with each a menacing scimitar resting on their shoulders. Beside them were round pits of boiling lava emitting fumes that made the place look more eerie.

The whole execution site was surrounded in a domed barrier that emitted ominous black energy. So the inside looked to be shrouded in dark unlike the bright day outside. A throng of people could be seen gathered in the capital square at the base of the tower where the execution is yet to happen.

Everyone waited in tension. Even Alven and his friends clung to the legs of the bard, hiding and only poking their heads out curiously.

The platform beneath the gallows gleamed in a silvery shine like that of a moon in a starless sky. One more such platform outside the barrier emitted light then four knights emerged from it.

A collective gasp rang throughout everywhere as a figure emerged from the platform beneath the gallow. He was a man of 20s; his pale skin and white flowing hair, a ghostly contrast to his ferocious red eyes. He stood there calmly with his body oozing blood from wounds all over and hands & feet cuffed in heavy chains.

Some even doubted whether this human standing before their eyes was the notorious SoulRipper. Until now, they didn't know his name, appearance or anything. He was shrouded in mystery. Only his victims remained as a soulless shell as he reaped them like a ghost. Thus, his name - SoulRipper.

Finally seeing his appearance- a ghostlike terror and remembering his deeds, the people shivered in fear but soon overcame it with burning anger. All throughout the kingdom curses and shouts echoed. Some near the site even hurled things, a shame there was a barrier in between.

Amidst the chaos and mayhem, one innocent soul blankly wondered;

"What in the actual pseudo cult is happening now?"

When I found myself surrounded by knights who looked like servants of satan, a noose hanging above, burning lava pits and a rabble of angry people cursing at me, I knew one thing for sure- I'm fucked.

"Let the execution begin"

The prince, who somehow teleported beside the king, ordered the knights. His statement extinguished whatever hope I held. Thought I'd at least be alive in some prison. I didn't know the verdict they talked about was a death sentence. Guess it's goodbye. Thank you for the short ride Ezlian. Let's meet in hell or heavens, hopefully.

One of the knights tied the noose around my neck and stepped back. Though I had faced death once, it's still mind numbingly scary. The noose felt like a cobra constricting my throat. As the king raised his hand like a conductor signaling a choir, the noose slowly moved up, its pace a brutal slow. Ezlian and I hung there, feet afloat, ears ringing and eyes whitening with lack of oxygen. When death seemed seconds away, all of a sudden the noose was cut and we fell down hard against the platform.

What..

I didn't even have time to gasp for breath, eyes to focus or question the situation, an excruciating pain erupted all over the body. As the eyes focused a bit in shock, I could see the death knights skewering their scimitars in various parts of the body. Suddenly, they pulled out raining blood, flesh and intestines all over. They didn't stop there and neither did my life. With skillful movements, they first cut off my limbs one by one and gouged out the organs starting from the most non-vital ones. Then they burned it in the lava pits. Finally they gouged the still beating heart out and dipped it into the lava right before my eyes. As my life still hanged on pitifully, one of the knights clicked his tongue in annoyance and raised the scimitar over my head. The last thing I felt was my neck being cut, giving a stop to the torturing pain and my pitiful life.

Cheers erupted all over the kingdom but no one knew the unknown soul that died away quietly.