Adav ran, through the woods in the dead of the night. It was a long way down, he knew where his mother and brother would have gone to, but with the darkness surrounding him and the guilt and fear gnawing inside him, every step he took felt much heavier. He is alone, he ran while his father fought, much worse, because of him…

  The image of his father punctured by arrows seep into his mind

  "I should go back" Adav thinks as he turns around, but at the same time the image of the soldiers bows aimed at him resurfaced. His leg froze, making him more frustrated.

  "Come on, weren't you training to be like father?! Move!" He says to his legs as he hit them. They won't dare take a step back

  "I know, I could get help" He says, trying to calm himself. "Maybe someone can help"

  Thinking that, he turns back to the road he was taking and continues running downhill

  Minutes or perhaps hours passed, he can't tell anymore, But at some point, he did catch up with his mother and brother. He began telling his mother what had happen, sobbing and saying they should find help. His other reassures him that everything will be fine, for now they just need to get to safety, then she'll find help.

  The moments after that was a blur. He remembers arriving at some house, whose, he wasn’t sure. Once he was able to lie down, a wave of exhaustion settles on him and he fell into a deep slumber. But this peaceful slumber doesn’t last, as even in his dreams, the scenes of attack continues to replay in his mind, having him wake up multiple times in the night.

  "Don't worry, mom said it's all going to be fine, by morning, father should be back" He mutters to himself to calm himself and fall asleep again

  The next morning, he and his younger brother are awoken by their mother, talling them they need to hide quickly. Outside, they can hear lots of footsteps and loud voices.

  "By the order of lord Taegun, this land is now under the PlaceholderEmpire's rule. Resist and risk the ire of the empire"

  Adav hears. The voice was not familiar, but the name Taegun, he remembers it from last night.

  "Mom, they're probably the same ones from last night" He says, feeling his body freeze up. If they are here, what happened to father?

  If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "Shh, just keep it down, we don’t know anything yet ok? Your father may be ok for the time being" Their mother reassures them with a smile as she leads them somewhere else

  "For now, we'll lay low and wait for them to leave, then we can go back home" She continues

  "mo~om, im hungry" Adav's younger brother, Raka mutters.

  "Stop talking, you think we can find food in this situation?" Adav hisses. Although he was hungry too, he knew they can't be seen by the soldiers, or they too might be attacked

  "Don't worry you two, just stay here, I'll see if I can find us something" Yet their mother gets up to go out.

  "But it's dangerous out there!" Adav insists. He didn’t know how many there were, but the image in his memory was of the soldiers aiming their bows at him, each one ready to kill

  "Don't worry, I'll be careful. Just make sure you both stay here ok?" She assures them before leaving

  Yet even with those assurances, Adav can't help but worry. To the point of growing frustrated with his brother, Raka's, seeming ignorance of the matter seeing as he decided to look for things to play with. He wanted to go out and help as he still had his sword, but his body freezes when he tries to do so

  But to his relief, his worst scenarios didn't happen as after an hour or so, their mother comes back with some food.

  "See, I got some food. But for now, returning home might be difficult, there are soldiers patrolling the perimeter, so we'll have to stay here for a while longer ok?" She says as she gave each of her sons a portion of the food.

  "But what about dad? You said he was coming here" Raka complains as he ate

  "Don't worry, he may just have some business. He's super strong you know, a few soldiers can't stop him" The mother says to reassure them.

  Surely, she's known him for far longer and may have seen him fight before, but she didn’t see what happened at the house last night, so maybe I should tell her. Adav thought, but he decided not to, thinking that telling her would be like admitting their father won't be coming back. So instead he just decided to eat quietly.

  It is now late evening, Raka is sound asleep while Adav is simply staring at the ceiling, trying to fall asleep. With nothing to do, he thinks that trying to sleep would at least keep him from getting hungry quickly. But as he was about to drift into slumber, he hears a faint sobbing. He looks to where his mother should be to find her spot empty.

  He decided to silently follow the sounds outside. He hesitates when reaching for the knob, but knowing there weren't much guards, he manages to slowly open it and peek outside. There, in a spot a bit secluded was his mother sobbing. It seems she went there so she won't wake either of us.

  Normally he would have gone to her to try and comfort her, but to Adav, her crying also meant that the worst may have happened to his father. Despair gripped him once again. No, it can't be, she said he was strong, there's no way anyone can beat him. He thought, recalling his mothers words

  But then, the image of him, taking the arrows sent to him also resurfaced. Maybe if he was alone, he could have, but he had to protect me… and that's why he… Adav's mind begins turning on itself as despair turns to guilt. It's my fault he's gone, if I hadn't stayed, then maybe…

  It's my fault…

  It's my fault…

  It's my fault

  I should go back, maybe father is still there fighting, even if I get hit by an arrow, I should help. I'm strong right? The best in the dojo right? A strange mix of thoughts began surfacing, and in the midst of this, he cuts a part of his shirt. He has to go back, but they might worry if I disappear, so at least a message, but I got nothing to write with…

  I should go and look for something- no, I cant waste more time. Father's life could be in danger the longer I wait. Taking out his sword, he pricks his thumb, and writes with his blood. After finishing his short message, he decides to run back to the mountain in the dead of the night.