With fire it begins
He was in the fields when the childbirth started. He rushed home as fast as he could.
By the time he got there, night has already fallen. In front of his house most of the villagers gathered, which was not usual when children are born in the meadows, only when something goes wrong.
"What is happening?! I need to see her!" he screamed, pushing through the mass.
Village elder stood in front of the house with a painful look on his face. "Two girls... Healthy and strong, hair and eyes red as fire." his voice was trembling, having met something so unearthly.
"She is no longer with us... I am sorry." "Where is she?" "The Pitmen took her already to the eternal grave. We could not wait for you any longer." said the elder, looking at him with sadness. He dropped to his knees crying, begging for Gods to return her. He looked at the sky and pleaded to Asutab, the Goddess that created the meadows and all in it. She did not answer. Weren't he filled with rage and pain, he would have seen it - Zre and Uzar, two small moons going into the conjunction for the first time ever.
It was still dark when he woke up. A year passed since the girls were born and it was hard on him. Crops in the fields were dying and the food was scarce. For the first time he saw people arguing and fighting over scrapes of food. Most of the fields have not been planted this year as they were turning into swamps. Fog and rain were now common in once beautiful meadows.
His parents were helping with the girls as much as they could, but they were old and sick, so he started hunting. Something that he thought he would never do, since to eat a creature of Asutab is a sin that cannot be forgiven.
He remembered tasting meat for the first time, a small rabbit-like creature he found dead in the garden. Before this, he has not eaten for three days.
He could feel a light breeze down his neck, and than he heard it, a dark voice whispering in his ear. "Are you just going to let it rot there when you are so hungry? It is not a sin when you are starving to death. Who will take care of the girls if you are no longer there?"
He took the creature in his hands and bit a large chunk of it. The taste was sickening, but he was so hungry, so so hungry. Afterwards, eating meat became a normal thing and the taste of uncooked meat would fill him with happiness. With time, people started blaming each other for all that was happening. Why would Asutab do this, if not because they have angered her? What did they do for her to punish them so? To let people starve to death, fight and steal...
"It all goes back to that night, I tell you," said village elder, "when the two fiery girls were born. That was not normal, who has ever seen hair and eyes like that?"
Other people started arguing. Village elder was right - it must be because of them, they have angered Asutab and she is punishing the entire meadows. The villagers knew what needs to be done in order to please Asutab.
By the time he returned to the village from the hunt, his house was burning. Flames were two or tree times bigger than the house, burning so hot that it felt like standing next to the sun. There was nothing he could do. Once again, he fell to his knees, helpless to do anything. Was this Asutab's punishment for eating her creatures? Village elder was there, looking at him with sadness in his eyes.
"I am sorry, my boy, but this had to be done or we were all going to die." He did not respond, he could not, shock was holding him on his knees, he just peered into the flames.
As flames were dying out, he felt a hand touching his shoulder. Next to him, a dark figure stood.
"Look what they did. Because of your unselfishness, helping other in the fields, you did not see her for the last time. And now this." The voice that was whispering to him for so long now had a form.
"Let that anger guide you. Let all that you know from the hunt help you. Take revenge on them for they do not deserve better."
"What do I need to do? I will do anything."
"Good, my child. Just let go of all that you know and embrace me as you true God."
He did let go, body started to change, blood rushed to his head, bones cracked and reshaped, his hands turned into claws, teeth became sharp as glass and his eyes were now color of the green emerald, he was screaming, he was in pain, the biggest pain of his life, but he was laughing, revenge will be his before sunrise.
"Go now my Vezrak you know what to do. Your greatest hunt begins."
Villagers were screaming and begging through the night. Ravtab laughed. "This will teach her, Asutab, not to insult me ever again." He was still laughing when the two girls with hair and eyes red as fire came out of the burned house, unscathed and ran to him. "Papa, did we do well? Are you proud of us?"
"What is happening?! I need to see her!" he screamed, pushing through the mass.
Village elder stood in front of the house with a painful look on his face. "Two girls... Healthy and strong, hair and eyes red as fire." his voice was trembling, having met something so unearthly.
"She is no longer with us... I am sorry." "Where is she?" "The Pitmen took her already to the eternal grave. We could not wait for you any longer." said the elder, looking at him with sadness. He dropped to his knees crying, begging for Gods to return her. He looked at the sky and pleaded to Asutab, the Goddess that created the meadows and all in it. She did not answer. Weren't he filled with rage and pain, he would have seen it - Zre and Uzar, two small moons going into the conjunction for the first time ever.
It was still dark when he woke up. A year passed since the girls were born and it was hard on him. Crops in the fields were dying and the food was scarce. For the first time he saw people arguing and fighting over scrapes of food. Most of the fields have not been planted this year as they were turning into swamps. Fog and rain were now common in once beautiful meadows.
His parents were helping with the girls as much as they could, but they were old and sick, so he started hunting. Something that he thought he would never do, since to eat a creature of Asutab is a sin that cannot be forgiven.
He remembered tasting meat for the first time, a small rabbit-like creature he found dead in the garden. Before this, he has not eaten for three days.
He could feel a light breeze down his neck, and than he heard it, a dark voice whispering in his ear. "Are you just going to let it rot there when you are so hungry? It is not a sin when you are starving to death. Who will take care of the girls if you are no longer there?"
He took the creature in his hands and bit a large chunk of it. The taste was sickening, but he was so hungry, so so hungry. Afterwards, eating meat became a normal thing and the taste of uncooked meat would fill him with happiness. With time, people started blaming each other for all that was happening. Why would Asutab do this, if not because they have angered her? What did they do for her to punish them so? To let people starve to death, fight and steal...
"It all goes back to that night, I tell you," said village elder, "when the two fiery girls were born. That was not normal, who has ever seen hair and eyes like that?"
Other people started arguing. Village elder was right - it must be because of them, they have angered Asutab and she is punishing the entire meadows. The villagers knew what needs to be done in order to please Asutab.
By the time he returned to the village from the hunt, his house was burning. Flames were two or tree times bigger than the house, burning so hot that it felt like standing next to the sun. There was nothing he could do. Once again, he fell to his knees, helpless to do anything. Was this Asutab's punishment for eating her creatures? Village elder was there, looking at him with sadness in his eyes.
"I am sorry, my boy, but this had to be done or we were all going to die." He did not respond, he could not, shock was holding him on his knees, he just peered into the flames.
As flames were dying out, he felt a hand touching his shoulder. Next to him, a dark figure stood.
"Look what they did. Because of your unselfishness, helping other in the fields, you did not see her for the last time. And now this." The voice that was whispering to him for so long now had a form.
"Let that anger guide you. Let all that you know from the hunt help you. Take revenge on them for they do not deserve better."
"What do I need to do? I will do anything."
"Good, my child. Just let go of all that you know and embrace me as you true God."
He did let go, body started to change, blood rushed to his head, bones cracked and reshaped, his hands turned into claws, teeth became sharp as glass and his eyes were now color of the green emerald, he was screaming, he was in pain, the biggest pain of his life, but he was laughing, revenge will be his before sunrise.
"Go now my Vezrak you know what to do. Your greatest hunt begins."
Villagers were screaming and begging through the night. Ravtab laughed. "This will teach her, Asutab, not to insult me ever again." He was still laughing when the two girls with hair and eyes red as fire came out of the burned house, unscathed and ran to him. "Papa, did we do well? Are you proud of us?"
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