In this damned house, I searched through every imaginable corner, every conceivable crack I could see, yet after so long, I couldn't find it. While my parents were outside working on something probably important, I had a lot of time to search for it, but it already has been a few hours since they have left. They might be coming back any minute now. 

You might be asking yourself what I am searching for, what I want so much. The truth is: it's my promised sword made out of true metal!

Quite a while ago, my dad promised to buy me an actual sword but only for my seventh birthday because he believes, as most do in this moderate-sized city, that's the perfect time to learn swordsmanship.

Though the people of the monster race, as dubbed by humans, grow up a lot faster compared to anyone else, it still takes seven years until one is strong enough to wield an actual sharp blade made out of metal. Until now, I had to use a lighter sword made out of wood. Now that I think about it, calling it a sword is a bit of a stretch-it's more akin to a wooden dagger than a sword. Of course, I could wait until evening. That is until my dad gives me my gift to me, and call it a day, but I am feeling a bit impatient right now. A quick peek at it obviously wouldn't hurt. 

Oh, that's right!! I forgot this house has an attic! That's where he probably hid it! 

The house we live in could be called old and outdated by many but never small. It's no wonder I forgot about a place I have a hard time reaching, and to be honest, I never went to the attic because it seemed quite scary. 

But no matter, it's time to face my fears!

As I searched for something I could use to reach the attic on the second floor, I heard voices outside the house. Not someone chatting about daily topics or their daily lives but screams for help. I mean, it's not uncommon to hear kids screaming for help after running into a wild ox boar or a bear, but these screams weren't coming from a kid but rather from an adult.

As I slowly got closer to the window I noticed red lights beaming from outside. After cautiously getting even closer, I realized that those lights weren't just any lights. Its red color was coming from burning houses and trees. Fire reaching wider than anyone could even imagine. Even the sky and clouds themself were of bloody red color. 

What? Fire? From where? Why? How? 

As sweat drops ran down my face, I could feel myself getting warmer and my body freezing up. I wondered if it was from the fear I was feeling or from the fire getting closer to my house. "Screw the sword, I need to get out of here" I said to myself as I started running toward the stairs. My small feet stumbled on one another out of panic and I immediately fell down the stairs crashing straight on my face. Feeling that my forehead felt hot and wet for whatever reason, I tried wiping it off with my now shaking hands. After wiping something off my face, I noticed on my hands the same red color I saw outside the window. As the red liquid blurred my vision and as my thoughts started running from one to another at a chaotic pace, I managed to muster just one sentence out of my mouth.

"Crap... I am... passing out..."

After seeing only black for what felt like an eternity, I finally managed to open my eyes. Seeing all the fire, blood and burning wood scattered around me from what was just not that while ago a well functioning house, I started crying. As fire got closer to my legs and arms, I barely managed to fully wake up and run out of the rubble.

Unfortunately for me, my shaky legs, bloody forehead and eyes full of tears weren't the only painful and troublesome things I had to worry about in this unbelievable situation. Before my eyes all I could see were dead bodies and scary looking soldiers. Soldiers that were wearing armor that I had never seen before. Some of them had pointy ears, others horns, and for whatever reason, they were brutally stabbing all the people I knew with their weapons.

"Hey! Zhao! It seems we missed one!" 

One soldier spoke as he glanced at me. Even though he was pretty far from me, I could still hear him speak. That just shows how loud he was. Compared to him the person he spoke to answered him in a quieter tone. Silently enough that I couldn't hear what he said. As Zhao, the guy the soldier talked to looked at me after the short conversation he had with him, he started walking towards me.

As important as it was for me to run away and hide...I couldn't. The fear fully got to my body that I couldn't move an inch. Still, as I glanced at the man named Zhao, I noticed that he looked at me with eyes full of pity. Perhaps it was because he didn't want to kill a little kid, or maybe there was a completely different reason for that look he gave me.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of him. You can go and regroup with the others" Zhao said to the soldier, who nodded and left.

Now that I get a closer look at him. He looks like a kid.

Zhao looked a bit taller than me, but even so, you could clearly see he was still a kid. With longer hair than most boys have, that is, reaching the bottom of his ears,  he had a feminine face. Bright blue eyes as if they were glowing and black noble-like clothes. You wouldn't normally think that he was a soldier.

After less than a minute, he finally got close to me, and rather than taking out a weapon, which now that I notice, he doesn't have one, he uttered only one single word.

"Run"

Without a single moment passing by my body turned away from him and ran at full speed. Even though my vision was blurry and mind completely blank from all that blood that I lost, I didn't stop. Just one singular word made my body move faster than ever. As I managed to glance back just one single time, I noticed that the kid wasn't there anymore.

The second day and the sixth month of the year 734 marks the day of my seventh birthday. Unfortunately for me, now it also marks the day everyone I loved died. 

Running for what now feels like forever all I could want for is hope. Hope that what I saw and felt today was just a nightmare. 

Huh?

After running for days I finally saw something that wasn't just trees and bushes. While barely dragging my feet and dying of hunger, I noticed a light. It wasn't that same beaming red light I saw before. Instead, it was a bright white light blinding me.

Have I... died?

Because of my age I never really thought about death before today, but even I have heard the saying "the light at the end of the tunnel" 

Maybe that's what everyone meant by saying that. Maybe all that running finally caught up to me.

But rather quickly, I realized that the bright white light I was seeing wasn't "the light at the end of the tunnel" but rather a light coming from the bright city ahead of me. The place I had only been to twice in my life. As I left the forest called inescapable by many, I approached the tall fence that was separating me and the city.