The Hearings

The Hearings, Chapter One

As heavy, dusty winds blew in from the East, an echo filled the village. Someone was crying. Mr. Fourle shouted, "Save Omen! Run!".

The bandits rushed to kill Mrs. Fourle. She ran and locked herself and her son inside a room while the aggressive bandits began kicking the door, trying to break it down.

"Please go away! I have my son with me!"

Mrs. Fourle cried.

The door handle fell off, and anxiety left her no choice but to throw her newborn child out the window. "Oh! look what you've done!, killed your own son, huh!?"

Frightened, Mrs. Fourle tried to jump from the window too, but the bandits grabbed her tightly and stabbed her in the back.

Mr. Fourle heard her scream. "What have you done to her? Tell me! Velina!" The bandits pulled the knife out and plunged it into his stomach without saying a word. As they stabbed him, he shouted, "Omen!".

A blacksmith passing by the house heard it. "Omen?" He suddenly noticed a child stuck in a tree near the open window. "What this little heart is doing there? A punishment from God? Or a destined fate? Hmm, let's see." He saved the baby and realized something was wrong in the house. He hid against the wall, and after a few minutes, he saw the bandits coming out, carrying a lot of expensive items.

"Seems like they robbed the house," the blacksmith thought. He entered the home and discovered that the parents of the newborn baby were no longer alive.

"It's a cruel world for a little heart," he said with an disappointment as he held the baby in his arms and decided to adopt him.

Fourteen years passed....

"Oh, Omen, when will you stop playing with my tools? Give them back to me!"

"so what else am i suppose to do, Uncle foyce?"

"Go outside. Play out there. Life is but a fleeting moment, embrace it's joy while you can."

Omen was not a guy to make friends easily. To him, humans are just a mixture of meat and bones.

"i'd rather die than play with those awful creatures outside"

"Well, you're one of them, my boy. We're all shaped by the world we inhabit."

The old blacksmith always wore an angry expression, which gave Omen a reason to dislike him. it wasn't intentional, that just how he was. The past could change anyone and anything,

espacially Foyce, who had no one in his life except for his little daughter, whom he lost in a village Raid. the Raid was ordered by the Egoistical and cruel Prince of Vinze who took advantage of the illness of his father, a ruler who had governed the kingdom of Vinze with justice and wisdom for many years during his millennial.

The old, ill king had no power to stop his son from what he was doing. Despite being a cruel prince, he loved his father more than anything because the king loved his son with all his heart too, espacially after losing his wife. who had suffered from the same unknown illness, more like a curse. The wizards of Kaoge refused to help the king to find the cure because of what he had done to their four lockets of power.

The young king believed these lockets could harm the world due to the immense power contained within them, which could fall into the hands of the greedy. with no choice but to act, he hid the four mighty lockets in the valley of roffessa, a cursed place where even the air was tainted. There could be no more challenging place than this for those who desire for the mighty lockets of Power, as the valley was guarded by two Dark knight Dragons of Roffesa: Tenebris(Darkness) and Umbrage(shade,shadow). These mighty dragons never slept nor blinked. always hungry for the flesh of two-legged creatures. Yes, that's what they call humans.

Omen walked out of the home to spend some time alone, he only loved nature in this world.

"wish i could just die somehow, so these awful feelings won't haunt me, ever again."

Suddenly while walking towards the jungle, he saw some kids playing with ducks. He smiled, "well, life isn't that worthless afterall"

The smile faded. "My mood swings are crazy. well, it can't change the reality of my life, nor this world."

"such a young age for these words, my friend" said a young, handsome man standing behind him.

without even asking about him, Omen said "it is the experiences that matures you, not the duration of your stay in this world."

"Hm, I see, And what this little soul has suffered from?"

"none of your business, stranger." Omen started walking away quickly, with an aggression on his face.

Omen walked into the jungle, to sit on a giant, ancient tree known as the Tree of Eternity. The reason of this small village being so famous was because of this tree, the foliage thick and vibrant around him. sunlight filtered through the leaves. The air was fragant with the scent of the damp earth and blooming flowers. Omen lay on the tree and started thinking

"i wish i had a perfect life with no worries." As he pondered this, he fell asleep.

When he woke up, darkness surrounded him, and he could only hear the sounds of horses and some people. Fear gripped him. "Am I kiddnapped? Who are they? Where are they taking me?" Many questions raced through his mind as he shouted, "Help! Leave me alone! Let me go!"

A man with many Wounds on his face opened the barrel and stared at Omen with a strange expression. He seemed to be the bandit leader.

"Who are you?" Omen asked hesitantly while standing beside the barrel.

The man ordered one of his companions to hit omen with a wooden stick. As the man picked up the stick and approached omen, ready to strike, omen jumped from the horse cart and ran away from the road into the jungles, it was a dark, deep jungle.

the Man with wounds on his face,

wearing a strange expression, commanded the bandits to catch him. When Omen saw a group of bandits rushing towards him with knives, he began running for his life, while questioning, "Why am I even running away?, Wasn't I the one who asked for death?, Then why am I running for my life?" As he ran deeper into the jungle, lost in thoughts and questions, he collided with a man and fell to the ground. The bandits stopped, thinking they had finally caught him.

Omen lifted his face and realized that the man was the stranger he had seen while watching kids play with ducks.

"hello again, My friend" said the stranger.

"what are you doing here?" Omen asked, hesitating.

"Just chilling around. What about you?"

Omen was confused, the stranger could see he was running for his life and was asking how he was doing.

"Well, anyway, get up, my boy." The stranger started leave, taking Omen with him.

"Leave the boy here if you want to live!"

shouted one of the bandits.

The stranger turned around and asked, "What do you want?"

"leave the boy here! i won't repeat myself!"

"well let's make a deal. What if I give you a bag of gold coins instead of this

poor boy?"

the bandits thought for a few seconds and accepted the deal. The stranger then took Omen with him.

As they walked back toward the village, the stranger remained quiet while Omen was lost in thought as usual. “Why did you save me at such a cost? Those gold coins must be worth a lot." Omen asked.

“Well, they have worth because we exist. Without us, these non living things have no value,” the stranger replied with a smile.

Omen thought for a moment and then asked, “Were you stalking me, or was it just a coincidence that we met? Don’t take it the wrong way, but you do seem a bit interested in my existence.”

“Oh, do I?” the stranger chuckled. “Anyway, I was just hunting nearby, it was a coincidence, nothing more.”

Omen thought for a few seconds again and asked, “So, what’s your name?”

“I am Soren, Soren Blackwood.”

“What kind of name is that?” Omen laughed.

“At least it’s better than being called Omen” and they both laughed as they reached the village.

“I have to leave you here,” the stranger said. Omen, without saying a word, turned and started walking toward his home.

The bandit with scars covering his face drew his sword and beheaded those who had betrayed him for a few gold coins. Before killing the last one, he asked, "Who gave you those coins?"

"I don't know," the terrified bandit stammered. "There was a stranger looked like a poor hunter but had a huge amount of gold."

"Thank you for the information," the scarred bandit said before finishing him off. "A stranger, huh?"

Meanwhile, Omen knocked on the blacksmith's door. "it's open, come in,"

the blacksmith called.

"I'm really sorry for being late. I fell asleep under the Tree of Eternity," Omen said, nervous about getting scolded. He

didn't mention the stranger, nor the bandits. The blacksmith, however, said nothing and continued working in silence.

"Aren't you going to scold me for being late?" Omen asked hesitantly

"I won't interrupt your peace. Do whatever you want," the blacksmith replied coldly, his focus never leaving his work.

"Peace?" Omen murmured. "There's no peace here, only suffering and cruelity.

These lands are cursed."

Omen: Why must we always prepare for war, even when peace seems possible?

Blacksmith: Tell me, Omen, what do you think is the nature of peace?

Omen: I suppose peace is when everyone can live without fear of attack.

Blacksmith: And do you think all men desire peace as you do?

Omen: Not all, perhaps. Some are driven by greed or anger.

Blacksmith: Then, could it be that true peace is not merely the absence of war but also the preparation for any challenge that may disrupt it?

Omen: So, you’re saying that peace requires strength?

Blacksmith: Perhaps. But tell me, do you think strength alone is enough to keep peace?

Omen: No... strength without purpose is dangerous. It must be tempered with wisdom.

Blacksmith: Then, might it be that peace is a balance between strength and wisdom. Well, the true peace combines preparedness and wisdom, That's correct."

Omen combined everything in his thoughts and drowned in it for few seconds, then went to sleep in his room.

"why is this world so awful? is this world a test or a punishment?