STRANGE MAGIC

CHAPTER 7

When Darren got home, he found his father sitting at the table, having lunch. He greeted him politely, “Good afternoon, Father.”

His father looked up from his meal, studying Darren’s face closely. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “You look strange. Were you in a fight?”

Darren hesitated for a moment, but before he could answer, his mother entered the room, carrying another plate of food. She stopped when she saw him.

“Darren!” she said, concerned. “What happened to you? Were you involved in a fight?”

Darren quickly shook his head. “No, Mother. Nothing like that,” he said, forcing a small smile.

His parents exchanged worried glances, but said nothing more. They sat together and ate quietly. After finishing his lunch, Darren stood up and said, “I’ll be going out for a while. I want to go hunting this afternoon.”

His father nodded slowly. “That’s good, but be careful,” he warned. “Watch your steps, and stay alert. The forest has been strange lately. Don’t go too deep.”

“I’ll be mindful,” Darren replied.

He went to his small workshop and picked up one of his old swords — a random one he had made for training. The real sword, the golden one connected to his strange power, he hid safely inside the house. He didn’t want to bring it with him.

Then he left, walking along the familiar path that led to the thick forest beyond the village. The sun was bright above, the air filled with the sound of birds and rustling leaves. When he reached the forest edge, everything seemed calm.

Darren entered the forest quietly, moving with steady, careful steps. He listened to the soft sounds of nature — the wind brushing through the trees, the calls of distant animals. Using his hunting skills, he set a few traps and soon managed to capture several small animals.

Hours passed, and the forest began to grow dim as the sun dipped lower. Darren tied the animals together with rope, ready to head home. But as he began walking back through the narrow forest path, the ground suddenly trembled beneath his feet.

The sound was deep — a rumbling from underground. Leaves shook, and birds flew wildly from the trees. Darren stopped, his eyes darting around.

“What’s happening?” he whispered, tightening his grip on his sword.

Before he could take another step, the ground burst open in front of him. Dirt and stones flew into the air, and from the deep c***k beneath the earth, a massive, shadowy creature emerged. Its body was dark like smoke, its eyes glowing a faint red.

Darren staggered backward, raising his sword. “What are you?” he shouted.

The monster didn’t speak at first — it only let out a terrible roar that shook the trees. Then it moved fast, faster than he expected, and struck him with its huge arm. Darren was thrown hard against a tree, the impact echoing through the forest.

He gasped for breath, expecting pain, but strangely, he wasn’t hurt. The warmth of the magic inside him — the same mysterious energy that had burst out before — still protected him somehow.

He pushed himself up, glaring at the creature. “You picked the wrong person to attack,” he said under his breath.

Raising his hand, he focused his strength. A c***k of thunder suddenly echoed from his palm, and a flash of blue light shot toward the monster. The bolt struck its chest, making it stumble back with a loud roar.

But the creature wasn’t defeated. It steadied itself and glared at Darren, growling in anger. “So, it is you,” it rumbled in a deep, rough voice. “You are the one I’ve been searching for.”

Darren froze at those words. “What do you mean?” he demanded.

The monster didn’t answer. It slammed its arm down, hitting the ground so hard that the earth shook again. Darren jumped aside just in time, but the force of the shockwave knocked him off balance. The creature grabbed him and threw him to the ground three times, each strike harder than the last.

Still, Darren refused to give up. Gritting his teeth, he rolled away, snatched his sword from the ground, and stood back up. “If it’s me you’re looking for,” he said through heavy breaths, “then you’ll regret finding me.”

He raised his sword and charged, slashing at the monster with all his strength. The blade struck the creature’s thick hide — and snapped in half.

Darren stared in disbelief as the broken pieces of metal fell to the ground. “No,” he whispered.

The monster laughed — a deep, cruel sound. It swung at him again, knocking him down, but even then, it couldn’t kill him. The strange energy in Darren’s body shielded him once more, though he could feel it weakening.

He rolled aside, his eyes darting across the forest floor for anything he could use. His sword was gone — shattered. But nearby, he saw a large stone. Desperate, he grabbed it and hurled it at the monster.

The stone struck its shoulder, making it turn with a snarl. “Is that all?” it mocked, stepping closer.

Darren didn’t answer. He bent down, grabbed another stone — smaller this time — and looked at it carefully. His eyes narrowed.

He whispered something under his breath, a word he didn’t even understand himself, and as he did, the air around him shifted.

The small stone in his hand began to glow faintly, the same golden light that once came from his sword. The monster paused, confused.

“What trick is this?” it growled.

But before it could move, Darren threw the glowing stone with all his strength. As it flew, the light around it expanded, and in an instant, the stone transformed into something enormous — a huge, burning rock that slammed into the monster’s chest with a deafening crash.

The ground shook. Dust and fire filled the air. When the smoke cleared, the monster lay motionless, half-buried in the dirt.

Darren stood still, breathing hard, his heart pounding in his chest. He could barely believe what had just happened.

But when he turned to gather the animals he had caught earlier, they were gone — scattered across the forest floor, as if something had frightened them away.

He looked back one more time. The place where the monster had fallen was now empty. The body had vanished.

A cold wind swept through the trees, and Darren felt a strange chill run down his spine. He didn’t know if the creature was truly gone — or if it was still watching him from some

where unseen.

Without another word, he turned and ran toward home, the last light of evening fading behind him.