Chapitre 3: Awaken
"Viktor, don't do this!" Creed bellowed in anger.
It was too late. Viktor swung his sword and decapitated their father's head. Blood splattered everywhere as his head was sent flying. Creed, with tears in his eyes, tried to grab ahold of Viktor, but he suddenly vanished into smoke along with his father.
"Dammit, no!" Creed fell to his knees.
Suddenly, a ghostly figure of his father appeared behind him. His eyes were pitch black, and his body was eerily white as snow.
"Why didn't you save me, Creed!" The father screamed.
Creed quickly turned around horrified. His body shivered as he backed away from his father. His face paled as he saw his father cradling his decapitated head. Creed's heart beat faster as his father slowly approached him.
"Where were you, Creed!" He screamed.
"P-please, I-I'm sorry, dad," Creed begged for his forgiveness. "I didn't know..."
His father charged furiously at him and pinned Creed to the floor. He grabbed ahold of Creed's neck as he let out a terrifying wail as if a hundred demons were screaming at once. Slowly, Creed's face reddened. He struggled and resisted; his legs flailed wildly as he struggled for air.
"Join me in hell, Creed," The father's tightened his grip even more.
Creed's consciousness began to slip away from him. His sense of time was in scrambles - each second passed felt like grueling hours. As he closed his eyes, he suddenly felt his neck loosened. He immediately sat up and looked around. His father disappeared. However, everything around him was now a black void. Creed slowly stood up. His mind blanked, and he couldn't comprehend what was happening around him.
"I've been watching you, child," A mysterious voice whispered in his ears.
The strange voice appeared ancient and non-human. An isolated voice in an empty void forgotten by time. Creed was instantly startled and peered at the black void around him. However, he didn't find anyone. A body that doesn't exist, yet its consciousness remains. Creed never encountered anything like this before.
"They slayed your father..." The voice hissed. "But they failed to kill you, my child, the bearer of that hidden power."
"Who are you?" Creed nervously asked.
"My name has no importance, child," The being spoke. "I sense the hatred in your heart which burns like a raging fire."
"Do you wish to seek revenge for your father?" It asked.
The question instantly garnered Creed's attention. The thought of standing over his brother's corpse enticed him. To get back at those who murdered his father was his new goal; an ambition that will never fade. However, he knew his brother was far stronger than he was. Furthermore, he couldn't go against the Rythall Empire with his current strength. Therefore, seeking revenge now wouldn't be a viable option for him.
"How would you help me?" Creed asked. He remained vigilant against this strange being.
Creed felt a pair of massive hands grabbed his shoulders, and he quickly twisted his head to catch a glimpse of this strange being. Yet again, he couldn't see it.
"You and I are intertwined by fate," It responded. "What you desire is strength, and I can help you achieve it. In turn, you must help me."
Creed raised an eyebrow, "That is?"
"All I desire is to be free again."
"How can I do that?"
"Gather the six fragments of the primordial flame across the lands of Faldwin," It responded.
"Sequentially, each fragment will grant you a tremendous strength to trample your father's murderers like ants."
Creed's mind began to race. The being's words left Creed with full of questions.
"Everything will be revealed with the passage of time," The being seemingly read his mind.
"Where can I find them?" He asked. An extraordinary boost in power was incredibly alluring to Creed.
Suddenly, a painful and burning sensation ran across his arm as a strange, black tattoo formed. Creed winced in pain as he uttered loud, agonizing groans. A black dragon wrapped around his arm with glowing red borders. The dragon's eyes shimmered with a crimson brilliance. Its mouth was open as if it was releasing a powerful and mighty roar. For a moment, Creed believed the dragon was alive. After minutes passed, the pain gradually subsided, and the crimson glow faded away.
Creed breathed a sigh of relief, "What... is this?"
"The markings of the mythical dragon," The being responded. "This tattoo will glow as it senses a nearby fragment."
"Does it-"
"My time now is nearing its end," The being interrupted him. "I wish you the best of luck, child."
"Wait! What about my hidden power you spoke of?" Creed cried in alarm.
"That is for you to discover on your own," The voice began to fade away.
***
Creed's eyes jolted awake, and he immediately sat up in confusion. A splitting headache instantly struck him as if a hammer is constantly battering his head. He groaned in pain as he massaged his temples. Creed then inspected himself for any fatal wounds, but he noticed gauzes wrapped all over his muscular body. Creed wore nothing but a brown undergarment that covered his lower thighs. His eyes grew wide with shock as he checked his left arm. The black dragon.
"So it was real..." Creed uttered.
A woman softly spoke in an unknown tongue," Gni soli ta?"
The woman had hair as beautiful as the night sky that reached her shoulders in waves. Her eyes were like clear, precious diamonds that nobles would seek after; they were soft, yet, nervous at the same time. Her skin was lightly tanned and appealing. Perhaps she had gathered herbs and fruits every day outside her home. She wore a modest blue dress that reached just below her knees. A white cloth wrapped around her waist that tightened her dress and accentuated her hips. On her head was a pair of small, white horns like those on wild animals.
Creed looked at the mysterious woman with vigilance. He summoned red flames on both fists and prepared to attack her. He couldn't take any chances with this strange woman.
The woman became startled by his flames and fell onto the wooden floor. She used her hands to quickly back away from him.
Just before he attacked, she screamed, "Ru ta quefa! Ru ta quefa!"
Creed couldn't understand her and screamed, "Who are you!"
The woman realized the language barrier and spoke in a broken Rythallite tongue, "No fight! Friendly to you!"
Although her accent was strong, Creed understood her clearly. The flames gradually vanished from his hands, and Creed loosened his fists. However, Creed remained wary of her if she ever launched any sneak attacks against him.
"Sorry about that. I thought you were an enemy," He awkwardly chuckled, "I'm Creed, by the way. Your name?"
"M-Myllie," She nervously responded. "Myllie Lokirah."
"That's a wonderful name, Myllie," Creed pointed at the gauzes wrapped around his body. "Did you save me?"
She nodded her head and gestured wildly, "You wounded at river. I help."
"Oh, thank you for saving me," Creed reached his hand out to her. "If it weren't for you, I would have died."
"You no attack?" Myllie asked in worry.
"No, I won't," Creed smiled at her.
She hesitated at first before she extended her hand at him. Creed grabbed her hand and gently pulled her up from the floor. Creed noticed a sweet and fruity scent from her body. Suddenly, he winced in pain as a wound opened up across his chest.
"Hurry, lay on bed!" She moved her arms around his waist and shoulders and helped him to his bed. "No moving, okay?"
Myllie rushed out of the bedroom and came back with some medical supplies. She carefully removed the gauze from his chest that was soaked in fresh blood. She then pressurized Creed's wounds to stop the bleeding. Myllie opened a brown container which revealed a strange, waxy substance and slowly applied it onto Creed's chest.
"How long was I out for?" Creed asked.
Myllie held up a peace sign, "Two...uh, I don't know word. How to say?"
"Two days?"
"Uh...no," She shook her head.
"Weeks!" Creed uttered a startled cry.
"Yes, yes! That one."
Creed was in deep thought. His injuries must have been extreme if he was out for that long. Even more so, he shouldn't be alive after being pierced in the chest with a sword. Not to mention falling into a raging river from extreme heights. His only conclusion was that the strange being somehow saved him while he was unconscious.
Creed carefully examine the horns on her head with surprise, "Are you one of those elusive Hornicsmen?"
"I guess your kind calls us that," Myllie cut a long strip of gauze from a large spool. "But, not right. We Selphims!"
From Creed's understanding, the Selphims was an elusive race that lived in isolated areas away from the other races in Faldwin. Rumors suggested that they lived in dense forests or on the mountaintops where no man could reach them. Not much is known about their kind besides their human-like appearance and horns like those on animals. Century-old records from Rythall's Grand Library noted that Selphims can live up to two hundred years - twice the lifespan of a normal human. However, no human had ever come in contact with them since the records were published.
She placed down the spool of gauze onto the floor, "Can sit up for me?"
"Sure."
Creed struggled to sit up but managed to do it with the help of Myllie. She wrapped the new gauze around his wide chest. A light blush appeared on her face as she gazed back and forth from his exposed chest.
"There, all done!" She exposed her white teeth with her dazzling smile.
Creed laid back on his bed - the pain somewhat subsided.
"Thank you, Myllie. Really." Creed said with deep gratitude. "I owe you one."
She grabbed his hand with both of hers, "No need! I help because I want. I go grab some food now."
Myllie hurriedly walked out of the bedroom. Creed's heart beat faster as he watched her leave. This is the first time he'd felt this way.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
DrGoomy
DrGoomy Reworked some parts of this chapter because it was icky. Big oof.
— Un nouveau chapitre arrive bientôt — Écrire un avis
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone