章 2: Origins
"It's coming… just a little more, ma'am."
"He's been born. It's a boy…" —responded a soft voice, full of emotion.
A woman with dark hair, named Roxy, held the newborn in her arms, a tender smile on her face. Beside her, her husband, Aron, made funny faces at the baby, trying to make him laugh.
"I doubt he understands me, sir and ma'am," —said a servant, smiling as she watched the scene.
"Sleep, little Greg…" —murmured Roxy, gently caressing her son's head.
Suddenly, a voice was heard from outside the room: "It worked…"
Five years later, Greg's family had settled in Dragon Village, a small town celebrating the peace achieved after the war that had ravaged the continent a century ago. The air was filled with festivity and the sounds of people laughing and talking.
A visitor arrived at the Bleyt household.
"Hello, Mr. Aron, we want to invite you to the End Day event, in honor of the war that ended 100 years ago," said the man with a smile.
"Oh, I see. Of course, we'll attend. How can we help?" —responded Aron, surprised by the visit.
"We heard you're a great swordsman, you were even a member of the Graydon guild. We'd love for you to do a demonstration of your skill here in the village. What do you think?"
Aron looked at his wife, Roxy, and nodded.
"I'd be happy to participate!" —he responded, smiling.
The day of the event arrived, and the entire village gathered to enjoy the festivities. Aron gave an impressive demonstration with his sword, leaving the villagers in awe of his skill. The most impressed was Greg, who watched his father with wide, astonished eyes.
But what was most intriguing was the arrival of an old man known in the village.
"Hello, how are you! I see we have new faces in the village. My name is Winston," —said the man, wearing a long cloak and holding a staff.
"Hello, Mr. Winston. I'm Roxy, Greg's mother, and this is my husband, Aron," —responded Roxy, warmly welcoming him.
"Are you the little Greg?" —said Winston, looking at the boy with an inquisitive gaze.
Greg, shy, nodded.
"Hmmm… I see. Greg, you're six years old already, right?" —asked Winston.
Greg nodded with a smile.
"I've been watching you from afar, little one. There's something peculiar about you. That mark on your shoulder… Do you know what it means?" —asked Winston, staring at the strange mark on Greg's shoulder.
"My mom says it's a birthmark. It makes me special…" —the boy replied, somewhat confused.
Winston stepped closer, his face serious. "It's not an ordinary mark… It's something much more."
A few days later, Winston visited the Bleyt household, seemingly searching for answers about the mysterious mark on Greg's shoulder...
"Hello, Mrs. Roxy, is your husband home?" —asked Winston kindly.
"Oh, hello, Mr. Winston. Aron went to the village with Greg, but please, what can I do for you?" —Roxy responded, somewhat puzzled by Mr. Winston's visit.
"I'd like to talk about the mark on young Greg," —said Winston, his voice very serious.
The atmosphere surrounding the scene became tense. The question left Roxy silent, as if she had seen a ghost…
"I see… so it was this… I guess someone would eventually ask that question," —said Roxy, with a worried voice.
"Mrs. Roxy, I kindly ask you to explain what happened six years ago, when Greg was born. I just want to understand why that mark feels so familiar to me," —insisted Winston, looking at Roxy intently, searching for an answer.
Roxy lowered her gaze, clearly uncomfortable, and began to tell the story, her voice calmer but also shy.
"Six years ago, when I was about to give birth, something strange happened. In the blink of an eye, a loud thunder shook the house, as if lightning had struck nearby. The sky suddenly darkened, and the storm began to roar, filled with lightning and thunder. It was a terrifying feeling. I had to continue giving birth, and when Greg was born, the storm immediately disappeared, and the sky started to clear, giving way to a beautiful sunrise…"
Roxy paused, and sadness reflected in her eyes. It was clear that continuing the story was difficult for her.
"Shortly after Greg's birth, something happened that, to this day, I don't fully understand. A strange man, cloaked in a mist that didn't let us see his face, began approaching our house. Just with his presence, it seemed as if everything had frozen. This strange and mysterious man had the same mark that Greg now bears. Only, he had it all over his body, on his arms, his face, all over his being. He introduced himself as… Brishka."
Upon hearing the name "Brishka," Winston froze. His eyes began to tremble, and his hands started sweating as if he felt a deep emptiness in his stomach.
"B-Bri… Brishka… But he's just a myth, I never imagined he was real," —murmured Winston, his voice trembling, as his gaze became distant.
Roxy continued, unaware of the shock her words had caused.
—Then the man said… "Where is Gregory Bleyt?"
"Who are you?" —asked Roxy trembling, unable to understand what was happening.
Brishka advanced toward them, with a cold, penetrating gaze. Aron, who had been resting until then, quickly got up when he heard the alarm in Roxy's voice. Upon seeing Brishka, he drew his sword, ready to defend his family.
"STOP, ARON, COME HELP ME!" —Roxy shouted desperately.
Aron lunged at the stranger with all his strength, but Brishka merely looked at him. Without lifting a finger, Brishka's force knocked Aron down with such violence that he couldn't get back up. Roxy, paralyzed by a strange energy, watched helplessly as the mysterious man approached her son.
"STOP, PLEASE, WE'LL GIVE YOU WHATEVER YOU WANT!" —Roxy screamed, desperate.
"Silence," —said Brishka in a deep, authoritative voice.
Brishka's power was so palpable that both Roxy and Aron were frozen, as if the weight of the entire world rested on them. Roxy tried to move, but it was futile; her body was completely paralyzed.
Brishka looked at little Greg with a cold smile.
"So this is Gregory, I see…" —murmured Brishka, his gaze fixed on the boy.
The stranger approached and lifted Greg into his arms. As he did, his eyes shone with a supernatural intensity.
He said, "I, Brishka, grant you this power that was entrusted to me, so that you may free this world from evil. Now go and do it, Gregory Bleyt," —he said, and in the blink of an eye, he disappeared, leaving Greg's parents terrified and with their hearts hanging in the balance.
Back to the present:
"And that's the origin of the mark Greg bears… Since that day, we decided to move," concluded Roxy in a subdued voice.
Winston looked at her intently, processing the story.
"I see… Well, Mrs. Roxy, that's all I needed to hear. Thank you for your time."
Winston was preparing to leave when suddenly Roxy stopped him, calling out with anxiety.
"WAIT, SIR!" —said Roxy, her voice urgent. "Do you know what that mark on Greg is? If you do, please tell me, I beg you. Who was that man, Brishka?"
Winston looked at her, knowing he could no longer hide the truth. He motioned for her to stand.
"Mrs. Roxy, please stand up. I'll tell you something that was told to me when I was a child. It was said that Brishka was a reincarnation of a past life. It's said that whoever sees him is destined to receive the mark he bore, a mark that connects them to a greater purpose. That mark your son bears… it's the divine key."
"The… the divine key? The one that tells the stories about the war…" —Roxy stammered, trembling.
"But it was said to have been destroyed by the demon god… how is this possible?"
"That's the same question I'm asking…" —Winston replied, with a grim expression.
"Well, I'll be going now. I advise you to cover your son's mark. Those who know the story could recognize him by it. The war told in the myths began because of that very mark."
After this unexpected visit, Roxy felt more worried than ever about Greg. She wondered if perhaps they should leave the village, as they had before. But before making any decisions, she needed to talk to Aron and figure out what to do.
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