An intolerable wave of heat struck my face as my blurred vision filled with sparks. Loud thuds sounded throughout the room. I faced the broad figure of a man. Droplets of sweat dripped down his scarred skin. His silhouette glowed a bright orange as the flames from the crucible roared in front of him. He swung a rusty hammer down at regular intervals on a red-hot piece of metal. The dark space lit up with every swing, and the rotten wood planks shook incessantly.
The walls were covered with an assortment of different weapons and tools. A mysterious aura enshrouded the man, as if he had experienced everything that life had to give. He was the village's blacksmith as well as my father. My mother died when I was five years old, and ever since then, I have lived with him and my younger sister. The entire village depended on my father for weapons and farming equipment; it would not be an exaggeration to say that my father was a pillar of our community.
"Noah, you brat, you're almost ten. You should learn the craft to replace me," he said.
"Who wants to become a blacksmith? That's such a boring job!" I replied.
A smirk crept on his lips as he continued hammering the piece of metal.
"Stop bothering me and go play with your sister outside," he said.
"One more thing before you go. Just remember that when you're old enough, you must come back to this cabin. If it's your destiny, you will find what I have left," he added.
"Son, take care of yourself," he said with a sorrowful expression.
That was the first time that I had seen my stone-faced father show any emotion. It felt like a goodbye, but I did not pay much attention to what he said.
'It must be the heat getting to his head."
I turned around and opened the creaky door. A gust of cold air that contrasted with the heat grazed my skin as I stepped out of the cabin into a vast prairie. A little girl was running around aimlessly with her kite, and her contagious laugh echoed throughout the grassland.
"Big brother, come play!" she said.
"Oh come on, Tina, I'm tired," I sighed.
"You always say that you're tired. You never play with me anymore," she replied, dewy-eyed.
My heart ached as she stood there, almost in tears.
"Okay, okay, fine, I'll play."
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The village of a few hundred inhabitants was located on the edge of the human kingdom, and we were isolated from other people. From what the elders told us, we were poorer and way less advanced than other places; we were the riffraff of the human kingdom, and others would not even want to breathe the same air as us. However, despite living primitive lives, the villagers were tightly knit, and nothing could get between us.
Our houses were constructed of old wood planks and rudimentary thatched roofs; the structures looked like they could be blown away by a slightly strong gust of wind. The pavements, which were made out of mossy cobblestones, caused every cart to shake vigorously.
"Hey Noah, can you hear me? You're dozing off again. Do you need me to punch you?"
"I'm sorry, Lucy," I replied with an apologetic face.
"Don't worry, you did not miss much. She is just spouting nonsense again."
"Jared, you fool! You're really looking for it now!" Lucy yelled as she sprinted towards Jared.
Lucy and Jared were my two closest friends. We were of similar ages and had always gotten along well. Jared was calm and friendly, while Lucy had a fiery personality.
"What were you saying, Lucy?" I asked, interrupting their scramble.
"I'm going to become a hunter and defend you two idiots from the monsters. I'll have you know that I have been training with a sword," she said with a proud expression.
"You could not even defend your food from a puppy," Jared jokingly said, which made Lucy even more angry.
"Kids, you should not speak so lightly of the monsters," a passer-by interjected.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"As you already know, we are on the edge of the human kingdom, and we are right next to the beast land. The man-eating monsters that roam there are petrifying. Legends say that no one has ever survived an encounter with one of them. No villager here has ever seen one with their own two eyes. Lucy, you should pray that you never come face-to-face with a monster," the elder said before walking away.
"What a killjoy!" Jared said.
"Are you coming with us, Noah? We are going to the market."
"No, you guys go ahead. I have to collect firewood for my father," I replied.
"Goodbye, lowly servant," Lucy said with a smile before walking away with Jared.
The sky was colored a mixture of red and orange as the sun lowered. I had to hurry to get the timber before it got too dark. Without wasting another second, I ran away from the village center and ventured into the forest. Leaves crackled with every step that I took, and twigs snapped as I grazed past them. My footsteps disrupted the eerie silence that was present throughout the forest. After a short search, I finally found some pieces of wood that were dry enough to use. One by one, I placed them meticulously into a cloth bag.
While I was collecting the firewood, I was reflecting on a few things. Firstly, I was thinking about what my father had said earlier. I was becoming more inclined to take on the role of a blacksmith; after all, nothing else really piqued my interest anyways. I also thought that it would make him happy for his son to follow in his footsteps. Moreover, I was thinking of my sister. I had been a terrible brother lately, as I kept brushing her off.
'She must be feeling all alone. I'm such an idiot. I should make it up to her when I get back.'
After having gathered an ample amount, I tightened a knot around the top and prepared to return home. The last few rays of sunlight shone before darkness swamped the forest. As I neared my house, the suffocating smell of smoke passed through my nostrils and filled my lungs. I could not help but cough. I ran as fast as my legs could move. As I exited the tree line, my face dropped and I let go of the cloth bag. My house and my father's cabin were engulfed in a sea of flames. My glowing eyes were wide open in shock. I ran towards the crumbling structure.
"TINA! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU?" I cried out using all of my strength.