Chapter 1: A simple life
Ryan woke up with the first sun threads that crept through the window of his small house made of wood and stone. The smell of wetland was smelling from the fields surrounding the village, mixed with the smell of burning firewood from women's stoves. Although the sky was clear, the cold morning breezes made his body tremble a little.
He slowly opened his eyes, feeling the weight of life on his shoulders. He did not feel enthusiastic as in his little dreams, as he imagined himself as a strong warrior traveling through the forests and defeating the bad guys. In fact, his life was simple to the extent of pain; He does the field with his father, takes care of animals, and sometimes goes to hunt with his friends.
He sat on the edge of his bed, leaving his eyes roaming the simple room. The wall is wooden and filled with scratches of time, and there is a small picture of his parents in a corner, his father's exhausting smile raises in his heart a feeling of reassurance and sadness together. Since the death of his mother years ago, his father became the only rock in his life, although his face has become more frightening and firm with the passage of time.
Ryan went out, where the morning was filled with a faint golden light. The sounds of birds were in harmony with the water of the small table near the village. The village was very remote, surrounded by forests and mountains, away from any urban center, with a simple life that relies on agriculture and hunting.
Ryan started his day as usual, by going to the field to help his father. The land was wet from dew water, and the soft silk of plants touched its fingers. He felt a bit of contentment as he saw the greenness of the earth, but he was not fully happy. There was a feeling of bored heavily heart; Every day he resembles the one before him, not new, no adventure, no chance to test something greater than routine life.
While working, his close friend, Salim, joined him with a basket full of fruits. Ryan smiled at him, despite the fatigue that controls his body. Selim was always cheerful, despite the poverty surrounding them. Ryan tried to imitate his smile, but he felt that his heart was incompatible with sincere joy.
"Do you feel bored today?" Selim asked while throwing some apples on the ground.
Ryan nodded his head. "Always the same, nothing new, nothing worth it."
Selim laughed. "Maybe life here is very calm for you. Maybe you need an adventure."
Ryan smiled a slight smile, but he did not respond. He knew that adventure in this village means facing simple life or death in the worst case.
Hours after work, Ryan and his father returned home. They sat on the wooden ground, they eat a simple meal of bread and goat cheese. His father did not speak much, but he took a look full of anxiety. Ryan felt that his father was aware of something he did not say, something mysterious about their future, but he did not ask.
After food, Ryan went out to roam the forest surrounding the village. He liked to feel the freedom given by the forest, with the sounds of trees and its winds in the wind. But today, he felt something different; Feeling of loss and emptiness he could not explain. A look at the distant mountains sparked a strange desire in his heart to know what is behind it, life outside the village, adventure, strength ... everything seemed far -reaching, but attractive in a way that he could not resist.
When he returned to the village, its residents began to move normally, some of them heading to the field, and others speaking in the small market. Ryan met some other friends, and exchanged some transit conversations with them. But every word he said was without real meaning; He felt isolated inside himself, something he could not share with anyone.
With sunset, Ryan sat on a rock near the table, looking at the sky reflection in the water. The color of the sunset was orange and gold, but he could not enjoy it. Think about his father, in his friends, in the life he lives, and felt a lump in his heart. Perhaps, as Salim said, life here is very calm, but it is also free of excitement, from strength, from the true meaning of existence.
At that moment, Ryan felt for the first time that his heart was looking for something bigger, something will completely change his life. He did not know what this thing is, but he was sure that his life would not remain the same.
He returned to his home, and he grabbed with his hand the image of his parents, and he promised himself in silence:
"I will find my way ... I will become a stronger person ... I will protect what I love ... and I will not be weak anymore."
While the night began to go on the village, Ryan sat watching the stars inlaid, wondering about his fate, about the wide world that awaits him, and about the power he did not know yet. This feeling was the first spark that will ignite his journey, the journey that will start at the end of the simplicity of this village, towards a world full of strength, fighting and blood.
After a long day of work, Ryan came out again to walk in the woods, but today it was different. The air was cooler, and the breeze that passes between the trees carries a strange smell that is not accustomed to. He did not know the reason, but he felt a shame in his heart, a feeling he had not experienced before: as if something was about to happen.
On its way, the village elders coincided with the small temple on the edge of the forest. They were talking in a low voice, their faces are worried. Ryan stopped with them, cautiously, and tried to hear what they say.
"The news from the neighboring villages is not reassuring ... mercenaries move north with an extraordinary speed." One of the elders said, his voice is full of fear.
Ryan smiled internally, but he didn't comment. He did not see a cause of concern; This village is remote, it has no value, as he thought.
The elder Sheikh, who has known Ryan since his childhood. "Ryan ... beware. The coming days will not be easy. There are things that you cannot understand yet ... but you have to be ready for anything."
Ryan felt a strong prick in his chest. The words of the Sheikh were not just a warning, but rather a harbinger of what would come.
"I ... I will be careful." He said, trying to hide the anxiety that began to sneak into his heart.
While he was walking back to his home, he noticed that the village looks unnaturally calm. Children play silently, women talk in a low voice, and men return to their homes without enthusiasm. Even his father looked more tense than usual, his eye shines with anxiety.
Ryan sat with his father on the balcony of the house, and started talking to him in a low voice.
"Have you heard something about mercenaries, Dad?"
His father looked at him with heavy sigh. "Yes ... and my heart is afraid of what I hear about them. I have destroyed the hearts of many ... but this village ... we will not know what will happen."
The following days passed slowly. Ryan noticed an increase in caution in the village; Weapons are starting to appear in the homes, and the doors of the house are closed early. Everything was indicating the proximity of the danger, but he did not know when it would come or how it would strike.
One evening, Ryan went out to the forest again, trying to escape anxiety. Listen to the sounds of the forest, and try to focus on birds and trees, but his mind was busy thinking: What if the worst occurred? What if he lost his father or friends? The feeling of impotence began to control it.
When he returned to the village, he saw a small gathering at the market. Some men talk about mysterious mercenaries who passed through the neighboring villages, and about the killing and looting they caused. Details were scary: cut hearts, burning houses, women and children's screams.
Ryan Poetry with chills running in his body. These are no longer just stories, but a terrifying reality approaching them. He tried to ignore fear, but he felt that his heart was beating strongly, as if he was aware of something that the mind could not understand yet.
That night, Ryan sat in front of his house, looking at the stars, wondering about the great world that surrounds them. Until now, everything in his life was simple, safe, but he started to feel that safety is an illusion, and that everything could collapse at any moment.
Lie on his bed, and his mind is full of questions and doubts. "Will I be able to protect myself? Will I be able to protect who I love?"
Before closing his eyes, he heard the sound of strange steps outside, away from the village. He did not know whether they were just animals, human beings, or something else. His heart accelerated, but he decided to remain calm. Tonight, he realized for the first time that the peace he lived throughout his life may be about to end.
The next morning, Ryan went out with his father to continue working in the fields, but everything seemed different. The wind was stronger, the sky is unfamiliar, and the atmosphere is full of a heavy thing that presses the chest. Everything was as if he was warning them, and he prepared in an upcoming ordeal that could not be escaped.
Ryan felt that his life is about to change. He did not know when or how, but he realized that the world he knew would not return as it was.
This was a glimpse of fate ... about an unpredictable power, and a journey that will start soon, a journey that will reshape his life from the roots.