The night was not a sky anymore it was a furnace. Smoke blotted out the moon, turning the heavens into a suffocating ceiling of ash and flame. Elderleaf, once a cradle of laughter, now lay in ruins. Homes that had smelled of bread and herbs only that morning stood as skeletal ruins, timbers collapsing with cracks that echoed like broken bones. The air burned with the tang of iron, sweat, and blood.
Everywhere, screams were cut short swords silenced voices that once sang by rivers, spears pierced hearts that had only known the peace of village life. The forest around Elderleaf glowed red as if the gods themselves had unleashed judgment.
Through the choking haze, three small figures stumbled forward.
Alex clutched his chest as though it might burst, his legs trembling from exhaustion. At his side, Lyanna half-dragged him, half-held him up, her golden hair smeared with soot, her cheeks streaked with tears she tried to blink away. She was only eight barely old enough to understand what was happening but tonight she moved with the desperation of someone far older.
Ahead of them, Keal, their brother, ten years old, gripped a short sword so tightly his knuckles blanched. His jaw was set, but his eyes wide, feverish betrayed the storm raging inside him. He glanced back again and again, making sure Alex and Lyanna kept up, his heart screaming to protect them even when his body shook with fear.
And behind them, their mother, Mara.
Her once-soft face was hardened with resolve, streaked with ash and blood, her torn dress clinging to her frame. She clutched a small kitchen knife, the last defense she had, her other arm gripping Alex's shoulder to keep him moving. Her breaths came ragged, but she pressed forward with a mother's fire.
"Stay close!" she barked, voice raw, eyes blazing with urgency. "Don't stop, no matter what!"
But fate is merciless.
From the smoke, a raider emerged. His armor, jagged and blackened, glistened with blood that wasn't his own. A scar cut across his face, splitting his sneer in two. In one hand, he held a torch; in the other, a blade dripping red. His shadow stretched long in the firelight, cutting off their escape.
Mara froze, heart hammering. She shoved Alex and Lyanna behind her. "Keal protect them!"
Keal's throat tightened. "Mother"
"Now!" she snapped, her voice steel.
The raider lunged. His blade swung with the weight of a man who had slaughtered dozens already. Keal cried out, raising his sword, the clang of steel sparking against the man's strike. The force jarred through Keal's small arms, rattling his bones, but he held.
Mara struck forward, driving her kitchen knife into the raider's arm. He roared, staggering back, but his gauntleted fist lashed out, smashing into Mara's face. She crumpled to the dirt, blood painting her lips.
"Mother!" Alex screamed, trying to run to her, but Lyanna clutched his wrist, sobbing, "No! Stay back!"
The raider grinned, his fury ignited, raising his sword again. Keal, screaming with all the strength in his small body, thrust forward. The blade slipped beneath the raider's chin, into his throat. Blood gushed as the man's eyes bulged, his sneer freezing in shock before he collapsed.
For a moment, silence. Only fire crackled.
Then Alex saw it the spreading stain on Mara's side. Her hand clutched the wound, but her blood seeped through her fingers, dark and unrelenting. He had not noticed before, too blinded by fear. The sight of it hollowed his chest.
"M-Mother…" His voice cracked, breaking apart with terror.
Mara staggered, fell to her knees. Pain etched deep into her face, but her eyes softened when they landed on her children. She beckoned them close with a trembling hand.
Lyanna dropped to her side first, clutching her arm. "Mama! No, please, get up! We can go, we can still run"
Mara's shaking hand brushed her daughter's cheek. "My sweet Lyanna… my sunshine… hush now."
Alex crawled into her lap, clutching her dress as if holding her together. "Don't say that! You'll be fine you have to be fine! We'll find help, we'll"
Keal sank down too, sword slipping from his hand. His lips trembled as he whispered, "Mother… I can carry you. We can make it to the river. Please…"
Mara's breath came ragged, her body trembling. She pulled them all close Keal, Lyanna, Alex gathering them into her arms, though her strength faltered. Her blood smeared across their faces, across their small hands, binding them to her in scarlet.
"My little ones," she whispered, her voice both fragile and fierce. "Listen to me. Your father is gone… and I am soon to follow. But you must live."
Alex's head shook violently against her chest. "No! I don't want to live without you! Please, Mother, please!"
Lyanna sobbed into her side, her voice cracking. "I'll be good, Mama, I'll do everything you say just don't leave us!"
Keal bit down on his lip so hard it bled, his fists clenching. His tears fell silently as he rasped, "Please… we still need you. I can't protect them alone."
Mara's tears spilled freely, cutting streaks through the ash on her cheeks. She kissed each of their foreheads, lingering as though trying to brand the memory of her love onto their souls.
"Keal… you are strong. Stronger than you know. Protect your brother and sister. No matter what happens do not let them fall."
Keal nodded sharply, tears dripping onto her hand. "I swear it. I swear, Mother."
"Lyanna… my heart," Mara whispered, turning to her daughter. "You are gentle, and the world will try to break that. Don't let it. Hold your brothers together when they lose hope. Be their light."
Lyanna wailed, shaking her head. "I can't do it without you! Please, Mama, stay with us!"
"You can," Mara breathed, pressing her forehead to hers. "Because you have my spirit in you."
At last, she looked down at Alex, her hand trembling as it cupped his cheek. "And you, my sweet Alex… you must live. No matter how much it hurts. No matter what you lose. Promise me."
Alex's small hands clutched at hers, desperate to anchor her. His chest shook with sobs. "I-I don't want to promise! I just want you! Please don't leave me!"
Her voice broke, but her eyes shone with a final light. "Promise me, Alex. If you live, then I live too. My love, my hope everything I am will carry on through you."
The world blurred in his tears. Finally, choking on his sobs, Alex whispered, "I… I promise. I'll live… I'll keep living, no matter what."
Mara smiled weakly, peace flickering through her fading strength. "That's all I needed, my brave boy." She kissed his brow one last time. "Goodbye, my loves… we will meet again."
Her chest rose, fell and stilled.
"Mama!" Lyanna's scream tore from her throat, raw, heart-shattering. She shook Mara's body, desperate to wake her, to deny the truth. "No! Wake up! Please, Mama!"
Alex clung to her still form, burying his face in her blood-soaked dress, his voice cracking into nothingness. "Please, don't leave me! I promised I promised!"
Keal bowed his head, silent tears streaming down his face. He pressed his forehead against his mother's cooling hand, his fists trembling. For a moment, the three of them clung to her, their world breaking in fire and blood.
And then, before their tear-blurred eyes, a light flickered.
The System Interface appeared.
[Main Quest Unlocked.]
Quest: Mother's Final Wish
Objective: Live on, no matter the burden. Protect the light entrusted to you.
Reward: ???
Failure: Death.
The glowing letters burned like brands in their vision. Even the System demanded they carry her will.
Keal's breath shook as he forced himself to stand. Shouts echoed nearby more raiders closing in. He grabbed his sword, then pulled Lyanna and Alex to their feet. "We have to go. If we stay, we'll die too."
"I can't leave her!" Alex screamed, thrashing, his small fists beating against Keal's chest. "I promised I can't leave her!"
Keal's arms locked around him, dragging him forward with a strength born of desperation. "That's why you have to live! That's what she wanted! That's what Father wanted!" His voice cracked, breaking into a sob. "That's what I want!"
Lyanna stumbled after them, looking back again and again, her tears blinding her. "Goodbye, Mama… I'll be your light. I promise…"
Behind them, Mara's body lay bathed in the glow of fire, her final smile frozen in ash. Ahead, darkness swallowed the forest.
And as the three children fled into the night, their hearts torn apart, the System's quest burned in their eyes.
[Quest Accepted: Live On.]