The Reborn of Phoenix

story by Ghaan

It is already long time ago when I lived in a house with my wife and children at the edge of a dark forest, away from people and their lifes. I was natural hunter and I could hunt every living being on this world, I knew also various healing herbs and a few spells that were forgotten and remained only in the mind of several people. My unusual skills healed lot of people and saved many lives. My wife was a beautiful gypsy and we fell in love together immediately when we met us for first time and she gladly followed me to my house. We choosed a lovely place at the edge of a forest with lot of animals where I used to go to hunt and that provided enough meat for my family. We lived happily a few kilometers from the nearest town, a small village at the border of Kingdom of Juargan. People were visiting us for healing formulas and herbs, advices and sometimes just for vials of love. I believed that people deserve exactly that what they did in their life. I helped if I was asked. I lived peaceful and happy life…

~

Once, as usual, I kissed my wife and my two daughters and got off for a hunt. I wanted to visit some shops in the town first, but I saw already from distance that something is not all right. The town was crowded by many people who were wearing swords. I saw the insignia of the Kingdom of Juargan on their shields and armor. The soldiers were crossing the streets, making disorder and fought with themselves. The King of Juargan had lot of plans to conquer more land from nearby kingdoms - these soldiers belonged to another imperial army which was marching to a war. I decided to avoid them and the town and turned my horse away. I continued my way to the forest - I hunted for 3 days, took all the meat and furs and returned back. I was not far from my home when I smelt it in the air. It was dark night, one hour before midnight and the sky above the trees was shining with a strange orange light. I sniffed carefully the air again and got a bad feeling. It was the smell of death.

I spured my horse, rided as fast as I could when suddenly I spoted it. The whole house was covered in fire and sent light to the surroundings like a strange lighthouse. I heard the cry of my wife and one of the daughters. I jumped down of the horse and ran to them. I found them both laying in front of the house in a small pool of blood, without any clothes and crying. They both were crying as the figures with the armor and imperial insignia raped them again and again. The soldiers changed after some of them was done and another one layed down on one of her. The rest of soldiers had fun, drinking beer and killing the domestic animals we were growing up. I just stood there, completely shocked of that I saw. I couldn’t believe what was happenening in front of my eyes.

I walked to one of the soldiers, patted him on his arm and delivered a solid punch to his stomach. The soldier fell down on the ground and stayed there. Another imperial soldier fell senseless after I hit him with my fist. And that was also the last thing I remember - another soldier sneaked behind me and hit me with a large hammer on my head. I heard the sound of breaking bones and felt great pain, comming outside my head. Fresh blood covered my eyes when I lost all senses.

Then something strange happened. I didn’t feel my body anymore but I was still there. I saw myself laying on the ground, dirty by my own blood from somewhere up. My spirit levitated above all the horor scenery and another feeling passed through my unreal veins. I saw the fire and great light that blinded me and a voice that just said: “Kill them, kill them all!” I woke up in the morning. I was wearing black armor and a steel sword. And a black horse waited for me a few meters further. I saw the ash that was my house in the past and the smoke that was rising from the place where it stood a few hours ago. Then my sight fell on three skeletons, completely burned over, but I knew whom they belonged. And just in this while everything changed, all my life philosophy burned together with my house.

~

The legends say that a strange black creature appeared in the unknown town on the borders of Kingdom of Juargan which killed almost entire army and only a few of the imperial soldiers escaped and saved their lives. Some say it was another army that came and killed them, some say it was a curse sent by a devil.

But only I knew that it was He who told me I’m finally freed…