Crunch!
A boy, malnourished and weak, stumbled through the dense forest. He was exhausted and it showed in his movements as his head moved and back and forth while his legs pushed his body forward. His mind was in a daze, scrambled like puzzle pieces thrown haphazardly onto the ground. His stomach growled and clenched onto his ribs with his left hand as they felt like they were throbbing in pain.
How long has it been since he ran? Since the fire started and the ships clashed into the shore near his village. Those who could fight stood their ground and he wanted to join them, like any man should have done. Instead however he ran. Ran as far and as fast as he could. Ran so far he didn't even know where he was despite knowing paths near the forest like the back of his hand.
What if he turned back? Perhaps the fighting has already ended and his village came out on top despite numerical odds being against them. His sister was always praised for her use in magic, she could have surprised them and wiped them out in another clever trap of hers.
His foot got caught in a root which protruded from the ground causing him to fall forward and onto his knees. His fingers dug into the mud as he caught himself from falling face first.
No, stop. Be realistic. It was over. That is why you ran. That is why you were a coward. In the end it was a fight that was unwinnable. You being there would have done nothing but worsen things. Charging forward with your father only to get your body sliced off would have been a sight to worsen morale.
With wobbly legs he stood up and pressed forward into the unknown. Every tree blended into one and began to look the same to him. He knew if he turned back now there would be no point, he would just end up continuing to wander aimlessly.
Perhaps a beastman will find me and eat me… No, at this point I have more bones than meat. Wouldn't be very appetizing.
He began to giggle at his own joke. For a moment he could forget the gnawing feeling in his stomach, the throbbing sensation in his feet and legs, and the dizziness.
He traveled for what felt like forever, days had passed and his back and shoulders ache from sleeping on the dirt floor for so long. He tried to hunt but found his lack of tools to be unusable. He opted for grass but found them not to be very sustainable or nutritious.
At the end of the day he was still a child, only turning 15 not too long ago. His skills and knowledge in survival were truly lacking and he couldn't live out here like the hunters of his village could.
If he could go back in time and ask for tips he would in a heartbeat… no if he could go back in time he would warn the village of the monsters from beyond the fog. They could perhaps abandon the village and everyone would have been safe, happy, alive.
Tears began to pour out of his eyes as he realized it. This was where he was gonna die, pathetically out in the middle of nowhere.
No final hoorah, no epic last stand like his village, no thanks to his cowardice he instead found himself a slow death filled with suffering.
In his attempt to escape death he instead slowed the process from perhaps a battle axe cutting his head clean off to a slow shut down of his body and the torture of loneliness.
Regret, that's what filled the boy's mind. Regret that he ran. Regret that he didn't fight. Regret that he shall die a pathetic nobody who accomplished nothing and never truly gets to be an adult. Regret that he will never be a warrior like those in the village.
It happened, it finally happened. His face planted into the dirt and his body went still. His legs finally gave out. He laid there his eyes peering out toward the sun and the world went more blurry.
He began to close his eyes and accept it, his place in the world. Nothing.
Soon however his eyes burst open as a sweet and delicious fragrance hit his nose. It smelled like a fresh batch of bread, one that his mother often made. It smelled like magic, like all of his prayers were answered and angels from the great rift delivered upon him something to stave off the gnawing hunger which ate away at him.
His stomach growled and deciding that it was worth the last bit of his energy to check out he stood up. Stumbling toward the scent he pushed past bushes and tall grass and came toward the entrance to a cave. He didn't even know if it was real or a trick of the mind but at this point it didn't matter. Death was coming either way.
Sitting there in front of it was the food which caught his attention. It wasn't just bread but also grapes, water, and a soup of some kind. He wanted to cry, cry tears of happiness and joy, but all of it was spent earlier.
He practically jumped toward the plate without a care in the world and like a savage animal began ripping off literal chunks of the bread and swallowing it with barely chewing. He took the wooden cup of water and began to gulp down half of it before he picked up the soup and began to slurp that down.
"Oh wow, I didn't expect you to be hungry harhar-"
The boy looked toward a rock that was near the entrance. He sat criss crossed and had rags for clothes which look like they have not been changed for years. His right hand stroked his long beard which looked unkempt.
The boy only gave him a mere glance before he went back to what was more important at this current moment- food.
The old man let out a hearty and raspy laugh once again.
"Harharhar- who knew your journey would begin like this. Well I am not one to complain about how fate presents itself to me."
The words of the old man didn't even register as he stuffed grapes into his mouth like a chipmunk. His mouth was filled with the sweet juice which made him giddy. He felt that his energy was finally coming back, slowly but surely, from this amazing meal.
"The world has been broken for a long time now… soon you will make it whole again boy."