The moon bathed the world in an astonishing grey, as the Long Night had finally begun.
In a crumbling village of the Primal World, a boy had his hand around an old man's throat.
Despite the size advantage, the man couldn't break free from the grip of the boy.
He merely watched with his narrow eyes as the old man was slowly losing his life.
"You… shameful Aberrant," He said, choking out the words.
In an agonizing slow pace, he turned his head to look at the chestnut-haired boy who had been strangling him.
"You have no honor."
The young boy furrowed his brows, seeing the old man hadn't just collapsed and died already.
He didn't reply. The boy pulled out a dagger from his robe and pressed it to the old man's throat.
The scream of the old man was swallowed by a hand over his mouth.
With almost no hesitation, the boy cut open his neck, sliding the dagger across his throat.
Blood splattered like a crescent moon. The boy then let go of his grip. With no care in the world, he allowed the body to collapse on the floor with a loud thud.
He looked down at the corpse, his face showing more disgust than guilt.
"Honor? You think I was born with such luxury?"
Having said that, he quickly went inside the storage room that had all types of food saved up for the villagers.
He took what he could, storing them in a backpack. Mostly bread, but it would do the job for the next few days.
Truly, if it came to it, he could fend off or kill all the guards that 'defended' the village. But it wasn't worth his time.
Minutes passed as he finally took enough food for him to survive. As soon as he finished, he ran outside and into the Sableroot Forest that was situated directly next to the village.
In the Primal World, food was more than just a necessity. It was hard to gain access if not a citizen of one of the Seven Great Cities.
***
After running for quite some time, he finally reached what looked like a campfire in an open area surrounded by trees.
The fire flickered. Two people sat around it, one woman that had her eyes closed and a blonde man with a red tie that circled around his head.
"You plan on eating all of that by yourself?" said Kellen, his tone more serious than sarcastic.
His body was well-built, good enough to survive outside the City. A long red tie circled across his yellow hair, showing signs of temporary banishment.
Aren clicked his tongue, "You're not funny."
The other woman stayed dead silent. Her eyes were shut as they were covered by a soft blindfold, leaving only her long dark eyelashes visible.
She had a calm expression, almost looking like a doll.
All she was wearing was a delicate, sleeveless white dress as her very long, flowing and dark hair with deep pink highlights cascading far behind her.
Faye seemed to be almost the same age as Aren, maybe even younger.
Ignoring the eeriness she radiated, he put his backpack with the food far from the campfire, then sat next to it by himself, leaning down on a tree.
Kellen looked at him, a bit offended.
"The Order is still after us… We must hurry now that the Long Night has begun," The woman finally spoke, her voice ethereal.
"I would rather avoid fighting as well, it might disrupt the area." replied Kellen cautiously.
The silence grew as the three of them were lost in their own thoughts.
Aren gazed at the giant moon, his head full of uncertainty.
"If you stare too long into the Abyss, it will stare back at you."
His eyes widened slightly. The words Faye uttered resounded in his head.
Before he was banished, people in his city would all say the same line when someone gazes too long at the moon. It was unsettling for Aren.
***
More minutes passed as they took warmth from the campfire, then finally decided to continue on their journey.
Fortunately for Aren, it wasn't the one he stole food from.
As soon as they got out of the forest in a matter of minutes, the village they went into felt empty.
It felt dark and gloomy. It had no life whatsoever, that meant it was an abandoned village.
Seeing abandoned villages was a normal occurrence on the other side of the Sableroot Forest, monster activity was greater than average in these specific areas.
Realizing that, Aren quietly sighed. Disappointed, he thought, 'I would've preferred having more food.'
All of a sudden, the air shifted. The three were frozen in place as they held a rather stiff expression.
Aren gripped his dagger tightly, knowing what was about to come.
They were being watched. Not knowing who in particular, they were creeped out. In this world, no one can ever feel too safe.
In mere seconds, they were surrounded. Countless unrecognizable figures stood under the night sky, each one of them raising their blades high in the air.
"Hunters," said Kellen.
'I can clearly see that.' Aren thought, annoyed at Kellen for stating the obvious.
What were hunters doing all the way here, anyway? These people usually never passed through Frostgrave, which was way back at the other side of the Sableroot.
Finally, one of the hunters spoke, their figure was still unidentifiable.
"Turn yourselves in. You're outnumbered, there's no need to shed blood."
The crew stayed silent, unwavering despite there being hunters three times larger in numbers.
"I recognize you," the same hunter spoke, pointing at Aren.
Aren raised a brow, "Huh?"
He didn't care much if he recognized him or not. After all, he probably owned the worst reputation in the world.
"You're the son of Vyla, aren't you?" He said, a smirk forming on his face.
Aren furrowed his brows aggressively as he was reminded of his mother.
Barely keeping his composure, he replied, "How do you know her?"
"She was a great… entertainer—"
Before having the luxury to continue, silver light flashed from nowhere.
His heart was pierced, leaving a gap in his body. Slowly, his body started disintegrating like a decaying statue.
Seeing this, the other hunters slowly backed up.
Aren was furious. His mother's reputation is what ruined his life in the City.
'Son of a bastard!'
All types of emotions swelled up within Aren, being recalled of his mother that was one of the main reasons why he was banished.
He turned his head to where the beam came from, only to see Faye, her arm high in the air, palm open.
She kept her eyes closed, her long dark eyelashes were only visible.
"The Abyss has graced us with its light on our horizon. Do not stain it."
Blue slate rings formed around her two wrists, orbiting them like ancient power.
One of the hunters whispered, "She's already Shade Two… and she's a kid?"