Leaves rustle down the forest as a young boy sprints desperately for his life

Gasping for air he bursts through some foliage, tripping and falling on his face

Looking up dazed, he spots two blurry figures

“Ad-adventurers?! Please, I need your help! My-my brother sven has gone mad!”

He scrambles on the floor clinging onto the nearest foot

A warm hand brushed atop his tangled hair

Calming down, the boy looks up and realises who he's talking to

A handsome elven man with an angelic smile crouched down to meet his eyes positively glowing, lighting up the world in his time of need

And literally glowing, providing an abundant light source

“Now speak little one, what are your troubles?” the elf lifts his chin, stroking the boys back

“I-I don’t know! The three of us were playing like normal in the forest then my brother snapped!

He-he fell in a hole last week and ever since he came back it’s like he’s a different person

One moment its fun and games lifting us on his shoulders the next his eyes glow red and he... he runs into the forest.

When he gets back it’s like he crawled up from hell coated in blood and bruises”

The boy releases his tears clutching both arms, whole body shivering

The elf pulls him into a tight embrace, glowing brighter than before

“N-normally he is sane enough to never hurt us… and I know he’s trying to protect us by running away but. But’’

“Ack! My brother! We need to go save him! There must be a chance!”

Jumping up from his embrace the boy drags the elves hand back to where he came

“Please, you need to help us!”

The elf sighs and looks to his companion, a peculiar golem made of unknown wood-like materials with what seems to be a deformed girl printed on its surface

The golem nods and gestures to lead the way

“Sigh okay” Picking up the boy and golem, the elf floats atop the trees in the direction the boy emerged from

“So who are you? Where is your house?” The elf asks

The boy, marvelling at the fact he’s flying makes no response

“Hello?”

“Ah! Sorry! I’m 14 years old, My name is Seaks and live with my 2 older brothers. mom and dad leave early and come late so it’s usually just the three of us. M-My brother naine told me to run and get help, maybe hide in a tree and wait till our parents come home from hunting while he holds off my brother”

‘’Mom and dad hunt all the monsters in the area so it’s perfectly safe for us to play around but last week… we wanted to play adventurer and explore forbidden land’’ seaks mutters hesitantly

‘’We were chased by a pack of goblins and sven, being our big bro stayed back to fight them off and disappeared into a hole’’ he recalls while clutching his arms and shaking

‘’The next day sven returned covered in blood and cuts… we don't know what happened in that hole. He won't tell us. But what we do know is that he changed’’ teardrops fall from his face, disappearing into the forest canopy below

The flight continues on in silence

The forest around them stills, quiet like a grave but continuing forward they see it

a large cabin in the woods accompanied by the scent of blood and ominous crunching of some kind

arriving at the destination the elf sets his two passengers on the ground

coldness from the depth of his stomach and complete dread washes over the boy

stumbling forwards he reaches the bloody front door

Instincts warning to run away he pushing forward with a trembling hand

Unlocked, it creaks, heart pumping out of his chest

peering inside seaks face falls

Like a bucket of ice dumped on his head, he stands stock still, frozen in place

The elf walks up behind and takes a peek immediately regretting it as he runs to the nearest bush and pukes, glow flickering

inside the cabin dark as night, swamped with the smell of iron and rust was a figure hunched over what appears to have once been a person

Broken furniture and walls gouged indicated there was a struggle

the sound of crunching bones and lapping lips echo through the hall as the figure seems to be eating the most delicious meal in the world

''s-sven?'' the boy whispers

slowly turning around, the figure reveals himself

tears streaming like a waterfall from his glowing red eyes and gore caked all over his face, was sven

with a crooked smile and crying eyes the older brother whimpers ''h- e. l p. m- e''

launching towards seaks on all fours sven gurgles some animalistic sounds

without warning, several thick green vines rupture out of the ground and wrap around his arm the moment it came in contact with the floor

sven twists his body and with a guttural howl, rips off his arm to resume charging at his remaining brother before taking a big leap

pushing sven away the peculiar golem swoops in and takes the hit for him getting blown away somewhere into the forest

a flash of light stuns everyone and the elf joins the battle

A gust of wind blows and the whole world stops

when seaks regained his senses the battle was over, his brothers head rolling on the floor with a fountain of blood gushing from numerous wounds

No no no oh please no

stumbling to his brothers head

he picks it up to find his last expression was one of bliss.

carrying his svens head, seaks drags himself through the house to his other brother naine

breaking down at the mutilated corpse of his brother seaks bawls his eyes out

''UWWAAAAAH! SVEN! NAINE!''

Cradling what’s left of both his brothers in his arms seaks passes out

''w-what do we do now?'' the golem whispers to the elf

''his parents should be coming back soon so he should be fine... lets book it'' the elf picks up the golem and flies away