Outside a village a storm raged, like the clash of an epic battle between gods. The force of the rain and wind clashed against the roof of the house. Groaning against the weight of the elements, the house shook as if at any moment a demon would tear through and ravage asunder everyone inside.

“The weather sounds as if Dregnal’s Army is outside trying to get in.” Naltric grumbled as he looked out the window, though the sheet of water cascading down the glass. The light from inside of the house made the darkness outside appear darker. Unconsciously, Naldric ran his hand across his belt, where his sword would have been if he was still part of the heavy infantry unit, for the royal army of Camblin.

“Thinking about your old glory days?” Fanil, the mayor of the village, asked chuckling. “Just hearing the weather outside and feeling its ferocity truly makes one question the greatness of mankind.” Fanil was a kind of man that seemed more like a father figure than a leader. His ability to inspire the villagers and other nearby villages is what makes him such a great leader.

Today, even with the terrible whether, was a special day and for both Fanil and Naltric, who had arrived to look over Shelastis, a villager who was about ready to give birth. Outside the bedroom of the small house both of them could hear the cries of Shelastis and the encouraging voice of Lestan, the village midwife. The two of them shuffled their feet occasionally, the natural tendency of all men who wait while women take part in the miracle of life. The occasional shaking of the roof from the weather was a welcomed distraction for the men, and helped to dampen the noise emanating from the bedroom.

“Do you think Kalt will be able to make it through this weather?” Naltric asked Fanil. “I know that he went to the nearby village for trade purposes, but if he doesn’t get back soon then he’s going to miss the birth of his child.” Kalt was the husband of Shelastis, and often moved between the neighboring villages.

“I’m sure that he’ll be back in no time, the roads between the villages shouldn’t be too bad. I’m glad that we went with Yali’s suggestion to place gravel over the dirt roads. In the past we would have travelers coming in with their wares, but more often than not end up in a ditch due to heavy rain fall.”

The sky suddenly lit up, like an explosion, from a bolt of lightning, which then caused the glass windows to shake from the force of the thunder. “That lighting struck close by,” Fanil observed looking out the window.

“Did you see that?” whispered Naltric walking closer to the window, trying to see through the thick sheet of rain.

“Is it Kalt?” Fanil approached the window next to Naltric trying to see Kalt’s wagon.

Without a word Naltric grabbed his oiled cloak off the peg next to the door and opened the door, while throwing the cloak on. Stepping out into the elements, the cloak did a decent job of keeping his clothes dry in the downpour of rain. Feeling the rain hit the cloak took him back to the days of battle. Standing outside with his cloak on was a comfort, which not only kept him dry but somehow safe against feelings of anxiety. “I hope what I saw was Kalt and his wagon,” he muttered to himself as he waded into the darkness. He wished for a lantern to try and see through the darkness, but with the storm outside the lantern would have only hindered his vision. In this weather the rain hitting the warm ground would cause a fog to appear, making the light of a lantern to illuminate the fog. The light would also make it near impossible to see the lantern on Kalt’s wagon, used to let others know he was approaching. Looking back, Naltric could barely see the house, but just as he questioned whether to go back or not he heard the sound of a wagon’s wheel going over gravel. “Kalt is that you?!” He shouted to the direction of the noise.

“Help me over here!” Kalt replied out of the dark. His lantern must have gone out from the heavy winds, further emphasizing current conditions.

Naltric ran over to the wagon, and as he got closer Kalt’s figure became visible. Kalt waved his hand to get Naltric’s attention, which was only visible from the occasional flash of lightning. “What happened?” Naltric asked as he reached the wagon. Looking into the wagon he could see a shape covered by canvas. He heard the sound of flint bring struck by steel, and then light from a hooded lantern gently illuminating the immediate area. Setting the lantern down on the floor of the wagon, behind him, Kalt proceeded to lift a portion of the canvas to expose the face of a beautiful young lady cradling a baby boy.

“I found her on the side of the road on my way back. I don’t know how I was able to see her through this downpour.

When I got down off my wagon to see if she was okay I noticed the baby she was holding. From the look on her face, and how she didn’t respond to me lifting her onto the wagon, I’m guessing she was out there for a long time.” Kalt explained to Naltric. The woman seemed to shy away from the light, as if she were trying to hide in the darkness.

“We need to get the baby inside quickly.” Naltric said. They needed to carry both the mother and the baby back to the house. At this moment Lestan would have her hands full in delivering Shelastis’s child, so Naltric would need to wake the village’s healer and bring him to the house.

Interrupting Naltric’s chain of thought, Kalt grabbed Naltric’s shoulder and pointed to the baby. “I would normally agree, but look at how steam is rising off the child’s face as the rain hits. If you get near the baby you can even feel heat coming off it. I think that’s the only reason the mother is still alive from what I can see.”

Looking at the baby, Naltric could see the color of the baby’s face was normal, like the weather around them was nothing. At the moment he couldn’t think about this peculiar phenomenon, and instead focused on the task of getting them out of the rain and someplace warm. “Kalt head over to Shelastis’s house right now and I’ll go get Jek from his place. I’m sure he’ll know what needs to be done.” After seeing Kalt nod his head in agreement Naltric took off towards Jeck’s house, the healer. Picturing the village, shaped like a horseshoe with the village entrance between the two points, Jeck’s house was at the opposite end of the entrance next to the mayor’s house. They were located diagonally to Jeck’s house, on the other side. In the center of the village were shops and the local market, to help travelers market their wares.

Running at full speed, Naltric passed by various parts of the village finally seeing Jeck’s small house, which looked smaller next to the mayor’s building. Naltric flew over the stairs, leading up to the front door, and pounded his fist on the door hoping that it would be enough to wake the healer.

“Who is it?” a voice called out from inside the house. Footsteps could be heard past the door as Jeck approached, then opening the door. The healer was slightly older than Naltric was, though not an elder, and Jeck’s face showed obvious of fatigue due to the hour of the night. “Naltric what are you doing here at this hour? Did something happen?” Jeck asked, with both surprise and worry written all over his face.

“Healer, I apologize for waking you up in such a manner but we have an emergency over at Shelastis’s house.” Naltric answered, bowing his head in reverence.

“Did something happen with the delivery?” Jeck asked with concern.

“No healer, the delivery seems to be progressing just fine. The problem is with a lady and baby that Kalt found on the side of the road, outside the village.”

Upon hearing the situation, Jeck turned and went to turn on a latern sitting on the table next to the door. Naltric averted his gaze from the small flame since he was in the dark for so long. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw Jeck gathering various herbs and bottles full of liquids into his healer’s pack. In just moments Jeck was ready to follow Naltric back to where Kalt took the lady, the baby, and the mayor were at.

Getting back to the house took a lot longer due to the pace at which the healer could go. Due to Jeck’s age, they could only go slightly faster than a walk. The rain seemed to weigh them down and only hinder them. Naltric tried to ease the burden for Jeck by carrying the healer’s pack, so when they finally reached the house the healer’s breathing was only slightly heavy.

Opening the door, the first things that Naltric noticed was the lack of screaming from Shelastis. Kalt was also missing from the main room, and when he glanced over to the mayor the reassuring smile he saw calmed him. From the light of the lanterns on in the kitchen and main living area, Naltric could see the layout of the house. Since Shelastis and Kalt were the only people living in the house, the size was modest compared to the majority of houses in the village. The door leads directly into the living area, where the kitchen was tucked into the corner in the back right with two bedrooms on the left of it. Shelastis, Kalt, and Lestan would be in the bedroom next to the kitchen. Lying on a bundle of blankets Naltric could see the lady and baby in the corner next to the heater across from the kitchen, the wood brought in and lit by Kalt to heat the house. Walking over to the lady, Naltric crouched on the floor to get a better view as Jeck examined the two new arrivals. The lady was truly a beauty even compared to the other women in the village, and he felt a strange attraction to her. As his gaze fell to the baby he noticed the child staring back at him. This by itself would have been abnormal, but what really struck him were the colors of the child’s eyes. The child’s eyes were like black pearls with red pupils, red like the realm of the Fiery One were trying to seep out through them.

“Yes…this boy has demon blood within him, though he seems to be only half.” Jeck whispered quietly to Naltric.

“Demons haven’t been seen since the War of Light and Dark that took place ages ago. I thought it was merely a myth that the Order of Grace spewed out for new converts.” He asked Jeck, a trace of fear mixed in with wonder.

The light from the lanterns seemed to dim briefly, as if the talk of the Dark pushed back the light. Both of them looked back to the mayor and saw that he had taken a seat, on the other side of the door, looking out the window as the rain slowed. After an uncomfortable time of silence, the mayor looked at them and said, “The fact that the boy is a half-demon does not matter. Once the mother is awake, if she wishes we shall welcome them to be a part of the village. I’ll not turn away a mother and child, as long as I’m mayor of this village.” He answered with finality.

“Regardless of whether they stay or not, the appearance of a demon, whether half or whole, can only mean the beginning.” Naltric whispered, while looking at the child.

Outside they could hear the howling of wolves.