Fan Fiction ❯ the weapon ❯ the weapon ( One-Shot )

by jim-hacker

The Weapon

Chapter 1

It was near midday on the Eastern Coast of the Grail Kingdom, governed by
the good King Graham. It was a peaceful land of order and law, lives were
lived out in happiness for the most part, and their ugly past had been put
behind them. A perfect place to live. Until now. Something unpleasant was
unfolding.
Only two minutes earlier the wind had been blowing full force in the small
forest town of Gisoly. Gisoly was a nice little village, houses made of
wood from the forest, dirt roads, a town square marked by the town well. It
was a nice peaceful place to live, and the people there lived happy, simple
lives. It looked like a stormy day for the simple village, and it's
inhabitants were readying their homes for the weather. But now the oddest
thing had occurred. The winds had vanished. Without even dying down, the
strong winds had stopped dead. Not even the slightest breeze was left in
the air. The sky was pitch white up above, and it still felt like a storm,
but it had grown cold. Unusually cold for a stormy summer day. The
villagers were baffled. No one knew what could have possibly caused this
sudden change of the weather. Signs of fear were immediately recognizable
in some of the villagers. The Elder of the village was quick to say that it
was nothing to worry about, and told the villagers to go back to their homes
and to continue preparing for a storm. The words of the Elder had reassured
the villagers, and their fear was soon forgotten.
Young Vlain Grayden was not so quick to dismiss such a strange event.
Vlain was a junior in the village, being only ten years old, but was always
considered very mature for his age. He had shaggy black hair dyed blue,
green eyes, and a very handsome smile. He wasn't very big, but was quite
popular with the girls. He had led a good life with his parents Jay and
Lynn, and always seemed happy and cheerful. Until today. Something wasn't
right.
Hours passed, but nothing happened. The sky was as white as always, there
was no wind at all, and the temperature had decreased significantly. People
were becoming uneasy. The fear they had experience before, came anew. The
Elder too grew concerned.
Vlain and his parents had taken shelter in the basement of their home,
where they waited to see what would happen.
Vlain's mother Lynn began working anew on a set of hunting clothes she had
designed for her husband. She had been working on them for weeks, and was
almost finished. It had been a hobby for her this past month. She was a
very lovely woman, long blond hair, deep blue eyes, delicate features,
slender frame, any man's dream.
Vlain's father Jay was an expert hunter, The best in the village. He was
currently teaching Vlain everything he knew about hunting, now that Vlain
was old enough. They spent a lot of time together now, and a father-son
bond had quickly been made. Vlain considered his father to be his idol,
even at times his best friend. They were very close. Jay was a big man, a
bit more than six feet tall, and heavily muscled. He had short black hair
and a short black beard all the way around his face. He had dark brown
eyes, and a deep scar running from the right side of his forehead, across
his nose, ending at the top of his left cheek.
Now, as they sat waiting in the basement of their home, they began to talk.
"What do you think Dad?" asked Vlain quietly. "Is there something to be
worried about, or are we just being foolish?"
After a few minutes of silent thought, Vlain received his answer. "There
is definitely something wrong, though I have no idea what. I believe there
is plenty to be worried about."
"But what could this possibly mean?" Vlain exclaimed. "What could have
possibly caused it?"
"I'm not sure what caused it." came the reply. "This isn't natural
weather. Something is influencing it."
"But what? And how?"
"I don't know."
The two looked at each other in defeat. Neither of them had any answers.
No one did. The simple lives of the villagers had been invaded by this
unpleasant mystery, and they could do nothing but wait it out.
Vlain's own thoughts began to frighten him. Something horrible is coming.
It's not just our imagination, something is horribly wrong. How can I
possibly know this? Why am I so sure? Why do I feel as if I'm about to
die? I...I can see...death. Vlain Began to shake uncontrollably. What's
happening to me?
Visions of horror began to fill Vlain's mind. He saw people. People he
knew. Friends. They were dying. Blood stained the ground red as bodies
tumbled lifelessly downward. He saw creatures. Demons. They were
everywhere. They moved so fast. They seemed everywhere at once. Total
chaos surrounded him. He then saw his father, as he ran himself threw with
his sword. A sword of the Samurai, passed down from father to son for
countless generations. The sword Vlain had dreamed of wielding since he was
little. Vlain's mind broke apart in that moment. His lungs filled, and he
cried out in anguish. It seemed like an endless nightmare of screams and
blood, but as he cried out, the visions stopped, and he was once again in
the basement of his home, sitting next to his father. He judged from the
look on his father's face that his scream had been real.
His vision grew blurry. He could hear his father talking, but he couldn't
understand what he was saying. His whole body was numb. The world seemed
to be falling to pieces around him, until there was nothing but black.

When he awoke, Vlain found himself on a bed soaked in his own sweat. He
was surrounded by the faces of people he knew. It seemed as if the entire
village was gathered in a circle around him.
"He's awake!" he heard one of them say.
"Thank the Light. I thought he was dead!" Another yelled out.
Then he saw the face of his father, then his Mother. They looked worried.
"Son, are you alright?" his father said. His voice was almost a whisper.
"I...I think so. What happened?"
"Oh, thank Heavens!" his mother's worried face turned instantly to relief.
"We thought we had lost you!" she put her arms around him and held on tight.
"I'm so glad your okay. I Love you." Tears of joy appeared in her eyes.
Vlain hugged his mother back. He felt safe in her arms. However, he still
wanted an answer to his question. "I Love you too Mom. What happened to
me?"
"We were going to ask you the same thing." came the reply from his father.
"You scared us to death when you screamed, and then you collapsed. You
weren't breathing, you had no pulse. We thought you were dead."
"Well I'm not." said Vlain firmly. "I...I just had a nightmare. While I
was awake. That was all."
"Nightmares don't kill." His father stated. "The one you had almost did.
I don't think it was a nightmare. What is it that you saw?" He had a
worried look on his face.
"I saw..." He stopped. He couldn't make himself go on. "I...uh..." He
gave up. He just couldn't bring himself to speak. Tears began to form in
his eyes.
His father turned to face the other villagers. "Please leave us. We need
to be alone with him."
"But Jay..."
"I don't need to tell you again. Out, now."
The villagers simply shrugged, and began moving towards the door. Once
they had all left, Jay return to his son's side.
"Is that better son? More comfortable?" He asked.
Vlain simply nodded.
"Good. Now, I'll ask again. What did you see in your so-called
nightmare?"
"Death." Vlain whispered.
His father didn't look surprised. "Who's death?"
Vlain hesitated. He couldn't tell his father about the part in which he
killed himself. It wasn't real anyway. It won't happen. No need for him
to know. Of course, he wasn't the only one who had died in this dream, So
to answer his father's question, he simply said, "Everybody's."
Silence filled the room. After a few moments his father spoke again.
"What killed them?"
"Monsters." came the reply. "They were everywhere, killing everyone! They
were invincible, no one could hurt them!" Vlain was crying openly now. "It
can't be real! It's just a nightmare. No one's going to die. Please tell
me it's just a stupid dream!"
"It's not." Said his father darkly.
Vlain had stopped crying and was staring wide eyed at his father.
"W...What? It's...not a...dream? Your kidding right? It has to be!"
"It's a vision." For the first time in his life, Vlain saw fear in his
father's eyes. "A few nights ago I had a dream similar to the one you
described. I saw..." His mouth snapped shut, as if he was about to say
something, then thought better of it.
Jay's eyes rose to meet the gaze of his wife. Lynn nodded with
understanding at what her husband wanted her to do, and she left the room in
haste. Jay's attention re-focused on his son.
"Vlain, listen to me. Something horrible is going to happen, and you and I
have a good idea of what that might be." He pulled a long dagger from his
belt and held it before his son. "You and I also know that your too young
to be using this, but if what we have seen comes to pass, you will need a
way to protect yourself should I not be there to do so. Take it, but use it
only if you must."
Vlain nodded his understanding, and placed the dagger carefully on his
belt. "Dad, everything is going to be okay. No one's going to die, you'll
see."
His father smiled. "If you say so son."
But Vlain saw through his father's smile. His eyes gave it away. Vlain's
father was convinced that the horror they had both witnessed in the vision
would come to pass. Deep down inside, so was Vlain.

When Vlain left the house he had been resting in, he noticed that the sky
had turned a slight green colour, along with the white. It was approaching
late afternoon in the small village, and people were beginning to gather at
the town square. The Elder looked like he had something to say. Vlain's
father immediately went to see the Elder. The Elder's eyes began to widen
as Jay told him of the vision. When he was finished, Jay went back to stand
with his family.
Then the Elder spoke.
"My friends, We are no longer safe in this village. We must leave our
home. We must leave Gisoly."
The crowd immediately began to protest. The townspeople began to argue
with one another, and chaos had over taken the crowd. Their was the sound
of a sword being unsheathed. Everyone stopped what they were doing and
turned to look.
Jay had his sword out and was holding it above his head.
"Friends. I know how you feel. I know this is difficult, but you all must
understand that if we don't leave now, we will die. All of us. I have seen
what will be, and it is not something we want to happen to our people. Stay
if you like, but I'll not pity those who so foolishly give up their lives.
If you value your life, and the lives of those you care about, you will
flee. You must. We will build a new home. We are strong people, and we
will pull through, but not if we stay. If we stay, we die!" Jay ended the
speech dramatically by thrusting his sword deep into the ground at his feet.
For a while, no one spoke. They were still reflecting on the words spoken
by Jay. Finally, someone stepped forward. Jay knew this man from the hunt.
Paul Richardson. He and Paul hunted together often, and were a very good
team. Paul was a big man though not as big as Jay, with shaggy light brown
hair, and hazel eyes. He approached Jay, and extended his hand.
"Though I truly do despise the thought of leaving my home," he said loudly
so all could hear. "I also despise the thought of losing my family because
I was too foolish to act. I will do as you do my good friend. I will leave
with you to build a new home else ware, and save my family."
Jay took Paul's extended hand with his own, and soon after, the rest of the
village was ready to accept the truth, and do something about it.
Jay began speaking anew. "Thank you my friends. I am happy to see none
will suffer because of a foolish decision."
They all began shaking hands, and the whole town was brought together. A
unity of people willing to risk it all because of a single man's vision.
There was a great deal of trust being placed with Jay, but it was all
rightfully so, for he and his son Vlain both knew that it was leave, or die.
Once again the Elder stood before his people. Pride reflected in his eyes,
as he saw his people joined as one. "My friends," The Elder began. "It
gives me great joy to see you all, united against the troubles that present
themselves to us. Though we can't be certain that Jay's prediction will
come true, do we really want to take that risk? I thought not. We will
leave tomorrow at dawn, so be prepared. Gather at town square, and once
everyone is ready, we will flee this place, our home, to save ourselves
from..."
He never finished. There was an odd ripping sound in the air, and the
elder toppled to the ground. Their was a long curved spike embedded in the
back of his head. The crowd began to panic. No one could see what had done
this, there was no sign of any attackers. Jay and a few others tried to
restore order, but it failed. People were running frantically around the
streets and to their homes. Seconds later the first of the attackers were
spotted. There were two of them it seemed. One was a dark purple crawling
creature, with black hair on it's back, long sharp claws and teeth to match.
It's tail had curved spikes on the end of it. It was no doubt the Elder's
assassin. Vlain remembered it from tales his father used to tell him as a
child. It was called a Torlfiend. The other looked relatively human. It
too had dark purple skin, and black spiky hair that fell almost to it's
knees. It was in the shape of a very heavily muscled man, and it had metal
knuckles with claws sticking out of them. This one had also been mentioned
in some of his father's stories. He called it a Barbairos. Both creatures
had blood red eyes.
In less than a moment they had killed dozens of innocent villagers. Men,
women, and children lay lifeless on the street, torn apart by these beasts.
Vlain found he could not move. He was paralyzed with fear. He just stood
his ground and watched, as his friends were ripped to pieces by these
monsters.
His father Jay however would not stand idly by and watch his people be
murdered. He grabbed his sword, and held it high for all to see.
Instantly, men were rushing to his side with weapons of their own, ready for
battle.
Vlain heard his father begin shouting, and was aware of them charging to
engage the demons, but he could do nothing to help. He was held fast by the
sheer horror of what was happening.
As Jay and his group began charging, more demons materialized from out of
the forest. There were at least a dozen of them now. The villagers didn't
stand a chance. Almost instantly, half of Jay's men were slaughtered.
Bodies littered the streets everywhere. Some of the demons even went to
into the homes of some of the villagers and killed whoever they found
inside.
All the while Vlain stood there like a statue. He was vaguely aware of his
mother yelling out his name, he turned his head and saw her being dragged
out of the village by some men.
They're trying to save her. He thought. They already know I'm a goner, so
they're saving her, and leaving me.
It was true. Vlain was now standing in the middle of the chaos. It was
only a matter of time before he was killed like everyone else. Many of the
villagers had escaped into the safety of the woods, including Vlain's
mother, but still many more were trapped in the nightmare.
It occurred to Vlain that he should have been long dead by now. None of
the demons paid him any mind at all. Was it luck? They were killing all of
the other innocent villagers, including the children. Vlain however was
untouched.
He then caught sight of his father. He's still alive! He thought. Please
Dad, be okay. He watched as his father battled one of the demons. There
was something different about this one. It didn't look like a demon at all.
It looked more like a man, standing at least seven feet tall, slender in
shape, wearing nothing but black. His black cape flowing through the air as
he fought. He had long black hair down to his lower back, and a small black
beard on his chin. His eyes were pitch white. He fought with a sword
similar to the one wielded by Vlain's father, without the family emblem of a
phoenix engraved on the hilt and blade.
The two seemed to be an even match. Vlain caught a glimmer of hope at the
sight of his father matching move for move with the demon. Both were
magnificent fighters, and seemed to be using all of their strength against
one another.
The duel continued for a few minutes more, and then finally Jay managed to
disarm the demon. Vlain sighed in relief. He's going to be ok. Or so he
thought. Though the demon no longer had a weapon, it was no less deadly.
Quick as light, it evaded a swing of Jay's sword, and stole the weapon from
Jay's hands. Jay spun around just in time to see his own blade plunge into
his chest. With a sadistic smile, the demon withdrew the sword, and moved
on to claim other victims, using Jay's sword. The sword that the Grayden's
had been defending their family with for generation. The family treasure.
Vlain fell to his knees at the sight of his father's death. Trembling with
mixed emotions of disbelief, sorrow, and anger, he began to slip out of
consciousness. His strength was almost completely drained from him when
something inside of him sprung forth. Anger numbed his mind. He was
overtaken by thoughts of vengeance, and hatred. His whole body felt like it
was on fire, white hot with rage.
He turned to see his father's friend Paul. He was fighting the demon
called Barbairos and losing. In an instant the demon seized his weapon
with it's claws, and tore it out of Paul's hands. The Barbairos had its
clawed fist risen, ready to tear threw the helpless man. Instantly, Vlain
was moving. As the claw came down, Vlain appeared between Paul and the
demon. Vlain's arm struck the arm of the demon, and stopped the claw from
reaching it's target. The demon stepped back in surprise.
Paul stood wide eyed at the demon, and then his gaze shifted to Vlain. Is
he crazy? He's going to get butchered! "Vlain, run! You're going to get
yourself killed!" He yelled.
Vlain ignored him completely. His attention was focused on the Barbairos.
The demon's surprise had turned to anger. He lunged at Vlain with
frightening speed, fists raised for the kill. Vlain was faster. Before the
blades of the demon's fists could tear threw him, he was moving. The demon
somehow found himself back to back with the boy who was supposed to be
impaled on the end of his claws. Vlain stood unmoving behind the beast,
focused and sure. Again the Barbairos attacked, swinging itself around to
cleave the boy in half. Again Vlain was faster, appearing a good distance
away from the demon. The demon's eyes showed signs of disbelief and
frustration as he had failed to destroy this simple human boy. Again and
again he charged at Vlain, determined to finish this pest, but Vlain
effortlessly evaded all attempts made by the demon to kill him.
The other demons had stopped their destruction of the village, and were now
all watching the battle between the Barbairos, and Vlain. Even the
villagers began to stare in amazement at the spectacle taking place.
The battle continued awhile longer, and still the demon had not managed to
land a single blow. For reasons unknown to the spectators, Vlain had not
yet struck out at the demon. What was he waiting for? Vlain had obviously
out classed the demon, why did he not finish it? Then it happened. As the
demon swung frantically with one arm, hoping to knock Vlain off balance,
Vlain drew the dagger his father had given him. He ducked under the
swinging arm, and threw the dagger directly at the demon's throat. The
demon was quick enough to catch it before it struck, but in doing so, left
his body fully exposed. To everyone's shock, Vlain hurtled himself at the
demon's exposed body, and tore right through it, leaving a huge hole in the
demon's stomach. Covered in blood, Vlain hit the ground, and rolled to his
feet. The Barbairos was finished. It fell lifelessly to the ground almost
instantly.
The silence that followed was so thick it seemed tangible. Demons and
humans alike gaped in awe as they witnessed the impossible. Slowly, the
demons began to withdraw back into the woods. Minutes later, the villagers
were alone with the blood-stained town, and the blood- stained boy.
Vlain dropped slowly to his knees. "Father..." he whispered. Then he
wept. For an eternity it seemed, he knelt there weeping, tear after tear
falling into a pool of blood.