The Dark Chalices

Thick black smoke soared into the sky, producing a giant, terrifying plume. The pungent odor seemed to poison my nose and throat to the point of suffocation. The sounds of screams, cries, and laughter mixed together like water and wind in the ocean. Me too, was in that atmosphere. Lying helplessly on the grass with a body full of wounds. My body was so covered in blood that I was unable to do anything. With blurred vision, I saw a boy about seven years old with red hair and pale skin and long fangs, standing in front of me and pointing his index finger at me. A purplish light emerged from his index finger and swirled around in a small vortex. I didn't know what he was going to do, but it seemed like he wanted to hurt me. In a flash, a man in a black robe drew a sword at her. I screamed, as my world seemed to spin around. Fire, smoke, swords, blood, bullets, and screams echoed in my mind until I couldn't control myself.I soon realized that it was just a dream. Precisely the bad memo

I woke up after a while of lying helplessly in a pile of snow. Apparently I had fainted after falling. A gust of wind from the west that was so cold made me suffer. My body was shivering in the cold amidst the returning snow. My dark brown hair was slowly turning white from the snow.Amidst the silence of this unfamiliar place, a man in a thick black coat walked towards me and stopped. Without knowing who it was, he knelt down and extended his hand to me."Who are you?" I asked half trembling, not from fear but cold."It looks like you're hurt and need help. I'd be happy to help you. By the way, my name is Elgar." His voice sounded soft and his smile was warm. He had a calm demeanor with his shining blue eyes and dark hair that swayed in the wind."I..." my lips felt heavy to speak. I didn't know what to do. It's definitely not okay to carelessly accept an offer from a stranger in the middle of the forest like this. He might not be a good person, and worse, he might be a wizard in dis

My journey back was not going smoothly as I had to pass through several inclines filled with thick snow. I climbed slowly and stepped my feet firmly on the ground. My hands held on to the lush grass, which was quite difficult on the way down, but very helpful on the way up. After feeling quite tired due to the difficult terrain, I decided to rest for a while.Suddenly there was a noise from behind a bush. I ignored it and thought it was just the sound of wild animals, although my feelings told me otherwise. The longer it went on, the clearer the sound became. I approached the bush to check, but there was nothing. I hurried away.Cornwall was far to the north and I had to pass through Windstone to get to York. But I didn't want to go through that place, so I planned to take the route south and then turn east. Passing through the forest which I thought was better than the vast plain of Windstone which was so cold and lonely.From the moment I started entering the forest, there were nois

I was still awake thinking about the chalice Elgar gave me when I heard a noise in the middle of the night. It seemed to be not far from where I was right now. I grabbed my rifle and ran to the back garden. I heard the screams of a young girl, which became clearer and clearer. I guessed it was coming from behind Glaze's wall.I called Emma who was probably fast asleep. After knocking on her door a few times, she came out with a dagger in her hand."What's going on?" she asked, smoothing her hair."There seems to be something out there. I heard a young girl screaming for help.""Why don't we go look for her?" suggested Emma."Okay, let's take the stairs."We took the wooden ladder and jumped over the wall. Fortunately, there was no barbed wire or broken glass at the top so we could jump easily.Outside the wall was very quiet. There were only a few torches to light the way. My gaze scanned all corners of the community-owned plantation until I saw a black figure moving at the end of a

Willeth seemed deserted when I returned. It seemed like my squad members had returned to the base except for Alden. From a distance I saw him standing near the former witch house. He rushed over to me after I called out to him."Where have you been? Did you get lost again?" He was so worried."I did. I got lost after hearing strange noises. And...""And you met your acquaintance again?" Alden cut me off. I sighed. Apparently he knew what I was thinking."I got lost far to the north, and if I'd gone straight I would have reached Cornwall. That's what I remember when I was confused in the middle of the forest. Alden, I have something very important."I whispered to him as I showed him the scroll of paper inside my coat. Before he could ask, I grabbed his hand and ran towards Glaze.The mission had no result which made my bullets intact. We rushed to the big house to tell everything I got to the other Hunters.Kingsleigh was cleaning the rifle and welcomed us in front of the mansion."Di