Chapter 53: The warm sun and blood

Words : 1041 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

Chapter 53: The warm sun and bloodThe sun was warm. And gentle as it shone on the golden wheat that spread over the land. The wind stirred it, making the ripe wheat sway in the morning air. "Mum, can the sun be warm?" a boy of about nine asked. He held one of the chaff in his hand as he stared at the hard work of his family. The mum smiled. Her face was tired from waking up early to cook for the family of three and their workers, but still, her smile was radiant. But one thing that stood out above all is the red eyes of hers. "Of course. It can be as warm as butter, but you must remember, it can also be as harsh as a whip." They stood in front of their farmhouse, in the middle of the golden field that was their farm. Scattered around the field are workers, bent over with their reapers, reaping their harvest. The woman’s hand rested on her son’s head and rubbed it. "You will soon know how harsh the sun can be when you are bent over, reaping, but you’ll also enjoy its warmth in mornings like this when you stare at your own hard work." "But mum, dad said we have to give out some of our harvest to the... the Dawringer!" The mum’s face changed. It darkened slightly. "The tax has been raised again. More than last year. It gets higher and higher every day. One day they’ll come for the whole farm." The Dawringer are one of the Vassals of the Vorrakyn. They are in control of the surrounding territories. The little boy looked at his mother with innocent red eyes. There is something strange with his eyes. "But mum, dad said that a Dragon is now born! That we might get more lands later!" She smiled. "A Dragon without wings. But what if it gets wings? Then those that want its wings will come for it, and it is us that will suffer for it." "What do you mean, mum?" "War. War is coming, and it is us that are low on the ground that will suffer it," she said in a dark tone. "Dad called you the daughter of the Dragon. Why is that?" "Because I am. But it’s nothing special nowadays. There are too many of us. We are like lizards now." "Even lizards have fangs and claws," a cheerful voice said from behind them. Mother and son turned. A man was standing there with a hood on his face. Only his red eyes shone through. The mum was immediately in front of her child. "See? Even lizards have claws and fangs," the man said again. "Who are you?" she demanded harshly. She’s not a Soulbearer, but her force energy still rippled outward. There was a slight shrug. "Your family." "Mum? Is he my uncle?" "I might be. I do have the red eyes." The mum’s face tightened, and her fists clenched. The fear she tried to hide was leaking off her, leaving her trembling. It was impressive when she made her voice firm. "Who are you?" He drew back his hood to show his face. He was thin, with his flesh warped tightly against his bones. He smiled. "Greetings. I am Zorathian Vorrakyn." She shuddered. "Zorathian...?" "Right. I am the Watch. I have come to take a look at the boy’s face." Instantly her face turned ashen, and she trembled violently. She turned to her child and pushed him, fear and desperation making her voice louder. "Go! Go to your father! Run! I’ll keep him busy here!" The boy was startled. He’d never heard such a tone from his mum before. It left him shaking, and fear took hold. He ran without looking back. Zorathian smiled gently as he looked at her. Her stance changed, and she moved into a defensive position, her hands stretched forward, one of them glowing with blue-white light. "So you failed to become a Soulbearer, but you trained well as a force user. That means you know this is futile. Why do you still fight?" Zorathian’s voice was curious. She trembled. Tears fell from her eyes. "I was born a bastard with nothing. But I have made something of myself. I have love now. I won’t let you take it from me!" Zorathian blinked. "What use is love without the power to guard and protect it? You should have looked for power instead of love. This is truly your misfortune." She heard something in his voice, and she gripped hold of it as if her life might depend on it. It did. "It won’t be a misfortune if you don’t do anything! Please! You can just leave! If you are powerful already, then you don’t need to do all of this!" Zorathian shook his head sadly. "But I’m not powerful enough. Your search for love led you here to your husband, and you had a child you can shower with love. You might even have more that you would show more love. To you, love is never enough. "To me, power is not enough. There’s always more to grasp." She didn’t say anything more, but she also didn’t move out of the way. Zorathian sighed and took a step forward, appeared behind her, holding a still-beating heart in his bloody fist. The mum fell to the ground without a sound, a gory hole drilled through her back. He then shot over the field. He was like a darting shadow as he crossed over. "What would you say happened...!" The dad and some of the workers that crowded the boy looked up as a shadow fell on them. Their screams were cut short as heads fell into the air, bodies shredding in fleshy chunks. The boy was in the middle of it all, soaked in the blood of his dad and his workers. He stared wide-eyed at Zorathian, who smiled down at him. "What strange, curious eyes. I wonder how our new heir knew about this? "That the eyes of the Blood Dragon are now a bloodline-inherited artifact? Oh well. It will welcome a new master now." The sun. It was so warm. Just like the blood.

Chapter 53: The warm sun and blood

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