There was no song made, only a sound at the edge of hearing, just a memory of a song that was never made...only repeated.
And so it begins…
The day was beautiful, the fields were in bloom, and the birds kept singing.
I was arriving at the farm where my family and I lived. After unloading the food from the cart and taking my father's tools, I headed toward our house, tired — it had been a long day.
As I followed the path, I began to climb a small hill, and there I heard several voices — one of a child playing, and another of a woman humming the same tune over and over again.
I remember climbing that hill and seeing what seemed to be the fatherly figure of that family.
He looked to be a man in his early forties. His hair was long and tied back, golden like the sun itself. His eyes were sharp, and his irises — a deep ruby red — gave him an exotic, almost divine look.
Wiping the sweat from his face, he finally spoke:
"Ah! There you are, my son. Did you bring what I asked for?"
"Yes, Father, here are your tools."
It was a toolbox I had found on the cart, and I proudly handed it to him.
"Perfect! My son, today we're lucky! The gods of the Golden Circle placed a deer right in front of my bow. We'll have a wonderful dinner tonight… hahaha!"
His laughter was strange and completely out of tune.
But, he kept talking with sweet and cold tuned:
"But do me a favor, while I prepare things here for the fireplace — why don't you call your mother and your sister for dinner, huh?"
"Okay, Father!"
Ending the conversation quickly, I climbed the small hill that led to our house. From there, I began searching for my mother and sister — but they were nowhere to be found. I called out their names:
"Mom? Morganna? Where are you? Dad said to come to the dining room — dinner's almost ready!"
My voice echoed through the house, hoping they'd hear me.
After putting away the groceries in the pantry, I thought maybe curiosity would make them show up. But as I approached the pantry, I saw it... it was completely drenched in blood.
And from it, a trail continued further on.
Terrified, I followed the bloody path, moving through a few rooms until I reached the kitchen.
There, I saw a deer, but not an ordinary one. It was enormous, with antlers stretching wide, and its fur was white as snow. Its eyes gleamed like the sun itself, as though a star were trapped behind them.
Yet in that split second, I sensed something else — something elusive and out of place in that scene.
When I stepped closer to understand what it was, I heard a...
*Whistling*.
I turned toward the sound, and saw my father finally entering the kitchen. Smiling, he said.
"Well, well… what a mess I've made here, huh? Remember what I told you, son — first the hide, then the cut separating the skin, and only then the entrails."
As he spoke, I noticed his clothes were now stained with blood, unlike before.
Confused and frightened, I interrupted him:
"Father… what about Mother and Morganna? Are they coming to eat?"
He laughed, not kindly, but mockingly, and replied:
Sigh. "Don't you remember, little one? You were the one who ran off and disappeared with them… I almost forgot."
Instantly, as if struck by lightning, images flashed in my mind — the clear image of the man who had killed my mother and sister.
He had horns, and a pale mask stretched into a sadistic smile. His clothes were dark and ordinary, but his intentions were anything but.
To be honest, the memory wasn't that simple, I remembered being inside a carriage, when that pale-faced man attacked… attacked my mother… and my sister.
That makes sense, doesn't it?
But, wait! Where are these memories coming from?
Who is that man?
Who am I???
"But, Father — it wasn't me who killed them! It was the man with the pale face, like the moon! The one with red eyes and horns, IT WAS HIM!"
The words escaped my mouth unconsciously, my hope slipping away as my mind filled with confusion.
"My son, it changes nothing. Do you hear me? It changes NOTHING!"
His tone rose, like fire losing control.
"But Father! Believe me! It was that horned man who did it — not me! I was there — I saw it all! What do you want me to say?"
It was useless. I could see it in his eyes.
"For the name of the Creator! Why are you saying such lies? Isn't it enough that you killed us in your mind? And now, you try to justify it — with your pathetic, meaningless excuse?!"
He spat each word like venom, eyes wide with rage.
"I should have killed you — I should have just killed you!"
Then, suddenly, his fury quieted.
His tone grew softer — but still firm — as he walked toward the window, his back to me, leaning on the counter near the carcass.
Each step he took made the wooden floor groan under his weight.
But this wasn't right… I didn't kill my father.
I didn't kill any of them.
Why?
Why were these the only answers in my head?
Why all this confusion?
"You know, my son…" he began, his voice heavy.
"I wish the gods of the Golden Circle had made me less merciful… less virtuous. Then I would have seen you for what you were — tempted by sin. I would've thrown you into the mud right after you were born."
Detaching from the counter, he stood near the deer's body — right between me and the carcass.
His voice shifted again, low and malicious, yet carried with such authority that it chilled me to the bone.
"Listen to me, my child. You think you're safe because we are all buried beneath the earth, don't you? Listen to me, child — you are wrong. And do you know why? The dead do not forget. Do you hear me?! THE DEAD DO NOT FORGET!"
He dropped the lantern, and fire spread rapidly across the kitchen, catching his clothes.
But he didn't seem to feel pain , only darkness and an endless void like sky.
Yet what terrified me wasn't that — it was what came next.
With his bare hands, he began to tear into the deer's flesh, violently, savagely — so much that even a bear would have looked like a doll compared to my father's ferocity.
Then, out of nowhere, his voice rose again — like thunder before a storm.
"Bring me my artifact, you ungrateful little spoiled brat! Bring it to me!
Give me the brightest star in the sky!"
Unfortunately, my fears were right.
Before I could react, a massive black hand emerged — tearing through the air, as if trying to free itself from some divine prison.
I fell backward into the shadow of a nearby tree.
And through the veil of smoke and flame, I saw something beyond comprehension —
a gigantic skull, crowned with antlers like a deer's, but with the jaw of a monstrous wolf.
Its eyes glowed a burning crimson, and vast wings unfolded from its back — a silhouette of pure, consuming darkness approaching me.
The sound, the pressure, it crushed my senses. My ears rang painfully.
Overwhelmed, I could do nothing but collapse and shut my eyes to the void…
As the creature devoured the light and the stars between itself and the sky. And a melody, a melody so loud that my mind could never forget, only repeat until the sky goes black and nothing but fear remains.
Fortunately, I opened my eyes again.
I was in my room.
Bolting upright, I looked around, scanning every corner for the creature I'd seen in my dream—but nothing appeared... I was breathing...heavily, not sure of what just happened to me and how confusing it was.
Letting out a deep breath of relief, I turned toward my bed…it was empty.
No one was there.
Only a single letter rested neatly atop the made sheets.
Something was about to happen...and somehow i was certain of it.