Elliott realized two things the moment he emerged from the young woman's womb.
One. He wasn't being born in some metropolitan hospital... it wasn't even indoors.
Two. The lives of the people currently around him were in grave peril.
He couldn't see or hear very clearly, but he could at least discern the urgency in their voices.
What had gone wrong?
What was amiss?
Why were these people in such a hurry?
He received no answers to those questions.
He was swaddled in the clothes of the lady who had given birth to him and placed within some bushes.
"Don't worry, my lady. I'm sure the young prince will be safe. He will be protected by Astrin. We will come back for him... but we cannot afford to lose you." The ladies cried out to the young woman as she strained to reach for her child.
She was pale and exhausted, appearing as if she might perish at any moment.
Yet she struggled vehemently to reach for her infant, but was restrained by the other ladies who had assisted her in the successful delivery.
A man in ceremonial garb suddenly arrived, his face rugged but hinting at an experienced warrior.
"We must depart immediately. We cannot linger any longer."
The ladies nodded toward him.
He stepped forward, and his hands moved swiftly, striking the young woman's neck. All her strength vanished as she lost consciousness.
Then he lifted her in his arms.
"Please, you must ensure her highness is protected. While we stay and safeguard the young prince. Do not fret, we shall shield him at the cost of our lives." They vowed to the man.
With a curt nod, he took flight, disappearing into the distance.
The young ladies, three of them, regarded each other with bittersweet smiles.
They turned to the infant concealed in the bush, silent and observing with sea-blue eyes and a strange curiosity etched on his face.
Their hearts seemed to flutter as they gazed upon him one last time.
"Child of the prophecy, we the triad sisters will gladly surrender our lives to protect you," the one in the middle said.
Her face was worn from scars and strain, stained with blood here and there.
Her brunette hair was braided into a ponytail, and her eyebrows were thick.
She leaned closer and used her hand to draw an arc on the boy's forehead, then did the same on her own. The other two followed suit.
"Stay protected, young one."
She closed her palms together and chanted something inaudibly.
Immediately, the grasses grew and intertwined, completely enveloping the infant within their embrace.
Then she looked at her sisters, and all three nodded before running out of the bush.
They ran as far away from the baby as they could until they reached a narrow road.
Unfortunately, the moment they did, someone... something... tore out of the space.
They froze in fear, unable to move as the creature, oozing black smoke, revealed itself.
It was fully shrouded in black metallic armor, the only visible area being the visor, which glinted a malicious crimson light that flowed like traces of fire.
It dragged a large, thorned sword with several other blades branching from the main blade until the tip.
The three sisters shook with terror as the creature regarded them.
It paused and tilted its head slightly. The next second, it vanished, reappearing behind them in the blink of an eye.
It swung its sword upward, inflicting a crude gash on the back of the nearest sister.
The brunette sister of the trio quickly joined her hands and began to mutter, but the creature's metal-clad hand entered her mouth and tore it apart.
It immediately grasped the third one by the neck, raised her, and stabbed the thorned sword into her belly, her viscera spilling forth.
The woman let out a shrill scream as the dark being twisted its sword, her eyes widening and nearly popping out, even as they became void and lifeless.
The creature dropped her and turned to the brunette woman whose mouth it had torn, but she was nowhere to be found.
Unfazed, it turned around to inspect the surroundings and, upon detecting a trail of blood, shot forward like a whistling arrow.
The lady was doing her utmost, running while clutching her torn jaw together, blood dripping between her fingers, down her throat, and onto the torso of her garment.
She was in immense agony, but she didn't stop.
She had to lead the creature as far away from the infant as she could. That was the entire essence of this plan.
Her face held such determination, even though her jaw was hanging loose.
She kept running and running, but no amount could have been enough to outrun the dark knight.
It appeared before her, emerging from the wind, and swung its sword around.
With a slight sound of the crude blade slicing through the air, the lady's head rolled into the embrace of the dark skies and toppled to the ground.
Her headless body slowly crumbled.
The knight stood motionlessly for a few minutes.
Then it turned its head around to inspect if any other creatures survived.
After a while, it vanished into thin air.
The night gave way, and soon morning followed, the bright light of day accompanied by a cold rain that drenched the entire forest.
The leaves basked in the downpour, washing away the crimson gore that had been spilled the night before.
The forest seemed as if nothing eventful had occurred, and the bodies of the ladies were submerged in the waters, carried away by the low stream caused by the downpour.
A couple who should have been ensconced in their home, reveling in the morning, was instead running in the rain, their soft tunics drenched.
The woman was a blonde with a slender body, her skin smooth, and her face like the glimmering rays of a saintess, with a golden eye that bestowed her with so much grace.
The man she danced with in the rain was a young, muscular soldier, bearing a scar over his nose that did not detract from the shine of his red eyes.
His curly hair was wet from the rain, and his entire demeanor – though free-spirited – was imbued with the aura of a battle-hardened warrior.
Together they played in the rain and ran forward, filling the cold embrace of the forest with so much love.
The lady drew the young man to her, kissing him passionately as she shivered in the cold.
His hands enveloped her for a moment, then lifted her, slowly laying her down.
The rain poured down relentlessly. Yet these two seemed not to care.
The man slowly undid the laces of her tunic, a cocky grin on his face, while she watched him carefully, observing his actions.
After fully opening the tunic, he was about to remove his own shirt when both of them heard a strange sound.