The Messenger of Death

Gasp!!

Emma reacted as if she was present in the scene that Gustavo was narrating, she jumped a bit when she heard Gustavo make a 'swish' sound with his mouth. Tears flowed out of her eyes from time to time. Emma was too engrossed in the story.

But Emma was not to blame, Gustavo's storytelling skills were one to behold. He narrated each scene with a suitable tone and emotion behind his voice.

Where needed, he increased the pitch of his voice or made it deeper, making a suitable sound effect of an action scene in his story. Even the storyteller was engrossed in his own narration, telling it to them just as his father had told it to him.

He continued; "The little mythical beast felt great fear for the Swordsman that had just attacked him. The liquid slowly poured out of its nostrils and it began to cry, for the first since its birth, the mythical beast shed tears.

He did not know what he had done wrong, all he wanted was to eat what he knew to be food, and yet the person holding his food harmed him.

The little beast jumped back, putting a little distance between him and the Swordsman, he then began liking his injury as he cried. With each drop of saliva that touched this deep wound, Voila!!" Gustavo exclaimed loudly.

"It healed in an instant!! The little mythical beast stopped licking its wound, even he didn't know that he could do that. It is the first time he's getting injured. On this day, the little mythical beast learned that not only hunger could cause pain, anything that could pierce its body could cause it grief.

The Swordsman was perplexed by the little mythical beast's actions, he had never seen a beast this terrifying and yet this comical, however, he wasn't going to let it be.

He slashed his sword once again!! Aiming to kill the little beast and by instinct the little beast dogged, avoiding a fatal injury. The Swordsman's third attack injured the little beast, almost cutting off its arm again, but alas, the little mythical beast's bones were too strong for the Swordsman to cut through.

Discerning that the Swordsman could cause him pain, the little decided to run, turning around and bolting. He didn't even know where he was going to, he just wanted to avoid pain.

And even whilst running, the Swordsman inflicted injuries on the body of the little mythical beast. Tears gushed out of its nostrils as it ran for its dear, and naïve life.

After chasing for a while and understanding his sword couldn't cut through the little mythical beast's bones, the Swordsman's comprehended something and returned from whence he came.

The little beast began running out of energy at night after healing all of its injuries, it didn't know that healing his injuries will drain and make him hungry. His old nemesis, hunger, that he swore never to face again, accompanied him that night.

He started crying once again, and because he was hungry or the injuries he sustained earlier. But because the hunger reminded him of the beginning, of the time when he knew of nothing but pain from starvation.

The little mythical beast started another journey with his hunger, the only enticing scents that he could smell were coming from the direction of the army camp, but he didn't want to go back there, he understood that there was a scary person there whom he never wanted to meet again. He memorized the Swordsman's scent and told himself to run far away whenever he smells it.

It sniffed the earth, time after time, hoping to find something to eat.

On this journey, the little mythical beast relived his trauma of starvation and was almost on the brink of death again, when an enticing aroma filled his head with desire. Pushing himself forward, driven by pure desire, the little beast broke past his limits.

He arrived at a little village, in the backyard of a blacksmith's shop. At this juncture, the legs of the little mythical beast, shut down, crippling his backside and pushing him towards the doors of death faster, as it slowed his already crippled speed.

Just when it was right in front of the door of the blacksmith's shop, its hands shut down, crippling him completely.

The little beast, this time knew that nothing could save him. He has done all that he could. Tears dripped down to its mouth and the little mythical beast used his tongue to lick his tears. It did this, trying to satiate its taste and comfort himself." Here, so engrossed in the story, Katherine and Drake didn't know when they started crying.

Even Gustavo shed a tear or two for the pitiful little mythical beast.

"Then came the blacksmith to his rescue!! Holding a bucket of molten steel. Oblivious that there was a peculiar monster in front of the entrance of his backyard. He tripped and spilled the molten steel on the little beast. 'Ahh!' The blacksmith cried out, scared that poured molten steel on some kind of huge dog.

Oblivious that he had just saved the little mythical beast's life. The little beast tasted the molten steel and in its mouth, it tasted like the most delicious snack it has ever tasted.

Like a spring that had just been struck! He jumped to his feet and licked the molten steel off his body, happily. When it was done with the molten steel on its body, it went for the remaining in the bucket. Licking every single drop of the molten steel it could find.

When the blacksmith saw what he had tripped on, his face turned pale in fear, thinking that it was his end. The little beast was so happy that it rushed at the blacksmith. To it, the blacksmith had saved its life and was grateful for that.

The little mythical beast licked the face of this blacksmith with affection, it was his way of thanking him. Stupefied the blacksmith didn't know what to do, he had never seen any type of animal like this.

Later on, when stood up from where he had fallen, he saw the little beast standing next to him. Suddenly, the blacksmith felt like the little beast was no different from an overgrown dog.

Although he was shocked to see it lick molten steel like it was candy, he deemed the little beast to be special. The blacksmith shook his head with a sigh before he started to make his back into his smithy. He was just about to open the door when he noticed that the little mythical beast was following him.

Shoo!! He said to the little beast, but the little beast did not understand his words. All the beast knew was that this person had brought him some treats and by following him, he might be able to obtain more of it.

Catching onto the little mythical beast's drift, the blacksmith understood why he was being followed around by the beast. 'Come in,' he said. 'I don't have much but I do have a lot of fire and steel. I never treat my guests badly.' He claimed and comically pushed his chest out.

The little beast did not understand his words but what he did understand is that he could smell food coming from within the building. The little beast rushed in went to munch on the first delicacy his tongue could reach, an incomplete sword.

The blacksmith was stunned, first, it was molten steel and the little beast is eating a sword like he was munching on a carrot. This perplexed the blacksmith, and deep down, he felt good seeing the little beast eat the sword that he had been working on. 'At least you can profit from my mediocre forging ability.' The blacksmith uttered with a smile.

Soon the little beast and the blacksmith became best friends. The blacksmith noticed that the little beast's intelligence was just like that of a child, but once taught something, he never forgets. Little by little, the mythical beast grew bigger and smarter, almost too big to pass throw the smithy's door.

The blacksmith named the mythical beast who no longer little, 'Penny' after seeing him eat a coin the blacksmith gave him this name.

One morning, Penny grew smarter at a speed that was almost impossible to phantom. His innate bloodline had awakened, filling his head with memories of his parents and what they had experienced. It even gave him the ability to speak the human language.

Penny grew wary, with all the information he had just comprehended, he realized that if he didn't get strong fast when his Heavenly tribulation comes he might meet his end.

He spoke to the blacksmith, who did not act surprised when he heard Penny talk like a human. Penny talked to him about the memories he received, and what was coming. The blacksmith was scared for Penny and urged him to get stronger, and if he couldn't, he promised to face the tribulation with him." Gustavo stopped to wipe the tears falling from his eyes.

He was losing control over his emotions. He wasn't crying because of the story, but the memories it brought to him. Memories of his family sitting around a campfire, dining, and listening to their elders narrate the story of the mythical beast, Penny, to them.

These memories broke his heart…