Zodiac Hunter: The Spirit Equine

Fear. . .

That was what was coursing through my veins. The horse had reduced its gallop to a trot as I made my way through the village. Everything had fallen eerily quiet. There was absolutely no one outside, not even at the market. The storm had subsided but the skies were still dark and grey and the rain had reduced to a normal light drizzle.

It was getting dark out. I knew I had to get back to Aunt Freya's as soon as possible, especially after what I had witnessed. Just thinking about it made me shiver.

I was still trying to figure out how I had made my way to the market earlier that day and it was getting harder with the ever-increasing darkness. Luckily for me, help presented itself, though not in the way I would have expected.

It started with the stallion acting up by neighing and rearing. I had to struggle a little before I finally calmed him down and that was when I saw him. He was dressed in the same combat gear, completely covered with armor just like he had been the day before, only this time, he did not have his helm on. His unexpected appearance spooked both me and the horse.

"What're you still doing out here, kid?" he asked, his voice deep and firm. He traced his eyes -- that were darkened in the dimming evening light, making it hard to make out what color they were -- from the white stallion to his rider.

"I-I kinda got lost a little," I stuttered as the soldier got closer. He was so tall that we were almost the same height with me still mounted. I could now see him more clearly. His eyes were blue, contrasting with his blond hair that was tapered and parted towards the right from where it was swept back and falling just slightly over the forehead where it ended in a rather wild cowlick curl.

He was the same soldier that had spoken out to the villagers on my first day in Abinor and seeing him this up-close, I could only hope that he was not thinking of, you know, taking out one of the two glinting ax blades strapped to his back and using my head as target practice.

I was in more luck, I guess. He was not after my head for the moment.

"The village is that way," he pointed with fingers that were gloved in some kind of steely metal.

Following the direction to which he was pointing, I noticed something I had not before. Just beyond his arm, there were a couple of lit fires which illuminated a gathering. A group of soldiers—some mounted on horses while others were seated around the fires, apparently doing things like conversing or sharpening a sword.

The skies were still faint with a few scattered thunderstorms still audible and I caught the blond-haired soldier's face as he steadily looked up. I was sure I had spotted some kind of uneasiness there and given the recent events, I had to ask, "What's going on?"

He gave me an almost similar look to the one that the old fruit vendor had given me earlier that day. A look of incredulousness, as if he were surprised of how I had no idea.

"It's started, kid," he said, "the end of days."

"What?"

"The Harvest."

And there it was again. What the hell was this Harvest thing that everybody kept talking about? I was about to ask for more clarification but the soldier's hardened expression hinted at impatience, plus something else had already beaten me to the punch.

There was an abrupt booming sound, like an explosion, kind of like the one that had gone off back at the stables. It had come from a direction further down the market and I trembled after I caught the terrifying sounds of people screaming.

The soldiers began to mount their horses, talking to each other in alarm. One of them hurried over to us.

"General, the attacks have started!" he said underneath his helm before turning to look up at me. "Who the hell is this?"

"Somebody who should be locked in the safety of his home," the blond-haired soldier said, his voice getting even more deeper, "now head back to the village and stay there kid!"

With that, he smacked the horse and I was soon riding away from the market. I stole a glance across my shoulder just in time to catch the soldier put his helm back on and march on with his comrade to join the rest.

The horse and I were already en-route back to the village when I began to catch even more explosions happening all around me and even more people screaming. Something very wrong was happening. If only I knew what it was? But there was no time. I had to get back and the horse seemed to understand me as he tore over the ground, moving so fast that the huts and houses around me started getting blurred.

I was able to make out Aunt Freya's hut and also realizing it was almost towards the end of the village where there were fewer settlements. I called on the horse to stop but then something happened. Something so horrifying I knew I would never unsee.

Still mounted, I noticed that Freya's hut had caught on fire, with tufts of dark smoke escaping through the windows and the thatched roof.

"Oh no!" I gasped, jumping off of the horse and racing towards the hut, careful not to step on the few flames that were eating up the surrounding grass.

"Freya!" I called desperately, "Freya!"

The smoke was getting intoxicating and the heat from the flames was searing. The entire hut would soon crumble and fall. I heard a sound. A sound of someone choking and coughing. Aunt Freya!

I followed the sound and my heart almost stopped the moment I saw her lying under the bed, with her upper body slightly coming into view. I fell to my knees and tried to pull her out by grabbing at her arms but she coughed, willing herself to speak.

"No, don't. . ."

"What are you. . .? I have to get you out. . ." I faltered, noticing the bed had fallen down on her, pinning her to the ground. Two of the bed's legs had broken off from the weight created by a heap of debris that had fallen from the roof.

I looked around in haste, hoping to find something I could use. Anything. The flames were making it very difficult to do so. All I could make out was already burning, with eerie marks running across the ground and the walls; marks that I did not recall seeing the first time I was there.

"Des. . .Despyon. . ." Freya called, her voice barely a whisper.

I tried to lift up the bed, pouring all my strength into it. I cried, heaving and pulling as hard as I could until I could feel a shift in weight. It was working. I heaved some more then the situation worsened. More debris fell onto the bed and another leg broke off. All of my strength was drastically drained as the bed came down some more, pinning Freya further to the ground.

She gasped and I could tell she was running out of air.

"Despyon. . .stop. . ." she whispered again, finally getting my attention.

"I have to get you out. I have to­­—" she found me with one of her hands.

"It's too late. . ." she coughed, "the shield. . ." she struggled to breathe, her face twisting in pain.

"What? What shield?" I asked quickly, trying to understand what she was she saying.

"Your room. . .the shield. . ."

"I don't understand. I. . ." it then registered to me.

I was up on my feet, dashing into the other room that I had woken up in that morning and almost burned myself with how fast I was going, no longer paying attention to the flames that were hissing all around me. I finally saw it glinting in the fiery light and giving off a reflection of a young man who was beyond terrified. I grabbed the shield, pulling it from the wall at its one broken end and on my way back to Freya, I stared down at it, wondering for a moment whether that was me in the reflection of its silvery surface or if it was actually Despyon.

"I got it!" I said, sliding down towards the bed and tried to use the shield as a jack by squeezing it under the bed but that was as much as I could do. There was not enough space.

"Take the shield and. . .and. . .get. . .out. . ." Freya exhaled.

"What? No! I can't leave you here!" I tried lifting the bed with the shield again.

"Please. . ." Freya persisted, "it will kill you. . ."

I ignored her and continued with my efforts.

". . .Just as it killed your. . .your mother. . ."

The shield slipped from my hands and I nearly cut my palms. What had she just said?

I was suddenly enveloped by a certain overwhelming feeling, as if I was experiencing multiple waves of emotion all at once. I turned to look at her. "What?"

"The shield will. . .protect you. . ."

I wanted to ask her from what but I just could not take it seeing her like that. I was about to try again but the flames were more determined than I was. A section of the wall blew apart and I was thrown back, becoming the recipient of a wave of scalding air that washed all over the place. The flames burned at a very unnatural rate, unlike anything I had ever seen.

I crawled back towards the bed, grabbing the shield again.

"I'll get you out. I'll. . ." I paused turning to where Freya was lying. She was no longer moving. There were no sounds of strained breathing or coughing.

I dropped the shield and crawled to her side, gently lifting her by her head.

"No, no, NO!" I cried, tears already wetting my face, "wake up, wake up!"

I could feel how limp her body had become. Her eyes were closed and she had stopped breathing entirely.

My own body went limp as that same heavy wave of emotion overwhelmed me again. I did not feel like doing anything else at the moment but just lie there with Freya, a woman I had just met but it felt like I had known her my whole life.

The flames were already climbing the walls, making their way to the ceiling and I would soon be trapped inside. But I did not care. I felt so hopeless and would have gone on to stay that way had I not turned to the shield that was resting on my side on the ground. I saw myself in the reflection, though this time it appeared as if it really was Despyon. He looked just as distraught as me but he did not seem to have lost hope as I had, not with how he kept nudging his head towards the gaping hole where the wall had broken apart. He was trying to tell me something.

The temperatures were now soaring high. The smoke was filling up in my lungs, making my chest burn. I looked up at the wall and managed to spot an area where the flames had not touched yet. It was a way out. Despyon was pointing me towards there.

I looked back down at Freya again, her face calm and quiet. I said a silent sorry and gently set her head down, grabbed the shield and got up from the ground.

The entire hut started to get upset, threatening to come down and turns out I barely had seconds to rush over through the wall and make it out before the whole thing exploded and I was thrown forwards. I landed on the ground hard, my face hitting against the grass and dirt.

I turned around to see the hut fully engulfed in flames and I knew there was no way anyone could have survived that, despite how much I wished it were not true.

Freya was gone. I was all alone. Alone in a world that I did not know. I thought as I watched the hut get reduced to ashes. But was that really true?

Something nudged at my head and I was hit with a wave of warm horse breath. I looked up to find the white stallion towering behind me, trying to get me to stand. He had waited for me.

I was glad for the little reunion, though the moment would not last, for something began to stir in the background of the burning hut. Even the horse was now acting up.

Squinting my eyes over the flames, I could make out some kind of figure. It was tall, just like the other figure I had seen back at the stables but this one was bigger. It looked as if it was literally walking through the flames, its features getting highlighted.

Simultaneously, my right arm began to glow, the arrow symbol lighting up in neon green. I got this warning feeling that I had to get out of there and fast.

Without another thought, I did not wait to find out whatever that figure was. I had mounted the horse and once again, we were off into the night but at that point, I had to make something clear—I was to get out of Abinor as soon as possible.