Eris tossed and turned, clearly feeling uneasy.
It had been a long day, followed by a restless night.
In the matter of a few hours, her entire world had changed forever, and for the first time ever, she had felt a real sense of fear for herself, and for everyone around her.
Up until yesterday, Eris had lived an almost idyllic life. She had a loving family and many good friends, a warm house in a peaceful town, and all the food, fun, and adventure she could ask for. She lacked for nothing, and never had to endure any kind of true hardship.
All this seemed perfectly normal, like it would continue on forever, but that illusion of stability and permanence was thoroughly shattered when the explosion went off in the Great Western Forest.
Ever since then, Eris had watched as all the people she knew rushed about in what could only be described as a barely contained panic. Eris had tried to be of help to her mother and father during this period of unrest, but the things she could do all seemed small and inconsequential.
Even her Little Brother Lucas, who Eris was supposed to be looking out for as the older of the two, seemed to be more useful in this moment of crisis than she was.
To say Eris didn't feel a bit complicated as she watched Lucas being entrusted with so much responsibility by her parents would be a lie, but perhaps due to her unwavering faith in him, those sour emotions were mostly drowned out by a sense of pride and admiration.
After thoroughly exhausting herself, Eris somehow drifted off to sleep, all while mulling over many complex thoughts and feelings.
Her slumber was anything but tranquil, though.
Horrible images of death and destruction plagued the young girl, causing her to have terrible nightmares that woke her frequently throughout the night.
Only by gripping the blanket which had at some point been draped over her shoulders and curling up into a ball did Eris manage to get even a bit of rest.
Finally, when morning rolled around, Eris was shaken awake by a chorus of distant screams. Still groggy, she didn't respond immediately as she rubbed her eyes and looked around, wondering just where she was and what was happening; however, it didn't take long for the fog to lift and her mind to catch up.
Leaping to her feet, Eris immediately scanned the room around her, calling out anxiously, "Lucas?"
Not getting the response she was expecting, Eris turned to where she remembered her little brother had been sleeping last night, but only saw an empty spot with a neatly folded blanket.
Hearing more screams coming from outside, an ominous feeling began to creep into the young girl's chest.
Although she didn't know what was going on, the fear and panic apparent in the people's cries coming from outside were enough to let Eris know that something bad was happening nearby. There was no reason for her to think that her little brother was in any danger just because he wasn't here with her, but something was telling Eris that that was exactly the case.
Bad memories of yesterday flooded back to her, especially the moment when she was paralyzed and unable to act as the Great Oriyan swooped down and loomed over her little brother.
Before the events of yesterday, if someone had asked Eris what she most regretted in her life, she probably wouldn't have been able to give an immediate answer. But today, Eris could say unequivocally that the most shameful moment she could recall was when she saw Lucas in danger, and failed to rush to his side.
Even if afterwards, everything had worked out for the best, the mere fact that she was too scared to act as her little brother's life was being threatened cast a shadow over Eris' heart she knew she would never forget.
Now, just the possibility that Lucas was in danger again sent Eris' into a panic.
Not daring to delay, she dashed off, weaving her way through the familiar corridors to reach her room. When she arrived, Eris threw open the door and rushed to her closet where she grabbed the new sword Drake had recently forged for her.
With her weapon in hand, Eris leapt out of the window, bypassing the crowd she had seen in the hallway entirely as she sprinted towards the yard where the screams were coming from.
After pushing through the throng of fleeing townsfolk, Eris froze when she took in the gruesome sight before her.
A large, wolf-like beast was attacking a young woman while a few other adults nearby were trying to get it off of her.
Eris had been hunting before, so it wasn't her first time seeing a Wild Beast or freshly spilled blood, but the menacing glare of the beast as its fang bit into the woman's shoulder was definitely new to her. The air of danger and the feeling of death was enough to frighten most of the adults present, so it was only natural that a young girl of 13 like Eris was given pause.
Just as she was staring at this terrible scene, unsure of what to do, Eris caught sight of a familiar head of black hair dashing out towards the wolf-like beast.
"Lucas!" Eris screamed as she wondered what could have possessed her little brother to charge straight into danger; however, upon seeing him grab hold of two small children and try to drag them away, Eris understood.
Lucas had always been a kind and responsible boy, but ever since his accident last year, he had also begun to frequently exhibit something akin to a sense of righteousness, a compulsion to help others in need and make life better for everyone, even if he had to put himself in harms way to do so.
Eris' had always loved tales of chivalrous knights and heroes who defeated evil while upholding justice, so seeing such qualities appear in her little brother, who she already had strong feelings of affection towards, caused her young heart to flutter. Whether these were a result of reverence or affection, not even Eris knew.
What happened next, however, brought nothing but pure dread to Eris as she watched the beast suddenly throw off all of the nearby adults.
Lucas naturally saw this as well, but he refused to abandon the children and escape on his own. Instead, he picked them up and attempted to escape while carrying them.
In that instant, any trace of hesitation disappeared from Eris' mind. The only thought left was that she had to save her precious little brother!
Swiftly drawing her sword from its sheath, Eris put every bit of strength she had into her legs and shot forward, desperately trying to remember what her instructor, Anna, had taught her.
Gripping the sword tightly with both hands, Eris kept her elbows bent and held the blade low at her hip, leaning forward as she spirted with all her might, aiming straight for the beast.
Time seemed to slow down as everything around Eris faded away.
In that moment, there was only her, Lucas, and the beast.
The sound of her own heart pounded in her ears as she ran, distracting thoughts and fears kept trying to encroach upon her mind, but the young girl forced all of that down, focusing entirely on the task before her.
The beast pounced…
Lucas dove…
Eris lunged...
…..
The next instant, the sound of flesh being torn was heard, and with a great shout, Eris drove her blade deep into the flank of the wolf-like beast, knocking it over as she threw all her weight at it.
Given the disparity in strength between Eris and her foe, the beast should have been able to avoid this blow with ease, but in its fury, the wolf-like creature was caught off-guard when the young girl struck from the side where it had just lost an eye.
Landing atop the flailing beast, Eris twisted her sword hard before yanking it out, just like she was taught to, eliciting a howl of pain from the creature.
Seeing her enemy still struggling, Eris hurriedly adjusted her grip and stabbed down again, opening up another wound in the beast's chest.
Not content, Eris let out a fierce scream and yanked her blade out again before stabbing the beast 3 more times, causing blood to splash all over her, dying her face and clothes completely red.
Slowly, the beast stopped moving, succumbing to its injuries.
Only after she saw this did Eris breath a sigh of relief.
Drawing her sword out one last time, she stumbled to her feet and turned back to check on Lucas.
Glancing over, Eris was relieved to see her little brother looking up at her from where he had landed after diving to avoid the beast's earlier pounce.
Both of them smiled at other, rejoicing in their mutual safety; but all of a sudden, Lucas' face filled with horror as he shouted, "Watch out!"
Eris had complete trust in her little brother, so she didn't hesitate to dive forward while swinging her sword behind her, only to hear an odd snapping sound before a tingling sensation ran up her arm.
Dumbstruck, Eris turned her head back to see a row of razor-sharp teeth and a single, dull, bloodshot eye glaring at her.
There was no pain, only numbness as Eris tried to process what just happened, but it was as if her mind had overloaded and she simply couldn't comprehend what transpired; all the young girl could do was sit there in the dirt and mutter a dull, "Huh?"