Aan and the Darkness

The Birth of Aan

In a small hut, a new mother sat in a rocking chair gently swaying her child back and forth by a warm, crackling fire which was bathing the room in a glowing red light. She looked lovingly down into his chubby, round face. The baby was small and wrapped in a brown cloth. His brilliant blue eyes were already open; he was looking around the room with the greatest of interest. When he saw the loving face of his mother, a broad smile spread across his small face. His mother, Monon, affectionately returned the smile.

The one room of the hut was small; only about fifteen feet on each side with one window facing a tall, dark castle. Over to one side of the room stood a low table, a few hooks from which various copper pots hung, and a compact shelf on which were a few vegetables, jars, and cooking instruments. Near the fire, a large cauldron and the old, wooden rocking chair resided. Towards one side of the floor ran a small stream of fast flowing water. In the water was an area where one could put food that needed to stay cold and fresh.

Over on another wall was the door, and propped next to it were two rolls of sleeping mats and a large chest which contained the extra pair of clothes and the spinning, weaving, and sewing supplies. Near the chest was a small loom and spinning wheel.

It was a small hut and the occupants were poor, but on this night, the mother was full of joy for the new life which she had brought into the world.

Monon decided to name her child Aan Onuk, after his courageous father who had died a few months before the baby was born. "Oh, if only he could see our child," she thought wistfully. "All strong and healthy like his father. I hope that Aan will grow up to be as powerful and strong as his father. But... It was his power and strength that was exactly why he was killed, for the lords of the castle feared his opposition."

The castle of which she spoke was just a few miles away. It was as large as any mountain; as a matter of fact, it was a mountain. The entire mountain from which it had arison was carved and chiseled until the only thing left of it was an immense, black castle. The castle was rumored to hold unimaginable wealth from glittering gold and jewels to ancient scripts and statues, as well as enough weapons to arm the whole population of the earth. It was also rumored that it had enough prisons to hold inside its walls all the people within miles upon miles. Everyone feared the castle, but even more so, they feared its inhabitants.

Everyone in the surrounding area had seen them at least once. They were towering, black humanoids; their pitch black skin and eyes that resembled smouldering coal struck fear into every heart. Even their nails and teeth seemed to be coated in a thick layer of pure soot. They wore inky black cloaks, robes, and boots. In their mouths, their teeth were as sharp as needles. Their appearance conveyed but little of their nature and lack of conscience; they killed for the pleasure of killing.

They possessed powerful, dark magic that enabled them to bend shadows to their will and even raise undead armies. Their weapons were serrated black swords and spears. They called themselves the Dark Lords, and they expected to be feared. They went on a regular basis on human hunting trips, where they leapt upon their ebony steeds and galloped throughout the surrounding villages, killing as they went. If there was no one in the streets, the hunters burst up the nearest house and burned the place down with the inhabitants inside. They did these things to strike fear into the hearts of the souls whom they ruled. Yes, these were the most powerful, cruel, and deadly beings ever, and they ruled the world.

Aan lived under this oppressive rule for all of his young years. He did the best he could helping his mother and playing with the young children of the town. But like every man woman and child in the town he lived in terror of the Dark Lords. Once a month these Dark Lords went human hunting in Aan's village, harvesting the energy of human life in order to fuel their dark powers.