Chapter 2: 20 Years Later

A boy stood on his porch watching the sunrise. He wore dirty brown pants covered in mud and other stains, along with a white shirt with a brown vest over it. He had golden brown hair and his eyes were a beautiful auburn color. He was both muscular and a little chubby, and he was about 21 years old. He was watching the gates of the city where he lived as if waiting for something—or someone.

The city where he lived was a massive kingdom. Houses stood in rows side to side, a blacksmith sat on the far side of town, making weapons and jewelry for either soldiers or villagers. Beyond the city, however, a great castle sat, shining with the sunrise beautifully. It had stained glass windows, depicting battles from years ago, and showing great kings and queens and warriors. Soldiers patrolled both the city and the castle, watching out for any mischief or trouble of any kind.

The boy sat down after a while of waiting, sighing.

“Mornin', Jacob,” one of the villagers said, and the boy smiled, waving and saying, “Morning Razz.”

Razz was the Town storyteller who always used to tell tales of the Great War between Morzan and the elves, one of Jacobs favorites. The gates opened and Jacob jumped to his feet, anxious. A man on a horse ran through, looking behind him, panting. He jumped off his horse, patting the horse, and leaned against his horse, exhausted. The man wore silver armor with a sword and a dagger strapped to either side of his waist. He had black hair that went to his shoulders, but he had it tied into a ponytail. He had black eyes and was very muscular.

“Duncan, did you find it?” Jacob asked, running to him.

Duncan smiled and nodded, saying, “Yes, I found it. I almost got killed though. Next time, you can go.”

He pulled out a satchel and pulled out a golden dagger, handing it to Jacob. Jacob smiled and inspected it, turning it over in his hands, Duncan watching with curious eyes.

“What’s so special about that, anyway?” He asked Jacob, and Jacob chuckled to himself.

“This was my father's, but I never knew him or my mother. I heard his city was attacked years ago by an ancient evil, which killed the entire city. The king told me it was a shadow of an old king who was corrupted by dark magic. My father escaped the city but was badly wounded, and my mother, well, no one knows what happened to her. I heard she died giving birth to me, but some say she left the city, going to search for my father. This is the only memory I have of them both.”

Duncan smiled and bowed his head, saying both to himself and Jacob, “I respect you. You care about your family, and a family is the most important thing of all.”

Jacob smiled, nodding to himself and Duncan.

“Anyway, I must be going. I have to go report to the king. Any goblins or dark creatures I’ve encountered must be reported. I have a feeling that, Morzan is returning, but I don’t know when his full strength and power will return. Farewell for now, Jacob,” Duncan said, hugging Jacob.

Jacob said his goodbye and went into his house, putting the dagger in his kitchen drawer, locking it with a key.

“Maybe they are still alive somewhere out there in the world. I pray they are. I’d love to meet them. They are my parents, after all, and I love and miss them,” Jacob said, closing his eyes.