Under the light of the moon

Prologue:
The flames

Screams, roars, the sounds of blades meeting steel and flesh.

Those were the only things he could hear, and his nostrils were filled with the smells of smoke, blood and burning flesh. It had all happened so fast, at first it was just another quiet day in the village, and then the first of the screams came. Issac was still young, he didn't know what was going on when his mother picked him up and ran, while his father went with the rest of the village warriors to defend against the legion's soldiers.

His older sister Elise met them at the house, her husband was nowhere in sight. "Mom, what's going on? where's dad and uncle Adrian?"

He asked her as they entered the home and the two women proceeded to grab a bag each and fill them with anything that they could.

"Your father and your uncle are fighting off the bad guys Zaccy dear, but we have to leave for a little while so that they know we'll be safe."

His mother told him as she finished gathering food and picked him up to leave.

As they emerged from the house, others could be seen running by, some of them not making it far as arrows came down every now and then and found it's mark in the back of an unfortunate soul. And so they ran, past the bakery his mother and sister had worked at for so many years as it burnt. Past the small park that he had played in on many days of his early life as children were cut down with their families.

Past the homes of many village elders as they were killed inside, being to old and frail to be fast enough to flee.

All the while he wondered: Why? Why was this happening? What had any of them done to deserve this fate?

Because they were different. The purge had come, the order from the Emperor. All those of unnatural blood, and those of whom would defile themselves by giving birth to the unnatural, were to be exterminated. And the legion obeyed. It didn't matter that they were just innocent men, women and children, all citizens of the Ascenti empire. All that mattered to the legion was the Emperor's orders.

In just that one day, almost a third of the empire lost their lives, all because they were different.

"We have to get across the river!" His sister cried as they dived into the cold waters along with many others.

"DO NOT LET THE FILTH ESCAPE! ARCHERS!" One of the legion commanders shouted angrily as imperial bowmen took aim and let loose wave after wave of arrows into the waters and into the bodies of those who were trying to escape. Issac watched in horror as one of those arrows embedded itself into his sister's neck, and she slowly slipped under into the river's cold embrace. "ELISE!" He called to her, reaching out his hand, but being too far away to grasp her. Of fifty people who took to the water to escape, only five including himself and his mother made it to the safety of the other side. The archers of the legion were always known for their accuracy.

That night was spent by what remained of the village, hiding in the forest it neighbored. Cold, wet and shivering, too scared to light a fire in case it was spotted. "Mom, where's dad..." Issac asked his mother. The only answer he got was having her look into his eyes sadly before looking away. "He's gone Issac.... I'm sorry." She told him.

"But he said it was going to be my coming of age hunt tomorrow...." Issac said as tears filled his eyes. His mother took him into a tight embrace, trying to calm him. "I know baby, you're 13 tomorrow, but we don't have time for that right now. Your father would want us to survive."

The next morning, they were on the run again as the legion combed the forest to hunt down the survivors. Issac and his mother had been separated from the group, which although left them alone, had also saved them as they were able to slip through a small hole in the legion patrols as one by one the others were caught and slaughtered without mercy. Their pained screams filled his ears as they navigated out of the forest and followed the river to the next town. "Mom, I'm hungry..." He said as his stomach growled loudly.

"I know dear, but we lost the food in the river. You'll just have to hold out until we reach Dunrourk." She told him.

Dunrourk luckily did not have many ab-humans, and the legion had already swept through early yesterday. Unfortunately though, without much money or much to sell, the food his mother was able to get was only minimal. Deciding her son was more important, she gave both portions to him, going hungry herself that day. As well as many of the other days ahead.

Five years later:
Issac was alone. He stood in front of his mother's grave, just staring at it. All his tears spent long ago in the aftermath of those terrible days.

"Hey mom.... I turn 18 next week..... I wish you were here." He crouched down and hugged the cold grave stone. "I kept the promise I made to you, nobody knows about me. I even got a job at the bakery, just like you and sis used to do." He told her as he stood back up looking into the sky. "Mr Orrison is a nice man, and his wife is always giving me sweets when she thinks he's not looking, but when he catches me he makes me work harder to work off the sugar." He gave a sad chuckle. "I better get going mom, I'll come back and see you on my birthday."

"I love you mom. Goodbye."