It was a dark, starry night. The air was warm and pleasant, as if it were a mild summer’s day, only not so bright. Freinz, a small child of nine had been watching the sky for many an hour, mesmerised by the beauty of the stars.

“Father” had travelled out to sea again, for an important gathering. Freinz knew not what these meetings contained, but understood that they were vital, as apon his return Father bore new battlescars and items of increasing interest the more he returned.

Freinz was very happy on this particular night, as Father had promised a big surprise apon his return. Continuously watching the stars, Freinz dreamed of the delights that would follow Father’s triumph. Big bags of gold, rare and interesting weapons and artifacts, exotic food and herbs. He could hardly wait for the airship to arrive. Slowly lifting himself off the ground, he sleepily stepped back into the vacant house.

Freinz had never known his mother. According to his father she been been a wonderful woman, with expert technique when armed with a bow and arrows. She was one of the best, but died tragically in a huge explosion, caused by a dear friend when Freinz was but a very small infant. Apon hearing this, Freinz never mentioned the subject again, but kept a picture of her on his wall for good luck.

Morning came, bringing with it a gigantic airship named “Beowulf”. Hastily getting changed and attempting to comb his uncontrollable black hair, Freinz rushed out of the house towards the bay. There he waited. A torrent of people swarmed out of the ship, chatting, laughing, some limping, but all showing signs of an unforgettable experience.

Soon, the flood died down and the amount of people thinned, with only Freinz still waiting. Father had never made him wait this long before. He remembered one time, when Father had taken a whole twenty minutes to leave the ship, as on the way out he had forgotten to pick up his spoils from the storage! Twenty minutes passed. Freinz wondered how long he was going to have to wait.

Forty minutes.

Freinz, a little worried, edged closer towards Beowulf, hoping to catch a glimpse of his father. He was about to step in before he was stopped.

“I’m sorry little boy, you aren’t allowed in here, this boat is for big strong people like your Daddy.”

In the village where the young boy lived, everybody knew each other, as there were so very few inhabitants. Many people left the village to live at Victoria Island, an island infested with monsters.

“Where is my father, Mr Garland? He left for another guild meeting a month ago on this ship and he doesn’t appear to have returned yet,” Freinz explained.

“Well that’s very odd. There’s a possibility he may have missed the ship. Check again next week, he’ll probably be on that one,” replied Mr Garland, the tall and rather greasy looking ticketing usher.

Freinz waited. Not just one week, but three. He waited and waited. Another fourteen months had passed, Freinz had already has his 10th birthday and was nearing his 11th. He was sitting in the lounge, alone, reading a book called “Mage”. It was a fictional book, about a powerful wizard who went on adventures and slayed powerful demons. Freinz enjoyed this book, and aspired to be just like the man in the story. He wanted to be a wizard.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the door. Looking up from his book, Freinz looked towards the noise and permitted the stranger the privalidge of entry. The stranger was slightly taller than Freinz, but not as tall as Mr. Garland. Judging from his appearance, Freinz guessed his age to be around thirteen or fourteen.

“I have been told to give you this,” spoke the child, handing Freinz a piece of paper.

Staring at the unfolded letter for a second, Freinz looked blankly at the text and then back at the boy in the doorway.

“I cannot read the handwriting, will you read it out for me?” asked Freinz in what he hoped was a convincingly questioning tone. He had indeed been able to read what the letter had to offer, but couldn’t bear to keep it to himself, as he didn’t think he would be able to cope with the burden alone.

Taking a deep breath, the fourteen year old started to read reluctantly:

“Freinz,

This letter has been sent to inform you that your father was killed during combat. We deeply regret not being able to tell you in person, but as he was the owner of the guild, we have been temporarily disbanded and cannot send any members to your hometown without risk of losing contact with them. We have sent you a ship for Maple Island, which should arrive in a couple of days. Please board the ship so we can discuss further arrangements concerning the guild and your placement in Victoria Island.”

Silence surrounded them for a couple of minutes.

Freinz needed a few more minutes to take in everything that had been written on the letter.

“Victoria Island?” Freinz asked in a shuddering voice.

“Nevermind, the ship isn’t coming anyway”, the other boy replied hastily.

“Why, what happened?” Freinz returned.

Hesistating, the boy looked at the floor, then back at Freinz, catching his peircing stare. He started to speak.

“Your father and his guild were fighting one of the strongest monsters they had ever faced. The battle lasted for days until finally your father dealt the finishing blow. He picked up the spoils, amongst them was a rare and beautiful material, one of the rarest in the world. They got back to camp. Your father was asleep in his bed, but never woke up. After careful examination from one of the clerics, it appeared he had been killed by a powerful poison. The letter was written and handed to me to give to you. However, two nights succeeding this, the camp spontaniously exploded and most of the guild members died. The remaining member stole everything the guild owned and fled from the scene. The man was shrouded in darkness, favouring dark equips and killing only for power and fortune. He was the one who killed your father.”

There was a long pause. Nobody could tell how long the pause was, but by the time the next person spoke the sun had started to set. Freinz was heavily upset. He was alone and angry. He wanted revenge. He was going to find out all he could about Victoria Island, then train to become one of the most powerful mages in the world. He was going to hunt down the man who had killed his father. He was going to find him.

He was going to kill him.