"Alright, alright," he agreed begrudgingly. His voice was deep and gravely, and it seemed he croaked and growled his words more than spoke them. "Gather round the fire, where it is warm," he hobbled over to a large comfortable chair seated right next to the hearth and the children settled around his feet. "Now don't get too close, I don't want your grubbby fingers touching me. And sit still," he growled. "So a story is what you want, is it?" He muttered more to himself than to the children, yet they excitedly nodded their heads in response anyway. Apparently this was part of a routine that they did often enough where they knew they musn't speak outloud.
"A story. I know a story. Long, long ago," the elderly man's voice rumbled, eying each of the children somberly to create a sinister mood, "There were two gods." The children were watching the old man's face attentively, "One was inheritely good, and her name was Sapentia. She was beautiful, gentle, and kind. All the beings on earth loved her dearly because she loved them. But," he paused, raising his wild white eyebrows, his voice grew quiet, "there was another being! And this being was very evil. His name was Dominatio, and he hated the earth and lived in constant agony. Sapentia grew so very sad for Dominatio, for she loved every entity. She wept over the earth for him, and each tear was a small part of her soul. They each became a child, a demi-god that would rule over the ten kingdoms of the world. The demi-gods were benevolent beings, who treated the humans kindly. We flocked to their cities for safety, for out in the wild it was growing very dangerous. Dominatio, unlike the others, despised the humans. His rage festered within him, tearing his soul apart. His hatred became so great, that it physically manifested itself into terrible beings, horrifying creatures that could paralyze a man with fear. These monsters were hell-bent on destroying all the living things on the earth's surface. The monsters ravaged every creature they came across, slaughtering everything and feeding upon their flesh while their screams echoed across the land."
"That's so scary! Who will protect us?" a child chimed, hiding her terrified face so that only her wide eyes appeared from behind tense fat fingers.
"Shut up and listen!" the old man snapped fiercely. Silence fell over the group as they awaited his next words, wishing them forth with all their might. "Now," he mused finally, "Where were we? Ah, yes. The monsters!" he growled, lifting clawed hands above his head in the attempts to seem frightening. Behind him, the fire cackled, almost at him. "If Sapentia were to ever leave us," he continued somberly, lowering his hands and placing them on his knees so he might lean forward towards the children, "we would all surely be doomed--devoured by hoards of the monsters, tormented and mutilated by their constant clawing and the gnashing of their hideous teeth." He paused once more, to allow the terror to settle deep within the childrens' bones. "But, there are those that would sacrifice themselves to save us," he added finally, "there are knights who will rise up, warriors with extraordinary power, some say chosen by Serpentia herself, who are charged with protecting the world from the dark monsters."
"Is that true?" the young girl chimed again, clearly unaffected by the gruff old man's previous admonishments.
"Of course not!" he glowered, gnarled hand reaching over and cuffing the back of her head, "These are just fantasies, none of it could possibly be true! That's it! No more stories! Clearly you can't handle it without being swallowed up by the tales!" There was an audible groan from the children, as they focused their disappointment on the youngest of them. The old man seemed to not notice their sorrow, and he abruptly stood and walked away, surprisingly spiritedly for a man of his age, disappearing into the shadows.
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