"Come, my beloved family—knowest thou of the signs heralding the Bringer Of Misery and Despair?"
Gathered around a blazing fire, surrounded by floating embers escaping into the night sky, was a family of seven. Their shadows stretched across the ashen ground as they huddled closely together to preserve as much heat as possible.
The family comprised the wise, aged father; the caring and intelligent mother; and their five children, who were all under ten, save for the eldest who was fifteen. The young ones were currently looking up at their father, eyes reflecting concern and a hint of fear.
"The Bringer Of Misery? That sounds fearsome, father dearest."
Glancing at his eldest son, the father nodded grimly. "It most certainly is, my dear Al. This man shall undoubtedly bring utmost ruin upon this realm and all the others."
He raised a finger. "It hath been foretold, that at a certain moment in time, a child shall be born. This child shall be birthed into a family most peaceful and loving, yet upon his coming to the world, great misfortune, anger, and anxiety shall befall them, for ye see, this child shall be the provenance of their, and of all the lands besides."
"Husband Dearest, forgive me, but I am rather dubious about this prophecy."
The father calmly turned to face his wife and nodded. "Thine skepticism is granted, my dear, for I myself did not believe this prophecy when I first heard it."
The mother cocked her head to the side, long, pale blue hair falling around her, as she looked at him in confusion. "So then…why tell us this?"
"That is because, as I said, I did not believe this when I first heard it. But now, seven months later, after studying it as in depth as I could, I have found that these words are speaking naught but the truth."
The mother narrowed her silver eyes and furrowed her brows, still skeptical. "Is that so? Pray tell, what did you read that convinced you so?"
"'Tis not something I read. 'Tis the fact that a sign of his coming has already come to fruition."
The mother's eyes widening, she waited as the father took in a deep breath.
"The prophecy anticipated the coming of a certain family. A family who shall bring great fortune upon the world; a family who shall discover the secrets of this world; a family whose name shall go down in history—The Lorecks."
"What…?"
The father solemnly nodded. "Indeed, my dear. The prophecy predicted our settling in this world."
He then turned to look back towards his children. He extended his hand towards the fire and grasped it. For a moment, the flames writhed in his palm, struggling against his hold before they dissipated. Slowly, he brought his hand in front of his family, opened it, and presented the fire to them.
"Imagine, my beloved family, that this flame is the world we reside in. Dost thou see how brightly it burns? Alas, the world shall one day cease to shine so bright."
He closed his hand and extinguished the flame, shrouding all of them in pitch black darkness aside from the bright, starry sky.
"And a-all of this because of that man?" His youngest daughter inquired, voice trembling.
He nodded solemnly. "Indeed. This man...Nay, we shan't call him that. For calling him that is an insult to all of mankind as he is naught but a monster, a beast."
He then reopened his hand, and a new flame sprung forth, illuminating the man's bearded face and the surroundings once more.
"Listen closely, my children, my love."
Raising his other hand, he shaped the apex of the flame to form seven figures; undoubtedly a representation of themselves.
"Dost thou see? This is us. We, as thou knowest, are the second family to inhabit this world. How we came hither is a tale for another day. What is of import, however, is that we shall not be amongst the living when this beast doth appear."
The moment they heard that, they all heaved a sigh of relief.
"Oh, thanks goodness…I was worried that myself or one of us," Al spreads his arms at his siblings, "would be this man."
The father smiled and shook her head. "Thou art prone to worrying too much, young Al."
"As I said, when this beast shall come, it shall be in the distant future. The hour is unknown, as is the day and the decade. That matters not, however, for ye must not let yourselves forget this."
Al raised a brow and asked: "For what reason, father dearest? If this beast will not appear for as long as we live, why should we be apprehensive?"
"For, young Al, shouldst thou forget, thou wouldst fail to pass this prophecy to future generations. And thus, man would remain ignorant of the coming of this one, whose sole desire is to bring misfortune and to lay waste to our world and all others."
"I see..." Al put a finger on his chin, seemingly getting lost in thought.
"Dear," the man turned once more to look at his wife. "You have spoken of a prophecy, but what, pray tell, is this prophecy?"
"I shall most certainly tell thee. First, however, I shall leave with thee these words."
He paused, his gaze fixed and grim upon his children.
"This monster shall be of my line, and in turn, one of your future children. Perhaps six generations hence, perhaps a hundred; that matters not. What matters is this: that man, that beast, shall be a LORECK."