Journey Through Damnation

Chapter 1 An Expected Guest

The frenzied atmospheric pandemonium characterized by intense rain, wind, lighting, and thunder was a threat to the life of the people.

The storm uprooted trees and destroyed poorly built structures. Forests caught fire due to the constant lighting hits in forestry areas. There were also tsunamis causing havoc near coastal zones. The raging storm destroyed the basic balance of life in the world.

The animals and monsters who inhabited the world began to cry aloud in their own bizarre languages.

"AWOOO, AWOOO, AWOO...." The wolves and their canine members cried out on hilltops, houses, and in the forest regions.

The herbivorous members just BLERGH or BLEAT indiscriminately. But the weird behaviors of the animals did little to destroy the tempo of the raging storm.

At the edge of a forest, lay a human settlement with wooden structures. The raging storm that was plunging the earth into utter chaos was surprisingly dormant here.

The weather around this settlement was cloudy with a cool breeze passing through. The weather was calming and soothing to any soul who felt it.

Near the center of the community stood a house which stood out from the surrounding settlements. The building was made of bricks instead of wood and painted with the soothing colors of green and blue.

One calm night, all the inhabitants of the settlement were happy and expectant. They were happy because the proprietress of the beautiful house was going to give birth today.

"MADAM LINDA PUSH A BIT LONGER." A midwife shouted to encourage the young mother to remind her how close she was to her goal. The mother was physically exhausted and drenched in sweat and blood. It was even a miracle she was still alive and kicking.

The midwife would have given up if not for the tight grip she felt when she placed her hands into the mother to retrieve the baby one last time. She was amazed at the strength of the little fella, she shouted at the mother to remind her the battle between life and death was not over yet.

"ARGGHHHH, AHHHH, ARGHHH," with loud screams and an unrelenting will the mother was able to give birth to the baby. When the mother felt the weight of life leave the shackles of her womb, she collapsed on the bed tiredly.

 The delivery had been a painful one and she needed rest to replenish her mana at least. But something did not feel right, the room was dead silent with the constant whirling of the cool breeze.

The midwife found this odd because it was a first-time experience, she began to panic with the constant thoughts of the dead baby. But she soon relaxed when she realized the baby breathing fine.

"Ladies, begin to dress Miss Linda while I clean the baby off its blood." The midwife told her attendants who started to clean the blood and sweat off the sleeping mother.

The midwife cast a heal on the baby to check if he was indeed all right. When the midwife finished with her check, she saw nothing odd about the baby’s current health. She just assumes this baby to be too tired to spare them a cry. “AWOOH.” She breathe a sigh of relief to release the pent-up stress.

When the midwife finished dressing the baby, she sent him off to her mother and cast a heal on her to also confirm her healthy status. She was pleased with her work today but just a little surprised with the baby in her hand.

She placed a chair beside the patient’s bed as she waited for her patient to regain her consciousness.

“HMMMMMMMMMMM” The midwife hummed quietly as she waited for the sleeping mother to gain her consciousness.

Minutes later the patient was up looking at the midwife with utmost gratefulness. She was happy and relieved to have finally given birth.

"Miss Linda, please here is your son and he is in perfect health. I still do not know why he did not cry but please believe me when I say the baby is fine. Ma'am you can also trust my 30 years’ experience in such a situation." The midwife said looking at Linda apologetically.

"Mrs. Stacy you don't have to worry, what's most important is that my son was born without any complications. I am grateful for providing me with your services and hope we live here without any troubles. Thank You very much again Mrs. Stacy." With that Linda stretched out her hand and received her priceless possession.

The baby in Linda's hand was adorable and cute, he had his mother's long eyelashes and sword-like eyebrows and had a small, pointed nose with faint red, rosy lips. But the baby was brown skinned unlike his mother’s fair skin. Stacy attributed this feature to the baby’s father. The baby also had white curly hair unlike his mother’s long ebony hair and looked a little chubby. The features of the baby made him look unbelievably beautiful.

Moments, Stacy looked at the young mother trying to feed her baby, she wished this woman's husband were around to witness such a heartwarming moment. But she knew it was just a dream because this woman here, came into this settlement alone.

Despite the fact Linda was well-to-do, she did not act proudly or look down on people like nobles. She also did not associate herself with other females in this settlement. She lived according to norms and made sure not to offend anyone, she was loved by all and sundry due to her habits and beauty.

 Sadly, she decided not to marry or even hangout after gatherings, this behavior of hers made her appealing to all genders in their society.

"Linda, before I depart from your humble abode, I would advise you to stop engaging in any activity that will strain you or make you exert more energy. And last but not least, the village chief would like to meet you so please do meet him when you gain enough strength." Stacy got up and left the room after passing out instructions to her attendants.

Linda was feeding the baby in her hand as she watched the attendants run around her hall and rooms. She first found it hard to feed the but after a couple of trials and errors she managed to place her nipple in his mouth.

The attendants began to clear a room for Linda and help her baby to settle in. When done, they also requested for their leave, leaving the young mother and her baby alone in the big house.

When Linda was left alone, she began to gaze at her baby with love and affection. This child she held in her hands was her only hope of salvation. Her light-bringer in this world of darkness, where the strong trample on the weak.

She had a firsthand experience of this cruel rule and hoped it did not befall her again. She also longed for the comforting touch of her husband and warmth. But she knew that was just a dream because he was dead.

“My priceless gemstone please grow up into a strong man capable of protecting yourself and the ones you love. Never bow down your head to injustice but do not also act without thinking. If you just think before you act, you will save yourself from unnecessary trouble. Do not end up like your father.” Linda spoke to her son crying.

“Ahn, Gogga, Aaahhhh.”  The baby cried out touching his mother’s crying face. Linda just smiled at the thought of her baby understanding her hopes and dreams for him.

“It seems am going mad now, I now harbor the thoughts of a day-old baby understanding my words and trying to console myself with its blabbering’s. How far the Great Anna Blackson has fallen.”

(A.N: When Linda and her son are alone, I will use Anna but when they are in a public place or conversing with other people we will go back to Linda.)

“It is time to give my hope a name, I would have loved it if your father had been here to help me name you but unfortunately, he is dead. But I know he would be happy if I named you Drew Blackson. But because we now live among commoners you can only use the Drew but if you grow strong enough you can use your full name without any hindrance.”

Anna said this watching her baby; her child also watch her face with warmth and happiness. He touched her face again, trying to wipe her crying face. When Anna realized what her child was trying to do, she hugged him and began to reprimand herself.

“I am such a bad mother. How can I please my hopes on him, a child who would most likely be killed if he tried to go against his enemies. I am such a fool to think in such a narrow-minded way. I cannot lose my son too; I should never place burdens on him again.” Anna said this while hugging her child. She was ashamed of herself for placing such burdens on her son.

Minutes later Anna fell asleep due to the tiredness and the pain she had been through in the prior hours. But someone was totally confused by all these happenings. “What the hell is going on here?” Drew asked himself as he stared at the ceiling in the room.