"Mom? Tell me a bedtime story? Please?" six year old Gavin whispered as his mother closed the curtains of his bedroom.

"Well, which one would you like?" Gavin's mother asked softly, tucking in her youngest son.

"The one you usually tell? About the three warriors who are gonna save us?" Gavin asked, wide-eyed. He cuddled his blanket closer as the wind howled like a wild animal. His mother glanced at the window in irritation as she ran her fingers through her son's blue hair.

"Once upon a time, there were three warriors with powers beyond belief. One could bend nature to his will, one tamed the flames of every fire, and one had gained the respect of the waters of the world. Their names were Gawino, Gradushen, and Hosch. Together, they saw how terrible the world was, and they wanted to make it better.

It is said that each warrior had a companion along side them. A friend who would always guide them. We call these companions 'The Pathfinders'. The warriors and the Pathfinders fought side by side to defeat any evils in the darkest corners of the world. They were fearless, righteous, and kind.

However, nothing lasts forever, and the warriors were no exception. Eventually, they grew too old to fight as well as they normally did. When the Vengeful, who call themselves the 'Sanctus' realized this, they took advantage of the warriors and destroyed them," Gavin's mother recalled, her son's eyes beginning to droop.

"But now what's gonna happen mama?" Gavin muttered sleepily, fighting to keep his eyes open.

"Well, as I said before. Nothing lasts forever," the weary woman, Jillian, replied, glancing at the window once more. "Many wise people warned the Vengeful that the warriors and their companions would rise again, but the Vengeful waved them off. The Vengeful made our society a lawless wasteland, and tore apart families. No one knows why the Vengeful are filled with so much hatred. All we know is that the warriors will rise again."

Gavin's mother turned her attention back towards her son and smiled gently. The blue haired boy was fast asleep under the covers of his blanket, and her other children were safe and sound. There was nothing more that she could ask of the world. Sighing, she snuck behind her son's window curtain and opened the window. She was greeted with a man dressed in all black. A black mask covered his face and a few knives were attached to his belt.

"Steven, you scared him," Jillian whispered aggressively.

"Sorry ma'am, I just want him to be safe," Steven replied, stealing quick looks around the strange, corrupted city.

"Well how would you feel if I snuck over to your house and scared your son?" the agitated woman replied, a threatening look on her face. Steven chuckled, knowing that Jillian would never stay angry him.

"Eli would be fine. He's a little young to know what fear is, and I can assure you that he wouldn't hesitate to fight anyone. After all, they don't call them terrible twos for nothing," Steven laughed, referring to his two year old son, Eli.

"I know what you mean. I've had three," Jillian replied, letting out a small chuckle.

"That's enough for the whole set," the guard, Steven, joked quietly, causing the tired female to sigh.

"She wasn't chosen because, if there's a higher power, it knows that I would like to hold onto at least one of my children," the Jillian sighed. "Well it's been nice talking to you, Steven. Thank you for looking after the boys."

"I'm doing what I must, ma'am," the guard replied before he climbed to the top of the house to get a better view of his surroundings. Exhaling tiredly, Jillian closed the curtains after she had locked the window. That was when she heard the creaking coming from the door, which led to the hallway. Her steps cautious and silent, Jillian crept towards Gavin's bedroom door and opened it.

There, right in front of the door, was a small figure, who had stopped it his tracks when he realized that he had been caught.

"Stephen, why are you awake? Please go back to bed," Jillian yawned as she closed Gavin's bedroom door.

"But Mom-"

"No, Stephen. Go to bed," the tired woman instructed. Her purple-haired son groaned and wandered back to his bedroom. Or, well... He didn't really make it even five steps before he stumbled over his feet in exhaustion. Jillian let out a loving huff of amusement before she walked over to her oldest child and picked him up. She carried him back to his room and tucked him in again before she pressed a motherly kiss against his forehead and left the room.

Lastly, she walked back to Cherry's room and nudged the bedroom door open. Different shades of pink were scattered all over the room, and the tame little girl was in bed and asleep like the obedient child she is. She's most certainly the favorite child of the household. Jillian let out a breath of relief and closed the door.

Tired from her long day, Jillian retired to her bedroom and laid down next to her already sleeping husband. She went over all of her blessings. Her family was safe, her children were happy, she was not in poverty, she and her husband had good, fulfilling jobs, and all that she could control was well. Her eyes drooped close, and she quietly fell asleep.

________________________________________________________________________________

"Hosuh? It's time to go to bed dear," Hosuh's mother whispered from the doorway. Ten year old Hosuh smiled at his mom and nodded, putting his pencil and paper down. Hosuh's little brother, Joey, had gone to bed an hour ago, but Hosuh was a bit older and therefore was allowed to stay up longer.

"Night Mom," Hosuh said politely, hugging his mother.

"Goodnight sweetheart," Hosuh's mom, Ann, replied. Hosuh hurries over time his bed and Ann tucked him in, kissing his forehead gently. She walked over to the lamp that kept the room lit up and blew out the candle, before she left the room. From there, Ann walked down the stairs of her house, both hands holding up her night gown to prevent a tripping hazard. Once she reached the bottom, Ann turned towards the front door and made her way forwards. She opened the door and sat down on the porch bench next to the front door.

Letting out a tired sigh, Ann, a single mother, looked up at the brilliant night sky, holding on to one last shred of hope. She knew that her oldest son was destined to save all of civilization from the Vengeful, but she was afraid. Any parent in their right mind would be. Hosuh was such a sweet and kind young boy, and so it was difficult to think that he would one day too soon defeat an overwhelming evil that had been terrorizing the living for decades now. Not only that, but Ann was afraid of what would follow. Would her son ever be the same after his adventure? Would he be stable? Would he even alive?

"I know what you're thinking about. It's nothing you need to worry about," a figure dressed in all black called out, wandering into Ann's view.

"I know, but I can't help it. I know that I can't do anything to stop it, but, it's tough," Ann shrugged, scooting over on the bench.

"You'll make it. Nothing stops a panicking Ann as far as I've seen so far," the guardian, Tulip, replied with a lighthearted chuckle. Ann smiled, remembering all of the times when she had almost killed Tulip with any nearby object she could pick up for sneaking up on her. She shivered as the cold night breeze blew over her and hugged herself in a fruitless attempt to stay warm.

"That's what you get when you grow up here. Things are much different here compared to the Rebellions' base," Ann replied, looking up at the cloudless night sky.  Violet looked up at the starry night sky, a mix of purples, blues, and pinks fusing with the deep, black void in front of her very eyes. Unsure of what to say, Ann looking down at her feet, her pigtails coming undone. "How.'s your little girl?"

"Fearless. I'm proud of her for it, but Violet scares me sometimes. Though I'm sure that she'll grow into a brave warrior," Tulip replied, shaking her head adoringly.

"Shouldn't you be looking after her?" Ann whispered, causing Tulip to only shrug.

"She's safe right now, and she'll be safer as long as I'm doing my job. Your oldest son is my priority because his life ensures my family's. Everyone's in it for something, Ann. That's just how it is now," Tulip muttered with sadness.

"Well it's stupid. Hosuh's gonna change it," Ann replies stubbornly. There was a comfortable silence for a while as both mothers stayed sitting out of understanding for each other.

"Well, it was nice speaking with you Ann, but you have work to attend to tomorrow, and I have a job to do," Tulip smiled, pulling her black hood up. Ann politely smiled back and stood up again. Both women began to return to where they were supposed to be, when Ann stopped at the door way.

"Goodnight Tulip. May your family live," Ann whispered.

"You too Ann. You're a lovely woman and a good friend. Especially in treacherous times like these," Tulip nodded before she scaled the house and perched herself on the roof. Ann took in a long breath before she stepped into her house and locked the front door. She glanced up at her sons' rooms to make sure that the lights were out and the doors were closed before she finally took the pleasure of retiring for the night, still wondering what her sweet and innocent son would become by the end of his perilous journey.

Thanks for reading this chapter of Screams in the Silence!! To clear a few things up, I do not know Stephen and Gavin's mother's name, nor do I know their sister's, so I'm calling them Cherry and Jillian. Steven is Madeli_art's dad, and Tulip is Violet's mom! I would like to thank Eli and Violet, aka Tsuru, for agreeing to participate in this fanfiction! You can go check them out on Instagram by copy and pasting their links in the description of this book. Anything and everything in this book that isn't a confirmed fact probably isn't true because I don't want to pry into people's personal life for the sake of a book.