Svence
Legacy Name: Svence

The town bell chimed midnight one winter night. The streets were barren and windows barred shut. Nothing moved. No life could be seen and only silence roamed the streets. That is, the streets were empty to those who didn't know any better, who lacked the knowledge of legends and myths that didn't exist.

The town was nameless and not on a map. White birds were never out of sight. The people who lived there discouraged visitors from staying the night, and chased away those who thought about starting a new life there. They themselves never left, though. They were a people of tradition, and took great pride in their self-imposed guardianship. They kept the world blind to the darkness in which they lived.

"Now listen up youngin's. Tonight's the night I get to fill you all in on what goes on in this town, and what your responsibilities are going to be from now on, now that you're old enough to understand. Keep in mind though, you are free to move away from here anytime you like. But none of you will. That's just how this works," the old man said. He had a group of kids, no younger than 13, sitting in a semi-circle around him while he sat in his poofy recliner. "Do any of you know what I'm talking about?"

"Why we have to stay inside after nightfall?" one girl asked.

"Or why we chase away the visitors? There was a nice girl a few days ago I'd like to have got to known better," one boy said with a snicker, along with a few nudges from his buddies.

"Ha ha, yes, that would be it. After what I tell you tonight though, I doubt you'd want her to stay here. It takes a special kind of person to live here, and not many outsiders stay here for very long if we can't keep them away. It's amazing how stubborn some can be." Just then a loud scraping sounded on the window shutters from the front of the house and moved to the front door. All the kids were silent as they watched the window and then the door. "Now you listen very carefully to what I have to say tonight," the old man began.

He continued by retelling the legend of a spirit of a middle-aged man who once lived there who went by the name of Kole.

* * *

He was quiet and often kept to himself, but he was well-liked amongst the other townsfolk. Every last one of them would have trusted their life to this man who didn't speak or socialize much, and who never caused a single problem with another person. If asked, he would always lend a helping hand. They all trusted him and felt safe in his presence. And that was the problem. He was trusted.

"Don't trust him! Don't believe his lies!" a young man named Svence screamed in the streets. He was just passing through, as he did once a year, but what he had seen horrified him to no end. Svence had seen this Kole out behind one of the buildings as he walked into the town. Kole was knelt over a lump on the ground, and he didn't notice that he was being watched. Inching closer, Svence saw that Kole was kneeling over a body of a young woman. That's when he went running into the streets screaming, "Kole is not who you think he is!"

"Oh poo on you, young man. Kole is kind and doesn't deserve the wrath that you are trying to lay upon his head," a woman scolded as she lead her children into a nearby shop.

"But you don't understand," he pleaded. "I just saw him kneeling over a dead woman! He had a bloody knife in his hand!"

"Hey now," a stern voice called from behind. "I will NOT have someone yelling such rubbish in my town. If you keep that up I will arrest you for disorderly conduct." The sheriff walked up to Svence and put a hand on his shoulder.

"But it's true. You are all blind," he replied, glaring at the sheriff. "Why won't you believe me?""Because it's not true," Kole said smoothly as he walked up.

"Kole!" the sheriff said, "It's nice to see you today. I was just about to escort Svence here to spend a night in the hole. So, if you'd excuse me..."

"Let him go sheriff. He's just a passer through, anyway," Kole said with a smile as he walked away. "Have a nice day now."

Later that night they all knew they had a made a terrible mistake. They were blind, and now they had to pay for it. As the clock struck twelve, a loud crash could be heard that brought the slumbering town back to life in an instant like a shot of adrenaline. Hearts pounding, the people looked out windows and walked out of their homes. In the center of town was a sight none of them would forget.

There was Kole, standing on a platform with a manic smile upon his face. He was laughing, and the sound sent shivers down everyone's spine. At Kole's feet lay Svence, his face pale and distorted. He was barely recognizable anymore, and his body was in pieces.

"You should have listened to poor, dead Svence," Kole screamed, "I have been waiting for someone to see… To be the one to reveal me. But none of you could! Ha ha ha! None of you poor fools could. I wonder, how long could I have kept the charade going? I bet you don't even know how many people I have killed over the years, and you never will!" he continued, laughing as he yelled at the night.

After that, the town held nothing but hatred for the man they once trusted. They captured him and showed him no mercy. The same night he killed Svence, they hung Kole from a sturdy tree, by the platform on which he had killed Svence. He did not thrash to his death. He just hung there, staring at them all as the spark in his eyes slowly died. No one wanted to approach either of the bodies, but they had to be taken of, especially poor Svence.

Ever since, white birds could be seen perched up in the tree that Kole hung from, watching as townsfolk wandered by, quietly singing their sad song of winter.

* * *

"That is why once a month at midnight, no one can get any sleep, and no one can leave their home," the old man finished.

"What happens if we do go outside?" the boy from earlier asked.

"You will meet Kole. He wanders these streets now. Though he no longer lives on the same mortal plane as you and me, he can still hurt us. And if you ever have the courage to do so, though I suggest you don't, open a window and look outside. That is why we stay here. Kole haunts this place still, and if we leave, he will just find someone else to torment. It has happened in the past, and we won't let it happen again. We all owe Svence that much at least."

Again, the scraping could be heard on the window, and then the door, only this time it stopped, and began knocking instead. A quiet laughter could be heard in the wind, Kole forever seeking to torment those who had let an innocent die because of something they could not see.

Credits:

Code and profile by Ziva
Art by GhostDragon: :heart:
Story by me, edited by dwarven