Cruel Sword

After his orphanage is slaughtered and the village of Hillburn burned to ash, ten-year-old Alec flees into the Ironwood Forest with nothing but a short sword and the hard lessons of an old survival instructor. Injured and alone, Alec builds a life surviving, hunting with snares, scavenging, and relentless repetition as grief and fear narrow his world to hunger, pain, and routine. As days turn into weeks, Alec’s fixation on sword practice becomes both an anchor and obsession. The forest offers no mercy, wolves, goblins, unknown threats, and exhaustion push him to the edge of death again and again. In the aftermath of his encounters, Alec discovers multiple ways to endure the harsh forest.  He understands that killing the threats keeps him alive.Cuel Sword is a harsh survival fantasy that follows a child shaped by isolation and necessity rather than prophecy or destiny. It explores how routine, trauma, and repeated violence can hollow innocence and forge something colder, sharper, and enduring.