《The Abandoned》


 The Prologue

    Ever since the age of creation, the 5 elements lived in the mighty land of Xian.


    Fire, water, wind, earth, lighting


    They have always fended off the twisted enemies, the lithians. Until, the last stand.


    A historical battle that was remembered for all eternity. The lithians were rallied behind an element that was yet unknown to humankind: darkness.


    So the fierce battle begun, as Wind took the skies against the flying enemies, and Earth fortified the walls and bunkers, as Water brought down his freezing wrath upon them. Lastly, fire sacrificed the lands to halt the invasion.


    All their efforts were to no avail.


    The lithians were stronger than they''d hoped, and they survived the assaults thanks to their lord, who didn''t have a corporeal body, instead lived through the lithians.


    The 5 elements, desperate to save their lives, sought to another dimension, pretending to be on a mission to bring help. They never retuned again.


    Darkness, drunk on his victories, decided that one world wasn''t enough. He ought to consume everything, until no dimension is free from his grasp. What he didn''t expect, was the petty humans to put up a resistance without their leaders, the elements.


    But civilization didn''t cease. Humans were divided into 3 tribes working together to survive.


    The Shields: a group of spartan trained warriors relying on their skills with the spear and shield to fight in exceptionally detailed formations back-to-back. They live on mount Velucai where they mine the steel making the weapons for all the tribes, and harvest the Opissium[1] for food.


    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.Their commander: Alken


    The Hawks: a tribe trained since youth in the arts of using complicated machines to imitate flying. They are famous in precision and winning the battle in one action. They are always on the move and never stay in the same place. They harvest and forage most of their food, while relying on shield for steel and Opissium, in exchange for support against flying enemies.


    Their chief: fereldem


    The Swadians: a group of  trained cavalry depending on their bows to shoot enemies from a distance while evading them on their horses. They farm multiple fruits on their plains, satisfying their need and trading with shield for diversity of food. They are highly skilled in building and architecture, making excellent strategic defenses for their lands.


    Their leader: katelyn


    Together, they struggle to find hope for survival, and eventually, revenge against the elements.

 Chapter 1: First expedition

    Kami woke up at the same time everyday. Living in Shield meant living in routine until you''re old enough to be taken to the front lines, that is. Before then, you have hours of mining, harvesting opissium, smithing and most if all, training.


    He nudged Fellen, one of his roomate, to wake him up, as he always manages to oversleep even with all the sounds. They shared their tiny room with 2 others, making it extra tight and very uncomfortable. But they got used to it.


    You can feel the excitement sweeping through the hallway as everyone prepared their weapons. Today was the trial, the day they become soldiers of the Shield, fighting to reclaim earth.


    Today, was their first expedition.


    "Oh, I''m so ready for this."


    And so, the 134 youths gathered in the training field, which is right behind the wall. That huge wall built by the swadians protected this mountain for so long, seemed unbreakable, but in shield, you never count on chances, guards were stationed in it 24/7.


    Our sergeant stepped out of the Hall, the place where men with the real titles


    "Ahh, the new generation. Well this is you''re special day, isn''t it? The day you become men!" His voice rang throughout the field. By now you could see the boredom forming in all their faces. They had heard this speech so many times, they learnt it by heart. Whispers started between the men.


    And then Alken stepped out.


    Silence.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Noone dared to talk. It wasn''t a rare occasion to see the commander, but he always had an aura that made you wince whenever you see him. He was tall, with dark bearded face covered in scars. His armour made from the finest steel in the mountain, and a spear rumored to be from the bone of lithian he killed in his youth.


    "As you all have heard, no doubt, your trial will be hard. You will leave the mountain, for the first time, to meet the hawks generation of soldiers. You will then train with them against real lithians, strengthening the bond between future generations of Shields and hawks, and hardening your skills in real situations. This time though, you will be accompanied by our commander, for he has important matters to discuss with the hawks."


    They all stared with their eyes wide.


    They were going with the commander.


    They''re going to see him fight.


    He was going to see them fight.


    It was a dream chance to prove themselves. Many would kill for that.


    "We shall delay this no longer", Said Alken, speaking for the first time


    "We leave immediately"


    His words echoed through the fields, signaling the start of a new era for kami''s life.