《First Waves》 Prolouge: The Escape Prologue: The Escape On the far northern side of Siana, empty winds swept through the abandoned night streets of the historic city of Esidia. The small ghost cityscape was adorned with stone buildings and was blanketed with paved cobblestone roads and pathways that purposefully intersected across the city. Its stone architecture towered and peaked at about fifty meters high above the ground. The majority of these buildings have stood the test of time, save for the few aged and crumbling wooden structures scattered across the city limits. As the city was widely desolate, it may be surprising and eerie to some that center of the city showed signs of inhabitancy. The city center was surrounded by the largest five structures in Esidia, all facing each other. At the center of these towering structures was a wide fountain filled with crystal clear water reflecting the light of the half moon above. In front of this quietly sloshing fountain was a broken carriage turned on its side. At three of these large intersecting buildings was what appeared to be once used business stalls. A few of them were filled with cobwebs/spiderwebs and centuries old dust; however a large majority of them looked to be just recently renovated and up-kept in their prime condition. In the dead of night the creaking sound of a swinging door was smothered by the sounds of the quietly active fountain. A shadowy figure emerged from one of the stalls, gently closing the door, being careful of its loud hinges. It then slowly made its way over to the broken carriage resting directly in front of the fountain. The plaza grounds were immaculate as if someone had just swept it, making the sight of the broken carriage a somewhat foreign impression. What made it seem more out of place was the small figure resting atop the carriage accompanied by the soft sounds of a snoring child. As the shadowy figure made its way closer, careful not to make a more noise than possible, he reached into his cloak pulling out a folded parchment. Getting closer with trembling hands, falling tears began to dampen the shadowy cloak. After getting close enough the dark figure stopped a short distance away from the carriage. The top was two heads taller so it stood a little farther back from where it could see the young boy sleeping on the carriage. After inhaling deeply a knife is pulled and the cloaked individual gets closer to the carriage. The snoring of the child stops as the boy starts to shuffle in his sleep. At the side of the carriage a wooden knife was embedded, pinning a folded letter. The shadowy figure stiffened up for a second then began to slowly tip toe away, facing the figure of the sleeping boys back. After reaching the nearby plaza opening he turned around and ran as fast as he could farther north. ''I''m sorry Zayer.'' ----------- "A little hi-NO! Wait, wait." "That will be 400 Bijis." "Can I just have today''s special." "Looking for place to stay?! The Jingle Ball Hall only has 12 rooms left! Claim em'' while you can!" In Siana''s allied kingdom of Shar, preparations were under way in the capital city of Jiza. The time for Shar''s Moon Festival was less than a month away. Banners were being hung from building to building all over the city as the staff responsible jumped from rooftop to rooftop under the blazing midday sun. As the shirtless men leaped, the sounds of active shops, temples, restaurants, and other establishments reached their ears from over 80 meters down below. The evenly paved roads that were usually filled with the city''s citizens now had tourists from all over the continent mixed in. The differences in attire was a sight to behold as the average citizen of Jiza donned their togas of varying light colors. Other forms of clothing were seen among the crowd like the northern tribes thin coats and jackets made from animal pelts and the eastern settlements tourists wandered around barefoot in their chlamys that were all came in a variety of different shades of red. There were many other groups of people, all with contrasting backgrounds; some even came from the far northeastern islands. The reason for so many tourists wasn''t for a mere festival but for what the festival brought. The ''Red Moon Spar'' was an event that only occurred once every four years when the second moon ''Lia'' became full and drew in warriors from all over the continent who wished to test their strength. --- As the bustle of the city began to quiet down outside and the night began to set in and store owners began to close shop and head to the bars before heading home. A blue crescent moon shone above the Royal Palace and a nearly full white moon was shinning off in the horizon as the starry sky hung over Jiza. As everyone headed home to eat dinner and get ready for another day of preparation, the royal family of the kingdom of Shar began their late supper. In a giant dinning room a large family sat around an even larger pentagon table covered in plates of luxurious foods. The room was wide and circular and the walls were painted gold with a crystal chandelier hanging high above. Twenty servants stood around the room in constant attention as they watched the royal family begin to eat their meal. At head of the table(the base of the pentagon) King Ajios sat with his mother to his right. The two were dressed in matching white and gold robes. Ajios was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties even though he was actually over thirty. He had shoulder length brown hair that he pulled behind his right ear. His mother, Ajy, had the same brown hair but hers was far more longer and had a few streaks of silver hair running through it. Her beauty seemed to be timeless and only seemed to complement her appearance as few wrinkles made themselves apparent. The mother and son had a domineering aura as they sat and slowly ate along with Ajios'' three wives, three children and younger sister. On the right side closest to the Queen Ajy, princess Dia reservedly ate by herself. To her right sat Ajios'' second wife, Shindara along with his youngest son, Prince Shinjaz. The brown haired five year old was being fed by his mother like a baby as his blue eyes met the affectionate gaze of his grandmother who smiled at him. "I want dessert mommy!" Shinjaz pouted to his mother. "Just wait dear. You need to finish your dinner and then dessert will come." The queen retorted to her grandson. "What''s for dessert tonight Grantie?" The innocent boy said turning towards his grandmother. "It''s a suprise~." To right of these two sat the first wife along with her son and daughter, Prince Kaled and Princess Safaa. The two teenage children had the same brown hair as their father and mother but only Kaled had the matching blue eyes as his father and grandmother. His hair was kept in a similar fashion as his father however he tied his back as the untied portion curtained the left side of his face. Finally the pregnant third wife, Gerti sat in a comfort as a servant slowly fed her in the same manner the young prince Shinjaz was fed. "Where is Shiha?!" After the table was being cleared for the sweets the king turned towards prince Kaled. "Younger brother didn''t come back after combat class. I don''t know," Kaled responded with an uncaring look. "Go find Shinha NOW!" the king commanded the two guards standing at the door of the room enjoying the smell of the coming meal. "YES SIR!" Quickly obeying one of the four ran off to gather a search group. After the deserts had been set down on the silver table everyone began to slowly eat. "Sorry for being late father!" A messy black haired youth stepped through the grand doors making his way to the king who he immediately bowed his head to. Unlike everyone else in the room the youth wore common looking clothing. Even more common looking than the servants standing in attention around the room. Prince Shinha was the fourteen year old second prince of Shar. He was a chubby boy with who inherited his mothers black hair and pale blue eyes. He was shorter than prince Kaled to the point where people couldn''t tell that the age difference between the two was only one year. He looked more closer in age to his twelve year old half-sister Safaa. The king not even looking at his son, motioned for the boy to sit next to his mother, Shindara. After sitting down to his mothers right he began to slowly eat desert. "Where did you go toady Shinha? Did you see the warrior on the streets?" "Hehe. Yeah some of them were giant and I even saw-" - before Shinha could even respond to his younger brother his mother smacked him. "Where were you? Why did you skip history class again?" Shindara was frustrated with her older sons recent behavior. His attitude could rub off on her Shijaz. Everyone around the table stopped paused except the king, queen, and Kaled who continued eating. Rubbing the back of his head Shinha smiled, "Sorry mom. I promise I''ll go tomorrow." "Heh. There isn''t a point in him going auntie. He''s already gonna fail this semester," Kaled snorted. "What?!" Shindara glared at her son. "Shut the hell up Kally," standing up Shinha ignored his mother and faced his older brother who was also getting up. The king and queen disinterestedly continued eating in silence. "Don''t call me that, slum prince." Kaled was well built and unlike Shinha he looked older than his actual age. Some even mistook him for his father''s younger brother. With his words a powerful pressure filled the room as Shinha registered Kaled''s words. This pressure began to rise as the Ajois finally stopped eating and looked at Shinha. "You trying to get slit," Shinha threateningly whispered to Kaled. "YOU TWO!" A powerful voice dispersed the rising pressure in the room as the king himself stood up after his two sons. "If you dare disturb my meals with your petty rivalry I''ll have both your mothers thrown into Scorn''s Chasm." The two boys sat down; both were shivering but for different reasons. As the rooms silence seeped into everyone present Ajios sat down. As the dishes and cutlery were being cleaned up everyone was still nervously silent. "Kaled, Shina. You two will participate in this years Red Moon Spar." All eyes were on Ajois except for the servants who continued their task of cleaning up. The weight of these words however still affected them though. This was practically a death sentence. "B-but... Wh-why? Kaled is too y-young." The first to speak was Lier, the first wife. Her point was valid, the participants of the death spar tournament were all usually adults. "Can''t you just make the two spar on the palace grounds? Why does it have to be the Red Moon Sp-spar." "Mother!" Kaled yelled at his mother. He grabbed her hand to calm her down before he stood up and bowed to the king. "I shall obey!" Still lightly shaking from before, Shinha stood up and followed Kaled''s example. As worry took hold of Lier''s face, a smirk was etched on Shindara''s face while an agreeing smile flashed across Queen Ajy''s. --------- It was midday on the northern coast of Griano Continent. A large ocean separated the Continent Shar was located on and this Continent of five endlessly warring kingdoms. The coasts of this kingdom were consistently peaceful unlike the rest of the land that hosted the five kingdoms. "Get off you worthless shits!" A large stocky merchant yelled as his stomach stretched out of his vest. Two large men covered in dirty matching armour stepped onto the dock off the plank each pulling clanging chains. Behind them a line of weak and sick looking people made their way off the ship. There were children, women, and well built men mixed together pulling along their chains. They were followed off the ship with an intimidating force of thirty or so rough looking individuals. After everyone had reached the dirt road just barely off the docks they stopped with the armored men. The merchant stood impatiently tapping his foot. "Those slow bastards should have brought the wagons here sooner." An hour later five large metal wagons sped their way to the waiting merchant and his party of mercenaries and slaves. "Nei~~gh" The wagons all stopped a close distance away as a merchant stepped off to give the reigns to a young merchant who looked to be in training. "Sorry Sir Dimastru. The envoy we originally sent was targeted by the Dew Army. They barely made it back safely." The man bowed deeply to the plump man. "Tch. Whateva'' I got 146 of these maggots. You think five wagons can handle it." "There should be ten more wagons coming here in a while." The bowing merchant explained as he looked over the group of slaves behind Dimastru. He then noticed a chain in the hands of the rotund man leading to a group of five boys. "Are they included as well." "These six are special stock. Iana told me there bringing back Hell Crows Coliseum." "Where?" the other merchant inquired. "I don''t know... but until I get more info I''m searching promising lads," the jiggly man chuckled. Looking at the five boys the merchant could see them all glaring intensly. They all had the impression of being promising fighters except one. He couldn''t see the boy clearly at first but now he could make out the sixth boy who stared at the sky. Looking to see what the boy was looking at his vision came in contact with the scattered seagulls flying overhead. He couldn''t look for long though as the sun threatened to blind him. His vision then relaxed back onto the child again who was still looking at the birds unafraid of the suns brightness. "Looks like one of them might become blind before he can even steps foot in the coliseum." Looking at which of the boys he was talking about Dimastru looked at his chosen warriors. "Hehe. That piece of shit is gonna be my wildcard. I found him wailing in a raided village wailing like a maniac holding his mothers corpse. A bunch of dead bandits were lying around him." Taking a more closer look at the boy the smaller merchant couldn''t imagine the boy even glaring let alone killing anyone. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "I know it doesn''t mean he did it himself though I like having a wildcard just in case." The smaller merchant smiled. ''Let''s try him.'' --------- *Achoo~* Back in Siana a hooded figure stood atop Siana''s over hundred meter tall wall. The winds ruffling his cloak slightly he paused and then sneezed again. Taking off the cloak he threw it down the wall into Siana revealing a teenage brown haired boy. "*Shiver*Damn it¡¯s cold.¡± "~Awoo~" The sound of a wolf''s howl was carried by the night air could barley be heard at the top of Siana¡¯s wall. A bright half moon was shinning at the highest point in the sky, illuminating the outline of a young man''s silhouette. He was standing on top of the high wall that stretched high and wide to contain the large city to his back. He stood facing away from the wide city scape below him, shivering, as yet another one of the night''s breeze crept past him. The young man looked on with a resolved determination in his eyes. Standing straight as his brown hair ruffled in the gentle wind he surveyed the large canopy of the forest below. He was dressed head to ankle in navy blue clothing, except for the black vest that also struggled to remain still as the breeze passed by. His clothing looked worn and quite durable not matching his worn and torn shoes that sheltered his feat. Slicking his hair back with one hand and unbuttoning his vest with his other he shivered again. He stared into the distance, trying to make sight of what was past the sea of tress outside. No end could be seen on either side of the wall as the city continued far into the distance as well, most of it was barren land save for thew scattered buildings hugging the wall he stood on. The wall that surrounded the city towered hundreds of meters above the most nearest, and most tallest buildings. ¡°Whoa!¡± Another stronger breeze startled him making him stumble a bit but without much worry as the width of the wall was comfortable enough for at least twenty people to stand side by side. He sat down next to a large pile of ropes, panting at the idea of the height of the large barrier along with the escapade he was resolved to accomplish. ¡°You can do this,¡± he muttered to himself. He put his hand to his heart, trying his best to calm himself for what he was about to do. He then started sifting through his jacket vest and after a few seconds pulled out a large ''U'' shaped stake and an ordinary hammer. He then started hammering the ends of the metal stake in to the concrete wall. After a minute or so he stopped and grabbed the stake to check if it was firmly secure in its place. Giving it a few more hits he then checked again before putting the hammer away. Slowly reaching into the pile of ropes a few times his size he grabbed a loose end and started wrapping it around the inverted stake, tying it as firmly as he could. After making sure this was secure as well he stood up. Grabbing the other loose end of the rope that was poking out of the pile, he started tying it around the belt on his pants. Making sure this also was secure as possible he made an extra knot. ¡°Lets just be sure.¡± Standing behind the pile of ropes he started pushing them down the wall towards the forest. As it fell he crouched down and grabbed the stake until he felt the rope had unraveled completely. After standing up, he gave a few more tugs at the rope on the stakes end going down the wall. Bracing himself, he firmly gripped the rope going down the wall and stepped off the edge. ~~~~~~~~~~ As he slowly started sliding down the wall, he used his feet to stabilize himself on the wall making small quick stops before sliding down again. Using the rope as well he could, he was controlling his speed as he descended the over one thousand meter high wall. ''So far so good.'' At about what he predicted to be halfway down, the ground below slowly became more clear. ''Just a little further,'' he encouraged himself. ~~~~~~~~~~ ~Fuuuuuu~ The wind was light and only blew every now and then. He felt relieved that the weather seemed to support him by giving him no trouble during his escape. He had already passed the tree tops and could now see into the dark forest as far as the branches would let him. Looking straight down he could now see the ground even more clearly along with something disheartening. The end of the rope was coming into view as it looped up back towards his belt. ¡®Shit!¡¯ He thought to himself. After reaching the end of the rope he looked up the wall and then turned his head back down again scanning the distance. ¡®Still about 50 more meters to go.¡¯ He looked behind himself and estimated the distance between him and the nearest tree. ''About 20 meters on that side.'' He pulled out a knife from a sheath strapped to his right leg. Letting go of the rope and dangling from his waist, he tried stabbing at the concrete wall but to no avail. He swung around and planted his feet on the wall as he looked down horizontally at the ground below him. ¡°Guess I¡¯m gonna have to.¡± He then used his feet to jump off the wall, swinging forward with his arms stretched out towards the tree closest in front of him. He couldn¡¯t reach it but he tried again after having his feet planted on the wall again. And again. And again; swinging closer each time. ''The next one for sure.'' Before his feet reached the wall he prepared his jump. He swung forward with no show of any fear for crashing into the tree. As he reached forward with his dagger he felt a dangerous tension in the rope at if it would snap at any moment. The dagger sunk itself into the tree with ease. Within seconds he reached down to his left shin and grabbed another blade. ''YES!'' He secured himself with this knife as well. He then stretched his legs and spread them to grab a hold of the tree with a width over ten times his size. A gentle breeze collided with him as he looked at the rope that stretched up the wall. ''Even the long ropes I went to all that trouble to steal and tie altogether weren''t long enough¡­ At least they were strong enough.'' He pulled out the curved dagger with his right hand and cut the rope tied to his waist. ¡°It¡¯s all me now.¡± He slowly started descending the tree using his daggers as stakes and grips. One small slip and he could end up falling to his death. The tense situation however didn¡¯t seem to affect his calm demeanor. He was worried, but after suffering his whole life this situation was just another trial. He then took a deep breath. ¡®Being calm is half the challenge.¡¯ As he descended his life inside the walls started flipping through his mind. From the beginning to now. ---------- He was abandoned in an empty district which he eventually left. Growing up, he was following the older boys and learned how to survive in Siana''s female driven society. He never knew how old he was or his birthday. Learning to fight and steal he scavenged for food with his mentor''s. When he was young he realized he was cursed to be left behind. All the boys he followed would eventually disappear. He would then need to find someone new to follow. Each one served as his ¡®mentor¡¯. The cycle of meetings-to-leavings would repeat until one day he was unable to find a mentor. Alone, he then started gaining a following of other boys looking to survive but even they would be forced to disappear as well. Eventually he ran away to the abandoned district he was first left in. It was there he met a young boy who was occupying it. This boy would always sit at the center of the district on top of a carriage, poised like royalty. He knew that one day this boy too grow up and be forced to move on. He knew the feeling of being abandoned so well that it hurt him too much to experience it once again, especially now with a friend instead of a mentor. ---------- ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he whispered to himself as he continued his climb down. The feeling of abandoning a dear friend felt worse than all the other times he had been abandoned but he didn''t want to be left behind yet again. Though now it was too late to turn back. ¡°I made it.¡± Ten meters from the bottom he knew he was safe to jump down. As he jumped down he pulled only his left dagger out. He left his right dagger embedded in the tree''s trunk. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ free. I¡¯m finally free. I¡¯m finally out of Siana.¡¯ An indescribable feeling surged up within him. He had never felt this before. Tears rained down his cheeks as happiness and this strange feeling traveled through his body. ¡°It¡¯s over now!¡± Wiping his tears away he looked at the wall that towered high above him and the tree he could barely see the top of. There was no turning back now even if he wanted to. He shuddered as the cold air of the dark forest behind him collided with his back. ~AWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~ He turned away from the wall and looked into the forest that surrounded the walls he was once trapped within. He could only see darkness in the depths of the forests reach along with couple of crawling creatures who''s eyes glowed in the dark. Fearing nothing he was completely confident in his abilities to traverse this wilderness. He was tiny compared to the trees that towered above him. They were higher than any building in Siana he had ever seen. This did not intimidate him in the least. Untying the rope left around his belt and without warning or caution he sprinted into the depths of the forest. ~~~~~~~~~~ He jumped over large roots and dodged the wide trunks of the trees that soared high above him. His way was dark, only being slightly given glimpses of light that slipped through the tree branches crowding above. Every now and then an animal came running, trying it''s best to keep up, but all were eventually left straggling behind as he zipped through the unfamiliar terrain as if he was a jungle boy. He didn¡¯t run in fear but in complete joy. Joy of freedom. He wasn¡¯t thinking of the danger he could be running into but only the new world he now ran through. Whatever path he took path it was one of his own freedom. In all of its beauty and sourness he would accept his choices. The quiet thoughts echoing in his head were louder than his panting and the sound of the small branches crunching under his shoes that were by now far from repair. His path was filled with darkness, but he skillfully maneuvered his way forward. He felt nothing as tears ran down his cheeks. Even though his legs were scratched as he run through the forest, his hands were covered in blisters from his climb down, his shoulders shivered in the cold, but his joy still burst through so many levels that he didn¡¯t even know where he was running towards. ---------- ~Chirp-Chirp~ The morning birds began to chirp and the orange sky bled through the forest canopy. The trees had become less dense the further he ran. At this point his stamina was not an issue because it died hours ago. ~fffraashhh~ An unknown muffled sound reached his ears from up ahead. A crashing noise he¡¯d never heard that sounded strangely familiar to thunder. He could only describe it like hundreds of metal utensils falling off a ledge all at once. He had never heard the sound of waves or seen the ocean in his life. ~FFFFFRRAAAAAAAASSHHHHH~ He slowed down to a jog and reached an area where the ground of the forest ended and the trees had cleared completely. He could feel soft sand under his now completely demolished shoes that his bare feet broke through. The beautiful mixture of gold and brown stretched and continued on into the crashing waves before him. The ocean was a soothing presence to him as he observed it while it was accompanied with a rising sun, far off into the distance hovering above it. He fell back like a plank and looked up at the orange sky as it slowly transitioned into it''s usual blue hue. He smiled. This indescribable joy felt like it would last for an eternity. He was so mesmerized and full of joy that he laid there for hours, bathing in the sun''s rays. As he sat up and took another look at the ocean view he felt another emotion building up. He wanted to share this moment and view with someone. Before he knew it his smile had long faded. He was now overwhelmed with a sadness of a severity he had never felt before. Falling on his back again, he started wiping the tears rolling off his face. ¡®I¡¯m sorry Zayer.¡¯ "MWAAAA~" The tears led to panting that melded together as he released loud sobs that drowned out the sound of the crashing waves before him. He was now all alone and this hit him even harder. At least when a mentor left he could find a new one. There were people around him even then. "ZAY! I¡¯m so sorry!!" An almost fully grown man shouted into the forest sobbing like a child. Wiping snot from his face he continued, "I promise we''ll meet again!" All of a sudden a giant smile burst forth. "KWAHAHAAAHAHAAAAA!" Laughing like a lunatic he wiped the tears from his face. He turned towards the ocean and then continued his maniacal outburst. "KWA! KWAAHAAA! KWAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAA!" It was midday when his sobbing and laughter had finally stopped and he was now crouching down, removing what was left of his shoes. Standing up, he then threw them into the ocean and started stretching on the beach. After he was completely ready he began walking towards the ocean. ¡°Lets meet again Zay.¡± ---------- At the same time in an unknown desert, a sand colored tower was being covered in winds of sand. In an empty dark and dry cell within the tower, a man who was chained to a wall began to turn his head. He seemed as if he was trying to crack it but not a single sound followed except for the crunching of his chains. "Never thought forever was so long," he sounded to himself. He let out a yawn before he shut eyes drifting into sleep as he ignored the sound of weak wisps of air from behind his wall. Outside the sounds of a raging storm barely made any noise as they bombarded walls of his completely sealed cell. Prologue END Chapter 1: The City of Queens 1: THE CITY OF QUEENS Siana. A nation that has withstood the onslaught of time and remained, unlike all of its fellow ancient predecessors who were all eventually drowned by the rapids of time. A kingdom so ancient and mysterious that not even the most well versed historians or archeologists can pinpoint the exact time period this kingdom came into existence. A kingdom so mysterious that even the most thorough cartographers and widest traveling adventurers have never even come close to reaching the country governed solely by women. The only locations known to enter and exit the country is known by it''s citizens and the high officials of it''s alliance kingdoms, Durol and Shar. Siana was known for being a country of only women but these rumors of it only having females were widely exaggerated and inaccurate. To put it in proper terms it was true to say the country had no men. Within the kingdoms territory, its borders are quite clear as they tower a hundred meters over it''s most highest reaching buildings. Its walls segregated it''s citizens from the rest of the world as there were no gates to exit or enter through. The only way to reach the world outside was through an ancient method utilizing teleportation. Its land reached so far, that even with a population of sixty million, the people of Siana never felt stuffed and most of the land was left untouched. The land was split into districts and only recently have the citizens come to gather to form a metropolis at the center of Siana. Even though close to half it''s population gathered at the center, there were still other cities of considerable size within it''s walls in the west and south along with smaller rural areas in the east. It''s northern area was vast and used to be densely populated but now, for the most part, was empty. A few tens of kilometers away from the north part of the wall in the abandoned district of Esidia was a broken carriage turned on it''s side, laying in front of a fountain. Surprisingly, it was half full of crystal clear, drinkable water. The fountain was situated in the middle of, what looked liked to be, an empty shopping plaza. Above the carriage a quiet sigh escaped the lips of young boy. Under the rising sun, an eight or nine year old looking boy, wiped his forehead clean of sweat, sweeping his dark red shaggy hair to the side. His red hair was wavy, long, and unkempt reaching just a little past his shoulders and looked wild which matched the rest of his appearance. He wore a dark brown cloak that looked worn and tattered over a tight looking black tank top and a pair of hand-me-down looking pants that were a different shade of brown than the cloak. "Shit. This damn sun never stops does it," he grumbled as he reached for a damp cloth floating in the bucket next to him with his bandage wrapped hands. "I wish it was fall already... or I had some ice... or I had a hood." As he placed the cloth on his forehead, the warm water trickled down his face. His skin had a very light tan to it that didn''t seem to match the intensity of the suns rays that squeezed his childish face free of sweat. After he was done wiping he put the cloth back in the bucket and shook his hands dry. He stretched his arms wide along with his bare feet that were similarly wrapped in bandages like his hands except they looked more worn out. Falling on his back and laying himself on the carriage he looked up at the sky partly filled with clouds that had finally blocked the sun for but a portion of a minute. He closed his dark grey eyes and scrunched his nose. ''I should change my leg wraps,'' he decided as he sat back up. "Hup!" Jumping off the carriage he started walking towards the base of a building. The sound of footsteps that were not his own stopped him as he looked to his far right, towards one of the three plaza gates. His attention was on a hooded woman whose brown hair escaped the shade of her light blue hood. The boy stood where he had stopped and reached for a stick tied to his waist by his make-shift belt for his baggy pants. "What do you want?" He asked as he rested his palm on the stick still wrapped around his waist. As she got close to ten meters away from him, she stopped. She then pulled off the hood of her light blue cloak, revealing the gentle smile of a young beautiful woman who appeared to be in her late teens. "Hi. My name is Hera." Her smiling green eyes slowly started to scan Esidia plaza before she asked him,"Is it just you in this WHOLE district?" "Yeah," he cautiously responded as he started carefully assessing her. She didn''t have a visible weapon on her but he didn''t want to take any chances. He slowly pulled his metal stick out from his belt with his left hand, as his right remained at his waist to hold his loose pants up. "Whoa, whoa. I''m just looking for someone. I''m not here to fight," she said lifting her hands showing her unwillingness towards a conflict. "I''m looking for my brother." After he heard her reason he slowly let out an honest breath of relief. The young boy didn''t like fighting but if he had to he would respond with his best. Putting his weapon back on his waist, he tightened his belt while still looking at her fidget until she slowly put her arms to her sides. Not letting his guard down he maintained his cautious stance. "How old is he?" he asked her. Brown hair was common in Siana and so were Green eyes so there was no point in looking for someone similar. "He should be a little older than me. I haven''t ever seen him and all I know is that he was last seen in the northern territory." A long pause followed her response. As if realizing what she just said the boy snapped. "HAHAHA HA!" His previously stoic and serious face changed into one that matched his age as he burst into childish laughter. "Are you stupid or something? He''s probably phased by now. Long go-Oh. Your serious?" He quickly broke out of his laughter and his face comically snapped back into its previous, serious, self contained expression with a small cough. After he looked at her face he could see she was a little teary eyed, he stepped back and apologetically bowed his head. "Sorry for laughing at you but he probably has phased out by now." "It''s alright, its my bad. I guessed as much." Her voice carried a tinge of sadness as she seemed to consider the boys apology and observation. ''He seems to be really mature for his age. It feels like I''m talking to someone older than me.'' She looked at the boy and his raggedy appearance. Along with his wrapped hands and feet, he had a layer of filth on his clothing and there were a few dried stains of blood. "What''s your name?" He slowly tilted his head. "That ain''t important. Just get out of my territory," he said while showing no signs of his previous kindness from before. "What? Why are you being so rude? I just wanna know your name." "You think cause I answered a few questions I''m your little bro or something," he snickered. "I only give my name to two people. My family and my enemies. Your just some central priestess bitch." "What? What do you have against the Central Temple?" "What have they ever done for me?" He responded to her question with a question of his own. Her light blue robes, that signified her as a priestess, were perfectly kept. She had shoes on her feet which highlighted the class difference between the two. The boy on the other hand was covered in small scars and a layer of filth over his worn out clothing that were mixed with spatters of blood. All in all, her appearance was well kept and put together nicely especially when it was compared to the young boy before her. Stolen story; please report. "...I''m sorry about your living situation. If there''s anything I ca-" "My name is Zayer." Her pity was the last thing the boy wanted. He wanted her to feel shame, which she did, but he had no need for her pity. "I''m nine years old," he quickly added while tightening his pants. "The best thing you can do is leave my territory. I prefer to be alone." A gentle breeze blew by as the clouds began to intercept the sunlight again. "I''m sorry to bother you," she said while lowering of her head. What she did right now would have been an outrageous scene to many citizens of Siana. A priestess? Bowing her head? To a MALE?! Siana is an ancient kingdom of many wonders, but one of it''s biggest wonders was that it was known to the world as being run by women. The name of Siana was usually followed with ''The Unconquerable City'' along with ''The City of Queens'' or ''The Cats Kingdom''. Even though it wasn''t a city no one could ever possibly know because only the women born in Siana could enter and exit Siana. Adding to this point there were also no ''men'' in Siana; only boys. Siana, with its population of over sixty million, only had a percentage of whom less than 10% were male. Something the most lustful men would envy, was seen as nothing but a problem by its young boys. These boys were shunned, persecuted, abused, and were left in horrible living conditions by the women. They would have all been dead if it wasn''t for an ancient founding law in Siana that bans the killing of the opposite gender and more laws stating that a mother can''t allow her child to die before the age of five, or cripple and/or mutilate them. These boys could only turn to each other for guidance as they grew up, but even this didn''t last. Scratching his messy head of hair with his bandaged hand, he sighed. "Look," he gestured for her to raise her head. "It''s alright. Good luck with whatever." He quickly turned his head and walked away disinterestedly. As she raised her head and began to walk away, he could quietly hear her shoes tapping away behind him. ''If only you were a little earlier,'' he thought to himself. He scratched the back of his left hand as he walked to the kiosk at the base of the building. ''That''s my bad.'' ---------- Thirty minutes later, after he had finished wrapping his legs with some new wraps, he was back to sitting on top of the side-turned carriage. He stretched his neck to the right as if trying to get his ear and shoulder to touch. "Damn, I''m bored as FUCK!" His voice resonated in the empty plaza as he stretched his arms out. After a few seconds he looked back up at the clouds and started sifting through the pockets on his brown hood-less cloak. After a few seconds he pulled out a piece of paper and laid down on the carriage. "Damn, Riaz. Good luck! ". A lonely tear rolled down his cheek. A loud explosion shook the center of the plaza as pieces of wood scattered around the fountain. The tranquil quiet of the plaza was interrupted as the carriage that Zayer was laying on was blown to pieces. Shots constantly barraged the carriage, not even giving the dust that came from the eroding wood carriage being crushed by the blasts a chance to settle. After the barrage ceased and silence had once again taken hold of the sunny plaza, the dust started to disperse, showing what remained of the antique Zayer used as a seat. "It''s Gino Gang bitch! Ain''t nobody fuck with us!" The loud voice of an older boy filled the plaza. "STRONGEST IN THE NOOOOORTH!" "Shut up Nito." On top of the most tallest building of the ones encircling Esidia''s plaza, were three figures. Two of whom were older than Zayer and looked to be of a similar age. The one in the middle was reloading the large slingshot with a poorly molded lead ball. While he commanded the ignoramus to his left, he kept his eyes focused on the pile of rubble that he created from the oversized and luxurious buggy he just blew to pieces. "Yeah Nito. Your annoying voice might make the building collapse," the younger boy taunted. "Shut up you squealing little brat!" The tall lanky boy ignored his superiors orders and started arguing with their newest member. "BOTH OF YOU... shut up." ""Yes Captain Werty!"" The two immediately stood straight and shouted back. They then started looking at the pile of rubble that lay below them. All three wore a similar black cloak, except for the beef-head looking captain who stood front and center. He wore a black mantle adorned with the symbol of a white leaf. On Werty''s right was a taller boy similar to his age, who was lanky, and had his long brown hair tied behind his head. To his left was a younger brown haired boy wearing the hood on his cloak. "Dinn you''re gonna need to go ch-" Interrupting Werty''s orders something broke out from under the pile of wooden rubble. Standing on top of the wood was a small figure that steadied itself. It was covered in small scratches and a huge vertical gash on its left cheek. Swaying a little under the centered sun, Zayer planted his feet firmly on the unstable pile of wood. In his hands he tightly held onto the letter he had just pulled out. It was torn in half and was crumpled in a few places but it was otherwise still readable... well, the half that was left. Before the remains of the carriage was attacked Zayer jumped down and started dashing towards the building. Barely dodging each attack by a small margin. With each missed shot Zayer sped up to increase the the width of each miss. "Shit! How is that kids still alive?" The sense of worry in Nito''s voice worried the young Dinn too. As the distance between the shots widened and Werty was pulled in and read thorougly by his target he let the last shot fly. Stepping closer to the edge of the building Werty watched as Zayer got closer to the base of the building while slowing down. "*Tch* IF YOU LEAVE NOW WE WON''T CHASE YOU!" Werty bellowed to the child down below who had now stopped at the building''s front stairs that lead to the tall entrance doors. The common silence once again settled itself in the plaza as Nito gulped behind Werty. "FUCK YOU! You pieces of shit are DEAD!" A younger voice retorted. Zayer was seething with anger. Turning around Werty walked with his two followers who lagged a couple of steps behind him. He dropped his black mantle to which Dinn, the youngest of the three, picked up. "I''m gonna fuck this cocky brat up!" --- At the bottom of the entrance stairs to Esidia Tower, Zayer began to run up. ''This place is all I''ve got to remember Riaz with now.'' Letting go of the tattered paper he held onto, he resolved himself. Chapter 1 END First fiction so be gentle. Chapter 2: Territory Scuffle 2: Territory Scuffle The Kingdom of Siana was split into six distinct "territories" that were than broken up into smaller "districts". Even though the kingdom itself was a matriarchy, the "territories" borders were decided by the its male population. Battles between gangs/groups of boys called "Territory Scuffles" reshaped Siana''s unofficial map. The borders of these territories have changed over the years but usually stay confined to their historical boundaries; North, east, south, and west. Recently however a new territory has come into play known as the "Southeast territory" run by the Rihey Gang, who split off from the south. However this is a tale for another time. - Back in the Northern district of Esidia, Werty and his two followers were searching each floor as they descended Esidia Tower. Back when the Esidia district was populated, this tower was used as a trading post. Most of the floors were setup for a private office setting. No cubicles, or lazily erect walls to serve as boundaries in the workplace, just dozens of small rooms. Werty would guard the stairs as the other two would scour each empty room to see if their target was laying in wait to ambush them. "Damn, this is so boring. Hey we''re all cl-!" "WE''RE ALL CLEAR CAP''T!" Dinn interrupted Nito. The two ran towards the captain who was waiting for them at the staircase. Nito was glaring at Dinn all the while. "Kay boys! Let''s move out!" Signalling the two, Werty lead them down the stairs to the next floor. The ages of the three matched there heights; from tallest to shortest was oldest to youngest. Nito was the tallest and oldest of the three as he was 13 years old. Werty was one year younger but unlike the older skinny boy he was well built for his age. Dinn was the youngest of three and a new recruit to the Gino Gang. Gino Gang was a group of boys founded long ago in Siana. At one point, more than a hundred years ago, they controlled most of Siana''s territories. Eventually the group split off into smaller groups who fought against each other. Over time they were reduced to controlling only the north territory districts but this doesn''t mean they were as small as these three people. On the contrary they were coming back stronger than ever. They currently have the most Generals of all the gangs in Siana and over 500 hundred following elite members alone. To be recognized as a captain one needed to have at least subjugated one district and to rise to general four or more are needed under your control. Werty has two under him and is now moving in for his third. Werty was one of the gangs twenty captains and an up-and-comer who was hoping to become the thirteenth General. Reaching the next floor Werty stood guard at the stairs as the two started searching. "Fuck! There''s so many rooms!" Kicking a decaying wooden door down, Nito peeked into the lightly lit room. As he sighed, he went ahead to the next one. On the other side of the hall Dinn was hitting each door down with a scabbard half his height. He kept his sword sheathed but remained ready to draw at any moment. "Nito! You think the generals won''t care that we ignored their warnings." "I don''t know and I don''t really care. You scared or something?" Nito teased the nine year old. Gripping on his sword, Dinn responded, "It''s just that they always said that Esidia''s off limits even though it''s in the middle of our territory towards the east. On top of that there''s only one guy here. It just seems suspicious." "Little bitch," the older boy taunted. "Seriously," the younger boy sighed as they turned a corner into another stretch of the empty hallway. "They say there was some other guy who helped us out a long time ago take control of the east who was in charge here. You probably don''t know since you''re Southern born." Nito explained, "That guy''s been gone for a while, I think he Phased, so now''s the time." Dinn reluctantly shook his head, "but doesn''t it seem too easy." "Paranoid brat," Nito snickered to himself. After reaching the last door to this floor Nito took in a long breath. "AL-!" "WE''RE ALL CLEAR CAP''T" "You fucking brat stop cu-!" "Kay boys! Next floor!" Werty commanded as the other two followed their Captain''s back. Nito started to grumble as they headed down the stairs. The whole way down Nito was grumbling to himself. "Yes! Just an em-" "Next floor boys!" Werty interrupted Nito''s words of the obvious observation. This floor was just one completely empty and wide room. It must have been a makeshift auditorium or something of the sort. "Interruptin'' me an-" A loud crashing noise coming from above them, stopped the group from heading down after they barely reached the hall-like room''s entrance. Looking above himself and then to the floor in front of him, Werty let out a small smile. "Aight boys! He''s about a floor or two above us, so get ready! I''m gonna need one of you two to go up and lu-!" "Aaaughhhhhh!" Werty couldn''t finish his orders before Nito''s angered cry filled the staircase as he stormed up the stairs. "Don''t fuck with me~!" ''That''s it this punk is dead.'' As Nito neared the doorway to the floor Zayer was on, he was filled with an indescribable rage. Preparing his grey gauntlets he looked into the dimly lit hallway the door lead too. A red haired figure was already dashing towards him, brandishing a metal rod. ''How''d he know I was coming!'' Nito''s rage was substituted with immense fear within moments. As if staring at a large beast he quickly reacted with his flight senses and bolted down the square spiraling staircase. With a considerable head start Nito was only a few steps away from the floor his comrades lay waiting. Directly behind him a brown cloaked figure landed after jumping down from the floor above grabbing on the stair''s railing. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Nito couldn''t feel his heartbeat beating out of control as he ran the fastest he ever did, but he felt his body quiver in fear as it pumped more blood to get him as far away as it could from this danger. In a few yearlong seconds Nito made his way through the doorway into a large empty room. Unlike the floors above there were no smaller divides; it was as if this room was made just for battle. In the middle of the room Nito could see his captain halfway across the room , locked and ready to snipe whoever came through. Barely noticing, Nito then realized the shot had been fired and quickly turned his head to the left getting ready to dive away. - Directly behind him Zayer noticed the familiar shriek first with his ears and then with his eyes. The figure in front had ducked to the left giving Zayer barely anytime to react to an iron ball speeding towards him at deafening speeds. The shot barely grazed him, as Zayer quickly drew his steel rod to offset the path of the ball to hit the wall on the left of the doorway. He was then blown back into the staircase after deflecting the lethal impact. Zayer slouched with his back against the crumbling stairs railings as he sat himself up. Without giving much time to recuperate, someone followed him out and into the staircase a few seconds after he flew through. ''Shit,'' he thought to himself as he noticed a sword reflecting the light from the empty room behind the figure similar to himself in size. The steel rod was bent in his hands and blood slowly started dripping from his forehead. Zayer quickly braced himself positioning himself on one knee before making a quick hop forward. "Aughh!" The overhead strike from the blade was stopped midways after bent metal bar hit Dinn''s hands sending the blade sliding away. Within moments Zayer''s fists connected with Dinn as he let loose a flurry of fast jabs. - Back in the large room a minute passed after Nito and Werty saw Dinn rush into the staircase. They couldn''t quite make out what was happening because it was too dark in the staircase and the shot had kicked up a storm of dust gathered at the entrance. As the dust finally began to settle a short shadowy figure was becoming more visible in the staircase Dinn''s sword shined in the darkened doorway for a second before it flashed as it''s wielder burst into the room. Trying his best Werty fired as many shots as he could at Zayer who was making his way along the wall. He was headed straight for Nito who was on the left side of the room halfway towards Werty. ''Does this kid think I''m stupid,'' Werty quickly stopped firing and remained ready to shoot at any opening Zayer showed. Having now regained himself Nito was prepared as Zayer approached him with his junior comrades sword. The speeding Zayer jumped as he raised the sword up high and dropped a downwards slash towards Nito. With his right hand ready Nito jumped towards Zayer and blocked the blade with his gauntlet protected hand. As the edge of the blade slid down his forearm letting loose a light show of sparks Nito reached out with his left hand. He quickly tried to grab on the boy''s cloak to pull Zayer in for a left hook but was surprised with a drop kick square to the chest. Nito gasped for air as he flew backwards and the sword bounced off his right arm. Zayer was also left soaring in midair backwards after abruptly jumping off Nito''s chest. Landing on his side Zayer quickly bounced back up as Nito painfully grabbed coughed in pain after being winded. x2 x2 Two lead balls decimated the floor Zayer landed on, cracking the dusty floor. Another array of shots raised a large storm of dust that had been gathering on the floor for over a century. This cover fire gave Nito the time to slowly back off a safe distance away. Stopping every few moments to reload the ammo he held ready to load, Werty was preparing to fire more before he was interrupted by a small rock that grazed the side of his forehead. Sweat dripped down his back as the blood from a scratch ran down his face. Dropping all the ammo he held, leaving them to roll at his feet, Werty regained himself after the brief brush with death. Straight ahead of him was Zayer brandishing a sword ready to impale him. He had no time to get ready to fire another shot. But a gentle smirk crept on his face. "Bring it, BITCH!" He gripped the end of his giant slings long handle and unsheathed a broadsword about a quarter his height. Zayer who kept charging paid it no mind and continued started speeding up even more towards the armed Werty. As he drew in closer Zayer cocked the sword back preparing to swing from his side and Werty started to swing down from overhead. As Werty leaped forward swinging down his blade an uneasy feeling flashed in Zayer. Werty was a little too far for his blade to reach him, even with the height difference. The attack was obviously going to miss. Zayer prepared to respond but was momentarily disturbed by an awkward pulling force from behind him. "Hu-!" Zayer couldn''t even properly brace himself to pull from the tug on the end of the sword before he was sent flying forward by a powerful kick. The unexpected kick forced him to let go of the sword''s handle as Zayer was sent uncontrollably straight into the path of Werty''s sword. Chapter 2 END Chapter 3: Dinn 3: Dinn As he was tumbling in the air, only inches away toward being cleaved in half, a burst of adrenaline spread through Zayer''s body. He barely had enough time and his positioning was unfavorable in midair but a desperate struggle to survive overwhelmed him, kicking all of his senses into overdrive. ''There''s still a chance!'' Right before the broadsword was about to split his skull, Zayer''s bandaged foot skimmed the ground and violently flexed. The worn out wraps on his foot tore under the friction and heat he released blasting himself forward. Forcing that one point of his body to redirect himself, Werty was left the image of a flashing red blur. A bloody, cutting noise ripped through Zayer''s undefended shoulder and continued cutting through. The wide sword was making it''s way through, grazing his left shoulder as Zayer bent his knees bringing himself closer to the ground. He was now set to clip Werty''s lower half at an uncontrollable speed. ~Tsuuususu~ Werty was sent sliding back, as an injured Zayer landed flat on his face where the two had just collided. With blood seeping out his shoulder. Zayer quickly sprang back up to his feet. Seemingly unfazed; he only gasped for air as if he was resting after a light run. "Fuck! You kicked him too hard Nito!" The frustrated captain reprimanded his subordinate. "Sorry Ca-!" "Fuck you!" "Stop interruptin me n shit..." Sulking to himself Nito kept a safe distance as he analyzed the panting Zayer. Werty understood that it wasn''t really a mistake by Nito, contrary to that the setup was perfect. It was the unknown factor of their opponents true strength that frustrated him. The feeling in his legs was slowly coming back but his smaller opponent was already up after that impact. As Werty also got off his back and prepared himself he eyed the lightly panting Zayer with even more focus. Silence filled the giant empty hall as Zayer was now standing facing Werty, with Nito an equal distance away behind him. He was clutching his injured shoulder but did not wince in pain. Throwing away Dinn''s sword, Nito also got into a battle ready stance. After catching his breath Zayer turned towards him and let out a provocative smirk. "What you smilin'' about bitch?" "Two on one and that''s all you can do?" An adult atmosphere surrounded Zayer as he snickered. Relaxing his stance a little Zayer gestured for Nito to come with his left hand. Nito again glanced over at the pathetic looking kid caressing his wounded shoulder. Responding back with his own smirk Nito stood up straight and relaxed his stance. "You think I give a fuck. I mean look at yourself. Ain''t like it''s gonna change the outco-" "Bring it on!" Zayer interrupted Nito''s retort as he continued for the older boy to attack. "Yo! I''m tired of bei-" "BRING IT!" "DON''T TALK OVER ME BRAT!" Jumping straight ahead, the angered thirteen year old was determined to crush the young boy mocking him. As if anticipating this, the child bust forth at an even greater speed almost instantly after Nito''s charge. At his back was the captain left lagging behind as the two in front of him prepared to clash. Werty couldn''t help but internally at his subordinates easily provoked personality but he knew an opening would eventually show itself. - Nito was racing forward ready to clash with Zayer, when he noticed the boy take off, probably for another drop kick. Instead of dodging or trying to stop in a panic he stopped running and advanced in a slide forward on the dusty floor. He put up his arms, not to defend, but ready to attack. Zayer responded as well, shifting himself in midair as an armored left hand swung at him. He turned and lightly hopped back off the fist towards the left as a right hand followed the left and slammed over the empty space he once occupied. "Hup!" Dashing to the left as well after regaining himself, Nito closed in as Zayer landed. Reaching close enough that his killing intent was just one step away to becoming a physical reality, he was met with a large cloud of dust. Directly above him a shadow flew by as he coughed on aged dirt Zayer had just kicked up. "Stop *cough* hopping around YOU- *cough*cough* FUCKING RABBIT-ASS-HOPPING-PIECE-OF-SHIT!" As he landed a distance away Zayer let out a brief, quiet laugh. As the fluttering deteriorating debris in the air settled around Zayer''s feet it also flew into the open wound on his shoulder and he shuddered at the stinging pain. Resisting the urge to touch the gash he painfully made his way over to the sword Nito had just thrown aside moments before. Making his way forward he caught sight of Werty. The captain knew what Zayer was up to and was also now making a beeline for the free weapon with his own sword in hand. A goofy smile stretched across Werty''s naturally serious face (probably a good reason he always had his stiff and stoic expression). ''This kid must think I''m some kind of moron.'' Getting closer to the blade, he could hear the boy getting closer to him. After reaching the sword Werty planted his foot on the sword and pivoted himself to face Zayer. His vision however took a second to readjust as the image of a pair feet, one wrapped in dirty wraps and a barefoot filled his sight. The moment he turned around, his face was greeted with the pair of feet that firmly planted themselves square on his face. A painful cracking noise and numbing, almost imaginary feeling sensation spread across Werty''s face was his nose was kicked into his skull. ~Tsususuuuu~ As he was sent flying away yet again, Werty lost grip of his giant-slingshot-turned-broadsword. He immediately lost conciseness to the sound of a dying silence around him. - Moments later the sound of clashing metal echoed in the large empty room as Werty slowly lifted his now bloody face to see Nito and Zayer going at it, blade to gauntlet. ~Shing~ As the two fiercly faced off against each other, the recently drop kicked captain watched, as he achingly picked himself up. Trying to fix his bloody nose, he watched as Zayer struggled to grasp the sword he just struggled to retrieve. Shing. Just barely deflecting an armored right fist aimed directly at him Zayer jumped back as his rugged breathing filled his ears. The boy was left handed and being constantly impeded by his injured arm. This in correlation with his inexperience with handling bladed weapons barely kept him alive. "Hup!" Nito leaped forward letting loose a combo of fists. Constantly dodging and deflecting all of Nito''s aggressive attacks was all he could manage. He was not a practitioner of the sword and his experience with most weapons as was limited to basic use. Catching his breath he gripped on the handle tightly with his blood drenched left hand, trying his best to force his body to remain firm as blood was still slowly seeping out of his wound. In the corner of his eye he could see Werty getting closer with his own sword. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Werty placed himself an even distance away from the panting fighters. All three were now positioned in a neutral triangle. ''This kid has some pretty high stamina. Nito is just as tired as he is,'' Werty cautiously observed. "*Inhale*Stop fucking dodging you bitch!" Nito demanded. He could barely keeping his breath under control, trying his best to not show how tired he really was. "*Pant*Pant*You''re pretty strong even though you look like a giant walking stick. *Pant*You look part twig so I underestimated you." Zayer continued with his insults in his childish monotone voice. "SHUT THE FU-," as he was getting ready to start again Nito was interrupted yet again. "STOP FALLING FOR HIS PROVOCATIONS YOU DIMWIT! He''s just trying to bait you," Werty said with an obviously annoyed tone. "Not again Cap''n." Nito responded with sadness in his small voice after being interrupted yet again mid-sentence. As his bony face looking down dejectedly, a loud tap resounded in front of him. The second he lifted his eyes back up, his gauntlet covered fists quickly came up to cover his face as Zayer was only a meter away from his face ready with another one of his signature drop kicks. As Nito was pushed off balance he tried his best to remain stable as the pair of feet planted themselves onto his arms. Using Nito, Zayer jumped towards Werty with his sword in hand stretching behind his back. Getting ready for an over head slash, the bloody nosed captain started sliding to the side before he noticed the sword Zayer held was now spinning towards him. "Ughh." Looking down to his side he noticed Dinn''s sword embedded into his side. And as a sensation of pain swept over him he couldn''t brace himself for the next one of Zayer''s attack as the young boy ran forwards and leaped in to attack. Trying yet again to lift his sword in response to the incoming attack, he was too slow on the guard as Zayer managed to kick his sword out of his grasp. Jumping away from a now stumbling Werty, Zayer caught glimpse of Nito making his way towards the two. ''Not yet.'' Quickly responding Zayer jumped in again at Werty but this time knee first. Without landing Zayer was still soaring through the air as his knee smashed into Werty''s already bloody face. Werty''s body violently plopped to the ground as Zayer distanced himself. "Ayyauuurrrghhh!" Nito dashed his way towards Werty who passed out yet again after another shot to the face. ''Shit.'' Zayer winced again as more dust settled in his wound. The dusty room was now covered in footprints, streaks, and blood as clouds of dust were slowly setting themselves down. "Captain! Get up!" Crouching down, Nito was bawling as he shook his captain again and again. Blood spew across his chest and all over the floor from Werty''s thoroughly beaten face. "Captain! you gotta wa-!" "Jhut sha ''uck UUUPPPP!" "CAPTAAAAIIIN!" A teary eyed Nito hugged his injured Captain''s head with no regard for towards his obviously painful condition. As Werty''s smothered cries to let go reached his ears, Zayer was grabbing at his wound as he crouched down. Regaining his breath he carefully watched the two. ''That was too much.'' "Haa~Huu~Haa~Huu~Haa~" As he watched the two completely ignore him, he recollected his stamina in safety. He was at his limits but he wasn''t gonna be going down without a fight. He had struggled to protect his home for far too long in memory of Riaz. "Captain are you alright! *Sniff*Sniff* I thought I lost you there for a se-" ---SNAP--- Being interrupted yet again, Nito snapped his head towards Zayer''s direction. This time however he wasn''t interrupted by any sound but by a numbing aura and he wasn''t alone. The injured Werty painfully turned his head towards the same direction but he wasn''t looking at Zayer. Zayer himself was also now looking at what the other two were looking at. A strange wave of an eerie feeling full of fear washed over all three of them. *Shiver* Their primal instincts in their heads were on full blast, sounding the alarms all over as they shivered in silence and turned their full attention to the room''s enterance. Suddenly the doorway exploded and cloud of dust swept through the already dust covered room. Bits and pieces of ruble were starting to roll down the sides of the broken doorway as a wave of dust flew through the room. Zayer didn''t even bother to stop the microscopic debris from sliding into his gash as his hands covered his face and he squinted to make view of what was to come next. ~SHINE~ Footsteps rang through the room as the dust had started to settle and the bits of crumbling rock had traveled their full distance. A shadow was walking towards them with what appeared to be a glowing white sword in hand. A head slowly became visible as the figure emerged from the plume of smoke. Standing there a familiar figure with brown hair made his way over before stopping far away from the three. Standing with a glowing white sword that looked to be made of light, a pair of blue eyes that were eerily glowing as well, sclera and all, looked over at them. "Di-Dinn..." ---------- "He-Ha~!" In a mountain''s cave, the cry of an elderly man echoed along the walls outside into the summer night air outside. "The tides are beginning to pull." With an immediate attitude he grabs his long garbs and makes his way out the cave without grabbing any of his scattered items scattered across the cave. Outside the two moons shone brightly. Unlike the smaller and more stable blue half moon on the horizon the full white moon high above the valley slowly shifted into a deep red and then back into it''s calm white occasionally. The elderly priest carefully made his way down the summer valley. "After centuries, the tides are being pulled. Let''s hope these waves soar high and crash hard," the old man chuckled. --------- All around the world, words of warning to darkening and unpredictable times were relayed to every kingdom/nation. All forms of clairvoyance were rendered useless and all religious groups began to warn of these dark ages to come to the rulers of society. CHAPTER 3 END Chapter 4: Early Beinning 4: Early Beginning Large pieces of rubble were strewn across the floor behind Dinn as he silently faced the three from halfway across the room. He stood frozen in place like a statue, the only sign of movement came from the shinning sword in his hand and his dead glowing eyes that gently fluctuated in their intensity. As the dust slowly dissipated and settled across the wide decrepit hall, Zayer intently watched Dinn, who just stood motionlessly observing him and the two behind him. Unable to make sight of the face of the motionless body tens of meters away, he kept focus on the blue glowing eyes. A shiver ran down his spine. He had never in his life felt so much unexplained fear towards an individual. He could feel a small pressure pushing him back as he struggled to remain focused on the boy who he had easily made quick work of just a while ago. No. This person felt completely different to him in an unexplainable way. ''Did I hit em in the right places or something?'' After a few moments of careful observation the pressure pushing Zayer increased, causing him to nervously shift back. As his eyes tried to keep focus on Dinn his vision began to blur. Zayer was forced to take his eyes off of him for a mere second before the pressure disappeared altogether. Immediately turning his focus back to the origin of the pressure, Zayer took notice that the shinning sword had just silently flown out the room. //Heh. IT''S BEEN SO LOOOOONG! Whew.// A strange voice relayed itself directly into Zayer''s ears. He quickly turned his head to look around himself, trying to find the voice''s origin. //Right here kid.// Snapping his head back towards the motionless figure from before, Zayer was surprised to see him lifting his fists high up in the air as if he was stretching. //You''re either pretty good for your age or those two shits are pretty pathetic.// The voice of a young man echoed in his mind as Dinn pointed behind Zayer. Looking back he was surprised to find both Werty and Nito laying motionlessly on the other side of the room, twenty meters away. Werty looked like a corpse with his body laid flat on his stomach against the wall. A few steps away Nito could be seen sitting with his back to the wall struggling to pant. Continuing with his heads constant turning, Zayer now watched as Dinn (or who ever was in control of the body) made their way over. //Well this makes it easier for me. If you wouldn''t mind telling me what year it is kid?// A little confused by his question, Zayer became even more confused by himself after he began to nervously answer the inquiry. "Si-Sixteen Four-Ninety (16490)...Q.E." //Still using Qinaq''s calender? Damn. Well it''s only been a short time since the last course and the worlds been pretty peaceful. I guess those guys still run shit. Let''s hope I can change that this course. Kehehehe.// As Dinn stopped a couple meters away Zayer could now make out the boy''s face. Everything was just as it was before, except the glowing blue eyes. The whole of the eyes were glowing, sclera and all. Dinn was about the same height and wore matching clothes as Nito; a pair of black pants and a white tank top. His brown hair was cut short right above his eyebrows covering his tanned forehead. //Don''t worry kid when Jinak comes back with her hilt I''ll give you a reward.// The completely frozen face told him that and then turned around facing the enterance. Zayer felt a small urge spread through his body telling him to run now. Despite the urgent feeling Zayer stayed his ground as he crouched down looking at Dinn''s scratched up back. |A small boost. Use it wisely.| A quiet internal voice got louder in Zayer''s head as he aligned his sight onto his left hand. At the reappearance of Dinn, who was came equipped with a mysterious, enormous and eerie pressure, Zayer felt the pain from his shoulder ease as a new sharp pain settled itself onto his hand. All the pain and weariness seemed to concentrate itself into his bandaged left hand; making him turn his cautious glare away from Dinn''s back. Under the bandages the light of a glowing mark was desperately struggling to leak through. Turning his eyes back towards Dinn, Zayer could make out the dimly glowing mark of Siana on Dinn''s right hand. Zayer then turned his head to look at Werty and Nito who lay motionlessly behind him. Only being able make out Nito''s, he could clearly tell that the heaving fool''s mark wasn''t glowing in the slightest. It retained the usual black tattoo like appearance every mark of Siana has. Now with a completely revived stamina, Zayer slowly stood up as quietly and carefully as possible. He kept his cautious grey eyes on what he was resolved was a completely different person than the one he clashed with before. ~//Sit down child & patiently wait.//~ The voice from Dinn that relayed directly into Zayer''s ears from before changed into that of a menacingly cold mature individual. As if having eyes on the back of his head Dinn didn''t even turn around as the menacing aura bombarded Zayer full force. Zayer fell backwards as feelings of regret assaulted his mind for foolishly believing he could even stand against this wild being. ---------- Meanwhile in Siana''s central district, at the very center of it''s central territory, women and children filled the streets, quickly making their way as a large crowd. Many were entering and exiting a large dome structure in high volume. The shining dome was piece of architecture of fantasy. It had a gleaming light blue roof covered in a pattern of small black stars. The bottom half was of supporting pillars that held up the roof. Each pillar had a priestesses standing in front of a pillar; all of them wore matching uniforms of light blue robes and stood in silence. The inside of the majestic structure was filled to the capacity with women and their daughters all giving their prayer to a large mantis green statue at the very center. A glass barrier separating the statue from the otherwise open dome structure that had no walls between it''s pillars. Across the street wedged between two tall towers a smaller, similar dome was placed. It wasn''t completely identical because unlike its larger counterpart it had walls. No one wandered near the area, creating an exclusive, cutoff atmosphere around it. On the inside of the circular structure a group of twenty-one priestesses sat around a large square table chatting with each other. The ceiling sheltered the room but still mysteriously it was letting in the sunshine as if it was made glass. They all sat comfortably facing a large black crystal embedded in the center of the great wooden table that was also firmly rooted in the ground itself. The table was at the center of the brightly lit room and occupied more than half the space the building occupied. All the women wore light blue robes except an elder who sat near a large door with a desk of her own. She turned her attention towards the group of women as she finished sorting through a pile of documents on her desk. Some had their hoods on and some took in the sunlight revealing a large variety of women of all ages and shades. After the sounds of shuffling papers reached some of their ears, the group stopped their chatter. They all turned their attention to the head priestess sitting away from them. "This month''s council has begun. Proceed," she directed. "The Young Mistress Hera still hasn''t been located," one woman immediately began. "Still? It''s been over a month! Are you completely sure she hasn''t gone through a ''room''?" "All our guards stationed at the ''rooms'' still haven''t reported any sight of her," the voice responded. "Other than that we have more pressing matters to deal with," a third more low pitched voice chimed in. "It''s been eight years since the tablet has picked up Daron''s signal. We need to quickly eliminate his new host before he phases out." "If his host phases out then we won''t be able to keep him contained here any longer. His skill will begin to be inherited outside outside of the walls of the seal." A more worried voice resounded itself directly after. "Pffft. You actually believe he can do anything in the body of a child." A young priestess added. "We can ea-" "SILENCE!" As the thundering of an elder woman''s voice echoed in the room everyone turned their eyes towards the elder and only priestess wearing light green robes who moderated the discussion. "The abilities of Daron are as ancient as this city itself. His abilities span millennia and you dare to make light of a seniors caution?" The young priestess now with her eyes now downcast shivered at the great elder''s outburst. "My apologies Great Mistress Hera!" "When I was a little girl Daron had completely overrun and wiped out the Hall of Sindara in the north and most of our northern branches before his host had even phased out." The elder''s voice who brought up the topic of ''Daron'' explained. "Single handedly. He destroyed much of everything we had including his locating shards." The fear in her voice was amplified by her aging voice. "Don''t underestimate his strength," the supervising priestess added. As the silence was short lived, the elder let out a soft sigh. "Just understand that young Trew. Proceed" The discussion continued for a while covering recent events in the outside world. These topics included the results of the Red Moon Tournament that lead to the banishment of the young prince Shinha, the decreasing rates of war across the map, the recent appearance of an unknown individual that rumors name ''Reo the Sole Raider'', and band of pirates suspected to be from Siana. As the meeting was coming close to a wrap up a shocked gasp echoed in the room as one member began to point at the center of the table they gathered around. Before anyone could continue the black crystal at the center of the table started dimly glowing a light blue light. Some continued sitting around the table could only look on in confusion wondering what this mean, while others stood. Eventually they could gawk no longer as the crystal flashed and shined too brightly to look directly at it. The light then slowly receded and they all turned their attention to the crystal that had now turned a completely clear light blue and was glowing softly under the sunshine the glass-like ceiling let through. "Looks like Daron has taken control of his host." The crystal started to crack and pieces of the expensive looking rock started to fall off. The intensity of the light kept on increasing however as the priestesses could only worriedly look on. As it started to crumble the blue light slashed and became white. The table began to shake as white sparks started to char the wooden table. Some of these sparks however were flashes of light that escaped through the clear roof above. "!!What''s it been two hundred years since I''ve last been in central. How you doing you self righteous bitches! KAHAHA!!!" "Wh-Who are you!" A priestess said as she covered her eyes from the light, backing away. "!!Not teaching your new recruits about me really hurts me Hera. Or are you a new one too!!" "You reincarnating vermin. DIE," a middle aged priestess shrieked. "No!"The woman raised her hand towards the eerie crystal that continuously cracked, but her actions were soon halted by the words of Hera, the supervising priest. "!!You Hera bitches just keep getting more and more aggressive each course. We~ll whatever. Just wanted to let you bitches know it''s gotten pretty boring in Siana''s little playpen. Hehe. I''m gonna leave.!!" "What?!" The elder Hera was obviously shocked at the bold declaration. "You think we''ll just sit by and let you?! I''ll personally find your host and crush your soul- YOU VERMIN!" "!!Calm down granny. I don''t want to see you die, you''re more interesting than those other Hera bitches. What''s the deal? Why so angry?Did I kill you''re sister in my last course or something?!!" The voice from the crystal was taunting her as more pieces continued to fall off. "You massacred all the northern temples you fiend," she furiously declared. She was now standing up from her small desk making her way over to the table keeping her eyes on the cruystal despite the blinding light it emitted. "!!Oh yeah~! Forgot about that. We~ll whatever. I''m gonna need my hilt back so BYE-BYE!!!" Just as the voice from the crystal said that the rest of the rock flashed and all the pieces exploded across the room. A few of the priestesses turned their heads trying to avoid the shards while Hera and a few of the others looked straight on, unaffected. A white sword hilt was floating where the center of the crystal once was. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. One of the women who did not look away quickly threw something at the hilt as it slowly floated upwards. Within moments it flashed and sped through the clear roof towards the sunny sky. "Trew. Inform the rest of the temples in the Southern and the Western territories of Daron''s return. Inform Durol and Shar as well right after that," the elder commanded. Trew nodded in response. Hera then turned her focus towards another priestess as Trew scurried out the room. "Which way is his Rovyst?" "To the north Elder Hera." The priestess bowed to the elder. A rage filled expression rested itself on the supervising elder''s face as she reminisced of her tortured past at the hands of Daron''s previous host. "Lead the way." ---------- As the lights from the crystal flew out from the temple''s roof they scattered across Siana. Being caught in the glimpse of many as they traveled over all six territories. --- -Fwshhh- "What was that mom?" The curious voice of a young boy asked turning towards his mother as the white light flew past. "Shhhh. Be quite Vaxen." She put her hands over the mouth of the boy dressed in a beautiful yellow dress. "I don''t know," she answered. She put her hand down and quickly grabbed his gloved right hand and the two continued walking. The streets all around them were abuzz chattering of the mysterious light and what it could have possibly meant. --- -Fwshhh- "Yo Cort! Whazzat?!" "Shut the hell up Fitch! Does it look like I know!" On top of the roof in the newly separated Southeastern district four boys were all on the roof of a 50 story building. Two of them stood on guard at the roof''s entrance and looked above as light whizzed past. *Yawn* At the center of the roof was a luxuriously set up black canopy with a bed under it. The body of a shuffling individual rolled under the the thin sheets. To the beds side stood a tall handsome black haired man. His manly features stood out, being complemented by his short one inch hair. He immediately turned his attention to the figure rising from the bed. "Shit! You woke King up," Cort nervously whispered. --- -Fwsshhhh- "Torina! Stop day dreaming!" A middle-aged women said as she observed a five year old staring out the window. "Look at your book!" "But momma what''s that light?" The curious girl pointed her finger towards the sky outside. The mother then turned her sights towards the outside sky. "Whatever it may be is of no concern to us now." She pulled the curtains that let in a decent amount of light through. "Read." The mother gestured towards the book while tapping the desk with her finger. As the girl began to read the mother stepped back and sat on a chair behind the girl on the opposite side. The circular room was covered in book save for it''s truncated sides there she sat and the wall across with the window and desk. --- -Fwsshhhh- As the lights flew they all slowly made their way to small houses or huts scattered across Siana. These houses and huts all had yellow roofs and armed guards standing in front. Some of the guards jumped out of the way and some tried to block the light. A physical barrier made no difference as the light just passed through bodies, walls or closed doors into the center of the ''rooms''. They then made their way into the outside world. ---------- In the outside world the lights reappeared all across the world. Some appeared in desserts in the middle of the night, in palace halls at high noon, mountain caves high above the sea level, and some in deep underground catacombs. Directly after reappearing in the outside world they shimmered and faded into the air. ---------- Back in Esidia, the brightest light shot directly towards the most tallest structure the district had to offer. The tall brown, stone tower loomed over the quiet area as the bright light flew through one of it''s large open windows. The light started to lose its shine as the object responsible for the powerful light landed in the small, hands of an eight year-old boy. //Kekehehahaha! Those old infants thought they could seal my power using one of Lia''s pebbles!// Zayer was now on full alert. The shinning white sword had returned but now it was actually solid instead of it''s previous incomplete, corporeal, form from before. It was still glowing but not as much as before as it came back along with a new torrent of that mysterious pressure that surrounded him . Standing his ground, Zayer watched as Dinn slowly turned around. //Time for your reward for being so kind.// Zayer quickly jumped out of the way. A streak of light flashed by him after Dinn let loose a slash towards him. He didn''t bother to turn around after hearing the noise behind him and began dodging more of these attacks as Dinn let go of a flurry of them from tens of meters away. //Just kindly accept the reward you shitty brat! I don''t have enough time so just trust me.// The commanding voice rattled his ears. As more and more attacks were sent flying his way, Zayer noticed the farther away he was from Dinn the weaker the pressure became. After barely dodging another slash that almost cut his arm Zayer moved farther and farther back. Each white wave of light became weaker and weaker. Whether this was due to the distance or something else Zayer couldn''t tell. ''Shit.'' Gently jumping over another attack, Zayer realized his mistake as Dinn came rushing in at an unimaginable speed. //Got you!// The telepathic voice said as the sword in Dinn''s hand began to glow a blinding blue. The light from Dinn''s eyes had now disappeared as if the sword had collected it all. Coming in for thrust Dinn was only an arm lengths away from piercing his heart. Zayer abruptly lifted his right hand. The sword forcefully glided itself through his hand as Zayer quickly forced it off course. The blue light started to melt itself into Zayer''s right hand making it glow the same blue as Dinn''s eyes. "Aahhhhhh!" Screaming out in pain, Zayer kicked Dinn back before landing on the ground with the sword still poking through his hand. "Aauuughh!" !!First the feeling. Then the instinct. Then th-!! After writhing on the ground for a while Zayer painfully pulled the sword out of his hand. The blue glow disappeared from his hand and the sword started to flash violently. "Ha~ha~~." "Hehe~ha~hah~" Letting out little laugh he started to pant in pain. Zayer turned around and dropped to his knees. He was now facing one of the many wide open windows lined up on the sides of the room. He looked towards the sky. He looked down towards his hand expecting a profusely bleeding wound. He winced in pain as he touched it. "What the fuck?!" The wound had already completely healed over but the pain of being stabbed was still there. "Aaugghh!" The surprise was short lived as a new wave of pain concentrated in Zayer''s other hand. Closing his eyes in pain, he started unwrapping his bandaged his left hand in an effort to relieve the pain. The sharp pain then quickly subsided and Zayer opened his eyes. "Hah~ha~hah~ha~" Looking at both his hands as he kneeled on the ground Zayer began to pant. "Fuck!" His mark of Siana had completed itself. Flipping over his right hand Zayer immediately stopped panting as his eyebrows crunched in confusion. "What the hell is this?!" --- The mark of Siana is a unique mark that everyone born within Siana has. This mark differs in appearance from male to female but it essentially proves of your birthplace being within Siana. The mark is only completely visible the day of birth and after a child has reached maturity. After birth the mark disappears and slowly begins to reappear as the child grows. During the time the mark is incomplete, a youth can''t leave Siana using any of the special ''rooms'' used to reach the outside world. The marks also mean different things for the different genders. For boys it gives them an idea of when they will phase which is when they will be forcefully teleported into the outside world. For girls it''s completion means that they can enter and exit Siana using the rooms available to all it''s citizens for a fare. Both of the marks are black in all cases and will appear on the dominant hand of the individual. --- ---------- All across the world news spread. Different religious organizations all across the world claimed of a new prophecy taking place. Some claimed a calamity of epic proportions was on the horizon while others saw this as a sign of the arrival of a prophet or great hero. Different religions all had contradicting and different claims. The only thing they could still agree upon was that the times coming ahead were going to become chaotic. --- In the large palace of Shar many were clamoring outside the palace gates which was a usually uncommon sight except during Moon Festival and other national holidays and celebrations. Hundreds of people shouted and yelled as they all looked on towards the grand palace that housed the kingdom''s royalty. - "Next!" A man in noble looking clothing looked on and shouted out towards the large cluster of people assembling themselves in the throne room. All of these people appeared to be of devout and differing religious backgrounds. Which was a common sight within Shar as the nation had no nation wide religion. The throne was filled in the shape of a grand hall with the country''s nobles sitting on an elevated stage on the sides of the white and silver decorated room. On the opposite side of the hall doors was an even higher stage with three people on it looking down into the hall''s leveled floor. A priestess in blue robes stepped forward, gaving a light bow before the King Ajios and his son the Crown Prince Kaled who sat side by side. The two each nodded their heads politely returning their allied nation''s envoy''s respectful gesture as they continued to sit on their grand and comfortable seats. The whole court was filled with multiple high ranking religious figures all watching or waiting patiently for the chance to address the King. "Trew. Please don''t tell us this is about the new prophecy," the prince worriedly said as he looked on at the blonde haired woman. His tine was casual inviting the interest of many of the people present. Lifting her blue eyes she stared at the prince showing an urgent expression before facing the king. "Your majesty... Daron has broke the seal." "What?!" The king said as he immediately stood up from his throne. "Who''s Daron?" "That''s all?" "I know right. We have more pressing news that cou-!" "Silence!" The prince shouted. The chatter disappeared as the prince''s command shook the audience present. Turning his eyes towards Trew and then to his father, he asked,"Who is Daron!" The audience began it''s chatter again but stopped as the king''s glare made them aware of his annoyance. "This is of a matter we shall speak of privately later on," the king assured Kaled. "However this matter is quite the pressing issue." After the king''s words the whole room grew dead silent. "Hahahaha!" The laughter of an old man resonated among the audience. "The beginning of a new surge of power is rising my lords. Prepare yourselves." The old manshouted as he pointed towards the crowd of nobles looking his way from the sidelines. After making his proclamation he began walking towards the exit. Soldiers were about to attempt to apprehend the boisterous elderly man before the prince signaled for them to cease their action. Instad they opened the doors for him to leave. "Hahahaha-!" The large palace doors swung closed as the man continued laughing in the hallway''s until his maniacal cackle was no longer audible in the throne hall. The king turned to his son, "Kaled, you will need to assemble promising individuals to combat Doran and whatever else this will need too." Then he turned his sights towards the man standing to his left. "Summon the most greatest combatants and decide on at least five to train Kaled and his chosen companions. Your first duty as crown prince is to end Daron." "Yes father!" "Also inform Durol of our desire to cooperate. Begin talks with Vushin to be included as well." The king took in a deep breath. "I HERBY ANNOUNCE A ROYAL DECREE! ALL MEN WITH SIANA''S MARK TO ARE BE EXECUTED ON SIGHT!" CHAPTER 4 END Chapter 5: White Mist 5: White Mist Zayer slowly shifted his eyes up towards the sight before him as he sat near a window in the grand room. He carefully stared at Dinn who was lying unconscious on his face. The sword was glowing softly and as Zayer nervously looked on he noticed the light it was releasing was dimming as it flashed. He locked his eyes with it until the glowing sword stopped glowing altogether and the sight of a beautiful sword with a white blade and white hilt was revealed. *Phew~* After releasing the relieved sigh, Zayer began to wonder just where the sword came from. As he began to debate in his head whether he should approach the blade or not the sword in question started to slowly skid across the floor towards Dinn. As it got closer to the boy''s passed out body, Zayer stood up and began to hastily prepare himself. As the sword reached a certain point it quietly changed into a white mist that wrapped Dinn''s body. After a few awkward moments shifting around and looking at the white mist that encroached the eight-year-old, the sword mist vanished. *Ha~* Releasing a soul pressuring breath in his chest, Zayer tensely eased himself up. He then kept his eye''s sight attached to the softly breathing boy of his age laying unconscious. ''I''ve had to deal with enough of this surprising shit for a lifetime just today alone.'' Making sure there was really nothing left in store for him, he began to look over the room. "Wow." The signs of battle were riddled all over the room. What he didn''t notice when he was dodging the slashing waves of white energy from before was there impact. On the ground a little distances away Nito was lying with a giant gash going down his right side on his chest. The wound wasn''t as deep as the ones against the wall behind him but it still looked painful. The walls around the room were either riddled with sword slash gorges or dents from Werty''s sling shot. The other two boys were a little farther away but otherwise it was a negligible difference where Zayer could prep himself if they got up. Streak of dust were lifted off the ground revealing a beautiful stone pattern. And puddles of blood released a dripping path from one another. Looking out the window Zayer took in the full view of sun that was nearing its descent into the landscape beyond. He stepped out and climbed down the building from the outside. When he reached the first floor he climbed back inside. Walking inside the tower''s lobby he tiptoed in the darkness silently until he reached a broken down barricade for the entrance opposite to the plaza entrance. "This is why I said we needed to steal better materials." ---------- "Hup Hup!" *Neigh~* Two horses were speeding along a dirt road towards the north from the central district. Pulling along behind them was a grand white and light blue carriage. Inside sat three priestess'' dressed in light blue robes and the head priestess Hera. "He was somewhere directly north of us before his signal faded and then completely disappeared," Rovyst explained as the four sat looking at a map on the table they gathered around. "So that leaves his location to being somewhere in the Gino''s area." "And that is~," a hooded senior priestess said as she ran her finger across the map,"around Lake Pin''s settlements, Esidia, Kodin, Jazi... Belst, Belst Post or Gwejed." "And that''s if we expect to have stayed in-THe- same place long enough for us to catch him," Rovyst added as the racing carriage sped over a bump. "The signal we got from his birth spark was the south so we should expect that as well." The four mulled over the hooded priestess'' agreement. "When we get back we must push for a nation wide ability and mark test," Hera broke the silence with her instructions. "Yes, Lady Hera!" the four responded in unison. "He probably hasn''t gone too far since the night has only just begun. Have as many warriors as possible search all of the north." A a deep voiced priestess spoke while griping a sword on her side. "And also have Gino''s Gang cooperate during the search." - Outside the carriage was racing under the night sky as a half white moon loomed overhead. The road straight ahead would lead straight to Esidia, a neutral territory, and was also a spot of interest in the search. This is where they were planning to base their operations as they searched the north. --------- Zayer was lying in an empty small bed in one of the stalls at the base of one of the buildings. This was the last one Riaz used before he left and since it was being kept in good condition this past month, it required little to no preparations. Cleaning and making use of the empty stalls riddled around the plaza was something Riaz did regularly as he constantly changed the stall he slept in. "Shi~," Zayer couldn''t sleep as he stared at the stall''s roof. He wasn''t completely exhausted from putting the barricade back up after throwing out the three intruders. His usual sleeping place was beyond repair and it mattered little to him now as he was about eligible to Phase at any moment. Shuffling under the sheets he drew out his left hand. Looking at the completed mark of an arrow pointing diagonally within a thick ring circle, tears formed in his eyes. *Sniff* A tear rolled down his cheek as he pulled out his right hand while putting his left to his side. Looking directly at the mark he was surprised to see another completed mark of Siana that wasn''t there until just recently. It wasn''t the same as the one on his left. It had both a different color and appearance. It was completely white and was releasing a very small light glow. The glow was familiar and sent a shiver through his body. It had the same thick ringed circle as his right hand but in the center was a two intersecting lines. This was the females mark of Siana but it was completely white. Stressing his brain for an answer he recalled the feeling of having his hand pierced by the mysterious white sword. He felt no pain at that moment and the words of the strange voice controlling the other boys body filled his head. Shaking his head on the soft cushion he rested on he tried again to drift into sleep. "Should I go visit Rina?" he mulled. Images of his cute younger sister flashed through his mind. He hadn''t visited his younger sister in the central district in over a month now while protecting the plaza. "Riaz probably would of told me to go." Images of his brown haired and green eyed teenager also crossed his mind as he smiled while reminiscing. These thought led to the other person besides the three he came in contact with today. He felt a deep sadness after her disappointed face entered his mind. "I''ll go out to visit Rina first morning," he resolved. After a few tosses and turn he finally drove himself to sleep. - "-ey. Zayer wake up!" His slumber was short lived as he was nudged and called into wake. He was surprised to see in his small stall was a familiar pair of green eyes. "Ri-Riaz?" he half sleepily said before he realized the absurdity of his words, after looking at who it actually was. "Hera!" Raising his volume a little, he sat up on his mattress. "*Shhhh~* Be quiet." She gestured with her index finger, putting it to her mouth. "Look outside," she whispered. Getting up, Zayer walked towards the stalls entrance as he peeked passed the half open door. He saw five women holding torches scattered across the plaza and a grand carriage parked beside the remains of his previous bed. "What the hell?" "We need to leave," Hera whispered. Considering the severity of the situation Zayer quickly grabbed his brown cloak and stepped out. He gestured for Hera to follow as they walked along the building''s stalls until they reached one between two recently renovated stalls. This unlike the two surrounding it was covered in cobwebs and dust. "Follow." Hera hesitated before she followed Zayer who had gently slid into the aged stand. --------- Minutes later a white cloaked warrior rushed over to the carriage next to the wooden rubble. She urgently knocked on the door as the sounds of an active fountain accompanied her panting breath. Behind her was a group of women in white robes rushing to the carriage as well. As the women behind her started assembling themselves in an organized line the door in front opened. "Report," Rovyst started. "We have found something." Rovyst raised her eyebrows in interest. "Fresh signs of battle were found in Esidia Tower." "Good. Now start a search of the nearby areas and inform the east to begin their lookout for suspicious boys." The white robed subordinate bowed before Rovyst closed the carriage door. "Daron was most likely just here." Rovyst lowered her head as she relayed the new findings to the elder Hera. A fifth person in white robes was present and waited after Rovyst''s update before she added, "Sighting of the young mistress of being in he North have also been discovered. Could Daron have-" Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "That''s not possible," the elder Hera interrupted. "The battle is probably what revived Daron and forced him to resurface in his new host. Along with the fact Hera has been missing for over a month that possibility is negligible." "Her training also makes her an impossible target for her. She is a presence he would certainly avoid as Siana is in direct contact with her." Another priest added carefully setting down a cup of tea at the command table. As the five looked at the map the elder Hera turned to the fifth person in the room. A woman in a similar white toga as the women searching outside but unlike theirs, hers was decorated in a gold and blue sash. The scabbard and her well toned muscles gave her an impression of strength. "Can you have finding Hera a second priority, Jita," the elder asked. The brown haired woman bowed as she answered, "Yes, Madam Hera." ---------- After navigating through Esidia''s underground catacombs that were interlaced with the abandoned city''s sewage system, Hera was finally free. The sun was shinning high above as she spotted Zayer standing outside the cave."*Ha~* Finally!" "Fresh air at long last." Stepping out of the cave, Hera took note of the rolling hills that ended behind her and the flat grasslands that extended into the distance. ''We''re about halfway to Central,'' she concluded while approximating their location. "We should be able to reach Central before tomorrow morning," Zayer explained. He waited outside the wide exit cave shooting out of the ground as he observed the empty valley that stretched out before him. "More walking?" Hera slumped down. "Can we take a little break for now at least?" "Fine." Zayer was tired as well but was too preoccupied with seeing his sister one last time. He was also wondering why Siana''s special task force was in Esidia. He implored Hera a few times but she brushed him off saying he was too young and it didn''t involve him... for now. He wondered about her words and wanted to nag her but couldn''t bring himself to do it. He lay down his cloak at the narrow cave entrance and then lay down for some long overdue sleep. The sounds of a snoring Hera against the cave wall were surprisingly calming as he drifted into sleep. --- "?!" Zayer opened his eyes. Then closed them and then opened them once again. "Where the hell is this?" All he could see was a wide expanse of red that seemed impossible to measure how wide it extended. At his feet a white mist or smoke was covering the ground everywhere. After a few minutes he began to walk around aimlessly. His fear slowly took hold of him. He began to wonder if he had phased while he slept. Would he be here forever? Was anyone else out here? He then began to shiver which led him to notice he was completely naked. He looked at his hands and noticed both the marks were gone. He walked aimlessly for what felt like hours on end. He realized a while back that he couldn''t feel hot or cold. It was a completely numbing feeling but he could still feel his fingers when he poked and pulled the skin on his arm. The whole experience felt strangely natural. He turned his eyes up towards the sky. His eyes slowly zoomed in on a dot in the sky. "A white star in a red sky." After looking at the star for too long he began to feel dizzy and nauseous. He started stumbling around for a few moments before he tripped. Gasping for air for some unknown reason, Zayer began to panic. What was that star and what was it doing to him. Laying down on his back in the mist he felt the nauseousness subside. After laying down in the comfortable embrace of the mist he started to calm down. This feeling of serenity was short lived as he noticed the mist rise higher and higher above him. He sat up fast as quickly as possible but the mist was still rising. It was up to his neck. "*Koff! Koff!*" The mist started to smother him. It began to flow into his mouth and nose; he could even feel it seeping into his ears. After trying his best to stand up the mist started to become a thin liquid. He began to reach for the nauseating star in desperation as if trying to bring it closer. ''Why?'' Just because. ''I don''t want to die?'' Who would kid? ''When can I leave?'' This yo-no OUR existence. You can''t just leave. ''Let me go!'' Kehehe. I''m not doing this to hurt you. Your too weak for all the control in here. Just give me a shot. As he struggled to rise from the rising whiteness covering him Zayer became desperate. With each arm stroke the star above him became closer and closer. The closer it came the weaker the white waters became, until it turned to mist again. - *Flash* Suddenly he started to see flashing images. *Flash*They looked... like the cave he was sleeping in. *Flash-Flash* A few flashes later he opened his eyes to see Hera holding his right hand which was glowing a gentle white. He quickly jerked his hand back from her and stood up. She was kneeling with his wraps next to her. "What d-did you do?" he quickly asked. "Nothing. Are you a girl? Why is your mark white?" She waved her hand in front of her face as if trying to brush him off while trying to change the topic. "D-DON''T FUCKING IGNORE ME! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?" Taking a few steps forward he snatched his wraps. "Ha~ I''m sorry but I can''t tell you or else you might become weaker." Zayer twitched his eyebrows at her response. "Just trust me. I''m not doing this to hurt you." "So that was you trying to kill me in there?!" "Kill? Unggh!" Hera didn''t have the chance to prepare herself as Zayer kicked her in the stomach and burst out the cave. Grabbing her stomach, she groaned. As Zayer ran out into the open fields he hurriedly wrapped his hand up. In the distance he could see the main road off to his left. He changed his direction to it when he saw a horse drawn carriage heading north in his direction. "Zayer!" In the distance he could Hera calling out. He had already put a safe distance between them while closing the distance to the road. - "Is that a boy?" Biru pointed to a boy running through the grass fields running towards them. "All the way out here?" The tattered clothed boy was heading straight for them. "Maybe he needs help?" "Ignore him." Fiam pointed her head out the front carriage door, interrupting the two chattering women. It was her duty as a Squadron leader to escort her group of eleven to Esidia to assist in the search for Daron''s new host. "We need to get to Esidia ASAP." "?!" Biru then noticed something strange and started to point behind the boy. "Isn''t that a priestess of Siana?" "Stop!" Fiam while trying to make sense of the scene before her commanded the two to stop the horses. ''Could that be Daron''s new host?'' - ''Why did they stop?'' Zayer was getting closer and closer and so was Hera who was gaining on him. After a few seconds of trying to make out who was on the carriage he noticed something he intially overlooked in his desperation to flee. ''Shit! That''s not a merchant wagon.'' "Zay-" The sound of Hera calling out was cut off as an arrow zipped by him. It missed luckily but the relief for the shooters failure was short lived, as a rain of arrows arched above him. Without a moments to spare, Zayer sped up to his top speed as all the arrows stabbed the ground behind him. A surprise shot clipped his left leg as he juped onto the wide dirt road. As he landed another arrow grazed the same leg. A group of archers in white assembled themselves in a line thirty meters away directly in front of the carriage he was planning to hijack. "Zayer," Hera cried as she got closer to the road. Zayer stood motionless in the middle of the road with an arrow in his shin, while he was staring down an Archery. As she approached the road side with a worried expression, Zayer turned towards her. His eyebrows slanted in anger as he looked at her with a betrayed look in his eyes. "Fuckin'' bitch..." As she locked eyes with the boy less than half her age, she could hear bow strings being released. She couldn''t take her eyes off of his eyes as they started to flash white. --- This is what I meant by your too weak. Zayer shuddered as he found himself back i the red world completely naked. The white mist was up to his knees. Step out the way. On cue with the bodiless voice''s command, the mist started to gather around him until he was completely covered in it. CHAPTER 5 END