Day One

Word Count (Not counting the words prologue and part one and these lovely words): 971 (according to Scrivener)

Prologue
What if you couldn’t walk away from destiny? If it swept you up and away from all that you held dear? Even if you saw it coming, could you do anything about it? This is a story about destiny but one whose end is unknown for this story is not just a story. It is happening right now as I write this. And I am afraid.

Part One
The wind tore across the plains, flattening the grass. Trees that stood for years, great and tall, majestic with their branches raised high, could not withstand the screaming wind. Their leaves were torn off. Their branches were torn off. Until finally, their roots finally could no longer hold and they too were torn. There were was no moonlight but there was plenty of light as the jagged branches of lightning jumped from the sky to strike the ground with explosive impact. The lightning strikes blinded everyone if there had been anyone to watch them. With the lightning was also the pouring rain, drenching everything and anything in a mere moment with its torrent. It was as if nature itself was trying to tear the world apart.

Even with the fury of the elements raging across the plains, there were two who stood amidst this. They were not statues-–they were very much alive. Their clothes were soaked. Their hair was soaked. Water fell off in never-ending stream. Trees were ripped out of the ground and yet these two stood.

“This will end now,” one of them said, the voice low and rough. A hand came out from underneath the cloak and ripped it off. As soon as the hand let go, the wind greedily grabbed the cloak and took it away, revealing a muscular man, if one could call it a man. Everything about the being was human but for two things. The eyes. They glowed with an unnatural red that pulsed irregularly. But there was something else... It was not something physical but an aura. Words could not describe it.

He held out his gloved hand and a fire popped into existence in his palm. It rapidly lengthened out into a sword with flames crawling all along it. He wrapped his fingers around it and charged at the other figure, the fire tracing out his path behind him before disappearing. He bought the sword down upon the other in a heavy overhand blow.

But the other figure had already moved and so the sword only caught a cloak. Several yards away, a woman held a sword in each hand as she stood with her profile towards the other, her eyes watching the man warily.

“Haha, good, good! It looks there are still some I could have fun with!” He once again charged at her but just before he reached her, he seemed to disappear.

The woman dropped a sword as she spun around, the empty hand coming up in front of her with the palm away. A white pulse of light formed in her hand and rapidly spread out into a beam at the man. She retreated back as she reached her hand out toward the sword and it leapt up into her empty hand. She shook the rain out of her eyes to see if she had scored a hit.

Suddenly, a sword pierced her from the back. Her hands lost their grip on her swords as a burning sensation spread through her, tearing at not only her body but what also felt like her soul.

“Asylia!”

She couldn’t see anything but voice was not the man-that-was-not.

“Asylia! Wake up!”

Her eyes snapped open. She blinked a few times before sitting up.

“You were yelling. Did you have that nightmare again?”

Asylia looked at the man crouched beside her. The darkness threw shadows across his smooth face, but they did not the hide the concern in his blue eyes. She nodded. “Yes, but I’d be all right. Go back to sleep. I’m not a child. I can handle them.”

He gazed at her silently for several moments. “What was it about?”

“I... I don’t remember. I just remember a sense of evil as I always do.”

He sighed. “I wish you would tell me.”

She smiled at him slightly. “I would if I could, Eralo. Go back to sleep.” When he finally complied, she laid back down on what accounted for a ‘bed’ that night and gazed up at the moon that shone brightly upon all it touched. She didn’t fall asleep for hours to come.



The sun was nearly at its peak when Asylia and Eralo arrived in front of a city gate. The granite doors were open, allowing the flow of traffic to easily pass through. Vendors hawked their wares as they rode along a broad avenue towards the middle of the city. They passed through another gate and as they moved further from it, the noise of the crowds faded away until they could the clops of their horses’ hoofs upon the stone paved street. Eventually, they stopped in front of a building older than both of them put together. It was built out of stone but simplistic in design. It was here that they dismounted and lead their horses to a low wooden gate off to the side.

An man with white hair beginning to show at the temples greeted them. “Good day, Eralo and Asylia. Lord Tyaxo wishes to see you both this evening after dinner.” He turned slightly to the side. “Hurry up!” he yelled to those behind him. “This is part of your responsibilities!” He turned back to the two as a couple of young boys rushed past him to take the horses.

“Thank you, Sir Gravin. Nyvia shines upon you,” said Eralo.

“Nyvia shines upon you.”