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Prologue

Lina Inverse stumbled through the forest blindly, tripping over nearly ever root and twig which blocked her path. She cursed both them and her sense, wondering why she had even trusted something she, as of yet, had never truly seen. The moon was full that night, and it hung high in the sky, but it was covered by a thick blanket of clouds and was of no use to the searching girl.

Instinctively, after she had tripped one too many times for her liking, Lina began a spell of illumination. As the ball of white light formed in her hands, the reason for her even being in the forest spoke to her through some sort of telepathic connection.

"No magic." It said in a low, hissing voice. "You will rely only on what you have been given at birth."

Lina stopped her spell abruptly and whirled around. Whoever or whatever it was that possessed the eerie voice was nowhere to be found, even in the shadowy cover of the forest. She continued forth, this time with an unusual certainty. It seemed as if she knew exactly where to go.

The creature, whatever it was, had come to her in a dream. It had warned her of those around her – those dear to her – being destroyed. It had caused her to think about her world and the beings in it. It had made her consider that losing her friends in such a dangerous profession was very likely. It opened her eyes to a fear she had been denying behind her tough exterior.

She had never seen the creature's face. She wasn't even sure if it had one. Just a voice and two piercing eyes. An eerie voice that had spoken worlds of truth to her over the past week. A voice that had told her little, yet still made her think so much. That voice was what drove her here at such a late hour. She trusted it, for it was the only one that seemed to know every secret ever imagined, some which she was sure even the trickster priest had absolutely no knowledge of.

She came to a small clearing and glanced at her surroundings. Her eyes had long since adjusted to the darkness, but she could see only the moon, a corner of it peeking out from behind a cloud, reflecting off of rippling water.

"Come closer." The voice beckoned.

Lina did as it instructed, stepping closer to the water's edge and kneeling where fresh sand met cool liquid. The water in the small, natural pool before her lapped over its confines gently, as if something had stirred it. She reached her hand down to the water's surface and tried to touch it, just for some proof that she was not in a dream.

She never had the chance.

The water formed in a tight, cyclone-like spiral in the center of the pool, gathering up into the clouds. In an instant it returned, this time a pool of bright red flames. Lina jumped back just as the tip of the glowing mass licked up the side of the pool, threatening to come after her next.

"This is what this pool will become. Serene tide will be swept over by vicious flame. Those once friends will become foes. Allies will become adversaries. The world will ensue in a gruesome battle, and once it begins, no one, not even you, Lina Inverse, will be able to stop it."

The creature appeared within the mass of flames. As in her dreams, she could only see it's eyes, taking on the color of what they possessed. In this case, the writhing fire.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Lina spat, her voice still hoarse and scratchy from sleep. "Why did you bring me here?"

"Twelve days and twelve nights. That is the time remaining. If something is not done within that time, nothing will ever be done." It hissed.

"Time remaining until what? I don't understand!"

The flames shot up in outrage and Lina put her arms before her face. A thick dark smoke enveloped her, yet it was not one of hostility, making her lungs scream for air. Instead it was soft and light, and seemed to be pulling her closer into the creature's words.

"The Great War. The War that will end this world as we know it. The War in which no one will survive."

"But why? What makes the war start?"

The creature chuckled. "You should be more concerned with what won't make it start, as everything else surely will."

Lina became enraged, swiping at the smoke that was enclosing her body along with the pool of flames. "How do you expect me to do anything when you don't give me any information?"

The creature sighed, its eyes turning from their fiery red to a calming navy blue. In an instant, the pool returned to its original state and the thick black smoke disappeared. Still, Lina could make out nothing about the creature besides its eyes.

"Fine, I will take things slowly. This world is divided into ranks, the highest being…"

"Yeah, I know that!" Lina snarled. "Just tell me who's involved, and don't talk to me like I'm stupid!"

The creature seemed to be laughing at her, although it was hard to tell. "The mazoku and the ryuzoku are the starters and enders of the Great War. It is they who remain lost in their stubbornness and petty feuds, causing certain death for every race, not just those they seek to destroy."

"But the mazoku and ryuzoku have been fighting for millions of years! Wasn't some kind of war inevitable?"

"It is true, they have always been enemies. Each is bred to hate the other. A war was bound to occur, and has occurred before, but none such as this War."

"And what makes it so different? Why is this war the one to end the world, and not any of their other fights?"

"Because this War is blind. This War sees victory in its own selfish regions and cares not for the lives of others. This War pits Dark and Light against each other until, in the end, it is not sure who is the true evil."

"And why is it going to happen in exactly twelve days? And how do you know all this, anyway?" Lina asked, slightly irritated at both her situation and her informer.

The water stirred and Lina backed further away, thinking she had triggered the flame's unwanted presence. Instead, a large stone tablet appeared from the depths of the pool, settling itself atop the water. It shone a gray hue and Lina could clearly see the markings on its smooth panel.

"Read it."

"I can't read that! It's in some ancient language…"

The creatures eyes closed and when they reopened, they seemed to be smiling at her. "Try it now."

Doubtingly, Lina waded into the center of the pool to get a better look at the markings. She knew she could not read the language, but wondered how long it would take the creature to give up and read it for her. Out of curiosity, she ran her hand over the smooth surface, and suddenly its scripture came to her.

"Such things you do not need to read, Lina Inverse. They will tell their secrets to you if you are ready to hear them. Say what you hear out loud."

Lina nodded and ran her hand over every slick carving, stopping momentarily when she was unsure. The end product, she recited in its entirety.

In a twelve day period

From the full moon's rising

Great destruction shall envelope

The land

In a time of peace

Chaos shall install itself

Among the crowds

Demon and dragon

Shall battle mercilessly

Until their thirst

For blood is satisfied

The world will be

No more

Only a barren land

With remnants of nothing

Mazoku

Ryuzoku

Bound by hatred

And nothing more

Shall oversee the destruction

With blind eyes

Until even they are

Taken into the depths

Of hell

Mazoku

Ryuzoku

Blinded by their differences

Will not rest until

The world is of one

Empty hole

The stone slab turned and Lina ran her hand along its other side, reading it aloud to the creature.

Each night after

The moon will be

Spent trying to deny

What is to come

Fate may be decided

By one simple course

On each night

A test

Of true courage

And bravery

Meant for the strong-willed

Only

Each night that passes

The clock will tick down

And the future

Will be decided by

The events of the nights

Succeed in their challenge

And live until the War

Lina stopped. "Wait! The way this is putting it, either the challenges will kill us, or we'll be killed in the War. I thought you said the War could be stopped?"

She felt the words come to her, as if they were coming from the creature itself.

Mazoku

Ryuzoku

Past undeniable

Bitter hatred

Priest

Priestess

Opposite ends

Bring together the hole

Mazoku

Ryuzoku

At War for eternity

For reasons unknown

Priest

Priestess

Stop the bitter hatred

End the War

Lina looked up, expecting more to come, yet it never did. "What does that mean? The instructions on stopping it are harder to make sense of than the War itself.

"You know the answers, Lina. It is not you who decides fate anymore."

"Then why did you call me here?"

"So you would know how to help those needing of your assistance. You may not decide fate, but you can push it toward the right direction."

"This makes no sense!" Lina screamed. "How am I supposed to stop two races from fighting?"

The creature laughed. "It is up to you to answer that question, Great Lina Inverse."

He was gone in a blue flash, and Lina was left alone in the dark forest. In the distance, a wolf howled, and she matched its volume, crying out to the gods, asking them why she was always the pawn in someone else's stupid wars.

"Let them die, for all I care!" She screamed. "That just shows what happens when you're too proud to come to an agreement."

Words of frustration. She did not believe them. She did not believe they came from her mouth. The mouth of the Great Lina Inverse had given in just because of something that appeared impossible. Two tears escaped her eyes and came to rest in the pool of water, where she realized she was still standing. She stared up at the tablet with fire in her eyes. It seemed she hoped intimidation would force it to give her a more comprehensible answer.

"Clear or not, I'm not backing down from this. That's what you wanted, isn't it?" She yelled at the top of her lungs to the blackness. "Well, you're not going to get it. As long as there's a chance, I'll find some way to stop this War. You just wait and see!"

On to Chapter One: Bitter Hatred