Prologue
Beliefs waver, and mountains that have stood for hundreds of years could wither away in the blink of a eye. What are we here for? Do each and every one of us really ever have a lasting effect on this world? For all of the hopes and dreams we carry, just how many actually come true? Readers, things may seem hopeless at times, but when you're in a pit you cant seem to get out of...remember that there are people counting on you too. For every dream of yours that wavers, hope falls for everyone else as well. Dont let hope fall. Hope is the one thing that keeps us from falling into the evil and despair I wage war on. The War of Hearts, the war that will require each and every single one of us to pick up our feet, take a sword, and fight for a better tomorrow. For the ones who couldnt see it.
Chapter One- It Begins.
My name is Lief. Lief Nemein. Its a strange name, but my mom tells me its a name passed down onto every male child in the family. Although, I wouldnt know if that was true or not, my dad left when I was around 5 years old. Im sixteen now. Of course theres always the chance that buying cigs takes around 11 years and hes almost back. Somehow I doubt that.
I grab the groceries my mom had told me to pick up from the local grocery and begin the long walk home when the first one hits me cheek. Drip. Drip. Drip. Soon, the streets are empty as people rush back inside their homes. We all know how the rain picks up here. It starts off a slow patter, the next a liquid monster that threatens to swallow anyone foolish enough to stay out. I walk faster, but night is already setting in. I feel a strange chill settle in my heart, one that has nothing to do with the cold rain. Tonight feels like a night where something unthinkable happens, something I wont like. I pull my jacket closer, trying to shake the bad feelings away. "Finally." Up ahead, I can already see the bright lights of my house shine.
I walk into the kitchen and I know immediately something is wrong. Its too quiet. The knives my mom usually leaves neatly placed on the cutting board are gone, as are the warm chocolate chip cookies she usually leaves for me whenever I got back from an errand. "Im home Mom...Mom?" I shake my head and walk ahead to the living room. Shes probably knocked out on the couch watching reruns of I Love Lucy. "Hey Mo-" THUD! I slip backwards, crashing down onto my back. "What the hell...huh?" I look at my hands and they're blood red. Blood...red..."Mom!" I stumble up and rush into the living room.
My face pales. If I had wanted to find her earlier, I got my wish all right. There she is, in the middle of the room. I know I wont ever forget her death, because this single image has been branded into my head searing hot. Her arms are tied above her head and the carpet is soaked with her blood. It looks like some kind of sick joke as she twirls around the living room fan. There are multiple stab wounds across her body, and blood still drips off occasionally. "N-no...no...NO!" I knock over lamps and oddly arranged furniture as I scramble up to knock loose the rope that held her so tightly. I somehow manage to loosen the ropes with my hands and we both fall as she crashes down on me. "Mom! You cant be...no...not you too...What the hell am I supposed to do now!?" Her mouth opens and closes silently as is shes trying to say something but no words appear. That is until... "Lief." It was barely above a strained croak, but I can hear every little word to this day. "Lief...remember...E Venge He Eath..." Her mouth opens as if she wants to say something else, but her head falls to the side and then everything's silent. I sit there with her in my arms, the woman who just yesterday had fed me and asked about my day. Who teased me about the cute girls she would see at my school. I think back to what she had said. E Venge He Eath. That was the families motto. She never told me what language it came from, but I know it literately means "We Avenge the Dead". I never really understood the meaning until now, but maybe now is the only time it ever really meant anything. We avenge the death. Shes dead. Someone did this to her. Maybe its time I got to avenging. I clench my fists and wipe away the seemingly never ending tears that stream down my face. "Once I find you bastard... I'll..." "You'll what?" a voice says from behind me. I twirl around and come face to face with the very one. He wears a long black trench-coat and dark as night pants with long chains attached to the sides. His shirt is almost nonexistent with the multiple claw marks and bloodied holes spread throughout. My mom died fighting.
"Ill...I'll...gah!" I pound the wall in frustration. "Why!? Why did you...?" I cant see it because hes wearing some sort of rag around his lower face, but I can tell hes laughing at me. "Ho! Lets dance, you and I." He grins and pulls back his coat until a long 3 foot blade appears. "Why? Why did you do this to me!?" I shout, oblivious to the obvious death threat. "Enough talking! You can talk all you want when you're dead." He cackles and lunges at me, pulling his sword out with a horizontal slash. The blade sinks through the couch as I barely duck down and tackle him to the ground. "Little rat!" He pulls his knees up and kicks me back into the table. My breathe is knocked out of me as he stands up and slowly walks to his sword. "Goodbye." he says with a emotionless face. He grabs his sword and thrusts it towards my midsection. Time seems to slow as the blade nears, but I cant seem to move my body at all to dodge this strike. It sinks into my stomach, and suddenly the room looks crimson red. This is it huh...sorry guys. Im nothing, nothing at all. The images of all my friends, Luna, Koundie, Epic, and Fearl flash through my mind. We had all promised to last until the very end together. But the most haunting image of all is the image of my mom. I let them all down.
"Fuck...that..." I whisper... The man in black turns back towards me as he walked away from the scene. "What was that Runt?" He says with a grimace. "I said...FUCK THAT." My heart is beating faster, and soon a blinding blue light illuminates the room. The temperature plummets, flakes of ice beginning to form throughout the living room. The mans mouth opens in surprise and suddenly he rushes over to me and pulls out his sword to really finish me off. "Die!" He shouts as he swings to behead me. I raise my hands up to cover my face. Who was I kidding...maybe this is it. I shut my eyes and hope the end is quick...CLANG! I open my eyes out in surprise and see a light blue broadsword about 4 feet long in my hands. The whole sword is encased in ice, and theres a keychain made of ice depicting a dog with three heads. The broadsword looks as if it should weigh a ton, but I easily wield it with one hand. The mans sword bounced away as soon as it had hit mine, and the man back-steps rapidly. His face is shocked and it takes him a moment to finally regain his composure. "You...you may live for now. We will see each other again." He turns as a black as death portal slowly swallows him up from behind. "No!" I rush forward and bring the sword over my head as I jump towards him. "Raaaaaahhhhh!" The sword hits air as the man disappears at the last second.
I stand there for a minute, letting my head clear. It doesnt really work, my head seems to throb louder and louder until finally I collapse onto the floor. The last thing I remember was hearing the door bust open and people shouting...A calm voice rises in-between all of the shouting though. "Hes alive. The war has started." And then everything blacks out.