Prologue
The path before us is laid bare with every step forward we take, and defined by every step taken behind.
A hissed breath escaped, misting in the air before the chill wind tore the small cloud away and out across the dead landscape. Dirt and debris scattered as the figure stumbled forward, caught on torn and soiled once-black gloves. The pounding behind grew louder, drowning out even the thunderous sound of his pounding heart. True thunder echoed the thought in the tormented sky above, blending all the chaotic sounds of the night into one great, indefinable roar. Combat boots skittered across some unknown object as shaking hands thrust him back to his feet, moving on pure instinct away from the ever following noises behind and the dead scattered across the crowded street; from all the past mistakes, from death itself. Lashes blinked quickly to remove excess water dripping from sodden bangs, more splashing into his face from the small pools his boots crashed through. The rain kept falling; tears from a tortured sky. Light from above, Seeker Jets, fell in beams across his path; twining around one another as the piloted ships moved in systematic grid patterns across the bleak landscape of the once flourishing city. He could see his destination in the distance, slowly growing with every weaving step he took, desperately trying to avoid the macabre bodies strewn on the ground.
The pounding behind drew closer.
Asphalt ground into one cheek as he was thrown off his feet, breath releasing in one sobbing explosion. A second force wave shoved the battered body flatter to the ground, ruining any chance of a quick escape. The searchlights spiralled wildly, focusing one by one on the motionless figure almost blending into the surrounding corpses. Engines hummed somewhere in the sky above, raindrops beat steadily down on the towering buildings, a second clap of thunder echoed the treacherous sound of his beating heart. The pounding behind reached its peak.
Soaked material moved abrasively over chilled skin as he tried desperately to push himself up with trembling arms and even wearier legs. The lights in the distance glimmered blurrily in his vision, wavering with the air movement the ships created and the continuous, never ending rain. He could sense the others faintly, just a few hundred meters before him. Uncountable worlds beyond his reach. The pounding slowed gently, only whispers in the brightly lit night. He could feel them circling, blocking every available exit. The shadows drew closer to their target; he kept his eyes on the shimmering lights ahead and focused on the fading sense he had of the others. Lips moved soundlessly, the message carried in a form far more powerful than spoken words.
I'm sorry.
The shadows attacked, blocking even the harsh lights from the predators hovering above and leaving only the sounds; boots shifting on ground, metallic weapons sliding into place, the subtle wisp of cloth against cloth and leather armour, mechanical whirring from the Scouts and Seeker Jets as they calculated his every possible move and labelled him as 'Dangerous', 'Traitor'. Thickly gloved hands grasped his hair at the back of his scalp, lifting his head sharply away from the ground, forcing a painful, hitching breath. Burning light filled his view, the hand emitting it slowly closing in until that horrid, burning -cold touch reached through him and all the sounds grew duller and the light grew dimmer, ending with one final pounding beat from his heart and a single crystal drop falling from beneath shielded eyes.
It ends here. I'm sorry.
One shattering, vengeful, tortured cry echoed across the landscape from distant lights, the sky thundered and boiled with all the rage of a turbulent ocean. Dead eyes watched as the army moved on, target destroyed, the pounding of their feet echoing off the walls of long-empty buildings and the exiting ships taking the majority of light with them, leaving only the weak and wavering street lamps for illumination. Shadows stretched across the street inhabiting every corner and crevice and the rain continued to fall with only the dead to take notice.
I will always be with you, my Prince. Don't let me down, kid.