Chapter 0: Prologue
Red. Everything was red. A deep crimson haze enveloped the small home's interior. Gone was the sacred feeling of safety and comfort from the four familiar walls, choked away by the menacing scarlet aura. Through the room's lone window, masses of the oppressive mist swirled past, obstructing any view of the rest of the village. Not one living thing could be seen moving about. Indeed, it seemed almost as if the world outside of the house had come to an end.
Trembling, a young boy sat in the center of the room, clutching his knees tightly to his chest. His fingers trembled lightly, but he had run out of tears long ago. The door leading outside, just a few meters away, held the boy's gaze, as if it might spring open at any moment. Silently, the boy begged and pleaded, desperately trying to deny what he knew was true….
Pashe awoke with a light gasp, the sensations of consciousness rushing back to him as if he'd completely forgotten what it felt like to be awake. Blinking slowly, the boy yawned and rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe the drowsiness from his face. A faint remnant of his recent dream flashed through Pashe's mind, striking him with an inexplicable sense of helplessness before it faded from memory.
Sighing, Pashe crawled out of his futon and stood up, glancing across the room to the window. Outside, the orange glow of dawn could be seen against the gentle snowfall. Satisfied that he hadn't slept too late, he dutifully began his morning routine.
Half an hour later, a fully-dressed Pashe checked the pantry, eager to silence his stomach's insistent grumbling. The sight of half a loaf of bread (along with whatever green stuff had started growing on it) did not do much for the child's appetite, however. Dejected and still hungry, he grabbed his bag, making sure to double-check that his notebook was inside. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, Pashe adjusted his scarf and made for the door.
With his hand on the handle, he turned to look over his shoulder at a small, hand-drawn portrait of a woman hanging on the far wall. "I'm off, Mom!" he called out, before stepping out into the cold.
Author's Note: First of all, greetings! This chapter was extremely short, but I'd still like to thank you for reading this far. I'm not an experienced writer, but I'd like to continue this story in the future(With more sensible chapter lengths!). I look forward to bringing you more tales from Gensokyo. -SS