Corrupted Chronicles
Prologue: The Nightmare Begins
How many times had I been subject to this vision? At this point, I was starting to lose count.
It always showed me the same scenario: a peaceful land… a school. Students chatting cheerfully, enjoying their lives.
Then suddenly, the sky would darken, and the clouds themselves would crack open.
At this point, a warning bell would resound through the whole area as the clouds bled red rays of light.
Laughter would turn to screams, and a male voice – presumably a teacher's – would tell the students to get inside, before asking the civilians to evacuate.
I always wished to wake up at this point, snap back to reality, but such comfort was beyond me. I was fully aware of that.
No matter how I wished to warn the people, I could not raise my voice.
No matter how I wished to look away, I could not avert my eyes.
I could only watch in horror as the same scene unfolded before me every time, as unchanging as the fictional plots I so loved to read, yet could not change the outcome of.
Every time I saw the front gate be torn away by a titanic beast that looked part human, part robot. It was adorned with a large, green horn on its forehead. It fired the guns it had attached to its arms, without any relent or mercy whatsoever.
I saw a bullet soar towards a civilian on the run, nearly penetrating his body. A mere second before it would have reached him, however, a bright wall appeared in front of him, deflecting the bullet.
"Get inside, now!" I heard a male voice yell, and saw a man in his early thirties with flaming red hair, dark-brown eyes and a goatee leap out of a window. He landed on his feet with nearly feline agility and drew a bright blue sword. He wore full-body black armor.
He glanced over his shoulder, "Run, now!"
The civilian nodded and got back up on his feet. He never looked back to see how his savior was faring.
The man entered a fighting stance and glared at the monster in front of him.
"Begone, you foul, filthy beast!" he yelled and a black dragon appeared over his head for a brief moment before vanishing. Wings grew on the man's back and he flew at the monster with inhuman agility.
He let out a monstrous roar and blue flames engulfed his sword.
"Blast Burn!" he yelled and slammed his sword into the monster's forehead, severing its horn and cloaking the monster in a large explosion. The attack knocked it into the wall, and both the monster and the brick structure it had crashed into collapsed in a heap on the ground.
The man rushed up towards it, sword raised in both hands with the sole intent of finishing it off, but no sooner did he raise his blade forward than he dropped his sword and fell to one knee, panting heavily.
"Dammit… so… I still have limitations…" he panted and reached for his sword.
While his attention was on the enemy in front of him, he did not notice another creature appearing behind him. It drew a knife and lunged at his back.
That was when I saw her.
She who at that point in time meant nothing to me, yet who would soon come to change my very perspective on life.
"Professor!" I heard a female voice cry out and before the being could stab the man, a swift slash cut it in half. It let out an ear-piercing scream and I saw its body disintegrate into shadows, leaving no trace of it ever having existed in the first place.
A young woman, no older than sixteen, entered the fray, wielding a black sword. She had long, brown hair and electric blue eyes. She wore a long, black dress that reached down to her hips, and wore heavy mountain boots.
From the way she was handling herself with icy cold calm, I could tell she was no stranger to the battlefield, and this was not her first encounter with these eldritch monstrosities.
The girl unleashed a mysterious energy and I saw a being that resembled a frog with a cabbage on its back appear in front of her. Then, just like the dragon, it vanished, and I saw pink flower petals appear on the girl's wrists.
She closed her eyes and chanted something in an eldritch tongue. A bright blue aura surrounded her body, and flowed into the man.
The man opened his eyes and drew his sword.
"Thank you, Squire," he said.
The girl let out a sigh of relief and her body returned to normal as the frog appeared before her again.
"Thank you, Bulb… now, return please… before you're hurt!" the girl said and reached for her pocket. She procured a ball-like object, and the frog disappeared in a flash of red light.
She then drew her sword and entered a fighting stance.
"Professor, the people are safe," she informed the man, who smiled a satisfied smile.
"Good… then we need not hold back in the slightest!" he yelled and slammed his fists into each other. The wings disappeared and I saw his muscles grow at a rapid speed. The shadowy beast fired a bullet into him, which he deflected with ease and cut the monster in half.
No sooner had it disintegrated, however, then three more of the same kind took its place.
"Stupid beasts," the man said. "What's the Lieutenant doing at a time like this?!"
The girl dashed ahead and slashed off the arms of one of the monsters with a swift, dance-like maneuver, all while dodging and deflecting its onslaught of bullets.
"We'll have to do without him, Professor," the girl said in a cold voice, "He was too busy looking after his precious inventions."
The Professor sighed in disbelief, "NOW of all times?! Oh sure, we're only in the midst of a crisis, so why not prioritize his machines?!"
His body changed again and the black wings appeared on his back again, "Ren, help me out here!" he yelled and threw an orange and black ball into the air. It released a sharp, bright light that temporarily blinded my vision for a moment before I saw a giant, muscular humanoid creature with four arms and wearing nothing but male underwear. Its skin was the same color as a rock.
"Ren, Seismic Toss on the Corrupted – I will distract it and let you go in."
Ren – the giant – nodded and took a step back. It took a deep breath and I saw its muscles tense as the man ran at the monster and plunged his sword into its stomach.
"Now, Ren!" he yelled once he saw the shadowy monster taking aim, and leapt out of the way.
Ren took a firm grip around the monster's arms, forcing them away before taking an even firmer grip around its waist with its spare arms and leaping into the air.
Meanwhile the girl was fighting the third of the monsters, her agility proving to be too much for the fiend's reflexes – no sooner did it fire off a round at her, then she literally teleported away, forcing it to refocus to take aim again.
Only when a round of bullets fired into its body did it change focus to see Ren throwing its ally into it. The two monsters shot at each other. Both bullets hit the target right in the horn, ending the lives of both fiends.
"Good job, Ren," the man said and recalled the giant into the ball-like object. He then turned to the girl, who was staring at the smoking remains of the monsters with an expressionless look on her face.
"You did a good job as well, Squire," he told her.
She did not respond, and merely drove her sword into the smoke.
"You know it's no use. Those things feel nothing…" he said and walked towards her.
She looked away and I could see a pained look on her face. She then drew her sword and slashed at something I was unable to see. I heard a scream.
"Professor, look ahead," she said in a cold voice. I saw her point her sword forward.
The man gasped, "Sweet Arceus…" he whispered.
It was at that point that the image in my head got blurry…
I heard a lot of noise – human screams, and the girl's voice yelling that they will never get away with their actions. I saw her cutting through large hordes of the monsters, but it was as if I saw the image through a broken screen with lots of static.
Then, my vision returned to the sight of the girl standing over the corpse of another monster and driving her sword into it, disintegrating it.
She was wounded.
I saw blood trickle down her hips, and part of her dress being slit up by claws around her legs.
She was breathing heavily, "I will not die… until I've slain each and every one of you!"
I saw her draw her sword and slash at a creature that resembled a bear with sharp, pink spikes on its shoulders. It slashed at her and I noticed from her sluggish movements that she was tired – I immediately knew she had no chance of victory.
With an enraged yell, she drove her sword into the monster's chest, before pulling it out and stabbing it again and again.
"You shall know the pain of those you slaughtered… YOU!"
She slashed at it with all her might, "SHALL KNOW!"
I prayed that the outcome would be any different, but I knew it was unchangeable.
No sooner had she screamed "THEIR PAIN!" and drove her sword into the monster, then it took a firm grip around her neck, and started strangling her. It then roared loudly and disappeared into a black void… with her still in it.
The vision got blurry and the static appeared once again, enveloping my sight. I saw nothing. For a while, I heard nothing.
Then, the sound of familiar chatter broke through and snapped me back to reality.
-.-.-.-
I regained my senses in cold sweat to find myself in my classroom. I looked at the time – the day was almost over… had I… slept through most of psychology?
I wanted to scream, to cry for the girl, but I could not. I was too shocked.
The class was not over yet, but I felt sick. I felt nausea creep through me, and dizziness clouded my senses. I knew that if I didn't get some fresh air soon, I would faint.
"Hey, where are you going?" the teacher asked in a stern voice when he noticed me grabbing my bag and standing up without permission, "Class isn't over yet! Get back to your seat!"
I did not hear him. I threw the bag over my shoulder and stormed out the class, slamming the door behind me.
"Come back here, impolite brat!" I heard him yell after me, but by the time his words had escaped his mouth, it was far too late for him to give chase as I had already leapt headfirst into the elevator just as the janitor exited it.
I heard him yell something at me, but my brain did not register it.
I hurriedly pushed the button, and the doors closed behind me. Before I knew it, I found myself on the ground floor and made a beeline for the exit, not even caring enough to put on my jacket to protect myself against the cold.
Still in cold sweat, I stepped out into the large, open field, painted white with the snow. A freezing wind blew in my face, but it did not help how I felt.
My body feeling extremely weak, I ran to the nearest trash can and – out came my breakfast and lunch as I puked it all out into the trash.
I crouched and wiped my mouth. The feeling of dread I had felt from the vision was still present.
Very soon, I would find out why.
Just as I got up, it hit me. Quite literally.
I groaned in pain and rubbed the back of my head where the pebble had hit.
"Oh look, it's the wimp!" I heard a tough voice yell behind me, and I did not have to look to know that he wasn't alone.
I said nothing, but put on my jacket and slumped down into the snow just in time to dodge another small rain of pebbles that my aggressors threw at me.
"What's the matter? Too chicken to fight us?" I heard a female voice say through cruel laughter, "Are you scared?"
Someone behind her mimicked chicken noises and I heard all three laughing behind me. Then, as their laughter died down, I heard the most terrifying sound I knew in my life – their footsteps advancing towards me.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw their leader, Dirk – a tall young man with a military haircut and muscular build – clenching his fists. A menacing smile spreading over his face as he advanced towards me.
"Time to cough up your money, kid. You owe us for that time you didn't give us cash for that booze!" he said.
It was at that point I knew that no matter what happened, I had to run.
My brain shut off completely and my legs started moving of their own accord. I flailed desperately with my hands to knock away the snow and made my way to the forest, where I knew I would have an advantage – enough to escape my pursuers.
"After him!" I heard Dirk yell, "You're not getting away this time, you little chicken!
-.-.-.-.-.-
Preview of Corrupted Chronicles Chapter 1: Fateful Encounter
"W-who are you?!" I asked as the brunette calmly took a step forward, her injury healing as she walked. She did not answer me, but her eyes glared at the black beast. Her breath was calm, and she showed no fear as she calmly drew a sword.
"Get out, now..." she said without looking at anyone in particular, "Unless you wish to end up like the others."
It was easier said than done - there was nowhere I could go to escape.
Knowing escape was impossible, I took a deep breath and looked at the white bow she had dropped. I felt it calling to me.
I looked at the bloody claws of the beast, and its victims. We might never have gotten along, but to see this happen to them... it was too much.
I knew she stood no chance on her own. She was injured, and it was visible in her movements - her reactions were slow and sluggish. Seeing her in this state caused my emotions to finally peak.
As if my body no longer was mine to control, I rushed towards the bow and held it in my hands. No sooner had I done that, than I felt an emotion I had never known before surge through my body.
I heard the girl screaming and saw the beast knocking her sword out of her hands and knocking her down on the ground. Its claws grew and she raised her head to see its murderous gaze.
"No... please, stay away!" I yelled, feeling as if someone else was speaking through me. Before I could register what was going on, an arrow was fired.
To be continued in Chapter 1!
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Author's Notes: If you would like to support me and this story, as well as get chapters earlier and be able to influence the plot, be sure to join my Discord server, the link to which you can find on my Profile!
Until next time,
Xenoleaf