OoO( Prologue )OoO

Death reeked from the land all around. Trees stood tall, but not out of might. Their trunks were hollow and broken, the bark blackened from the plague that still tainted the air from the massacre that took place years before. This land was dead, in the most literal meaning of the word.

The elf stood staring out across the lifeless land that was once his home. He stepped forward, planting his foot in the blackened dirt. Looking at the ground through his luminescent blue eyes, he stood in the giant scar that ran completely through the now appropriately named 'Ghostlands'. Looking around more, he searched, as if expecting life to spring up somewhere and greet him. But, there wasn't a sound, or sight of anyone. Sighing to himself, he moved forward down the large wound towards the north.

"It's a miracle Silvermoon survived if this land suffered this badly." he said to himself, keeping his hand around the the handle of the large broadsword on his back. He jogged quickly through the lifeless scar, not wanting to spend any more time here than he had to. As he kept his swift pace, he looked around urgently to see if he could see any form of life. But this place seemed void of company.

He knew that if anyone looked in his direction, he'd immediately be spotted. A few of the trainers back at Light's Hope had given him the nickname 'Sparkles'. It was no direct insult to him, or anyone else they gave the name to. It was simply a nickname given to the apprentices who hadn't seen battle.

The elf looked down at his own glinting armor. The small amount of light in the dark land, consisting of mainly the moon and stars, shone off his armor like a beacon. Against the dull black and grey of the Ghostlands, he stuck out like an orc in Stormwind. He now understood the nickname. Anyone who had been through numerous battles would've had their armor roughed up enough not to reflect light.

His ears suddenly perked and he turned towards the woodland. His sensitive ears had picked up the shrieking from a ways off. Gritting his teeth, and tightening his grip on the sword, he ran through the dead woods towards the sound.

When he arrived, he was horrified at the scene. An elven woman lay unmoving beside a smashed cart, blood pooling underneath her. A male of the same race lay nearby, his hollow expression showing the departure of his spirit. Whatever creature had been pulling the cart was now long gone. Approaching it slowly, he drew his sword and held it at his side, both hands ready to strike if necessary. He slowly made his way to the cart and inspected it from afar.

Suddenly, his ears picked up another noise from the demolished wagon. "Somebody is...crying?" he asked as he hastened his way towards it. Grabbing the cloth that covered the cargo area of the cart, he yanked it off, exposing a small girl. Her hair was short and blonde, her eyes glowing green and tearstained. As soon as she realized she was discovered, she let out an earsplitting shriek.

The elf stabbed his sword in the ground quickly, then grabbed her, covering her mouth. She struggled in his arms, her eyes closed tightly as she began bawling.

"Quiet!" he said in a loud whisper. At hearing the voice, she squeaked and immediately shut up. Her eyes opened, scanning him up and down rapidly. "If I remove my hand, will you stay quiet?" he asked her silently. She slowly nodded. "Good." he said as he removed his hand and set her down on her feet.

She looked at him, her eyes still streaming with tears. "Who...who are you?" she asked scrubbing her soaked green eyes.

He looked around at the landscape as he answered her. "My name is Diasareth." he said, still keeping his voice below a whisper. Looking down at her, he asked, "How about you?"

"My name is..." she said, but was cut off as the cart exploded into wooden shards beside them. Dias grabbed her, shielding her from the debris, then looked at the perpetrator. Buried in the ground where the cart used to be was a giant metal hook, anchored to a monstrous behemoth by a thick metal chain.

Immediately, the paladin stood and drew his sword. The girl got to her feet at the sight of the creature and began sprinting through the woods away from them. Dias turned, "Wait!" he shouted before having to jump forwards to dodge another attack. Getting to his feet, he turned to the beast, its form giant and pale, its stomach seeminly sewn up for any number of reasons. "Damn you..." he said as the monster prepared to attack again.

OoOoO

The girl ran as tears streamed down her face faster. She ran until she couldn't run anymore, and finally fell over next to a tree. She leaned up against it and began breathing heavily. She sat there crying for what felt like forever to her.

Suddenly, her stomach lurched as a giant iron hook latched to the tree she was leaning against and ripped it from the ground. She turned and crawled backwards as she saw the behemoth standing there glaring at her as it tossed the tree aside. The creature reached down to grab her, making her close her eyes tightly and hope it ended quickly.

"Hey!" came a voice from the top of the hill. Both the creature and the girl looked up at the figure, in shining silver armor with long flowing white hair, his blue glowing eyes piercing them both. "Looking for this big guy?" he asked as he tossed something on the ground, making it roll towards the beast.

The creature stepped closer and looked at the object. It was the head of the other creature he had fought only minutes ago. Once the abomination had recognized it, it roared furiously. Charging up the hill, the beast seemed to be in a rage. "Watch out!" she shouted, but he stood stock still, his eyes glowing like torches. When the monster had reached the top, it was surprised when the paladin jumped forward.

Swinging the hook defensively, it sent the metal weapon smashing into the hillside. Dias ducked under the chain, dragging his blade across the metal surface until it reached the monsters arm. The sharp edge tore through the undead creatures skin like paper, severing the creatures weapon arm from its body entirely and sending it flying.

The abomination roared loudly and turned to the elf in a rage. It roared again, but regretted not attacking sooner. The holy warrior dove forward, slamming his blade into the monsters throat, his body weight forcing the blade down, carving the undeads chest cavity open, and spilling its innards all over the dead scar. Dias pulled his blade from the creature as it fell forward into its own entrails.

He swung the sword harshly, causing the blood to fly from the blade. Turning towards the little girl, he cringed. The hook from the monsters severed arm had struck her, harshly. Her ran over to her as she looked up at him, her eyes half closed as blood poured from her stomach wound. He leaned down and threw the large hook aside, then looked at her. She sat silently, crying as her life poured out of her.

Dias stroked her cheek gently, then placed a hand on the wound. "Hold still..." he said and closed his eyes. The girl gasped quietly as a shining light began to flood out of his hands. Almost instantly, her wounds sealed up as the light covered her entire form. As soon as it had appeared, the light vanished, and the paladin stood. "Can you walk?" he asked her.

She looked down and saw a hole in her tunic, but no blood anymore. Getting slowly to her feet, she managed to take a few steps toward him. He held his hand out to her and smiled. "Come on, let's get you to safety." he said as she grasped his hand gently.

"Synnaria." she said. He looked down at her curiously as they walked. Scrubbing her eyes with the back of her free hand, she said, "You asked my name. It's Synnaria." Dias smiled and ruffled her hair.