Prologue
The little town rivaled the brightest torch to ever be lighted up now that every house is burning. Tongues of flames continuously lick on roofs, on doors, on windows, on unconscious bodies stampeded by betrayal and treachery.
It's not that they are not prepared. They could fight. And fight well at that. But they just didn't see this coming. Not after an almost eternity of trust and close ties. Why? Does it really have to end this way?
As if the heavens were one with the attackers, the rain pounded mercilessly on the fugitives. It made everything darker and murkier. The wind howling its anger, impeding their escape. The attackers are killing everyone. Women, children, old people alike. There is no mercy in them. They are trying to erase all of them, not a speck of trace must remain.
The caravan wasn't moving as fast as it could, as it should. It's only a matter of minutes and they will be found, a matter of minutes until all of them will be wiped out. Wiped out as though they never existed.
Feet rustling as each pair struggle to move fast as they could. Chests heaving, taking in and letting out of breath frantically as their heart beat. No time to look back, no time to think. Move, move continuously towards darkness and hide.
The rain has seeped deeply into their dresses, mud spluttered on their feet, on their arms, on their faces. Never mind the dirt, the cold. Just run, run as fast as your feet could take you.
With mountains and oceans closing on them, the interception of the caravan would mean the end. And they could not let it happen.
Ri Na tightens her grasp on the little bundle that she cradles on her arms. Even if it costs her life, or her whole family's, this little bundle must reach the sea and sail across the ocean. The bundle must be save and tuck away in a place where it could be allowed to grow in peace, in happiness as what the others were accustomed to. With all the strength that she could muster, Ri Na went on, willing herself to escape the monsters trailing them behind.
The winds flapped open the seams of the bundle. It revealed a dear face of a child, wisps of golden hair escaping out, thin lips quivering in the chill of the night and rain, wide, sapphire eyes looking out into bleak space.
'Hime-chan... It's going to be okay. I'll protect you.'
Kaoru felt hot all over, as if her face is being burned as well as her whole body. Fire blazed the night into daytime, as houses, as bodies, seemed like to scream as they were scorched into dust. There were lots of crying, lots of running around. Rain seemed to pour endlessly, and the wind pounded mercilessly all around. On her feet were mingling water and blood, and her throat, she realized has dried that it refused to make any sound.
When she had heard the very first cry, she ran out of her room and found that the entire house is burning. She was on the little patch of garden she was attending every morning ever since she could remember. She tucked herself on the bushes thinking it would protect her from the rain. Her little form hidden from view, she watched as the whole town burns to the ground, people running here and there, screaming in anguish, in pain, alternating hooves and feet filling her senses with dread and inexplicable fear. She heard her maid hysterically calling out her name. She could make out her lithe form from the shadow thrown by the little lantern she had on her room. Then the maid turned at the door, hands flailed wildly in front of her as her assailant pointed a sword. She heard her scream then, loud and agonizing as the sword slashed her once, twice, until her blood splashed and created what seemed like a brush painting of blood on the screen of her shoji door. She couldn't tear her eyes away... She watched in what seemed to be hypnotic fascination how the shadow of the sword pierced through her maid's chest, slid through her throat and made the blood splash and spill on her futon. Even then, her eyes couldn't remove their gaze from the sight, even if her hands went to cover her ears, she could still hear her shout, the sword ripping through flesh, and the faint splash of blood hitting the shoji screen. Her limbs couldn't move, wouldn't move. And her eyes though dripped with rain water could not even spout one tiny tear. She could feel the rain washing dread through her small form, fear eating all her insides. She wish she would faint, but no. She had to see it. She had to live through it. And even if the murderer went towards the garden and slid the shoji open, she remained rooted where she was. And thank whoever for the darkness of the night and strength of the rain, he didn't see her. He didn't see her trembling through the bushes, silently wishing to die.
A/N I hope it made sense. Tell me what you think, please. Thanks!:)