Chapter 1

The sun was rising, letting its light brighten the sleepy village. The roosters woke up and started crowing like they always did. The alarmed villagers got out of their beds and started preparing for the day. The women began to water their plants as the men were getting ready for work at the fields and the mines. The rams in the farms were chewing on the fresh grass which was covered with the tiny water drops of the morning dew. The river was calmly running below the wooden bridge that connected Odelia with the plains. The tall windmill was slowly turning as the flowers and leaves were quietly swaying underneath the blazing sun. Everything looked normal, the usual things and the usual worries. But that certain day wasn't like the others. It was the beginning of something which had never been expected. Or needed.
The village's tavern had just opened and was accepting all the hungry folks. The owner's wife, Pamela, started welcoming the people and taking their orders. The chef, who was the owner, began to prepare the first meal of the day.

"Brutus, a dish of shark meat," said Pamela as she put a lock of her dark pink, almost red hair behind her right ear. The cook took out a pan and placed it on his table, next to a huge butcher knife and a basket full of exotic fruit. He turned around and put some ingredients in a large dark gray pot which was placed on some woods. The man then lit them on fire with some matches and took the shark meat out of a box full of ice cubes.

"Hey, daddy."
"Hi, sweetie. Go help your mum."
"Okay!" That was Kiara. She was a fifteen, almost sixteen year old girl. She had long, dark brown wavy hair which almost reached her hips. She would usually wear it braided and put the tail on her left shoulder, letting it fall in front of her chest. She had green eyes with brown spots at the edges of the iris. She worked as a waitress in her parents' tavern. Although she looked like a normal teenage girl, Kiara had unique skills which were used only by well-trained and powerful Japanese mercenary agents, known as ninjas. She had once met a ninja and had learnt to make jutsus, mystical Japanese techniques which consume one's chi upon usage. There were many different types of jutsus and the girl's dream was to master all of them. That wasn't an easy task though, because if you wished to do that, you would have to find scrolls which were hidden all over the world. They held the secrets of a certain jutsu and were dangerous in wrong hands.

"Kiara, shark meat for table four."
"Okay, dad." Kiara grabbed the plate and went to the cupboard next to the entrance of the kitchen. She opened it, took out a fork and a knife and headed towards the customers as she took out a small notebook and a pencil to help her mother with the orders.

. . .

"Bye, mum!"
"Bye, Kyle. Don't get into trouble."
"I won't, don't worry." That young boy was Kyle. He was sixteen years old. His hair was short, dark brown and kind of shaggy. His eyes were also brown. He was a really good archer, the best one in Odelia in fact. He always took his bow with him wherever he went. Well, almost always. He sometimes forgot it when he was in a hurry. He had learnt to make himself wooden arrows which were really effective, they were quite fast and really sharp. He worked at the village's tavern as a performer. The owner's daughter was a really good friend of his since they were babies and they've been through a lot of adventures together. But their biggest, most exhilarating and dangerous one was just about to begin.
Kyle put on his shoes and left his little cosy house. He seemed to be in a hurry because he almost forgot to close the door and lock it. He ran to the village square and stopped at the large fountain. He was going to say hello to the guards when their captain whispered them something that made them look worried and scared. Kyle ignored that and thought that they had work and continued his rush towards the stairs. While going down the stairs, he heard one of the armored wardens run to the wooden bridge.

"Kiara," happily yelled Kyle as he waved his hand. He saw that his friend was busy so he decided to help her and her mother with the orders. There were so many starving people that even five waiters wouldn't be enough. But soon all the customers were eating their meals and drinking their liquor. Kyle then grabbed a free chair from one of the tables and sat in front of the satisfied folks, holding a guitar. He put it on his leg and cradled it in his body. He started to play the guitar, pulling the strings and making them vibrate and create the lovely music. The audience was spellbound by the beautiful melody of the song. Everyone was looking at Kyle and was enjoying the atmosphere. He opened his mouth to start singing the lyrics of the song when he got interrupted by a silent scream in the distance. He stopped and looked around, trying to understand what had happened. Everybody was confused, sitting at their tables and turning their heads to different directions. Nothing could be heard, not even the birds' cheering. Silence.
A loud noise of a collapsing building came out of nowhere and scared the villagers to death. Kyle jumped from the chair, making it swing and fall on the ground, and dropped the guitar. All were panicking and screaming, running away with fear.

"What happened," asked the boy with a serious voice as he approached Kiara.
"I don't know," she replied while pushing the tables and chairs towards the tavern, "but it didn't sound good."
"Kids, get inside," ordered Pamela whilst keeping the door open. Another loud noise struck.
"Kyle, let's go!"
"Right." Kyle was just stepping inside the tavern when he realized he had forgotten his bow. "Wait, my bow."
"Forget about it," yelled Kiara, but the boy couldn't hear her because of all the screams and sounds in the streets. He quickly stepped away from the door and disappeared in the rushing crowds.