He felt eyes watching him from the shadows. No matter how much he tried to run from his them, they always followed him. Crown prince Alexander of the Merisa Kingdom, destined to become a great King that would help his people in times of need. Ever since he was a child, being the only child of King Daxium and Queen Layla, he was told of his responsibilities. Of what he would do once he came of age. But he knew in his heart that he had failed before he'd even begun.

"The future of this kingdom depends on my son. Are you saying that future is threatened because of my son? That is unacceptable."

"I have spent my valuable time and effort on him. But I have yet to see any results. I am wasting my precious time when I can spend it on a worthy student, deserving of my skills."

"No! You are the Royal family's private tutor and my son is the future king of Merisa. He will learn how to control his gift however it manifests itself or I will find else. Someone more willing to teach my son the method of protecting this Kingdom from them." His father demanded angrily. Them. The monsters that lurked beyond the walls. Vile flesh-eating cannibals called Zmuerto. A mere powerless mortal would never have a fair chance with these creatures because of they could do. They could paralyze their victims by freezing them alive like a spider, while they slowly ate you alive. At least those were the rumors. The king and his league of trained fighters would venture out and battle these creatures. And like every great leader, the king was to be the most powerful and influential of the group. To be able to command and lead his men whether by brute force or of cunning mind. Anybody with royal blood had an ability to help defend themselves. His father had the ability to control wind. To create storms that could wreak havoc and mass destruction. My mother had the gift of moving the earth. She helped keep this kingdom from starving by making sure there was a plentiful harvest all year long, for as long as he could remember.

Each king since the Rise, had used their special gift from the gods to defend and protect their kingdom. And ever since the legendary King Jon, the king has had a special ability to battle with defensively and offensively against enemies. Only one king since then had come close to failing the kingdom. Because of King Titus, the prince's great-grandfather, the kingdom was in complete isolation from most of the other kingdoms. But recently their scouts reported that the other kingdoms had fallen and their citizens had scattered into the dark forest living day by day. Refugees from these nations used to come in by the dozens in an hour. Now, barely two or three enter within a week. Sadly, most of those recent refugees collapse from dehydration or hyperthermia once they pass a gate or son thereafter.

Even with every eye on him, he kept walking down the hall and out the palace doors. There had been talk of what was to happen if he did not come into his heritage. There were also rumors that he was an illegitimate heir. Even if that were true and his mother was unfaithful, she still came from a powerful long line of magic users. His cousin Luca was a prodigy in his talents. He had the gift of unbelievable strength and speed. There were rumors that people wanted Luca to be their king and Alexander had heard enough of those gossips for today. "My prince, where are we to escort you today?" the captain of the palace guards asked.

"Anywhere but here, Fredric." The prince replied. The prince and his escort traveled through packed streets passing dozens of street stands. They had become somber over the years. He assumed that as news spread of the fallen nations, of the declining numbers of refugees, of the loneliness and isolation, the more desolate they became. How he wished things were back to how they were when he was younger.

"I beg your pardon, my lord," the prince nodded at Fredric. "Have you selected any of the men I recommended to be part of your Elites?" Alexander had chosen a few men that were worthy enough. He even had the list in his pocket. A good 30 men. Small enough to manage, but big enough a force that could considered a force to be reckoned with. It was mostly filled with men he trusted and respected.

"I'm still debating on a few men, I will like to meet with some of them to make my final decision." The prince declared. That was true at least. There were about 3-4 that he was still debating on. They could still be considered strangers if not acquaintances, however their skills were considered extraordinary.

"Of course, my pri-"- An uproar near the front gate interrupted him. They rushed towards it.

"Zuertos, they're trying to get in through the gates!" Someone shouted just as one of the creatures came through running towards a female civilian. Alexander ran after her as more zmuertos came through. His men were already battling them, helping to close the gate. The girl ran as fast as she could away, running towards the city. Sadly, it had grabbed her by her hair and was yanking her into an alleyway. Alexander ran faster. He rounded the corner just as she was thrown into a wall. Even though it was dark and he couldn't see much, he pulled out his sword and attacked. But it was faster, stronger than he ever thought possible. He struck again and again, still not hitting it. Even if he kept missing, at least he had caught it's attention. A chamber pot flew by him and struck the creature down.

He turned and saw the girl, "Come on." Well, he couldn't fight if there was a chance she could get hurt, so he ran with her. They ran into a building, climbing the stairs two at a time. Hiding in an abandoned room under a rotting wood desk. "Names Elisa. You, my dear nobleman?" she whispered, panting.

He hesitated, "Alex. Pleasure to meet you Elisa."

"Well, Alex, I want to thank you for coming to my rescue."

"My lady, I wouldn't call that a rescue." She chuckled. She had light brown eyes with a sparkle of green. He probably wouldn't have noticed if the sun wasn't shining in her eyes.

"Oh no, it's the thought that counts." She said as she fixed her curly light brown hair. "You saved my life, even if you didn't kill it." A sad smile tugged on her lips.

"I couldn't let an innocent girl die like that." Her smile faltered. He scanned the room and he noticed that there was only way in and out. There weren't even windows. He realised in that moment that if the Zmuerto found them here, they would have no way to escape. After a few minutes of catching their breath, she whispered, "Do you think we lost it?"

"I haven't the slightest idea. But do you think we should be making so much noise. They've been known to have good hearing, you know." He whispered back.

"Yes," she said with sorrow in her eyes, "I know. They also have a great sense of smell."

He stared at her wide-eyed. No one except his tutors and the warriors knew that. "How could you possib-"- A bang shook the building. They could hear creaks and the moan of the stairs radiating all over. Hopefully it would pass by their door and they would be safe. Unfortunately, it stopped right outside. Alexander signaled for silenced as they heard their door screeched. He had never seen the creature before. He only had rumors and drawings to go by. But he could see the creature clearly now. How he wished they had exaggerated it.

It had grey, dead-looking, skin that was covered in blood. It was hunched over like an animal with its dark red eyes scanning the room, nostrils flaring. It was hunting them. It was terrifying because it looked so human, yet one look and anyone would know it was most definitely not.

He readied his sword, the moment it spotted them. "RUN!" he yelled as the creature roared. He prepared as he always did and attacked. His goal was to get it away from the door so she could escape. With every swing, he missed. It was if the creature knew what his next movements were. Finally, he struck it. It roared and launched itself. Alexander attacked again and again relentlessly to the point the creature took a pause. He knew he should have struck it then but he needed to know she was alright. So he turned to make sure she was gone. She had reached the door but another one appeared before her. It threw her into the bookcase as he was struck from behind. Collapsing, he saw it approaching her unconscious body. He needed to do something but he had lost his weapon and was now battling it with his bare hands. He saw red and the it screamed. The creature was burning and the room was filling up with smoke. A fire. It was on fire and so was Alexander. He could feel it burning him, felt the flame rising behind him, all around him. The other one turned as it heard its comrade painful roar. Alexander swore he saw fear in its eyes. Fear of him. He looked down and saw that his hands were engulfed with flames. He knew that he should feel pain but he only felt warmth, a tinkle. Elisa came to a moment later. She was wild-eyed, staring at his hands.

He rose and unleashed all of his anger at it. The fire roared to life around the two of them. They made an unhuman sound as burned alive. Then they were gone as if they never existed. Just ashes in the wind. He collapsed on knees. "How did you do that?" She murmured. He shook his head disbelieving and helped her up. They stood completely covered in ash unlike the room which was black as if a fire burned days ago, and not just moments ago. He turned to face Elisa at the same moment she punched him. He gave her bewildered expression, but she merely said "That's for not using your trick in the first place." He smiled. They wandered into the streets. Soldiers were searching every building, every cart for something or someone.

"My prince, are you alright?" Fredric asked as he rushed to them.

"Quite alright. We ran into a bit of trouble. Nothing we couldn't handle." He grinned. Elisa only gaped at him.

"Let me escort you back to the palace,"

"Of course. Let me just have a private moment with Lady Elisa. I want to make sure she is in good hands before we go." He bowed and hurried away.

She dropped to her knees next to him, "P-prince Alexander, I seek forgiveness for my foolishness. I did not recognize you and I should have. I –"

"Enough. After what we went through, formalities don't matter. Although, I do have a favor to ask of you."

"What is it you desire?"

"Can we keep what happened today a secret?" He asked quietly.

She stared, "Of course, my prince."

"Good, and you never know. We might meet again, Elisa." He turned and walked away. As he neared Fredric. He gave him a folded paper.

"What's this, my prince?"

"The men I have chosen for my Elite. Now let's head back. I have to talk with my father about important matters."

"Of course, but might I ask why you are covered in ash, my prince?"

The prince only smiled back.