Teaser

"His was a destiny fraught with danger, a destiny that was cursed to end in tears, and yet, it was the one destiny on the planet that could save the world."

"Oooohh…" Chrono winced, gripping his side. His vision blurred a bit, but for some reason, his eyes focused in on the ground around him. There was a lot of blood. He winced, looking around. He was confused. Where was he?! Why wasn't he home?! He couldn't remember… He couldn't remember anything… And then he saw one of the creatures holding a small cerulean pendant… A crystalline gem held by a shining golden clasp…

And it all came rushing back. Everything.

Marle!!

He glared at the creatures, drawing his sword.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Chrono demanded, despite the pain in his side. "Drop that pendant! It isn't yours!"

"My, my…" One of the creatures stepped into the light, and Chrono blinked at it with surprise… The creature was covered with murky blue scales, all which sloped upwards gently to form a strange lump on the creature's head. It stood only three feet tall, but was somehow frightening in its own way. It wore aged leather armor, intermixed with bits of rust edged metal guards. It's eyes were the part that caught Chrono's attention, however. They were huge, almost bug-like, seeming to reach out of the creature's head towards him. Those eyes swam with red hatred, cold and hateful, Chrono could see his reflection on those huge red domes, framed by a crimson the same color as his blood. The creature's mouth was full of sharp jagged teeth, each easily as sharp as its' spearhead. It had magical runes carved into its armor, wards against the physical strength of humans. This was an imp. Chrono had only seen one once, at the ferry station, but it hadn't been like this… The imp he had seen was the same size, but there was something different… Perhaps bloodlust had caused this simple imp to look less like a Mystic, and more like a demon. The creature grinned a demented grin with its jagged teeth, taking another step forward. The point of its spear caught the sunlight from above, causing Chrono to wince. It sneered at him in its airy, voice, almost hissing. "Why don't you go back to sleep? When you wake up, you'll be far more useful."

The second creature advanced as well, followed by the third. They were all terrifying to the injured Chrono, all of them carrying identical spears.

"Yes, why don't you." The second one urged, licking its reptilian lips. "You're very unique. I've never seen a human like you before."

The first continued to grin, and Chrono began to feel even more nervous. He could feel dread crawling into his mind, filling him with cold horrible fear.

"You'll be a very pretty puppet—so please, lie down and die so we don't have to ruin you." The first imp said it simply, as thought it were something Chrono would actually consider doing. "Master Ozzie will really enjoy a puppet as pretty as you are."

Chrono blinked, the cold horror in his mind giving way to a pressing annoyance. What were these Mystics doing, anyway? If they hurt him, then Guardia would wage war against Medina, and he knew that they had to know that.

"What do you mean, puppet?!" He exclaimed, narrowing his eyes. "And do you want to start a war again?! You aren't allowed to hurt humans! Especially here in Guardia, of all places!"

"You must have hit your head." Said the first imp, seeming surprised. "That's sad. You've forgotten, haven't you? We are at war. You belong to us now."

The second nodded, smiling crookedly.

"Forget about ever seeing humans again, child." It said simply. "You're going to go to sleep here for just a little while… And then when you wake up…" The creature laughed, sounding crazed. Chrono backed away instinctively, the horror returning to him. "…you'll be Master Ozzie's puppet!" The creature finished with a cruel laugh.

The third leapt up and down, cackling as well.

"You'll fight the humans for us!" It exclaimed. "You'll help us paint Guardia castle red with the blood of your brothers!"

Chrono blinked, trying to ignore the fact that they were all looking at him with that bloodlust again. He couldn't ignore the last comment, however.

"What?!" He shook his head in disbelief, realizing just how far away from home that portal had taken him. He glared at the imps, again feeling annoyed. He wouldn't let them psyche him out. "Look, I don't know where I've ended up, but if you don't shut up and drop that pendant, I'll—" He stopped short when he saw one of the imps leaping towards him, brandishing the spear with great skill. Chrono tried to dodge, but the imp was faster. It plunged the spear into Chrono's back, sending the boy stumbling to the ground. Chrono coughed, trying to fight the pain. His vision flashed red. He could feel the blood running down his back, and when he looked back at the imp, he saw that the spearhead had broken off. Chrono realized that it was jammed in his upper back, but he made no effort to remove it. He struggled to get to his feet, stumbling weakly. Chrono's eyes watered, and he looked at the imps horrified, feeling dizzy with pain.

"Poor little creature." The imp said mockingly, walking up to Chrono. The second and third joined it, circling him like a pair of vultures.

"Yes, poor thing." The third said cruelly. It grinned at him, jabbing him in the leg with its spear. "You're just going to lose so much blood that you'll have to sleep."

"Don't you feel tired, little child?" The second said with a snicker. "Don't you want to sleep?"

Chrono bowed his head, feeling sick and even dizzier. He looked back to the imps, his vision blurring badly. The imps laughed at him as he stumbled back again, struggling to bring his sword up. He tried to focus on the imps, tried hold his sword steady, but it was no use. He felt thirsty and tired. Suddenly, Chrono realized something with cold dread.

He was going to die. He knew it now, and he felt his eyes water again at the thought.

His first real fight, and he was going to die.