A/N – In desperate need of some practice so tryin' my hand at some MK!

Wandering Souls
Prologue

The night was quiet and the rhythmic pitter-patter of the rain drops on the window relaxed Ezra as he laid facing the ceiling on bed he once shared with his late wife. He'd close his eyes but sleep hardly came easily to the ex-assassin. Always alert and always ready for anything just in case. After all, he and his daughter lived in Outworld- an unpredictable and unforgiving place.

Ezra listened to the rain along with the familiar creaking noises his home made in the dead silence of the night. He focused on every little sound. Then he heard something out of the ordinary. Faint footsteps. His eyes shot open. All his senses seem to suddenly switch on as his body automatically responded to the possible threat. The ex-assassin jumped off his bed and reached for his blade. One he hadn't used in many years and prayed he wouldn't ever have to use again. Unsheathed and ready, Ezra quietly opened his bedroom door only to be met by a figure in dark clothing. In a heartbeat, Ezra's blade had already pierced the intruder's chest and his limp body was left on the cold floor.

A chilling shriek of a young girl sent him running towards the only thing he held so dear. His daughter. As he entered his little girl's room an invisible force unlike any other pushed him and a second figure onto the wall. It happened so fast that he hardly had the time to shield his head. Now concussed, Ezra squeezed his eyes hard and shook his head as if trying to shake off the pain. When he reopened them his heart came to a steady halt. What he saw was a figure that resembled a little girl now floating a few feet in the air surrounded by a red glow. It was undoubtedly his daughter. But his daughter had brown hair instead of white, and green eyes instead red. And her attention was fixated on the second intruder.

The girl extended her arm with her small fingers parted and shockingly, the intruder's body was lifted off the ground as if she herself had willed it with her mind. The man kicked his legs in the air and opened his mouth to scream but no sound came. His eyes widened in fear of the unknown and dreaded what would happen next. In one swift move the girl's hand closed and the intruder's body disintegrated into dust on the floor where he once stood.

Ezra was mortified by what he had just witnessed but he had to react. "Lucina..." He spoke softly as he willed his body to step forward.

Her red eyes were glaring at him now. Ezra held his breath waiting for her next move. Expecting himself to be her next victim but unexpectedly, her gaze softened. Her eyes returned to their normal green and her hair darkened to it's original brown shade. The red glow that surrounded her had also faded. Her body once floating collapsed to the ground. The concerned father ran to her side and cradled her limp body in his arm. A feeling of relief washed over the parent when he heard his daughter quietly breathing. Still on the floor, he looked at the chaos that was left in his daughters wake and realized a terrible truth: this place could no longer be their home.

The ex-assassin ran for days with his sleeping daughter on his back hoping he could get some distance between whoever was trying to get to his family. He ran day and night barely feeding himself until he finally reached an isolated cave. A cave which an ordinary person wouldn't easily stumble into unless they were specifically looking for it. He walked along its sloping corridors until he reached a dead end. At first glance anyone would turn back and try their chances at another passage but Ezra knew what he was doing. The walls were engraved in glyphs of the ancients. He couldn't read all of it of course but he stood by the symbols he did know.

"Earthrealm." He whispered running his hand over the carved letters on the wall.

Ezra closed his eyes and whispered words in a foreign language that caused the carved letters to glow blue. Immediately a large ring that looked like swirling liquid appeared on the cave wall. The ex-assassin glanced back one last time at the place he once called home and walked through the portal.

~:~

In a Temple somewhere in China

The bald middle aged monk poured tea into clay cups and politely offered one to his guest. Ezra accepted and held the tea cup with both hands but didn't drink it immediately. Instead he stared at the hypnotic steam as he explained the reason of his sudden and unannounced arrival.

"Are you sure of what you've witnessed?" The monk asked.

"Yes, Yuan." The ex-assassin confirmed. "Her powers... They were unlike anything I could've imagined. I could no longer let her remain in Outworld. The danger she faces now that her power has awoken-"

"Say no more, Ezra." Yuan interrupted. "You two are safe here and you are in need of rest. We can discuss this at a later time."

Ezra's face fell. "I just don't understand. No one could have known. Only a select few..." The words danced around in Ezra's tongue but he didn't dare to utter them for fear that it might make them true.

The monk hesitated before asking the question they both didn't wish to hear. "Are you suggesting you were betrayed?"

"I don't know what to think at this moment. But I will need to inquire for myself. I cannot risk Lucina's life while I investigate."

Without speaking Yuan knew what his old friend was going to ask of him. "Worry not. Lucina will be welcomed here with open arms. She will be cared for like one of my own."

"I cannot thank you enough, old friend." Both men stood and bowed to each other.

Later that night Ezra quietly walked into the room Lucina was sleeping in. The room was small and modest with no decoration but a single small statue of a praying monk on a table in the far corner of the room. He walked to Lucina's bedside and watched her chest slowly rise and fall as she slept peacefully. With a finger he brushed the stray hairs out of her face and caressed her small rosy cheeks.

Ezra reached into his pocket and placed a palm sized gold plate by her pillow along with his own medallion that hung from his neck.

"I'll always protect you." He whispered to her.

He leaned in and pressed his lips onto her forehead and stepped out her room. Not knowing if this might be the last time he'd see her again.

Thanks for reading! I'll have the next part up soon!

- Atlys