PROLOGUE
Wearing her mask with white fur that hid her obsidian locks, She ran through the forest along with the wolves.
A sudden sharp pain knocked through her head causing her to stumble over her feet but not falling. She shook her head to shake the pain away and heard her companions whine in worry. About to assure them she was alright the wolves turned their head towards sound of rustling and growled, ready to attack if what was coming was a threat.
She hunched down to attack when she saw movements through the woods until dark blue locks filled her vision and then met a pair of pure determination in the owner's deep ocean blue eyes.
CHAPTER 1
The Territory of Ryuushaku was known to be hidden deep within the labyrinth of forest located in an island not far from the Tenzan Plateau. The islands had to be real since it was visible from far away but it was protected by a ring of whirlpools making it impossible get into the island. It was said that in the territory lived intellectual and powerful race which the territory was named after, the Ryuushaku. Little was known about the race but rumors said that the race were gifted eyes of the Great Dragon Mother making them able to turn anyone into stone by looking at them. There was another rumor about their origin being of a wolf and dragon hybrid warrior named Ryuushaku who had been forsaken and exiled. The race was to be known for their agility and strength that can rival that of a fanalis. Their intelligence came next as they were strategist. They perfect beings but everyone knows the saying, "No one is perfect". Well, their weakness is short life span.
Yet they were rumors, no one could really confirm if the Ryuushaku people really existed or were a mere tale except those who are from the Territory of Ryuushaku or more like the Ryuushaku people in the territory in which the men; who are wearing their handmade durumagi and baji, hunting for food while women; who wore either a haori or a jeogori and a chima of their color preference underneath, looked after their offspring and guarded their kingdom like territory. They all looked like the people of Kou but one thing was extremely different. Their eyes were slit like a dragon's, though most were blue, green, brown and obsidian grey until the birth of the territory's leader's daughter.
Shuuza, the cheerful leader, and his tired wife, Sharan, looked at the baby who was recently born. The newborn was sleeping calmly in her mother's warm arms.
"You did a wonderful job, Sharan."
The leader smiled down at his wife, then at his daughter lovingly.
"Thought for any names for our daughter?"
The leader rubbed his chin thoughtfully. He had thought of many names but looking at his daughter he knew only one suited her the best.
The leader picked his little girl up. The baby woke up groggily and opened her eyes lightly. Her parents gasped. Their little baby had the most beautiful dragon like eyes that hadn't been seen in their territory. Amethyst.
"Shazara," he replied.
His wife gave him an incredulous look.
"Our goddess of future, Shazara?"
"I feel like her eyes are a hint that will protect the future!" the father cheered. His wife laughed and shook her head.
"You are expecting too much from her."
Little did they know that their daughter was special.
Years passed and Shazara grew to 14 years old. She tied her waist length hair in a high ponytail and her bangs were kept in a M shape. Her side bangs really long that only the end of it was tied to the pony tail.
She wore a dark purple haori, a dragon patterned shorten light green chima and a black baji that both were shorten up to her knee. Her legs were bandaged so she wouldn't show skin.
Shazara took one last look at the house before leaving with a mask and long white fur attached to it on the top.
"Leader! Leader!" children immediately called her the moment Shazara stepped out of her house.
Yes, she was the leader after her parents passed away because of an unknown illness which did not affect others when she was at the tender age of 7. The people of the territory were kind and let her hold the title as the leader knowing she was young but she was also intelligent and being a magician she could see the ruhks that were flying around her happily.
"Where are you heading now?"a little girl asked.
"I am leaving for a hunt."
Shazara said as she pulled her mask on and had the fur hide her hair. She happily hugged them before leaving them inside the kingdom's walls without worry of her people.
Shazara knew some of her people's strong point was agility and strategy. Strength not so much but enough to make a well made house of rock crumble down in 1 hard punch (so almost like a fanalis strength). They were more of an expert acrobats having no problem with hunting and running through the forest. Though those who were weak were educated about the human body and also in poison and medicine even a bit of magic or just lived a pleasant life.
Shazara was different in a way. She absorbed information like a sponge would to water. She would remember everything she saw. The memory would forever be there engraved in her brain. Not being physically strong she was an acrobatic and calculative fighter, able to press pressure points of human's body to incapacitate them or use the other's strength to her benefit. She learned to throw projectiles, swordsmanship and acrobatics and is still learning in fact. She was a better fighter than all of her people who knew to fight.
On her way for hunting, two wolves soon joined her for the hunt. They silently walked and scanned the place for possible prey. She slowly was creeping away from the actual hunting grounds of the territory. It wasn't allowed to go beyond the hunting grounds but Shazara was a curious child. She had little by little stepped away from the hunting grounds before getting frightened of the unknown and returning. She repeated the next day, going a little bit further.
Today she had exceptionally gone way too far and the rukhs seemed to be trying to guide her somewhere. Deciding she had gone far enough Shazara turned to head back to the hunting grounds, that was, until she saw a deer. Quickly crouching down to hide she hastily took one of her throwing daggers. Slowly and carefully starting to close in, one of the wolf had stepped on a branch making it snap and alerting the deer. The deer ran and the predators wouldn't let go of the chance of having deer meat so they chase after their prey.
Wearing her mask with white fur that hid her obsidian locks, she ran through the forest along with the wolves. Ignoring that they had gone quite a distance away than normal to chase after it for the children in her tribe.
A sudden sharp pain knocked through her head causing her to stumble over her feet but not falling. She shook her head to shake the pain away and heard her companions whine in worry. She had seen something which had confused her. She hadn't been in contact with anyone to be able to see but she saw a man with dark blue locks looking at a young lady dark purple locks smiling happily together with people who looked like him.
A memory? A vision? Shazara wasn't sure.
The ruhks fluttered around her as if she reached the goal and the wolves whined again. About to assure them she was alright the wolves turned their head towards sound of rustling and growled, ready to attack if what was coming was a threat.
She hunched down to attack when she saw movements through the woods until dark blue locks filled her vision and then met a pair of pure determination in the owner's deep ocean blue eyes which soon turn to confusion and then to alert.
He looked like one of her people but Shazara knew that wasn't the case. His eyes were different.
"Who are you and what are you doing in Territory of Ryuushaku?" Shazara demanded though she could tell he wasn't a bad person by the ruhks still she wouldn't risk it.
The boy was surprised about something Shazara couldn't really grasp what.
"We are in Ryuushaku's Territory?"
Shazara rested her right hand on the handle of her sword kusanagi, unsheathing it a bit, ready to attack if necessary.
The young man quickly raised his hands in attempt to calm the masked girl and her wolves companions when he caught her movement.
"Wait! I am lost!" he admitted.
Well the young man would obviously be lost when he wasn't a native of the island. Shazara, still cautious of the stranger, slowly moved away from him. She had to warn her people that unknown people were near.
"Why are your eyes like that?" Shazara asked.
"My eyes?"
Shazara nodded. It was her first time seeing abnormal eyes, especially this stranger's eyes.
"Is it because you exposed them outside?"
The older of the two only looked at her in confusion. He clearly didn't understand the girl's implication of abnormal.
"Well, first of all, I am the first crowned prince of Kou Empire, Ren Hakuyuu. My eyes are completely normal if you must know."
Shazara tilted her head confusion.
"Kou? Prince? Normal?" Shazara asked.
"I never saw eyes like yours and there is no 'Kou' here."
Hakuyuu looked curiously at the masked girl. Her mask prevented her eyes from visible.
"Then how do your eyes look like?" he finally asked.
"I can't show you here," Shazara said.
Suddenly she threw a dagger, it almost grazed through Hakuyuu. Hearing a sudden shriek from behind him, Hakuyuu looked back to see a deer bleeding from a dagger stabbed deep through its neck.
The wolves, who were named after Shazara's parents; Shuuzan and Sharal, quickly went to retrieve the prey.
"Come on!" Shazara grabbed the prince's wrist. The moment she had taken his wrist she saw a flash of something. A memory or most likely the future of this prince perhaps. No... it was much more than that. She had imprinted him. Their possible future and happiness. He was much more older and was wearing extravagant white clothes and the silver designs were similar to those of Ryuushaku. He was sitting on a huge chair that was seemed like only important people sat on. Shazara, wearing a white mask, was on his left smiling brightly at him and he smiled back. A boy and a girl who seemed to be young adults looked exactly the same as Hakuyuu but only with softer features stood in front with hands joined both happy. Beside the copy younger copy of Hakuyuu was a male with red eyes and long ink hair. He was smiling heartily beside a red messy haired man with a gentle smile albeit sad in his eyes as he looked at Shazara. Beside Hakuyuu stood a man with red hair. His face was stone but one could read his eyes. They were practically screaming of delight. Finally beside Shazara was another man that looked like Hakuyuu but eyes softer and hair shorter. He looked playful with his huge grin.
Shazara shook her head a bit. They were all happy. She felt what she felt then and that extreme delight and happiness. She wanted that. If she had to follow the prince and risk her life for him then so be it.
The prince must be from some other tribe since the future she had seen had more people like Hakuyuu.
"You must be cursed for taking your mask off, after all," she concluded to herself confusing Hakuyuu.
"Maybe Daddan can do something to help you."