Chapter One
Chaos.
Everything was in utter chaos.
All around me people were scattered in terror and confusion, bumping past me in their efforts to flee and, I didn't blame them for their fear. After all, I felt that I understood the multitude of emotions everyone must have been going through; several beings had just appeared out of nowhere and I was one of them, though, by the time I had appeared everything was already in shambles. So, I was fortunate that I had been unnoticed.
Honestly, this wasn't supposed to happen...
I'd spent months and months travelling between realms in an effort to return to my own. It's just that, the Highborne had also been travelling between realms. They had been searching for me so that they could obliterate me and purge every realm of the supposed threat I posed... There had been several instances where I had successfully escaped their intentions, however, in this particular case, they had managed to destroy the ship I'd been travelling in, which sent all its passengers and crew into the darkened abyss, where I can only assume, to appear in unknown times and places.
Forcing my way between people I felt the only necessary course of action would be to slip away unnoticed under the protection of the panicked crowds. My want to disappear quietly was all that could keep my attention as I hardly noticed my surroundings.
'You might want to lose yourself amongst the crowd.'
Within the folds of my long black cloak, hidden from view, was my grimoire. This was no ordinary book. He was bound in human skin and could somehow communicate with me through some kind of telepathic connection. Regardless of how grotesque and horrid he may be, Grim was my only friend...well, not quite, I also had an unusual blade named Rose but, she was no conversationalist.
Darting between two women, I heard a multitude of gunshots ring out over the cries of terror from the fleeing crowds of people which only fed my need to get the hell out of there. Without looking to see who had started shooting, I noticed how the crowd of people were thinning; they had been running in the opposite direction to me...perhaps, I should have questioned this before choosing to run this way...
Yes, I should have.
Hovering above the street, his long white hair rippling in an unfelt breeze was a Highborne elf; the mana in his eyes created long wispy trails. Cursing loudly, I had turned about to run and cursed again. Fighting their way between people were five men who looked severely out of time and place but, men who were well-known for their symbolic black suites and dark glasses. The sight of them was completely new to me; I'd no idea I was so infamous amongst the realms.
"Looks like I've got several fan clubs," I offered this half-hearted joke to Grim and received nothing but a snort in response. Joking could not hide the horrible realisation that I had been caught between two enemies; one that wanted me dead and an unknown fate by the others.
The situation appeared hopeless; people were screaming all around me, guns were being fired and death danced merrily in the pandemonium. The crystal in my chest pulsated horribly with a desire to collect the souls of the recently killed. Doubling over in pain, I clawed at the crystal in my chest. Unfortunately this position left me vulnerable to those last few humans running and I was knocked onto the road, face down.
This would have been okay had I not immediately been run over by a speeding six wheeled vehicle. How did I know it had six wheels? Because I counted.
'Ouch,' Grim stated with obvious sarcasm. As the last wheel had left my immobilised form, I felt my spine break in several places with fantastic sounding cracks muffled by flesh. My body braced itself for what was next to come.
The crystal had already been causing me pain since this debacle happened but, the pain that now ripped through my body caused me to contort violently; each broken bone and ruptured organ snapping and knitting itself back to new. The screams that spewed from my lips drowned out the sounds of panic around me; I could not hide the agony that was coursing through my limbs like fire.
I'd no doubt that at this stage, I'd probably attracted the attention of both the Highborne and the men dressed in black. It came as a surprise, however, when I was scooped off the road by an unknown male in a uniform that looked vaguely familiar. My eyes rolled as I attempted to focus on the unknown human.
"I've got her!" my crystal gave another painful twinge as it translated his speech.
It was at this exact moment that I actually took the opportunity to try and ascertain where it was I had appeared, but, my questions were answered when I recognised the Nazi armband on those approaching us. Gasping in both terror and surprise, my crystal gave one last painful twitch before a darkness crept into my vision and all senses became lost to me as I submitted to unconsciousness.
