A group of four girls began their day. Eighteen-year-old Hisana, and thirteen-year-old Karin, Yuzu and Rukia. Hisana was the eldest daughter of Isshin Kurosaki and his late wife Misaki. Yuzu and Karin were his younger daughters and Rukia was his adopted daughter. Honestly, she was their cousin and they all knew that but still she was treated as immediate family as they had all grown up together.
"I'll see you later! I'm going to go hunting in the spine!" Rukia called out as her family began their day. The twins would milk the cows and Hisana would clean the wheat that Isshin cultivated from their crops.
Rukia ran through the village towards the spine and no one payed her mind, save a pair of greyish blue eyes that followed her. She ran into the spine with little more than a simple cotton dress shirt and trousers worn by men and boys. She was quite unfavourable due to her preference to wearing trousers and she never heard the end of bullying.
She carried a carved stone dagger and a simple bow with simple arrows. She spent a few hours climbing the hills of the spine. Earlier she had seen rabbits and while she could have hunted them, she just couldn't seem to stomach killing such innocent and fluffy creatures. She also suspected where their pet rabbit Chappy once disappeared to. It was a bad harvest season after all.
She spied a deer grazing near a stream and crouched low into the coverage with her bow ready. She aimed for the heart and drew back the string.
Shouting followed him as he fled through the forest. Gin Ichimaru, a shade was chasing him. He was the only elf left from a squad of twelve. Eleven elves, strong elves, were killed. Shades were dark beings. They let themselves be possessed by dark energies and spirits. Becoming a shade was the failure of controlling the dark magic they used.
Gin Ichimaru was once an ally. That was at least a century ago. His lover, Rangiku Matsumoto had been murdered in their bed as they slept by a jealous woman who Gin had scorned. He had been consumed with negative emotions when he had attempted to exact his revenge and the spirits he had controlled sook revenge on their master for his harsh treatment.
Now what was left of him was an empty shell containing his damned soul and many other spirits of trapped dark energies. He was no longer the person he once was.
An arrow pieced the horse he rode and even though he couldn't bare to see the animal suffer, he fled, not even killing it out of mercy. There was no time. The dragon egg he had been carrying for over one hundred years was the target of the assailants. They were ordered by the king to kill the party carrying the egg and return the egg to the vault the king Aizen had created to keep it.
He narrowly missed a spell aimed at him and he rolled on the earth. He grunted at he shakily got to his feet. They had been running restlessly for fourteen days. No sleep, no water and no food. He began forward again only to be blocked by the servants of Gin's, the hollows.
He knew he couldn't escape. He despaired knowing this was the end of him and of his family. He recognised the area as a place near a human village, the village he once saved a young baby. He closed his eyes and focused on teleporting the egg to the Varden, the human resistance against the king.
He yelled as the remained of his energy left him. Hopefully the future would be safe.
The terrifying figure of Gin leaned over him. He was still living but the nature of his magic made him rot alive. He no longer even appeared human.
"Where is it?!" He yelled into my face. I narrowed my eyes.
"It is safe from the likes of you and your basterd king!" I spat and clenched my teeth as my face was turned to the side by his hand. I spit out blood. He broke my kenseikan while he grabbed me by the hair and brought my face close to his own.
"Show me!" He demanded and forced his way through my memories. He caught not a glimpse however as I shielded my thoughts and put myself in a coma. It was not cowardice, I did not do it to protect myself from pain, but to protect the information I knew that they needed. I had no delusions of being rescued.
This was surely the end for me. I had no regrets, but I did feel sad knowing I would never know if that baby had grown up into a healthy girl.
A bright light blinded her and she shrieked. She lost the grip she had on the arrow and fired it aimlessly. The sudden flash bad made her sick and she gaged into the brush before regaining her breath and wiping her mouth.
No animal would be anywhere near the clearing now and it was far too dangerous venture further into the spine. That strange phenomenon made her decide it was even less worth it.
She climbed out of the thicket and began to make her way back from where she came from when a gold gleam caught her eye. Her jaw dropped in disbelief. Unlike most people would try to become wealthy from it, she figured she could trade it for some food.
Honestly the wheat they grew made good trade for almost anything other than metals and meat. And seeing as her family would be disappointed at not having any meat, she decided it would so well enough. It was spherical in shape and it appeared to be solid gold if the colour and weight were anything to judge by. She bagged the golden globe with the single peasant she had caught.
If she were lucky, perhaps she could get a whole wrap of meat! She grinned and giggled to herself as she ran towards the village.
By the time she returned it was early evening and there wasn't much time before the village turned into their homes or took to the village pub for stories and ale. She quickly ran towards the butcher and opened the door the man looked up at her and resumed his work, not bothering to greet her. She felt saddened but she took a deep breath and walked forward.
"I would like to trade for some meat, please." She said steadily and kept her focus on the man's face.
"Trade? What do you have to trade?" The man asked her condescendingly before a strange but dangerous gleam entered his eyes. She was warned to stay away from men like him, but in this situation, she had little choice at their village was small it only had one butcher.
"I found treasure, here look! I think it is gold! It must be worth at least some meat." I said happily and presented the egg to him over the counter that her head only just rose above. The look in his eyes changed to an equally bad expression of greed.
"Bah! This is fools gold! I won't have you trying to trick me! The village won't do business with your family once they know you tried to swindle me! What do you take me for?" He asked after trying to ridicule her. She bit her lip nervously but stood her ground.
"You are the one trying to swindle a child, you will be the laughing stock of the village!" She said gleefully and watched the triumphant look on his face become angry.
"Get out! How dare you insult me? I bet you stole it in the first place! I will not do business with the likes of you!" He spat at me and resumed his work. My happiness diminished and my smile fell. I bit my lip and steeled myself.
"I am very sorry for my rudeness, but please accept my trade, I cannot return home empty handed." I asked but he ignored me. At least until that dangerous gleam returned to his eyes.
"I will accept trade…if you offer me something of better value." He suggested and smiled at me. The bile rose in my throat and I slipped the sphere back into my back. I turned my back to him as the door opened.
"Come now father, surely we can trade her a few pheasants." Renji, his only son said and winked at me. He and Hisana had an on and off relationship over the years but he and I remained friends, despite him being six years older than me. Villager teased him about his 'indecision', as if anyone would be interested in me.
He made the bullying and meanness towards me bearable though.
"You can make the decisions when I am dead and buried! Go make yourself useful and clean the carcasses at the back." He told Renji who quickly pulled off two pheasants handing on a hook at gave them to me. I wasn't going to accept them but he shoved he out the door quickly before I could even thank him. I smiled to myself. Hisana sure was lucky, and the village was lucky that Renji took after his mother instead of his father, despite losing her only years after he was born.
I made it home early enough to present our dinner. It was easy to disguise the pheasants with the one I caught so hopefully I wouldn't have to be shamed.
"Rukia! You're late! Did you catch anything?" Yuzu called from the pantry.
"I did, give me a moment, I will be right there!" I yelled back and bounded into the barn. I hid the sphere at the top bunk of the barn where I usually slept.
"Here." I said proudly and handed the bag to my cousin. Her eyes widened gleefully.
"Oh wow, there is three of them!" She said happily and Karin came to help her prepare them.
"Hey, I am really tired so I am going to turn in early. I will just eat some cheese and bread, goodnight!" I said and ran back to the barn. I couldn't deny the curiosity that was eating me about that strange object. How did it even get there? Deer don't lay eggs!
She soon became bored and the exertion of the day made her fall asleep. She didn't stay asleep however as hours passed the sphere began rocking and rolling around. She startled when it rolled against her leg.
Rukia didn't know how the strange object started moving and began suspicion it was unwise to bring it home. She climbed down the landed and watched the object roll around until it fell. She didn't think it would shatter and it didn't, at least not immediately.
Strangled sounds came from the object and pieces of it start being pushed up from inside. Something poked out of the opening before it completely broke apart leaving a strange peach coloured creature in its place.
It was an egg! But what on earth was that creature!? It looked at her with big brown eyes and it cooed softly. It didn't feel dangerous but it certainly felt mystical. I moved towards it slowly and it made no move other than to cock its head in my direction.
"Oh hello." I said softly and lifted my hand to its face to stroke it. I felt and intense and somewhat painful static shock and recoiled my hand. It wasn't burnt, but a strange silver marking somewhat like a moon now lay on the palm on my hand.
I helped the creature up to the top where my bed and the stacks of fresh hay were kept and it perched atop a block before becoming silent. I watched it for a moment before consciousness escaped me.
Silvery eyes shot open with a gasp at the doors to the chamber were slammed open. Despite being chained to a torture table, his eyes displayed his mirth.
"You are too late." He said and smiled triumphantly. All hope was not yet lost.
"It has hatched."
Far away in the kingdom of Auberon a man who sat upon a thrown howled in rage.
A new dragon rider had just been born.
He must be found and killed!
Before he brings hope to the resistance.