Chapter 1- Bitter Tears and Unforgiving Flames
Screams filled the village as people ran from burning homes, as every inhabitant tried to get as far away as possible. The hoard of mazoku overhead let no one go unnoticed. Each villager perished one by one.
All except one.
A young teenage girl ran straight into the blaze, her long blond hair whipping about in her face as her braid came loose. Ignoring walls of fire around her, she ran through the flames enveloping a small house.
Inside, she looked frantically around for her mother. The smoke stung her eyes, as she ran from room to room, searching with all her might. Running into her mother's bedroom, she stopped.
Serafina, master swordswoman and sorceress, lay on the floor, badly wounded by both the flames and the claws of the monster that lay nearby. Blood flowed steadily from a deep slash on its throat.
The girl knelt beside her mother, and felt her cheek. She felt movement from her mother's slow breathing. Then she still had reason to hope.
At the touch, her mother's eyes flickered open.
"Reina..."
Reina stopped her from talking.
"It's okay mom. I'm gonna get you out of here. You'll be fine."
She bent to lift Serafina onto her back.
"Wait... Reina, don't bother. I'm not going to make it out alive with or without your help."
"But-"
"Be quiet and listen to me. Take this." She held up her blood-covered sword and its sheath. "I want you to have it. It's been passed down through our family for years and years. It was mine, and now I give it to you."
Reina's hands shook as she took the sword, wiped it, and then sheathed it. Adjusting her belt, she hooked the scabbard and its cargo to the side where it could be easily reached if she, L-sama forbid, needed it. She turned back to her mother and began again to feebly protest the idea of leaving her there.
"But... mom, you know I'm not that good with a sword... I only do magic... and I'm not even good at that!"
Her mother chuckled grimly.
"Yes... that's true. Still, I already figured out what I was going to do about that."
Reaching behind her head, Serafina unclasped the necklace that rested on her throat. She held the tear shaped crystal tightly and whispered a quick spell. The crystal blazed for a moment, then faded. Serafina was pale and shaking when she opened her hand.
"Mom! You're too weak to do magic! Stop it, please!"
"No, Rei. I have to do this for you. Take this with you. Don't put it on until you're far away from here! No matter how bad things get for you, however, you must NEVER part with this crystal OR this sword. Even at the cost of your own life. I can't say why. Understand?"
Tears on her cheeks, Reina nodded, and put the crystal in her belt pouch.
"Good. Now go! Hurry! If they find you, it's all over!"
Reina stood and wiped away her tears.
"I love you, mom..."
"I love you to Rei... Be strong, and never give up. I know you won't disappoint me." Serafina smiled at Reina, then closed her eyes and let her spirit return to L-Sama's sea of chaos.
Reina walked to the door, and looked back at Serafina's body.
"Goodbye, mother," she whispered. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she brushed it away. Turning, she ran through the door without looking back again.
Arriving in the village square, she surveyed her problem. The Mazoku had left, but the fire was still blazing, blocking off all escape routes. For a moment, Reina began to lose hope of making it out, when her mother's last words rang in her head. *I know you won't disappoint me...*
Newfound strength flooded her heart, and she dashed once more through the inferno. Terrible pain seared her skin as the fire tried to consume her, but she kept going, pushing forward with all of her will. The pain suddenly stopped as she burst from the flames, running towards the nearby forest.
She didn't stop until she was so far away that she couldn't see or smell the smoke from her village. For over two hours, she kept running, her fear and determination spurring her on to levels of endurance she could never have achieved otherwise
Leaning against a tree, she breathed heavily as the world became more and more blurry. Her head spun, and she slid to the forest floor as everything went dark.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two figures stood in what looked like a stone chapel. At one end was a vortex of black light, and at the other was a cloaked figure standing before a throne-like chair made of stone. Before the figure kneeled a mazoku.
"So, you were distracted with killing the humans, and you let someone escape with the sword and the Dragon's Tear?" The voice of the cloaked figure was cold, sharp, and furious.
The mazoku kneeling raised it's head. "I'm sorry Lord Kazeki! I did not mean to fail you! We had already dispatched of the one called Serafina, and I meant to get the sword and crystal after we finished decimating the village as you ordered. However, when I returned for them, they were gone. I swear I will never fail you again!" It's voice was full of fear.
Kazeki's blood red eyes narrowed. "Yet you did fail me. I have been more than tolerant with you."
"P-please my lo-" the stammering mazoku began.
"SILENCE!" The room seemed to shake with the might of Kazeki's roar. "You have failed me more than enough times, worthless minion!" His hand began to glow as he pointed it at the mazoku.
"No! Please my lord!"
Black light shot from Kazeki's hand to surround the mazoku, who began to write and scream in agony as he felt his very soul being ripped apart. At last, he gave one final scream as his body disintegrated. The cry echoed across the room, and died away and Kazeki lowered his hand.
"Fool. You know as well as anyone else I am not to be failed." Kazeki sat down on his throne, his chin in his hand. "It seems as though that wench Serafina was more crafty than I thought. She obviously knew about the powers of the sword and the crystal." He smiled viciously. "Apparently we are going to have a hard time with what should have been an easy mission." Looking at the vortex, he grinned, teeth bared. "This should be quite enjoyable."
An- Hello. I decided to redo a bunch of the first chapter, because it was really short and kinda crappy. Riiight... I'll go fix my toaster now......
Screams filled the village as people ran from burning homes, as every inhabitant tried to get as far away as possible. The hoard of mazoku overhead let no one go unnoticed. Each villager perished one by one.
All except one.
A young teenage girl ran straight into the blaze, her long blond hair whipping about in her face as her braid came loose. Ignoring walls of fire around her, she ran through the flames enveloping a small house.
Inside, she looked frantically around for her mother. The smoke stung her eyes, as she ran from room to room, searching with all her might. Running into her mother's bedroom, she stopped.
Serafina, master swordswoman and sorceress, lay on the floor, badly wounded by both the flames and the claws of the monster that lay nearby. Blood flowed steadily from a deep slash on its throat.
The girl knelt beside her mother, and felt her cheek. She felt movement from her mother's slow breathing. Then she still had reason to hope.
At the touch, her mother's eyes flickered open.
"Reina..."
Reina stopped her from talking.
"It's okay mom. I'm gonna get you out of here. You'll be fine."
She bent to lift Serafina onto her back.
"Wait... Reina, don't bother. I'm not going to make it out alive with or without your help."
"But-"
"Be quiet and listen to me. Take this." She held up her blood-covered sword and its sheath. "I want you to have it. It's been passed down through our family for years and years. It was mine, and now I give it to you."
Reina's hands shook as she took the sword, wiped it, and then sheathed it. Adjusting her belt, she hooked the scabbard and its cargo to the side where it could be easily reached if she, L-sama forbid, needed it. She turned back to her mother and began again to feebly protest the idea of leaving her there.
"But... mom, you know I'm not that good with a sword... I only do magic... and I'm not even good at that!"
Her mother chuckled grimly.
"Yes... that's true. Still, I already figured out what I was going to do about that."
Reaching behind her head, Serafina unclasped the necklace that rested on her throat. She held the tear shaped crystal tightly and whispered a quick spell. The crystal blazed for a moment, then faded. Serafina was pale and shaking when she opened her hand.
"Mom! You're too weak to do magic! Stop it, please!"
"No, Rei. I have to do this for you. Take this with you. Don't put it on until you're far away from here! No matter how bad things get for you, however, you must NEVER part with this crystal OR this sword. Even at the cost of your own life. I can't say why. Understand?"
Tears on her cheeks, Reina nodded, and put the crystal in her belt pouch.
"Good. Now go! Hurry! If they find you, it's all over!"
Reina stood and wiped away her tears.
"I love you, mom..."
"I love you to Rei... Be strong, and never give up. I know you won't disappoint me." Serafina smiled at Reina, then closed her eyes and let her spirit return to L-Sama's sea of chaos.
Reina walked to the door, and looked back at Serafina's body.
"Goodbye, mother," she whispered. A single tear rolled down her cheek, and she brushed it away. Turning, she ran through the door without looking back again.
Arriving in the village square, she surveyed her problem. The Mazoku had left, but the fire was still blazing, blocking off all escape routes. For a moment, Reina began to lose hope of making it out, when her mother's last words rang in her head. *I know you won't disappoint me...*
Newfound strength flooded her heart, and she dashed once more through the inferno. Terrible pain seared her skin as the fire tried to consume her, but she kept going, pushing forward with all of her will. The pain suddenly stopped as she burst from the flames, running towards the nearby forest.
She didn't stop until she was so far away that she couldn't see or smell the smoke from her village. For over two hours, she kept running, her fear and determination spurring her on to levels of endurance she could never have achieved otherwise
Leaning against a tree, she breathed heavily as the world became more and more blurry. Her head spun, and she slid to the forest floor as everything went dark.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Two figures stood in what looked like a stone chapel. At one end was a vortex of black light, and at the other was a cloaked figure standing before a throne-like chair made of stone. Before the figure kneeled a mazoku.
"So, you were distracted with killing the humans, and you let someone escape with the sword and the Dragon's Tear?" The voice of the cloaked figure was cold, sharp, and furious.
The mazoku kneeling raised it's head. "I'm sorry Lord Kazeki! I did not mean to fail you! We had already dispatched of the one called Serafina, and I meant to get the sword and crystal after we finished decimating the village as you ordered. However, when I returned for them, they were gone. I swear I will never fail you again!" It's voice was full of fear.
Kazeki's blood red eyes narrowed. "Yet you did fail me. I have been more than tolerant with you."
"P-please my lo-" the stammering mazoku began.
"SILENCE!" The room seemed to shake with the might of Kazeki's roar. "You have failed me more than enough times, worthless minion!" His hand began to glow as he pointed it at the mazoku.
"No! Please my lord!"
Black light shot from Kazeki's hand to surround the mazoku, who began to write and scream in agony as he felt his very soul being ripped apart. At last, he gave one final scream as his body disintegrated. The cry echoed across the room, and died away and Kazeki lowered his hand.
"Fool. You know as well as anyone else I am not to be failed." Kazeki sat down on his throne, his chin in his hand. "It seems as though that wench Serafina was more crafty than I thought. She obviously knew about the powers of the sword and the crystal." He smiled viciously. "Apparently we are going to have a hard time with what should have been an easy mission." Looking at the vortex, he grinned, teeth bared. "This should be quite enjoyable."
An- Hello. I decided to redo a bunch of the first chapter, because it was really short and kinda crappy. Riiight... I'll go fix my toaster now......