Chapter 2

Pain was all Jasil felt as she awoke, slowly opening her eyes, her body felt heavy and it took her moments to realize why. The roof from the hut had collapsed, and a beam had fell atop of her, along with rubble from the wall, concealing her completely. Wincing and gasping in pain, Jasil began to push the beam off of her, sliding her body from underneath it slowly.

Once she was uncovered from the rubble, she grimaced, looking around at the now vast emptiness that was once a place she called home. Almost all of the huts had been burned to the ground, and there was ash everywhere- along with bodies. She felt a lump in her throat as she surveyed her surroundings, no one alive was around her.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she limped towards the center of the village, scouting the area for any possible survivors. Holding her cracked ribs, she continued forward to where the pile of bodies were the night before, now turned to ash. The scent of burning flesh remained in the air, and tears poured from her eyes as she sobbed.

Why? I was supposed to protect all of you… I was supposed to save you! This.. This isn't what I came here to do! Her wails and cries filled the silent air, as she mourned the loss of her first ever- family.

After her sobs quieted to whimpers, and eventually nothing, Jasil stood, her face stained with tears. She leaned her head back, staring up at the blue sky, her once glistening purple eyes were now dull, filled with remorse. Her body trembled, and she pulled her small staff from her hair, whispering a few words and making it extend into a full-sized staff. She closed her eyes and held out her staff, gathering the Rukh around her.

She tilted her head to the side, listening to the Rukh talk, the voices of her loved ones filled her ears and her mind. It's okay Jasil, We understand everything now. Hold your head high, and protect the future! Tears continued to spill from her eyes as she nodded. "I will, I promise you! I will protect the future, and I will save this world."

She opened her eyes, determination now filling her once dull eyes, as she regained her strength and ambition. That was the second promise, she had ever made, and just like the first one, she intended to keep it. "I promise..." she mumbled.

A year has passed since then. Jasil has traveled far from the village she once called home, surviving on her own, and keeping her promise. Everywhere she has traveled, she has encountered numerous people who have needed help, and she has made a few friends. In turn for helping them, they have given her items, or food, in which she refused all of. Instead, she had their warriors and magicians train her and teach her everything they knew.

Jasil passes countless vendors in this unknown Empire she has just entered. Since Jasil has been at that village since she was little, she has no recollection of such a busy town. She widened her eyes, trying to dodge all the busy people. "Wow.. there's so many people.. and so many shops.." as she spoke her eyes narrowed on a stall selling fruits, and she felt her stomach growl.

She frowned and looked down into her bag, she had only one slice of bread left, and needed to find a way to get more food. She approached the vendor and smiled. "Hello!" the vendor smiled back at her. "My my, what a lovely young lady!" the vendor was a female, and an older lady at that. "I was wondering if I could have one of these?" She pointed at the fruits, and the vendor blinked.

"Well, you can purchase one just fine, can't you?" Jasil blinked. "You mean like a trade?" The vendor laughed mockingly. "Of course like a trade, I'm not going to give you anything for free, do you have any money young lady?" Jasil looked down in her empty bag, which held only a sheet for camping, her dagger, and her small staff. "N-no but-"

"Then why are you standing here wasting my time? Shoo! Get out of here, scram kid!" The vendors once pleasant attitude turned sour quickly, as she waved Jasil off. A bit stunned, Jasil backed up, bumping into a person behind her. "S-Sorry!" She exclaimed, as the sound of chains clanking filled her ears.

Jasil stared down upon a young boy, chains around his feet with tattered clothing. She blinked. What? The boy quickly got to his face, bowing profusely and apologizing. "I'm so sorry!" Jasil shook her head and re-assured the boy. "No, that's my fault, don't worry about it." Observing the boy, she noticed he was extremely thin. You poor boy.. She reached into her bag and pulled out her last slice of bread.

"Here, eat this." She smiled at him, and his eyes lit up with color. "R-really..." He said, still slightly unsure. Nodding, she handed it to him, and he took it, gratefully, taking quick, short bites. Jasil giggled, "Slow down, you'll choke!" The boy didn't listen, and continued eating. The sound of whispers began to fill the air. "Is that a slave? And she's Feeding it?" said one person. "Maybe she's the owner. I doubt it, she looks like a traveler. The audacity, feeding someone else's slave"

Jasil looked up at everyone surrounding her, their eyes filled with angst and disgust. She frowned. "I-I'm sorry miss.. I shouldn't have eaten that.." the voice from the boy beside her came out like a whimper. She turned her attention back to him and smiled. "No, don't ever apologize for eating, it's something everyone has to do, and I'll always be happy to give you some bread."

Jasil stretched her hand out to the boy and rest her hand on his head, ruffling his hair. The boy looked up at her, before gasping. "Oh no, I'm late!" He said, before running off, the clinking of chains slowly fading into the crowd. She frowned at the onlookers and kept walking, deciding to ignore them. Solomon, you were right about this world.

A few hours had passed as Jasil headed through the empire. She had been gathering information about the place from the locals and vendors. "So this is the Kou Empire.." She spoke quietly to herself, looking upon the palace. After a few moments, she turned around and began walking down the busy street again, until she stumbled upon a crowd of onlookers.

"What's going on?" she asked as she tried to peer over the countless heads of others around her. She pushed through the crowd, trying to get closer, until she finally broke through to the front. The sounds of crunching bones and whimpers echoed in the air. Her eyes widened, filled with horror as she viewed the scene in front of her.

A group of slaves were huddled in a corner, as a very large, muscular man beat one of the slaves. His face was bloody and messy, and he seemed to already be unconscious, as the man continued hitting him. "You worthless scum, all of you! Lazy bastards! I told you not to drop it, and what the fuck did you do? You fucking dropped it! Piece of shit!" He yelled as his fist connected with the slaves' face again.

"P-Please stop!" A small voice came from the group of slaves, and the mans face snapped up, twisted and contorted in anger. "Who the fuck said that?" He snapped. As if on command, all of the slaves moved away from the culprit. Jasil's eyes widened, it was the boy she had given the bread to. "H-He gets it! H-he wont do it again… P-Please stop…" He whimpered.

Jasil clenched her fist, frustration and anger welling up in her as the man screamed at the child. "You shut the fuck up!" He walked towards the child and lifted him by his collar, holding him high in the air. "You're just as useless as he is!" The slave owner chunked the child on the ground with a thud, and lifted his fist.

Snap.

"Are you okay?" Jasil said, looking down at the child. The man stood behind her, frozen to the spot, his fist still mid-swing. He grunted and gasped. "W-what?! I can't move!" Ignoring the man behind her, she grabbed the child's hand, standing him up and smoothing his hair. "Does it hurt anywhere?" The crowd was just as shocked as the slave owner, their face filled with surprise. "You bitch! What did you fucking do to me! I'll kill you!"

He screamed at her. The crowd began to part, but Jasil took no notice to the new presences. "Hey, let's go check on your friend now, okay?" The little boy nodded, stunned as Jasil took his hand, leading him to the slave who was unconscious on the ground behind them. She slid her hand on his chest, closing her eyes and searching his body with her mind for major injuries. Thankfully, there was no internal bleeding.

She sighed, relieved, and opened her eyes- to see the entire crowd kneeling. She blinked, looking around her. What? Even the child had taken the position, his forehead touching the ground. "What are you doing, you ungrateful wrench, bow to your Prince." Boomed the voice behind her. Shocked, she jumped up, turning around and taking in the sight of Kou's first prince, Kouen Ren.