Fate had a million lines for the future

Yet none of them saw her coming.

The prophecies spoke of heroes and kings,

She vanished from existence,

Yet it echoed her name.

And it was terrifying,

Because there's only one thing heaven fears more than man does.

And that is what they don't know.

(for non cradle fans. Madra, the form of magic in the cradle, is contained in a central core. The path is the type of magic that is used. All paths have different strengths, techniques and differences. Unlike the different jutsu used in Naruto. Sacred artists specialize in one path. The highest rank in the cradle is Monarch. Generally those in cradle are a lot stronger than in Naruto, with a few exceptions)

_o_

Mercy had always been passionate about getting better, she had felt that pressure from her clan as long as she could remember. The daughter of a monarch could not appear weak, the Akura clan would never allow it. Luckily , that was never a problem for mercy. She was a jade at 8 and a low gold at 10. From there she was steadily gaining power before advancing. A solid base is the most important thing in the sacred arts.

She needed to get strong. She needed to do it fast and turn her core in the right direction. Her mother was Malice. But she. She was Mercy. So she stood, propped upright against her dark wooden desk with her book of eternal night in hand. The smell was reminiscent and comforting. And she turned the page, feeling the book grasp her soul like a magnet.

She didn't resist. She had trained herself to control every facet of her body, and it would be worth it. Peace was worth it. She pulled and she pulled on the book, its shadows of scribbled text and shaded limbs. It's outcropping made from pure liquid shadow. All forged from a monarch's madra. She plunged another hand in, flinching from the pain before bottling it up. The shadow ate away at her, the pain felt much different than usual. But maybe it was a step in the right direction. It attacked her spirit. She lurched and tugged. Gripping on the very fabric of the books existence. But then…

The pain disappeared.

And so did the chair, she fell down to the ground onto soft grass, slightly muddy. She rolled around wanting to let out the contents of her stomach right then. Something felt so terribly different that she didn't even know where to start.

First she reluctantly righted herself. The view was breathtaking. But also incredibly concerning. Akura mercy had been all over the cradle, teleportation is one of the perks of a monarch family. But this looks like nowhere she had seen, not in the Rosegold continent, or Ashwind, Blackflame, not even the dragon's territory. She had no idea where she was. She was on a grassy hill, and there were many tall stone outcroppings in the distance reaching for the sky like rocky watchtowers. The sky was a different blue, and the cool humid air smelled of earth and salt. almost out of instinct she reached out her perception, trying to find anyone.

His perception felt small, the madra of the area was different, blended together to create negatives and positives. What kind of madra was that? And her core. Unlike before, it was not caked by shadow. It was deep and blue. Feeling not like the nights sky but instead the deepest of oceans. Was she placed in a pocket dimension? No matter what, her mother could find her anywhere. But still. She had to figure it out.

She took a step and realized just how weak she felt. While normally her madra powered her iron body, now it was just flowed through her. Like a tapestry of power. She grasped at her core, bending the pure madra to her hand. She felt it be coded in a thin blue layer. It felt sharp and flowers with its power. So she hit a tree.

It exploded into shards of dust and chips, hurling it back into rocks. What the hell? She jumped and she couldn't get as high as before, she tried to channel her madra to form a bow but it was totally different. She scampered over to a tree, focusing all of her senses on it. She couldn't feel any life Aura at all, there was no earth or water or anything in particular. Instead it felt specifically like a tree. Like the madra mixed in a way these negative and positive aspects combined and created a bigger whole, like black and white threads making an image.

This can't be happening…. This can't be happening. This place wasn't just a little different, it Doesn't even Abide to the basic rules of everything she knows. She was alone, without her power or knowledge or family or status. She only had her mind….

Breath mercy. Breath. Your gonna be fine, Just stay calm... she told herself over and over. sighing. She takes a seat and begins to cycle. Her madra was responding differently, before it was a force, it was borrowed from nature and was shaped by its element. Her path had a texture, like the endless sky, eternal yet comforting. This… It was heavy and pulling, her core is less contained. It feels like energy is burned to fuel her power, more of a furnace than a cycle. Its surging and flowing she tries to direct it, but its like trying to direct your blood through your veins. Or trying to block the flow of a river with your arm. She continued her musings. This madra didn't feel defined, it feels like the blend of the energies she felt earlier around her. It feels organic and was deeply engrained within her. It was as prominent and deep as her flesh.

This was interesting, but it didn't answer why, or what. So she pulled on it. The response she got was encouraging. It was light tugging on a tight band, she moved it around with effort as if it didn't want to leave. She lost her grip on it and the power snapped back into place. This isn't how madra is supposed to behave. The madra was burned in that movement, like a furnace that fuels itself. So was the madra burned and used for physical processes, what about mental. Could this madra be used to enhance other things? She was a woman of curiosity, so she tested it.

She focused on her hand deeply, as if it was the only part of her body. She pulled the deep blue power away from the forefront of her fingers. The further it got the less feeling she had in her hand, she couldn't feel the temperature, or the light breeze. She kept pulling. It was heavy power. Like she was pulling a sword with an unfamiliar handle from a stone. So she allowed it to snap back. She noted it was less snapping and more like filling. The energy from her body flowed and evened out into every crevice of her body. Like an unrestricted waterway. Very interesting. But how could she use power that's so restricted? She had to hope her abilities and skills would be enough for the time being. But still maybe it wouldn't be…

She stood and started to walk. For a long time she did. Thinking about her body and power. The feelings in the air. She thought about home, her mother, her family, Pride, Fury, and charity… She rummaged through the pouch at her side, sitting on the rocks, once distant on the horizon, now at her feet. And she pulls out a hand size piece of slate, addressed to her and signed by Charity. Her aunt, the sage. She lets out a breath and smiles. It reads.

Twilight breathes and hides all from grasp,

Things are unclear, you steer near collapse.

Things were unclear, things were confusing. She had no control, she had no real strength. Sure she didn't like the world she came from, its harshness and the unkindness she saw. But it's still good. Good people and most importantly the people she loved. She realized her body was heating. So she breathed back in and continued reading.

But mercy's silhouette, though soft and small,

Echoes loudly, casting comforting shade to all.

"Yea, yea I know." She spoke to herself. This was her. What she needed to be. She needed to stay calm. And may the world have mercy.

Just an idea for an interesting story, if you like the vibe or the way its written, please let me know. Ill post more soon, I already have more written. Trying to make this story fun and not to dark. Just stemmed from the thought "I bet Naruto and Mercy would be friends"