Prologue: The Escape

On the far northern side of Siana, empty winds swept through the abandoned night streets of the historic city of Esidia. The small ghost cityscape was adorned with stone buildings and was blanketed with paved cobblestone roads and pathways that purposefully intersected across the city. Its stone architecture towered and peaked at about fifty meters high above the ground. The majority of these buildings have stood the test of time, save for the few aged and crumbling wooden structures scattered across the city limits.

As the city was widely desolate, it may be surprising and eerie to some that center of the city showed signs of inhabitancy. The city center was surrounded by the largest five structures in Esidia, all facing each other. At the center of these towering structures was a wide fountain filled with crystal clear water reflecting the light of the half moon above. In front of this quietly sloshing fountain was a broken carriage turned on its side.

At three of these large intersecting buildings was what appeared to be once used business stalls. A few of them were filled with cobwebs/spiderwebs and centuries old dust; however a large majority of them looked to be just recently renovated and up-kept in their prime condition.

In the dead of night the creaking sound of a swinging door was smothered by the sounds of the quietly active fountain. A shadowy figure emerged from one of the stalls, gently closing the door, being careful of its loud hinges. It then slowly made its way over to the broken carriage resting directly in front of the fountain.

The plaza grounds were immaculate as if someone had just swept it, making the sight of the broken carriage a somewhat foreign impression. What made it seem more out of place was the small figure resting atop the carriage accompanied by the soft sounds of a snoring child.

As the shadowy figure made its way closer, careful not to make a more noise than possible, he reached into his cloak pulling out a folded parchment. Getting closer with trembling hands, falling tears began to dampen the shadowy cloak.

After getting close enough the dark figure stopped a short distance away from the carriage. The top was two heads taller so it stood a little farther back from where it could see the young boy sleeping on the carriage. After inhaling deeply a knife is pulled and the cloaked individual gets closer to the carriage.

The snoring of the child stops as the boy starts to shuffle in his sleep. At the side of the carriage a wooden knife was embedded, pinning a folded letter. The shadowy figure stiffened up for a second then began to slowly tip toe away, facing the figure of the sleeping boys back.

After reaching the nearby plaza opening he turned around and ran as fast as he could farther north.

'I'm sorry Zayer.'

-----------

"A little hi-NO! Wait, wait."

"That will be 400 Bijis."

"Can I just have today's special."

"Looking for place to stay?! The Jingle Ball Hall only has 12 rooms left! Claim em' while you can!"

In Siana's allied kingdom of Shar, preparations were under way in the capital city of Jiza. The time for Shar's Moon Festival was less than a month away. Banners were being hung from building to building all over the city as the staff responsible jumped from rooftop to rooftop under the blazing midday sun. As the shirtless men leaped, the sounds of active shops, temples, restaurants, and other establishments reached their ears from over 80 meters down below.

The evenly paved roads that were usually filled with the city's citizens now had tourists from all over the continent mixed in. The differences in attire was a sight to behold as the average citizen of Jiza donned their togas of varying light colors. Other forms of clothing were seen among the crowd like the northern tribes thin coats and jackets made from animal pelts and the eastern settlements tourists wandered around barefoot in their chlamys that were all came in a variety of different shades of red.

There were many other groups of people, all with contrasting backgrounds; some even came from the far northeastern islands. The reason for so many tourists wasn't for a mere festival but for what the festival brought. The 'Red Moon Spar' was an event that only occurred once every four years when the second moon 'Lia' became full and drew in warriors from all over the continent who wished to test their strength.

---

As the bustle of the city began to quiet down outside and the night began to set in and store owners began to close shop and head to the bars before heading home.

A blue crescent moon shone above the Royal Palace and a nearly full white moon was shinning off in the horizon as the starry sky hung over Jiza.

As everyone headed home to eat dinner and get ready for another day of preparation, the royal family of the kingdom of Shar began their late supper. In a giant dinning room a large family sat around an even larger pentagon table covered in plates of luxurious foods. The room was wide and circular and the walls were painted gold with a crystal chandelier hanging high above. Twenty servants stood around the room in constant attention as they watched the royal family begin to eat their meal.

At head of the table(the base of the pentagon) King Ajios sat with his mother to his right. The two were dressed in matching white and gold robes. Ajios was a man who appeared to be in his early twenties even though he was actually over thirty. He had shoulder length brown hair that he pulled behind his right ear. His mother, Ajy, had the same brown hair but hers was far more longer and had a few streaks of silver hair running through it. Her beauty seemed to be timeless and only seemed to complement her appearance as few wrinkles made themselves apparent.

The mother and son had a domineering aura as they sat and slowly ate along with Ajios' three wives, three children and younger sister. On the right side closest to the Queen Ajy, princess Dia reservedly ate by herself. To her right sat Ajios' second wife, Shindara along with his youngest son, Prince Shinjaz. The brown haired five year old was being fed by his mother like a baby as his blue eyes met the affectionate gaze of his grandmother who smiled at him.

"I want dessert mommy!" Shinjaz pouted to his mother.

"Just wait dear. You need to finish your dinner and then dessert will come." The queen retorted to her grandson.

"What's for dessert tonight Grantie?" The innocent boy said turning towards his grandmother.

"It's a suprise~."

To right of these two sat the first wife along with her son and daughter, Prince Kaled and Princess Safaa. The two teenage children had the same brown hair as their father and mother but only Kaled had the matching blue eyes as his father and grandmother. His hair was kept in a similar fashion as his father however he tied his back as the untied portion curtained the left side of his face.

Finally the pregnant third wife, Gerti sat in a comfort as a servant slowly fed her in the same manner the young prince Shinjaz was fed.

"Where is Shiha?!" After the table was being cleared for the sweets the king turned towards prince Kaled.

"Younger brother didn't come back after combat class. I don't know," Kaled responded with an uncaring look.

"Go find Shinha NOW!" the king commanded the two guards standing at the door of the room enjoying the smell of the coming meal.

"YES SIR!" Quickly obeying one of the four ran off to gather a search group.

After the deserts had been set down on the silver table everyone began to slowly eat.

"Sorry for being late father!" A messy black haired youth stepped through the grand doors making his way to the king who he immediately bowed his head to. Unlike everyone else in the room the youth wore common looking clothing. Even more common looking than the servants standing in attention around the room.

Prince Shinha was the fourteen year old second prince of Shar. He was a chubby boy with who inherited his mothers black hair and pale blue eyes. He was shorter than prince Kaled to the point where people couldn't tell that the age difference between the two was only one year. He looked more closer in age to his twelve year old half-sister Safaa.

The king not even looking at his son, motioned for the boy to sit next to his mother, Shindara. After sitting down to his mothers right he began to slowly eat desert.

"Where did you go toady Shinha? Did you see the warrior on the streets?"

"Hehe. Yeah some of them were giant and I even saw-" - before Shinha could even respond to his younger brother his mother smacked him.

"Where were you? Why did you skip history class again?" Shindara was frustrated with her older sons recent behavior. His attitude could rub off on her Shijaz. Everyone around the table stopped paused except the king, queen, and Kaled who continued eating.

Rubbing the back of his head Shinha smiled, "Sorry mom. I promise I'll go tomorrow."

"Heh. There isn't a point in him going auntie. He's already gonna fail this semester," Kaled snorted.

"What?!" Shindara glared at her son.

"Shut the hell up Kally," standing up Shinha ignored his mother and faced his older brother who was also getting up. The king and queen disinterestedly continued eating in silence.

"Don't call me that, slum prince." Kaled was well built and unlike Shinha he looked older than his actual age. Some even mistook him for his father's younger brother.

With his words a powerful pressure filled the room as Shinha registered Kaled's words. This pressure began to rise as the Ajois finally stopped eating and looked at Shinha. "You trying to get slit," Shinha threateningly whispered to Kaled.

"YOU TWO!" A powerful voice dispersed the rising pressure in the room as the king himself stood up after his two sons. "If you dare disturb my meals with your petty rivalry I'll have both your mothers thrown into Scorn's Chasm."

The two boys sat down; both were shivering but for different reasons. As the rooms silence seeped into everyone present Ajios sat down.

As the dishes and cutlery were being cleaned up everyone was still nervously silent. "Kaled, Shina. You two will participate in this years Red Moon Spar." All eyes were on Ajois except for the servants who continued their task of cleaning up. The weight of these words however still affected them though. This was practically a death sentence.

"B-but... Wh-why? Kaled is too y-young." The first to speak was Lier, the first wife. Her point was valid, the participants of the death spar tournament were all usually adults. "Can't you just make the two spar on the palace grounds? Why does it have to be the Red Moon Sp-spar."

"Mother!" Kaled yelled at his mother. He grabbed her hand to calm her down before he stood up and bowed to the king. "I shall obey!"

Still lightly shaking from before, Shinha stood up and followed Kaled's example.

As worry took hold of Lier's face, a smirk was etched on Shindara's face while an agreeing smile flashed across Queen Ajy's.

---------

It was midday on the northern coast of Griano Continent. A large ocean separated the Continent Shar was located on and this Continent of five endlessly warring kingdoms. The coasts of this kingdom were consistently peaceful unlike the rest of the land that hosted the five kingdoms.

"Get off you worthless shits!" A large stocky merchant yelled as his stomach stretched out of his vest. Two large men covered in dirty matching armour stepped onto the dock off the plank each pulling clanging chains. Behind them a line of weak and sick looking people made their way off the ship. There were children, women, and well built men mixed together pulling along their chains. They were followed off the ship with an intimidating force of thirty or so rough looking individuals.

After everyone had reached the dirt road just barely off the docks they stopped with the armored men. The merchant stood impatiently tapping his foot. "Those slow bastards should have brought the wagons here sooner."

An hour later five large metal wagons sped their way to the waiting merchant and his party of mercenaries and slaves.

"Nei~~gh"

The wagons all stopped a close distance away as a merchant stepped off to give the reigns to a young merchant who looked to be in training.

"Sorry Sir Dimastru. The envoy we originally sent was targeted by the Dew Army. They barely made it back safely." The man bowed deeply to the plump man.

"Tch. Whateva' I got 146 of these maggots. You think five wagons can handle it."

"There should be ten more wagons coming here in a while." The bowing merchant explained as he looked over the group of slaves behind Dimastru. He then noticed a chain in the hands of the rotund man leading to a group of five boys. "Are they included as well."

"These six are special stock. Iana told me there bringing back Hell Crows Coliseum."

"Where?" the other merchant inquired.

"I don't know... but until I get more info I'm searching promising lads," the jiggly man chuckled.

Looking at the five boys the merchant could see them all glaring intensly. They all had the impression of being promising fighters except one. He couldn't see the boy clearly at first but now he could make out the sixth boy who stared at the sky. Looking to see what the boy was looking at his vision came in contact with the scattered seagulls flying overhead. He couldn't look for long though as the sun threatened to blind him.

His vision then relaxed back onto the child again who was still looking at the birds unafraid of the suns brightness. "Looks like one of them might become blind before he can even steps foot in the coliseum."

Looking at which of the boys he was talking about Dimastru looked at his chosen warriors. "Hehe. That piece of shit is gonna be my wildcard. I found him wailing in a raided village wailing like a maniac holding his mothers corpse. A bunch of dead bandits were lying around him."

Taking a more closer look at the boy the smaller merchant couldn't imagine the boy even glaring let alone killing anyone.

"I know it doesn't mean he did it himself though I like having a wildcard just in case."

The smaller merchant smiled. 'Let's try him.'

---------

*Achoo~*

Back in Siana a hooded figure stood atop Siana's over hundred meter tall wall. The winds ruffling his cloak slightly he paused and then sneezed again. Taking off the cloak he threw it down the wall into Siana revealing a teenage brown haired boy.

"*Shiver*Damn it’s cold.”

"~Awoo~"

The sound of a wolf's howl was carried by the night air could barley be heard at the top of Siana’s wall. A bright half moon was shinning at the highest point in the sky, illuminating the outline of a young man's silhouette.

He was standing on top of the high wall that stretched high and wide to contain the large city to his back. He stood facing away from the wide city scape below him, shivering, as yet another one of the night's breeze crept past him.

The young man looked on with a resolved determination in his eyes. Standing straight as his brown hair ruffled in the gentle wind he surveyed the large canopy of the forest below. He was dressed head to ankle in navy blue clothing, except for the black vest that also struggled to remain still as the breeze passed by. His clothing looked worn and quite durable not matching his worn and torn shoes that sheltered his feat. Slicking his hair back with one hand and unbuttoning his vest with his other he shivered again.

He stared into the distance, trying to make sight of what was past the sea of tress outside. No end could be seen on either side of the wall as the city continued far into the distance as well, most of it was barren land save for thew scattered buildings hugging the wall he stood on. The wall that surrounded the city towered hundreds of meters above the most nearest, and most tallest buildings.

“Whoa!”

Another stronger breeze startled him making him stumble a bit but without much worry as the width of the wall was comfortable enough for at least twenty people to stand side by side. He sat down next to a large pile of ropes, panting at the idea of the height of the large barrier along with the escapade he was resolved to accomplish.

“You can do this,” he muttered to himself. He put his hand to his heart, trying his best to calm himself for what he was about to do. He then started sifting through his jacket vest and after a few seconds pulled out a large 'U' shaped stake and an ordinary hammer.

He then started hammering the ends of the metal stake in to the concrete wall. After a minute or so he stopped and grabbed the stake to check if it was firmly secure in its place. Giving it a few more hits he then checked again before putting the hammer away.

Slowly reaching into the pile of ropes a few times his size he grabbed a loose end and started wrapping it around the inverted stake, tying it as firmly as he could. After making sure this was secure as well he stood up.

Grabbing the other loose end of the rope that was poking out of the pile, he started tying it around the belt on his pants. Making sure this also was secure as possible he made an extra knot. “Lets just be sure.”

Standing behind the pile of ropes he started pushing them down the wall towards the forest. As it fell he crouched down and grabbed the stake until he felt the rope had unraveled completely. After standing up, he gave a few more tugs at the rope on the stakes end going down the wall. Bracing himself, he firmly gripped the rope going down the wall and stepped off the edge.

~~~~~~~~~~

As he slowly started sliding down the wall, he used his feet to stabilize himself on the wall making small quick stops before sliding down again. Using the rope as well he could, he was controlling his speed as he descended the over one thousand meter high wall.

'So far so good.' At about what he predicted to be halfway down, the ground below slowly became more clear. 'Just a little further,' he encouraged himself.

~~~~~~~~~~

~Fuuuuuu~

The wind was light and only blew every now and then. He felt relieved that the weather seemed to support him by giving him no trouble during his escape. He had already passed the tree tops and could now see into the dark forest as far as the branches would let him.

Looking straight down he could now see the ground even more clearly along with something disheartening. The end of the rope was coming into view as it looped up back towards his belt.

‘Shit!’ He thought to himself. After reaching the end of the rope he looked up the wall and then turned his head back down again scanning the distance. ‘Still about 50 more meters to go.’

He looked behind himself and estimated the distance between him and the nearest tree. 'About 20 meters on that side.'

He pulled out a knife from a sheath strapped to his right leg. Letting go of the rope and dangling from his waist, he tried stabbing at the concrete wall but to no avail. He swung around and planted his feet on the wall as he looked down horizontally at the ground below him. “Guess I’m gonna have to.”

He then used his feet to jump off the wall, swinging forward with his arms stretched out towards the tree closest in front of him.

He couldn’t reach it but he tried again after having his feet planted on the wall again. And again. And again; swinging closer each time.

'The next one for sure.' Before his feet reached the wall he prepared his jump. He swung forward with no show of any fear for crashing into the tree. As he reached forward with his dagger he felt a dangerous tension in the rope at if it would snap at any moment.

The dagger sunk itself into the tree with ease. Within seconds he reached down to his left shin and grabbed another blade. 'YES!'

He secured himself with this knife as well. He then stretched his legs and spread them to grab a hold of the tree with a width over ten times his size.

A gentle breeze collided with him as he looked at the rope that stretched up the wall. 'Even the long ropes I went to all that trouble to steal and tie altogether weren't long enough… At least they were strong enough.' He pulled out the curved dagger with his right hand and cut the rope tied to his waist. “It’s all me now.”

He slowly started descending the tree using his daggers as stakes and grips. One small slip and he could end up falling to his death. The tense situation however didn’t seem to affect his calm demeanor.

He was worried, but after suffering his whole life this situation was just another trial. He then took a deep breath. ‘Being calm is half the challenge.’

As he descended his life inside the walls started flipping through his mind. From the beginning to now.

----------

He was abandoned in an empty district which he eventually left. Growing up, he was following the older boys and learned how to survive in Siana's female driven society. He never knew how old he was or his birthday. Learning to fight and steal he scavenged for food with his mentor's.

When he was young he realized he was cursed to be left behind. All the boys he followed would eventually disappear. He would then need to find someone new to follow. Each one served as his ‘mentor’. The cycle of meetings-to-leavings would repeat until one day he was unable to find a mentor.

Alone, he then started gaining a following of other boys looking to survive but even they would be forced to disappear as well. Eventually he ran away to the abandoned district he was first left in. It was there he met a young boy who was occupying it. This boy would always sit at the center of the district on top of a carriage, poised like royalty. He knew that one day this boy too grow up and be forced to move on. He knew the feeling of being abandoned so well that it hurt him too much to experience it once again, especially now with a friend instead of a mentor.

----------

“I’m sorry,” he whispered to himself as he continued his climb down. The feeling of abandoning a dear friend felt worse than all the other times he had been abandoned but he didn't want to be left behind yet again. Though now it was too late to turn back.

“I made it.” Ten meters from the bottom he knew he was safe to jump down. As he jumped down he pulled only his left dagger out. He left his right dagger embedded in the tree's trunk.

‘I’m… free. I’m finally free. I’m finally out of Siana.’ An indescribable feeling surged up within him. He had never felt this before. Tears rained down his cheeks as happiness and this strange feeling traveled through his body. “It’s over now!”

Wiping his tears away he looked at the wall that towered high above him and the tree he could barely see the top of. There was no turning back now even if he wanted to. He shuddered as the cold air of the dark forest behind him collided with his back.

~AWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~

He turned away from the wall and looked into the forest that surrounded the walls he was once trapped within. He could only see darkness in the depths of the forests reach along with couple of crawling creatures who's eyes glowed in the dark. Fearing nothing he was completely confident in his abilities to traverse this wilderness.

He was tiny compared to the trees that towered above him. They were higher than any building in Siana he had ever seen. This did not intimidate him in the least. Untying the rope left around his belt and without warning or caution he sprinted into the depths of the forest.

~~~~~~~~~~

He jumped over large roots and dodged the wide trunks of the trees that soared high above him. His way was dark, only being slightly given glimpses of light that slipped through the tree branches crowding above.

Every now and then an animal came running, trying it's best to keep up, but all were eventually left straggling behind as he zipped through the unfamiliar terrain as if he was a jungle boy. He didn’t run in fear but in complete joy. Joy of freedom.

He wasn’t thinking of the danger he could be running into but only the new world he now ran through. Whatever path he took path it was one of his own freedom. In all of its beauty and sourness he would accept his choices.

The quiet thoughts echoing in his head were louder than his panting and the sound of the small branches crunching under his shoes that were by now far from repair. His path was filled with darkness, but he skillfully maneuvered his way forward. He felt nothing as tears ran down his cheeks. Even though his legs were scratched as he run through the forest, his hands were covered in blisters from his climb down, his shoulders shivered in the cold, but his joy still burst through so many levels that he didn’t even know where he was running towards.

----------

~Chirp-Chirp~

The morning birds began to chirp and the orange sky bled through the forest canopy. The trees had become less dense the further he ran. At this point his stamina was not an issue because it died hours ago.

~fffraashhh~

An unknown muffled sound reached his ears from up ahead. A crashing noise he’d never heard that sounded strangely familiar to thunder. He could only describe it like hundreds of metal utensils falling off a ledge all at once. He had never heard the sound of waves or seen the ocean in his life.

~FFFFFRRAAAAAAAASSHHHHH~

He slowed down to a jog and reached an area where the ground of the forest ended and the trees had cleared completely. He could feel soft sand under his now completely demolished shoes that his bare feet broke through. The beautiful mixture of gold and brown stretched and continued on into the crashing waves before him. The ocean was a soothing presence to him as he observed it while it was accompanied with a rising sun, far off into the distance hovering above it.

He fell back like a plank and looked up at the orange sky as it slowly transitioned into it's usual blue hue. He smiled. This indescribable joy felt like it would last for an eternity. He was so mesmerized and full of joy that he laid there for hours, bathing in the sun's rays.

As he sat up and took another look at the ocean view he felt another emotion building up. He wanted to share this moment and view with someone. Before he knew it his smile had long faded. He was now overwhelmed with a sadness of a severity he had never felt before.

Falling on his back again, he started wiping the tears rolling off his face. ‘I’m sorry Zayer.’

"MWAAAA~"

The tears led to panting that melded together as he released loud sobs that drowned out the sound of the crashing waves before him. He was now all alone and this hit him even harder. At least when a mentor left he could find a new one. There were people around him even then.

"ZAY! I’m so sorry!!" An almost fully grown man shouted into the forest sobbing like a child. Wiping snot from his face he continued, "I promise we'll meet again!" All of a sudden a giant smile burst forth.

"KWAHAHAAAHAHAAAAA!"

Laughing like a lunatic he wiped the tears from his face. He turned towards the ocean and then continued his maniacal outburst. "KWA! KWAAHAAA! KWAAHAHAHAAAHAHAAA!"

It was midday when his sobbing and laughter had finally stopped and he was now crouching down, removing what was left of his shoes. Standing up, he then threw them into the ocean and started stretching on the beach. After he was completely ready he began walking towards the ocean. “Lets meet again Zay.”

----------

At the same time in an unknown desert, a sand colored tower was being covered in winds of sand. In an empty dark and dry cell within the tower, a man who was chained to a wall began to turn his head. He seemed as if he was trying to crack it but not a single sound followed except for the crunching of his chains.

"Never thought forever was so long," he sounded to himself.

He let out a yawn before he shut eyes drifting into sleep as he ignored the sound of weak wisps of air from behind his wall. Outside the sounds of a raging storm barely made any noise as they bombarded walls of his completely sealed cell.

Prologue END