The Mark of A Slave
by Kasa no Miko (shards_of_dewprism@yahoo.com)

All the Threads of Fate characters portrayed here are property of Squaresoft, Ltd. Except for those that I originally created. And the [relic]'s mine, ya hear? MINE! Mwahahahahahaha...er, let's get on with it.

   

PROLOGUE- Light and Darkness

The wind buffeted him fiercely, threatening to blow him away into the storm. It roared into his ears like a hungry beast and tore at his clothes, trying to drag him into its eager jaws. Frowning, he bent his head lower into his cloak and protectively clutched the egg in his arms. The storm may rage on around him, but he would not let this egg fall into the wrong hands. With this thought in mind, he surged forward, his sandaled feet sinking with every step into the sea of sand below.

Cautiously opening his eyes despite the stinging sensation of the sand biting into his pupils, he struggled to make out any sign of shelter. What was that in the distance? Could it be a cave? Yes! Yes, indeed! It was a cave!

With renewed vigor, he rushed towards it, stumbling once or twice and then finally collapsing onto the cave floor upon arrival.

Panting, he brought out the egg and cradled it in his arms, then glanced behind him. It won’t be too long until they find him here, which was all the more reason for him to hurry.

Rushing to the back of the cave, he sat down and laid the egg before him. With a simple flame spell, he set fire to the torch he was bringing and illuminated the cave. Then he proceeded to steeple his fingers in front of him. What was that spell his grandfather taught him? The one with which he could bound something for all eternity until he wishes to lift it? It was one of the ancient spells passed down from his ancestors, but he could not remember the words...

For several moments, he sat there, struggling to recall the spell until sweat began to bead on his forehead. Curses! This isn’t working.

He inhaled deeply, then let his mind meander into the past, freeing it from its restraints. A strange, relaxing feeling surged through him as he felt his body go numb.

“Nanka itesu nanka, liwares itesu liwares...”

Light of light, darkness of darkness...

“Yoma dina siru mayiki it yona...”

I bind my self to thee...

“Yomadi soru ento yona kemara...”           

My soul shall keep thee captive...

“Yomadi lokine marus yona imata...”

My blood shall set thee free...   

The instant he uttered the last word, a stream of glittering dust swirled around the egg, spiraling towards the top, then dispersed in a silver mist. The egg began to glow faintly, and a pleased smile graced his parched lips.

“There he is!”

“Quick! Capture him!”

He abruptly jumped to his feet and stood before the egg with outstretched arms, intent on guarding it even with his own life.

They rushed towards him, stopping a meter away before him.

“How dare you steal one of the King’s royal eggs?!” the largest of them bellowed angrily. “It shall be death for you, you rascal!”

“Fools! Do you not know that Death himself sent that egg?!” he retorted. “When that egg hatches, it shall be destruction for all!”

“Lies! Take this lunatic away!”

Several soldiers stepped forward to restrain him, but he had been ready for this.

With one swift move, he unsheathed his knife and swung it towards the nearest soldier, almost beheading him in the process. The unfortunate man collapsed onto the ground, crimson blood spurting from his severed arteries.

At that moment, the other soldiers brandished their broadswords, but in a cramped cave like this one, he had a definite advantage.

One by one, in swift fluid motions, he killed the others, their blood splashing onto his clothes. His eyes blazed with fury and excitement as he danced to the side to avoid one of the soldiers’ clumsy thrusts.

But as he retrieved his knife from one of the bodies, he sensed cold steel enter his warm flesh. Jerking forward, he glanced down and watched with a shocked expression at the blade emerging from his left chest.

“Die, bastard,” his oppressor breathed as he barbarically yanked out his sword.

He dropped down to his knees, his face still a mask of shock. As blood spurted out of his chest and back, he grabbed his knife and swung it in the direction of his opponent, catching the soldier in the knee. Then, with a final exhalation, he collapsed facedown on the floor, one of his hands outstretched towards the egg, which lay placidly a few inches away from his groping fingers.

“Damn fool,” the soldier captain muttered as he kicked the body with the toe of his boot. “Are you alright?” he asked the triumphant murderer of their quarry.         

“I shall live to see my grandchildren,” the other soldier smiled weakly, clasping a hand on his knee.

The captain nodded his head, then solemnly glanced about the mass of bodies about him. Only a handful of his soldiers had survived. The rest...completely beyond help.

Persistent man, he thought as he bent down to pick up the apparently unharmed egg. I admire the determination he had in him. Too bad he was crazy.

Several minutes later, he and the others departed with the bodies of their comrades, leaving behind the still corpse of the mysterious, yet deranged, man.

But perhaps, he was not deranged. Perhaps, he spoke the truth...

 

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Uh...that spell he just chanted was not in any existing language. ^_^ I just made it up. And I'm not saying who he is, yet. I apologize if the prologue was too...bloody for you. I'm one of those people who like to start a fic with a bang. Or in this case, a swing of a knife. Ask FalconIce. She says I'm too action-inclined when it comes to writing intros. 

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