Prologue

 

The cold wind softly caressed her long golden hair as she waited, floating patiently in the depths of the Bamboo Forest. The faint moonlight struck the mass of white robe that covered her body, showing barely her angelic face and her pair of pristine wings, making her looked more ethereal amongst the shadows of the towering grasses.

She had long waited for this moment. After searching every corners of land of Pangu, who could have known that the one she was looking for was right here, where it all started.
     “Lien.”
       She didn’t look back.

“We are so worried…where have you been all th-“

“Not a step further, Ryu!” She retorted.

 She came down as her wings disappeared. She slowly turned to face him

Nothing had changed. He was still the man that she remembered. Older though, but still possessed the raven colored hair and the pair of dark blue eyes that she—

“So this is where they have hidden you?” Her soft voice filled with anger, and with grief. For all this time they knew where he was.

I have been deceived all along.

“Lien…” he called her name again.

 With a swift flash of light followed by a swirling piece of a sharp feather, Lien struck an arrow of light to his direction, making a sharp gash over his shoulder.

She knew he could effortlessly dodge that simple attack, but he didn’t move a bit.

Did the years of hiding, slowed you down Ryu?

She moved fast. She took a few steps further and launched her Dragon Flinch Bore, just a hair-gap over his neck

“I came here to kill you” Her voice firm and sharp, “Just like how you killed her."

She knew very well that the weapon she was holding was not meant for cutting. She wouldn’t mind of course, especially when that piece of glistening metal was now touching the bare skin of his neck.

“Any last word?”

Chapter 1

-Fates-

 

 

Lien threw her shoes on the bamboo planks beside her. She stretched out her hands up and a pair of white wings appeared on her back, shining delicately against the mid afternoon’s sun.

The great Feather Lake was calm and silent. She floated leisurely above it, her feet barely touching the water below. All her chores were already done anyway, her aunt wouldn’t mind if she strayed away from home for a few minutes, she thought.

At her age, about sixteen, she should have started her training as soldier, o as healer, the one she actually dreamt to be since she was a child.  Some of the other young Wingkins like her had already left the Bamboo village, hoping to make a reputation for themselves. Her older sister was one of them. The last letter she received from her was now serving as captain of one of the major clans in Pangu. She sighed.

 

But a half-blood like her was not allowed to be trained, even to carry any form of weapon. It was the regulation. It was a rule that their village created when the interracial war that lasted for than centuries finally ceded. Intermarriage between classes became unavoidable. In order to protect the so called, integrity of their village warriors, only the pure blooded Wingkin where allowed to be trained.

 

Restrictions. Restrictions.

 Lien tightened her fists in dismay. It wasn’t her fault anyway. But she can’t really blame her departed mother. Her much privileged older sister’s father had a pure Wingkind blood. Unfortunately he succumbed in an unknown disease that left her poor mother widowed within year. It must have been tough on her on choosing someone without wings and doesn’t have feathers behind its ears as a second husband. But she seemed so happy with her father when both of them were still alive. Is it love? Perhaps.

She gave out another sigh. She didn’t care much about that right now. But as girl of her age, and with all that circumstances of her restricted life, the only option was to marry. Marry! She shivered in disgust.

She slowly calmed herself, clearing those improper thoughts in her mind. She glided swiftly into the middle of the Feather Lake. The great lake is covered with thick white mist during this time of the year that she can barely see anything.

She flew a bit higher, hoping to see more behind the mist. Then it struck her, painful like a thousand needles pierced through her skin. Poison Needles. She looked back. A large winged serpent trailed behind her. Its grotesques face looked eager and ready to attack. It must have followed her, that monster only stayed above the banks of the lake, she thought.

She acted swiftly, releasing her wings and letting herself to fall before the serpent launched another attack, which she knew this time would be fatal.

She hit the water hard with a sound like a resonating boom. The coldness wrapped her whole body as she descended down to the bottom of the lake. A silent prayer that she secretly memorized from her mother’s books hastily filled her lips, a healing prayer. A faint beam of light surrounded her, giving her enough strength to rose up to the surface and desperately gasp for air. She felt the pain again. The poison started to engulf her body making her feel numb, and helpless. She prayed for the light once more.

She heard them, thosee alluring voices, chanting a somewhat melancholy song and slowly lulling her to what they call an eternal sleep. She was now too weak to resist their enchantment. She closed her eyes as she slowly sank beneath.

Moments passed, the poison must have faded away by now, and so as the beautiful voices. She must be dead. It felt cold, like floating and drifting eternally beneath the lake. She opened her eyes and saw a golden light approaching, slowly and then fading away through darkness. She closed her eyes again and waited for darkness to claim her.

It was all calm, and silent. The sound of his horse’s hooves disturbed the stillness of the Feather Lake path. It place itself was foggy. Though not as gloomy as the Foggy Jungle he grew up to, still, the cold air that silently brushed his skin through some small openings of his dark heavy armor gave him peculiar chills.

 “Where could the all the soulless have gone now?” he thought.

He hated this. If it weren’t for that pesky captain of his, he wouldn’t be here. The last battle between a rival clan had ended with a truce, now their clan’s soldiers finally had a free time to get back to their respective villages and have that long awaited rest with their families. He mumbled. He was supposed to get back to Arcadia for that Peach Blossom Festival now he was stuck here doing this mission.

His horse yelped on a sudden splash. It sounded something like a big object fell into the lake. He stopped. He heard voices, singing, faint yet enthralling.

He dismounted and walked to the direction of the lake. He saw it. A girl surrounded by group of beautiful water fairies on the surface, sinking slowly in middle of the vast water.

He quickly pulled out his axes and summoned up his Temujin. A large flaming broad sword appeared beneath his feet. He swiftly flew toward the direction of the fairies and launched an attacked. Within seconds, several heads of the water fairies floated on the surface.

            “Where is she?”

He saw a faint silhouette of the girl beneath. His sword disappeared as he quickly plunged down to the water.

 

He was relieved when he saw her chest heaved. He thanked the all gods he knew, she was breathing, he made it just in time. The armor that he was wearing now twice as heavy due to the water that seeped in, although he didn’t care. He was too enamoured with the creature he was holding.

His face was an inch away from her, holding her carefully like a delicate bouquet of flowers in his arms. She was beautiful, almost not human, or perhaps not. Her glimmering wet hair, golden under the sunlight, and her pale skin, was a very common trait for the Wingkin tribe. Yet the absence of headwings behind her ears that made him doubt she’s one of them.

She opened her small mouth and hummed a soft moan. Her eyes fluttered and revealed a pair of crimson eyes.

“Are you alright?” He asked. Eyes still transfixed in those blood colored orbs.

She just looked at him, dazedly, with those eyes and her innocent face.

He carefully lowered her down on the sandy lake shore. He untangled himself and sat back.

“Are you alright?” He was not sure if he was alright himself.

She sat up and gazed at him with an inquiring look.

“Who are you?”

 “My name is Ryu, I—“

Suddenly she began to shiver, violently. He caught her in his arms before she collapsed.

Hush now… They won’t hurt you..

“I’ll protect you.” He whispered in her ears. After a few moments, she had gone limp and seemed to be sleeping.