Chapter One
Outside the air was calm, soothing, and still. It was around dusk, so most civilians had ceased their daily activities and were resting within their cozy homes. However, deep within a deserted nearby forest- a youth was running rapidly through the surrounding green growth of the grassy floor.
The young man had long black locks, skin of an olive shade, and was relatively tall. He was quite dirty and had been traveling for some time. The once tranquil village he had resided in was burned down weeks ago. As a result, he had taken up the few trinkets he possessed and decided to start anew in a location, to make a better life for himself.
As he tired from his little sprint across the expanse, he began to recall memories of his past in his childhood home. He was never the open type, so he did not have much to remember regarding interactions with others. He had always been closed-off, somewhat distant, and an all-around introvert. He did not really know why he was like this- to him, he just was and he was content with it being so.
Of the few interactions he did recall that involved other human life forms, most involved his younger sister, Emmy. The village they had lived in was primitive, lacking modern technology and the inhabitants needing to live off the land by planting crops, fishing, hunting, and the like. It was a harsh life, and his parents had died when he and his sister were very young, their presence being a faint memory to him. Others had told him that they had died in a fishing accident. He didn't need to know the details, he just accepted this tragic end as the truth. After all, he had no method of verifying if this was the case and besides- he barely knew them anyway.
The man continued to sift through his memories. He recalled going fishing himself and coming home with several catches of salmon, to which his sister would thank him and feel grateful for. He reminisced about how many laughs they shared as each had told the other about a humorous tale or two, in order to pass the time during a dreary, hot day. He remembered how many times they would argue over petty topics, such as who could run faster, sing a more melodious tune, or catch the copious cats that would scamper throughout the area they lived and swamp the streets.
He appreciated each and every part of his past in this way. It brought a subtle smile to his lips. The great irony being that it also came coupled with a tinge of sadness. He had not seen his sister for weeks, since his home had been burned down, in fact. He had no idea if he would ever seen her again, not only that- he did not know if she were alive and being held captive, or had by some blessed twist of fate been absent when catastrophe struck and was traveling for a new home as well somewhere out there on the globe.
When he had come back from his hunting trip and noticed only ash and rubble remaining where modest (yet proud in their own right) buildings once stood and the area devoid of people, the emotional burden that hit him was great. It encompassed his being so much that he remained rooted in his position, merely staring at what remained for many passing moments.
Eventually, he realized that nothing was to be gained by just standing around without progressing in anything- so he made the decision to leave on his own. He was wise for his age and knew how to survive, he had been providing for himself and his sister for years. He could not mope around expecting something positive to happen after such an odd occurrence had passed. He had to move on.
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