Useless prophecies. A devastating plague. A history long forgotten. Gang warfare. Broken cities.  And children.  No one remembers when the plague began, but it is all the citizens of Mecraentos Kingdom have ever known. Lifetimes are cut short when one is doomed to a tragic, rabid death paired along with deteriorating sanity. In order to escape the plague, citizens of Mecraentos strive for Purity.  Born and raised in the political capital of Mecraentos known as the Fortress, stubborn-hearted and sweet Nadya is the servant of her best friend Lightened Bakiyoria--an idealistic, Pure noble boy with an inquisitive mind. Nadya is content with her life, until she slowly comes to realize that there is much more going on in the shadows of her beloved kingdom than she could have ever imagined. Right outside the Fortress walls, loving and devoted Asaio is determined to live his life to the fullest with his street-gang and family, the Garnets. But when they are hired to do a job for a failed entrepreneur from a closed-off country, their simple life of thieving and adventure takes a turn. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ IMPORTANT NOTE: this story does have themes of fictional religions. It by no means bashes on religion as a whole (as someone who is religious themself, I'd find that off-putting) but it does delve into its good and bad in this specific world.  Please note that this is a coming of age story that focuses highly on the development of its characters rather than action or politics, so it is quite slow. I wrote this story for a few reasons. I have always wanted to see 'chosen one' tropes dealt with in a different way, with more focus on the psychological affects would have on a young mind, have wanted to have more discussion on the causality of death in fantasy, and I love a good character story.  Also the story is being simultaneously published on my site at cannibalkings.com every Wednesday and Saturday. If found anywhere else, the story is not being published with my consent.