At the very border of the world reality tends to distort. Like the edges of a magnifying glass warping the letters on a page, or the swirling of the sky when you swim beneath the waves. It is a common tale that if one were to travel far enough to the fringes of the earth that eventually they would end up at a lonely mountain. And at that mountain, on its peak, there would be three beautiful rings. These rings were symbols of power and greater will throughout the lands. Often called the “Aeternum Coniunctum” and were said to hold reality together within their three-way link.
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Kenu froze as she felt the branch crack beneath her foot. Her fingers gripping the taut bowstring took much too long to react to her misstep. The arrow barely left the string before the deer began to bolt away.
With a sharp whistle, the arrow soared. Narrowly missing the heart of the beast, the arrowhead still sunk deeply into its golden-brown hide. The pain and shock sent the deer throttling through the forest, barely a blur.
“Guess a clean kill was too much to ask for.” Kenu muttered calmly as another three of her arrows found their place along the deer’s back.
It collapsed into a heap, its momentum carrying it deep into the dirt. It squirmed and thrashed in pain before a final arrow found its eye. Kneeling before the beast, Kenu rested her hands on its side as its final breath escaped.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, dark curls framing her pale face as she hung her head low.
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Kahiau (Kahi) stood up with a groan. His back crunched as he stretched to his full height. Stepping back, he watched as the windmill began to creak and groan back to life. Brushing his hands off he walked over to the hunched figure leaning against the building nearby.
“All done ma’am,” he said with a smile that reached past his eyes.
She pushed off the wall and wrapped Kahi’s huge figure in a hug, or as much as she could fit within her small wiry arms. “Thank you so much Kahi, you really saved my ass again.”
She stepped back and looked him in the eyes. “You know that mind of yours is wasted here.” She said with a laugh and a smile.
Kahi scoffed and shook his head as he began to head off.
“I’m telling you!” She called after him.
“Yeah, yeah, you say that every time! Now go get warm inside before those bones start creaking as loudly as the damn windmill!” Kahi shouted back.
As he walked, his eyes drifted around as he contemplated how much this place had changed. Ledan was a quiet village for its size. The large houses and wide pathways alluded to growth and constant traffic, but the silence and age of the once bright and alive village was deafening. Long ago it was a place of travel and respite, seeing many faces pass through each day. But its population and subsequent popularity quickly diminished after a series of terrible decisions by its long dead leaders. Now desolate and abandoned, a few desperate still gather beneath the crumbling roofs and wander along the ghostly roads.
Kahi and Kenu were among the ones who got lucky in their stay. When the people of Ledan found two abandoned children on the main village road, they kindly took them in and brought them up as their own. Growing up in Ledan they quickly learnt everything they would need to survive, and the locals were grateful for young and strong helpers to be around once more. The two siblings quickly became popular amongst the dwindling population. Bringing back food for the village to share or fixing and repairing things necessary for everyone’s survival. Under their guidance and help Ledan began to prosper once more.
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The sound of shouting and anxious chatter startled Kahi from his pondering.
A woman knelt before a giant. Clad in shining armour, standing tall above the crowd, the man stared down at her. Two more, similarly dressed behemoths, stood stoically behind him.
“Please!” she begged, ugly tears streaming down her face. “D - don’t take my husband-”
Her eyes flicked across the crowd, spotting Kahi’s arrival. With renewed vigor she leapt from the dirt to her feet.
“Take him!” She screamed and pointed with a crooked finger. “Him and his sister are our strongest by far!”
Silence rippled through the crowd. Kahi felt his blood go cold as the armour-clad behemoth brought his dangerous gaze down upon him.
With a stern nod he signaled for his men to move.
Kahi barely had time to blink before the two soldiers forcefully moved him back to their leader.
Kahi stood before the taller man and looked him dead in the eyes.
“What do you want from us sir?” Venom seeping into his words. “We have nothing here, as you can see.”
After a long and uncomfortable pause the man slowly took off his gleaming helmet. His appearance was a complete contrast to Kahi’s simple rags and haggard appearance. Golden locks burst from the helm, framing a determined jaw. A deep scar ran across his cheek, cutting through his grizzly shaved face. Eyes colder than ice. Each iris, a pool of aqua determined to freeze over, and hide what lay beneath the frost.
“Oh, I don’t doubt it. You truly do have nothing here.” He sneered at the collapsing huts and the all-consuming mud.
Kahi’s brain spun. He could hardly believe it, but he saw those blue eyes flicker as a slight sadness crept into them, but only for a second.
“But you see.” The giant man whipped his intense gaze back to Kahi. “You, are exactly what I came here for.”
“My name is Dante. Dante the Dogged.” He continued, a sly smirk dancing on his lips. “And I am here for your village’s strongest and most able people.”
Turning back to the now collapsed woman Dante put on his most charming smile. “The sister. Where might she be, my lovely?”
Kahi stiffened “No!”
A backhand met his words before they left his mouth. Almost as if it were predicted, the armoured gauntlet shut him up with a practiced swing. The pain made Kahi’s brain spin, until it finally landed on a firm conclusion, this has happened many times before. Metal on skin had cut his cheek and lip, letting blood drip to the ground at the woman’s feet.
“Speak again boy. Just see what happens.” One of the soldiers growled viciously, hand resting on the ornate pommel of his blade.
“I have been sent here on the word of the King.” Dante announced, turning back to the crowd. “Anything I say must be interpreted as directly from the mouth of your royalty.”
The crowd swelled with anxiety as the villagers heard the commotion, but none dared to breathe. Kahi was by far the strongest among them, and to see him so easily dismissed was gut wrenching.
Growing guilt filled the whimpering woman as she stared sickly at the steady creep of splattered crimson.
Tears flowing freely, eyes red and scared, the woman whispered pathetically. “Sh-she is out h-hunting...”
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A resounding wet thump broke the silence, as a deer corpse flopped to the dirt.
Kenu roared, deep and guttural. Bow drawn, and arrow trained on the large man conducting the atrocities before her. At her feet, the deer’s corpse leaked blood onto the ground, pooling next to the sobbing woman. Siblings’ eyes met across the chaos; deep crimson flowed freely from her brother’s face. Surrounded by flecks of confusion and frustration, she could see worry growing deep in his dark eyes.
The men turned; swords drawn at their new threat. Tension forming in the air, tauter than the bowstring at Kenu’s fingertips.
“I would suggest that bow was lowered nice and quick.” Dante said with a smile as his sword lingered at Kahi’s throat.
The fury in Kenu’s eyes flickered, she was facing fully armoured men. One arrow could easily take out the man with no helmet. But the other two… she could do nothing against their seemingly infinite armour.
Time stretched to a stand-still. Gears grinding away in every mind. All the possibilities laid out before the crowd like a sticky web. The death and destruction that may occur in the next few seconds lingered like the afternoon shadows around them.
“You know, a man once said to me that ‘It takes great courage for the sheep to kneel before the wolf.’” Dante said calmly. “Perhaps you could use his advice?”
A bead of sweat formed on Kenu’s brow.
Her bow slowly and reluctantly lost tension. She had mistaken a predator for prey. Kenu lowered her gaze.
“Hmm actually, now that I think about it, I’m pretty sure he was also insane.” Dante said nonchalantly.
With glinting steel still touching Kahi’s throat, Dante ordered his men forward. The determination in his eyes burning stronger than ever.