Prologue

The night exploded with blinding white and gold light. Katerina screamed as a
bullet of white energy whizzed past her head, barely grazing her ear. She clutched onto
her sisters hand like a lifeline as she lead her into a dilapidated, crumbling house; wilting
from the blazing heat of the last fifty-six years.
They repeatedly had to avoid falling into holes in the floorboards that decayed
and crumbled away into the darkness below. It was unbelievably difficult to find a room
anywhere in the house that offered any cover for the dry wall was completely missing or
broken, scattered on the misshapen floor somewhere.
Isis flung her around into a dark corner in the farthest room of the house that
seemed unaffected by the rest of the decay. Katerina stared up at her with tear-filled eyes,
hugging her sisters arm.
Stay here. Dont come out of this spot until I come to get you. Do not move. Do
not make a sound.
She started to turn away but Katerina whelped and tugged her arm back down.
Rin, please-Isis started.
Rin went into hysterics, Dont go. Please, please, you cant leave me. Dont
leave me alone, Isis! Tears streamed down Rins dirt streaked face as she choked the
raggedy bear in her arms.
Isis knelt down next to Rin and pulled her face to look at her, trying to talk past
the lump in her throat. Look at me. I will never leave you, okay? I will come back for
you, I always do, she said shakily.
Rin stared at her. Promise, she said defiantly, eyes blazing.
A tiny smile pulled at her lips, Promise. She tugged Rin into a tight hug before
running back into the chaos outside.
Rin stared after her sister until she was out of sight. She clutched her bear tight to
her chest and stared blankly into a large hole in the floorboards that looked like an evil
abyss. There was a pristine layer of dust that covered every inch of the room with only
shattered pieces of glass breaking the surface. It must have been a bedroom at one point;
there was an old bedframe in the center of the far wall with what was left of the bed
hanging limply over one edge, an old dust covered mirror and table, and what used to be
a wardrobe but it had collapsed in on itself. The smell of mildew, stale air, and dust
overwhelmed her. Occasionally bursts of light from the energy guns outside would break
through the mess of holes and peeling wallpaper on the walls, reminding her of the horrid
reality outside.
Rin pulled herself into a tiny ball and tried not to cry. Her whole group was
outside fighting, why couldnt she do something, too? She didnt think she was much of a
child anymore, at least not lately anyway. She just turned twelve a few months ago,
which should be old enough to help with something, right?
The bandits terrified her though; she never could take any action around them for
some reason. Rin froze stock still when the first wave of them encircled her family, like a
feral animal caught in a sudden light. That is until her sister finally pulled her out of the
line of fire and into this shack of a house.
Rins head shot up, her eyes wide-open in terror. There was a slight creaking in
the other room of the house. She held her breath and listened intently.
Creak.
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Someone was walking around in the house. Rin panicked and looked at the room
around her. There was an old chest in the corner of the room that was as weathered as the
old house. She considered it for a moment until the next footstep told her that the person
was just outside in the hallway.
She quickly crawled to the chest and opened it as soundlessly as possible. The
stench of death overwhelmed her and made her gag.
Creak. Creak. Creak.
Rin swallowed and jumped into the chest, closing the lid just enough so that she
could see into the room.
A man slowly stalked inside, searching for something. Or someone.
He stood in the middle of the room peering into every corner. His stare held on
the chest she was hiding in. Rins eyes widened. She didnt have anything to defend
herself with, she was completely helpless; and that giant gun the man had sloped across
his shoulder wasnt making her feel any better.
He sauntered closer to the chest, the rotten floorboards groaning under his weight.
Just as he was about to reach out for the lid one of the other men shouted something she
couldnt hear. The mans head went up as he listened, cocked to the side. He then came to
some sort of a solution, grunted, then made his way towards the doorway.
Stupid girl. I dont een see why she is so imporant, anway he huffed and then
he was gone.
Rin exhaled a breath she didnt even know she was holding. These people were
insane, vicious. She was completely vulnerable and there was nothing she could do about
it.
She waited until she couldnt even hear the gunshots outside and started balling
the pent up tears from the past few hours. She cried until she had no more tears left and
waited. Waited for hours on end for her sister to come back to her. To tell her they
defeated the bad guys and everyone was okay.
But she never came.
Defeated, Rin listened one last time if there was anyone outside, and then she
cautiously climbed out of the decrepit chest and observed her surroundings. The dull redorange hue shining through the holes in the roof and walls of the house told her that it
was sunrise.
Rin walked cautiously throughout the house until she found her way out onto the
deteriorated porch. The creatures of the morning were waking up and singing their songs
cheerfully. The dry morning breeze wrapped around her, gently lifting her long, blondecopper hair. She started the trek back to where her group was last, where they were
caught under attack.
The trip didnt take long, all she could think about was running into her fathers
warm embrace and to scold Isis for not coming back for her. She probably didnt get her
just to play a dumb prank on her like she usually did.
The hill was right in front of her. Rin looked up hopefully, right over that hill was
her family. They were probably worried sick that she was gone for so long. Rin picked up
the pace, almost sprinting to the top of the hill, tripping and climbing with her hands in
the dirt to gain more speed.
Rin stopped dead in her tracks at the top. This isnt real. No, this has to be some
type of nightmare. She looked around wildly, unbelieving.
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Everything, everyone, was gone and all that was left was pure destruction.
All of their belongings, her clothes, everything that was important to her, was just
tossed off haphazardly. The food they were gathering, the water, was feathered across the
ground. Half of their camp and the brittle trees around the area were ablaze with fire.
That wasnt the worst part. No, the worst part was the awful stench of burning meat that
clouded around her.
The giant fire in the middle of it all was her family. Everyone she held dear and
has come to love were thrown carelessly on top of each other and set on fire and left to
burn.
Rin immediately fell to her knees, her bear falling to her side. She stared blankly
at the scene of her familys murder. How could this happen? Werent they bandits? They
couldve just taken their stuff and went on their way but they had to terrorize them first.
Kill them off.
Rin was in shock. So this is why her sister didnt come back. She was slaughtered
with the rest of them because she just had to fight alongside Father. She quickly grew
angry. How could the gods do this to her? To her family? What had they ever done other
than try to survive just like everybody else?
Then she broke down into tears, collapsing into herself, hands at her face. She
was completely alone now. She would have to survive by herself, be her own family.
After a few hours of crying and screaming at the sky, she shakily picked herself
up, angry tears rolling down her face. She wobbled over to the mass grave; leaving her
bear in the dust, already forgotten. Rin gazed at the swirling colors of the dying blaze, the
faces of the charred bodies frozen in screams. Her face twisted in remorse and she turned
her head away from the ghastly smoke, hand at her mouth. She turned and ran towards
what was left of their camp.
Though there wasnt much left, Rin tried to scavenge whatever she could into her
bag that miraculously survived the fight. There was only swathes of cloth that she was
going to make into clothing later, a small tin canteen that was half full of water, and a
bundle of meat and bread that she had hid behind a tree earlier from her sister. She
searched the area for anything else she could use and spotted something twinkling in the
coming morning light. Immediately she recognized it as the beautiful jewel that her sister
always had around her graceful neck, but was now sitting abandoned in the dirt. She
gently pulled it out of the muck and folded it lightly in her pack.
She then tossed the bag onto her back and peered at the inferno one last time,
burning the image into her memory. Choking back her swell of emotions, she turned
away and headed towards the nearest city that she could remember, watching the horizon
for any sudden movement.

Chapter One
Please, I already told you I dont know nothin!
Rin twisted the mans oily hair in her fist from where she was straddling his back
and yanked his face off the floor, her sword at his throat. And I said that I dont believe
you. She pressed the blade further into the swell of his neck, a scarlet drop trailing down
the length of his throat.
No, no, no I wasnt told anything. I-I Im just a sword hand they dont tell us
nothin, it-he tried to swallow past the sword, it was Luke. Yeah- he was our leader,
hes the one that Zandriel hired. Please, I know nothing else, please
Rin sighed. Well that just means you are of no further use to me. With a
quick swing of her arm back she slashed his throat. She slowly stood up, swiping her
blood soaked sword against the back of the mans shirt.
She flicked her black torn hood over her coppery, blonde hair and pulled it to
conceal her face as a shadow. She then went to the boarded up window that she had
entered through and slid down the broken piping on the side of the building into an
abandoned dirt alleyway. Pulling back the side of her toiled robe, she stashed her sword
into its sheath and continued onto the crowded street.
The street wasnt much of anything, it was mainly muddied dirt and broken
concrete from before the war. Vendors lined the side of the streets shouting at any
passerby that they were selling everything from fruits and meats to weapons and little
trinkets of every kind. Here and there groups of filthy, weathered residents would gather
and auction off anything that they held to value, including things as their sons and
daughters to the highest bidder. This halfway town was one of the many that Rin chose to
stay far away from considering how vile and uncultured it was, and this wasnt even the
half of it, with the many streets piled with the forgotten bodies of dire fools and people
going hungry on every corner offering anything for something to put into their bellies.
Usually the only ones foolish enough to live in a place like this are outcasts or the more
uneducated wanted men that have to hide away from the New Government.
Rin stuck to the shadows and the middle of the crowds to remain unseen by
watchful eyes, plucking a surprisingly exceptional apple from one of the stands. She
fingered the hilt of her sword at her hip while biting into the juicy apple, juice leisurely
dripping down the side of her hand and over her fingerless leather gloves. In the
background of all the commotion she could faintly hear the news of rain that the scientist
predicted to fall within the next few weeks, an event that hasnt happened for as many
years as she could remember. She wasnt too hopeful though, there have been cries of
water for many years but none had ever come. She hastily turned a corner around a
crumbling brick wall that was what used to be an apartment complex and into the ruins
on the outskirts of the town.
They were about a mile away from the bustling inner town and were surprisingly
close to the little cave that she had scouted out about a month before spotting the old thief
in town one day when she went in to steal some supplies. The cave was hidden behind
brush and boulders but it appears to have been a little watering hole before it had dried up
with the rest of the water. It is a cave in the ground that has a series of tunnels that open
up to the floor of the forest above. Rin had sort of made it into her home for the past
month and has been building a sort of aqueduct for the possible rain that might make its
appearance.
4

She leisurely climbed up the blackened wall of an old house and hopped through
fallen wooden beams onto the roof of the next house. She stopped for a moment seeing
movement behind a flowing curtain in the open air but decided it was nothing and went to
run to the next roof when something hurdled her to the ground.
Rin was completely taken by surprise and tried to get ahold of her sword but the
petite person on top of her knocked her hand out of the way and twisted it above her
head. Rin shot her head upwards and made contact with her enemys nose and made a
move for her knuckle knife strapped to her thigh and spun out of the persons grasp. Her
opponent got up, holding their face, and moved to attack Rin again but she locked her
arm and threw her flipping to the ground. In an instant Rin was on top of the attacker,
knife at their throat.
Rins eyes widened in confusion and realization. The attacker was only a girl,
maybe about her late teens and her eyes were open with terror for what she would do
next. She hesitated for a moment, considering what she should do; then she quickly stood
up, sheathing her knife and headed for the next open roof. The girl leaned up on her
elbows and shouted after her but Rin ignored her and kept moving.
She had managed to make it about a block and a half when she took a sharp turn
into what was now a dark alleyway. She crouched in the darkness for a good five minutes
then leapt out at the dark figure trailing her.
Why are you following me, Rin demanded, knife at the girls throat yet again,
her body pressed against the rough wall.
I-I was trying to see where y-you were going she stuttered, I, I um, my
group, w-we found a cave nearby, I just thought you w-were trailing us.
No. Now leave me alone, Rin said sternly, turning to leave her.
Wait! Wait, no I mean, your fighting skills are incredible. You would be a great
asset to the group. I-I well I was hoping you would come back with me.
Well thats a nice notion but I could care less about you and your group. Id
prefer to be left alone. Rin strapped her bag closer to her and stepped onto a pipe to
boost herself onto a window ledge.
But wait! We found water, we have water, you can have a share if you come
back, the girl shouted.
Rin hesitated, staring at the dull wall in front of her. I dont need your water, I
can survive on my own, she whispered.
Please, the girl pleaded, you can help us.
What do you expect of me? Rin shouted, turning to face her, I cant do
anything for you kid now go. Away. She started down the lonely road over destroyed
houses to the woods on the other side when she spotted a light in the corner of her eye.
She spun towards it. There were groups of men carrying torches and energy lights the
like, circling all around the abandoned village.
Rin instantaneously spun on her heel to the morbid girl and said, On second
thought, I believe I will take you up on that offer.
The girls eyes instantly lit up, Truly? Oh great, its this way. She took Rins
arm and led her to an empty house and into a back room. On the ground there was a little
wooden door with a hatch that she then opened and threw an energy orb down into. The
cave glowed with a blue, watery hue dancing off the walls like water. The girl smiled
brightly up at her, You first, and pushed her back into the shallow cave. She hopped
5

down with her, landing gracefully on her feet as if she had done that a thousand times
before.
My name is Kali by the way, she offered her hand out coolly to Rin.
Rin stared at it and then continued to walk forward down the winding cave,
Great.
Kali stared at her excitedly and then grabbed her arm again and yanked her down
through the tunnels, Everyones gonna be so happy to meet you, Im so excited. They
rushed by the rough cavern walls and glowing bugs to an opening cleverly hidden by
overgrown vines that draped the walls throughout the tunnel.
Kali stopped right before a rope ladder with metal rungs leading up to the top of
the tunnel that was burrowed out. Alright, Kali said, Ill climb up first and when you
get to the top theres a little wooden door that you have to lift up, kinda like the one we
went through earlier. Okay? she smiled.
Rin stared at her suspiciously, Sure.
Yay, okay lets go, she started up the ladder. Rin had to bear through listening to
her babble about how excited she was over and over again the whole way up.
Just about two stories up Kali lifted the door and made her way through the
chiseled hole. A dim crescent of yellow light cascaded over Rin and then fell away with
the fall of the door. She tenderly lifted the door above her head and heaved it up, making
it out about waist high before she felt a ring of cold of metal at her neck.
Who the hell are you, demanded the gravelly voice behind her, holding a pistol
to her skin.
Rin rolled her eyes. Of course this was going to happen, she knew she shouldnt
have trusted the kid. She could faintly comprehend Kali screaming to the men in the
small wooden room a few feet in front of her but could scarcely pay attention, her head
reeling with a plan to stay a step ahead of the game. Her hand snaked down to the holster
at her hip, fingertips just barely grazing the hilt of her sword.
The flat side of a sword came down on her hand, just slightly slapping her. Rins
hand froze, her gaze fixed on the ground.
I would strongly advise you not to do that, said the owner of the sword.
Kali became even more outraged, Everyone stand down! Please stop this, I
already told you sh-
Kali, why did you lead this, he looked Rin over, scum into our hideaway?
Oi! Rin exclaimed at the same time the man with the pistol snorted.
You know better than to bring outsiders here, you know the risk, the older man
continued.
Kali shifted in her place, wringing her hands behind her back. Then she thought
better of herself and met his gaze, Shes absolutely amazing Erik, you must see her. She
can help us with the project, protect us! She could be the protection weve been looking
for!
Erik considered her for a moment then glanced down at Rin, looking her over. He
seemed to be battling with himself and then said, Ill make a deal. She can stay if she
can beat me in a duel to prove her fighting abilities; if not, well well consider that later.
Kalis eyes went wide and she immediately directed her attention to Rin. Jeez, this guy
couldnt be that bad could he?

Rin stared hard at Kali for a moment and then back at Erik, sizing him up. He
didnt seem that strong, she could definitely take him she decided. Welp, lets get this
party started shall we, Rin said to the group around her as she pulled herself up out of
the rest of the hole. The group of stunned men around her all moved to allow a just
enough for a ring of people to form a dueling circle. Rins gaze went over the obnoxious
man with the pistols who now had his arms crossed, glaring a hole straight through her.
She shrugged and prepared herself on one side of the circle, bringing out her sword to her
side.
Erik had an amused look on his face, shrugging off his worn trench coat to the
ground and met her in the circle. Rin pulled her sword arm above her head and loosely
pointed her other arm at her opponent, positioning herself so that only the side of her
body faced Erik. He looked at her with a predatory grin on his smug face and positioned
his feet shoulder-width apart, holding the sword up at his hip with both hands. They stood
like that sizing each other up for a while as a hushed silence befell the room. No one even
breathed, anticipation on all their dirty faces, eager to see what will happen next. All of
those except for Kali and the guy who assaulted her earlier who were now standing
incredibly close to one another, one with terror and one with pure amusement on their
face.
Rin shifted her eyes back to Erik, waiting for him to make the first move. With a
strange coolness he smoothly side-stepped Rin and made the first jab near her stomach,
which she just as quickly blocked. Swing after swing Rin just parried and danced around
the old man. He was an excellent swordsman, shed give him that, but he wasted too
much energy with the heavy sword and his anger fueling his movements. At this rate he
was going to tire himself out without her having to do anything.
Exactly what she was going for.
She blocked a hard blow from above towards her face and finally made an attempt
at slashing back where Erik had left most of his torso open, his stance off balance. She
made to duck under his counterattack and quickly swirled around his body and kicked his
legs out from under him, making him fall face first.
She smiled slyly to the awed crowd around her and prepared for her welcoming
into the group. Erik looked up at her from his place on the dusty floor, his hand on one
knee propping himself up while his sword was dug into the floorboards, his eyes
crinkling with amusement. Rins face fell.
What the hell is going on? Did she not win?
In a flash Erik was up, his blade making a shallow cut across her cheek as he
passed her. She stood there with shock covering her face. She heard a chuckle coming
from the corner. Rin directed her attention to where Kali and pistol boy stood, he
obviously knew something of this sort was going to come from this fight. Kali on the
other hand looked just as terrified as ever. Kali locked eyes with her for a moment then
buried her face into the mans shoulder. Rin, severely agitated now, rolled her eyes at the
guy and got serious. This old man wasnt going down as easily as she had thought.
Rin turned on her heel to meet him where they crossed swords in an x formation,
now face to face. Youre looking rather smug over there, were you just hustling me this
whole time, Rin asked already knowing the answer.
Oh, my dear, that was nothing but a warm up.

Rins face turned to mock anticipation, she obviously hadnt seen anything he
could throw at her yet. But then again, neither had he. But as soon as he moved again she
began getting worried, something she hadnt felt in a horribly long time. The way he
moved with his sword was impenetrable, he had skills she had never seen before. She
blocked his advances as best as she could but it began wearing on her. She was getting
cornered, this was too much.
He lunged and gashed her upper arm. She hissed and turned away and thats when
he swooped her legs from under her. She went crashing to the ground and landed flat on
her back, the wind knocked out of her. Rin gasped for air as she tried to reach for her
sword but Erik stepped down on her forearm, keeping her from grabbing it.
Erik chuckled, You are too haughty for your own good, girl. He bent over and
plucked up the glowing blade from the ground and examined it. This is quite a sword, I
wonder where you had procured it from?
None of your-Rin coughed up blood,-goddamn business. She winced and
grabbed her side.
He examined her struggling and smiled to himself, releasing the hold on her arm
by stepping on it to continue walking forward. Rin immediately flipped to her belly,
pulling the knuckle knife from her leg holster and grabbed his ankles, yanking him to the
ground. She jumped on top of him and grabbed hold of her sword just as he was twisting
to face her. When he was facing her she jabbed the blade into his gut.
Eriks eyes went wide as he let her sword fall out of his hand. Rin leaned over so
that she was whispering into his ear. I, she twists the blade further into his body and he
grunts, win.
Rin eases up and gingerly picks up her sword from the ground. She stands over
him and looks at the group around her, all of them seemingly unfazed by their leader
lying on the ground bleeding. She finally peers back down at Erik but his eyes were
behind her. She cocks her head at him and then her eyes widen. Just as she was about to
turn her head behind her she felt a sharp pain at the base of her skull and then everything
went black.
A trickle of thick rain drops slowly fell from the sky and
splattered on Rins peeling face, creating clean trails down her bloody
cheeks. She continued to stare blankly at the gray, roiling clouds from
where she lay sprawled out in layers of mud and dried grass. Her
tattered clothes and face were covered in crusted blood and mud
caked onto her bare skin and matted hair. The pain between her thighs
intensified more and more along with the pace of the oncoming storm.
Mud splashed up from the ground with every new drop as if the
desert were one massive puddle. A dark shadow clouded over her
body, Waiting for death out here will do you no good, child, said a
deep, cracking voice.
Rin didnt break her gaze from the sky, Making an effort to live
will do me no good either, she said through cracking lips, her voice
rough from being unused. The old man leaned over and offered his
hand to her. When she didnt accept he carefully knelt down and
scooped her broken body into his surprisingly muscular arms. She
8

didnt know why she didnt resist him, perhaps because whatever he
had in mind couldnt be worse than the rest of her miserable life.
Rin slowly became aware of the cold stone biting at her bare
skin, rousing from her dream. She slowly opened her eyes and
immediately squeezed them shut again. The whole room seemed to
spin and blur together. She took in a deep breath and tried to open her
eyes again, placing her palm onto the rough ground to push herself up
into a sitting position. Her hand shot up to the back of her head where
pain radiated down to her neck. She felt the raised zigzagged lines
wrapping around her neck to the bottom of her chin. Those bastard
had knocked her out with a Jarr, a little device that sends out electric
pulses to hinder the victim.
Well, took you long enough to wake up, we thought you
mightve died if it werent for your fretful moaning in your sleep, a
voice sneered.
Rin whipped her head around, which seemingly was a mistake as
another jet of pain raced down her spine. The voice had originated
from that loathsome man with the pistols from earlier who was now
leaning casually against the wall, observing her.
She looked away from him and observed her surroundings for the
first time. She had been wrong to assume this was a room, more of a
cell of sorts. It appeared to have been carved out of the granite
mountainside long ago and equipped with a bed of ripped cloth and a
very dim blue energy orb pressed into the ceiling, creating the familiar
water-like light ripples throughout the cell. There were no bars, but an
invisible shield more than likely by the looks of the strips of pulsing
electricity on each side of the wall which would be like a harmless
electric barrier meant to keep her inside. Her gaze finally landed on a
lantern that was beside the mans boots on the other side of the shield,
creating enough light for her to see some of his features more closely.
His cocky and arrogant attitude rolled off his tall, muscular build and
He was probably of some pacific islander decent considering his warm
bronze skin color and his shaggy dark brown hair curled just so right
above his shoulders. His clothes were form fitting and surprisingly
clean, with a worn in brown leather jacket and his two pistols were
holstered at his hips and another around his thigh, completing the look.
His eyes were an unnatural orange-gold color that seemed to glow in
the dim light.
The color of his eyes werent what captivated her though, but
when she looked into them it felt familiar, like she could trust him
despite his hostile attitude. Whatever it was unsettled her and made
her more angry towards him. He cocked his head at her glare.
I would be more grateful, I suggested we kill you while you were
unconscious, but no, he said with a wave of his hand, you have
apparent use to Erik. For now.
9

I would tread more carefully with how you speak to me. Theres
no telling what could happen when I get out of here, Rin said lightly.
His lips twisted into a smirk.
If you get out, he kicked a small rock by his feet towards the
energy field which then disintegrated.
Huh, Rin thought, not so harmless after all.
Which doesnt seem very likely at the moment, sweetheart, he
continued pointedly. Now I would like to know who you are and how
exactly you came into contact with Kali.
Rin continued to stare at the spot that the rock had disappeared,
then directed her attention on the man. The names Rin and she came
into contact with me, anything else?
He frowned down at her and crossed his arms, I dont believe
that. Kali never brings home strays, she knows better. You had to have
tricked her somehow, he said shaking his head.
Rin cocked her head. Perhaps she saw potential in me as she
said, she said innocently. She looked up at him through her lashes and
pouted, blatantly mocking him.
The man immediately grew more upset, if that were even
possible, and pushed himself off the wall. Listen, you-
Milo! someone called from above.
Kali

10