Prologue

The woods was a mysterious place, no human enters the woods except the ones placed for execution.

The woods were once reserved for those solely with mana, the layer above the soul that allows for ‘mages’ as they call them, to do the unthinkable.

And so, the first king of Arlot banished them at the age of one years old, when the mana wraps its wicked hands around the once innocent souls of the dammed.

Now, nearly 500 years later, the woods are being scavenged for said beings of mana, as those with the curse have died out of Arlots citizens nearly a decade ago, the Sun Smile God banishing them with his light through their strongest and newest King, King Verlot.

The very same king that has send Captain Amelia Vanheart of the high esteemed Vanheart Family to her doom with her Knights.

She walked in the woods, the crunchy dead leaves being the loudest sound her and her team make as the venture fourth, as they have been since dawn peaked through the fall leaves. Despite the coolness of fall, thick greens still flourish, making it harder to see ahead of them. She could tell her companions have gone well past exhaustion, subtle huffs and grunts being so low she doubted any enemy could hear.

She paused, growing tense as a loud creaking noise filled the air, crackling and shaking as if a thousand ancient bones are waking up. She motions for her team to duck, hiding behind a thick green tree nearby as the noise seemingly gets closer. She heard her men unsheathing swords as silently as they could muster and winced ‘They will be caught,’ she cursed, ‘Damn that King’ The creaking grew louder, accompanied by loud rattling noises, grunts and growls, a huff of a creature sniffing for their scent.

She covered her own sword and slowly took it out of the sheath, the newly polished steel glinting in the lowering sunlight, taunting her.

She held her breath as she felt the air shift, the strong large legs of a skeletal beast crashing into the ground next to her. She looked up staring into the beady black eyes of the beast, thin bright blue rings scarily noticeable from the height.

Her own eyes widened as she yelled “RUN!” bolting in the opposite direction of the beast, and deeper into the woods.

She heard two pairs of footsteps behind her, loud huffing as her men followed suit.

She heard the first rattling scream and the sickening squelch as her men get pulled apart behind her, the sky seemingly raining a deep burning red the further she ran. Guilt welled in her soul deep and holding a vice grip on her heart as the screams of her men haunt her.

“CAPTAIN! BESIDE YOU!!” A guttural roar burst beside her, a large skeletal being much smaller than the first, yet feet above her own head seemingly flew out of the nearby trees, knocking her to the ground.

She raised her unsheathed sword, holding it between her and the beast.

It was nothing like she's ever seen before, dark dirtied bones held by white glistering tendons, patches of flesh and past scales handing on for dear life, tangled in the mass of bones. Its jaw was a deep crimson, glittering in the dusk, chattering as if laughing at her misfortune.

It turned its head in a jerking motion, its bright green eye staring at her hungrily. She stood shakily, noting her team had not stopped to assist her. ‘Cowards’ she laughed bitterly, pretending as if she was not the one who just ran from her teams screams.

The Woods were filled with clattering of these beasts, and the screams and bloodshed of their unsuspecting pray. She stared at the thing Infront of her, raising her sword from where it fell at her side.

She let out a laugh, a dark hysterical laugh only a maniac could bellow in a desperate time such as this. “Alright ya beastie,” she chuckled, “Let us see who comes out here alive, hmm?” She knew this was not her fight, but she could not allow herself to be called a Captain who ran away at the first sight of danger.

The beast lowered its head, eye glowing as it huffed, body positioned to pounce like a cat with a mouse.

She ran forwards, ducking underneath the snapping jaw of the beast, ramming her sword in its throat. She took a deep breath, proud her years of training have yet to fail her.

The beast looked at her bewildered as it took a step back, bringing a boney claw up to strike her down.

She raised her sword, ready to attempt to deflect the blow when the heavy claw landed on her, digging into the silver armor she entered the woods in.

She screamed in agony, feeling the hot burning stream of blood drip down onto the ground below her, hissing as it got soaked into the plants around her. She felt the claws jerk her body up, leaving her hanging loosely in the air as the beast brought her up to its eyes.

“You're an…fascinating human, aren't you?” a deep growling voice entered her mind, shaking her core. “Your, determination to survive is admirable.” it purred, tauntingly , “however, your efforts are useless, considering your pitiful sword cant pierce my bones. Only the mages could stand a chance against my kind.”

Captain Amelia Vanheart felt her heart pulsing desperately, agony coursing through where the claws pierce now through her body. She felt herself cough up blood, spraying the beasts eye in the colour red she has now grown to hate.

“What…” she coughed once more, her vision going blurry and her heartbeat nothing more than a distant memory, “What are you…?”

She heard not his answer, as her hearing dissipated, but she felt the cold lifeless jaws of the beast gently dig into her flesh, and watched her still beating heart fly out of her chest, into the starry sky and descend into darkness.

The beast turns to the night sky, relishing in the screams below him as he turns deep into the woods, once again slumbering on the bones of the foolish humans he has met.