Chapter 0:

Hunted in the woods

The Mantra of a Phoenix


The crisp morning breeze brushed against his face, snapping him back to reality. He knew they didn't to escape that town and ensure their safety. Despite the promises that they could never be found this far into the remote woods of Tsvarland.

After thinking it through, he decided it would be safer to split up his remaining children. He would take his son with him, and leave his daughter in the care of the village. Surely  they  would never find her there, right? Surely  they  would think he left her somewhere else. Why did they have to be hot on his tail now of all times.

He steeled himself for the journey ahead, splashing his face with ice-cold water that pooled in the palm of his hand at the slightest thought. He stepped out of the shack he was staying in, which once belonged to his beloved wife, and embarked on a final journey to save his son from the experiments his old "friend" would have  their government  conduct on his children.

He gently lifted his 5 year old son, still sleeping, onto his back, and suddenly bolted out of the shack into the dense overgrowth surrounding the village. He hoped the lush vegetation would provide him the cover he needed to evade capture and survive to his next outpost. He dashed through the thicket as silently and weightlessly as he could without compromising his speed.

Suddenly, from the trees emerged a pair dressed in outfits more suited for a cyberpunk hellscape than a dense Tsvarsh forest. They were clad head-to-toe in false leather, with fancy respirators used for spray painting adorning their faces. On the lapel of their jackets had the logo of a secret team he had once assembled. 

"Of course he would send you. The irony isn't lost on me" he muttered to himself as he noticed them.

 "Stop. Now. By the decree of his most honourable, you are under arrest, R. Surrender yourself and your child now!" shouted an agent with hair as dark as crow feathers, and as thick as the eastern continent accent he had.

 "As if." retorted the man, still sprinting for his life.

"If you won't give yourself up for a government order, then at least allow us to take your son." returned a female agent with blond hair brushed over to one side, which kept its shape suspiciously well whilst she ran at him.

 "In your dreams." he spat.

 "If you won't give up without a fight," continued the black-haired agent, gaining traction on the man "then we'll have to resort to violence."

 "Cease and desist!" shouted the man, authoritatively. Hoping they would still recognise their leader.

 "Your orders have no weight now." Replied the blonde. "Not now that you're under a government experiment warrant."

"All because of that traitor. Why is he more scared of me. He's more powerful than me, so why is he sending my team to do his dirty work? We should have never trusted him..."

"That's for him to decide" replied the woman "Not us."

"So be it." the man mumbled, "I'll have to do it the old-fashioned way."

 He pivoted masterfully on one foot, into a fighting stance, and placed his son under the shade of a large tree to rest.

"Come at me fools, it'll be the last thing you do."

The lackeys grunted in recognition, and each assumed a fighting stance. Before they could even blink, a knight made of ice, duel-wielding longsword, materialised in front of them. "Protect us ice knight." he snapped. The creation rose one of its arms above its head. Suddenly it lunged forward. 

SHING

"OUCH." yelped the woman, reeling back in pain, a deep gouge in her shoulder.

 "We need backup." yelled the other lackey.

"Kill them." said the man.

Shing shing

The male footsoldier's head rolled across the forest floor. His body thumped down in place, blood spurting rhythmically from his neck.

Shwing shwing. Thud.

"Ungh" grunted the woman.

"Nice reflexes," the noted, "I see why they hired you."

The woman huffed, holding her shoulder, as the shield she magicked onto her arms to protect her, dissipated. 

"Ice Knight, you're excused." stated the man calmly, and his knight processed to disappear. "I'll do this the old fashioned way." 

He sprang towards her, unleashing a flurry of blows. One after anther after another. Ruthlessly pummelling her. 

Thud. Thud. Thud. Each hit was blocked by her conjured metal shields.

Thud. Thud. Thud... POW

He switch up his rhythm. Heart racing. He threw her off. That was all he needed. He grabbed her head, and vines came streaming out of his palm, tying her up before she could even react. He held out a hand in front of himself and closed his eyes. Once they were open, a sharp metal dagger appeared. It had neither a hilt nor an ornate design, but it was all he needed.

He thrust the dagger into her chest, and she unleashed an unholy scream louder than a jet plane taking off, before keeling over and dying.

"Shame, she wasn't that weak, too. Well then, let's get going again" whispered the man to himself.

As he was about to pick up his son, who was miraculously still sleeping another voice meekly piped up. "S-stop right there sir." 

 The man sighed "Give me a break. Officer Meekerton, are you really going to do this to me?"

"I'm sorry sir..." Meekerton muttered, conveying the uncomfortability he failed to hide in his voice. 

"I swear. We unite most of the world to stop any current and future wars. We rid tyrannical regimes across multiple countries, only to have our leader, my so called 'best friend', be corrupted and start a tyrannical rule over the whole world." rambled the man. 

Meekerton only sighed, and muttered "Sorry" to himself on loop, like a broken record. 

"I don't blame you. Meekerton, but I won't kill you." announced the man. "You were my friend, and you're following orders from your would be friend who has no doubt threatened you." 

 Again the officer said nothing and just sighed, deflating. 

The man suddenly coated himself in metal and lunged for the officer. 

Clatter.

The officer had reappeared behind the man. 

Crunch. Crunch. Thonk. The man rained down a flurry of metal coated punches onto Meekerton, who could only block the first few punches. 

Crunch. His left arm had snapped. The Radius and ulna protruded out of his wrist.

The man charged head first into Meekerton, who was sent hurtling through the trees. "KYAHHH" cried the officer. 

The man, undeterred, chased after Meekerton, smashing his fist into the officer's face once he hit a tree. 

"Oof" winced the officer.

 The man didn't stop. Thump. Crunch. Thump. The officer was sent tumbling into the underbrush, out cold. 

 "Are there any more of you?" the man bellowed into the thicket.

 Out from the trees emerged a dozen officers. Surrounding the man. 

"Wren!" shouted the man "Run!"

"Da-dy?" replied his son, groggily. 

 "Run." Repeated his dad. 

 Wren didn't need another word to know this was serious. As he ran, he saw what seemed to be a massive tree emerge from the ground and swallow his dad, followed by the unconscious corpses of the government workers flying over head. He ran until his feet couldn't no more, and he collapsed from exhaustion in a mossy hollow...