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“Who’s there?” I asked the room.

A tall brown haired man stepped from the shelves and smoothly toward me, his golden eyes gleaming in the dim light. “Well, you don’t need to stand there looking like you’ve seen a ghost,” he implied, grinning. I could see fangs in his grin.

“W-what are you?” I asked, wavering dizzily.

“That’s not a very nice thing to ask,” he replied and stopped to think for a second. “Y’know, I really don’t know.” My head was spinning, I didn’t know where I was, and I was standing in front of someone who didn’t even know what he was. Laying down sounded very nice right about then. And apparently he thought the same. The smug look on his face changed to worry as he turned me around and sent me back into the room. “You shouldn’t be up yet,” I faintly heard him say. “You’ve got a fever and you’ve lost quite a bit of blood.”

That explained things.

I sat lightly on the bed. Now that he mentioned it, I noticed that my muscles were screaming in pain. How hadn’t I noticed? I’ll never know. I just wanted to get out of the reality of what was happening and let my mind wander. With that, I blacked out.



I was in a valley, the mountains around me so tall that they disappeared into the clouds. The Tenrei Mountains, once called the Akolyran Mountains before the fall of the kingdom. The legendary Ayezu Ruins loomed mightily at the edge of the valley, a river snaking before it. The river flowed out from beneath the mountains and into a lake at the center of the valley. Green grass danced like waves in the slight breeze. Huge oak trees dotted the view in clumps. I knew I was dreaming, but I was still awed by the sight.

My paradise, unfortunately, wasn’t to last, and I knew it would from the moment it started.

Chaos broke out around me. Demons and Kotogarans alike fought against each other. I started around at the gore I had become familiar of seeing. The normally green grass was coated in blood, dead bodies strewn about. Even the sky was stained red. Next to me stood the nameless warrior that always walked with me in my dreams. Black cat ears protruded from the sides of the helmet that hid his eyes. His long thin tail lashed back and forth with the eagerness to draw his blade and join the war.

“Where are we this time?” I asked.

“The First Archangel War,” he said calmly, not looking at me. “The banishing of Shirai caused the end of the First Draconic War, but another was soon to follow. Queen Yanagi was killed by one of his followers, an Ice Drake, Koori, soon after the war ended, and total war broke loose between Ithabise and Taraab. The Archangels, in their anger for their fallen queen, sought revenge against the two sides. In the end the twelve of them stopped the fighting, losing Advachiel in the process, who was later reborn as one of the ten.”

Something sounded almost familiar about his voice now, other than the fact I spoke with him often in my dreams. I was about to ask him about it, but everything had disappeared. I floated in darkness. Staring at me were those haunting eyes, the blood-red eyes that I had seen twice before. I couldn’t move. I couldn’t breathe. I willed myself to wake up, but I couldn’t…

Then I heard a voice. “I will find out who you are…”



“Wake up…” I heard faintly. “Come on. Wake up, stupid girl!” The voice was suddenly right in my ear. I jerked awake, sitting straight up. I was shaking. I could feel hot tears on my cheeks.

“Those eyes…” I murmured. “Those eyes… Why won’t they leave me alone?!” I was trembling violently. I was going crazy.

A hand touched my shoulder and I felt the bed give slightly as someone sat next to me. “Shh…” he breathed soothingly. “You’re alright now…”

I looked at him, expecting to see those eyes again, but all I saw were his golden-green eyes staring calmly back into my own emerald ones. I looked at my hands, which were still shaking. “What’s wrong with me…?” I asked him.

“I don’t know…” he said softly then asked, “What’s your name?”

“M-Maeko Katsushika…” He was trying to get my mind off of what happened. I could tell. “Most people call me Kat, though…”

“Nice to meet you, Kat. My name’s Hiro Miyagi.” He stood back up, taking my hand and pulling me up with him. “You must be hungry.” I was. I was starved. And I didn’t hurt anymore. I put my hand over my gut. There were no bandages. He must have seen me hesitate. “You have an amazing healing rate. I only had to use a couple and spells and the rest healed on its own.”

“How long was I unconscious?” I asked, looking up at him.

“Two days, before you woke up yesterday.”

“How did I get here anyway?”

“You don’t remember?” I shook my head. “I guess it’s understandable. You were delirious when I found you.”

“I…was?”

“You have no memory at all?”

“No…The last thing I remember is running away…”

“Where’d you run from?” he asked me, heading into his shop.

I followed quickly. “Aoiro.”

He stopped in his tracks and turned to me. “Seriously?”

“Yeah…” Why didn’t he believe me? I watched curiously as he plucked an atlas off a shelf. He flipped through the pages and stopped on a page with a map of the continent. He turned to me, placing the book on the counter, and pointed to Aoiro on the map.

“If you’re from Aoiro, then that’s a long way to run to get to Taler.” He pointed to where Taler was on the other side of the Tenrei Mountains. Taler had been the capital of Araila, once called Akolyra, until about twenty years before, but now it was almost empty. Only the few who had lived there their whole lives had stayed. His voice drew me from my thoughts. You don’t remember anything that happened?” I shook my head again. “That explains why you’re so thin.” Actually I’d always been really thin, but I didn’t argue. He looked me up and down. “Let’s get you a good meal and some clothes that actually fit.” He grinned, exposing his fangs again. But it was such a carefree smile that I could help it and smiled back.

We headed out into the street. There were a lot more people than I thought there would be. It reminded me of Aoiro’s market at midday. “Come along,” Hiro said calmly, grabbing my hand. He pulled me behind him through the crowd, clearly able to tell I was in a daze.

He led me down the street and into the market square, where he headed for the inn. We stopped in front of a large two-story building made of white limestone, showing it was one of the original buildings. A sign hung above the door way, so faded that I could read it anymore. Hiro reached for the door handle, but it swung open. A large man ran into him. “Eh?” the man grunted drunkenly. I could smell the liquor on his breath from where I stood. “Watch where yer going!”

Hiro stepped back. “Why don’t you?” he asked dangerously, his pupils narrowing like a cat’s. He was nothing like he had been earlier. What had happened to change his mood so suddenly?

“What was that?” the drunken man asked. He swung his fist at Hiro.

I hadn’t even seen him move. The man’s fist met with thin air and Hiro landed lightly a few feet away as though he’d jumped. “What?” The man looked as surprised as I felt.