Prologue

//New and upcoming author. Don't expect a work of art as I'm still getting better. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

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The bright lights, one powered by millions upon millions of crystals, shone down, illuminating the area and brightening up the dazzling green hillside where a lone young boy was lying unconscious. This, provided with the scenery of an immensely large and luxurious tree positioned in the background made for a very picturesque landscape, as if it was a scene from a movie or painting. The crytal light reflected off the boy's odd blue hair and light complexion, giving him a sort of glow up, as if he had just got out of a photoshoot. Besides those two oddities, the boy didn't look too out of place and one could almost assume he was sleeping with how majestic an image he created.

Mako Azure slowly opened his eyes, blurry and unseeing crimson colored hues coming into existence as the youth blinked once; Twice; Three times as he struggled to get his bearings. A soft wind kicked up, blowing over him and ruffling his hair as the young man finally regained some of his senses, his eyes staring up at the blinding lights positioned far above him.

Everything was fuzzy, though Mako's senses were once again working properly. His brain didn't appear to have any desire to operate as it was intended to, only giving him enough cognitive functions such as freedom of movement and use of his five senses. The blue haired youths thought process struggled to go anywhere and even attempting to remember small things such as what he ate that morning was a huge hassle. While his body didn't hurt him in the slightest and he could even move pretty well despite just having regained consciousness, Mako found that anything pertaining to recent memories was severely flawed.

(("At least.....I remember my own name.")) Mako thought to himself as the rusted gears in his head finally began to turn, allowing him to think to some degree. (("Mako Azure, 14 years old, hometown is New York, favorite color is green, favorite food is ramen, favorite cartoon is The Amazing World of Gumball or Regular Show depending on the mood."))

Little by little, the adolescent's brain began to regain some sense of normalcy as he pushed himself up into a sitting position. His bright red eyes ran up and down the length of his own body, checking to make sure everything was still intact, assuring that he still possessed all four of his limbs. He didn't recognize the clothes he was currently wearing, a ragged dark shirt, long black cargo style pants, and no shoes but that didn't really bother him much. Looking at the bigger picture, he was mainly ecstatic about simply being alive and unharmed then concerned about what he was currently garbed in. He didn't understand what the hell was happening, but being alive was always a plus in his opinion.

The next task was something he wasnt sure he was prepared for but needed to do, ripping off the proverbial bandaid rather then let it fester and build like a piece of moldy cheese.

He needed to figure out where he was.

Mako's most recent memory, or at least the one he managed to coax out of his currently retarded brain, was during one of his gymnastics and parkour sessions, where he needed to jump the wall and safely land in the foam pit on the other side. He had done this particular exercise quite a number of times and had easily been able to complete it without too much trouble. That particular time, he had executed everything perfectly but, just before he landed, the top of the foam pit had rippled, like a drop of water in the middle of a puddle.

The last thing Mako saw before landing in the foam pit was the image of a large tower, one of immense height positioned in the center of an enormous city.

After that, Mako had the brief sensation of falling before everything, both mind and body, switched off. He couldn't remember anything past that point, his memories having decided that it had already shown him enough.

With all that in mind, the blue haired youth was unsure of what to think or even how to act, his mental capacity having yet to fully catch up. He was already aware or where he was SUPPOSED to be, located somewhere within the middle of the foam pit, but he was clearly not, as was demonstrated by the light washing over him from above. It was painfully clear he was no longer at practice with the other guys and girls, and he had no problem accepting that fact.

The problems arose when he tried to figure WHERE he was and HOW he had gotten there.

When he looked around, he felt panicked and afraid and his adrenaline began pumping, making him fidgety and unable to sit still. However, he was able to control his emotions and remain rational, retaining his ability to make calm judgement and thought out decisions. Though scared out of his mind, he continued his scan of the area while remaining seated on the very ground he had awoken from.

(("Am I....outside then?")) Mako pondered as he scratched his head. (("I don't think I am. This place has a roof, and a fantastic one at that. Like something out of a fantasy novel."))

All around him, lush grass and rocky hills expanded outwards, leading towards wide forests and even a lake in the far distance, all before reaching a large stone wall that reached far upwards before coming into contact with the ceiling, of which appeared to be made of a glowing crystalline structure. Behind him, a tree the size of a skyscraper and much more girthy then any tree Mako had ever seen towered proudly in the center of everything. Situated directly below the tree, built around it's very roots, sat a settlement of sorts, one with a sturdy looking wall and only a singular entrance.

"Heh, guess I'm not in Kansas anymore," Mako remarked, the first words spoken aloud since his regained consciousness. His voice was slightly raspy and trembled a bit, the only sign of his repressed fear and anxiety, something he was giving his all to smother as he pushed himself off the ground. "No point in waiting here. Not like I'll get any answers talking to myself."

If Mako was being honest with himself, he wanted to lay down and go back to sleep while hoping that when he awoke, it had all be one big dream. The only problem was that he was very much aware that this was his reality and not as simple as a passing nightmare, which made it all the more terrifying. However, if he chose to sit down and do nothing then he'd be as good as dead, dying of hunger or dehydration before long. He needed to move and get some answers. He couldn't afford to mentally break down. He had to remain strong.

"Alright. Let's go find out who stole my shoes." Mako muttered as he began a long trek towards the tree.

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The venture towards the small settlement was deceptively long and arduous, requiring more time and effort then Mako had initially thought.

Reason being?

The landscape made it rather difficult to travel upon, especially for someone who lacked proper footwear, Mako's having been missing since the moment he had awoken. The path was rocky and contained various hills and deformations in the earth that the blue haired youth was forced to walk over, his bare feet taking a massive beating from all the unnaturally sharp rocks along the way. Even when he walked over the grassy areas, the soles and heels of his feet were consistently assaulted by tiny pieces of glass like gravel. To say that it annoyed him was a vast understatement as he trudged his way through the pain, sights set on the small scale town ahead.

Of course, if the adolescent had to name one positive outcome from the entire walk, it was that the constant agony helped him clear away all the fear and anxiety that had been building up, the negative emotion being overshadowed and completely negated by his own growing frustrations. By the time he neared the entrance to the town, he felt only immense relief paired with a rising anger directed towards whomever had taken his sneakers, an anger that refused to be quelled.

Mako had no desire to quell the irritation either. Though he had a strong urge to punch someone in the mouth, preferably the one that had pilfered his pitch black pair of Nikes, his head was still very much clear. The blue haired youth was still quite capable of making logical decisions whilst maintaining a calm outer appearance. When it came down to it, Mako usually wasn't one to allow his emotions to dictate his actions, preferring to keep a level head and figure things out with logical decisions.

That being said, Mako decided to wait a while before actually heading into the town's unknown interior, deciding that it would be utterly foolish of him to simply walk in without a plan. He needed some time to gather his thoughts as well as time to give some much needed TLC (tender love and care) to his battered and scraped up feet. He had only just recently rose from his slumber and he already wished he was back home, climbing out of the foam pit and rerunning his gymnastic exercises.

(("Ugh, what sort of hell did I wake up to?")) Mako grumbled internally as he plopped down onto the dirt pathway. (("That entire trip was akin to walking on legos but if the legos were made of solid glass instead of plastic!!"))

"Oi, what are ya doing down there kiddo? You lost or something?"

Mako cocked his head back and looked up, a shadow having fallen over him, blocking out the light from above. Since he had awoken from his slumber, Mako hadn't had any actual, up close encounters with other living entities. Though he had been able to pinpoint many other oddly dressed individuals milling about the entrance of the settlement when he had gotten close enough, he hadn't actually ran into any of them. Whether it was because he had walked towards the place from a unusual direction or because there just didnt happen to be anyone around at that particular time, Mako wasn't really sure.

Point being, this was his first interaction with someone after waking up in a completely strange place with no idea how he got there. This was his chance to gather together some information and hopefully put himself on a map, wherever that so happened to be. He just needed to play it cool and strike up a conversation while bringing up the desired topics as nonchalantly as possible.

"Oi, you okay kiddo" The figure asked again, a strong female voice filling the blue haired youths ears. "You didn't overdo it in the dungeon did ya?"

(("Dungeon? What dungeon?")) Mako thought, squinting his eyes in a futile attempt to see who was hovering above him.

Due to the light spilling down from above, Mako couldn't put a face to the voice he was hearing, only seeing the silhouette from his position on the ground. However, even from the smooth pathway, he could see the unmistakable, massive outline of a giant warhammer clutched in her gloved right hand, something which he had only seen in anime and manga. While he instinctively knew that she meant no harm, he couldn't help but feel apprehensive as he quickly picked himself up off the ground, dusting himself off.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mako hurriedly replied, decisively ignoring the womans previous remark about a dungeon. "I appreciate you stopping to ask but I should be good."

"That's good to hear," the women replied as she turned around and began to walk away. "In that case make sure you take it easy. Don't go hurting yourself."

The young adolescent watched her receding back for a few seconds, his brain attempting to find a valid excuse for wanting to speak longer. He had no intention of letting this chance slip by as this person had been nice enough to stop and ask if he was alright or not, something not everyone would've done. He lacked information on pretty much everything around him, no knowledge on customs, people, direction, pretty much nothing. For all he knew, everyone around him could be psychopaths and he wouldn't know. He HAD to take this chance to get the necessary details about where he was.

"Hold on, I actually wanted to talk to you for a second." Mako hurriedly explained as he rushed forward, running to stand in front of her. He was willing to take the chance of stopping the woman, it being far better then allowing the small sliver of hope at intel to slip through his fingers. "Can I have a few moments of your time?"

The lady actually paused midstep, clearly taken aback by the youths sudden interjection. Mako took the brief moment to quickly scan the individual in front of him, hoping to find out some helpful details about who he was currently talking to.

The woman was taller then him, with her being around 5'10 or 5'11, a few inches above his own 5'5 stature. Her skin was unnaturally tanned, a shade of skin Mako hadnt even known was possible, although it did compliment her orange eyes and russet colored hair quite nicely, of which was neatly secured with a large white bandana. She wore a long green overcoat that looked slightly too big for her with matching pants which also looked much too baggy despite being secured around her small waist. Underneath the coat, she wore almost zero clothing, only donning a small piece of fabric over her breasts, of which happened to be the same color as her hair. As Mako had seen before, she clutched a large warhammer in her right hand.

If Mako had met her on the street, he probably would've steered clear of her, what with the intimidating aura she was currently giving off. Even now, the youth struggled to keep his emotions in check, an instinctive feeling of danger washing over him, warning him that the person in front of him could kill him without even trying. Though he was confident in his ability to defend himself, Mako's very gut told him to do absolutely nothing offensive in case it pissed her off. Though, even without the gut feeling, he wouldn't have insulted her anyways considering the massive weapon she was currently wielding.

"I actually have something that I need to do," The wild looking woman said, interrupting Mako's train of thought as she continued onwards, sidestepping past the blue haired youth without a second thought. "If you need to say something then you'll have to walk and talk. If you're only looking for handouts however then go somewhere else."

"Um sure," Was Mako's only response as he turned around and hurriedly caught up with the woman. "My names Mako Azure. It's a pleasure to meet you."

The woman glanced at Mako out of the corner of her eyes as the youth arrived by her side. "I'm Aurori Undite, but you can call me Aura. Call me Aurori and I'll kill you."