1 Prologue

Though our existence is limited by our scarce lifespan

We shall not allow our dreams to be bound by those shackles

Our purpose is not to live forever after all

The winds that carry our wings now

Will carry our message beyond time

Because the way we live is what makes us real...

~

"Sigrian! Sigrian wait!"

"If you're gonna dawdle like this, we're never going to make it back before sunset, and you know far too well what my dad's going to do to us then!" I stopped urging my younger friend for a second to hop over a tree root poking out of the ground on the path meandering in front of me. My unmanageable hair got into my eyes once again, obscuring the view of the fallen leaves and needles, shining golden in the last sun rays that had no trouble getting to the bottom of the forest through the almost bald tree crowns.

Though despite the omen of getting put over the knee, she seemed to be having quite a bit of fun. "But it was your idea to go and find the herd, so you should get the most of it!" she yelled after me, mimicking my little jump as she followed. Even without looking back, I knew she had a wide smile on her face.

"And who was it that didn't give me a moment's peace because of 'the beautiful deer she saw in the morning'?!" I wanted to turn my head for a second to stick my tongue out at her, but my senses suddenly drew my attention elsewhere.

There was a noise, a rustle too unnatural and too contrasting against the sounds of the forest to be simply caused by the wind playing with the branches. I immediately stopped, causing a small cloud of dust and sand to raise from the path. The shadows almost fooled me, but the slender tree trunks didn't manage to completely conceal the silhouettes of men. Armed men.

"Sigrian!" the panic in my friend's voice told me that she spotted them as well.

One glance around was enough to realize that we were surrounded from at least three sides. The only way out was to retreat the way we came, so I turned around, grabbed Elithia's wrist and ran for it.

We didn't even manage to make it back to that damned tree root. I heard some strange noise behind our backs and suddenly my breath got stuck in my chest. The last thing I heard in the darkness that appeared out of nowhere in front of my vision was Elithia's voice, so heartbreakingly desperate that it pierced my chest with a sharp pain.

"Sigrian!!!"