Chapter 1

"No!"

The words echoed around the chamber, filled with grief. Filled with raw unfettered rage. Just like the man who spoke them. Striding forward, he tore the helm from his head, surveying the scene before him.

Blood adorned most of the floor, and streaked its way up the walls in grisly splatters. It even splashed up to the ceiling in places. All stemming from the mass of twisted bodies that lay in torn heaps everywhere. Some had arms torn off, others were missing their legs. Every one of them was missing their head, blood seeping from the neck stumps into red pools. It was a grisly sight, even for him. And as he was a warlord, with countless bloody battles behind him, it said so much.

But these bodies did not concern him one bit. No, not at all. Only one commanded his attention. The one in the very center of the room, this was the one that held his gaze. A pale figure in a white gown, lay sprawled on the floor. Blood trickled from the wound In her chest, bubbling red with each rattling breath. She was alive, but only just.

"Anem... No, Not you...No!"

he hastened across the floor, crossing in sweeping strides. In a flash he was at her side, kneeling beside her, gathering her into his arms. She was growing cold. So very cold...So very fast. " Please...please stay with me. I'll get you help."

She opened her eyes, no more than a sliver, and struggled to raise a hand. He felt it brush his cheek. Softly, tenderly she touched him. It was something he had never known, he had never been allowed, not until she had come into his life. But she was changing, he could see it happening before his eyes. It was already too late for her. Her skin, once so smooth, was becoming rough. Becoming more and more like the bark of a tree.

Cracked and lined, her flesh slowly changed. Soon only a woman's figure remained, made from the wood of a Rowan tree. A slight sigh came from her lips, bringing her last words to his ears. "Do not return to how you were. Please...Stay strong...Stay...Good." She stopped moving, beginning to crumble into dust within his arms. She was gone.

He bowed his head, letting the tears come to his eyes at last. Never before had he cried. But never before had anything like this happened. As the hot tears rolled down his cheeks, the pain, the rage within him began to boil. Festering hate filled him with dark intent, as it all began to writhe and bubble its way to the surface. They would pay. All of them. He would cast them to the ground and gut them. Break them and bathe in their blood!

"You were warned about the cost of betraying us. Yet you did so anyways...How foolish of you little Wolf."

"Ravenah!" He snarled, leaping to his feet. This had been her doing, he was sure of it. That childish little bitch! He turned to face her, feeling his fangs beginning to grow. They itched to taste the blood of his enemies, and right now they wanted hers! "A traitor am I? For choosing peace over this bitter hellish war? For choosing to value someone else over your petter goals? If that's the case, so be it!"

Launching himself forward, he rushed her, lashing out with his hands. Raining down blows that would break stones, or shatter bones if they connected. Yet she avoided him deftly, a twisting dance that was matchless in its grace. Try as he might, she evaded him still, swaying lightly side to side. Nothing he tried seemed likely to strike her, he just could not touch her. Yet he must, for she was not leaving here alive!

Faster he moved, the world around him swirling into a blur. It was now only him and Revanah. He felt his power humming within, sharper than ever before, lending him even more strength. No longer could Ravenah dodge with sublime grace. Now she flailed and jerked, panic flaring with her dead eyes. He was close, so close, to scoring a hit. Just a little more, he could feel it. She was forced to block him now. Thunder boomed throughout the room at every collision.

Ravenah's arm buckled under a crashing blow, throwing her far backward. He grinned, triumph in sight. She could not stand against him anymore, he could feel it. No longer was he the prey for her. He was now the hunter, and his quarry was weak. He pressed forward, not letting her have time to fully recover. A jarring right shattered her last defense, grazing across her cheek, scoring a gash from which blood welled. It coated his knuckles and gathered into droplets, which dripped to the floor with a wet...Plop!

Ravenah smiled, as the room began to shudder. " I think playtime is over Little Wolf."

Light blinded him, as it flooded out from every part of the room, obscuring his vision completely. An unseen force took hold of him, snatching him off his feet, slamming him flat onto his back with crushing force. As his vision cleared he saw the lines on the floor clearly now, shocking him to his core.

They coated the floor, and ran across the walls, arching up to meet up on the ceiling at a single point. Symbols dotted these lines, each a rune of tremendous power. Ancient and unyielding, unstoppable. Where had these come from, he wondered. He had not seen a single thing upon entering the room. But he had been focused on reaching Anem...And he had missed them, Shit!

"Broken toys are of no use to us. Neither are dogs who turn against their masters, and their betters... The mistress is quite displeased with you. She expected better and had such high hopes. So a fitting punishment was devised." Drawing a small knife, she took some of the blood from her cheek, sprinkling it on the floor. She slowly approached him, wary that he might be able to still move. Once she was sure, however, she slices his own face, scattering his own blood on the floor.

Chains, silvery and glowing with an iridescent light, formed slowly from the runes along the walls and floor. Magic shimmered across her form, as his blood ran cold. This magic was not used lightly. It was the darkest of all Arts, Blood Magic. Ravenah had thrown his own blood into it..There was no way out, not even for him. He could do nothing but watch as she began. Every syllable of the chant was designed to make fate clear to him.

"With blood spilled the price is met. This curse is now released, and the trap is now set. Burried now within the Sands of Time, you shall dream of your eternal crimes."

A cruel smile curled across her lips, as she looked down upon him. Watching as the chains slwoly covered his body until nothing could be seen. Every link added another layer to the magic coating him. Slowly his vision began to dim, his hearing to fade. Darkness encroached on him, filling him with despair. So this was how it would end. His eyes closed, as he sank slowly into the land of dreams. Dreams of the past. Of the future. Dreams with no light, and such great pain.

Ravenah turned from the trapped form before her, panting for breath. It was close, she thought. If Ashomal Rhee has been any stronger, she would not be here right now, she would be dead. Luckily he had been too worried over his precious little dryad to be careful and think.

She took three steps, then froze as she was seized by a mighty power. Ravenah heard the voice of her Mistress. No more than a whisper, it echoed around the room, shaking it till the chains behind her thrummed with vibrations. Forced to her knees by the unseen force, she was made to kneel, as she shuddered in terror at what her Mistress said.

"You Failed Ravenah."

Ice ran in her veins at this proclamation, as she strove to speak. " My...my Lady. What do you mean?" she finally stammered out. " The Wolf is chained as you commanded, he is no Thr-"

"His Body Is Trapped. His Mind Is Trapped. Yet His POWER Is NOT!" pain tore through her, making her scream. Her very body was a blaze. Burning fire threatened to consume her soul. "His Power Fled The Moment Before The Seal Closed. What You Have Is a Souless Husk! It Will Be Reborn! Now He Must Be Found Again!"

" Forgive me mistress!" Ravenah shreiked. " I will find it! I will bring him to you!"

"I Do Not Give Second Chances." Was all that Ravenah heard, as her body bust into flames. She burned bright, scattering crimson light across the expanse of the room. Soon all that was left was ashes, which fell to the floor in circles. The voice of her former Mistress could still be heard, speaking to the still husk within the chains. " You Managed To Escape This Time Ashomal Rhee. But I Will Find You Again. No Matter What Form You Take, No Matter How Far You Go. I Will Find You... And This Time You Will Serve My Purpose Or Be Destroyed... Brother."

Far away in a land well removed from there, A child was born. In a wild city, deep within its slums, the baby boy wailed in the night. His mother coo'ed at him, attempting to calm him. The baby boy looked out through the bars that held him and his mother, into an unfamiliar land, until sleep claimed him. He was unaware of the darkness that sought him. Or of the destiny that was his birthright.