Mortality

[Ruu]

Five days...that was how long the boy known as Nevin had been here, but he had learned so much. He had read through all of the books in the Church's library, familiarized himself with the history of this world. They told him he was to be their Savior. From the look of the suffering in the eyes of the people, he hadn't the heart to say no. But from his reading and from what had been told him, this Prefect was a powerful person. He wouldn't take lightly to opposition. Nevin knew that though he looked human, he was different from the others around him. They regarded him as some kind of god, but he was no god. He knew that. He was just a normal boy, though he could do things with his mind others couldn't. And even those "powers," as they people here called them, were not perfect. They took quite a bit of concentration, and didn't always do what he wanted them to. At this exact moment, the boy was meditating at the Church, his eyes closed in quiet thought. He was dreaming again, dreaming of his home. But always in his dreams, a shadow haunted his mind. Until that shadow was dispelled, he'd never be able to go home. And in this world, the darkest shadow was...the Prefect. Nevin wasn't prone to violence, but if defeating the Prefect was the only way to get home...

His thoughts were disturbed as he felt, rather than heard, a strange hum. He could feel the emotions of the people within the walls of the Church and in the small town surrounding the Church and they were agitated, bordering on panic. What had happened? Suddenly, loud sirens blared, and a voice projected itself throughout the entire area.

"This is your glorious leader, Prefect Rurik. You have been judged and found guilty of harboring a rioter and usurper. For this, your punishment will be death. You have exactly 5 minutes to live. Say your goodbyes now."

Nevin's eyes widened. This was...his fault, wasn't it? The dignitaries of the Church had tried to keep his arrival secret, but how could a child appearing out of thin air be kept from anyone? As he got up, an elderly gentleman burst into the room. His golden white robes were in disarray as he grabbed the boy's hand.

"Nevin, my boy, we must get you to safety. Quickly, there is an old, hidden bunker beneath this Church. We knew the Prefect's eyes would turn on us someday. Everyone is being evacuated there immediately. Come."

A flash of insight...Nevin shook his head, for he knew what he needed to do. This would be the first test. His internal clock told him he had 4 minutes left.

"I don't have time to explain. Go to the bunker. I know what I must do."

Without another word, Nevin was running from the Church, the elderly man shouting after him. Nevin ignored the panicked masses running through the streets, some sobbing, others wailing. His own focus was on the large machine just on the outskirts of town. There were no guards, fortunately, for the entire machine was encased in an impenetrable substance. Nothing could cut through it, for it was harder than diamonds. 3 minutes left. 2 minutes and 30 seconds...Nevin touched the cold, hard surface, searching for a blemish, a crack, but found nothing. Why had he come here on instinct? What was he to do? This...terrible weapon was about to rain down fire and destruction. He closed his eyes, focusing his mind, searching for a vital point, a weak spot...

Ah! There! The weapons energy source. He vaguely remembered a time going to the city at home. His parents had warned him not to touch anything. By accident, his fingers had brushed a street lamp, and the light had gone out with a flickering and crackling sound. What if he could...Without warning, the entire machine began to shudder violently. Had he done the wrong thing? Activated it? But...no...the protective casing fell to the ground, like a caterpillar shedding it's cocoon. Inside, some kind of power or energy source pulsated for a brief moment before dying. Other parts began to fall, clattering to the ground. Nevin sank to his knees, not realizing what he had done...He was so tired...just needed a nap...Spots flickered before his vision as he sank to the ground, unable to hear the wild cheers of the people...

[Hidden Ferocity]

Risani was napping in a hidden alcove overlooking the town she currently lived in. The alcove was in a forest with mountainous terrain and was a few miles away from the town outskirts. Earlier in the day, she had carefully picked out the location for its safe distance from the population, comfort, and a conveniently located apple tree. The tree's branches and leaves blocked any observers from seeing into the alcove, but to the person hiding in it, their vision was negligently hindered. In addition to these advantages, the tree boasted juicy apples ripe for the taking. Risani had fallen asleep after tossing the apple core of her fifth apple beside her. A fly buzzed in and landed on one of Risani's discarded apple cores. After spending some time crawling about, it flew up and landed on her face. Risani wrinkled her nose and sneezed. The fly leaped away and fled from the alcove.

"This is your glorious leader, Prefect Rurik. You have been judged and found guilty of harboring a rioter and usurper. For this, your punishment will be death. You have exactly 5 minutes to live. Say your goodbyes now."

She perked up when she heard the sirens and clenched her fists when she recognized the booming voice. Just two years ago, her hometown had been decimated by a demonstration held by Prefect Rurik to show his complete domination. Before the news broadcast warning the citizens of Altielera, Prefect Rurik had extremely advanced weapons installed at various locations in the continent. One of them just happened to have been installed near the location of her old home. Her parents protested the unwarranted use of their land and were brutally murdered. Risani brushed the leaves off her body and stood up. Forgetting the low ceiling of the alcove, she knocked her head. Temporarily dazed, she shook her head and re-tied her loose hair back into a ponytail. From her hiking backpack, she pulled out a pair of binoculars, focused the zoom and gazed out towards the town. Sweeping the outskirts, she saw the outline of a weapon installed by Prefect Rurik. Risani zoomed in and waited patiently to see. Rurik was about to destroy another town, so there must be someone activating the weapon. Hopefully, if she knew how to sabotage these weapons, she could eventually form a rebellion. She saw people fleeing and mass panic, but there was no one at the weapon. Confused, she almost gave up looking when suddenly a small boy rushed up to the weapon.

What? He has a little boy activate it?! Risani watched attentively as the boy did something to cause the weapon to break. Wow, one little boy braver than the rest of those "real men" that would sit at bars loudly boasting of their brave endeavors. So he was stopping the weapon. Which means... Rurik can activate his weapons without being there. Damn!

Risani leaped down from her hiding place and onto her motorcycle. Revving the engine, she red-lined it and in minutes, parked near the cheering crowd. In the commotion, no one went over to the little boy slumped on the ground near the disabled weapon. She walked over and picked him up.

Hm... Therun Church is nearby. I haven't visited in quite awhile and it looks like this boy doesn't have parents? Risani returned to her motorcycle and tied the boy to her waist since he was unconscious. Starting it up, she drove towards the church that helped her get back on her feet two years ago.

[Ruu]

Within the dark folds of unconsciousness, something warm touched him, awakening his senses. Still, it took many moments before he fought his way from the dark tendrils to finally open his eyes. When he opened them, he found himself staring into the face of a young woman with hair and eyes both the color of amethysts. There was a gentle, almost motherly air about her that calmed and soothed him. He blinked, trying to remember what had happened. Oh yes...he had broken the machine. That meant Rurik's guards would be here within a few hours. He looked down to see he was on what the locals called a motorcycle. It seemed as if the thing was old and would break for the technology on his planet was much more advanced, but it seemed to suffice for transportation.

"Thank you...for helping me. My name is Nevin. What's yours?" he said, trying to speak over the roaring of the motor.

As he spoke, they reached the Church, and just outside was the elderly gentleman who had warned him before. His eyes widened at the sight of Nevin and tears glistened in his eyes.

"Thank heavens...We thought you were lost to us. Reports of a young boy single-handedly stopping Rurik's creation were even too much for us to believe. But here you are unharmed, and no destruction has come upon us. You truly are the savior we are searching for," cried the old man, before turning to his attention to the woman, "Young lady, thank you for returning Nevin to us. It is not by chance that you have found him. I am sure it is by fate. Though Nevin is not a normal child, he still needs protection if he is to defeat Rurik's forces. Will you help him?"

With this somewhat abrupt and most likely shocking statement, the man looked at her expectantly, as if there were no other answer than "yes" to the question.

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