Chapter 4 - No Rest For The Peaceful It had been six years since the truce had been accepted, the empire was still haunted by that day, all their commanders and leaders burning. Flesh sliding from bone and bone turning to ash and the realisation that there was true power out there, lurking behind the eyes of King Yunoki. For those six years, the Boarwood family had lived happily and safely in the village of Bayton. The truce had been upheld for all that time, but things were about to change. They ran, harder than they needed to, the sharp corn fields tore at their hands like little razors, few scratches but nothing to worry about. They were panting, trying to fill their lungs with some air but they felt so closed in, so scared. They could hear shouting twenty feet behind them, they knew they couldn't stop but felt like they could not go any further. They pushed through the pain kept running, Tommy's feet were bleeding, bare feet against rocky soil was not a pleasant experience. He had lost Nadia in the fray, a voice came through the greenery all around him. "Tommy! Tommy! Where are you?!" Her voice cried out for him, there was panic and yet laughter. He turned quickly, trying to find where the voice was coming from. He stayed rooted to the position, his heart was pounding so hard in his chest that he could hear it ringing in his ears. There was a rustle to the side and he stared, hoping that it was not old mad man Farmer Cottonburn. Nadia came bursting out from between the corn stacks, laughing. "Run Tommy, Run. He's catching up" She said each word after a heavy breath. He did not have to be told twice, he took her hand between his fingers and tore off through the endless corn. Sophia walked back into the Boarwood family home after her morning stroll. It looked almost exactly as she left it, the fire was burning brightly now, the flames were crackling away nicely, they were worthy of roasting a pig upon their orange streaks of heat. Her eyes were drawn towards her sister's bedroom door. 'Still shut' she thought 'lazy what name'. Sophia moved towards the dining table, she noticed a red thick book laying upon its surface. She ran her fingers along the leather cover, the front was illuminated by big gold letters reading 'Rare and Mystical Creatures'. There was a page bookmarked with a piece of blue string, she opened it with her face covered with suspicion and curiosity. The pages were old and watermarked, giving the book the appearance of age and rarity. At the top of the page there was a little note in running black ink, 'Fathers killer?' It read. Her expression now turned to worry as she begun to read the passage draped on the page. 'King Yunoki Origins: Unknown King Yunoki is a member of the Nirlia race, he is thought to be the last one left. They are beings of great power and manipulation but are widely considered to be the most evil of creatures. They have no remorse, no mercy and no thought for people and creatures they kill. They live to be thousand years old. The leader of the guild of Science and Amotology cursed the race because he felt they represented all that should be hated and loathed about the world. He cursed them so from the moment they are brought to #life they will suffer constant horrifying pain until the day they die. Only a few people have ever seen the King and even fewer have lived to tell the tale. He was first spotted when his forces invaded the city of Dawntie, he keep his prisoners alive only to turn them into People of the Damned, they will forever walk this surface and never rest. He built his Palace of Purmartite on the summit of Colossua which overshadows the city. The accounts of people who have seen him rarely vary, they have said that he caused them to experience the greatest fear they have ever felt. His eyes were said to be just black and nothing else. Verdict: If seen, run for your #life!' Sophia noticed that there was no picture on the page, she starting to wonder what on earth her sister would be doing marking a page like this. Nadia and Tommy reached the path on the edge of the cornfield, they could no longer hear the screams of Cottonburn or his hurried footsteps behind them, they thought nothing of it and began their short walk back to the village. Tommy opened his hand smiling at Nadia. The objective of their little game was to see who could steal the best trinket from Old Cottonburn's house. Tommy held out a golden necklace with a blue sapphire hanging from its chain. Nadia said "Not a bad catch Tommy, I'm impressed, I didn't have time to grab everything, you made too much noise pulling that thing out of his wife's jewellery box" She laughed as she pushed him lightly to the side, he returned the favour, almost knocking her to the ground and then scampering off quickly down the path. She called out to him "Remember to put that back tomorrow! If you don't, then I will find you!" She giggled as she wandered home. She turned the doorknob but suddenly the door was ripped from her hand and her unhappy sister was staring back at her. "What the hell are you doing with this" Sophie said, glaring at her sister with a blunt expression. Nadia's eyes were drawn to the book she was holding and she cursed herself under her breath for leaving it out. "What did you think you were going to do? Track down dad's killer and get your revenge? You are just a 15 year old girl filling your old head with your head with stupid stories and legends" Sophia continued, turning her back on her sister. She walked over to the dining table and slammed the book down with a thud and a light cloud of dust filled the air round Sophia. Nadia moved towards Sophia and put her soft hand on Sophia's shoulder. "I'm sorry Sophia, I know dad's death was hard on you, all I wanted to do was hopefully bring your some damn peace. You have been so distant for six years and enough is enough, it is time to pull your head out the sand and start taking care of yourself, instead of wallowing in self pity. You are not the only one that is hurting you know, you have been really selfish if you think about it. Mum hurts, I hurt. You aren't the only one in this!" Nadia's soft shy voice became louder and more confident as she talked, she patrolled around the dining table, trying to look Sophia in the eye. As Nadia talked, Sophia looked upon her sister and wondered when she became so mature, when she grew up to be a better person than her supposed role model. Sophia hung her head in shame after Nadia had finished talking and spoke gently. "So what was your plan?" "I don't know, I hadn't really thought that far" Nadia replied "I only really started looking a few months back. Before then I had been focused on my prep report to submit to the Guild of Science and Amotology" Sophia sighed and tried to move the subject on, she did not like talking about their father. "What is your report about" Nadia's face lit up with excitement and she skipped towards her room, opening her door and moving inside. Sophia could hear the rustle of papers and the light crash of objects falling from Nadia's bookcase and desk. A few seconds later she came rushing out, waving round what looked to be a stack of papers, she handed them to her sister, practically throwing them at her. Sophia could see the words at the top of the first page from afar. It read 'The Legend of the Seven Crystals'. Sophia looked puzzled and questioned her sister. "What is it about? I have never heard of seven crystals" "Well there is a quiet legend about the reason that King Yunoki attacked our world six years ago. He is said to be virtually indestructible but......." Nadia paused, trying to pull her sister in with suspense "if one person was to unite these seven crystals then they could kill him before his thousand years was up. Wipe him from the face of earth, never to return" Sophia started to become suspicious for her sisters motives. "And why exactly would you be interested in that subject?" "Because I think the legend is true, I compiled a report on all the available evidence, photographs, sightings, thoughts, maps and so on" Nadia answered. Sophia flick through the tens of pages of her sisters report, she was both impressed and worried. She looked up from the pages with a sympathetic expression. "Nadia, you know that none of this will bring dad back" she tried to speak in a forgiving tone but she could not mask her sadness. She always felt a wave of sadness whenever her dad was mentioned. Nadia's face turned to frustration and anger. "I am not trying to bring him back, I am trying to get some retribution for him! Trying to get some answers about why we had to lose him!" The irritation in her voice was not subtle, she was becoming annoyed that her sister could not see her point. She grabbed the book from the table and stormed out into her room. Sophia could only watch her sister run away from the argument, but she was right they deserve to know why their father has killed. It had haunted Sophia's thoughts for all these years. She had fought having to talk about it but all she could have ever do was think about it and now the opportunity comes along where she can finally get some answers and she was going to turn it down. 'Not a chance' she thought. Walking up to Nadia's bedroom door, she looked at the sign and smiled and knocked her knuckles against the soft wood. Farmer Cottonburn was an old man who had lived in the village of Bayton his whole #life and had never had any intention of leaving. His farm was the largest for a hundred miles and he sold to the largest cities across the empire. He was a rich but humble man, gave most of his wealth to his fellow villagers who had been through hard times. He helped the Boarwood family and built their house when they arrived six years ago. He was generous man but he had never liked people taking his stuff as they pleased. He was mumbling under his breath as he trudged back to his farmhouse door, waving his pitchfork in the air furiously. He stopped suddenly, someone made him stand dead in his tracks. He felt oddly numb and cold. There was an unexplainable pain in his chest. He looked down and he was horrified by what he saw. There was a white arm, covered in blood, sticking out of his chest. A quiet voice whispered in his ear "Sleep now old farmer, think about your sweet town burning to the ground" The arm was ripped backwards out of Cottonburn's chest and without delay the farmer fell to the ground with a terrible thud. His face was plastered with a look of shock, his eyes stared into the never ending distance and a shadow was cast over him. A man stood over him but he wasn't quite a man. He was completely white, he was wearing a brown tunic and had a large scimitar strapped to his waist. His face was covered in veins which were black and his eyes were just black balls in their sockets. He turned towards the village of Bayton and looked over the happy people going about their business. He whispered "No one can save you now" He was a Spectre, the most deadly legion under the King Yunoki's command. We were ruthless killers, lived for nothing other than the destruction of others. Fifty shot past his sides and he smiled as he watched his forces descend on the unsuspecting, unprepared village. Sophia's knuckles rapped on the door of her sisters bedroom. "Nadia, please come out, I know I don't understand right now but maybe you can teach me to understand. I love you sis. I have not been a good sister these past few years and I know that, but I miss him, I don't know how to overcome it" she starts to sob with her head pressed against the door. Her sisters voice came quietly through the door like an angel from the sky. "You don't have to overcome it, you need to embrace it, use it, love him forever and he will always be with you" Nadia's kind words made Sophia smile and sigh gently. She stood up tall and the door slowly opened before her. They smiled at each other and the younger sister leapt into Sophia's arms and they hugged each other like they hadn't done so in a long time. "Let's go find mum, shall we?" Sophia asked. Nadia nodded and they went through their front door and was shocked at the horror they saw before them.