Those That Tether

Those That Tether: Act 1

Act 1: The End of the Beginning and the Beginning of the End.

Chapter 1

I open my eyes to the sight of skies complete with gray, and the ground completely covered in dark muddy waters as far as the eyes can see and the horizons meet. "Where... am I?" I mutter to myself in an echoey undertone. Last thing I remember was going into the woods with my mother right outside the village, she gave no reason why but I could tell that getting here was of the utmost importance to her, so I came.

As I'm looking around my vicinity I meet eyes with a boy not too far from me, who looks around my age or height at least.
He's walking towards me.
The closer he gets, the more of his appearance I get to see. Hair white as snow, with big bright golden eyes, and bronze zig zag markings streaming across his face from the corner of his eyes.
"Wait. Bronze markings. He's one of them."
Upon hearing this he smiles, a menacing grim
smile.
His soft waddle turns into a full on speedwalk.
I want to run but I can't move my legs for some reason, like I'm paralyzed from the waist down stuck forever in place, and the closer he gets the more my heart races and my breathing hastens.
"Get-Get Back! Y-You stay away!" I scream out in fear and confusion.
He stops right in front of my face with that still grim smile on his face.
He opens his gated smile to speak.
"You... fear me?" He asks in a condescending tone.
But he's right. I'm so scared I could cry right now. So scared that I can't find any words to speak, I just sit there, breathing heavily.
He Chuckles. "Well one day, that fear, along with everything else, will be..." He licks his lips in two quick swipes. "...devoured."
"Who-Who are you?!" I yelled as he leaned in closer..
His grin widens.
"Me? You don't know? You can just call me... vies. Yes, Vies."

He stops all of sudden, grin and all.
"It's time."
"Get Up Hajime, it's time."
"Wait how do you know my na-"
"Doesn't matter!!" He cuts me off. "Don't you get it? It's time!"
"Time for what?!"
"It's time... for the Beginning of the End of course! With you, Mr. Natsuki, as the star of our little ordeal, so... GET UP!!
I open my eyes to the sight of tall green trees and bright blue skies, laying still on my back.
"I'm back."

Chapter 2

I'm back in the woods that my mother came into, right before that bizarre nightmare I just had. Except one thing's missing, my mother. "Mom! Moooom!" I scream running through the lush green and blue forest.
Maybe she went back to the village to father.
So I make my way back to the village after calming down.
After walking for so many minutes, I'm hit with a strange smell.
"Is something... cooking or... no that's smoke." "Wait, smoke...THE VILLAGE!!
My recent calmness immediately turns back into panic and angst, as I break into a full run, slicing through the dark lush forest tree by tree, bush by bush, and the closer I get to the village, the stronger the muggy smell of suffocating smoke gets.
Now I see it. Large bodies of smoke floating up into the blue skies, larger than I've ever seen, accompanied by the faint screams of what sounded like women and children.
"Please, please, please, be ok, Please!"
At this point, the smoke has gotten so strong I can barely see, let alone breath.
When I get to the outskirts of the village, I see what could be only described as My Personal Hell. My village is in shambles, buildings, houses, and huts consumed by a gargantus flame, that I can't even make out the blue skies as I just did not too long ago. Instead the skies are filled with the tails of crimson blood red flame accompanied by the smoke it birthed.
"Wh-What's happening?! Who did this?! Why-"
In an instant, every internal organ in my body seemingly ceased to worked from the sight I saw.
It's them.
The bright colored hair that sat atop their heads, bright colored eyes that shine so brightly yet ominously, the dark blue royal military outfits they wore, and those markings!! Those markings swimming across their faces. There's no mistaking it... their Purians!!
This isn't Hell... it's much worse.
"What are they...How did they even find us!!... Wait MOM!!"
The weight of the situation just increased tenfold, along with my heartbeat, I could pass out at this very moment.
I need to find mom and dad. They'll know what to do.
I sneak along the bush path that I used to use secretly when going out late at night with Akila.
The Purians, they're hurling women and children out of their homes, then immediately setting them ablaze, with strange machines.
What are they looking for!? Hell, how'd they even find us, we've been under the protective barrier for the last 12 years!
Soon enough I get to my house, one of the only houses that hasn't been completely consumed by the monstrous flame. The back windows open.
Now's my chance.
But then what? What if there are Purians in this very house? What if the house gets set aflame while I'm in it, then what?
All this thinking is irritating. I need to take action now!!
As soon as I begin entering the window, I hear a familiar voice somewhere in front of the house. I wouldn't mistake that deep toned voice anywhere, it's father!! I can't make out what he's saying though, the flames surrounding us are so large they're practically deafening. Covering my mouth and nose I begin to make my way around our house and peek around the corner.
No.
They caught him.
I see a Purian with golden-blonde hair and a long gray streak dashing through his bangs, with bright turquoise eyes and wavy bronze marks dancing across his face, putting these strange looking cuffs on my father's arms. My father's looked damaged through and through, and he's bleeding from a small wound on his temple
Did he fight some of them? Did he...win?
Doesn't matter, I can't let them take him, no way!!
I dash into the mix on impulse, straight to the Purian with the weird streak in his head.
"ARGHHHHHHH!!!!"
Before I could even blink, a brisk blue figure appeared before me, and struck me in the gut. I couldn't even make a noise, all of the air in my body shot out, along with everything I ate this morning.
I look up to take a good look at the man that struck me, just to meet eyes with a golden-eyed, bright blue haired Purian with similar bronze markings as the streaked Purian.
"Wait. That's my son." I hear my father say in a deeper tone than he normally uses.
"And?! Hmph, since when have we been indifferent about you weak, insignificant humans huh!? Let alone these ingrate offspring you seem to never cease having." The blue haired Purian grumbles. I look up at him once more regretfully. He looks back down in pure disgust.
"Ugh! You Disgust me. I SHOULD BLOT YOU FROM THIS EARTH THAT YOU AND YOUR KIND ALIKE HAVE SOILED, THIS VERY INSTANCE!!"
He reaches for this strange looking black whip covered with purple accents and symbols.
Is that what I think it is...?
"No Lieutenant Gorean." The streaked Purian muttered.
"But Sir!"
"You know what we came for. And since we have it, we can now take our leave. We need not unnecessary bloodshed..."
He looks down at me.
"...Even of this human child, you need not waste your power on him, it'd only be a waste."
"Bastard." I whisper.
It can't end like this. It can't...
"Wait, let me speak to him before we leave." My father says
The blue haired Purian in front of me breaks into a loud laughter.
"HAHAHAHA, Like hell you are!!"
"Wait a second Lieutenant, let him converse with haste."
"Tch. You have too much compassion for these impurities, Commander Pytha."