Crimson Kingdom

Chapter 1 - Zoid & Acqua

"Do you think he's alive?" The younger male says. "I dunno, he's kinda cute. But I want dibs on his shoes if he's dead." The female responds. "He's probably not dead. Here, I'll check his pulse." The boy shoots back. The boy then grabs the arm of the unconscious teen and places two fingers on his wrist. "His pulse is fading in and out, he's alive!" The boy says. The girl cursed under her breath as she had wanted his shoes.

"Come on Acqua, help me move him?" The boy requested. "Sure I'll help ya, for some of your share of rations." Acqua offers. "Well, ya know what. You are my friend Zoid, so I'll take a part." "Fuck you, Acqua" Zoid replied. "Just help me with him."

The two adolescents begin dragging the third, struggling at first they eventually manage to carry him to a hideout the two had made. The two drop the unconscious third on his back with a thud. "You think he's like us?" Zoid asks. Acqua responds: "You mean like a Miscreant?" "Yeah, a Miscreant." Zoid confirms solemnly. Acqua, now gnawing on a piece of grain, suggests; "Why don't you check him for a mark?"

Zoid reaches for the stranger's limp arm and begins lifting its sleeve. The symbol Ψ is printed on the stranger's wrist, signifying that the stranger before the two was indeed a Miscreant. Above it, the symbol ξ is printed, indicating that this stranger was to be executed.

"Acqua, He has a mark of execution." Zoid stated. When Suddenly the black-haired stranger's heartbeat begins to increase in both speed and volume, in only a few moments his heart would beat dozens of times a second and with an ear-piercing sound when suddenly it stops.

The two teens sat in a moment of silent shock as the third jumped to his feet with impossible speed. He began to look side to side in confusion, not seeming to notice Acqua or Zoid, he begins supposedly looking for an exit before stopping in the middle of the shelter. "You two," His acknowledgment of their existence visibly surprised the two. "Who am I?"

"Come again?" Acqua requests. The stranger answers "Do, either of you know who I am?" Acqua and Zoid turn to each other, and Zoid raises his palm with all fingers but his index extended Acqua gives a slight nod in return. "Look at your right wrist." Acqua requested. The stranger looks at his wrists with a confused expression, before revealing his left wrist to Acqua.

"What's this supposed to mean?" He says showing the two the imprint on his left wrist: Σ. Before Acqua could express her confusion at the imprint, Zoid now holding a sigil with some form of a crest on it gains his attention. He raises it toward the stranger as the sigil begins glowing with a green hue. "Speak with the Breeze." He says as a heavy wind begins to engulf the three of them.

Acqua drops to her knees in a panic. "2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13, 17, 19, 23..." he began to recite prime numbers to calm herself down, she was terrified of the sight in front of her. "What was Zoid thinking!" She thought to herself. "You could be executed just for being a Miscreant, but using your abilities!?" She didn't dare to think about what could happen. The stranger stared at Acqua in confusion before turning to Zoid and asking: "What's up wi-"

He's cut off by a green light beaming from Zoid's sigil, engulfing the three of them, the makeshift shelter, and a large portion of the forest. "Alright, Acqua he's clean." Zoid says. "What the hell is wrong with you!" Acqua yelled rhetorically. "Using Speak With The Breeze creates a fucking beacon! Now we have to get out of here before we get found! Out of all the things you could have done you choose the absolute dumbest one! Why can you never have any common fucking se-!"

Snap! Acqua's shouting is cut off by the sound of a stick snapping. The three turn toward the source of the sound, though nothing is there but a broken stick. Snap! The three turn toward the new sound, but still, there's nothing but another broken stick. Snap! Snap! Seemingly at random sticks and twigs begin breaking around the three. When suddenly, the tree supporting the fort begins to split apart and fall causing the three to scatter. "Zoid, what the hell did you do!" Acqua Yelled.

"I didn't expect anyone to be able to make it this far." A voice echoed from the east. "You'd think the countless pitfalls, wild predators, and the constantly patrolling guard would've caught you by now." Mocked the voice, now coming from the west. "Doesn't matter, this is the end of your line.",

A gunshot blared throughout the surrounding forest causing them to instinctively cover their ears and close their eyes, before reopening them moments later. And the sight they saw before them was abysmal, as on the ground lay the lifeless body of the third, a hole through his head.

Before either of the remaining two could react a bullet ripped through Acqua's knee. Her yell of pain now had Zoid on high alert. He began to frantically scan the surrounding forest for the newly discovered enemy. But he suddenly began to feel tired, very tired. Falling to his knees he noticed a small thin dart with a red body stuck in his shoulder. "Ah, fu-" He stated before passing out.