ONE POINT FIVE (1.5 in the Amnesia Archives)

Prologue

Prin's POV

We looked for Aknon everywhere. It was strange that we were looking for a man with deep blue skin, a tail, and horns. But it was even stranger that we were being led by a dog made out of shadows and accompanied by a woman made of the same material. I hadn't gotten used to any of this world yet, but I still held tightly to Sarphi's hand as we ran through the streets of Daemofer.

This wasn't my first time running like this, and I figured it wouldn't be my last, given the record that we had. I'd been trapped for years in that stupid prison, only to be saved by these wonderful people. I didn't know if they saw me as anything more than a weak little princess, but I had quickly grown attached to them.

We were being followed by around three or four guards, with more joining in every time we passed one. We had to leap over barrels and duck under carriages to keep away from them, and I found it thrilling.

I was growing increasingly concerned as we ran, along with the incoming wave of tiredness which I could see. I knew that we couldn't stop running, but I also knew that we wouldn't be able to outrun them without some kind of fight or hiding involved.

I kept looking around frantically, trying to find somewhere to hide. But it was as though the kingdom was deliberately built to avoid situations like that. All the buildings were square, and there weren't many things left outside, like barrels and carts, and containers to hide behind. I wondered if that was illegal, having something on your property which could be considered a hiding space.

"Here," Senka hissed, leading the way between two buildings. She grasped Sarphi's' hand and sank into the wall, me following as I remained holding Sarphi's other hand. I wondered where Sarphi's dagger had gone, before I realised that Senka's hand had completely gone through it.

My back leaned against the brick wall of the building we found ourselves in before quickly moving forward again as I felt something sticky on my skin. I sneezed a couple of times and frowned, glancing around the room. The air and my sneezes had caused my eyes to water. "Where are we?" I asked quietly, feeling as though the guards would easily be able to hear us.

The place looked like a complete dump, with food and drinks spilled over the floor, furniture scarce and scattered around. It felt as though we were in a scary story, waiting for a monster to jump out at any second.

Onyx barked, causing Sarphi to jump and let out a small squeak.

"I don't know," Senka said and shook her head. "It's an abandoned building, that's what I was looking for." She began moving around the room, as though she was looking for something. "Right, we didn't find Aknon, we should call Acer here."

"But how could they get into this building?" I asked, gesturing around us with my free hand.

"I can help them inside once they get here." Senka brushed off the concern before closing her eyes and furrowing her eyebrows. "It seems they're moving away from us."

"Away?" Sarphi asked, as she finally managed to catch her breath. "What do you mean they're moving away? They were running behind us before splitting up, then they were moving back in a circle, we could hear the guards." Her voice didn't sound at all confident. I agreed with her though, we had heard the guards pursuing Acer.

"A lot can happen in a few minutes," Senka pointed out, her frown deepening as her concerned expression deepened. "I have to go get them." She stormed towards me. At first, I thought that I was in trouble, but then I realised that she was charging towards the wall behind me.

"Wait!" Sarphi yelled, causing Senka to freeze like she'd been pulled back with a rope. "We have to come with you."

"No," Senka denied as she spun around, her eyes darkening until they were fully black. "You are my master's child; you are the one I've looked after for most of my life. Two of your siblings are in danger, and my life is more disposable than yours. It'll take more to kill me than it would you."

I slowly moved away from Senka, as the shadows began flickering around her. "Sarphi, she had a point," I whispered to her and put a hand on her arm. "She's clearly stronger than we are. She's made of literal shadows." I hoped that I hadn't insulted Senka, but I was on her side.

Senka nodded towards me and began walking backwards towards the wall. "Look after them, Onyx," she told the shadow dog. She sounded almost sad, like this was some kind of goodbye. "I'll find Acer, I promise, and I'll throw Aknon your way if I find him."

I opened my mouth to tell her that we were looking for Aknon in the first place, but she'd vanished before our eyes.

Onyx gave a small whine and pawed the ground. He looked at the space Senka left, a depressed gleam to his eyes like he would never see her again.

I took a deep breath and shook my head, refusing to think so negatively. "Sarphi, are you okay?" I asked and turned to face her. She also hadn't moved from looking at the place where Senka disappeared.

"No," she answered. Her voice sounded dull and tired.

I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around her. I squeezed her once tightly before pulling away and putting my hands on her shoulders. "They'll be found," I told her firmly. "Aknon and Acer aren't the type to be beaten easily."

Sarphi nodded, but I wasn't sure if she'd heard anything of what I'd said. "We've barely been apart," she said quietly, tears filling her eyes but none falling. "I know they can look after themselves, but what if they can't? Who'll be there?" I wasn't sure if she'd finished talking but I shook my head and pulled her in for another hug.

"I'll be there for you," I vowed. I couldn't believe how attached I had gotten to these siblings, and I was determined to make sure each one of them remained safe, because I knew they would do the same for me. I wouldn't expect them to think of me above their siblings, who they'd known their entire lives, but I could see their genuine care.

Our hug was interrupted as someone melted through the wall behind me. I broke apart from Sarphi and pulled out my fan, holding it defensively in front of us as I moved to stand between her and the newcomer. At first, I thought that it would be Senka, and I'd felt bad about holding my weapon up to her, but I was surprised when I saw that it was actually Aknon.

"Aknon?" Sarphi yelled as we rushed over, pulling him further into the room. He looked like a mess. There was blood coming from his lip and his nose looked as though it had been broken. His eyes were dazed, and he couldn't seem to focus on our faces. He mumbled incoherently under his breath, his words inaudible because of his busted lips.

"What happened?" I asked the world's most stupid questions s I put my weapon down and began examining him. Sarphi held him still as I looked over his wounds, which were incredibly severe. I noted a few broken ribs and a concussion.

We didn't have much medical supplies, but Sarphi seemed to know what to do pretty well. She instructed me on how to clean his wounds and patch him up whilst she held him tightly, as though he would disappear at any moment. We got him some water, and we made sure that he didn't fall asleep, just in case anything happened whilst he was out, and we were unprepared.

It had to be around an hour later when his words began making more sense. "Acer," he said, voice almost breathless. "Taken."