Re:Creation Book 1: Allegiance

One

Run.

The word repeated itself in Lev's mind as he sped through the forest, despite his feet screaming for him to stop. He faintly heard shouts from far behind him and turned to see if anyone was following. Through the dying trees, he caught a glimpse of the burning castle from which he fled. Distracted by the sight of his former home engulfed in flames, Lev tripped on a large tree root and fell to the ground, his jeweled crown tumbling from his head. A sharp pain shot through his leg as it struck a large, sharp rock protruding from the earth.

Run.

Lev grabbed his crown and struggled to rise to his feet and keep moving. He'd only managed a few steps before pain halted his progress. Panting heavily, he limped over to a nearby tree and used it as support as he rolled up the right leg of his trousers. A deep gash ran from his knee to halfway down his shin and had stained the blue fabric wine red. Once more, he dared to look behind him. The flames had begun to spread to the land behind the castle, aggressively chasing after him. The night sky grew ever darker from the cloud of smoke that overlooked the trees.

Run.

Lev moved as fast as he could manage with his injury, each step only increasing the flow of blood down his leg. He had to stop often to wait for the pain in his leg to become bearable again. Even after the flames reached him, he continued to move. He couldn't afford to stop. Smoke had begun to cloud his vision and filled his lungs making breathing much more difficult than it already was. Sweat fell from his body like drops of rain. He felt faint from exertion, but the blood loss and shortness breath served to worsen his condition.

Run.

Lev felt his knee buckle, causing him to collapse onto the ground. He tried to get up again but was far too weak to move. The fire had surrounded him, turning the once green trees a brilliant orange.
Another wave of smoke overcame him. Every staggered breath he made forced more and more of the gray cloud into his lungs. A large branch broke off of a nearby tree, landing an arm's length away from Lev and scattering ashes and embers in all directions. Lev shielded his eyes, resulting in his arms feeling burned, though he almost didn't notice in his state.

Run.

Lev's desperate breaths became gasps for air as the blazing fire threatened to consume him. His eyelids grew heavy. he blurriness of his vision was impossible to see through. No longer did he see flames preparing to attack him, but magnificent swirls of warmth - reds, yellows, and oranges - dancing around him as they reached for the sky.

Run.

Lev felt a cough rise in his chest but was unable to let it out before falling unconscious.

Run.

* * *

Lev awoke the next morning to the sound of rushing water. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see the soft light of dawn shining through his balcony window. Instead, he was greeted by a bright sky painted white by clouds and the cold, hard ground beneath him. He realized that he hadn't fallen asleep in his bedroom.

And that he probably would never sleep there again.

Lev sat up and took note of his surroundings. Someone had obviously moved him to a location different from where he had blacked out. A river was rapidly flowing no more than twenty feet away from him. Whoever had moved him also built a fire pit nearby - the flames recently extinguished. Who would light a fire when the forest was already ablaze? Glancing around, however, Lev realized the trees around him were still very much alive. The fire must have never reached this area.

Questions swarmed in Lev's mind. Who started the fire that destroyed the castle and half the forest? What was he to do now? Did his parents manage to escape as he had, or did they perish inside the walls of flame? Who brought him out of the fire? Did Khel make it out alive? How would Reif know what happened upon his return?