Sky Returns - Rewritten/Revised

Prologue

The wind was cold and unforgiving as it chased away summer from the land of Laverdure. The sun was beginning to set, blocking its warm rays from the already chilled lands. It was a nice night, despite the cold. New Byrne City, the largest and most crowded city in Laverdure was still wide awake. People were walking among the old and filthy streets, where the homeless crowded the corners and rats crowded every dumpster and trash can. People shouted out their car windows as they raced up and down the streets. Behind every apartment door were families struggling to feed themselves, and locked up in their houses and mansions were the politicians and the wealthy, banking on others suffering. The city built people up while breaking others down, and it was a cold and unforgiving land with iron towers that reached the skies. The largest population were the ones running around on the street, risking their lives for just a bit of bread.

But Cerra Martinez still didn't want to leave. This city had raised him along with his Abuela and the crew he had run around with since he could walk. The filthy, smoggy air of the city had been in his lungs all sixteen years of his life, and a trash can had protected him from the rain when his mother had abandoned him when he was just a few hours old. New Byrne City was his home, but he was still being chased out of it. He could stay and bleed out on the streets he had loved so much, or he could run and save his hide. His entire life Cerra had been running, so it was really no surprise to him that he had decided to do just that.

He sprinted through the streets with the BladeDancers hot on his trial, his heart pounding in his chest and his blood pumping through his ears. The odds of getting out alive were very, very slim. He was still only an apprentice, and at least half of the crowd chasing him were full fledge BladeDancers. He cursed colorfully underneath his breath as he realized they were trying to back him up into a dead end. His sharp red eyes took in his surroundings before he saw a fire escape above him. He took a sharp turn down the alleyway and leaped onto the edge of a dumpster, losing his balance for only a moment before he jumped onto the very edge of the dumpster lid that was open and leaned back against the wall. He jumped off of it, moments before it fell down with a loud clatter that sent a few rats scampering to the shadows. He grabbed onto the railing of the fire escape before he swung himself up, scampering up the staircase until he reached the very top of it.

He looked back down and saw a few others already starting to scramble onto the fire escape, while one or two were already halfway up the metal stairs. The banging from their footsteps was lost in the sounds of cars driving and honking and people shouting, and Cerra knew that he was alone. No one would be coming to his aid. He reached up and grabbed onto the edge of the roof of the building, yanking himself up and tumbling a few times before he stopped on his knees. He scrambled to his feet and sprinted across the roof before he leaped off the edge. He free fell for a few moments, before he landed on the roof of a smaller building with a practiced roll. Cerra was only alone on the rooftops for a few moments, maybe half a minute, before BladeDancers began to catch up on him. He gritted his teeth, glancing back at them over his shoulder. He was running out of options. Even if he lost them somehow, they would only keep searching for him until he was dead.

And if they didn't find him soon, they would lure him out by grabbing the people he loved. His crew, his Abuela... He couldn't stay here. He had to leave. The BladeDancers wouldn't follow after him because they had no hold outside of this city. Half of the people here hadn't even left the city in their entire life. Cerra was one of those people, but he was quickly realizing that he had a better chance of surviving out there in the unknown then in here. And if could survive a childhood here in New Byrne, then you could survive Laverdure.

Cerra's heart was pounding as he leaped down from a rooftop and slid down a pipe attached to the corner, leaping off when he was just a few feet away from the floor. He sprinted down the alleyway, right towards one of the corners of the cities. Just like the other corners, this area was one of the densest areas in the bustling city. There were people rushing to get home, tired and grouchy, and Cerra elbowed through them all without so much as an apology. He could already hear the BladeDancers beginning to get separated and caught up in the crowd, most of them held back while others struggled to keep just a few people between themselves and the teen they called a traitor.

When Cerra stepped over the line, he knew he was safe. Soon, the noises of the city became quiet, quieter than he had ever heard them be. The pavement and cement underneath his feet turned into dirt and grass, and when he breathed, he smelled something other than chemicals and filth. He came to a stop behind a tree, breathing heavily as he leaned back against it, clutching at his chest. After a few moments, he leaned to the side and peered around the tree trunk. He saw the outskirts of the city and took in the towers that looked so distant now. He didn't hear anyone coming towards him, or any voices. In fact, he heard nothing except for nature. He could hear the leaves rustling in the wind, crickets chirping and a few birds flying around as they tried to settle in for the night. He stared at the city before he turned and let out a loud sigh. "This isn't how I wanted to spend my Friday night." He muttered to himself.