Preface

Shortly after the beginning of the 22nd Century the world was left in a technological recession after the fall of the currency markets all across the world. With no money to fund the advancement of scientific theory the sciences became an underground practice. Due to the halt of "extraneous" medical research like preventative pharmaceuticals the world was unprepared when a great sickness fell upon the Earth. Many lives were lost and no cure could be found. With only 40% of the population genetically immune; the majority of the world went into a frenzy, consumed with the belief that death was inevitable. Anarchy spread throughout the nations of the world for countless years. Civil Wars and power struggles consumed the survivors. Those in power were overthrown due to their incompetence.

One day, after over a Century of chaos, seven extraordinary people appeared and would eventually bring order to the world. These individuals were able to bring the people of Earth together; some used their leadership and others used force. The world was reborn under the "Seven Hands of Fate."

Soon the Earth was divided into four regions:
Terruomo (Formerly Asia),
Terralumen (Formerly Europe and Africa),
Terribestia (Formerly South America),
Terremessor (Formerly North America).


And throughout these lands the people revered the arrival of the Seven as an act of God. Thusly the timeline had begun anew. The year is now 84 C.M. (Cum Manus=with hands)

The world created by these seven individuals in now serves as the stage for the events of our tale.

CHAPTER 1- Audri's Genesis

Audri, A young slender boy of 16 years sits in a chair playing with a bottle cap he found on the floor. He throws the cap into a puddle of water that has formed under the dripping ceiling. "Mom! I'm bored" Audri says. Samantha, a skinny messy haired woman, comes hobbling out and places a rusty dinged up pot on the floor under the leak.

"What do you expect me to do? I can't let you go outside, it's too dangerous. You heard about those kids who went missing. I'm not gonna lose you like I did your father."

Just then a loud banging is heard. "We know you're in there!!" Samantha grabs Audri and forces him towards the window in the bathroom. "Sweety, sit quietly in here. If things get out of hand then you have to run... run as fast as you can." Samantha kisses Audri on the head and closes the door behind her as she goes out.

Audri leans in to hear through the door. Muffled words are all that he can make out. Then yelling and crashing ring from beyond the door. Audri jumps back as something slams against the bathroom door. The knob jiggles... Audri is frozen with fear... "I... I can't die here... mom... what happened to my mom" Audri whispers to himself. The door smashes open and two men stand before Audri. A large muscular man soaked in blood and a young man in his 20's with a strange scar on his face shaped like an "N." Audri's eyes get big, he still can't move though everything in his being is telling him to run.

The bloody man reaches for Audri. Audri musters the strength to swing his arm. Audri struck the bloody man with an upper cut. The bloody man gets pissed.

"Gonna get beat by a kid? Not like you Sol?" The scarred man remarks.
"Fuck you, Nalin!"

Audri sees his chance to escape, so he dashes to the window but as he starts to climb Sol grabs his leg. Audri kicks Sol in the face and dashes out into the alley. Audri runs to the street and looks for anyone to help him. "Where is everyone?" Audri thinks.

"HELP!!! SOMEONE!!" Audri screams.

Audri hears Sol climbing through the window cursing like a sailor. Audri remember's his mother's last words to him "...you have to run... run as fast as you can." Audri takes off down the street, he's going so fast it seems like everything around him is slowing down. Audri goes so fast that his eyes can't process the path before him. He feels he earth under his feet get softer. Audri comes to a screeching halt drifting across waves. Audri finds himself skidding on water. Audri sinks as his pace slows and he frantically flails his arms and goes under.

Nalin walks out the front door of the shack-like house and smirks.
"I don't think we'll ever see him again."

Sol scoffs and dusts off his clothes, "That's a shame... 'cause I think he was the kid we're searching for."

Nalin squints to see if he can spot Audri in the distance. "Looks like this just got interesting..."

CHAPTER 2- Audri's Senpai

The sun blazes down moving across the sky as the day goes on. A small breeze makes it's way through the blanket of leaves that surround the trunk of a large tree. A few small leaves glide towards the ground. A leaf lands on the face of a shivering young boy sleeping at the base of the tree.

"AAAHHHH!!!" Audri snaps up in terror.

A man sits on a log cooking fish over a camp fire.

"Quiet down over there!" the man says.
"Wh-Who are you?" asks Audri asks
"Just call me Ulysses... you hungry?"

Ulysses turns the fish to Audri. Audri starts to scoot away. Ulysses can see Audri's hesitation.

"Hey now, don't move. You almost drowned..."

Ulysses bites a chunk out of a fish but continues to talk...

"doo soodn't ve moobin' nin door kondishin"
"Anyone ever tell you not ta talk with your mouth full?" Audri remarks

Ulysses gulps down the fish

"Yes... and now they're dead"

Ulysses gives a devious smirk. A look of fear washes over Audri's face.

"What are you going to do with me?"

Ulysses slides the pan over to Audri.

"You don't need to be scared kid, I'm just gonna feed you and send you on your way"

Audri jumps up.

"You're just gonna leave me here? I don't even know where I am!"

Ulysses looks up at Audri and takes another bite of fish.

"What do you want me to do kid? I don't even know you, and only God knows why or how you were running on that lake. I can't take care of you... I've got my own demons that need to be delt with."

Ulysses stands up and kicks dirt on the fire.

"Looks like you're up and kickin'... so I guess it's time to go."
"But..."
"Eat the fish and go home kid"

Ulysses starts to walk towards the forrest.

"But that's just it... I don't have a home."

Ulysses stops dead in his tracks. He turns around.

"What do you mean?"
"My mother was killed last night..."
"You've gotta be kidding me"
"I'm not... it was a big brutish man and a guy with an 'N' shaped scar"

Ulysses rubs his chin and thinks for a moment...
"Nalin, huh?" he mudders to himself.
"Looks like you're in deep shit kid"

Ulysses whips around and takes a few steps. Audri sits down with a look of defeat smeared across his face.

Ulysses stops suddenly.

"Well kid... Are you coming?"

Audri hops up.

"Yeah!"

Audri runs to Ulysses' side.

"My name's Audri by the way"
"Whatever kid, just grab the fish before we go."

Ulysses and Audri walk off into the forrest.

CHAPTER 3- Audri's Fear

The sounds of footsteps are heard as night falls on the campsite previously inhabited by Audri and Ulysses. Two men emerge from the darkness.

Sol kneels down and takes up some ashes and dirt into his fingers. Sols sniffs the dirt and then sniffs around the area.

"He's definitely been here... but there was someone else" Sol snarls.
"Has anyone ever told you how ridiculous you look when you track? it's like those old wiki files with the Native American trackers." Nalin remarks.
"Kiss my ass Nalin."

Sol springs up, grabs Nalin and lifts him by the collar.

"You shouldn't joke about the Native Americans... They were lost with most of the other cultures during the Race Wars."


Nalin smirks as he clutches Sol's hand and begins to crush it. Sol winces in pain and flings Nalin away. Nalin maneuvers in the air, twisting and turning his body to land on his feet. Nalin looks Sol dead in the eyes.

"You done?"

Sol looks away in shame.
"I'm just saying... you should show some respect."

MEANWHILE...

Ulysses and Audri arrive in a small town just north of the forest. The town is dusty and barren with dirt roads and wooden structures. The moon light only makes the town seem more empty. Ulysses points to a small house at the end of the road.

"That's my house kid, we'll settle there for the night so I can figure out what I'm gonna do with you"

Ulysses and Audri walk down the road towards the small house. Audri looks around as they pass the other homes. He can see people peeking out of their windows staring.

"Where are we? This place gives me the creeps."
"That's not important right now. We won't be here that long"

Ulysses and Audri arrive at the front door and step inside the house.

"But I thought this was your house."
"It is... but I'm kind of like a nomad... I'm always on the move so it's easier if I establish myself in more than one place."

Ulysses puts a kettle of water on to boil.

"Do you like tea?"

Ulysses turns to Audri who is turned away from him and sitting in a corner.

"Kid?"

Ulysses walks over to Audri, who's crying.

"Come on kid... I can't deal with crying... I... Kid..."

Ulysses sighs and Audri quickly wipes his tears.

"I'm sorry... I just... I just can't believe my mother's dead... I didn't want to cry in front of you... I'm sorry"

Ulysses goes to touch Audri's shoulder but refrains.

"I know it's probably hard to talk about it, but I've been meaning to ask you about what happened."

Audri wipes his tears again and looks up at Ulysses.

"why were those men after you?"
"I don't know"
"Well...How did you run so fast"
"I don't know"
"Ok...What did they say to your mom?!"
"I don't know!"

The water starts to boil and steam begins billowing out of the spout. Audri begins rocking back and forth.

"Why did they kill your mom?"
"I don't know!!"
"You have to know something!!!"
"I DON'T KNOW!"

The tea kettle is whistling like a train and the steam is violently rushing out of the spout. Ulysses rushes to the stove and turns off the fire.

"Sorry kid... I don't mean to hound you but for you to be in such deep..."

Ulysses' attention is stolen away by something.

"Did you hear that?"
"I didn't hear..."
"Shh..."

Crashes and screaming are heard outside the house and the smell of smoke fills the air.

"What's going on out there?"

Ulysses runs to the door and swings it open to see the town alive with chaos. People are running around frantically putting out fires and screaming for help.

"Kid... grab as much food and supplies as you can find. I'm going to help them."

Ulysses gives Audri a stern look
"And whatever you do...Don't leave this house."
"But..."
"Just do it!!"

Audri starts running around the house putting food into bags. Ulysses runs out and starts rallying people up to form bucket passing lines to extinguish the fires. The town's people gather and under the leadership of Ulysses, the fires begin to die down. Audri has the bags of food and supplies and he runs up to Ulysses.

"I did what you said"
"Apparently not, I told you to stay in the..."

Just then, two figures appear through the smoke.

"Ossan... I didn't think you'd be here."

Ulysses sharply looks at the man speaking from beyond the flames.

"Only one person calls me by that name..."

Nalin and Sol emerge from the smoke. Ulysses stands at attention then pushes Audri behind him.

"Stay behind me"

Audri's eyes become big and the memories of his mother's death come flooding through his mind. Audri's petrified. He can't breathe and he begins to tremble. Ulysses gets face to face with Nalin.

"What's your deal with the kid? I've never known you to be a school yard bully"
"Strictly business, I get no pleasure out of chasing some kid."
"I see you have a Bestian with you"
"Sol? He's merely the blood hound"

Sol slams his hand against the corner of a house. A large chunk of the house smashes into kindling.

"HEY!! I'm standing right here!! Don't talk about me as if..."


Nalin whips his head around and gives Sol a look with so much killing intent that Sol stops mid-sentence; the shock is felt down through his bones. Nalin looks back at Ulysses.


"I'll be taking the kid now."
"No, I don't think so. In fact you're going to leave this town. You and your pet should just be scurrying away with your tail between your legs."
"Big talk for a has-been"
"You're still as cocky as ever. You won't leave with this kid; I promise."
"You're making a big mistake Ossan, but you leave me no choice."

Nalin cocks back and swings his fist. Ulysses barely dodges the attack but the force alone was enough to knock him back. Nalin's punch hits an adjacent house and the entire house shatters into splinters. Ulysses grabs Audri as he steps back.

"Hey kid, I know you're fast but can you fight?"

Audri is in a daze, overcome by fear, he's paralyzed.

"Great..."

Sol and Nalin stand side by side in fighting position. Audri starts to move and he mutters something. Audri squirms and falls to the ground as his memories flash through his mind. Ulysses tries to snap Audri out of his horrified trance.

"Kid?!"
"We're gonna die..."
"Kid!"
"We're gonna die..."
"KID!"
"We're gonna die..."
"KID!!"
"We're gonna die!!"

To be continued...

NEXT CHAPTER-

Audri's Escape