1 The Beginning of the End
:::[Damn it... Where'd they leave my book this time? … How dare they just toss around my collector's edition– Ah, there you are!]:::
:::[Now… Thump. Flip. Flip… They just had to take out the bookmark… What page was I on– Yes! That's the spot!]:::
:::[Hm, hmm! Allow me to apologize for the unexpected delays. Now, if I may, I shall continue where we left off, without any further hold up...]:::
:::[... And thus, it was the end of the universe. The end of civilization. The end of sentient life.]:::
:::[Or, at the very least, it was the beginning of the end. Though no one would ever have known or suspected as such.]:::
:::[But there was hope, most certainly. A single grain.]:::
:::[However, it remained uncertain whether that morsel of hope could survive long enough to challenge universal extinction. Especially when every known power, to varying degrees, lusted after our unknowing and unmotivated hero. To bend and bind him to their will. To pluck out his existence before he becomes a domineering threat.]:::
:::[Such a life was fate. Regardless of the desires held by our young hero.]:::
:::[Yet, it's the very battle against fate that tends to offer a chance for accidental heroism to appear. So long as our hero doesn't die along his untrodden path through genocidal battles and collapsing planets, all en route to defy fate.]:::
:::[And it all started on that day… That day, "Ayse" appeared in the universe... That day marked the silent, unforeseen beginning of the end...]:::
Foliage rustled, both from the bushes and from the vine-draped trees. Cold winds blew through the overgrown jungle, carrying the chill of over a dozen glaciers surrounding the densely wooded area.
Amidst the jungle, two bands of wolves weaved in and out of the trees and undergrowth.
Three large, grey wolves were at the front, with spears attached to their sides and a heavily tanned man on each of their backs. Each man wore grey leather pants, personalized with red paint in streaks or simple designs. Their chest also carried differing designs of red.
A few dozen meters behind, five white wolves and their heavily tanned riders gave pursuit. They formed a pointed V-formation with the largest white wolf at the lead.
Those riders wore light brown leather pants and moccasins. In their hands, they had bows drawn. At their sides, quivers of arrows were fastened to their white wolves.
Crack! Thw-thw-thwang!
Arrows flew forward. But not a single arrow hit its mark, with some getting lodged in nearby trees as the grey wolves used the environment as cover.
A muscular, tall man sat atop the largest white wolf. Around his neck, the man wore a simple necklace, the paw of a sabertooth tiger bound by a leather cord. As the man drew his black longbow, the bowstring was pulled back to his cheek, almost touching his serpent headdress.
The man waited no longer than a second to release his arrow, carefully choosing his shot without hesitating in any way.
And, just before releasing the bowstring, thin, black threads of energy flowed out of the man's hand. They were hardly visible while lightly wrapped around the arrowhead.
Thwang! Crack!
"Ahh…"
One of the fleeing men fell from his grey wolf, an arrow lodged in his throat. Despite leaping behind a tree, the wolf rider couldn't evade the arrow that had pierced through the tree trunk and into him on the other side.
The freed grey wolf howled as it dashed off to the side. The beast didn't hesitate at all as it fled.
"Let it go!" the man in the serpent headdress shouted immediately, keeping his gaze locked on the remaining enemies. "Enemy scouts are the priority. Capturing the wolves comes afterward!"
"Yes, chief!" all four followers shouted in unison.
As another volley of arrows was about to fly, the leading scout hopped to his feet for a split second to stand on his grey wolf. He had two crusty, red streaks staining each of his cheeks. And his spear was already lined up for a near-perfect throw.
The exact moment the lead scout had his footing, still grasping the cord connected to his wolf's collar, he hurled the spear.
Crack, frrip! Thud, thud…
"Ahh!" one tribesman yelled in pain as the spear skewered his side and the back of his wolf's rear hip.
Immediately, both that man and his white wolf fumbled to the ground, tumbling through the dirt and foliage.
"Leave him!" the chief ordered before any of his men could consider hesitating. "He's shouting. So he's still alive. Focus on the enemy!"
At the same time, the lead scout was already back to his usual position on the wolf. And he quickly leaned forward to grab another spear fastened to the side of his wolf.
Thwang, thwang!
Both of the tribesmen to the left of the chief launched their next slew of arrows. Though they missed yet again, they never wavered in shooting the following volley.
On the right side of the chief, there was only one man. That man was visibly the youngest out of the group. And his calculated calm was most similar to the chief's confident demeanor, compared to everyone present.
The young man's bow was dark grey in color, only slightly smaller than the chief's black longbow. Around his neck, the young man wore a leather cord with the fang of a huge serpent.
His hair was dark black, shaved on the sides and the back of his head. On top, the young man's thick, long hair was pulled into a ponytail that reached the middle of his back, using five small bands to tightly hold his hair together.
As the young man nocked his arrow and drew the string back, an unusual sound came from the bushes and trees to the right.
The fleeing scouts rapidly changed direction to run toward that sound's origin. And a two-meter tall sabertooth tiger leaped out at the wolf riders.
The enemy wolf riders were at a safer distance since the tiger had appeared between both bands of men. So, both enemy scouts took that moment to throw another spear, aiding the tiger's charge toward the white wolves.
Th-th-thwang! Frrrip, thud!
Without a second thought, three arrows were launched at the appearing tiger. Two arrows drilled into the base of the tiger's neck. And one pierced through the sabertooth tiger's eye to reach the beast's brain.
Instantly, the beast's charging body became lifeless as it crashed through the undergrowth in front of the white wolves.
The chief, however, never took aim at the beast.
Crack! Crack!
Instead, the chief nocked two arrows and unleashed them both, shooting the incoming spears out of the air before either could reach him.
"Don't stop! Keep pushing!" the chief yelled while his wolf leaped over the dead tiger.
The young man was already planning to do just that, as his arrow was nocked before that shout was given.
With a quick, two-note whistle, the young man ordered his wolf to jump off the tiger and onto the side of a tree. As the wolf rebounded off the sturdy trunk, the young man used the altered vantage point to his advantage. And his arrow found a clean line of sight.
Th-thwang! Frrrip, frrrip! Thud, thud…
The arrow flew straight past the blocking vines and drilled into an enemy's back, just a couple of centimeters from the target's spine.
But before that enemy could fall or shout in pain, a second arrow pierced the target's spine and throat. Then, the dead scout tumbled to the ground and his grey wolf dashed away without a chase.
"You made an opportunity. But you waste it! Don't miss, LaRee!" the chief yelled mid-pursuit.
Hastily breathing in and out, keeping his mind steady, the young man shouted back, "Yes, Father!"
Up ahead, the lone enemy was stuck with few options for survival beyond dumb luck. He still had four wolf archers behind him. His two comrades had been killed. Though the remaining scout didn't care much about his fallen men, the lead scout wished they would've at least taken out a pursuer to make their deaths a worthy sacrifice.
And, now alone without another distraction nearby, the lone scout couldn't risk returning fire with more spears.
So, the enemy scout focused on steering his mount with everything possible.
Thwang! Thw-thwang!
The chasing wolf archers launched barrage after barrage but failed to hit their target more and more.
Still, the chief wasn't worried or concerned.
The chief kicked his wolf to speed up, bounding forward even faster to gradually close the distance. He patted the tomahawk at his side before pulling another arrow from his quiver.
And the fleeing scout, despite evading the cover fire of his pursuers, was more worried than ever. Especially when the chasing chief was less than twenty meters away.
Desperate, the scout made a mighty swing with his spear, cutting through most of a smaller tree's trunk.
But that wasn't enough to deter the chief. He and his huge wolf bounded to the side of the fallen tree without losing even an iota of momentum.
"Surrender now, or die!" the chief yelled a single demand, readying his bow with an arrow in hand.
When the enemy scout didn't reply, the chief wavered no longer. The arrow was nocked and the string was drawn.
ZZRRRMMM…
All of a sudden, a strange thrumming, buzzing sound reverberated through the air. And with it, a foreign pulse of energy was felt by anyone keenly sensitive.
The chief was the first to notice that abruptly emerging energy, hesitating for a split second at the thought of an unknown enemy appearing.
But he was determined to not let his known enemy escape. So the chief's focus was quickly brought back to the retreating scout. Until the chief realized that he had somehow been engulfed in an unusually large shadow.
"FATHER!"
"CHIEF!"
LaRee and his two fellow tribesmen yelled out in concern. Being further back, they noticed not only the shadow but the strange, alien object creating the shadow.
However, it was too late.
CR-CR-CRACK! THUD! CRUNCH-CH-CH!!
Just as the strange energy vanished, a metallic vessel fifteen meters long crashed through the trees, into the chief and his large wolf, and through the ground's topsoil. And the surprise vessel's incredible momentum was depleted bit by bit from the dirt, stones, and trees of the dense, ice age jungle.
Then, as the metal ship ground to a halt after its crash landing, a single figure emerged from the deck of that vessel.
It was a young man with a strap covering his left eye. And while worriedly waving his arms, the young man shouted, "I'M SO SORRY!!"
