2 The Chosen One (Chapter 2)

"OPEN THE GATES!!" Commander Benkei yelled, charging from his weary but rushing horse, refusing to break stride. The colossal iron gates screeched as they came apart and clanged against the stone ground as they opened in what felt like slow-motion crossed the entire Central West region. of Avalon Hillside

"OPEN THE GATES!!"

The gates opened wide to the fleet led by Commander Benkei.

"MAKE WAY FOR THE COMBATANT!!" This was shouted by the guards who stood among the watchtowers of the gate, as they always would.

People stood to the side roads cheering and roaring as they usually would to see the elite warriors of the West come back from any sort of recon mission or battle. It was a time for soldiers to give high fives to the youth and wave at their pretty admirers, but that didn't happen today.

The soldiers rode through with their horses in complete silence and shock. Shivering, shaking, trembling, they did it all. Confusion spread through the streets as to why such a cowardly face was cast upon them. A strange chill flowed from the soldiers to the crowd. The crowd wondered why the bravest of all the soldiers in the West and would ever be scared.

They rode through the centre of Avalon Hillside (Central West region) straight to the Emperor's Palace they had to report what they saw before something terrible happened.

Meanwhile..

The sun blazed through the whole foreign lands as if fire itself. They say that every few minutes it gets hotter in these lands... A Bush Hound (Type of Massive dog that are located in the Aki forests of the West region) pulls an old rackety carriage. Its blood-red fur mixing in with the fire like landscape. It slowly plodded through the desert, the heat of the land making it pant.

A middle-aged woman named Sinda, the scavenger dressed in dull dry rags, hair cut short and her face looked so wrinkly you wouldn't have realized she was in her 30s, navigated that hound with the carriage.

Her eyes blurry, body aching, heat rashes covered her skin, but she could not turn back. She had to do her daily collection. That was her job as one of the scavengers. She collected scrap materials to sell. No sales, no food. No food and you die. She gripped her dry hands together and moved on through the bristling heat of the foreign desert.

This was her most precious spot where most of the best valuable scrap objects sprung out from the sands. Although, today was different, she had been searching for hours in the heat and hadn't found anything worth taking back to the West at all.

Disappointed at today's failure of a day, she turned back to go to the North region's Fugu mountain and collect there. Until she glimpsed something right in the middle of the sand, a glob of red rags bundled up together in the middle of the desert. She hesitated but thought this was her best shot at a solid collection.

She stopped the carriage and tumbled out, trying not to fall on her face and collapse from the heat. The closer she got, the clearer it became the rags weren't red.. they were covered in blood. However, that wasn't the only surprise she came across, a new-born baby boy was tucked up in the rags.

How did you get here little one?.. Sinda asked her lips completely dry and bruised

She thought to herself; "Who would just leave a child in this mess in the middle of nowhere and why are the rags covered in dry blood?" She picked him up and nearly dropped him right after because of shock. This baby was a cold as the ends of the Haru Isles. She thought; How could this baby even survive in this heat not making a sound, let alone be so cold?

His mouth closed shut, skin pale like snow, dark grey hair strands flowing from his head. He opened his eyes and a purple shine of colour came flashing through them, his eyes so purple and ominous that it sent a shiver down Sinda's spin. She stood in silence, bewildered by the baby's current condition.

Was he sick? Or had some kind of fever? All these repetitive questions flowing through her mind but none of them could be answered. Let's get out of here seems like you'll be accompanying me back to the West little one...

The sound of the sand swaying across the desert became louder a Sando was forming. She hated sand storms one day she wanted to make enough money and move somewhere free of them. One day but today she had to protect the child.

Sinda covered the boy as much as she could with her own garments, but couldn't stand the incredible bashes of wind hitting her on her face and body. She fell to the ground, baby in her hands still no sound coming from the boy but a light screech from her as the pain sank in again.

She had to get back to the cart and leave this land before it worsened she rose from the ground with only will power as a tool Carrying the dead silent baby boy in one hand who seemed to be clearly wide awake, not making a single sound.

The Sando blew with violent intent, picking up speed every five minutes Sinda kept charging through the storm, blood trickling down her nose, nausea prickling through her system her body had given up and it seemed like she had too… Looks like she wouldn't be getting to live somewhere else.

She forgot she was even holding the boy. Her only thought became survival, making sure she didn't die. Until the boys eyes called to her. The boy looked dead into her eyes through the sockets and into somewhere beyond the soul. Her body went limp, but she moved and found herself right in the cart.

With the last drop of the strength she had gained, she sprouted out the words.

"Let's.. take... you back to t.. he West little one.. and passed out completely."