1 0. Separated

All he could see was fire all around him. There was people screaming and children crying. Xuesong had his ears covered, unable to handle all the noise. His father had told him to run and leave the Elven Kingdom. He had said there were very bad men all around and he wasn't safe.

The young boy ducked into the woods, leaving the safe barrier of his home. He was shaking from head to toe, afraid for his life. He tried to mask himself with the shadows, making sure he wasn't seen by any of the bad men. He just ran and ran until he couldn't run anymore. His heart was beating fast in his chest with tears rushing down his cheeks. The fear building inside of him was way too much to handle.

He eventually fell to his knees, trying hard to catch his breath. Never in his life had he ran so fast or for so long. He wiped the tears off his face and looked around the forest. He had no idea where he was. And the worst part of it was, he had no idea where his sister was. They didn't leave together.

"Xueying! " he cried into the darkness. His tears wouldn't stop and his cheeks were soon wet all over again. "Lin Xueying!"

There was no response, as to be expected. Rain started to fall and a cold breeze set in, causing the boy to shiver and wrap his arms around himself. He glanced around, only seeing an endless amount of trees. There was no shelter for him to take refuge in for the night. At least none in the vicinity.

He bowed his head as he cried into his hands. His whole body was shaking at this point, and he had nothing to warm him up. Yet the rain only got heavier and heavier. The boy was getting more and more drenched the longer he stayed on his knees.

The only thing that made the boy move was the sudden sound of a branch snapping. His head shot up and he looked around, wiping his tears hastily. It sounded like a few people were making their way through the forest. The boy jumped up in shock, moving to hide behind a tree.

"We found him!" a voice shouted into the darkness, causing the boy to make a sound of fright and turn to run. "He's making a run for it! Grab him!"

"N-no!" the boy squeaked out as he felt a hand grasp onto his arm.

"We've been looking everywhere for you, Lin Xuesong," the voice of a man said, pulling the boy into his arms. "You're quite sneaky. Smart for a six year old. You were told to hide, weren't you?"

"Leave me alone!" Xuesong cried out, struggling to get away.

"Now come on, boy," the man said, carrying him towards the two he had come with. Xuesong screamed and thrashed about in his hold. "Weren't you needing help finding your sister?"

"I can find her myself!" he said stubbornly, hitting the man with his fists as he struggled to get out of his arms.

"You and I both know that isn't true," the man said, having someone else take a hold of the six year old. "Come on, let's go."

"Where are you taking me?!" Xuesong cried out. "Give me my sister!"

"We don't have your sister, boy," the man said, gruffly. "We're going to help you find her. Just stick with us and we'll get her!"

"You're bad men! You'll hurt her!" Xuesong cried, spitting at them. "Let me go!"

The men sighed as they made their way out of the forest, carrying Xuesong with them. Xuesong only got louder and louder with his screams, praying someone would hear him. He had no idea who these guys were and why they were taking him. For all he knew, they were part of the demons that were attacking his home. Little did he know, these men actually were there to help him.

----

"I see you have finally come back to me," a dark voice said, turning to find a young woman walking up to him, holding the hand of a small girl. "You found the princess."

"I want to train the boys before you take them," the woman said, letting go of the girl's hand. She looked down at the princess, letting out a deep sigh. "So I brought you an offering. Let me get the boys strong enough, and then you can take me. Give me 10 years."

"You can have 5 years," the man said, glancing at the princess as well. The wowan shook her head, standing firm in her spot.

"8 years," she said. "No more, no less. They're not strong enough."

"You–" the man said, narrowing his eyes. He let out a deep sigh before nodding his head. "Fine. 8 years."

"She'll be ready to take the throne," the woman said, nodding towards the princess. "Right?"

"You chose her as a daughter in law?" the man asked, causing the woman to nod. "Smart. She'll be ready. She's already strong at her young age."

"She'll be the perfect match for him," the woman said. She then glanced down at the girl and kneeled down in front of her, taking her hands. "You'll stay here with Mr. Yukimori. He'll take care of you. You're safe here."

"Where's my brother?" the girl asked. The woman gave her a small smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"You'll find him," she told her. "Mr. Yukimori will help you."

"Why can't you help me?" the girl asked, causing the woman to shake her head.

"I have to get back home to my boys," she told her. "Don't be scared, okay? Nothing's going to happen to you."

"What about my brother?" she asked, causing the woman to let out a soft sigh.

"He'll be okay," she told her. She then stood up and turned away.

"8 years from today," Yukimori told her. "That's all you have left. They better be ready."

"They will."