The Blood Kyn: Prologue

Crickets chirped in the blinding midday sun, its rays penetrating shadows and throwing darkness back out sporadically. My footfalls seemed to echo in the still calm, even though all around me parents played with their children. A car even drove by, its engine roaring with the ferociousness of a lion. Yet it remained unheard by me. I felt as though I was being drawn on by an invisible string, toward a fate that would forever alter me. But who--and what--it was that dragged me into this unseen future remained unknown. Was it human? Or some deity that we worshiped, dragging me along in this mythical current?

As I walked, I paid no attention to where I was headed. Not even the beauty of the flora or frigid weather drew my attention as it always had before. Hurry, I whispered to myself. Or was it actually my own voice that called? I didn't care nor feel the urge to figure it out. I simply went on, catching curious glances from whoever I passed. But soon enough the looks faded into the distance as I crossed the threshold of a new reality.

Rather than feel apprehension or fear, a sense of calm and oneness swept over me. I couldn't help but utter a sigh, moving directly to the elevators. However, the tug became urgent and I instead ran up the stairs. Asthma has always plagued me and I've never been able to go more than two miles at top speed without having trouble breathing. This day, it seemed, was to be quite different.

It did not bother me as I went up each flight. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen... only a second passed before I saw the next sign. Higher and higher I went, pausing briefly at twenty-two. Was this it?

...No, two more. Twenty-four was where I needed to reach. Onward I climbed, bearing the air that I knew this building like the back of my hand. Every plane and crevice I recognized, none unknown to me with my human vision.

Twenty-four. I shoved through the door leading inside and breezed past the reception desk. The angry cries of the woman manning it fell on deaf ears. Another door, than a third. Each opened into a different room, but there was a single one that caught my attention. It read 'Aquarium'.

Bursting through, I was greeted by only three glass containers. Small, medium, large. Each one was open at the top, plants extending out of the waters depths. However, no fish occupied any of them as far as I could tell. Why had I been summoned to an indoor fish room? Examining each of them again, the sound of creaking hinges caught my attention.

Hide, said that same voice. Immediately I did as it said, diving underneath a low-ground table. Whoever was about to come through would not be able to see me at any angle, unless they knew exactly where I lay and how far back I was.

Another door squealed open, and the sound of wheels rolling against hardwood was next. Briefly, I touched the floor. It felt like an extremely hard fabric, perhaps what marble turned into a throw rug would be like to touch. Not exactly the most pleasant of things.

Tempted to reach out further, the wheels instead went right past where I lay and stopped. I gave off an involuntary gasp. I thought I was caught. And for a moment, maybe I was. A knee touched down, and then a hand. My breathing became erratic, sweat beginning to prickle my brow. What would this man do if he found someone who didn't belong?

Another hand, both knees. I could hear him breathing. Please don't see me, I thought. Please, please, please! Even with my pleading, a pair of eyes came into view. "There you are," the man whispered with morbid glee. Stretching his arm toward me, he seemed to know exactly where I was. He closed his fingers around what his attention was on--

And suddenly withdrew with a hiss of pain, blood welling up on his thumb. "Stupid rat," he murmured before capturing the animal by it's tail and dragging it out. My heart swelled and my stomach lurched, my entire body shaking. Why hadn't he seen me? Why did he go for the rat instead when he was looking directly into my eyes?

Out of sheer terror at the thought that my uncontrollable quaking would cause the desk to shudder, I willed myself calm--just as a splash came from the smallest aquarium. Biting my lip, the pull was even stronger now than before. Listening closely to the cart rolling away, I slipped out from my hiding place.

And set eyes on the most beautiful and other-worldly being I had ever seen. Never had I known that such a creature could exist! It--no, she, I thought with a startled intake of breath--had mother of pearl shaded skin. The light reflecting off her almost gave her a translucent glow, deep blue markings standing out against the flesh. Her feet and hands were webbed, each ending in the shape of curved claws. Her tail was as long as her body, ending in a fin much like a whales. Along her back, two rows of spines perked up then folded back down--in tune with the medium sized wings extending from her back.

Like most humans, she had a sloped forehead. But rather than turning into a nose and dipping for the lips and chin, her face was actually extended into a... muzzle-like form. It wasn't that long or wide, and seemed to be more fitting of -our- face then the ones we currently harbor. And then her eyes. Slightly wide and of the deepest indigo, I found myself unconsciously reaching out. Maybe in an attempt to grasp her hand?

Whatever my reason, she leaped out of her small prison and into the medium one, then the largest, which seemed more fit for her size. Gawking at the grace of her movements, she soon abandoned this container too and landed right in front of me. "You came," she whispered in a voice as smooth as silk.

Stunned into a dumbfounded silence, I said nothing. By the gods, my mind was reeling! How could a creature as alive and... different exist? Were fairy tales true? Wetting my lips, I prepared to speak--but instead found myself catching her. "There are two others like you around, Angel-Harmony. But what would you prefer to be called?"

How did she know my name? "Yukai," I murmured after a brief moment of pause.

"Yukai? ...Good, good. Then you know your true name. Now, here..."

Lifting a hand, she showed me two different items in her palm. One piece looked like sliced ham from a deli. The other, however, reminded me of a medium-pink fabric square. I took both and eyed them with some suspicion. "Tear off a piece of one and then eat the entirety of the other. Only our kind know and can sense which is the real, and which is the fake."

In all honestly, I hadn't a clue about what she was talking about or even meant. Staring at them, I finally took a piece of the 'ham'. Plopping it into my mouth, it had the unusual flavor of ginger. Then I took the pink 'rug' square, tore off half, and ate it. And, by the goddess, it was wonderful! So I quickly finished it, just as a mans voice said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Instead of that sudden rush of horror, I listened to the womans voice. "What you ate was magick imbued. After the sleeping effect occurs, you will be reverted to what--and who--you are. You are no mortal, Yukai. You were not meant for this form." She paused. "At birth, your mother knew what she was carrying and placed upon you a small enchantment. To the world, you were just another child. But now... You have been released from those bonds."

Giving her the most comical look, I prepared to ask if I was dreaming, hallucinating. Or if I had finally begun to lose it entirely. But before I could ask, she faded from my arms in a rising blend of pure glitter. Then the man started toward me.

Right as he reached me and placed a hand on my shoulder, the world seemed to start... spinning rapidly. Darkness began at the corners of my eyes, slowly crawling forward. It overwhelmed my vision and I felt blind. Trying it push it back, it instead enveloped me. And then I knew nothing more.