Chapter 1: The Day Everything Changed
Far, far away, in a mysterious world known as Anteria, a multitude of races such as Elves, Humans, Demi-humans, and Orcs populated the land. Two countries, known as Destro and Hikari, co-existed on this rainforest-covered planet. However, beneath the beautiful landscape, was the true face of Anteria; stricken by turmoil, a result of the on-going conflict between the two countries. Historically, Destro was a ruthless and savage country that would destroy anything that laid in their path. Hikari strived for peace within the country’s border, but ever since Hikari was attacked by the Destros, a brutal conflict had arisen and the war has continued ever since.
Both countries had been worn down from the war and began to display signs of fatigue. Destro and Lumiere were on the defensive until one day, a scholar discovered an ancient book describing an object of legendary magical power - The Crystal of Nekinith. With this power in their possession they were able to create a way to use the magic from the crystal as a power source for their city, and to this day it is still believed to be lost somewhere inside of the ruins. Now both countries seek this mysterious and powerful crystal for their own personal gain. The villagers that called this place their home was a group of demi-cat humans who escaped the treachery of slavery established against their race in both countries. This village went by the name of Hoshi. Nya Flames lived there with both her mother and father in peace until that dark day arrived
Chapter 1: The Day Everything Changed
Deep in the Gollem Forest, in Hoshi Village, two young demi-cats were dashing through the thick woodland. Behind them, a group of angry Bearllum, a race with bear-like characteristics coupled with a tiger’s agility, was in relentless pursuit. One of the young demi-cats had crimson red hair and appeared to be having the time of her life, laughing in excitement as she gracefully bolted across the forest terrain. Meanwhile, the other young demi-cat with unkempt hair was screaming in panic like a little kitten, struggling to keep up. These two were best friends but had almost polar opposite personalities. Nya, the demi-cat with the red hair, was adventurous and independent, while Brownie was much more conservative and reserved, hated adventuring and was very dependent. A bit earlier,
Nya had told Brownie that there were delicious sweet fruits over at the dangerous part of the forest. Normally, Brownie would be resistant to Nya’s adventurous antics, but because of his colossal sweet tooth, he accompanied her with little hesitation.
The two marched deep into the forest and the fruit was spotted without much effort. However, obtaining the fruit proved to be significantly more difficult. A few Bearllums were having a party close by the fruit tree, so Nya and Brownie tried to sneak around them, avoiding potential contact. Unfortunately, Brownie stepped over a branch while trying to tippy-toe over causing a loud crack as the piece snapped.
The Bearllums immediately turned their heads to their direction, and anger flooded their faces as they realized unwelcomed visitors were trying to steal their fruit. The two mischievous demi-cats immediately started hustling back towards their village’s direction, finding themselves pursued by the furious Bearllums. Fleeing with a massive smile on her face, Nya noticed some overhanging tree branches that were low enough for her to reach. She grabbed the branches, followed by Brownie, and they hid in the tree's leafy cover while the enraged hoard stampeded past them. Terrified, Brownie was on the verge of tears, using every ounce of his courage to hold them in.
“Man up Brownie! It was only a couple of little bears!” Nya exclaimed in amusement as she shook her head. “I got you the fruit though.”
A round circular fruit rolled out of her pouch, ripe with its orangy-yellow exterior and a subtle shine.
Before they could settle down and enjoy their afternoon snack, they noticed a faint sound approaching, seemingly from the edge of the forest. It sounded like human footsteps, possibly adventurers, but unlikely, since there were more than just a few. It sounded more like an entire crowd or even an army. Soon, Nya observed that they were heading straight towards the village, sending an alarming chill through her body. They both hurried back to the village, waving each other goodbye before heading home, then going separate ways.
“Everything should be fine,” Nya thought as she ran towards her house. “They’re just friendly adven―”
Before she could finish her thought, an abrupt crash filled her ears. Screams of shock and anguish were heard, and smoke started to appear in the sky. In the distance, the village was being set to flames and panic was quickly spreading across the entire town.
Soldiers began breaking down houses, destroying everything in their path and slaying all foes who would dare oppose. They captured all the women, as they would be used for slaves, and slaughtered all the men, who attempted to protect their families and village. Nya was too afraid to do anything so she just kept running, until she turned a corner and crashed into Elder Gonz.
“Are you ok, my dear?” the Elder calmly asked Nya, despite also being scared for her life. “Hurry up and go home. Meet up with your parents and run away!”
Suddenly they heard someone shout, “Someone is over here! Kill them!”
“Stay safe and live long!” continued Elder Gonz, who was now in tears. She pushed Nya forward and at the top of her lungs, she screamed, “Run!!”
Knowing she has the soldier’s attention, Elder Gonz ran in the other direction, towards the center of the village.
Nya was crying uncontrollably as she ran towards her house, where she met up with her mom, who was almost also in tears, anxiously waiting for Nya to return. They hugged and closed the door shut. While hiding in the house, they overheard some soldiers talking about how the demi-cats were hiding something. Shortly after, Nya’s father rushed through the door, breathing heavily as he was out of breath, then closed the door behind him. He discovered his wife and daughter huddling in a corner together, shivering in fear.
“Hurry. Come here Nya,” he softly spoke, looking at them.
Her father grabbed Nya and strung a crystal necklace around her neck. He explained that the necklace was infused with magic that helped keep fear and emotions under control.
“Keep this hidden no matter what, and remember that your mother and I love you very much,” continued her father in tears. He hugged Nya tightly and slowly lowered her into a basket, closing the lid afterwards.
Immediately afterwards, the door bursted open, and Destro soldiers began to fill the house, overturning furniture in pleasure and mocking the Demi-cat’s archaic infrastructure. Nya’s father leapt and lunged at the soldiers in a last desperate attempt to dissuade them, knowing there was little left to lose. Despite his efforts, the soldiers retaliated, fatally stabbing him in the chest and cursing despicably as he fell to the ground.
Suddenly, Nya heard sinister laughter coming from outside the door. The ground started to tremble, as if submitting to a massive force, and an enormous figure with large bulging muscles marched towards her father’s body. Judging from his elegant uniform and the soldiers’ sudden tenseness, he appeared to be a figure of significant authority, perhaps even the captain.
“All you need to do is to bow down to me! HAHAHA! Why did you even try to fight back??!!!” he scoffed then kicked her father’s corpse against the wall.
Watching through the tiny cracks in the basketweave, Nya was terror-stricken, but yet her blood boiled, vowing to inflict vengeance for her family and village. She gritted her teeth and tears flowed nonstop like a river from her bloodshot eyes. Knowing that Nya’s father was incapable of retaliating, the massive authoritative figure shifted his focus away, now staring intensely at Nya’s mother while she cowered alone in the corner.
“Great! More merchandise! Take her away!” he said grinning snarkily. He turned towards the soldiers behind him, then walked away outside.
As Nya waited patiently inside the basket, she fell asleep from the pain and exhaustion. The soldiers took her mother and left no trace of her whereabouts. When Nya arose from the basket, she laid dormant, blankly staring at the ceiling and painfully reflecting on the events that had happened. After a long, fruitless thought of nothingness, she walked outside, heartbroken as she laid her eyes upon the ash covered remains of the village. The soldiers had taken everything from her: her father, her mother, her friends, and her home. The only thing that remained were the ashy remains of her village... and her father’s crystal strung around her neck.
Chapter 1: The Day Everything Changed
Deep in the Gollem Forest, in Hoshi Village, two young demi-cats were dashing through the thick woodland. Behind them, a group of angry Bearllum, a race with bear-like characteristics coupled with a tiger’s agility, was in relentless pursuit. One of the young demi-cats had crimson red hair and appeared to be having the time of her life, laughing in excitement as she gracefully bolted across the forest terrain. Meanwhile, the other young demi-cat with unkempt hair was screaming in panic like a little kitten, struggling to keep up. These two were best friends but had almost polar opposite personalities.
Nya, the demi-cat with the red hair, was adventurous and independent, while Brownie was much more conservative and reserved, hated adventuring and was very dependent. A bit earlier, Nya had told Brownie that there were delicious sweet fruits over at the dangerous part of the forest. Normally, Brownie would be resistant to Nya’s adventurous antics, but because of his colossal sweet tooth, he accompanied her with little hesitation.
The two marched deep into the forest and the fruit was spotted without much effort. However, obtaining the fruit proved to be significantly more difficult. A few Bearllums were having a party close by the fruit tree, so Nya and Brownie tried to sneak around them, avoiding potential contact. Unfortunately, Brownie stepped over a branch while trying to tippy-toe over causing a loud crack as the piece snapped.
The Bearllums immediately turned their heads to their direction, and anger flooded their faces as they realized unwelcomed visitors were trying to steal their fruit. The two mischievous demi-cats immediately started hustling back towards their village’s direction, finding themselves pursued by the furious Bearllums. Fleeing with a massive smile on her face, Nya noticed some overhanging tree branches that were low enough for her to reach. She grabbed the branches, followed by Brownie, and they hid in the tree's leafy cover while the enraged hoard stampeded past them. Terrified, Brownie was on the verge of tears, using every ounce of his courage to hold them in.
“Man up Brownie! It was only a couple of little bears!” Nya exclaimed in amusement as she shook her head. “I got you the fruit though.”
A round circular fruit rolled out of her pouch, ripe with its orangy-yellow exterior and a subtle shine.
Before they could settle down and enjoy their afternoon snack, they noticed a faint sound approaching, seemingly from the edge of the forest. It sounded like human footsteps, possibly adventurers, but unlikely, since there were more than just a few. It sounded more like an entire crowd or even an army. Soon, Nya observed that they were heading straight towards the village, sending an alarming chill through her body. They both hurried back to the village, waving each other goodbye before heading home, then going separate ways.
“Everything should be fine,” Nya thought as she ran towards her house. “They’re just friendly adven―”
Before she could finish her thought, an abrupt crash filled her ears. Screams of shock and anguish were heard, and smoke started to appear in the sky. In the distance, the village was being set to flames and panic was quickly spreading across the entire town. Soldiers began breaking down houses, destroying everything in their path and slaying all foes who would dare oppose. They captured all the women, as they would be used for slaves, and slaughtered all the men, who attempted to protect their families and village. Nya was too afraid to do anything so she just kept running, until she turned a corner and crashed into Elder Gonz.
“Are you ok, my dear?” the Elder calmly asked Nya, despite also being scared for her life. “Hurry up and go home. Meet up with your parents and run away!”
Suddenly they heard someone shout, “Someone is over here! Kill them!”
“Stay safe and live long!” continued Elder Gonz, who was now in tears. She pushed Nya forward and at the top of her lungs, she screamed, “Run!!”
Knowing she has the soldier’s attention, Elder Gonz ran in the other direction, towards the center of the village.
Nya was crying uncontrollably as she ran towards her house, where she met up with her mom, who was almost also in tears, anxiously waiting for Nya to return. They hugged and closed the door shut. While hiding in the house, they overheard some soldiers talking about how the demi-cats were hiding something. Shortly after, Nya’s father rushed through the door, breathing heavily as he was out of breath, then closed the door behind him. He discovered his wife and daughter huddling in a corner together, shivering in fear.
“Hurry. Come here Nya,” he softly spoke, looking at them.
Her father grabbed Nya and strung a crystal necklace around her neck. He explained that the necklace was infused with magic that helped keep fear and emotions under control.
“Keep this hidden no matter what, and remember that your mother and I love you very much,” continued her father in tears. He hugged Nya tightly and slowly lowered her into a basket, closing the lid afterwards.
Immediately afterwards, the door bursted open, and Destro soldiers began to fill the house, overturning furniture in pleasure and mocking the Demi-cat’s archaic infrastructure. Nya’s father leapt and lunged at the soldiers in a last desperate attempt to dissuade them, knowing there was little left to lose. Despite his efforts, the soldiers retaliated, fatally stabbing him in the chest and cursing despicably as he fell to the ground.
Suddenly,
Nya heard sinister laughter coming from outside the door. The ground started to tremble, as if submitting to a massive force, and an enormous figure with large bulging muscles marched towards her father’s body. Judging from his elegant uniform and the soldiers’ sudden tenseness, he appeared to be a figure of significant authority, perhaps even the captain.
“All you need to do is to bow down to me! HAHAHA! Why did you even try to fight back??!!!” he scoffed then kicked her father’s corpse against the wall.
Watching through the tiny cracks in the basketweave, Nya was terror-stricken, but yet her blood boiled, vowing to inflict vengeance for her family and village. She gritted her teeth and tears flowed nonstop like a river from her bloodshot eyes. Knowing that Nya’s father was incapable of retaliating, the massive authoritative figure shifted his focus away, now staring intensely at Nya’s mother while she cowered alone in the corner.
“Great! More merchandise! Take her away!” he said grinning snarkily. He turned towards the soldiers behind him, then walked away outside.
As Nya waited patiently inside the basket, she fell asleep from the pain and exhaustion. The soldiers took her mother and left no trace of her whereabouts. When Nya arose from the basket, she laid dormant, blankly staring at the ceiling and painfully reflecting on the events that had happened. After a long, fruitless thought of nothingness, she walked outside, heartbroken as she laid her eyes upon the ash covered remains of the village. The soldiers had taken everything from her: her father, her mother, her friends, and her home. The only thing that remained were the ashy remains of her village... and her father’s crystal strung around her neck.
