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The Red String

The Red String

A.B.

Last update: 1970-01-01

Chapter 1

  • “There is a beautiful kingdom, a kingdom that all of your wishes can come true. The name of this place is Zhen. There, you can find riches, wine and beautiful women. Everyone's dream is to live there, or even just to have a taste of it, but if you are naive, the city will swallow you. It's full of tricks and traps, people that want your life. They will make you their slave and you won't even notice. Every other place wants to become Zhen. But I... I will conquer it”
  • Miles away from the city of Zhen, behind the mountains called "the Black Titan", lies an army hidden, waiting orders from their powerful leader. “Today is the day that we will take what is ours back!”, says a tall man with beard and muscles named Yaro while drinking from a big cap of wine. 
  • “Aye aye, you are right”, another man raises his glass across the table. A woman scoffs, making fun of what they are saying while peeling an apple with her small knife.  
  • “Did you have something to say Eve?”, says Yaro raising his eyebrow and flexing his muscles.  
  • Eve stands up, swinging her ponytail saying, “Well ‘big muscles’, don’t need to overdo it with your empty words. We all know it’s all a show”.  
  • Yaro’s eyes goggled in shock and the people around start laughing. “Well said”, they started commenting. He pushes his hands against the table to stand and with an angry face he charges at her. She puts one leg back and stoops with open hands waiting for him. Yaro screams while running towards her ready to take her down. A second before he arrives Eve swiftly moves aside and Yaro falls. People start laughing and she raises her eyebrow to show who is in charge, crossing her hands. 
  • The night came at last, and the men started moving to their tents, while Yaro has an angry face on him. Eve ignores him and starts leaving too. 
  • She notices a man standing on a big rock, while the last ray of light shines on him. He is gazing at Zhen. Her face becomes soft and she moves right next to him. 
  • “Everything that we dreamed is right there”, she says while looking at the sunset.  
  • “I remember you made fun of Yaro for saying something like this”, he comments without moving his gaze from Zhen. Her eyes widened in shock, not expecting him to have heard that. 
  • “Yaro is all about big words he doesn’t understand. I, on the other hand, know what you are after Keiran”. She is bending towards him, touching his hand.
  • The moment they just shared disappeared, as huge fireworks are blusting in the sky. 
  • “This is coming from Zhen. Today is the marriage of the Emperor Lon with his fourth-to-be wife, princess Arianna", he says.
  • “Isn’t she from the Kingdom of the Lotus?”, she asks. Keiran nods and she realises that the time has come.
  • “Well that's a wedding that we need to attend”.
  • An hour has pass and it’s time for the soldiers leave their tents and go to the armory. They start preparing wearing their uniforms, which are strong but light, colored in black, and the helmet is designed with two big horns looking like the devil.
  • Eve sharpens her knifes, Yaro picks up his armor and a strange figure sitting in the back, meditates. This is Roen, Keiran’s trusted advisor. He has long blond hair and he is said to be very handsome, prettier than any women or anyone on the kingdom, but very cunning.   
  • The 100 people army, given the name DEVIL, is lining in a formation and getting ready for Keiran’s instructions. He is ready, he is ready to get what he wants. He looks at his men while standing on his black horse, screaming “ATTACK!”. 
  • With a steady pace, they camouflage into the darkness, passing through the difficult path that the mountain Black Titan provides. Many people have lost their lives on these mountains, but Keiran has something they didn’t; control of creatures of the abyss. These monsters lurk in dark places, killing unsuspected passengers. But these demons wouldn’t attack their master. And so, they pass through, having chills run down their spines, but unharmed till they are out of the woods. 
  • On the other side stands the big wall of Zhen. The men, using signs, communicate with each other aiming for the weakest point on the wall. 
  • Keiran had told them that there is a small crack on the south end of the wall. Indeed, if you look closely you could see it but it's so small that most people couldn't even notice.  Yaro, seeing the hole, is scratching his head thinking how a small crack like this can help. 
  • Roen moves close to him and says, “You see, most of the people that went to take down Zhen, tried to do it by using canons and by taking down the wall. But this wall is protected by magic provided by the Gods and they leave only scratches. No one could get that close to climb either, since he would be seen, but this is the most unguarded part. Mostly because, they think the mountain as protection. No one can survive the journey here, except though, for our Master. The crack was the indication that we are on the right side”.
  • Yaro raises his eyebrows as a sign of understanding. The men get into position, readying their ropes to climb. Trying not to make a sound, one man after the other reaches the top. 
  • “I count 20 men”, a soldier whispers. 
  • “Make it silent”. Standing on their tiptoes, they slowly move behind the back of the guards. With a swift move, they slit their throats.
  • They started moving on the inner part seeing that the streets are empty, celebrating the wedding, a perfect opportunity for an attack. 
  • Hiding behind a house, Keiran observes the princess on her white dress, with beautiful flowers decorating her red hair. Her skin looks cold, her gaze looks empty. She glances at him for a moment and his eyes dilate.  
  • “Don’t worry, she didn’t really see you”, Roen says to reassure him. His face becomes serious again. “We need her alive” he comments. Keiran puts on his mask and takes his sword off the case. 
  • “We are conquering this place”.