July 16th year 4033
"After them! Don't let them escape!"
As the sounds of horses galloping rattled through the nearby streets alongside terrified screams, a darkly toned man and a young woman in red robes ran frantically, weaving through the back alleys.
Behind them three pursuers who wore knightly attire were hot on their trail.
The sight of that black Armour was like a guillotine, slowly inching over the duo's head with each passing second.
'Will they not give up..!?' Closely holding a bundle of red cloth, the woman dreadfully looked over her shoulder and panted. They had failed to lose the men even after ten minutes of sprinting. The further they ran, the more bodies and burning buildings they discovered, left in the wake of the day's chaos.
"There was… never a place for any of us here!" The woman cried through shallow breaths. Over the six years of her residency in this city, she always knew this was the case, but she had hoped she was wrong.
The light in eye's of the man beside her seemed to dim as he mused on her words and looked back with a tired expression. "These men are animals, sister. But we mustn't forget the ones that sacrificed for people like us"
Her brother had more but decided to save his breath as they tore through a wooden fence ahead. He knocked over a wooden pallet and three crates to block the enemies' path.
He wasn't naive to think this inconvninece could stop them, but he believed it would at least slow their pace for even a moment.
'If we can lose them and make it to the park without any more injuries, we'll be safe…' The woman thought.
While the men were drawing closer, she was quite confident in her long-distance running since her abilities had gifted her better stamina.
She had already noticed one of the men beginning to slowly lag behind the other two. He would likely drop out soon!
Just then she heard the one who led them shouting from behind.
"Oi! You negresse bitch! Cease this meaningless running, and we will spare that thing in your arms." Despite his lilting accent, annoyance and contempt were bled through his words.
The woman's shoulders shook. She had never received such a direct insult before, but she clenched her teeth in anger. she could suppress how she felt for the sake of the one in her arms.
"Mind your tongue! Who are you to speak to my sister that way!!"
Her brother, however, could not. Those words seemed to have broken the thin threads of patience he held so tightly.
Following his words, the sound of golden-white sparks echoed. Twisted strands of his braided white hair unfurled wildly to shoulder-length as they began to sway without wind.
"Shit! They're Forte users!"
Almost like thunder, the noise rumbled in with a second's delay as the man shot a tiny steel ball from his mouth. In a golden spear of light, it shot towards the armored knights as they formed a barrier of their own light.
The instant the lightning had struck the shell's surface, their legs dug into the ground and dispersed the mass of current as it ran through them.
A shock wave tore through the air around the woman's ears as she almost lost her balance.
Although she possessed an ability of her own, it was the first time she had witnessed her brother's in years.
Over time, the use of his power wore his body out, as such was the fate of all those gifted enough to possess a Forte.
The woman's brother was no exception!
The golden light flickered and died, leaving a stinging scent of ozone in the air. He stumbled, his chest heaving as the last of the sparks sputtered out from his hair.
His legs trembled under exhaustion. He looked back at her with eyes like glass.
"Run! Don't look back!" His voice was barely a shadow of its former roar.
The three men moved with the synchronized cruelty of machines as they shook off the residual tingles and stepped through the dissipating smoke.
As the brother tried to muster one last surge of energy, the lead pursuer's blade sang through the air.
The woman did not see the blade connect, but she heard the wet thud of a body hitting the cobblestones and the choked gasp that followed.
Her heart began to ache as instinct screamed at her to turn back. But the bundle in her arms shifted. A small, warm weight reminded her of the cost of hesitation.
So she kept running, muscles screaming in protest.
As her stamina waned, the woman channeled her remaining energy into her legs and reached the perimeter of the central park.
With an explosive leap, she cleared the stone wall before tumbling into the thick shadows of wild shrubbery.
I-I made it..The woman tried to swallow her sobs.
She crouched to hide, pressing her back against an old tree. Outside the wall, she could hear the rhythmic clank of Armour.
Those savages were still searching!
"I'm sorry, little one," she whispered, her gaze falling to the bundle in the red cloth. "I had to leave uncle behind, but I won't let them take you."
Her hand trembled as it moved toward the infant's throat. She understood clearly what would happen if either she or the child were discovered.
But as her fingers brushed the child's copper-shaded skin, the infant's eyes fluttered open innocently. A sharp, piercing cry broke the silence of the park.
"Shh, please, just a moment longer…" In her stupor, the woman frantically tucked the cloth tighter to muffle the sound. "We mustn't keep your father waiting."
The man had long left this world…
Her gaze softened as tears began to fill her eyes. The dam shook, yet she could not break now after making it this far away from the dying crowd.
Suddenly, the air behind her grew unnaturally cold. The hair on her neck stood up and she swung her hand back in a desperate arc.
A repelling force shot from her fingertips in an instant yet at the same time, a flash of black steel cut through the air.
The woman didn't feel the pain at first, only a sudden, jarring lightness. The top half of her skull was sheared away in a single, horizontal stroke.
Her body then slumped sideways, the red bundle rolling onto the grass as the child began to wail once more, oblivious to the crimson liquid soaking into the cloth.
The killer stood over them, a satisfied grin visible beneath his helmet. He lowered his guard, reaching a thick, gauntlet-covered hand toward the crying infant.
Then, suddenly, his head snapped back.
His hands flew to his throat, clawing at empty air as his feet left the grass. An invisible pressure cinched tight around his windpipe like a steel wire going taut.
The Armour creaked under the strain, and with a crack, his neck gave way. A mere second later, his limp form was tossed aside like refuse, and light footsteps approached from the nearby park gate.
A woman in black military attire entered with a slow gait.
Behind her, she dragged two other corpses bearing the same Armour. However, their metal plates had been slashed open, revealing a single, clean cut through both their torsos.
Thud!
After tossing them to the grass, she removed her hat and pressed it against her chest with reverence as she kept walking.
Her white hair caught the sunlight breaking through the smoke-filled sky, shimmering like spun silver, while her golden eyes remained fixed on the bundle.
"If only we had arrived sooner…" As she stopped before the tree, a feeling of reverie suddenly took hold.
...
Since researchers had discovered a new form of matter within the depths of the human cerebral cortex the number of masscres had risen exponentionally.
This knowledge shook the world and broke the balance between new-era nations, creating a period of mass detainment as governments raced to exploit this new form of energy for potential warfare and advancement in all fields of study.
However, after repeated failures to construct weapons capable of using this new power source, they were ready to abandon the research. That was until the lead scientist discovered her son had the ability to innately manipulate the energy and amplify its output.
The boy eventually became known as the first Forte user in history, yet any success he or anyone after him achieved only led to more suffering and exploitation.
...
Despite all of this, it was only the woman's second time experiencing a sense of failure. It was difficult, but she tried her best to find the right words.
"You fought hard and did your best. Rest well knowing it was enough."
"I swear on this new path I've found that your child will be cared for."
This sentiment stirred something clinging to the mother's corpse, but the woman didn't seem to notice. She was entirely lost in her own thoughts.
'Should I bury her..?'
'No..If the body remains out in the open, eventually someone will identify her.'
Furthermore, while leaving her here was not the kindest thing to do, the alternative of making an unmarked grave was no better.
Faced with these options, the golden-eyed woman simply chose the latter and lowered her hat to the ground. She then silently cupped the baby in her arms, and her eyes shined with a new light.
The woman was unfamiliar with taking care of something so delicate, yet the infant quickly fell silent in her bosom.
The shadows beneath the mother's corpse began to stretch as she turned to leave.
It was as if the darkness itself detached, rising from the grass to follow the golden-eyed commander—a silent specter trailing in her wake.