Order Amidst Chaos: Prologue

Lightning flashed overhead, illuminating the dark night momentarily before plunging it back into darkness. The lad looked up, careful to not allow the hood of his cloak to fall from his head, staring up between the rain drops to the clouds above. He had always admired thunderstorms, the raw power it held for destruction mixed with its necessary gift of life-giving water to the land below it. Even amidst such chaos was order, a dichotomy he never failed to appreciate. His horse shook its head in an attempt to clear some of the water from its face, bringing him back to the task at hand. A second horse carrying another waterlogged person rode a few feet in front of them, neither of them moving very quickly due to the muddied road. He pushed his horse faster for a moment, catching up and drawing alongside his traveling companion. The other figure looked over at him with amused eyes, having been well aware of his little distraction from reality. The slightly older woman shook her head and turned forward, focusing on the path in front of them.

The rain continued to fall, punctuated by the occasional crack of lightning and waves of thunder. The forest around them stood dark and silent, a figure at rest from long weary days of standing without nourishment. Spring was finally here, and the forest was going to enjoy it. As they crested the top of a small rise, both stopped their horses to stare down at the town beneath them. The few lights in the small settlement stood illuminated against the darkness of the rest of the world, a promise of warmth and comfort that made him realize just how wet and cold he was. With great anticipation, he began to move down the hill towards the town, not realizing his companion had remained still for a moment longer. Even as his mind was filled with thoughts of warm bread and milk, her mind was filled with a subconscious feeling, a warning of some kind. She brushed it away for the moment and followed.

The gates rose before them, simple wood frames that blocked out the light emanating from the other side. Without a word, the lad jumped from his horse and pounded on a small door embedded within the massive town gates. After several impatient knocks, the sound of a slamming door could be heard through the wood, followed quickly by the sound of the wooden peephole being slid open. A disgrunteled man barked out queries as to their identities and purpose. He answered, and the doorman, satisfied with the explanation, opened the door for them, allowing them to walk through with their horses. They walked calmly through the town before stopping in front of a modest inn. The woman held out her horse's reins, allowing the lad to take them before she went indoors. He quickly took them around back to the stable keeper, depositing them in his care before ducking inside himself.

The room to which he entered was simple and made of wood, a humble enterprise indeed, but more than adequate for their needs. She waved him up a flight of stairs as he followed carrying their personal effects in a pair of small satchels. They entered a room, both dripping water all over the wood floors. Without a word, he handed her one of the satchels before turning to his corner of the room and beginning to undress. They removed their wet clothes, each keeping their back to the other in a ritual well practiced from their years of travelling. Each stood quietly until they were sure that the other was finished before allowing themselves the ability to turn and move freely about the room. The woman sat down on the bed, pulling a well-worn leather book from her satchel and scribbling notes into it. The lad went about hanging up their waterlogged clothes on a line above the wood stove to allow them to dry. Satisfied with his work, he lay down on the bed, feet dangling off the end, as he closed his eyes. Very shortly after, his steady deep breathing filled the room.

The woman finished her task and set the book down on the bed, looking over at the young man. She smiled and brushed aside his bangs from his face, causing him to move slightly in his sleep. Though not related, she had been his guardian for many years, as dictated from the order they both served. In those many years, a bond had grown between them, one of mutual trust and respect. She allowed herself a moment of tenderness before she returned to her duties, moving to the center of the floor and sitting cross-legged upon it. Her eyes closed as her lips began to move in the well rehersed patterns she had known since childhood.

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He awoke to the violent thunder which pounded through the air with ferocious intensity. Sitting up quickly, he looked around, worried when he did not see the woman. He jumped up, grasping his traveling cloak and throwing it over his shoulders as he rushed out the open door and downstairs into the street.His bare feet splashed through the mud as he stared across the town at the lights dancing behind the buildings. People were everywhere, some running toward the light, some away from it, some looking around quite confused. The full realization of the implications took mere seconds to sink in as he began to run his hardest towards the source. Mud splashed up onto him as he skidded around the corner, pushing past a few people running the other way. The woman stood firmly planted in the mud, an aggressive battle stance he knew well. Her hands were raised to the heavens as water moved around her body in circles and spirals. A man stood in front of her, throwing fire at her as one would throw a rock. She deflected the projectiles with blasts of water, sending out tendrils at him in exchange, each of which he calmly evaporated.

The lad ran forward, strafing to the side to avoid people and other broken objects which lined the street. He dashed past a burning building, stopping only when he heard a muffled cry for help. He looked forward, worried, but remembered the tenants drilled into him, spinning around and dashing into the burning building. He looked around, calling out loudly, coughing up the smoke which began to fill his lungs. A weak voice answered him from down the hall. He stumbled down it, kicking open a burning door and looking inside. Lying on the floor was a large muscled man, his head next to a fallen beam, a giant puddle of blood saturating the wood and smoldering in the heat. Kneeling next to him was a girl barely in her teenage years, eyes wet with seared tears. He bent down next to the man, knowing even before he checked that he was a dead man. The lad stood, picking up the girl in his arms and rushing her out of the building, even as she fought to get back to the man, screaming in emotional agony.

They burst from the building, the sweet rain soothing their tortured skin and lungs. As they both stood gulping in the clean air, the building behind them collapsed inward, instantly becoming nothing more than charred rubble. The girl screamed and collapsed onto her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. The lad turned back to the woman and her combatant, preparing to throw himself into the battle. Not even before he could get to his feet, he was forced to duck to the side to dodge a ball of fire which whipped past him, evaporating all the water droplets it came into contact with and making a column of steam in the night air. With horror, the lad realized the target was not himself, but rather the girl he had just rescued.

He rose to his feet and planted himself, calming himself and focusing his mind. His lips moved slightly as he moved his hands in a vertical arc in front of him. A curved wall of light formed, illuminating the night, just as two well aimed fireballs impacted into it. He stared past the wall of light and flames at the man, conjuring up additional defensive spells against the attacker. Meanwhile, the woman was continuing her assault, snapping some fireballs out of the air with grace while sending blasts of water at the assailant. The man moved with grace and ease, fire emerging from his hands at will to douse the water or soar towards the young pair.

Without warning, the man dashed forward, fire erupting from his feet, flinging him high into the air over the woman, who struggled to follow his swift movements. He ignored her and sent a fierce column of fire down at the lad, intending fully to immolate the resilient lad and cowering girl. He stood his ground, concentrating on the holy shield which protected him from the assault. The man landed on top of it, placing both palms upon its surface and exuding as much heat and flame as he could generate. His eyes met with the lad's, both intense in their opposite intents.

Distracted by that which stood before him, the assailant was caught unaware as the woman lashed out with a tendril of water, wrapping it around his ankle and sending him flying at her. A second tendril shot forward, wrapping around his neck and choking him as she held him directly in front of her face. The lad could hear her demanding an explanation, though the distance between them kept the words traded between the two muddled. He watched as the exchange intensified until suddenly the assailant released the water tendril from his grip and raised his hand to the heavens.

Lightning, the most perfect form of chaos, lept from the sky into the hand of assailant, traveling through his body and empowering him. Before she could react, the man slapped his hands onto her shoulders and screamed a single unintelligable word. A shockwave of light and energy shook the town, knocking the lad backwards and making him almost fall on top of the girl. When his vision and strength returned, he looked down the street to see nothing. It was empty, devoid of both figures. He ran to the spot where they last stood, only to find a charred circle, the epicenter of the energy blast. He fell to his knees in disbelief. She was gone.

His head fell, tears mixing with the rain which poured down his face, dripping into the mud below him. He wiped his nose once, noticing a small glint of gold in the mud. He reached down, pulling up a single gold chain with an intricate symbol dangling from it. He recognized it immediately as the woman's only meaningful personal effect, a remnant of a past life. He clutched it in his hands and broke down, his sorrowful sobs racking his body. A pair of gentle arms encircled him as the girl embraced him, her tears beginning to fall.

Even as the lightning flashed and the thunder boomed, the rain continued to fall. It was as though the whole world cried along with the boy and the girl.