Chapter 1: The Fourth Piece

The sea...

5:30 am...

A small boat drifted off on the waters, being tossed around by the raging, monstrous waves. It would be thrown off balance, almost being capsized. But an invisible force held it in place, aiding it forward toward an island in the far distance.

A crow flew above the boat. It seemed to be following the craft. Its gray eyes peeked inside the boat. It croaked when it saw what was in the boat... a baby. It wanted to head over and eat the baby, but it found it hard to control its own body.

The baby in the boat was fast asleep. That was utterly impossible given how unstable the boat was. A red cloth was wrapped around the baby, keeping the drops of water from reaching it. A few drops reached its face however, waking it up. Its eyes met with the crow's, and for a moment, a cold shiver went down the crow's spine.

A sea creature burst from the waters below, intent on devouring whoever was inside the boat. It saw the baby in the boat, and grinned as its mouth watered.

It lunged at the boat, teeth shining in the night's moonlight as it opened its mouth to swallow the baby whole, but that same cold chill the crow felt ran through its whole frame, making it regret its action. It twisted itself and purposely missed the boat, the impact of its giant body sending concentric waves that carried the boat even further toward the island. The creature never surfaced again, too frightened of the invisible force that guided the boat.

Eventually, the boat made it to the shores. It took a current that led to a river that flowed into the land. Off in the distance, a woman was drawing some water from the river using a huge clay vase.

She paused when saw the boat coming. How on earth had a boat managed to reach the shores? Narrowing her eyes, she saw something inside the boat. The vase in her arms dropped to the ground and shattered to many pieces as she gasped. 'There's a baby in the boat!'

Without knowing what she was doing, she found her legs moving. The water was shallow, so it only reached her knees. She pulled the boat to the river side and onto the soft grass. She looked at the calm baby, his brownish-red eyes burning through hers. The only thing in the boat was the baby, wrapped in a red cloth and a little box right next to it.

She looked into the baby's eyes again before picking up the box and observing it. She opened the box and found a little bracelet inside. The bracelet had a silk lace with 2 beads attached to it. She had a feeling that whoever had put this box here, had left it for the kid. The design of the box was so superb that she thought no mere human could produce. She looked at the writing on the box. 'Kumi'.

Anyone could figure out that the name on the box was the kid's name. But who would leave such a beautiful baby in a boat on that sea? The sea was home to a deadly creature that sank most of the land's ships. She was surprised to see the boat had not even a single scratch on it, as if it had teleported right into the shoreline. She looked at the child one more time. She didn't know why but she felt like she should take the child with her. A tragic event in the past also helped fuel her desire. Her heartbeat got faster and faster than more she looked into the child's orange eyes. The poor child wouldn't survive out there on his own if she left him there. And given where the boat was coming from, she doubted if anyone was going to come for him.

She glanced around to see if anyone had seen the boat. After confirming she was alone, she gently picked up the child and the box and swiftly headed for the village.

All the while, she never noticed the crow perched up in a tree close by. Its eyes had turned silver... a sign it was being controlled. It watched as the woman disappeared with the baby in the thick of the trees, then its eyes turned back to normal. As if realizing it was being controlled, it shook its frame vigorously, croaking furiously during the process. Then it took flight, intent on leaving the island as soon as possible.

...

Off on a distant land, a man opened his eyes. Silver were the eyes' color. He wore a red robe which had a stylish white crest on the back. The robe's hood cast a shade on his face, making it so that his eyes appeared to be glowing.

He stood on a cliff end, just inches away from the drop. The water far below crashed against the rocks on the cliff side, sending chills down his spine. He hated water.

A woman came up from behind him. She wore the same clothing, only that her hood was lowered, revealing her pale, light brown face with magnificent white hair, glistening in the noon sun. She stood next to the man and stared off into the distance, same as he did.

"Did you find the fourth piece's location?" A soft, low pitched voice escaped her mouth. She spoke with her chin high, a sign of nobility.

The man responded. His voice sounded like a hiss of a snake. Multiple hisses to be exact. "Yesssss." He turned to a direction to his north east, his silver eyes seemingly seeing something in the distance. "He isss 300km north easssst from thisss exact point."

The woman's eyes showed a light of joy.

"Good." Then she turned and faced the land behind them. "That makes 3 pieces found. Master will be proud of us."

The man smirked. They had been waiting for the fourth piece's arrival. And now they finally knew where he was. They couldn't waste any more time. Right at the moment they had apprehended the second piece.

A village laid in the distance. But it had a different site to it. The houses were destroyed to the point only ruins remained. The vegetation was charred beyond recognition. A small hill to the far south east was flattened to the point only rubble remained. It was a small island, and the south beach had a massive crater the size of a coliseum.

The woman gazed at the disastrous site. "The second piece gave us this much trouble. But we're lucky we brought Bel-Rug."

The man turned and gazed at the land before them. The elevation of the cliff made it so that all the island was in their view. His attention turned to a moving mass headed their way. The ground shook with every step the thing took. Looking closely, one could see that it was a species of giant called the Uru. A blue skinned Uru.

He wore red armor that comprised of animal parts that he'd killed, with the bones protecting his delicate parts and fur coatings hanging about. The armor gave off an air of blood lust.

In his right hand he carried a large broad hammer, which he rested on his shoulder, and in his left he carried what seemed to be a small cage. The cage was made from a rare metal called steel glass, which was a mixture of steel and a rare type of glass. A magic spell had been casted onto the cage to keep the inhabitant of the cage at bay. The girl in the cage looked traumatized and worn out, a sign she had been defeated by the Uru.

"Ah, Bel-Rug. You're late." Said the woman to the giant.

Bel-Rug's steps made the ground shake. He stood at a height of 15 meters, towering above the remaining trees on the cliff side. The woman didn't wait for a response from the giant. Rather, she raised her arm and chanted something. A crack in the air was seen, which then grew in size until an oval portal formed. The woman was the first to walk through, then the Uru. The hooded man spared the island one more look and grinned.

"Let the games begin." He said, then he walked through the portal.

...