Prologue and Chapter 1: The Nomad Arc Begins

23 2 25
                                    

Author Note: Hey Dear Readers! I've just started posting this story at reader request! I hope you'll enjoy! I'll post the first 3 chapters for immediate reading, and then I'll start scheduling 2 chapters a week to catch up to Royal Road. Thank you for reading!

Prologue

Thunder. It rumbles over and over again. It is the percussion of the very Earth. Pop, pop, pop. Then a staccato rolls, consisting of prattling cries.

It isn't an orchestra, though. It has no rhythm. It has no tale to be told. It is a mixture of noise. It is chaos.

Eyes open, and a picture appears. Asphalt stretches out ahead. Heat waves slowly dance with the air. A concrete sidewalk is a little further. A hand is lying closer. It is a left hand, clothed in white leather of some kind. Black burn marks stain the forearm.

Memories are present, but they seem... blurry. It takes a lot to draw anything out of them. Human. That makes sense. The hand is human in shape. Does it...? Yes. It moves on command. The hand definitely belongs to this human.

What else? Hearing works. The staccato is still prattling away. It sounds familiar, but like the other memories, is blurry.

Looking around reveals a city street. Buildings are all around. A sudden boom follows a rapid orange bloom ahead. Instinct pulls the arm up to shield. The blast is pretty far away, but seemed startlingly close.

Something is still being forgotten, though. But, another blast occurs.

Something changes. Humans flee around the corner ahead. There are many of them, flocking like a herd of animals in a panic. They run in the opposite direction of the human watching them. Streaks rain horizontally to the left, and several of the humans fall. Several more blasts occur.

Name! I have to remember...! What's my name!? Think! C-... C-Something. C-...

Another blast is much closer, causing disorientation.

NO! Think! What is it!?

The screams are audible, while the staccato continues. Booms resound all around. Fires burn in every direction.

Name! What is my name!? WHO AM I!?

A blast hits almost straight ahead, causing a ring.

What's going on...? Wait! No! I was so close! What... is THAT!?

A large figure storms out into the street ahead, following the humans. This thing is distinctly not human. It has the awkward gait of an upright dog, but it has no fur. Its skin is oily, and has a rather leathery texture. It wears metal armor painted a dark red, and its head looks faintly like a short-muzzled dog, protected by a helmet.

The creature has the staccato instrument, firing a volley of purplish-red streaks up the street at the fleeing humans. It must not be alone, as similar sounds are echoing from every direction.

It glances down the street, and its gaze matches that of another nameless human. It pivots in curiosity, stalking forward.

********

~ Journal Entry: SB-1606:

This will be this journal's final entry. I have completed what it is I needed to complete. It seems so long ago that this story started. I didn't even have a name at the time, and now this fledgling alliance is establishing real roots.

It's ironic in a sense. It's been several hundred years in actuality, but 23 have passed for me. Thanks to this alien device, I don't age. As my journey here comes to a close, I can't help but wonder if I am doomed to eternity, or if I will finally be free of the curse bestowed upon me.

Supernova BlitzWhere stories live. Discover now