Rochu - A Love A Thousand Years Later

Prologue

Walking down the oddly twisted path, Yao can't seem to recall where he is or how he got here. It's an unfamiliar place with darkness engulfing him, gifting him with a sense of panic. The only light source that illuminated the road was the sliver of the moon that was the contrast to the darkness of the sky.

"H-hello?" Yao manages to muster up the small bit of courage he holds so dearly onto. The only answer he receives is a stark silence that reminds him of his loneliness. Managing to muster up a bit more courage, he repeats it again, but with just a bit more volume.

"Hello?" Once again, the only response he got was his own footsteps echoing as he continued to walk down the road.

By this time, Yao's heart begins to race faster as panic and anxiety grasps him, while his mind begins to crumble as the bitter wind wind harshly whisks the clothes he wears and his hair around his cold body, whispering something in his ear, but he didn't catch what it warned him of.

His pace quickens to match the beating of his heart and as the sounds of his beating drum pounds louder in his ears, his pace gradually turns into a sprint and then into a run.

All of a sudden, he can hear something. Something dangerously close to him in the distance. By the sound of that something's pace he knows he can't outrun it, but he still tries. He has to. He has family waiting for him to walk through the shabby doors of their broken home and with a heart-filled response of "Welcome home" to his content, "I'm home." 

With the thought of his family occupying his mind and his heart, his legs grow stronger and faster, carrying him ahead of whatever is chasing him. But as he listens to the footsteps of his pursuer, hope disappears as he realizes that his efforts of running away isn't even a chance against his pursuer.

Tears begin to form, stinging his eyes and blurring his sight as the wind blows against him. How did he get here? Why is he even here? His lungs and throat burn immensely as he attempts to breathe, but with every breath he takes, it just hurts him more.

And even though the fire in his eyes was just ignited, it disappeared so quickly, something that hasn't happened in a long time. Just how much pain did he go through to make his body shut down and collapse as it's doing now?

As he lies with his heart and soul on the muddy ground, he can hear his pursuer creeping closer and closer, but he's not running anymore. The footsteps he hear are at a horrifyingly regular walking pace. Why did the person stop running? Maybe he knows that Yao can't seem to move an inch, even though he wants to with all his might.

And as the footfalls of his pursuer resonates in this empty place, there's a whistle that floats along with it. Yao's heart mysteriously begins to throb as he recalls what the tune of it is. It's the song that he was introduced to by America but it stuck to him like honey stuck to a shirt on a warm day by-

The footsteps stop as a shadow looms over him, causing him to freeze in fear of whatever is standing above him. He doesn't dare turn his head or eyes toward the owner of the shadow in fear of dying.

The only sounds he hear are the beating of his heart and the whispering of the winds. This time, he catches what they murmur and at the same time, his pursuer says the same time in a voice that reaches the bottom of his soul.

"You can't escape"