Prologue

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Mercy ran down the narrow streets, moving her legs as fast as she could. Running from what? Well, she doesn't know. At least, not yet. The streetlamps began to flicker and a loud scream was heard from inside an alley. All she really knew at that moment was to run. Her town was being raided by these monsters on black horses.... they carried long black blades stained with blood and dark hoods covering their faces.

They raced recklessly through the town on their dark mounts, slashing at anyone who stood in their way. Some of them even carried torches, using them to set houses and stores alight in flames. People ran everywhere, screaming and yelling for their lost family and friends. But Mercy continued running... she had to. Until she saw a little girl, no older than seven, sitting in front of a burning building, crying.

Mercy slowed, then with hesitation, walked over to the girl, avoiding being seen by the raiding party.

"Whats the matter with you? You need to get out of the open." She told her.

"But- but i don't know where my mommy is." The little girl sobbed.

Although Mercy had lost her mother when she was fourteen, she still remembers the feeling of helplessness.

"Alright. Come on... Let's go try to find your mom." She sighed.

A raider was drawing closer to them, so they had to hurry... and Mercy knew it.

"Run." She whispered to the girl, who was oblivious to the approaching attacker.

The girl did as she was told as Mercy took her hand and jogged down the alleys. She saw an old woman trying to escape a raider, but it's horse reared up, trampling the woman as the raider continued after them, but Mercy couldn't think about it. Right then, her sole priority was to get this little girl to her mother... But she didn't know where to look.

All she could do is lead the girl around town in hopes of spotting the girls mom. Sadly, that priority was taken away from her. Another raider came around the corner of the alley they were running down, snatching the little girl in it arms and carrying her off to the other raider, who was no more than six feet behind them.

The girl screamed and kicked at the attackers, but she couldn't do much damage. Right in front of Mercy, the raiders took the girl between them, one holding onto her feet and one to her arms, while a third raider rode up form behind Mercy and with his sword, went right through the girl. Her two halves fell onto the cold pavement, now soaked with blood.

Mercy couldn't believe it. That these... these animals would do something so terrible. They mercilessly cut through a little girl and left her on the ground, her pink dress caked in dirt and blood. And now, she was furious. Without giving anything a second though, Mercy ran at the raiders, who had assembled themselves in front of her. To get away, she was either going to have to go right through them... or go right through them.

She drew closer to them, her eyes burning with hot tears and her face red with fury. Despite her name, she showed them no mercy. She ducked under a horse and slid across the sidewalk out side the alley and waited until the raiders turned around. She refused to run this time. Not this time. Last time, these monsters killer her mother, her best friend and her little brother, leaving only her and her older brother left in the family.

And she watched it happen. She let it happen... and then ran from it, leaving her younger brother to try to defend himself, but he didn't stand a chance. But now she wasn't going to run from them. She was going to fight back. With a loud yell, she ran at them again, this time, with no intentions of ducking.

She caught the raiders off guard and grabbed one of the horses by its cold reins and swung her leg up unto the horse, colliding the rest of her body with it's rider. The other two raiders didn't move, there bodies tense with shock as a nineteen year old girl mounted one of their horses, successfully dismounting one of their comrades at the same time. Shock did not subdue them for long though, because Mercy had gotten a hold of a sword... not a long black sword, but a sword.

The horses reared up again, but Mercy pulled up the reins of the horse and forced it to go forward and clash with the other dark horses.

"I'm sorry." She whispered in the horses ear, before standing onto the horses back and springing off of it's head, launching herself at the killers.

But a fault in her plan occurred... Her left foot was caught in the stirrup. She fell from the horse, hitting her head on the wet pavement and losing her small streak of glory. She still hung from the horse, one leg still caught. More raiders gathered around her, circled her.

She had blurry vision, but she could tell she was being picked up... by the hair. A raider had leaned down from his horse and grabbed her hair, lifting her up enough to look him in the eye, before dropping her and letting her head hit the ground once more. Mercy's vision completely faded... and so did her hearing and everything else.

She had been knocked out.

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