Prelude: Battle at Tsuka Town

He came like lavender on the dawn; standing tall upon the top of the street light. It must have been at least 30 feet tall, the post no more than 6" in diameter. Long hair and a black trench coat... one might think him a villainous being from an other world.

This man, he grasped onto the handle of a long scythe as ashen grey eyes watched the people in the streets below. Their thick skins, their rich colors... in such a short time they had advanced so quickly.

None noticed him there. None save the young man standing in the alley, watching him with black eyes through raven colored hair that concealed the right half of his face. He was clothed in white, this man. Even the fingerless gloves he wore, lightly stained pink in some places. His boots were the only other color on him.

He unclenched his hand as slowly, fingernails that seemed small pieces of glass on his hands grew. They came out halfway between the ground and his fingertips... and these were not even their full length.

Black eyes shifted to the rooftop opposite this alley, to a woman standing there, one foot on the ledge and her back bent forward. Her bosom tightly bound and covered in a red top stretched taut. Her legs were covered in a loose fitting pair of trousers, the color black. A long dark orange skirt, slits up to the waist on both sides, was over this. One leg was currently showing while the front flap of the skirt hung down to cover the other.

Bangle bracelets, 7 on her left wrist and 10 on her right. All 17 were yellow gold. She wore a matching necklace with a locket around her neck. Red hair was pulled back into a loose braid that ended at the bottom of her spine. A silver headpiece she wore, framed by two tightly woven red braids, shorter than the rest of her hair, stretched across her forehead. A ruby stone in it's center.

At her side a sword, golden hilt and ruby studded. A hand resting peacefully on it, black painted nails shifting slightly as she fingered the ancient design. Her eyes, almond shaped with beautiful swirling lavender and blue hues, quickly shot a glance to the other in the alley, then to the man on the light post.

The later nodded and raised his scythe as all focused their attention on the beast approaching.

A foul wind blew; his silver hair suddenly being blasted back as the beast flew overhead, a trail of blue electricity chasing.

"Now!" shouted a fourth, clad in lightly blue tinted armor, wielding a bow twice his size, an arrow on the string. He released it, another trail of electric blue striking the beast as it fell from the skies.

The young man in the alley shot out, his claws raised as he jumped on the crackling beast, driving the long nails into it's thick flesh like spears into a mammoth.

The woman drew her sword, seeming to fly from the rooftop with a wild banshee-like scream as she deflected a spray of acidic drool the beast shot at her as it's head thrashed in fury; one large wing swatting the youngest away. Another arrow was shot deep into the beast as the man in white got back to his feet, driving his hand-spikes once more into it's flesh to dig at it's very heart.

Through all this, the man on the light post stood still, watching with sad eyes at the barbaric display below. "May the spirit of the earth keep you well old friend..." he whispered, stepping off the pole and sped towards them, his scythe raised high.

The beast's cries rang through his mind as he took it's own pain into himself. It's large green eyes widened as it's broken wings began to flop around frantically in a futile attempt to get away. The archer jumped from the line of fire as the man screamed in agony and the beast gave it's final roar.

The scythe came down, slicing through the air leaving a whoosh as he buried it deep in the monstrous neck, crushing the bones and tearing through the thick scales as if a hot knife through butter.

It's eyes filled with blood, flowing out as if the final tears of it's own self pity. When the scythe tore through the other side of the flesh, a booted foot came up to push it to the side, looking with it's frozen stare away.

The people of this city, frightened off by such display of cruelty and malice without reason, began to come out of their hiding places. Mothers covering the eyes of children who tried to creep closer for a look. Men trying to pull their women from the brutal scene.

"Blessed be," said the one who'd cut off the beast's head. The other three looked on as he bent to close it's eyes one last time. They wiped the blood from their weapons, except for he.

"Get these people out of here..." he said, rising to his feet.

"Kage-"

"Do it!" he snapped at the woman in red before turning, the blade of his scythe seeming to disappear into the long black staff before it too shrunk in size to nothingness as he turned away from the scene.

The raven haired gave the archer and the woman a pleading look before turning to follow, catching up with him.

"I suppose that leaves us to clean up this mess then," said the archer as he slung his bow over his shoulder.

She sheathed her sword, watching the pair until they could no longer be seen. "Yes Kenryoku... of course..." she said as a circle of people crowded round to see the beast that had terrorized their city now slain. A man came to them, his long forked tongue tasting the air as the false light from the streetlights above gave his silver scales a seeming peachish hue.

He thanked them, and even offered to get some men together to aid in the disposal of the enormous body.

The pair accepted, looking around at the circle of scaled people, their lizard eyes watching intently as they awaited what came next.

So was life in the beginning. So how it was when the world was young, in it's first stage of life when the reptiles walked like man. When the demons were mindless and the angels only teachers of good.

This is how the world was in the age when Dragons ruled...