Disclaimer: Every aspect of this story is mine. No part of this story may be reproduced in any way without full consent from the author.

A.N.: Hello again for any who've read this story. I'm sorry it's a little slow in the beginning but I promise to speed it up. Here's the next chapter! Enjoy, and please Review! It makes me so much happier! : )

Chapter 2: The Beginning

In the time of the old ways, the people of the great nation lived obliviously. They bought material items they did not need, and they chose to participate in things they shouldn't have. Children lived and believed as though their world was a safe place to live, even though it wasn't. People were more interested in the issues of other people rather than to sit and enjoy the silence. The world was over-populated, and the planet was in a downfall. The people believed they had unlimited freedom; they did what they pleased, said what they pleased. They took for granted what people in other nations would have killed for those same conditions. But many didn't think of that.

The leaders took advantage of that obliviousness. They began taking rights away from its people. They believed that if the people insisted on acting the way they did, then they were considered easily taken over. Because of their lack of prior knowledge, the people didn't consider it a threat. The leaders took away small doses at a time. Suddenly, everyone was being watched, there was a new form of government -one that ruled over the people like royalty. The people were being oppressed. And that's when they began noticing.

Despite being watched, a few in higher power began to have secret meetings with others that felt as they did. They were plotting away to break away from this new and corrupt nation and begin their own. A place where the people thrived on equality, hard work that always paid off and worked together to live in a harmonious place. One that thrived from freedom and ecologically friendly living conditions. They always met on the fear that they could be caught and sentenced to death, but in determination for a better life, they pulled their courage together and began gathering people that believed the same as they. Their friends brought their families and so on. When the time came for the execution of the operation, the group had assembled few families and friends to break away with them. It was fine that not many people had come; nobody wanted overcrowding. The original four had discovered an island at a day's length away from the nation. They scheduled for a ship to take them were they desired. Everything was in place for that night and the only thing they had to do was get by the guards surrounding the nation's border.

In full knowledge how difficult leaving the nation would be, the four elders created a group of warriors lead by Bozek Vitus, a man who was once in the armed forces until he came to the realization that he'd been indoctrinated to restrict people from their natural rights just because another power instructed him to. The warriors carried guns, grenades, bows and arrows. Because this hadn't been done before, the group wasn't sure how the security guards would react. They knew the security systems well, but they couldn't know the people. Would they be expecting this? Many from the group believed the government already knew of this covert operation to break from the oppression. The possibility was very high, after all.

Nevertheless, Bozek and his squad spread out, taking the consciousness of many security guards surrounding the border fence. Just behind it was the docks and the ship awaiting their arrival. They were just about free when the warriors heard the siren go off and the lights flashed. They'd missed a security guard from a bunker sitting on top of the fenced border. From both sides appeared soldiers coming in to stop the rebellious warriors. They immediately took fire when the guards saw Bozek and his group. Fortunately enough, Bozek and his small army were able to get their people out and onto the ship before they could be stopped.

"Go," Bozek commanded the women and children. "We'll hold them back. A ship will be awaiting your arrival to take you to another land." He walked over to a young woman with long pin-straight black hair and gray eyes and kissed her head. She carried a newborn child in her arms to which he kneeled and kissed its head as well. "Go, you'll be safer when you're away from here."

The woman, Mirana, reached for him with one arm and had him embraced to her. He wrapped his arms around her for a second while she whispered, "Cras semper, ad me." Then they released each other and turned towards their destined fronts.

Bozek marched forward and led his army towards the oncoming soldiers and Mirana led the rest to the docks. The boat that was to take them all to a far away land rocked in the water and was tied up to the main dock. Two men in arms stood beside it. When Mirana approached them, she held out her arm, folded back her sleeve and showed them her mark of the foretold revolution. They nodded in understanding for they had been assigned by an elder to protect the ones who wished to break away. They let the group pass the dock and board the ship. Mirana handed her child to an elderly man and watched him take the child aboard while she stayed on deck to make sure everyone was safely on. When that was checked, she walked onto the platform. She took one look back and the land she was leaving behind then turned, heaved a sigh and boarded the ship.

Bozek didn't take that time to look back at the freedom he knew he wouldn't get to have. He'd saved his wife, his child and the many that would help put an end to this oppression here. His only job now was to make sure nothing interfered with their departure. With a raise of his dagger and his hand on his gun, he led the fighters towards the oncoming security guards. There was no formal declaration of battle, just the firing of shots. A man fought another off with his sword and someone else took a bullet in the chest. Bozek's men began to fall. He knew going into this fight that they would lose. He just need to buy those who were seceding from the oppressive nation time so they could not be stopped by Security. He looked back; the ship was left port and was sailing away. They were at least a half of a mile from the Harbor.

"Keep fighting, men!" he shouted, "They're not safe yet!"

Those who remained ran forward to attack their pursuing enemy. They were successful in pushing the security back. The ship would make it safely to the open sea. The people would be safe. Mirana and his daughter would be safe. Perhaps they would live a healthy life where they were going. Bozek hadn't been to the island which the elders had discovered with a non-traceable technology, nobody had. From this point on, things were a mystery.

Bozek faced a man with a suit that was two sizes too small, for he had an enlarged waistline and was at least a foot taller than Bozek himself. The man lunged at him. Bozek had noticed that the man was wearing a pair of brass knuckles and with this knowledge, ducked away from the man's fists. The man turned, stunned at the intelligence of someone who wanted to secede and grabbed his own sword from his belt. He lunged back at Bozek, swaying his sword in pursuit to stab Bozek in the heart. With his blade, Bozek deflected it and thus became a sword fight. Despite the obesity of the security officer, he was well trained with a sword. He turned and ducked and spun back around at Bozek's every attempt to take the offensive. Bozek's arm swung forward, aiming for the man's stomach but the man dodged out of its way. Bozek pulled his blade back and up. For a second, he left his body open and vulnerable. Realizing his mistake, he began to constrict his torso to defend himself but he was too late. The man reached forth and struck Bozek in the chest with his sword. Bozek fell to the ground while the man pulled the blade out and ran off to fight another.

The normal action of breathing became difficult for Bozek. A loyal friend must have noticed the fallen leader and rushed to his side. But Bozek couldn't place the friend's face for his sight began to grow blurry. He barely reached to grab the friend's shoulder but he did. The friend held Bozek's head up.

"L-Lead t-them. F-Fight f-for f-f-fre-free-dom." were the last words to leave Bozek's lips before he exhaled his last breath and the world grew black.

Mirana clutched her daughter close to her chest. They had made it out of the Security's reach and were nearing the desired island. She could see the rim of the island in sight for it was almost dawn now. She could see the fog on top of the water in the distance and she yearned to be there, safe. She felt a tug on her cloak and she turned to see what caused it. It was the young boy that had lived across the street from her old house. She kneeled before him so they were both at the same level.

"What troubles you, iunvenes unum? (young one)" she asked, reaching out a hand to stroke his cheek. He gave her a pointed look at the child in her other arm.

"You wish to see?" she asked. The boy nodded his head. She revealed the tiny, sleeping creature for him. He looked at her in awe and gently reached and tentatively took the child's delicate pink hand. The child's fingers wrapped around the boy's finger as instinct. She sighed in her slumber.

"What's her name?" the boy asked Mirana. She smiled at him.

"Agapi Vitus." Mirana answered. "Agapi means love and there is no greater love in the world than a mother's love for her child."

The boy nodded in understanding. Suddenly his turned his head away as if he'd been called from another direction. He faced Mirana again, unwound the baby's fingers from his own and dashed away. Mirana stood and looked out at the horizon again. They were much, much closer to the island now. She decided it would be another twenty minutes or so. She turned and went inside the ship's headquarters to speak with the elders. They were in deep discussion at a round table.

There were four in total. Two women and two men. She stood off to the side and allowed them their space. They were discussing a new form of government, economy and a new way of life. They kept going back to the idea of freedom and equality, a place with no discrimination and harmony. A place where everyone must work to contribute to the whole. A place of trade and bartering, with no currency or fear of going bankrupt. When there was a significant pause, Mirana cleared her throat. They all glanced up at her.

"We're almost to the island. Should we be prepared to dock?" she asked.

"Yes," one woman said and stood. The other's followed her stance. "We will prepare to dock. Come along governors." and she led the was out to the deck while the others followed suit.

When the ship stopped at shore, the elders requested the platform be dropped so the people could enter their new home. They were the first ones off. They all turned towards the people, confidence and hope in their faces, something the people who feared another oppressive government needed to see.

The woman who had spoken to Mirana took in a breath. She spoke loud, clear and triumphant.

"Citizens searching for freedom and equality, welcome," she declared, "to Hanamisel."

The Latin words:

Cras semper, ad me: You'll always, always come back to me

iunvenes unum: Young One