She ran.

  The screams of people, terrified and dying, pierced the ears.

  She ran.

  The sight of broken masonry, burning buildings and mangled bodies seared the eyes.

  She ran.

  The smell of smoke and dust, of death and devastation, of horror and chaos choked the sinuses.

  She ran.

  The taste of ash and sand, of blood and phlegm, scalded the throat.

  She ran.

  The feel of searing heat, of shattered stone, of the crippling threat of death and the desperate need to survive raked the body.

  She ran.

  She had to run. She had to get away! To get to safety!

  She screamed as a distant building behind her exploded into shattered rock and masonry; its pieces flung like debris from an enraged volcano. Those fortunate were crushed in their entirety, death taking them quickly. Those less were mangled and broken, left screaming until death finally took them or were aided by their more able kin. Those desperate did all they could to survive and escape. To live!

  Everything was falling apart around her!

  She covered her head with an arm to protect herself while her upper body curled over her swollen belly supported by her other arm.

  Her lungs and throat burned with exertion as she heaved and panted. Her eyes stung as tears flowed from both the dust in the air and the terror in her heart.

  The sounds of devastation and chaos filled her ears, and she didn’t bother to look behind her. She already knew what she would see. That horrific monster rampaging across the city destroying everything in its sight baying loudly in its unceasing rage. The defenders doing all they could to keep the monster at bay. The city was lost; they all knew it. All they could do was hold back the tide to allow the people time to escape.

  She did not look back, not until a shadow fell over her. She looked behind her and saw a large rock flying towards her. She screamed.

  She gasped as she felt herself being pulled aside, the sensation encompassing her entire body rather than around a specific point of contact. She felt completely disoriented until the feeling of a pair of hands on her shoulders helped her centre herself.

  She cowered and covered her face as the loud sound of rock hitting earth rattled the area and threw up a cloud of dust. Coughing to clear the dust from her lungs while at the same time trying to gasp for breath, she was startled when she was bodily lifted into a carry and did not even have time to yelp before a voice spoke to her, “Are you alright, Priestess?”

  As the dust cleared, she was able to make out a statuesque woman with long black hair and with brown eyes that had an all-knowing depth to them. Beside her was a bulky, black haired, bearded man dressed in armour and what looked like a truly titanic shield on his back.

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  “Princess El-Sa-Bet?” the Priestess asked.

  “Are you well, Priestess?” the Princess asked.

  “I-I am” the Priestess stated, “Thank you for saving me”

  The Princess nodded and turned her head to her companion, “Husband, make us a path out of the city, we must get as many people to safety as we can.”

  “By your command, Princess” the man stated as he marched in front of both women, swung his shield in front of himself and then both he and the Princess, with the Priestess in her arms, started running.

  “Princess!” the Priestess shrieked, “What are you doing!? It is unbecoming of you to carry me!”

  “Do not argue with me, Priestess” the Princess barked, “Our survival, and that of your unborn child, is more important than any fickle notions of propriety!”

  The Priestess, cowed into compliance and silence, settled as best she could as they made their way out of the city. She looked forward towards the Princess’s husband and watched as he made a path for their escape, the sounds of shattering rock filling their ears as any obstacles in their path was pulverised into dust. She then looked behind her and saw the other people fleeing the city falling in behind them, and beyond them, the figure of a man, hair like bright sunshine, fighting to keep the titanic creature at bay.

  She had been chosen to bear his child, and she had done so with honour. She watched through tear filled eyes as chains, golden and resplendent erupted from the man to encircle the creature. A choked sob escaped her lips, he would never know his child.

  -0-0-0-

  It had been some days since she and the other refugees had fled the city. A kind family had been generous enough to allow her to ride with them on their cart as her pregnancy was too far along to allow her extended time on her feet. Beside her, Princess El-Sa-Bet and her husband and Guard Captain Don-Ai-El accompanied them. On the group’s other side, the collapsed ruins of the Great Tower stretched far behind them and quite some distance in front of them.

  “There is an oasis up ahead” Captain Don-Ai-El stated loudly for everyone to hear, “We will stop there for the night. Some of the men and I will go hunt some food!”

  Sounds of relief murmured its way through the group.

  “We will stay with you until morning and then we will be parting ways, Priestess” Princess El-Sa-Bet stated.

  The Priestess opened her mouth to protest, but decided against it, “Thank you for all you have done for us, Princess. I will admit, I would not have normally expected such kindness from Bloodlings”

  “That is understandable, Princess. We do have a reputation we have been trying to rise above” The Princess stated then looked out into the distance, “Come morning, continue heading east. Turn north-east when you pass the barren lands, it will take you to fertile lands where you’ll be able to settle. It is best you avoid the desert to the south”

  “I understand” The Priestess stated.

  “Dark times are coming, Priestess” The Princes said after a pause, “Dark times that won’t abate for a very long time and my people will be partly responsible for it. There is naught I can do to prevent it”

  “I-I understand, Princess” The Priestess stated with a heavy voice.

  Princess El-Sa-Bet nodded, “I wish you peace and long life for you and your child, Priestess”

  “And I wish you wisdom and guidance, Princess” The Priestess replied.

  ========================================================================

  Author's Notes

  Whoo! First Royal Road post!! For those of you coming in from FFN, Ao3 welcome!

  This is my first of 3 prologue chapters for my Naruto fanfic Beyond the Precipice: Myriad. A rewrite of Beyond the Precipice already on FFN.

  Before I go any further, I'd like to give a massive, massive, massive thank you to KarmicAcumen for inspiring me back into creative writing. His works are so lore heavy and intricate their like an MC Escher wet-dream, but MY GOD are they a fun and epic read. Seriously, check his stuff out. He's available here on RoyalRoad as well as on FFN, Ao3 and Patreon.

  This chapter is part of a subplot that not going to be addressed for a loooong time and is going to be part of the deeper world building I intend for this story.

  Bits and pieces of the deeper lore is going to be sprinkled throughout future chapters, hope you all can pick them out. I look forward to your speculations.

  The update schedule for future chapters will be monthly, though I plan to get the three prologue chapters live as soon as possible.

  Welcome to Beyond the Precipice: Myriad. I hope you enjoy!