Ramzowa [CH1]

         Laying on the ground in the middle of a busy cobblestone street was a girl. The rain had caused her clothing to cling to her unconscious body, red hair splayed out on the ground in a haphazard mess. The skin showing out of her plaid skirt was covered in dirt and scratches, and the same went for the amount of skin of her arms that lay somewhat ahead of her head.
         Emerald eyes slowly opened, a glaze over them from having just woken, though how long she'd been sleeping she hadn't a clue. People continued to pass her by as they had been when she was unconscious, ignoring her very presence. No one dared help her as she fought onto her feet, her bony knees fighting to move as if they'd never moved for a decade. Her lean body felt heavy compared to what her feet could handle, thus she grabbed a nearby oak tree that sat near the cobblestone, treating it as a support.
         Her eyes looked around warily. Buildings of all sizes were scattered closely along the street, most of which seemed to be made of a thick clay substance. There was light beaming from windows that didn't seem like the normal candles and lanterns she was used to. This place was a strange land. How did she wake up here, when only moments before falling asleep she could recall reading an old document her brother had sent for her to “enjoy”?
         She spotted a boy who looked her age, a mop of blond hair on his head and his blue eyes gleaming as if in a hurry. She sped towards him as he was getting atop his bicycle, waving an arm frantically towards him. “Hey, wait! Can you tell me where I am?”
         “If you can't tell you're in the city of Kubade you've lost your mind.” He glanced at her with a cold gaze, scoffing as he finished his statement. The girl stared at him in surprise, meanwhile, eyes widening more than what would seem possible based on their size.
         “This isn't Tasmatal, then? But how did I end up here?” Her secondary statement was ignored, which to her was fine since she hadn't meant it towards him anyway. However, the male seemed to ponder in depth towards her first response to his answer.
         “Tasmatal? Where have you been, in a box? That village was destroyed ten years ago by one of the riots. If you think you just got here from Tasmatal, you must have hit your head or something. And I mean hard.”
         “What riots are you talking about? The last thing I remember is reading that book brother Micah sent me from this city that he found during his studies. It bored me so I dozed off...”
         “That's your last memory?” The boy laughed, waving her off and getting adjusted on his bike. “You should make up a better story if you're gonna try to get something out of someone, lady. Good luck figuring that out.” He sped off, and soon was out of sight. The girl sighed as she watched, before looking around. There had to be an answer somewhere. Little did she expect that the answer would come from an old family friend, who was slowly catching up to her.

* * * * *

         Her eyes watched him with intent as they stood face to face on the sidewalk. “Lance?” She scanned him carefully, trying to understand why the man looked significantly taller than she remembered him last. He was distinctively memorable, muscular arms held to his torso by broad shoulders, which looked to be muscular themselves. His navy hair, almost black in certain lighting, was held together in a sort of high pony-tail, tied together by thick white bandage cloth. That same cloth was wrapped around his wrists and part of his hands like a pair of homemade gloves, his piercing blue eyes narrow and yet surprised. His high cheek bones were slightly more masculine than she could remember. “You look older...”
         “And yet you look like you're still sixteen...How is that possible?”
         “I am sixteen!” She frowned, yet the statement seemed to hit him much like a brick, as his eyes only grew wider from the shock that seemed to be now pumping his veins.
         “Ai...You haven't been sixteen for ten years. Though you've also been unheard of for ten years...”
         “What are you talking about, Lance?” Her head leaned on her bony shoulder, and she noticed just from that how small and weak she seemed compared to Lance's manly body that she could see easily through his blue wraparound tunic. “I don't understand what's going on at all. Somehow I went from dozing in my room reading some book Micah gave me to waking up on a street in Kubade. Some guy just said Tasmatal doesn't exist, and now you're saying I'm supposed to be twenty-six when I don't remember turning seventeen?”
         “This is too surreal...” He watched the girl as she scratched her head, which lead to his eyes stopping their constant movement as he grabbed hold of it, putting his fingers on either end of something he noticed- a brown mark was on her pale hand, shaped like an hourglass. “This marking!”
         “What marking?” She hadn't looked at her hand, and thus looked at it at that moment. “Oh...An hourglass? Did Ryoko draw on my hand or something?”
         “Oh, that's far from what seems to be the case, Ai.” Lance sighed softly, letting go of her hand and taking her wrist instead. “Come with me. I have an idea of what might be going on, but I want Micah's confirmation.”
         “Wait, brother Micah is in Kubade also?”
         “Yes. We've been here since graduating after you disappeared. Micah basically keeps to himself since then even though he's the city's most important scholar. He seems to have been trying to figure out what happened. Ai, these are dangerous times. Strange creatures have been lurking in the forests and the mountains. Just the other day, we got word that a hiker was found dead, and another hiker had claimed to see him killed by what seemed to be his own shadow. Those creatures have gotten a name for themselves...And Micah's been scared to death that they got to you ten years ago. They're appearance is said to be part of an old prophecy...I have a strange feeling your situation is directly related to it as well.”
         “What? But I didn't create those creatures- I swear, I never heard of them!”
         “I know, Ai, calm down.” Lance gave a soft smile, hugging the girl gently to try to ease the stress pent up in her chest. He listened to her taking a deep breath before whispering almost inaudibly. “But you're possibly the only one who can stop them.”