Page 1/5 Record of a Talandre Exile I'm not a writer by nature, but I feel I must tell someone about what I saw. So, I take up a pen to record the truth of that dreadful day. The lycans are fierce and cruel by nature, but legend says that they don't touch children and women who are not warriors. In the stories the hunter is brutally killed, but the woman and child return to the village unharmed. But that day was different. I set out to destroy the Kowazans, a lycan clan that had invaded Talandre at the behest of a lord who allied with the Arkeum Legion. Kowazan was not only the name of the clan, but also the name of their chief for generations. Maybe it's not a name after all, but a title. At that time, the Kowazans were very strong, and we were all afraid that we would be the ones to be destroyed. We heard that the new Kowazan who had recently become chief was very powerful, which explained how they had reached as far as Talandre. Page 2/5 When I heard the great roar of the Kowazan Clan, it was all I could do to keep myself from falling to the ground. The lycans emerged from the forest and slaughtered my comrades. I could only watch as the fellow next to me was torn in half. I managed to snap out of it and found the strength to climb up a tree. After that, all I could see below was a haze of death and screaming. As I clung desperately to a branch, terrified and shaking, I suddenly smelled something burning. A lot of burning. The smoke began to drift in, and my heart skipped a beat as I wondered if someone was trying to burn down the entire forest to catch the lycans. I had climbed the tree to survive. I would be burned to death if I stayed up there, but if I climbed down, I'd be torn apart by the lycans' claws in an instant. Not knowing what to do, I looked down, helpless and unable to do anything. That was when I saw the girl. Fourteen or fifteen years old, dressed in a long black robe and with long black hair. She didn't look real, and the violet aura around her made it feel as if I were just dreaming. What I saw next is something I will never forget till the day I die. Page 3/5 The girl flicked her hand, and the same violet aura that had surrounded her erupted, turning the lycans around her to dust. That's right, they literally turned to ash. I froze, unable to scream as I watched their entire bodies disintegrate in the wind. As she walked away, the smell of burning sulphur wafted behind her. I couldn't take my eyes off her. Another fearsome lycan appeared in front of her. He was a head taller than all the others and clad in a peculiarly-designed furry hide. I immediately assumed that it was THE Kowazan. She slowly walked toward him. Can you believe it? As she raised her hand toward the giant, Kowazan ruthlessly threw the henchman standing next to him forward. The henchman was reduced to ash. The girl waved again, lightly, as if dancing. Kowazan's massive frame leapt behind another stunned henchman with tremendous speed, and that lycan too was reduced to nothing. Page 4/5 Kowazan, so infamous and so proud, sacrificed soldier after soldier to save his own life. Clearly tired of their dance, the girl snapped her fingers and Kowazan let out a tremendous scream. I nearly fell from the tree at the sound, but managed to hold on as Kowazan scampered away screaming in agony. I later heard that Kowazan lost one of his eyes. I can't say for certain as the world around me grew dark. I don't remember anything after that. When I woke up later, I was told by a passing guard that I dropped from the tree after falling unconscious. Perhaps the girl wasn't interested in a pawn like me, or maybe she was on the same side as I was. I survived the incident without any severe injuries, other than a broken arm and leg from my fall. I was lucky I didn't hit my head too. Still, not all wounds are physical. I kept having nightmares about the lycans burning away to nothing. And even worse I would see that girl... and I couldn't shake the feeling that one day she'll reduce all the soldiers around her to ash and then disappear, a goddess of death... Page 5/5 In the end, I stayed in the camp at the edge of the forest for a while on account of my broken limbs. When I could travel, I half-crawled toward Stonegard. When I found the village, I was shivering and sweating profusely. The villagers welcomed me warmly when they realized that I was a deserter. They said that the Kowazans, who had been expanding their territory north into Talandre, had suddenly turned back and cut off all the bridges to the north to retreat into the valley. The villagers also said that the lycans' ferocity had intensified after what happened to them. They comforted me, saying that life would be no different in Stonegard than it was in Talandre. I didn't care, as long as I wasn't anywhere near that frightening girl. If there is anyone out there reading this, take heed. If a black-haired girl with a purple aura around her appears before you, run (though she may no longer be a girl). Wherever you are, whatever you are, just run. That's the only way you'll live.
