Legacy by Christopher Pastrana (best reads txt) 📕

            Each step grew harder to take as Reinhardt’s legs began to weaken. The effort was causing his legs to weaken, causing him to become unstable. An exposed root snagged his foot as he ran past, sending the panicked man to the ground. With great effort the man ignored the newly formed cuts and continued to run. His heart was beating harder than he thought possible and wouldn't slow.

            It was hopeless to search for pursuers in the thick foliage but he still tried. From what he had seen they had a definite number advantage. A fight would be the fool's choice. He had spent most of his adult life as a farmer and knew nothing of combat. Any attempt to resist would only get him killed.

            Reinhardt returned to his original path and ran with everything he had left in him. The terrain was dangerous due to the overgrown vegetation and freezing waters covering the country. Hills rose and fell sharply as the countryside disappeared into the wilderness of Icile. It wouldn't be long before they caught him.

            Memories of the large black plumes of smoke were still fresh in his mind. They had served as a warning to Reinhardt of an impending danger at his farmhouse. Every second he spent running through his fields had been an excruciating event. Fear and uncertainty plagued his imagination but the reality was even worse. Flames had reduced his farm to nothing more than a large pile of burning wood, and most of his family had been slain.

            Reinhardt's wife ran towards him having managed to break away from the group of bandits, . A brief moment of relief filled him as he caught her in his arms and held her tight. The moment they met was the best moment of his life. She completed part of him that he never had thought was possible. When Reinhardt felt the arrows protruded from her back he began to cry. The light in her eyes that he fell in love with faded to darkness.

            Frustration over nearly tripping on a cluster of rocks took his concentration from where he needed it to be. Death felt like it was quickly closing in, raising obstacles to impede his effort. War had brought this horror to his doors, and his hatred for those who caused it burned deep inside him, continuously pushing him.

            A cluster of vines hanging awkwardly along the path caught his neck. His own momentum forced his legs to leave the path, and sent him to the ground, driving the already limited wind from Reinhardt's lungs. Taking a moment to look around he noticed he now lay in a large clearing. Tall grasses that grew here gave him a place to hide and catch his breath while he waited for his pursuers to pass the area. Sweat dripped off of his forehead and into his eyes. Afraid to move and expose where he was, Reinhardt fought the urge to wipe them dry. Now that he could take a moment to rest, the muscles in his legs was finally beginning to ache.

            Tension in his legs was making it difficult for Reinhardt to stay still. With caution he began shifting his weight from leg to leg releasing a little of the built up pressure. He didn't have much time to rest before his pursuers caught him. Every time he stopped moving they would be closing the distance he had made between them. 

            Not having seen anybody pass by since he stopped Reinhardt decided to stand. The grass was tall but he made sure to stay below the top, remaining concealed by the vegetation. An opening in the tree line presented itself, and he refused to miss the chance. Reinhardt didn't think they would consider him coming back toward them instead of continuing onward.

            By the time he reached the edge of the clearing Reinhardt had begun forcing his body back into a sprint. His theory of passing his pursuers by unnoticed died within few feet and he came to an abrupt halt. Wide eyed and shocked, he watched as a wall of ice rose up from the ground in front of him until it stood taller than him. Light reflected into Reinhardt's eyes as the cold sheet reached across the path and blocked his escape. He was trapped and by one of the most dangerous weapons Icile had at its disposal.

            During the centuries of warfare that plagued mankind a form of combat had emerged that established the species as the dominant race. Having learned to harness the power of nature itself, humans began honing their control over the elements.  The six elements passed through their genetic stream from parents to child and quickly became the staple for every army. Those who could control a power of nature gained the title of elementalists and earned respect and power far about that of any normal soldier.

            Six empires climbed from the ruins of the world. Over time, and at the expense of uncountable lives, they established themselves and swelled their influence. Blood continued to spill from innocent citizens until each of the empires had taken an element as their own. Wanve honored the waters, Fatir took fire, Icile bowed to ice, Ental served the earth, Duzee controlled the winds, and Rornin fought with lightning. 

            It became unsafe for those who controlled a different gift. Soon they became considered enemies and had been driven from their homelands. A self induced genocide had spread the world, until every country had managed to drive everybody different away.

            In these dark and chaotic times something unexpected happened. Stories of elementalist being born with rare and uncontrollable strength began to sweep the world. These gifted individuals became known as Masters, as they grew their gifts led the assault on the weakened governments.

            A small section of the wall parted and a slim woman walked through the opening. Ice cracked angrily as the opening closed behind her. Even though he had never seen one before, he knew she was an elementalist. Stories of their powers and abilities crossed the lips of every person living within Icile.

            Without any weapon's available he had little hope of closing the distance needed to kill this woman. It was unlikely Reinhardt would even be able to hurt her before she cut him to pieces with the ice. Reinhardt cursed the gods for giving these powers to people who became easily twisted by greed and lust. 

            "You have nowhere to go now. Just make it easier and die with dignity. I promise to make it end quickly; like your family." Her deep voice was harsh and raspy, not what he was expecting from this small of a woman. A scar on her neck told of a blade that had given her voice its strange sound. All of these imperfections might make someone feel sorry for her, but no kindness touched his heart.

            "Why are you doing this? We didn't do anything wrong just living our lives in piece?" Reinhardt barely noticed how defeated he sounded. 

            The smile touching her lips was one of pure amusement. There wasn't any reason that could justify killing an entire family. Everybody he ever loved was dead, their body left to rot under the hot sun. Reinhardt stared at the slowly shifting wall of ice and could see the faces of his family staring back at him.

            Gold flickered from an exposed necklace as she began looking for whatever had caught her captives attention. A soft smile crossed her lips as she gave Reinhardt a mocking wink. "Something interesting going on back there? Don't go losing your mind on me before the fun begins. I like my victims to be coherent before playing."

            Not having heard a word, Reinhardt watched his wife's red hair wave in the wind. His son took his mother’s hand and she smiled down at him. A carefully placed kiss on on his sons cheek made the young boy giggle. When his daughter threw her arms around her mother’s leg tears fell freely down his cheeks.

            Reinhardt turned back towards the war hardened woman after realizing he was staring at something nobody else could see. She was no longer alone. Standing around Reinhardt were more men than he bothered to count. Each of them wore the colors of the Joer house, or other smaller factions of the empire. These were men who served under Master Joer, the leader of Icile. The thought of that pompous old man sitting at his little desk reading reports of this whole event made him laugh. Without a second thought he had killed everybody here to add another plot of land to his empire. The loss of his family meant nothing to somebody as grandiose as the Master Joer.

            The visions of his family started to shift and flutter away. A subtle movement in the distance caught his eyes. Reinhardt couldn't tell what it was but something was out there watching them, waiting for them. A cold chill went through his body as he watched two more dark shapes move from one tree to another. He still couldn't make what it could possibly be, but the farmer hadn't known of any animal in the area capable of moving with that type of speed. As Reinhardt watched he realized that it reminded him of large collection of fog flowing from place to place.

            Shadows darted to and from trees in the distance, closing in on the bandits who were unaware of the danger. Nobody else seemed to notice the fog that which was creeping closer with each passing moment. Reinhardt began seeing strange details within the darkness. Shapes that almost resembled living creatures. When the fog would reach a tree it would stop moving momentarily and take on an almost humanoid form, standing on what looked like two feet. The way they moved reminded Reinhardt of an animal that was stalking its pray.

            Clawed hands appeared next to Reinhardt and splintered the bark of a tree with its powerful clawed hands. Black eyes peered through the mist towards him. Even this close to everybody not a single person noticed the shadows swarming in around them. Reinhardt knew he was probably losing his mind from everything that had happened, but something about it seemed so real.

            A long blade of ice grew from the wall, and shot through the air towards his head. At the speed it was moving it would end his suffering instantly, and forever. He desperately wanted to hold his wife and see his children again. Death would be a welcomed gift.

            Coldness ran through his body from head to toe. Reinhardt gave himself to his coming death, accepting it with an open embrace. He could see the shard of ice moving towards him and at that moment the shadows lunged towards him as well. They were coming for him, ready to carry his soul away to a place where he could be with his love forever. In the last moments before his death, Reinhardt caught sight of the Icile bandit. The pleased smirk on her face caused an anger to tear through his mind like nothing he had experienced. If death was going to take him, than she would join him in the abyss.