Prologue: Crimson

Over 2 millennia ago…

Run…

(Panting)

Keep... running!

"They went this way! Don't let them escape!"

There were soldiers after them. A young girl with long maroon hair and her twin sister were running for their lives. After being captured and forced to work as slaves, they miraculously escaped confinement. They bolted through the field in the dead of night, making a break for the woods. The sister behind her tripped, and she went back to help her up.

"Aife, get up!"

(distant) "There they are!"

"Leave me sister! Save yourself!"

"Never!"

She pulled her sister back on her feet, and they kept running. They heard horses galloping behind them getting closer as they entered the woods. The horses suddenly stopped, refusing to go further. They even went as far as throwing their riders off mount. A chieftain came up from behind the pursuers and questioned them.

"What is going on? Why aren't you after them?!"

"The horses won't enter. These woods marks the border to the Isle of Skye; the Land of Shadows! This place is cursed I tell ye."

"Cursed?! Nonsense! I want ALL the slaves rounded up!"

"But milord! Nobody that has entered that forest ever returned!"

All the soldiers were fearful. None wanted to go after the escaped girls. The chieftain was furious.

"You're all useless! Either go after them, or I'll have you all put to death!"

They ran for what felt like forever. The sisters eventually stopped to catch breath. Aife looked back from where they came, only to find that she couldn't discern just where that was. No soldiers had followed.

"Scathach… (pant) I… I think we lost them."

"I think so too..."

She looked around, with only the moon giving her any light. They were surrounded by sinister-looking trees and an eerie fog. There were no sounds of insects, birds, or any life whatsoever. In fact, the whole forest seemed devoid of it. The sisters were alone, yet Scathach did not feel at all safe.

(Thunder)

Aife gasped at the sound.

"We can't stay here…"

(Thunder)

The soldiers were slowly fanning out. The fog thickened… One strayed too far out of sight and-

(Scream!)

SLASH! SPLATTER.

Silence…

All soldiers in earshot turned in a panic.

"Weapons out!"

They all drew swords and darted their eyes frantically.

"Stay in formation!"

They all gathered in a circle. One soldier felt something grab his leg, and he barely had to scream as he was dragged into the ground.

(Thunder)

The other soldiers turned to where he disappeared and saw the ground shift. Suddenly, energy tendrils burst out and impaled at least 2 other men. Everyone panicked the ground shook and crumbled. A massive arm, with the texture of a tree trunk burst-forth and slammed the forest floor. The ground gave way, revealing the nightmarish creature, which shot more tendrils at the soldiers and draw some kind of essence from them, killing them almost instantly. The leader got a glimpse of the creature's "face" as it roared.

When his soul ripped from his body, he didn't make a sound.

(Thunder)

It had started to rain. Scathach and Aife were wandering the forest together aimlessly. They were cold, hungry, and desperate for a safe haven. Scathach saw a hollowed tree that looked promising as a makeshift shelter.

"Aife! Over here!"

She grabbed Aife's hand and guided her to this particular tree. They walked up to it as lightning flashed, revealing the corpse of a man who had the same idea. Scathach gasped in fright, but Aife screamed. She suddenly ran out of sight. Scathach worriedly calls out to her in the direction she went.

"Aife!"

Scathach bolts after her. She turns a corner and suddenly hears a growl, followed by-

"Scathach! Help me!"

She soon finds Aife cornered by a giant wolf.

A Dire Wolf.

Scathach picks up a rock by her feet and tosses it at the beast, hitting it on the head. The wolf turned, its glowing pupil-less eyes glaring at her. The creature seemed less of an animal and more of a demon. It growls ferociously at her. Scathach calls out to her terrified sister.

"Aife! Run!"

Aife bolts as the wolf charges at Scathach. She turns and runs, weaving past rocks and trees as the beast gained on her. She came to a clearing only to tumble down a hill on to a dried-up riverbed. She stopped rolling and cried in pain, clenching one of her ankles. Scathach turned to see the wolf ease its way down the sharp hill towards her. She looked around frantically…

She needed a weapon.

Her eyes fell on a skeleton of a beached sea monster. Among its crimson bones was a long narrow point near the snout, suitable as a spear. Scathach crawled toward it, unable to use her sprained ankle to walk. She heard the bark of the wolf and turned. It was closing in on her…

She kept going… she barely grasped the skeleton's skull as the wolf sunk its claw into her leg. Scathach screamed in pain as the beast opened its jaws to devour her-

"Get away from her!"

Aife appeared and hit the wolf across the head with a tree branch. The creature turned, releasing its hold on Scathach's leg. She seized the chance to pull herself up and forcefully wrench the sharp protrusion from the monster's skull.

The wolf circled Aife. She didn't have time to react as it pounced and knocked her down. Aife screamed as she was pinned down, a claw sinking into her torso. The wolf opened its mouth-

(SHRRNT!)

The wolf howled in pain as the red spear was thrust through its side by Scathach. She pulled out the makeshift spear and watched as the creature collapsed beside Aife, whimpering. With a yell, Scathach ran forward and stabbed the wolf through the chest. The wolf roared in agony, and grew weaker and weaker. Scathach looked into its eyes with zero remorse and twisted her spear. The creature stiffened and went silent.

Scathach was breathing heavily, her eyes bloodshot from her tears. She collapsed backwards, having a death-grip on her spear. Scathach held it close, her traumatized face staring at the beast's corpse as it dissipated into ghostly smoke. She just sat, not making a sound apart from her heavy breathing.

Aife limped towards her, crying, but otherwise relived that she and her sister survived the ordeal. She kneeled down and hugged Scathach, who audibly gasped, still stricken by what she just did. Aife gently hugged closer, trying to get her to return the embrace. She smiled when Scathach at last allowed one of her arms to wrap around Aife, and she cried with her.

She never fully let go of the spear. The weapon had become her lifeline…

A/N: This Story's Opening Theme is "All Hope Is Gone" by Alter Bridge (written/composed by Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall, and Scott Phillips)