tak tak tak tak tak tak

The sound of running feet can be heard through the bustling crowd. Although she's not the only one running at the moment, it seemed to be the only thing she could hear right now. Her heart beat like a drum in her ears, and her steady breath echoed her mind's scape. Listening to little things had always been calming to her, as it drove her mind from what she deemed too harsh to handle, or too overwhelming.

The woman continued her trek through the coastal town, her small feet making a gentle tak tak tak tak tak tak along the way. Glancing from building to building, her body convulsed to a heavy stop upon reading the correct sign. Her whole mind was racing, but that was the exact building she needed to go inside of. She changed her direction fast as she possibly could, continuing her journey through the crowded streets.

As she ran, it was apparent she was not the only one in a panic at the moment. Women, children, men, and even elderly were helping put things into bags and barrels. The town had been in a scurry all morning, like mice which had been caught by a cat. The King was deathly ill, and the Corruption was not far from the coast in which they laid their town onto. It wasn't very long before it caught up to the citizens as well.

The woman running finally allowed her body to stop. She had arrived at the destination her whole mind was screaming at her to go to; The bakery. She had been there earlier that morning, but upon packing for her trip about 20 minutes earlier, she realized she had lost something at the bakery. Something that she simply could not live without, or even bear the thought of leaving behind.

Her mother's necklace was somewhere in here. It was the most prized possession she owned. Not only did it have 12 barrels' worth of sentimental value, it was most likely the most expensive item her whole family owned. After all, growing up in 2 smaller towns didn't bring many jewels to her family, let alone a jewel as pretty as the one her mother had given her what felt like ages ago.

The woman standing at the bakery's doors, Lynne, had grown up with her loving mother and father. They had a good life, as Lynne's mother worked as a tailor and her father made armor for a living. They were neither rich nor poor, so Lynne lived very nicely until her father disappeared. He had gone to give armor somewhere, and seemingly never returned. For months, her mother and her wept, before finally moving to her new hometown, Ketluas.

Lynne's mother had wanted to move to Ketluas for ages. The flowers there seemingly never died, and it was as if the whole kingdom was in an eternal springtime. It was perfectly nestled near the warmer parts of the planet, so it was kept at decent temperatures nearly year-round. Her father, on the other hand, never did want to move. His family had lived in her old town for generations, and he was keen on staying.

Lynne lived a nicer life in Ketluas. Although she was considered common folk, her mother managed to afford schooling for Lynne. The poor mother worked day and night as a tailor, and that brought in a decent amount of profit for the family. It also brought the age Lynne was old enough to work alongside her mother, and that is exactly what she did. Her mother would make the clothes, meanwhile Lynne would deliver the (usually heavier) garments.

Lynne grew up around her mother, making her decently sheltered. She had been unaware of the fact a hostile neighboring kingdom wanted to take something from Ketluas. The neighboring foe, Dynuxion, had been angry at Ketluas for a while. A greedy tyrant ruled that land, and he stopped at nothing to get whatever he wanted. Rumor around the town has it that he wanted the princess's hand in marriage, but Ketluas refused to give it to him.

Although the rumors were never confirmed, they were never denied. About 2 weeks after tensions grew bad, Dynuxion finally attacked Lynne's hometown. It spit and spewed out its' guards, killing anyone and everyone in sight. Amidst the chaos, Lynne's mother put her child onto an emergency wagon. It had supplies, food, water, and provided her shelter. This was going to be the last time she saw her mom.

Before Lynne's mother left, she planted a kiss on her only kids' forehead. The necklace was given to her in that moment, and Lynne accepted it with caution. "Listen closely Lynne; This necklace is not to be sold. It is a reminder of my love, and this love will stay with you forever. I cannot come with you; I am too old to venture anymore, and I must help anyone else alive to survive."

Without another word, her mother sent her off. The horse carrying the wagon whinnied loudly, and jolted the carriage forward. Lynne barely had time to look back, but when she did, her mother was gone. Lynne left her home, and wandered land to land. She had no place else to go, but she never did dislike the woods.

Lynne continued to silently look about the bakery and its' contents. There were very few people in the establishment at the moment, but still at least 6, including herself. Many of the people within the bakery seemed to be either staff or family members, packing their belongings away and preparing for whatever the heavens had in store for them. A group stood out to her: It looked like the bakery owner, a woman, and 2 children.

The woman was about 5'7", with thick blonde hair in two braids and two children at each side. The child to the left was a little boy, with deep brown hair and his mothers' eyes. The little girl to the right was identical to the boy, except for the fact she had longer hair than the boy. The woman patting the boys' head was talking to a man, with bright blue eyes and brown hair. It was clear this was the father of those two kids, and that those two were most likely a couple.

Lynne tried to catch the attention of the woman, but instead of catching the woman's attention she gained the eye of the little girl. She seemed excitable, and quickly ran to Lynne. Lynne stepped back from the child, having been decently startled by the running. She didn't dislike kids, she just didn't like them either.

The little girl poked at Lynne's dress, the loose fabric near her leg waving as the girl poked it. She didn't directly poke Lynne, just the dress. She seemed amazed by the fabric and the way it felt. As the little girl continued her investigation of the dress's material, the woman finally took notice of Lynne as the man proceeded to leave. He carried 2 heavy-looking boxes on his way out, and the woman took the small child's hand.

"I am so sorry if she bothered you. Mabel has no manners sometimes." The woman said, almost as if she were indirectly scolding Mabel. Mabel seemed to not care, meanwhile the mother with the southern accent cleared her throat. "Anyways, what brings you here? We're packing at the moment, and if you're looking for food we're nearly out." She said, crossing her arms slightly.

Lynne nodded her head to and fro, as she wasn't looking for food. "I noticed you were packing, but it's somewhat urgent- I lost my necklace here, and my mom gave it to me. Have you seen it anywhere, by chance?" She asked, the intense stare of the woman beginning to place a weight on her shoulders. It made her feel small and scared compared to this woman.

The woman's eyes softened. "Ah, so you're the one who lost that pretty necklace. I gotta admit, I had no clue you were even wearing it when you came in to eat." She said, and reached one hand into her pocket. Out it went, and along with it was the necklace. It seemed to be made of a sort of titanium, with a medium-sized diamond in the center. The diamond was polished to perfection, and in the shape of a teardrop.

Lynne let out a sigh of relief. Without hesitation, she accepted the necklace from the woman, and clipped it onto it's usual spot around her neck. She then tucked it behind some cloth on her dress, and it almost looked as if she were just wearing a normal chain. "You have no idea how much this means to me miss. I cannot express my gratitude enough." She said, and quietly bowed her head a bit, out of respect.

The woman let out a gentle laugh. It was soothing, and calmed Lynne's once crazy nerves. "It's no problem darlin'. In fact, lil' Mabel here found it and gave it to me." The woman said, and Mabel popped back out, beaming with pride. "Yup, ah sure did!" Mabel said, a slightly different accent to her voice. It was most likely due to her lack of front teeth, preventing her voice from having the same accent her mother did.

Lynne smiled warmly, and crouched to Mabel's height. "Thank you, little one. This means a lot to me." She said, and got back up. After exchanging her good-bye with the woman and two children, she took one last look around the bakery. The smell of bread, cake, and other pastries was long gone. Almost all the furniture was packed away, and it looked as if it was abandoned already.

With a heavy sigh, Lynne picked her aching feet back up. She couldn't stop here; She still had to go to her wagon and pack for the trip. Ever since the King fell ill, it was not long before the corruption hit the people of this town too. Boats were already prepared at the docks, and they planned on leaving to a mysterious island far off the coast.

Lynne knew little of this mystery land. All she knew was 3 things: The fact is was called Arkitahn, the slight location, and bits of its' uninhabited geography. The island was very far off the coast, and getting there meant at least a 3-days' trip by boat. She also knew it was very lush and mostly unexplored lands: Rumor has it 3 princes died there, but Lynne never listened to or believed such rumors or tales.

Beginning to ease her body into a slight jog, Lynne continued her trip back into the nearby woodland she called home. It wasn't too far from town, just barely on the outskirts. It overlooked the whole seaside port, and there was a single oak tree currently holding her rather hefty wagon upright. The horse? It had abandoned her near this spot, and she managed to prop the wagon against this tree.

Hopping into the wagon with caution, Lynne began to rummage through belongings. She put very little in her bag, only purely essential items were allowed: Clothing, a spare change of shoes, food, crop seeds, and her mother's necklace around her neck. She had very little in the wagon besides survival tools, as she didn't own much to begin with. Hopping back out of the wagon, Lynne took one last minute to look around.

The tree above her head showed glimmering green leaves, swaying ever so lightly in the wind. the sky, seemingly not far away from that tree, currently was changing colors as dusk drew nearer. Everything was calm and still where Lynne currently lay. Everything was currently unaware of the fact it was in danger. The trees, grass... She sometimes wishes she could be like that. Unaware.

Lynne then looked down to the town. It was as hectic and busy as ever: People lined the sidewalks, running or jogging to their destination. Nobody seemed at ease, or willing to be at ease for that matter. It brought her stress and anxiety, knowing that people were never willing to slow down for at least 10 or 20 minutes and enjoy the fact they were alive. That this was all a thing they were in, and it was magnificent.

After taking her deep breaths, Lynne began her trudge down the hill and back into the city. It blossomed with peoples' chatter, as so many people were talking all at once. There was no particular conversation that caught her ear, up until she began to hear a lady shout from not far off her left side. It caught her attention, and Lynne began her way towards the shouting of the seemingly angry woman.

There stood a woman with an angelic feature about her. Pale blonde hair, and gorgeous eyes of a similar color. It didn't throw Lynne off too much, as she was well aware of unique humans and otherworldly creatures roaming the earthly plane. She's even heard rumors of a living skeleton roaming about the streets right now.

She began to listen in. The woman was shouting at someone she could not see, and she seemed infuriated. "Get off that post, you can seriously injure yourself!" She said, and seemed to be scolding someone as if she were their mom. Lynne didn't catch much else of the convo, as the crowd suddenly began to get into a panic.

Being rushed into the crowd with others, Lynne looked around, rather confused. She heard shouting, and it appeared to be coming from the docks. The boats were being boarded now, it was time to leave... Lynne followed everyone else, making her way onto the large boat and finding her place near the edge: An area that overlooked the water, shoreline, and distant trees.

Lynne let out a sigh. This was it: The moment they would set sail. As if on cue, the sky slowly darkened with rain clouds. it caused Lynne to look up, alongside a few others. Without warning or due notice, it began to rain heavily. And boy did it rain. Thunder, lightning, and heavy drops of water all fell from the sky in what felt like mere minutes. People quickly went below deck for cover, as nobody wanted to be drenched.

Lynne stayed above the deck. She listened to the sounds of the rain and thunder as it crashed onto the land and shook the air around them. She suddenly realized something. It shook her body to the core and made her face run cold. Weren't they supposed to board the 3 boats, and not this larger one? It didn't even seem appropriate for traveling such a long distance...

As if someone else realized what was wrong, they began to shout. "Wrong boat! Wrong boat!" the voice called out. It sent everyone into an instant panic. People flooded from under the deck and quickly scrambled to the 3 boats on the opposite end of the dock. Lightning shook the trees and even some ground close to civilians. 

Lynne boarded a random boat. This random boat would take her to her new home. Without long at all, not even an hour into the trip, the boat would get struck, and she would awaken someplace besides her old home.

Arkitahn.