Please do NOT post here as I will be making a feedback thread. Here's a link to the feedback thread Forlorn Treasures Book One- Rising Shadows Prologue ‘Almost there!’ A man hurriedly scrambles across dry cracked ground, panting slightly with traces of sweat rolling down his forehead. He is wearing a simple cloak with light, but sturdy armor underneath, concealed under the thick folds of his cloak. His eyebrows are furrowed in concentration, eyes in a flurry of movement, scanning the ground with the keen precision of a hawk. Around him is a barren desert-like ground, rocky and without signs of life. Remains of animal skeletons are visible around him, decorating the dismal land quintessentially throughout. Dark, gray thundering storm clouds swirl above his head when he looks around. A manifestation of an eerie portentous mood seems to set in, as the clouds roll in. ‘Here it is!’ Suddenly, an unnatural voice emanates, booming from around him, a deep chuckle with a sinister tone, “We’ll find you soon enough, as we did to your friend. We shall soon reveal our existence to the world as we dominate it one by one, city by city, until we control all of it. The world shall soon acknowledge our existence within society.” ‘Friend...!? He can’t mean… No… That couldn’t have happened…’ He whirls around to find the source of the sound. He finds himself staring at thin air. He scrutinizes closely with his eyes, but still finds nothing. Slightly shaking and muttering to himself, he quickly takes a golden glittering object, an amulet from within his robe, and takes one last close look at it. Ancient runic markings etched a circle around the black obsidian in the center of the amulet, and another set spiraling within the lustrous darkness of the obsidian. The etchings were gleaming, a light blue aurora shimmering a few centimeters above the gold pendant, trapped within the obsidian beneath its glossy reflective surface. He lifts the branches of a dry desert bush and carefully places the amulet into a concealed crevice within the ground. As he looked up, he spotted a group of dark robed figures riding on horseback in the horizon, barely visible. There was no mistaking their intent as the black stallions were gaining on him by the second. He quickly ran away from the bush in an attempt to draw attention away from it. After a few minutes however, the hooded riders had caught up to him. He noted the horses were not fatigued, even though they had galloped at least a few miles on full sprint. He also noticed that they wore an unfamiliar insignia on their chest and on their hoods. It consisted of runic markings. He spotted one of the hooded figures who seemed to be in charge, as he was muttering commands below his breath to his fellow companions. A red glint on the leader’s hand caught his attention. ‘Could it be!?’ The leader slowly dismounted and stepped towards him, calm, casual and elegantly, his cloak whirling around him casting out uncanny shadows as he silently moved. He wore only a cloak, but with a hood on the top of his head, concealing most of the face except for two spectral orbs that was his eyes. His face was devoid of emotion, hidden by the shadows of the cloak. There was no doubt about it, as he saw what the red glint was a familiar worn gleaming ruby ring. “Where is it? Your friend who had this ring gave us quite an amusing time a few days ago, although I must say he was a little bit more volatile than we had expected,” the leader mused with a cruel smile. “Hand it over already, we have no time to waste. Our leader is expecting us back soon.” ‘Leader… So there are more of them?’ He quickly scanned around at the group, counting numbers. There were six of the mysterious figures whom had begun to dismount, and inched closer toward him. Seven if you included the commander of the group. When the man only stared coldly back into the dark void which were the leader’s eyes, he issued his next command. “Kill him.” Usually the leader’s sinister voice along with his ominous presence was enough to momentarily stun the unknowing victim, instilling fear into the minds of the men, killing them with ease. However, at his command, the man’s only response was his eyes widening a fraction of a margin, then back to a more serious gaze. As the figures approached him, he swiftly leaps backwards and in one fluid motion, brings out a vial containing blue liquid, immediately throwing it at the ground while turning away and covering himself with his robe. The figures disappeared through an explosion and a thick veil of black smoke. Cries of pain and limp bodies were hurled feet away; a black burnt ash mark indicating the center point where the vial exploded. Unexpectedly, a pair of hands shoots out of the wall of smoke and latches onto his throat, lifting him off his feet. As the smoke started to clear, he glances around briefly around, and sees that only the leader had survived the blast. The man was caught unaware at this point and started struggling against the steel grip, kicking at his chest and clawing at the tight hands. The grip remained firm as the laughter of the hooded figure exploded around him. “Nicely done, I must applaud you for making such an effort to keep the amulet safe. It is to be expected, nevertheless of a Keeper of such artifacts. I will give you one last chance to give it up to me before I decide how to kill you.” ‘He knows….!?!!’ As a response to the commander, the man smiled and revealed the contents of his left hand. He threw the blue vial down, shattering the glass into millions of tiny fragments, time seeming to slow as the last few seconds ticked away. At the figure’s exclamation of dismay at being tricked, the man’s eyes drifted in the direction of the amulet. ‘It is safe… for now… until they come for it again… Whoever they are…’ His thoughts slowly fade away as the blast incinerates both him and the leader, now only a silhouette in the midst of fire. The last thing he saw was the fiery glint of the ruby ring.