The Luca and Nanashi Chronicles

Chapter 1: The Bloody Crow and the Golden Shadow

Small, bare footsteps padded across the wooden floorboards of the second floor, flying towards the stairs that led downstairs. Seven year-old Luca’s eyes were wide, tears held back as he coughed, smoke filling in his lungs and eyes as he came to a stop at the top of the stairs. Luca didn’t hesitate for a moment as his legs carried him down the stairs, his small hand on the railing of the staircase as he quietly fumbled down the stairs. Reaching the bottom, Luca could barely breath as he looked left and right, down a hallway that led to the family room and to the front door, but seeing that the front door to the small, two story house was closed, Luca turned towards the family room and ran as quickly as he could towards the door, his hand reaching out as he closed in on the only obstacle dividing him from the terror that would change his life.

As Luca reached the door, he ignored the bright orange color he saw in the cracks of the door and reached for the door knob. He twisted the knob and pulled at the door, but as a gust of wind and smoke pushed out, he was tossed back, landing on his back with a small yelp of surprise. Luca stumbled back onto his feet, ignoring the searing pain in his chest as he ran towards the room he had just opened up, and, entering inside, even in the heat of the house, an icy chill washed over his spine and he froze, wide-eyed at what was splayed out before him. The small boy’s parents, a woman with golden hair, in her early thirties, and a strongly built man, the same age as his mother, were laid across the floor, their bodies burning and the blood that had pooled around the bodies bubbling in the heat. Luca gave a shrill shout of terror and was about to move forward, when something else caught his eye. Sitting on the couch, staring down at his parents, was a figure, just bigger than Luca himself. It was a boy with vibrant red hair, and a small mask that covered all of his face except for his eyes. Luca stood still as he stared at the boy, tears streaming down his cheeks, and watched as the boy looked back at him. Both boys stared at each other for a good half-minute before the boy on the couch began to stand, “Now, now…Be a good little boy and come say hello.” Came the chilling voice of the masked boy, his eyes held a paralyzing look as he stepped across the room, being careful not to step on the two corpses that littered the floor as he pulled a small knife from his fur coat, “My mission won’t be done unless all three are properly dealt with.” The boy continued as his eyes gave off a look as though he was smiling brightly.

Luca could only stare at the boy in front of him as he came closer and closer. Everything had drowned out and his senses had become numb, he no longer felt the heat of the flames, no longer cared about the smoke in his lungs and eyes, ignored his blistered feet, the eyes of the boy who was coming closer and closer held him. Suddenly, something crashed behind both of the boy’s and the red-headed boy turned to look at what had caused the sound, his eyes widening as something suddenly lunged at him.

Bringing his knife up, the red-headed boy sliced his blade across the skin of a small, fox-like Pokémon, and the creature instantly dropped to the ground, dead. The boy stared down at the creature, identifying it as an Eevee, before he kicked the corpse into the fire, “You may join them.” He mumbled, his voice ice-cold as he talked. Turning back around, the boy’s eyes widened, the small boy who had just been standing in front of him was making a mad dash for the front door. Moving forward and fast feet and bringing his arm back, the boy threw his knife forward, and it smacked right into the door as the smaller, golden haired boy reached out to it. The red-heads eyes grew with excitement as the small boy turned to look at him, and, closing the gap in mere seconds, the masked boy brought his other arm back and made a fist, before propelling the fist forward, and smashed his balled hand into the small boy’s gut, lifting him into the air and sending him silently into the door, before he crashed to the ground in a small heap of writhing pain. The masked boy smiled even wider under his mask as he leaned over the boy and plucked his knife from the wall, before kneeling down in front of the small child and grabbing his hair, pulling him off the ground by it and putting him at eye level.

Luca’s vision slowly re-adjusted from its hazy state, and in a moment, he had wished it hadn’t, as he found himself once more staring into the eyes of the masked boy. Luca began to cry out in pain, his stomach suddenly flaring up from the punch that had been delivered, when the masked boy suddenly smacked him across the face with his free hand. Luca was instantly disoriented again, but after a moment, once more was brought back to normal, but effectively silenced as his eyes readjusted on the boy in front of him. The masked boy smiled when Luca said nothing and cleared his throat, “…Tell me your name, young lad?” The boy asked in a cheerful voice, his eyes never leaving Luca’s. Luca gulped hard before he responded, “…L-l-Luca…” The boy managed to squeak out. The masked boy cheerfully chuckled and began to stand up, pulling Luca with him as he turned and began walking back down the hallway, and then up the stairs, “Luca, eh? That’s quite the name, I haven’t heard it before.” The boy laughed, pulling Luca up the last step. The masked boy walked down the upstairs hallway and came to a stop in front of a window, pulling Luca up and steadying him before kneeling down to look the boy in the eye, “Luca, I’d like you to do something for me? Okay.” The boy said, giving a wide smile. Luca felt more tears welling up as he stared at the other boy, petrified at what he was going to say next. The masked boy smiled when Luca didn’t respond and pointed to the window, “I’m going to throw you threw this window, and I want you to know this, you might die, or you might not. But if you don’t, I want you to forget everything that happened tonight, okay?” The boy said, chuckling. Luca’s eyes widened and he opened his mouth to protest when he was suddenly torn of the ground by the scuff of his shirt.

Luca’s world seemed to slow as his head collided with glass, shattering it everywhere in the sky, and as he fell towards the ground, which was 30 feet away, he caught a last glimpse of the boy in the window, a boy who desired blood, a devil in human’s skin. And just as Luca was about to scream, his world turned black and he plummeted into darkness.

Chapter 2: Foolish King

    Click...click...click..."Checkmate, old man. I believe that's four in a row." Came the young, questioning tone of Day Wing, a boy whose patience was beginning to wear thin on the repetitive one-sided games of chess he was having with a complete stranger who had invited him to come away from the book he was studying on mythical Pokemon and try to best himself. The man himself wasn't as old as Day made him out to be, maybe his mid to late 30's; with already gray hair, golden irises, and a demeanor that somewhat mystified the young Day, chuckling, the man smiled down at the boy, "You are quite the young man, and a smart one at that too." He complimented, to which Day flashed a smile, nodding, "I appreciate it sir...would you like to begin again?" He asked, hoping for a 'No'. The old man shook his head, and looked down at the pieces that had been taken from the last game by himself, and by the boy in front of him, he had managed to take almost two times as many pieces as the younger boy in almost every game, "You know, son...had this been real life, you would have lost many men in these battles." The man commented. Day stopped his hand as he set a pawn upon its starting position, and looked up at the man again, a questioning glint in his eye's, "But this isn't real life, it's-" "Just a game." The man finished for him, "But what if it were not a game? Hmm! Then what." The man asked, crossing his arm's over his chest with a wondering smirk upon his face. Day stared up at the man, searching for an answer in him, but found none, "I suppose that I would have lost then, by sheer numbers." He offered, to which the man smiled, "Precisely, now let's say that I did this," the man started, removing all of the pieces from Day's side of the board; save his king and queen, a single rook, knight, and bishop, and two pawns, "If I gave you this to fight me with, could you win?" He asked, setting the other pieces aside the board. Day frowned, looking at the pieces that he was left, and instantly began to run through scenarios in his head. After almost an entire minute, he finally gave a curt nod, "I...suppose so..." He mumbled. The man frowned, "You could have, but you were to slow to come to the idea, and because of that, I've already beaten you." The man said. Day's eye's widened, but he shook his head and stood up from his chair, setting his hands on the table and looking at the man, "But you can't make more than one move at a time in chess without allowing your opponent to go, that's cheatin-" "This isn't chess." The man interrupted calmly, effectively silencing Day. The man smiled, picking up the king piece that was on his side of the board, "This is a battle between two kings, on one side, there is myself, and on the others," He took his king and knocked Day's over, the king making almost no sound to Day as it hit the board, "A loser." The man finished, knocking down piece by piece on Day's side of the board, until they were all laying on their sides, before he set his own king back down on his side of the board. Luca only stared down at the pieces that had been knocked over, his eye's wide, before they narrowed, and he looked up at the man, setting his hand on his king and setting it upright, "...Again..." He demanded, and the man smiled, "Gladly...but this time, don't be a Foolish King." The man said, setting his king down, "You can have the first move."...Click...click...click...