Number Zero: Prologue

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Well me and my firend Haste(Wsxedcr08) decided to write a story on another forum made by friends from our old school. This is basically the product of our work. We weren’t sure if it was of a good enough quality for your website, but we would appreciate some honest feedback from some of you seasoned writers. BTW we both love Burst… its just an amazing story. This was chapters 1-4 on the forum, but we condensed it because it could be condensed.

Here it goes!
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Number Zero: Prologue

The desert sun danced around the man. The light seemed to pass by him, scared to confront him directly. His footsteps had an incoherent rhythm to them, his boots crunching in tune with the sound of lizards around him. His bleached white hair streamed wildly behind him, strangling the air in his wake. The cries of his victims echoed in his ears, his expression was a doorway into their suffering. A long shadow stalked the man along the desert floor; its insidiousness frightened even the devil. He was silent like a ghost which constantly haunted the world, never letting them sleep without writhing in terror. In some ways the nightmares that exist in the minds of children are much worse than the actual man.

Shadow: Mastah must we keep walkin?
Zero: We shall walk until we find another village.
Shadow: But Mastah me feet be gettin tired.
Zero: You have four legs and are currently nothing more than a shadow, while I am a man with two legs who has endured worse pains than anything that any man can ever feel, how much more could be hurting than me.
Shadow: I don’t feel like dat mastah but still you know it takes energy to be like dis.
Zero: Then come out of it if you don’t like being in that state.
Shadow: So I shall mastah.

Zero’s shadow begins to twist and turn like the sea the churns during a terrible storm. It changes and begins to grow, changing shapes, like a demon that is suffering from unrelenting pain. It then begins to lift off the ground gaining the shape of a tiger, large and muscular, with golden fur that shines against the strong rays of the sun and black stripes in direct contrast sucking up the rays throwing it into an abyss in which nothing can escape, it stands next to Zero and follows along side him. Zero reaches a hand to pet Shadow’s thick fur, stroking him gently letting the fur move freely under his palm. It’s amazing the difference in temperature that there was when you went from the warm golden fur making up most of Shadow’s thick coat, from the blackness in his stripes, they seemed to suck the very life from his hands.

Shadow: Do yuh know where we headin to mastah?
Zero: A village.
Shadow: And where be at dis village?
Zero: I don’t really know where the village is located Shadow it would be nice if I could get a ride.

Shadow continues to walk at a slow pace and then lies down grudgingly.

Shadow: Climb up mastah.
Zero: Thanks.
Shadow: So you wanna keep goin’ dis way?
Zero: Well the closest village is to the west. But if we start now we can reach Flaris tonight. There should be at least 14,000 people there for the festival.

Shadow began to drool with anticipation.

Shadow: Should I burst?
Zero: If we want to get there before night fall. The light makes the blood of out victims shimmer. It makes murder all the better, don’t you think?

Shadow flashed the best grin he could manage.

Shadow: You bettah get ready, hold onto the black part of my fur, den I can just meld you in so you don’t fall off.
Zero: Alright.

Zero grasps onto the thick black fur of Shadow’s coat. His arm begins to disappear into Shadow’s fur, and soon most of his forearm is gone. Shadow begins to pick up the pace maybe moving at a top speed of 40 mph, but after a while he is moving quickly over the desert plains sand and debris being kicked up behind him, the paw prints that were left behind simply faded away leaving no trace of their presence. After about 15 minutes of moving a large tower is visible in the distance. Zero begins to tremble with excitement, and Shadow begins to drool profusely, the massacre, was about to begin.

Zero and Shadow flew along the desert floor, straight toward the city of Flaris. Shadow was salivating at the thought of all the fresh meat he would be eating tonight, Zero began to tremble as he thought of fear and havoc that he would cause. Shadow quickened his pace for he longed for the taste of human flesh in his mouth. The lights of Flaris were now visible, as were the yells of the excited citizens who were all participating in the Flaris festival.

Shadow: Are you ready mastah?
Zero: Of course.

Zero reaches into his left pocket shuffling around attempting to look for the next weapon he would pull out of his pocket. He felt a sharp pain as he grabbed onto the object in his pocket. He pulled it out slowly revealing it to be a long sword.

Shadow: So it’s a sword dis time, eh mastah?
Zero: You’re very perceptive Shadow (Sarcastically)
Shadow: Well I’m running fast mastah and it sounded as if a sword was being unsheathed so das why I said dat.
Zero: Well yes it is a long sword.
Shadow: Well you better use it good mastah.

A cool breeze blows, in the town of Flaris as the Festival is reaching its climax. The fireworks show was going to begin soon and the city was counting down to the start of it.

Citizens of Flaris: 5!

Zero and shadow were only a mile away at this time and quickly approaching, Shadow leaps high into the sky attempting to land in the town center below.

Citizens of Flaris: 4!

Zero and Shadow were still high in the sky almost reaching the highest point in their jump soon to come crashing down upon the unsuspecting citizens of Flaris.

Citizens of Flaris: 3!

Zero and Shadow were now beginning to fall downwards, and if they continued falling at their current angle they would land right in the middle of the large crowd.

Citizens of Flaris: 2!

Shadow opens his mouth letting his tongue fly freely inside his mouth. Zero tightened his grip on the hilt of the sword ready to kill all the people in Flaris.

Citizens of Flaris: 1!

Zero and Shadow were at the height of the tallest building in Flaris and could fall into the center of the crowd in about 1 second.

Citizens of Flaris: WOO!

A firework shoots into the sky only feet away from Shadow and Zero, who only a millisecond later landed in the center of a large group of people. People around them gasped loudly taking in all the air they could. Then a loud blood curdling scream was heard, and as soon as it was heard every single person in all of Flaris began to scream.

Shadow: ROAR!

Zero calmly dismounts from Shadows back, sword in hand. He walks up to one of the citizens who was frozen with fear. He lifts his sword up into the air slowly.

Zero: It’s your time to die.

The beautiful woman on the floor raises her hand attempting to prevent Zero from killing her. As Zero looks deep into the beautiful woman’s eyes he sees the fear and terror that he is causing her. He raised his sword slightly higher and swiftly brought it down slicing the woman’s arm in half. Blood squirts out violently from her arm all over Zero’s face. He brings the sword up once more and stabs the woman in the chest and slices down towards her waist slowly letting her screams echo throughout the city of Flaris. She then goes silent and Zero knows that he has killed her. Shadow was running throughout the crowd crushing people and children beneath his paws, and biting people tossing his head back so that the people would slide down his throat, and so he could move quickly to the next person that he was going to eat.

Zero and Shadow continued to rip through the crowd. The screams of the victims became muffled under the crimson blanket of blood shrouding the town in darkness. They moved so swiftly and quietly through the crowd, never pausing, almost methodically. They had been through this ritual so many times before, it was almost second nature.

They moved so fast that the wave of panic usually associated with a massacre had no time to spread through the unsuspecting crowd. Not like it would have mattered if they decided to scatter.

Zero had already worked his way through the crowd and found himself almost on the other side of town. His entire body was covered in a thin film of sweat, his hair and blade were dyed the red color of his victims blood. He quickly surveyed the area, there were still some homes with candle light seeping through the cracks under the doors. Probably elderly citizens who had not the strength to make it to the festival, he would have to kill them later.

The mayor of Flaris was still standing on the steps of City Hall, ignorant of the event that had just taken place. Shadow made his way toward Zero, the crowd was now completely slaughtered. The fireworks could still be heard in the distance, not that it mattered to the psychotic pair. The adrenaline rushing through their systems blocked out all distractions.

Zero: We… must…. we must kill the mayor.

Zero was panting in anticipation. The mayor of Flaris was famed as the best fighter in all of La’uuren. He was famed to be an immortal god send to La’uuren to defend the weak, until now.

Zero: Shadow, lend me your strength.

Shadow’s form began to churn and darken, until it became a shapeless mass of shadow. The blob started to move again, toward Zero. It latched onto his white clothing and tinting it black, darker and darker until there was no Shadow left. Zero had a wild look in his eyes.

Zero: It is time.

Zero burst over buildings and seemed to teleport through the air. He landed directly behind the mayor.

Zero: The messenger of misfortune has arrived.
Yuugo: So you are the fabled Zero, the man who kills without mercy. Man, women, and children cringe at the very sound of your name.
Zero: The one and only. (Cockily)

His voice begins to deepen and his eyes are dyed crimson. He shakes with anticipation because of the fight that would happen only seconds from now. Zero’s arm fall loosely downwards, hitting the floor and slithering towards Yuugo. Yuugo jumps backwards into the chaos behind him.

Zero: Don’t run from me fool. FOR I WILL FIND YOU!
Yuugo: Very well, I shall evade my fate no longer, come at me simpleton I shall show you what it means to be strong.

Zero’s arms shoot up and fly towards Yuugo at blinding speeds. Yuugo moves to the side letting the arms shoot past him. Zero folds his arm allowing for his arms to wrap around Yuugo, but once again Yuugo evades his defeat by jumping high into the air. Zero retracts his arms and extends them towards Yuugo once again. This time however Yuugo is unable to dodge this attack and is caught by Zero’s strong grip. Yuugo uses his strength to grab Zero’s wrists crushing them using his inhuman strength. Zero once again retracts his arms but curls them up like a spring. He quickly moved this spring under his feet and released with all his strength. The extreme forces generated by this spring crushed the ground below him, but it propelled Zero high into the sky just as high as Yuugo was. Zero reached out his arm to Yuugo’s neck pulling himself closer to him getting ready to attack him with all of his strength. Zero then positioned himself above Yuugo and pushed him downwards towards one of the buildings. Yuugo smashes through the building, crashing through the roof and down into the basement of the building letting it fall upon him. Zero brings him arm back and falls to the ground. A crater forms under Zero’s feet, as he smashes into the ground. Zero stands proudly in his crater acting as if he was the greatest in the world.

Zero: As I said you can not run from me fool, for I have found you……… and I killed you.

A loud crack is heard from the rubble, and a large hill begins to form, and a large wall from the building rises up, beneath it, is Yuugo using his monstrous strength to lift up the wall, he climbs up and throws the large section at Zero. Zero grabs the wall and uses his arms as a slingshot, letting the brick wall fly over his head then throwing it back at Yuugo with twice the force that it had been thrown with originally. Yuugo stands his ground and throws a punch breaking the projectile in half. Yuugo jumps down from the rubble and then runs at Zero fist raised high into the air ready to crush Zero with one mighty attack. Zero stretches his arm at the unprotected Yuugo, but Yuugo expected this attack and grabs Zero’s arm, Yuugo begins to turn rapidly while still holding onto Zero’s arm slowly pulling him closer and closer. Yuugo lets go flinging Zero into another one of Flaris’s many buildings. A large hole is created by the impact of Zero body crashing into the brick wall a crack is heard as Zero’s body breaks through a major support beam letting the building topple on top of him. Yuugo was not finished. He jumped into the air ready to dig into the rubble to find Zero’s mangled body so that he would terrorize the world no longer.

Yuugo flung human size pieces of rubble into the air as if they were pebbles. Nothing would stop him from finding the body of the infamous assassin. Under a large slab of stone he found a large half circle made of shadow. As soon as it was uncovered the shadow started to warp and dissipate. The bleeding body of Zero lay underneath. He was bleeding badly, and looked tired. Yuugo grabbed him by the hair and started to punch him in the stomach with all his strength.

Zero: Don’t… think… you… will… escape… WITH YOUR LIFE!

Almost on cue a foot slammed into Yuugo’s face. He sprawled backwards looking confused. Zero stood there, he barely had the strength to stand. Another foot nailed him right in the back, then in the legs, tripping him up. Yuugo jumped up almost instantly and punched the ground. A huge crater formed around him. Rubble crashed to the floor.

Yuugo: That should take care of whichever punk decided to get involved.

Before he could react, Yuugo felt a hard push oh his back. He wasn’t expecting that. He sprawled forward into the collapsing earth, most likely too his doom.

?: Need some help?

Zero, who was now on the ground, looked up at his savior. He stood cockily about a meter away, hands in his pockets. His hair was a deep black, and his eyes were blood red, like Zero’s. He wore the same white outfit that Zero wore before Shadow lent him his power. A large number seven was written fancily on his back.

Zero: Sleven?

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