Prologue

Her heart hammered against her ribs and her blood pounded in her ears. She struggled against the strong hold of the masked man, her nails clawing desperately at his skin. Her right foot rammed into his shin, her heel digging in deep. But, the stranger didn't seem affected; he just continued to drag her down the almost deserted street and into the village square.

She tried to scream, but the shrill sound was muffled and stopped as a warm, rough hand clasped over her mouth, making the sound nothing more than mumbled cries. She could see her keys, gripped tightly in the man's right hand, and tried to reach for them. But he was one step ahead of her and quickly stuffed the magic objects into his pocket, using his now free hand to grab her wrists and hold them tightly behind her back.

The sudden light nearly blinded her as they left the confines of the small alleyway and entered the village square, dazzling sunlight pouring over the busy cobblestone centre. She flicked her gaze nervously around, her chocolate eyes pleading for help, fear dancing in the brown orbs. But no-one seemed to notice, and if they did, they didn't care.

'Or they're too scared to do anything…'

Just how strong was he – this man that was currently dragging her across the pavement? And what the hell did her want with her anyway? Suddenly, she was yanked up, so that her feet left the ground, and was roughly thrown into the back of a carriage. The man reached into his pocket and pulled something out, tapping the transparent tube to check if it was still working. Then, he began to walk slowly towards her.

She scuttled backwards as he hopped into the carriage, a sadistic smirk dancing on his lips. He lunged forward and wrapped his fingers around her neck, making her gasp and wheeze for oxygen. He brought the object that rested in his hand up to a slight gap in his fingers, and pressed the metal needle of the tube to her neck. Her now free hands scratched at his hand, trying to free herself. But it was no use.

He pressed his thumb down and watched as the liquid drained from the syringe into her body. Her arms fell limp and her body slackened, her eyelids suddenly feeling a lot heavier than before. He released her and she didn't fight, she didn't try to escape. She just – lay there.

Her vision blurred and her chocolate coloured eyes clouded over.

"Don't worry sweetie" She heard the man's voice laugh. "It gets much, much worse"

And then, everything went black, only one thought playing in her mind as she slipped into the onyx haze of unconsciousness.

'Natsu… Help…'