Deep Magic Prologue

"Fratello, they're getting closer!"

A timid child's voice shattered the silence in the air, frightened and panting.
They had been found. The only sounds that were heard were the soft crunches of blades of wet grass being crushed underneath two pairs of feet. As a clammy hand gripped the other's tightly together, the slightly older child pulled the younger one along, trying to avoid anything that could slow their escape. The tall grass in the clearing wasn't enough to provide the cover they needed as they entered it. The forest, they had to make it to the forest. Only there could they disappear.

"Che palle!" the taller child glanced over his shoulder, his young green eyes reflecting the glimmer of moonlight that shone through the thick clouds. Already the trees behind them were hiding the thick smoke and roaring flames that had consumed their village. A scowl, although it was stained with fear and anger, twisted his lips. The young child hated to admit it, but he was worried for the town, and somehow, deep in his heart, he knew that they might never be able to return. Seeing a few of those strange men coming into view, he growled. Stupid scouts. Energy crackled around his free hand and it grew into a bright light that swirled around, as if liquid in form. He turned slightly and hurled it towards the three men to throw them off course. Ignoring the flash of light and the cries of pain, he dragged his brother in another direction. Feeling the younger one flinch from the cries, he almost felt bad. He never wanted his brother to be introduced to fighting, yet here he was, having to witness the possibility that everyone in his village was murdered, and the fact that their…

"Fratello! What about Non-"

He quickly cut him off with a quick whisper.

"No! H-he's okay, he managed to get out while Signore Aldrick distracted those soldiers." A lie, that's what it was, but the smaller figure looked up in hope, believing the words that came from the other's lips. Honestly, the older brother had no idea what had happened to their grandfather. The last time he saw him was when he told them to sneak out the back door and run to the forest beyond the meadow. Their nonno had turned to the blonde man that had warned him and ran out the front door.

"He could have come with us! Fratello! Why did we leave without him? He won't know where to search for us!" The words rushed out of the frightened little Italian's lips. Fear was written on his face, his grip on his brother's hand tightening. He started to pant, his lungs crying out for oxygen and relief from running. The older brother made a split second decision. They had to stop and rest for a minute before they continued. He could tell that his little brother was exhausted already; he wouldn't be able to make it far if they continued to run frantically.

"Feliciano, we're going to stop for a minute and catch our breath."

"If we stop, t-they'll catch us!"

"Feli, fratellino, listen to me!" Shaky fingers clamped down upon the smaller boy's shoulders, pulling him to an ungentle stop. Sharp eyes caught a stray beam of moonlight, showing the determined look in his eyes. Feliciano gulped nervously, his almost closed eyes staring up at his big brother. He was confused, only slightly recognizing the meadow that they were in. It was so close to the border of the Russian territory, and it terrified him. That was where the army of scary heavy-accented men came from. But his big brother knew what he was doing, right?...

Right?

"Veh, Lovi?" The verbal tic shakily made its way from overexerted lungs. The sight of his younger brother looking so scared almost made him want to pick him up and run the rest of the way through the forest himself, although he wouldn't admit it to his brother. He did have a reputation to uphold. Glancing around the meadow, he drew his brother close to him, feeling tears immediately soak into his slightly tattered tunic. Closing his eyes, he let out a withered sigh. Exactly where can they go to escape, to be safe? Without nonno, what would they do? What could a five and four year old do on their own?

"Try to stay quiet, Feli." The older brother whispered when a high pitched cry pierced the silence. The effect was immediate; Feliciano clamped a small hand over his mouth, silent sobs overtaking his body. Lovino rubbed the small of his brother's back, trying to piece together his shattered courage. He needed to have his wits about him if he and Feliciano were to escape with their lives. His little brother could only depend on him. No longer could they be sheltered by their grandfather's loving embrace. He wasn't sure exactly how those Zimkrov bastards had found out about them, but he was determined to find somewhere safe, a haven where their secrets would be kept and hopefully forgotten. A bitter smile flickered across chapped lips, making the small child look older than he was. He was tempted to fall to his knees and take a late siesta, the grass around him feeling soft and oh so inviting. Already he could feel his eyes starting to close, the exhausted muscles of his legs wanting to give out. The idea was instantly banished from his mind when something caught his ear.

"They headed this way!"

It was an understatement to say that his blood froze in his veins at that shout. They had caught up.

"Chigi! Feli, run!" The smaller Italian let out a whimper as he was jerked into motion again, trying to keep up with his brother as they raced through the meadow. Feliciano tried to stifle his silent tears, unable to properly see where he was going with his blurred vision. Frantically, he rubbed his eyes with his free hand, his surroundings becoming clearer. The sound of heavy footsteps was closing in, and no matter how fast the two Italians could run, they were exhausted. A flash of silver metal made Lovino jerk to a halt, pulling Feliciano close to his chest. How did they become surrounded so quickly? An older taller man stepped forward from the ranks of armored men. His sharp grey eyes stare down upon the two children, a neutral look on his face. Framed by short gray hair, a commanding atmosphere, and a dark blue cape that wrapped around his muscular figure, it was obvious that he had to be the general of this army. Feliciano clung to his brother, eyes shut tightly.

"You've led us on a long enough chase; however, it's all over."

Lovino glared up at the strange man in front of him. His eyes narrowed in challenge, although the intimidating pose he hoped to have portrayed was ruined by his shaking figure. This was the guy that destroyed his village, right?

"B-bastardo!" he snapped, trying not to flinch back when the man's face contorted into a malicious smirk. He raised his hand and the guards started to close in, guns raised and pointed at them. It sent a clear message; don't move or resist.

"Feli, do you trust me?" The older brother didn't have to glance down to know that Feliciano was looking up at him with a confused expression at his whisper. The smaller Italian nodded hesitantly, feeling his brother's hand slip into his own. A soft glow began to emit from his hand.

"S-si fratello."

Lovino glanced down at his fratellino, trying to wordlessly comfort him. He squeezed his hand, pulling him closer. The guards were restless, sensing that something was going to happen. A glow surrounded his brother's hand as well, fusing together to produce a bright white light that surrounded them in a gentle haze. Sparks crackled around them in a threatening manner, driving the guards away. The general cursed, backing up. He knew what their power could do, even at a young age, it was powerful.

"That's right, I'd run if I were you! Vigliacchi!" An arrogant smirk tugged at Lovino's lips as the guards started to stumble back even farther, blinded by the growing light. Feliciano's eyes were scrunched up even more by the strain of using his power. Unlike his older brother, he wasn't able to directly control his power yet. If he wasn't careful, his own power could consume him. The power around them exploded, sending the guards flying backwards; even the general hadn't been able to shelter himself from the blast. Feliciano whimpered, wobbling on his feet as the light faded from existence.

"Feli, eseguire! Ci vediamo nella foresta!" Lovino shoved his exhausted brother to direct him where to go as he went off in the opposite direction. Feliciano obeyed, forcing his tiny feet to carry him away from the downed guards. He yelped when he dodged past the general, who was trying to get his bearings. Glancing to where his older brother went, he could barely make out the outline of him as he ran to the farther side of the meadow. A tired smile graced his lips briefly; they were going to make it! A quick look behind him confirmed that the guards were still dazed from the attack.

"Get them!" The general barked out the order, scrambling to his feet. The guards did their best to snap themselves out of the daze, the effect soon wearing off. Off in the distance, the older brother was having the same thoughts as his younger brother. He allowed a confident smirk to grace his own face, knowing that Feliciano would make it to the forest before him. They'll group together and then make their escape to a secret village in the English territory. Yes… They can escape! And then they will be able to get help from a family friend to see if they can find their nonno. A rock caught his foot and he let out a string of Italian curses, stumbling.

A shot rang out and the younger Italian froze, his eyes slowly opening in horror. Time seemed to stand still, each second feeling like it was an hour. Amber hues widened, the boy unable to believe the scene playing out before him. In what seemed like slow motion, Feliciano saw his brother's form stumble and hold a hand to his chest. Even from here, he could smell the sickening stench of copper. A flash of glittering emeralds met with his own gaze before his brother fell to the ground. There was silence, but all the small child could hear was his heart pounding in his ears, and one word running through his head.

'No… no, no NO!'

"FRATELLO!" His high pitched voice cracked and he nearly ran out of the cover of the trees to reach his brother when all eyes turned on him. Frightened, he took a step back, struggling with his emotions. He couldn't just leave his brother out there, not with those soldiers. No, he… Hesitantly, he tried to take a step forward, but his body struggled against him, fear overtaking his senses. He couldn't be so heartless as to leave his brother, even though he was…

"идиот! We need them ALIVE! Go after the other one, get her!" The general's deep voice reverberated throughout the meadow, anger lacing the harshly accented words. Jumping, the boy came to his senses. Only briefly was Feliciano registering that they called him a female. It made sense, he looked like a girl. And the legend of their powers… He shook his head, backing up as he saw the guards split up, one to go to his… his fratello, and the other group heading straight towards him.

'F-fratello… Lovino. I-I…' He had to go, but he was so tired. Nevertheless, he summoned a last reserve of speed, propelling him deeper into the forest. Left, right, through a stream and underneath fallen trees, his head was beginning to spin. Tripping, he was about to land face first in the ground when someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back. The Italian was about to let loose a terrified scream when a hand covered his mouth, preventing any sound from getting through. Shaking, he tried to pry the offending appendage off, but he was hushed as he was pulled into a thick bush. Dizzy, he couldn't help but obey, stumbling into…

Nothing?

Confusion welled up inside of him. He had fallen into whatever, or whoever, had been restraining him but there was nothing there. A whimper made it past those lips and was met with a soft, almost inaudible voice that he had to strain to hear.

"Don't make any noise." The invisible person, Feliciano was blindly guessing that it was something like that, helped him lay down. He caught sight of a pair of kind violet eyes and blinked. Slowly a person was fading into view, a boy around his age with glasses, short blonde hair, and a white polar bear cub near his side. The Italian closed his eyes completely, finding his head in the strange boy's lap. It was so comfortable, and he was so tired. The blonde looked up nervously as footsteps approached.

"She's not here!"

"She can't simply vanish! Track her down!"

Stiffening, the nameless blonde started to fade away again, becoming see-through like a ghost. Hidden with thick leaves, they could just barely see flashes of color beyond the bush. The two held their breath, dreading that they may be captured any second. A minute dragged by, the sounds of frustrated soldiers filling the air as they looked around. The voices soon started to fade into the distance and the Italian found himself relaxing, when there was a snap of a twig. The blonde and brunette whipped their heads in the direction. Instead of an enemy soldier, there was a rather intimidating woman. Even in the near darkness, he could see long dirty blonde hair and the sharp forest green eyes of the mysterious figure. However, his fear was replaced with curiosity when his eyes fell upon the rather prominent eyebrows of the woman. Who was she? He tried to speak, but found himself being hushed by the woman, a finger placed against his lips.

"Stay here." The voice was stern, but gentle. She glanced at the boy behind him and nodded slightly, four orb-like objects appearing around her, each of them representing one of the four elements. The air around her started to ripple as she turned, murder in her eyes. This was her forest, her land. There was a price to pay for trespassing into English territory, and she wasn't going to let them off easy. The ghost-like child raised a hand, as if to stop her, looking worried. The woman vanished from view.

"I vocant in altum magicae!"

Feliciano closed his eyes tightly, holding onto the strange child. The ground shook and cracked, the wind howling in rage. It was as if the whole world was throwing her anger upon the Russian enemies. The cries of pain ascended into one voice, rising above the very wind itself before everything went black.