The Blessed Child

Part III: Dragon Flower

Nathea was unsure why she was following the strange creature.

The vaporous beaver was always a few trees ahead, leading or skirting away. She kept dreaming up odd fantasies as she ran untiring after it. 

Maybe Muriel sent the beast to lead her to back to the village. Though how Muriel would have accomplished it was beyond her, but Nathea wouldn't put it past her to do these odd "witchy things".

Maybe someone else who wanted to kill her was trying to lead her to them. Well that shouldn't be too hard and they would get her rather easily wouldn't they?

Maybe she was just hallucinating.

Maybe...

Whatever the maybe, Nathea kept chasing after it.

But as Nathea's ears caught the whispers of a stranger's voice, she stopped. But she needed to know. She crept up slowly, dancing above the ground so no noise sounded from each falling step. Skirting behind a tree, Nathea closed her eyes and listened.

"Look!", a high pitched cheery female voice cried, "Lidia's back!"

"But the girl isn't following her", a deep male voice growled.

Nathea felt her hair stand on end. She didn't have to guess too much to guess how that girl probably was. What they didn't know was that girl was standing a few feet away, behind a tree, holding her breath. She cursed herself. How could she have been so trusting, following after the beaver. Incidentally seeming to be named "Lidia". Did she really think it would've led her to Muriel?

"She was", the girl pouted, "Lidia says so!"

"Aye, but I don't see how Lidia would be trustworthy"

"Mur's my friend"

"You kidnapped your friend"

Nathea was getting goosebumps listening to them. Mur? That sounded like what Asher called Muriel. But she was probably overreacting. And what was this about kidnapping friends? 

There seemed to be an angry silence between the two speakers.

"I don't care what you say", the girl said hotly, "It wasn't kidnapping. She'll understand. I'm saving her"

Silence greeted these words.

"She's here", the man spoke. Nathea felt herself stiffen.

"Are you sure?"

"Positive"

Nathea's thoughts flitted. How could he possibly know? What? But there was no time for questions. Hurried footsteps were pacing, one set towards her, one set away. If she didn't hustle, she wasn't going to get away unnoticed. Her instinct kicked in and she felt her nails dig into the bark of the tree. She kicked off rather noisily and started scaling the tree. A burst of adrenaline speeded through her veins and she was up the tree quickly.

She hid in the collage of black and white leaves just in time as the man whom was speaking walked under. He peered around, she noticed his eyes were milky, as if unfocused or they didn't work. Then, his gaze inched higher, and his eyes locked with hers. Nathea stiffened.

"Hello, thy Blessed Child", he spoke without moving his lips. Or did he? She couldn't tell, those eyes were piercing her, seeing through her, mesmerizing her. She felt drawn to those milky white eyes, drawn into a dark hole where nothing mattered.

Nathea shuddered. An odd sensation was overcoming her, her eyelids fluttering close out of her control. 

"Come down", the echoing voice commanded. 

"Sebastion!", Nathea's eyes snapped open. She was lying on the forest floor. The man with milky eyes standing over her, and the girl from before running up towards the man. The girl slapped the man, he fell over. He looked wounded, but she rushed up to Nathea, and grabbed both of her hands and helped her up.

"Are you ok?", she intoned.

"Y-Yes", Nathea stammered. She felt as if her energy had been drained away. The girl looked relieved.

"I'm Kassinii", she smiled, pronouncing her name cas-ih-knee. Nathea touched her head, willing the world to stop spinning.

"Come on!", Kassinii said full of energy, "We must go!"

"Go?", Nathea felt confused, the world still spinnning out of control.

"Yes" And for no reason Nathea knew, she nodded and followed after Kassinii as the girl skipped away happily. 

Nathea was in a trance, vaguely noticing running after Kassinii and Sebastian following sullenly behind. She did not notice as the road's monotonous tints melted into color. She almost snapped back to reality when she heard a familiar yell of, "Nathea!", but was urged onwards again by those milky eyes. Only when night had fallen and those blind white eyes had closed did she wake.

Kassinii was creating a roaring fire, her hands outstretched, palms out, a look of deep concentration, towards a blue fire. Nathea watched silently. Then the fire spiraled upwards. It flew upwards, dispelling small gold sparks, then it arched and made a circle. Then just as sudden as the show had started, the fire disappeared back to small red flames, Kassinii breathing hard.

Kassinii turned, then smiled at Nathea.

"I'm training my life energy. Here", she moved away from the fire, "You try! It should be easy for-", she broke off abruptly, then smiled anxiously, "Go ahead and try"

Nathea noted this odd behavior. She held her palms outwards at the fire. Closing her eyes, Muriel's words came back to her, "Focus, Imagine, It will happen". Nathea imagined the fire turning purple first, sparks flying off, blooming into green flowers upon the earthen ground. Small yellow sparks would be dancing above them emitt-

"Ah!", the happy girlish voice of Kassinii broke Nathea's concentration. Nathea snapped open her eyes. Kassinii looked so happy she could fly, "That was beautiful!", she gushed.

Who is that?

And it all came flying back to her. Nathea sprang up, holding one palm out at Kassinii, the other aimed at the sleeping man.  Kassinii froze, mid-laugh.

"Who are you?", Nathea interrogated. Her words echoed in the silent night.

"It's me! Kassinii", the girl said smiling again, not a trace of fear or anxiety upon her face.

"Why did you kidnap me?"

"You came of your own free will", Sebastian spoke, his eyes opening.

"No! Thy comprised me!" His milky white eyes were drawing her in again. This time she knew better than to get captured. She thrust her life energy at him. He fell back five paces away.

"Stop!", Kassinii screamed, her own hand now raised. 

"What are you doing!?", Nathea screamed, backing away, "Why do you want me?! Why have you been trying to kill me!?!"

The world went silent at that. Then Kassinii, lowered her hand,

"We're not the ones trying to kill you"

"What do you mean?", Nathea's voice quivered, still backing away slowly. Kassinii took in a deep breath,

"We're Dragon Flower. And we're on your side" 

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:/ Sorry this chapter is kinda cheezy, and short. I promise more updates soon! Sorry!

Hope you enjoyed it! :D