AFIRE: fight for the Earth begins✓

9.1 NALA

The story so far:

---- Aija is a Volunteer at the Pristine School at Innermost. She works along with Zuri and Ze, who are her friends. Aija witnesses a strange event one night – light emanating from Rez's body. The kidnapper is after her soul, next, but he leaves her alive and goes away. Another man finds her, he wants to take her somewhere else - Aija though wary of him agrees.

---- Aija learns of the existence of the aliens – the Ytai. Also, about the R'ies and H'eon, Harvesting and Àvo from Etrie. Etrie tells her that the man, who Harvested Rez (Thieron), will now go after her. He tells her that the spy/kidnapper's name is Luka. Etrie asks her to work along with him.

---- Thieron works for H'eon. The Leader of He'on is Alton Ivar. Thieron tells Alton that he will find the second Priority Soul so that he can be sent to retrieve the Àvo. Thieron is provoked by Dhor-Wo (Alton's bodyguard). He hits Dhor-Wo and breaks his nose.

---- Thieron trails Aija; he finds that she is an extremely powerful soul. And, so, even though Alton asks him to Harvest her, he decides on a different plan by himself.

✽✽✽

****9.1 - Nala****

She was running through the thick forest. Dense clouds hung above, darkening the whole place further.

As she tried to run, to escape, she lost her way. She had never lost her way through the forest. It was her home. Her quick feet dislodged the red mud beneath them as she ran faster. But, they were gaining distance; they would soon capture her and kill her. She turned to change her path and halted.

A ra'is was slowly making its way towards her. It was so close now; she could see its blue eyes glaring at her. Behind her, her people had caught up to her. Would she die by the ra'is's claws or the hands of her own people? She gasped, searching for a way out when the ra'is pounced onto her.

Nala woke with a scream. She was sweating, and her breaths were swift. She tried to calm herself by focussing on her breathing. She lay in bed for a while, listening to herself breathe. Nala hadn't had that dream in a long time. She tended to have the dream when she was stressed. And, she couldn't think of a single reason as to why she may be feeling stressed.

She got up and took a long cold shower. The cold water calmed her, and she was feeling better by the time she was done. It was still eight in the morning when she dressed and went down for breakfast. No one was home.

Nala yawned as she made herself some melon juice. She switched on the DigiScreen and turned the volume high oh her Scroll after changing the channel to the music channel. A violin concerto was airing. Music calmed her, maybe, because she had always loved it. It also reminded her of home; though the music sounded different here.

She made herself an egg and cheese sandwich, her dream reminding her of home. Most days she missed it – more often she missed her family. She wondered what they were all doing now. How had they taken her absence?

She looked at her Scroll; it was nine. She sighed as she deposited herself on the couch, facing the DigiScreen. The weather outside seemed good; it wasn't too sunny or too cloudy. It was one of those beautiful weather days – whatever passed as beautiful weather in the temperature-controlled cities.

Nala had adjusted to life on Earth rather easily. She hated to admit it, but she rather liked it. She even had a fondness for the earthen name she had taken on. She had found the earth strange initially, as anyone would a new planet, but she had slowly liked the place enough and living on Earth had become more natural.