The Shadows

32| Return

He tucks his knees under and pushes himself off th ground to a strained stance. "A-are you alright Miss?" He weakly asks concerned. He reaches up his arm to cover his eyes from the glow surrounding this being. She stood unusually still, along with her eyes that bore into him. My father looks down to his body, quickly realizing that he had gone through something gruesome, yet he did not feel pain. The women stay silent. "Am... am I dead?" He questions her.

The woman lifts her right hand. As she turns her hand, flipping it to the sky, a clear luminescent flower blooms in her palm. She begins walking towards him, gliding elegantly as she approaches him. The crystal clear flower crumbles in her hand as a white sand spills over each side of her palm, leaving a small crystal behind. She closes her palm, opening it again to nothing. She reaches towards him, placing her hand on his chest. Her hand turns to an icy white, releasing, diffusing across his chest, emitting the same icy layer. As this happens the women glances over to me, causing me to tense. She fades quickly, until all that's left is the desert breeze.

The desert illusion fades out, melting back into the rustic bedroom as I sit comfortably on my bed. I look up, expecting to see my mother but instead it was my father sitting across from me. "The strange lady came to visit me one more time when you were born. I knew then what she was and what she had done all those years before." I shake my head, what the hell is happening. "Who was she!?" I ask desperate for the answer. He looks up to me. "She was the life guardian. She had saved my life that night. She healed my wounds and brought me back to life. In return we had a silent contract. My first child would have the burden of her gift." He shifts uncomfortably avoiding my burning gaze. I can think of a million things to say but nothing comes out, I was speechless. "It's such a large task. I wish she had just let me die that night." I swing my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

Once again my surroundings melt and the presence of my father quickly fades with it, leaving me alone.

I squint, throwing my arms up as an immense bright heat flairs in front of my eyes. "Run Aryah! You have to get out of here!" I hear a desperate scream from behind me. I turn around to see Mikayla hurled over, covered in soot. I look to my right to see my cabin home completely in flames. My father bursts through the front door, searching his surroundings. "Run!" He yells at me from afar. A soldier appears from behind, grapping his face and bringing a knife to his neck. I squeeze my eyes shut and turn around. I take a short glance back to see him on the ground bleeding to death and the soldier running towards me. I turn around and burst into a sprint into the forest opening.

I look back to see another soldier close behind me. I run so fast I begin to lose feeling in my legs. A sudden figure jumps out from the bushes and I collide right into them, sliding my feet across the dirt path. His white hair, white eyes and young tanned skin give off a foreign aura, I hadn't seen anyone like it. He glances behind me, which reminds me that a soldier had been chasing me. I whip my head around to see the soldier standing uncomfortably a few feet away from me. "I'll take it from here." The unusual man orders in his husky voice. "But..." The soldier weakly argues. "But?" The unusual man raises an eyebrow and narrows his eyes. The soldier clears his throat and bows. "Of course." He turns around and retreats back. I whip back around to see his gaze burning into me. "Get out of my way-" I demand but he swiftly wraps his arm around my shoulders, turning my back to him and pulling me into his chest. He shoves a small vile of blue liquid forcefully pouring it down my throat. Without a chance for any thought to come to mind. I fade into unconsciousness.

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I wake up in an unfamiliar room. My hazy vision and my eyelids heavy, I shift but my body feels as if it were an extra eighty pounds. "You did well." A dominant male voice booms throughout the small room. I open my eyes as wide as I can but it wasn't enough to see my surroundings. "What do you plan to do with her?" The familiar husky voice from the forest. "I would like to first see if he speaks the truth."