Safrina hurriedly picked up her phone and called a number. For the last 4 years she hadn't called on this number and she had no idea if the person was going to entertain her request. Suddenly a voice spoke from the other side
"Hello. Who is this?"
Safrina shut her eyes and tried to control her pounding heart. She couldn't believe that even unknowingly this person had picked up her phone call. Then again maybe the person had no idea it was her on the other side of the call and maybe that was the reason the person had picked up the call. It did nothing to calm her racing heart.
"Who is this? Please answer or I am going to hang up."
"No no no no. Don't hang up! It's me Safrina."
The voice on the other side of the line paused for a bit before responding angrily "You have some nerve, calling me like that after dropping off the grid for 4 years. Am I to assume that you have graced me with the sound of your voice because you are in trouble?"
Safrina shut her eyes to prevent the tears from falling. The truth was that she deserved those words. After all she was the one who had bailed on her loved ones and friends. They hadn't been the ones to cut all ties with her. Oh no that had been all her.
"Listen to me. I need to talk to you. I have decided to come clean with you about everything but I can't do it on a phone call. I need to meet you. There is a lot that you need to know and a lot more that I need to tell you. Will you meet me tomorrow morning at 9 am at Le Café Noir ? I promise I will make it worth your while. " Safrina promised
"Saffy, whatever is bothering you, you can tell me now. I'll protect you, I promise you don't need to wait for tomorrow, this line is secure. I haven't heard your voice for the past 4 years and don't you think I deserve to know why my friend simply ghosted me like this? Or is this asking for too much?" The person on the other side had become emotional now.
Safrina was crying now. No matter what she did, the tears couldn't be held back. The sound of her old nickname and the words of her best friend were well...... But she had to stay strong, she couldn't take a risk right now, just a few hours before her victory. She had been a clear-eyed operator until now and one simple mistake could cost the world everything. She couldn't be the doom of the world she loved so much. No, she couldn't take the risk.
"Tomorrow, not now. I promise I'll tell you everything from the start to the end but not now." Then suddenly remembering something she said "Oh and if I don't make it to the meeting tomorrow then I am dead and please don't come looking for me."
"What? What do you-" But Safrina quickly kept the phone down and clutched the table tightly. Just one more night. One more night she had to evade the hunters and then the Empire would collapse. She would make sure of it.
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In a house mear a mountain stronghold a woman was sitting at the dining table. There was a phone nearby and a stunned silence reigned. She hadn't heard this particular voice for over 4 years and she had missed this. She had missed her best friend. She suddenly got up and walked to the far end of the room. There was a photo hung up on the wall there. A photo of her and her best friend.
"I don't know what's bothering you Saffy but I promise I'll do everything in my power to make it right. I was powerless to help you all those years back but now.." She clutched the photo with all her strength "But now I won't let anyone come between us."
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Safrina nursed a hot, strong coffee as she sat on the sofa. The phone call had gone a lot better than she had expected. If everything went as decided then by tomorrow she would be a free woman. She wouldn't have to be scared of the Empire tomorrow. Tomorrow would bring a new dawn in her life. Yet she couldn't help but think what life would be like from tomorrow. Would she still be the girl who aced her tests just because she wanted to prove that she was better than everyone or would become someone new? There were so many possible directions her new life could go in, but there would always be one aspect of her identity that she would always retain. The aspect of being -. Suddenly she heard footsteps coming towards her making her smile. This person thought that they were so sneaky but they had no idea that Safrina had caught them. Suddenly she stilled. She realised that the footsteps coming towards her were deeper than what she was used to hearing. Now on her guard, she quickly went towards the window and looked outside. Shit! The hunters had found her. She realised that she did not have much time left. She quickly went into a room and packed a small bag full of papers, journals and documents, full of her research on the Empire. This was her only chance on convincing everyone that she was right. Without these papers, she was doomed. Packing her bags, she hurried into the adjacent room and opened the door. There on the bed was her most prized possession. She picked it up and cast a last look over the room. It held a lot of memories. But memories weren't important, survival was. She picked up her bag and using the cover of the night, fled.
Safrina knew that she couldn't evade the hunters for much longer. They would come for her as soon as they realised that she wasn't in the house and then all the hard work of the last few years would be over. Shifting all her belongings to one hand, she pulled out her phone and dialed a number - a number that was only supposed to be dialed when it was an emergency.
"Hello" A deep male baritone answered.
"The Empire found me." Safrina directly came to point
"Where are you? I am coming now!"
"No don't come. I am leaving all of my most important possessions in the heart of mother nature. Find them and protect them." Saying this she cut the call and approached a thicket of trees where she muttered a few words. The trees swept aside to reveal a clearing. She put the bag down on the ground. This would fool the hunters. This would protect her chances. She set the bundle in her arms down and quickly kissed it. "Goodbye Amore Mio" she whispered and ran. Her sole mission to draw the hunters away from there, unaware that the little bundle she had kissed goodbye was now awake.
She had used up the headstart he had on the hunters. By the time she came out of the clearing and ran a little further ahead the hunters had caught up to her.
"Looks like you found out that we were coming. No worries. We'll kill you now and go home to be celebrated as heroes." One hunter said
"If you think that you can kill me that easily then you don't know me." Safrina replied. She was just ready to attack when she felt some thing pierce her back. It was an arrow. She turned around and saw that there was another hunter there. In her haste she had missed him and now she had paid the price.
"Let's kill her now and be done with it." One hunter said
"No wait. Burn her in the same fire that burned her house. That way we won't have to do any extra cleanup." The hunter who had fired the arrow spoke.
"Yes let's this will teach her not to cross the Empire." Another hunter spoke dragging Safrina's unconscious and bleeding but alive body back to her house.
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Long after the hunters left a young man emerged out of the shadows. He saw the macabre scene of a gruesome death and easily guessed what had happened there. She was dead. There was nothing that could be done for her. The only thing he could do was follow her instructions and then do everything in his power to do what was right. He approached a thicket and whispered a few words. Immediately the trees moved away and he entered the clearing. What he saw there stopped him in his tracks. There was a child there no more than 2 years of age. That was nothing new, he knew about Safrina's daughter but what had shocked him was the fact that the child was keeping the clearing alive. A clearing Safrina had created with ancestral magic. Dear God! He went towards the child and picked her up. There were dried tear tracks on her cheeks which made it very clear that she had felt the telepathic link between her mother and herself break. He also picked up the bag of papers and walked out.
"What to do with you, huh?" He asked the child not expecting nor wanting an answer.
"I told Safrina not to cross the Empire but what did she do? She went and got herself killed." Looking at the child he continued "I'll make sure that nothing bad happens to you. Even if I have to protect you from your destiny."
"Are you sure that's the right thing to do?" A female voice called from behind him. He turned and saw a woman or rather a girl approaching.
"What do you mean?" He asked her.
"I mean do you think that protecting her from her destiny is the right thing to do?"
"For the time being? Yes"
"Do you know anything about her father?" She asked running her hand through the child's hair.
"Only that he was one of us nothing more."
"Hmm." She replied
"What are you doing here?" He asked
"I am here to right my wrongs. I am here to support you in your fight against the Empire." She said holding out a hand
He smiled and handed her the bag full of documents. She would know what to do with it. Finally the most obstinate member of their network had agreed to support them wholeheartedly. But she didn't notice any of this. She was simply lost in her thoughts.
"Do you think things would be different if we could have prevented Safrina's death?" She questioned
"There is no time to dwell on 'what ifs'. We have to make sure that the rest of the things go according to order."
She suddenly noticed that he had drawn something on the ground and a rift had appeared in front of them. "Where are you going?"
"Safrina's death has started a chain reaction. I am going to make sure that the next piece of the puzzle falls in place and on time." Saying this he walked through the rift with the child.
The girl stared at the papers and journals in her hand annd said "I won't let your death be in vain Safrina. I won't let the Empire destroy our world. Victory to the mages."
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Hey guys! So I know that this is a long chapter but bear with me as all chapters won't be this long (well some will be but that's beside the point) This was so long because it would offer some proper backstory.
Who do you think the Empire is?
Who do you think the mysterious man and woman are?
Do write and tell me your theories. Also I'll be updating on either Sunday or Wednesday every week. So see you guys soon
Love you guys
Fictionally Yours,
Aurynn