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Everything had been wonderful. Maybe that should have been her first clue. A sign that things were too good to be true.
Her parents had lovingly kicked her out for the day so they could prepare her party. Her eighteenth. It was a big deal. She would now be of age and, after two years of courting, she had a feeling William Sweete would be proposing tonight. His younger sister Clara had told her that he'd been gifted their mother's ring the other day and that she had to: "Shhhh, and pretend to be surprised for Will. It's supposed to be a secret!"
She had wandered the beach for a while, looking out across the ocean and dreaming of what she'd find out there. It was all planned out. Once she and William were married, they'd travel the world together. She'd perform. It didn't matter where. In taverns, courtyards, or for Lords and Ladies. And William would join the Merchants Guild, selling the tools and trinkets he loved to make. Maybe they'd even have a child or two. William always talked about how much he wanted to be a father. And while Ariella didn't love him the way he loved her, nor did she particularly want a child of her own, she could see herself happy in that future.
When she was finally allowed to return to her house, she had been brought to tears by how happy she was. Everyone was there. Their village wasn't a large one, but it had been thinly spread across a large area of land. Even those from the top of the cliffs, who must have had to walk at least half a mile down the rocky pathways had come to congratulate her on her coming of age.
She had danced and sang and laughed and cried. All the while, she could see the adults (well, she supposed she was technically an adult now too) whispering to one another, knowing smiles on their faces as William fiddled with something in his pocket. Ariella had a sneaking suspicion she knew what it was.
But just as the gift-giving ceremony began, a stranger approached the party. He wore the attire of a knight, bearing the cross of O'khasis. Ariella recognised the sigil from her parent's various maps and books.
The bustling atmosphere quietened as more people began to take note of the stranger. More in confusion than anything else. Large citadels such as O'khasis never had the need for small villages such as Sirensfell. They had their own mines and quarries, so Sirensfell's main export of ores and minerals was traded instead with other small villages like Meteli, whose swampy lands were perfect for agriculture.
Ariella stood from where she had been sitting and approached the stranger with a friendly smile.
"Good evening. Is there something we can help you with Sir Knight?" She asked. The knight nodded.
"As a matter of fact, there is. I'm looking for an Ariella Elmere."
"Why, that would be me. Is everything alright?" Ariella was taken aback. William had approached her from behind, placing his hand comfortingly on her shoulders.
"I am here on behalf of Zane Ro'meave. Second son to the Lord of O'khasis and High Priest in Training. His Grace has heard rumours of your singing voice and wishes to bestow upon you a gift to celebrate your coming of age, as well as to formally invite you to perform at the court of O'khasis." The knight reached into his satchel and pulled out a parcel, wrapped in paper and tied with a string. Ariella accepted the gift in shock before realising she hadn't given an answer when William squeezed her shoulders and nodded back to the waiting Knight.
"A gift from the High Priest in Training? Sir Knight, I bid you send him my gratitude, and tell him that I consider it the highest honour to be invited before the court. I graciously accept."
The knight nodded, and turned away, retreating to his horse that he had tied up little ways out. William helped guide Ariella back to the party, where the noise and fun resumed once they realised no one was in trouble and there wasn't any danger. Oh, if only they had known.
Clara came running up to her brother and Ariella, jumping excitably as she tried to look at the parcel in the brunette's arms.
"Ooooo! What did the fancy knight give you Ari? Can I see? Can I? Can I?" Ariella laughed at the young girl's antics and nodded.
"I don't see the harm in opening it now."
So she did. She let Clara pull away the string, before unwrapping the paper herself and revealing a beautiful cloak. But there was something curious about it. There seemed to be a gentle glow emitting from the fabric. And Ariella felt a strange pull. As if the cloak wanted her to touch it. She reached out her hand.
BOOM!
The explosion erupted from Ariella herself. It knocked her to the ground, and a warm feeling filled her body. She opened her eyes slowly, confused. What had happened? Her vision was blurred and her ears were ringing, but internally she felt electrified. As though she'd been struck by lightning, but in a good way.
But as her vision cleared, all she could do was scream. Surrounding her were bodies. William... Clara... her father... everyone who had been within range of the explosion lay there now. Their bodies were contorted and their skin burnt and blistered. The tears poured down her face as she sobbed, not understanding what was happening.
She took a moment to look up from the corpses and was even more confused. Everyone else was just... standing there.
"What are you all doing? Please! Help them!" She called to the villagers, but they didn't seem to respond. They just stood, eyes glazed over. They didn't seem to be... seeing. Simply staring. Mouths agape. She stood from where she was crouched and ran.
"Sir Knight!" She shouted. "Sir Knight! Please! I need help! Something has happene- Sir Knight?" She had found the O'khasis knight. He was mounted to his horse, but both the horse and he seemed to be in the same state as everyone at her home.
"I don't... I don't understand..." Ariella sobbed, making her way back to the demolished rubble of what used to be her home. She approached her mother, still crying. She shook her, snapped her fingers, and even slapped her in the face. But nothing would wake her mother.
Minutes turned to hours. Hours turned into days. And days turned into weeks. Ariella's confusion grew with every day. She found that when she slept, whatever had happened to her village seemed to wear off, and she'd be shaken awake by its citizens. But... they weren't acting like themselves. They wouldn't eat; they wouldn't drink; they wouldn't even sleep. All they wanted was to listen to her voice.
When Ariella realised that it was, indeed, her voice that was causing this, she tried to refuse. But they begged, bartered, threatened. Anything to hear her voice and enter back into the dream-like trance they had been in. It was only when her own mother pulled out a knife and threatened to slit her own throat unless she was put back into the trance, did Ariella gave in.
And those around her became weaker and weaker, their bodies deteriorating from dehydration, malnutrition, or just exhaustion, Ariella felt herself growing stronger. It sickened her. She was killing these people. And even worse, she was stealing their strength. But she was scared. She was confused. She didn't know how to make it stop, or how to get everyone back to normal.
And that was how she was found a week later. Surrounded by the bodies of those she had once called friends... family. She heard the rustling of the bushes, then the sound of voices. A group of Shadow Knights sent to scout ahead. They stepped back in surprise at the sight they had found.
"Please... help me..." She whispered, her voice hoarse from crying. But as they came to a standstill and she watched their eyes glaze over in that familiar, doll-like way, she let out a final scream to the heavens.
Then, her vision was overwhelmed by darkness.
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"When I woke up, I was here, in the Nether. And I was a Shadow Knight." Ariella finished writing. She had transitioned to her notebook early in her story so as to avoid repeating anything that Laurence struggled to translate from her lips.
"That's... wow..." He didn't know what to say, but he knew what to do as he saw the signs of small tears in the corners of her eyes. "Come here." He brought her into his embrace, and she buried her face into his chest, emotionally exhausted from reliving the experience in her head.
"You don't have to answer... but... couldn't you use that ability to escape?" She shook her head against his chest and pulled away so he could see her response. She tried not to feel too disappointed at the sudden lack of touch.
"Vylad. He sent those Knights ahead. He saw what was happening, but he was too far to hear my voice and be affected. When I passed out, he used magicks on me. It sealed away my voice. I couldn't talk even if I wanted to, see." She attempted to make an 'ahh' sound, but all that came out was her breath.
"I see. So you never got the chance to learn how to control it, huh? They essentially just put your abilities on a shelf out of your reach and are ignoring that they're there."
Ariella nodded, giving a small huff of laughter at the mental image of herself trying to reach something from a very high shelf.
"I'd rather live like this for the rest of my life than hurt anyone else. If I give in, they'll teach me. And I'll be so consumed by my anger I won't even think of betraying them. And then how many die?" She rested her head against Laurence's shoulder, and his hand reached up, stroking her hair in a comforting manner.
"Well, if it's worth anything, I'd happily be killed by a beauty like you."
She jokingly whacked him in his chest.
"Calm it, Cassanova!"
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ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜᴇᴅ: 30.10.2023
ᴇᴅɪᴛᴇᴅ: 01.11.2023
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