Chapter 1

Aryia
Myamuset the 23^rd of Vey, Year 1812 BN. Dusk

Fading

  All of Eden shook as the deities Lucifer and Geodea stood face to face in titan form at last. I looked down at my hands, but something was off. They were adult-sized hands, covered in blood of red, silver, and gold. The titan form of Geodea stood at a staggering 160-foot height, towering over our armies. Her glistening skin was speckled with flecks of gold. She had eyes that glowed a bright white, obscured only by her yellow hair as it flowed wildly in the winds of war. Lucifer on the other hand looked to be at least 20 feet taller and his complexion was as red as the blood that flowed through a mortal’s veins. Two types of rigid horns grew from his head, one was curled slightly and protruded from his forehead, and the other grew out from his temples and curled like that of a ram.
 “I cannot let them do this!” I screamed out loud, the depth of my tone shocking me slightly. I glanced around to get a better idea of what in Sons name was going on. It felt as if time was in a slowed state as the two gods prepared to fire off blasts of concentrated Tari at one another. Waves of magical power collected at each of their hands, ready to be fired off in a massive display of power. It was like I was only a spectator in this event watching on from afar, and yet here I was right in the middle of it. Below me was hot sand and shrapnel from the surrounding battles still taking place all around me. What do I do? How do I make this stop? How can I save them? I thought to myself as the power in the god’s hands had collected enough energy to manifest visibly. Trails of red fire and darkness fumed from Lucifer’s palms as in opposition, Geodeas hands began to glow with light. If I am in a desert then I am likely in Freys Oasis, right? That is the only desert that I know of. I tried to rationalize as a man around 50 paces in front of me screamed out in terror, realizing that he would not be out running this massive explosion.
 “No, leave him!” I heard another man shout through the sounds of swords clashing. Turning my head to take a look at the man who yelled at me, my body began to move forward without my consent. The brief peek I got at the shouting man revealed grey scales climbing down to his cheeks, horns, and draconic features. A Dragonkin? I wondered to myself as I adjusted my view to what lie ahead of me. I was fully aware that if that blast hit me it could obliterate me, but something deep within urged me forward, compelling me to fight this eternally uphill battle.
 “Please! I promised I would never let you burn!” The man screamed again from behind me as I bolted in the direction of the titans. Lucifer reared his head back to let out a sadistic laugh as he fired off a shot of dark energy in Geodeas direction. She scowled and released her shot of light as a response. Desperately I sped forward, knowing full well the warrior I wished to save was right between them. I blinked hard and burst forward faster than humanly possible, wrapping my arm around the man I hoped to rescue. Unfortunately, The moment I touched him both blasts struck us. Two massive amounts of energy comprised of opposing forces. The warrior began to scream out in pain, as did I. It burned into my very soul, forcing my aura forward to resonate or be consumed. My eyes opened and I couldn’t help but watch it all from the center as if my comrade and I were in the eye of the storm. The explosion was so large that it visibly broke outside of our atmosphere, as well as burrowing deep into Eden’s crust. The desert’s red sands melted into glass and shockwaves from the initial impact bulldozed through the battlefield, cutting down anyone and anything in its path. A chorus of screams rang through Eden’s skies as those who weren’t disintegrated by the initial explosion watched a cloud of superheated ash wave out from the epicenter of the point of impact. Everyone who was left began to run from the path of elimination, which I could tell by looking at it was traveling close to 500kph. I knew as well as they did that there was no way they could outrun it, no matter their methods. Looking at my brother in arms, my expression turned to one of terror as his flesh begin to peel from his muscle.
 “Bernard!” Was the last thing I was able to choke out as my flesh began to tear off of me as well. It was excruciating enough to pull my focus toward nothing but the pain, but for some reason, it wouldn’t end. Opening my eyes wide, I looked down at my hands only to see that though the flesh was burning off of my body, it was also somehow repairing itself. This was an endless cycle of suffering that seemed to be increasing in intensity, a perpetual pain gnawing at my sanity…
The goddess looked down at me and whispered, her voice carrying into my ears.
  “It will always end the same!” she hissed through her teeth as I clenched my fists, basking in the one emotion that I had resisted allowing myself to feel for my entire life… Hatred. I screamed in absolute rage as I felt myself completely engulfed by flames.
  I arose from my bed covered in sweat. My body was very warm. I could tell by pressing my wrist to my forehead, but somehow I felt as if I were freezing. I sat there shivering in silence trying to figure out if I had screamed out loud, or if it was only in my night terror.
  “Ariya? My Little Bird? Is everything all right?” I heard my mother’s voice, ripe with concern from outside my bed chambers. Well, that answered my question. She burst into the room and was at my side in less than a minute. She leaned in and kissed my brow, then slipped into bed beside me. “Oh! You are a little warm my girl.” Her long red curls tickled across my shoulder as she pulled the hide blankets up to my chin. Her eyes, which were so deep brown that they appeared to be more black than anything, were filled with worry as she slowed my shivering down with care. “Was it the same one?” She asked. Her voice was flat, yet lined with compassion.
 “Yes, Momma… The same every time. You said the special medicine would make the bad dreams stop.” I pouted, my tone barely above a whisper as my breathing finally slowed to a normal pace. I suffered night terrors like this regularly. Many priests and priestesses had tried to heal me of them but to no avail. Mother had been trying as well and she was one of the most gifted of priestesses, so my worries about it had been growing like a weed... Momma’s eyes filled with sadness at my statement. She snuggled closer and began stroking my head gently with her hand.
  “I know, Little bird. I promise we will fix this for you, but for right now you need some sleep. It has been three moons since your last good rest. Please hush. I am here, and we will discuss this more in the morning.” As she spoke, a calming feeling washed over me and I started to feel like perhaps I could sleep for a little longer, even though I was afraid the dream might start again and I would be forced to endure it once more. I cuddled into Momma’s body for warmth and closed my eyes, trying to push away the image of all those people burning up before me.

                           Myamuset the 24^th of Vey, Year 1812 BN. Dawn

  I awoke early enough to hear the birds begin their morning songs. Immediately I leaped from my bed and dressed for the day in a medium-length, white temple dress. The dress ran down to my knees and had the insignia of our star, Son, embroidered into its chest in beads of gold and red. I ran as fast as I could through the feast room, grabbing a Fen bread stick off the table and jumping out the kitchen window. I had a mission. I knew he would be back today! I sprinted through the courtyard filled with a collection of Birthams rarest flowers, and down two different temple halls before instinct kicked in and I dove into the smallest space which I could fit. Sweat masked my expressionless face. My mind was elsewhere, focusing on the hunt and the fact that for the first time in many moons I was the prey. I hid in a small corridor near the outer halls of the temple in a corner between a large limestone column, and a carelessly painted ceramic vase filled with vines. Given the circumstances, my size helped. Though I had been alive for seven cycles, I was still a lot smaller than the other children.
A sudden presence entered the room, so I lowered myself to the cold stone floor and peeked out slowly, drinking in as much of my surroundings as I possibly could before retreating behind the vase. In the brief time I had to peek around the vase, I noticed a silhouette near the far end of the hall. Crouching down while using the large Ivea plant growing from the vase as cover, I redistributed my weight and readied myself for combat. As silent footsteps slowly drew near I realized that I was breathing heavily. Exhaling slowly, I balled my hands into fists, braced myself, and waited for the moment of truth. A small leaf from the Ivea vines to my right swayed gently like a ripple in the wind and on that cue, I lunged out of the corner full force. A large, scarred hand grabbed me by the shoulder and an effortless tap completely redirected my swing.
  “Got you!” He said, laughing as the momentum from my redirected punch toppled me over and my bread stick went flying from my hands.
  “That is not fair, Aoul! How did you know where I was? I did everything exactly as you taught me.” I whined, frowning at him as he scooped me up into his arms.
  “Do not worry, Little Bird. You are a natural! And I am sure the birds enjoyed your magnificent offering.” He said with a smile, gesturing towards a small flock of birds already working on my fallen breakfast. I reached out toward it in dismay as he hugged me close for a moment and whispered, “The witch told me so.” My eyes widened in awe as I realized what he was implying.
  “You met a witch?! What was it like? Are the stories true? Can they really-.”
  “Not it, Little bird. She.” He said, cutting me off. “Yes, I met her in a small village to the north. I was to be stationed in Calioul with the rest of my brothers, but I had to pass through this village on my way there.”
  “Well, can I-.” I tried to say as he put his finger to my lips in a "hush" motion.
  “No. I will tell you all about it, but only if you finish your training for the day. Is that acceptable, or must I take my story elsewhere?” Aoul replied, running his hand through the front of his long black hair. He stopped near the base and adjusted his low ponytail, which was sectioned off by several embroidered ties that displayed his rank as a warrior. His rectangular-shaped face was covered in scars from his early years, the kind of scars that taught him to hone his talent in battle. Raising his bushy eyebrows, his amber eyes focused on me.
Without a word, I hopped out of his arms and turned to face him eagerly. Putting my fists up to block my face while hopping quickly from side to side to increase my maneuverability. He grinned and put his big hands up, palms flat facing me.
  “Left!” He shouted, pushing his right palm forward. I struck his hand twice with my left before he pulled his hand back and started to extend his other palm toward me without a word. I struck his hand, this time thrice. Then, I quickly pulled my arm back in to cover my head as he moved toward me.
  “Good, you are getting much faster! You are even starting to predict my strikes and follow my movements.” By this point his grin was huge, I could tell he took pride in how quickly I was learning. We had only been sparring for five months. Well, between his assignments and travels, and my studies. I was so happy when he first told me he would start training me that my heart practically leaped from my chest. All the children at the learning house were envious that I was to be trained by one of the greatest Jaguar warriors our village had to offer. My big brother.
I watched as his eyes moved down to my feet, analyzing my footwork to match my pace. He started to hop around as well, shifting to an offensive stance.
  “Strike!” He shouted, throwing his fist forward. I quickly dodged, just barely sidestepping his shot. “Good, now again. Strike!” He shouted again, this time throwing his other fist forward. I ducked to the left and pivoted forward. I struck toward his heart, and he easily redirected my strike and swung for my head. After ducking his shot too quickly, I felt myself tipping to my left so I took advantage of my momentum and opted for a sweep kick. He stepped back to avoid my kick, laughing the whole time. As I regained my footing, I glanced up to see him rushing toward me. Having no idea how to counter that, I leaped up and attempted to kick at him with both of my feet, but he just scooped me out of the air and tossed me over his shoulder.
“Yes, yes!” He shouted, hugging me tightly to his chest before placing me back on the ground. “I am proud of you Little Bird! You are resourceful! You have learned to think on your feet, and now I no longer have to tell you how to counter me!” A warm feeling rushed over me as the excitement in his voice proved I was truly improving, and he wasn’t just saying this to make me feel better about myself.
  “You truly mean it?” I replied, hoping for more pointers.
  “Of course I do! Remember, Little Bird, a brother must never lie. Especially to his adorable little sister.” As he replied my face turned bright red.
  “I am not!!” I shouted, only succeeding in making him laugh harder.
  “You may not admit it but yes, yes you are. You and your cute fair face. You lucked out with mother’s wild red hair, and let us not forget your obnoxious attitude.” He said, messing up my hair with his hand. I gasped.
  “How rude!” I yelled out in annoyance, noticing his demeanor change from playful to serious in the blink of an eye.
  “Mirror me.” He stated, quickly stepping back and then crisscrossing his steps as he made his way down the corridor. I jumped at this opportunity and joined him. Standing directly across from him, I mimicked his movements. Careful to match my steps to his. He was moving quickly, but rather gracefully at the same time. I could match his pace, but I was struggling to match his finesse. Years of enduring merciless training had honed his skill to a level I could not seem to achieve. This continued for the next ten minutes. We moved in unison until I took a quick step to the right as he did, but failed to notice a small curb leading towards the exit of the temple as I crisscrossed my legs. I tripped and flew off my feet and into the vase I had previously mentioned, knocking it over. The Ivea plant and all the dirt from within the vase covered me from head to toe, but somehow the vase was still intact and most of the Ivea vines continued their climb to the top of the wall.
Laughter erupted and echoed throughout the halls as my brother keeled over, grasping at his sides. I shook some of the dirt off my head and then joined in on the laughter, attempting to dust the rest of myself off.
  “What is the point in teaching her this?” Hultra stated. I hadn’t noticed Hultra arrive. She was standing at the entrance of the corridor, leaning against the wall. Her fingers twirled the sleek, black hair that she inherited from fathers side of the family. The body language that her long slender form was giving off gave me the impression that she wasn’t impressed, and her beautifully featured face was tainted by a scowl, as usual.
“It is as useless teaching her combat training as it is for mother, our priestess to know how to fight. It is a pacifist’s job. Right, Ariya? You still wish to be a temple priestess, do you not? Why in the name of the gods would you need to know this?”
  “To protect myself and my kin.” I replied, picking up the vase and trying to place the base of the Ivea plant back into its home. It looked pretty damaged, but it was still able to stand so I scooped up as much dirt from the ground as I could with my little hands and patted it back down onto the roots of the plant. Good enough. I thought to myself.
  “Ha! What could you do that any of us could not do better? Huh, Squirt?” Hultra asked, amused at her response to my statement.
  “Well, she can fight. She can scale a building before you could blink, she can sing, and best of all she is capable of something you could not begin to comprehend.” He bragged the whole time while patting me on the head like I was some sort of pet he was proud of.
  “Yeah, and what would that be?” She growled, glaring at him in annoyance.
  “She knows how to be nice to people.” He replied laughing off her glare.
  “Whatever, I am done with you Altaoul!” She said, pushing herself off the wall and stomping toward the courtyard. He slowly turned to face me, the smile he wore stating that he was rather pleased with himself.
  “Do not worry about her, Little Bird. She simply has a problem with everything.” He said, noticing that my posture had changed from confident, to hanging my head low and kicking at the dirt.
  “Umm, Aoul?...” I said pausing briefly. “Are you still going to tell me how your mission went?”
  “Ah, yes! That is right! Well, then let me tell you.” He said, turning and walking to the end of the corridor toward the courtyard. I skipped along behind him, excited to hear his story. When we got to the courtyard, he sat down on a small stone ridge which bordered a lengthy line of beautiful flowers that some maidens were tending with care. He gave them a short glance and they gasped and jumped to collect their things, giggling and disappearing through one of the four archways leading away from the courtyard a moment later. When he had finished shifting around to get comfortable, he grabbed me and propped me up on his knee.
  “When I went to the elders to check up on the status of fathers trip I was assigned to Calioul to try and learn the reason we have received no word from them as to why their traders stopped coming to town. The walk there would take seven sonsets. My brothers and I walked for five sonsets before we came across a small village. The other warriors were all tired from our travels as we had decided beforehand not to stop for a break, but seeing as we had come across a village I did not see any harm in stopping for a good night’s rest. Weary from all the walking, my men immediately started seeking out a tavern, but a woman appeared in the middle of the road. The road, which had been empty just a moment before. We all froze in our tracks. Despite their rush to warm beds and mugs of mead, not one of my men would accompany me to speak with the strange woman. They simply stood there, petrified. She wore the pelt of a jaguar so large that the gods must have breathed life into it themselves. It hung off her small figure from her shoulders down to the ground, trailing behind her as she walked. The entire time she spoke, most of her face was hidden by its head as her hood.” He paused for a moment as if reliving his strange encounter with each word he spoke. I nudged him gently in the chest and he continued speaking as if he had never stopped.
  “Underneath the pelt, robes of black silk and eyes red as fire were all I could make out in the pale moonlight. I approached her alone, and with each step I took toward her I could feel how intense her aura was. She must have been a gods-worthy hunter. Her energy was like nothing I have ever felt.” I tried to imagine this as he spoke, but I could not possibly guess how he must have felt. He and his warriors feared nothing, so for the rest of his brothers to avoid confronting her with him must have made her strength truly respectable. Gazing up into his eyes, I could tell he was worried.
  “I stopped two steps away from her, and she beckoned me closer. I took one step closer, and she took one step toward me, closing the distance between us so she could whisper into my ear.
She told me that when we arrived in Calioul the city would be silent-, and that Apollyon thirsted for the blood of my ancestors... Our family.” He said as his head quickly snapped back to look me in the eye. “Before I dare say any more, swear secrecy.”
  “But I-.”
  “Swear it…” He said slowly in a low unnerving tone, sending shivers up my spine.
  “Swear on your right to be a temple priestess.”
  “Why?!” I said, feeling a sudden knot pull tight in my chest.
  “Because I know how important it is to you to be a priestess like Mother.” He replied, staring with such intensity that it felt as if he were looking right through me.
  “Very well… I swear.” I said reluctantly. He turned his head and stared into the distance once more, continuing his story.
  “After speaking with me she stepped off the road and turned to face me, nodding her head in the direction of Calioul. I turned and signaled to my brethren to follow me. They were still hesitant but followed my orders as they always have. As each of them passed, her gaze steadily followed them. As if she were looking for something specific, so I waited and allowed each of them to pass me as well. To watch their backs. As the last man passed her gaze met mine, and she lifted her head just enough so I could see her lips curl into a smile as she stepped back into the darkness of the treeline. I waited a moment longer to make sure she was gone, and then I ran to the front of our pack to lead us to Calioul. The entire time we walked, I never spoke a word of what the witch had foreseen, and they never asked. The rest of my brothers voted and they all wished to continue to Calioul without resting in the village, fearing that the witch was a bad omen. Sure enough, when we reached Calioul the whole city lay dormant… Abandoned… Not a soul to be seen anywhere, and we searched the entire city…”
  “What? No bodies? Blood-.” I asked in concern as he shook his head and continued his story.
  “No, there was nothing… No sign of struggle, and no sign of travel either. Everything was still there in its place, the armory full, rotting food lining dinner tables. We searched the city for two full son cycles, and still, we found nothing.” His eyes shifted around nervously as if to make sure no one else was around.
  “And that is not even the strangest part. On our way home from Calioul we took the same path, as I was hoping to meet with the witch again so I could ask her of Caliouls fate…” He said, tensing his body.
  “And?”
  “She was not there… Nothing was there… No witch, no villagers, no village…” He stated calmly. We both sat there in silence for a while contemplating how this could be possible.
  “You are sure?” I asked, scratching my head. “You took the exact same path home as you did to Calioul?”
  “Same route, yes. Calioul was a ghost town, and the small village and witch... Gone… If not for all my warriors claiming that they had seen it as well, I would honestly believe that I had gone mad. I am beginning to believe that she may not have ever been there in the first place.”
  “But the other warriors saw her as well!” I stated, hoping to put my brother’s mind at ease.
  “Yes, my brothers saw her as well, but not one of us ever made physical contact. For all we know it was all an apparition, or perhaps a vision of sorts. Garendahl, my second in command thinks she may have been a Forsaken.” He nodded as if trying to reassure himself that his experience was normal.
  “What about a sign from our ancestors?” I asked, his eyes widening in response.
  “By the gods, I had never even thought of-.”
  “Altaoul! What blasphemous tales are you telling your kid sister?”
  “Mother! My apologies, I was just explaining what it means to be a seasoned warrior in our tribe, and why only the greatest of hunters can bear the name Jaguar and earn the right to hunt with Khomb.” Aoul replied, fidgeting nervously. Despite his calm and collected tone, his body language showed a guilty resolve. Mother stared him in the eye, fully assessing him as she always does. And as usual, she knew better.
  “You will meet me at dusk by the statue in the temple gardens. You will discuss no more of this with anyone until we have spoken, understand?” She said, her eyes still fixed on his.
  “Understood, Mother.” And with that, he lifted me off his knee, nodded respectfully at Momma, and was on his way down the corridor as quickly as he could move in a nonchalant manner. I had not noticed before a moment ago, but something about him was seriously off.
  “Momma… His aura… Why has it changed so much in such a short amount of time?” I asked, gazing up at her. She was still watching Altaoul as he made his way toward the temple’s training grounds. Her long red hair which usually hung all the way down to her thighs, was pulled into a single large braid and tossed over her shoulder in front of her breast. She was fidgeting with the braid as she turned and looked at me. A smile painted itself across her face and her expression softened as she kneeled to speak to me. Her beautiful features looked as if the world’s greatest artist had sculpted them. The finishing touch to compliment her porcelain complexion was her apple-red lips. This is where Hultra got her good looks from, and it is something I have always been envious of her for.
  “Do you remember, Little Bird, what I taught you about auras? What are they? She asked, pulling me back to reality.
  “Uhm, an aura is a field of subtle energies that surrounds either a person, animal, or object.” I replied after a moment of thought.
  “Very good, however, that is not the only correct definition.” She said, hoisting me onto her back and making her way toward the temple. Mother was extraordinarily strong, so lifting me was easy for her. Once she even lifted me over her head with one hand! Before becoming a priestess she was a Jaguar warrior. Kind of like what Aoul is now, but much higher in the ranks. She went all over the world fighting battles and saving people from bad guys before she met our father and decided that she wanted a small family, and a peaceful life in our most sacred village as a priestess. Usually, that would not have been possible seeing as all priestesses had to be pure and remain chaste, but because of how powerful she was and the fact that she had received Son’s blessing, the Techtortons accepted her as their most cherished priestess. Now everyone in town comes to be healed, or to pray with her. That is why I work so hard to be just like her. She is one of the most respected people in the entire town.
I blinked myself out of my thoughts in time to notice that she was looking at me expectantly, awaiting the answer to her previous question.
  “Huh? Oh, a physical manifestation of a beings projected energy- or life force?” I replied. She nodded slightly as we turned a corner and entered the main halls. “But Momma, Aouls aura is gray and pulsating. What does that mean?” I asked, concerned about my newfound epiphany.
  “It means his existence is fading…”