"You are me, and I am you"
"Ei... Eimira.... Look at me" A female voice called out frantically. "It's all just a nightmare alright?."
"Mama- why was papa not moving?" Eimira asked, tears rolling down her eyes.
A piercing screech rang through the home, which startled both Eimira and her mother.
"C-come..."
She grabbed Eimira by the hand.
They both ran into a room. She opened up a hidden compartment in that room and hid Eimira inside.
"Ei, stay here and do not make a noise!" She whispered.
Eimira trembled. "Mama? What's happening?"
Eimira's mother sobbed. "Please do not make a sound"
The sound of heavy footsteps approached.
Eimira's mom removed a hairpin she had been wearing and clipped it on Eimira's hair.
In tears. "I love you Ei. Vera'zsa ba thr(In another life)"
She shut the door to the compartment.
"Mama..."
Eimira peeped through the little hole on the door and saw her mother trying to fight.
A grotesque looking figure walked in. Without even giving Eimira's mom a chance. The figure lunged. Impaling her through the stomach, and pining her against the wall.
Eimira was about to scream but something forced her hands over her mouth.
The sound of her mother's groans and the figure laughing, made Eimira scream out more.
At that moment. Her right eye glowed blue and her left eye glowed green.
The figure noticed this and lunged towards Eimira. But one scream from Eimira levelled the entire house.
It started raining ice spikes. The wind became violent, cutting through the hordes of veils.
Eimira had awakened.
Eimira, eyes still glowing, took a look at her mother's lifeless body still convulsing.
Eimira knelt in front of her. "Why does this have to happen mother?"
She moved closer. "Mother, why aren't you responding."
Her cries grew.
Moments later, Eimira passed out from exhaustion.
----
My eyes opened slowly to the ticking of the clock.
Tick. Tock.
I sat up and placed my palm over my face.
"Mama..." I cried out, softly.
My entire life was nothing short of a miracle. My mom's carriage was ambushed by bandits when she was pregnant with me. But just because she was pregnant doesn't mean she was an easy target.
I was born into a noble family of five children, myself and four other siblings all of which are now dead. I was my father's favourite, and my siblings were a bit jealous, but they still loved me.
I remembered the times I always told them about the beautiful dragon lady I always see in my dream. They all laughed it off as a normal child's dream.
But—
What she always told me… came to pass.
"Your time of awakening will be painful. Please bear with it for it is your fate, and there's no stopping fate." (Italics.)
Something like that.
All my siblings awakened early, at the age of three but I never did, which made my parents and siblings worry but I always reassured all of them that I would, since the dragon lady told me.
"What was her name again?" I thought.
"Ny-seria." I said. "The dragon of Nymirel, graceful and elegant, but the Nyseria I saw as a kid was broken and lost."
I chuckled.
I was so happy about the awakening the dragon lady told me and never focused on the part where she said it was going to be painful.
Well, till it happened of course.
My entire family, slain before my eyes by veils. I was supposed to be next after my mom. But, she saved me.
For a moment I lost total control of my body and could hear a voice in my mind.
"Do not make a noise."
Then suddenly, my body overflowed with blessing.
The awakening was so strong that it wiped out the entire hordes of veils that invaded Nymirel, forcing them to retreat.
I was bestowed the title "Lost Aegis" and not long after, I was made a captain and eventually named my vanguard Lost Aegis. I was terrible at naming at the time.
I was known for one thing.
My cold expression.
Until I met Feona.
----
In a practical training class in the Tarrion Academy. Students were matched against each other to test their individual combat skills and strengths.
There was this bastard I was matched up against. He found out about my family, and used that to bully me.
My head lowered.
"I lost my family to the Nymirel invasion. And you think it's funny?" I whispered. "I'll show you."
In one quick motion, the fight ended.
He went down so hard, he ended up in a coma and had to stay with healers for a long time.
Everyone became terrified of me. But Feona was different. She was the only one who walked up to me.
"Here to bully me too?" I asked.
"No, not at all." She answered. "I just love how you didn't let that fool bring you down."
"Okay..." I replied.
"So what vanguard are you going to join?" She asked.
"None, because I'm a captain of one." I answered.
Her face brightened. "So you're one of those secret captains that were chosen? That's so cool."
My expression softened. "Oh."
"She seems excited. Why?" I thought.
"Oh shoot. I have to leave now." She said, hurriedly leaving.
"Goodbye, I guess." I said.
She suddenly stopped, and turned. "I'll be happy to be a member of your Vanguard, hehe."
Feona left.
I thought it was all just a joke but she kept following me despite my rejections and at some point I just got used to her being around.
We fought battles together, fought against veils, beasts and survived voids in the Dark Forest together.
We became inseparable.
Like siblings.
----
We had just finished with an expedition and were heading back but we had to rest at the Soul Tree before entering the void that leads us back to Terraka
It is considered as the heart of the Dark Forest. No one knows its history, Writers who did were all hunted down and killed, and the rest went into hiding. It is believed that people who die in the Dark Forest find their way to the soul tree and from there they pass on.
As my team and I got closer, we saw someone laying under the tree.
"Isn't that a human?" Someone asked.
Another replied. "It could be a veil"
Everyone began to panic as they heard the word veil.
"Shhh. Feona and I will go check." I said, pulling Feona.
"H- He- Hey! I didn't volunteer for this." She said, trying to resist.
Feona and I got closer and saw that it was a boy about my age.
His light brown skin carried a warmth that made him stand out. And those handsome features… they drew me in from the very first glance. I stared at him quietly, watching the gentle rise and fall of his breathing.
Feona smirked. "Just kiss him at this point."
I backed off. "Oh uh... I was just checking if he was alive."
She rolled her eyes. "Sure."
The boy groaned.
I turned to him.
His eyes opened slowly.
Dark pupils that shimmered crimson whenever the light struck them at a certain angle.
"Beautiful…" I whispered.
He looked at me. "Good to see you again Nyseria."
He smiled, his eyes slowly closing.
"What… did he just call me?"
---
"Why am I remembering all this now?" I asked myself as I got up from the bed.
"I need to meet with Aurivelle today to discuss her weapon options."
Aurivelle's growth was fast. She had just awakened but she got full understanding of her blessings in just a short period of time. She did mention that she had guidance from Late King Aethon, and The Dragon of Terraka,Thereon.
"She did say that she'd be in the library."
After a while I got fully dressed and was about to leave when I sat on the bed again. Thinking about him, and how he's doing.
I sighed. "I miss him."
The way to the library was just a load of stares and gossip from different girls. And it was all just the same thing.
"Why would she do that to our lovely Yunok"
Load of bullshit. Yunok is just full of crap. When Mar'Gareth adopted me, Yunok was my first friend after Xilohe, and since he was around my age at that time, we played a lot. Since Mar was close to the king, we saw and played a lot.
It got to the point that people assumed that I was promised to Yunok as his future wife. And I think that got in his head over the years that saying otherwise makes no sense to him, so I just went with it, but now it's pissing me off.
"I just got out and I'm already tired." I said, picking up my pace.
Aurivelle had asked me to meet up with her in the library. Seems she really loves that place, well she's always been the learning type unlike her two brothers.
Aurivelle is actually the first to awaken a blessing in her family, and as a bearer as well. That's gotta make Zyron happy since he thought his bloodline was defective.
Yunok didn't awaken a blessing and had to receive advance training and treatments to max out his physical abilities. His brother awakened as a writer and was sentenced to death at birth or have his eyes taken.
I got to the library and began my search for Aurivelle. "She shouldn't be hard to find, just need to keep an eye out for reddish-brown hair."
Aurivelle mostly frequented the third floor so I decided to go there first. The third floor was mostly empty, since it concerns history and no one really wants to read that.
As I made my way around I heard two males conversing, one of which was very familiar.
Zandren.
My face lit up.
"Sorry Zan, I'd have to leave now, Wryo just called me. Room crises." Zahir said
"Oh...uh. Ok..."
"Good. Perfect timing Zahir." I whispered.
I stayed behind him, waiting for him to run around.
He did, and our eyes met.
He smiled. "Hey..."
I replied. "H-Hi."