"Nova! Nova! Look!"
It was a bright summer day. Birds sang happily between the trees on the northern side of Kokoronashi. Rays of sunlight danced between the leaves of a great expanse of fruit trees that bordered a long warm beach connected to a much cooler ocean.
There was a little girl, no older than eleven, looking out at the sea. Her misty gray eyes constantly swirled as her blank face scared off the light from reaching through the tree under which she stood.
She came here often. Her parents didn't bother with her, too scared by her behavior. Ever since the people of Noelani Isla had harassed the family away from the island Nova became almost an alien being to them. Before, she was simply a cold and strange child. Now, just one look into her eyes would send chills across their bodies.
Time passed and she got older... and scarier. Her parents avoided her, hoping that their misfortune would disappear if she simply left their life.
She didn't wish for life to be like this. She wished for...
"Nova!!!"
A young boy crashed into her side, disrupting her thoughts. He was the last person that still cared for her. Her younger brother, Obai.
Unlike her, the five year old had black hair like everyone else on the island. He smiled and played like all the other children there. He was fed and loved by his parents, like everyone else. He was normal.
But Nova knew what he was. Ever since that day, she knew he was special and that she had to protect him. Her little brother.
The only connection between the two of them in appearance was their mysterious gray eyes, always swirling like mist.
Nova looked away from the sea and down at her brother, a bright white smile sprouting on her now lively face. She reached down and ruffled his hair, laughing at the silly boy.
"Obai! What is it?"
The young boy beamed. "Look!"
Obai held up a tiny white flower.
Nova's eyes widened. "A feylarra? Where'd you find one of these?"
"I was walking dad and it was on side of rock!"
Nova chuckled. She loved hearing Obai talk when he got excited. He always forgot a couple of words. She could always understand him, though.
"Wow! Did he give it to you or did you pick it up?
"I got it! I got it!"
He was practically jumping on her in excitement, like a lost puppy reuniting with its owner.
Nova smiled as she sat her brother down, placing herself next to him against the trunk of the tree.
"Do you know why these flowers are so special?"
"Duh! They mean happiness!"
She giggled as she spoke. "Yes, yes, they mean happiness! But there's more too! A feylarra is meant to symbolize happiness, but it also connects two people together. Whoever you give that flower to will forever be merry and protected as long as the two of you are together."
Obai smiled wider.
"Then I want to give you! You'll be happy if we're together!"
She lifted her hand up to her lips in mock surprise.
"Oh? I'm flattered, Obi, but I'm already plenty happy with you. You can give that to someone else if you'd like."
Obai's smiled dimmed.
"No! You get it!!!"
He threw the flower into her lap, a singular petal breaking off and floating into the dirt. Nova gently lifted it back up.
"Haha... alright alright! I accept it. Thank you so much, Obi."
The two laughed together and rested under the tree. Wind brushed past the leaves; the chirping of birds drifted away in search of food. The light dimmed.
"What were you doing today, Nova?"
Her face fell slightly. "Oh! Well, the sun made the sea look so beautiful... I ended up just watching the waves all day."
"All day?"
Obai slumped and crossed his arms.
"Sounds really boring."
"Ah, sorry for having my own interests." She smiled, moving her hands subtly. "I know you always need some... chaos in your life!"
Her hands shot forward as she began tickling Obai. His body shook and kicked at her as he was dying from laughter. Dirt covered his shirt, and the mud from his shoes smeared onto Nova's dress. But she didn't care.
She wanted one more moment with him.
Time passed, and the clouds completely blocked the sky. The surrounding trees all grew dark, yet it seemed like their own stayed the same.
"Obai... I have to tell you something."
She turned her face away, knowing that following through with her decision would forever change the world. But she had to do it.
Obai looked at her silvery hair with a glow in his eyes.
"I'm going to be leaving tomorrow."
Then the water formed, covering his eyes and making them look wider than what they truly were.
"What?! Why?!"
Nova sighed. "I've got something I have to do. A... journey of sorts."
"Then take me with you!" Obai yelled, standing up in fury.
"I can't take you. Maybe if you were older."
"Why?!"
She sighed again. The questions of a child. They were always curious, yet most were nonsensical.
She turned to face him. A light smile hid her thoughts.
"It's just something I'm meant to do. Don't worry though... I'll come back."
She reached her arms forward, holding him by the shoulders.
Looking at him in the eye, she said, "You're a strong boy, Obai. Stronger than you realize. But sometimes strength isn't enough for this world. I'm searching for what else is needed. And one day, I'll share it with you."
"Take. Me. With you!"
He hit his hand on her shoulder. Why? Why did she need to leave him? He was the only person who cared for her. Why would she run away?
She simply held his tiny warm hands.
"I won't be long. I wouldn't want to lose your protection."
She smiled as she held up the flower for him. As her fingers tightened around the stem, the petals seemed to burn brighter, shining a new light on the dark farm.
"Look. This flower will tell you I'm still out there. You can feel it... can't you?"
It was a simple lie. Nova knew flowers didn't have any special meanings. That didn't make the lie meaningless. She let her soul make the meaning.
Obai's eyes trembled. Tears swelled over his eyes, just seconds away from breaking. He couldn't let her leave.
"I... promise you come back?" His voice grew weak.
She smiled again. Her face glowed like an angel's, and her eyes swirled like a whirlpool.
"You'll barely even remember that I was gone."
The two slowly walked back through the farm. The sky continued to grow darker, but Nova knew the way. Obai knew the way too, but he continued to hold her hand, scared of the moment she'd leave.
"Can you tell me the poem?"
Nova glanced down. Her smile was gone now, replaced by the same face she wore as she stared at the ocean for hours. She kept her voice light, though. For Obai.
"Of course."
The wind brushed against their backs, urging them to hurry home. The trees rustled harsher, as if trying to block Nova's voice. A drop of rain fell on their faces, hoping to chill them to death.
"The blue, like sky river and sea
The green, like grass algea and tree
The yellow, like sand flower and sun
The red, like fruit magma and blood
Life is colorful"
The world whistled and Nova's eyes burned. She learned this poem long ago. She can't even remember when. What had her life been before? She wasn't sure. Surely she had lived longer than ten years.
Obai listened, his hand gripping hers tighter.
"The pink, like gems sunset and meat
The brown, like dirt cocoa and wheat
The black, like coal ravens and stone
The white, like stars daisies and snow"
She gripped his hand back.
"Life is colorful
But God is gray and unknown
Life won't accept the unknown"
– – –
The pain didn't leave him when he woke up.
Obai was slumped over a large hammock connected to the stone walls from all four corners. His bleeding had stopped sometime in his sleep. Next to him was another hammock, stretching from the weight of a bruised and sleeping Bolin.
A candle sat over on a table littered with bandages and medical supplies.
'Won't the bandages burn?'
He sat up as he came back to reality.
'Why'd I remember that day?'
A few seconds passed before an aggressive knock sounded from the door.
Without waiting for a response, the door widened to reveal a single guard. They didn't seem as muscular as the ones from the arena, but they still adorned the devil tattoo on their oily skin. Their dark hair went down to their shoulders, swaying softly as they looked into the room.
The guard quickly eyed the two hammocks and sighed.
"Wake that one up. Lady Merric is waiting."