? ⊙ ? ⊙ ?

  Tick. Tick. Tick.

  The unsettling rhythm of the clock, hung on the far wall above the violet--coloured glass of ravenhail, reverberates throughout my room, as I stare into a pair of anomalies. My eyes. A deep set of red like they have always been. But at this moment they feel like they belong to something else, and I am just a body that's anchoring it. The bloodline of mysts is very well-known for having the most dreadful pair of crimson eyes, among other things. We have a history of greatness, wealth, and cruelty. Even though we try to mask it in front of other faces by polished smile and civil promises, no one dares to even speak ill of us. This may be a very proud thing to say for someone who has not seen the things I have. They conversations I have heard accidentally, the hints I have pieced together to come up to a conclusion at last that this bloodline is indeed full of monsters. And as much as I hate to say it, as much as I like to lie about it, no matter what I do, something in me will always be cruel, greedy, and hungry for power. Impure and spoiled blood could never understand the whims of the common folks....And perhaps the folks could never understand the greed for power of prominent blood.

  My hands crawl up to my back exactly where a dark mark has etched itself into my skin. It seems like a tattoo, but I have never had one. Putting the peices together it's quite clear that the burn I felt on my back during the eclipse is a root to the sigil that has forms into a half eclipse and bleeds into moon and its cycle it is doomed to follow. Even though it is mostly supposed to be surprising and confusing enough to make me go insane about everything that happened, a acceptance has settled into my ribs that this is who I am now. And that this is a part of me and will continue to be until the end. The world is ending and there is nothing left in the hands of humanity to be superior again. To prove themselves again. To rise above all the races of beings on the brink of extinction altogether. And here my life is taking a turn like it might reach somewhere if it were to be so much as faithful enough.

  I turn away from the mirror and to the direction of my desk beside my bed. Something catches my eyes through its predatory gleam, the grey brightness of the dark day entering the room through the glass of ravenhail seems to get absorbed into the shining peice rather than being reflected by it. I slowly tilt my head and walk towards it, my footsteps syncing with the steady cadence of the ancestral clock. As I reach my desk I see the pendant my mother had given me saying that it was from my grandfather hanging on a hook. Rather than admiring its intimidating beauty, I found myself questioning it instead. I don't have any memory of hanging this pendant in here in fact I have no memory of this pendant even being with me after I left my house yesterday. Then how is it here? Is there something I am missing or have forgotten? Whatever the case is, right now directly in front of it, it feels as though it is pulling itself towards me, like it is attracted to me and just wants to be around my neck for its time being existent. Now that I think about it, what kind of stone is it? I have seen and wore many precious stones and rubies before but never have I ever seen something ethereal like this.

  I replay the events of yesterday from starting to end again in my headspace. Trying to connect the dots because it feels like I am missing on a important peice of information in here. But then my gaze falls on my slightly open drawer, and to the peice of paper sticking out slightly from it. I open the drawer so fast it makes a loud thud that echoes and then I pick up the parchment, slightly yellowed like it has been existing throughout centuries. I undo its folds only to reveal a simple sentence written in the handwriting of my grandfather.

  "Don't open the door"

  That's it. That's all it says and it seems to have been written in a hurry. Ink splashed slightly, and the curves and the smoothness of the strokes clearly shows that the sentence was written in stress. Don't open the door. Which door it has forgot to mention. And here I thought things couldn't get messier. What is it supposed to mean? And most importantly...what does it supposed to mean to me? First my grandpa gift me a ominous pendant with no stories of its origins like he used to everytime he told me about something new. And then i die, come back to life, and find myself changed. And then this morning I find out that he has passed away and then I find this letter. These series of events only opens to a numerous possibilities but right now the only thing my mind can focus on is that.....did he know? Did he know something, anything about what's happening? Did he know what was going to happen to me? If so, why didn't he tell me?

  All my thoughts are interrupted by a knocks on my door. "Miss Ariyene? Are you ready? The funeral is about to start, your parents are waiting for you."

  I stare at the note a second longer and then shove it back into the drawer, "tell them that I will be there in a few minutes."

  "As you wish."

  I hear footsteps retreating and I sigh, playing detective can wait. I get dressed in all black, and put my hair up in a bun. But before leaving I take a last look at the pendant hanging there before grabbing it and wearing it around my neck.

  ~☆~

  Cold wind slaps against my skin like it has been personally offended by me as I stand before the graveyard of my late grandfather. The clouds rumbled above. It is going to rain any second, I better get inside before it does. Behind me I hear the voices of two men talking. One my older cousin and the other used to be my grandfather's advisor. He has helped my him take many decisions but I never liked the way he looked at me whenever I came around. A disgusting fucking bastard. So I have ignored going anywhere I saw him. I swear someday I will scratch his eyeballs out.

  "It's truly a miracle that she is still alive and well, don't you find it quite unbelievable, Xane?" The bastard says, as if he has no idea that I can hear him well and clear.

  "Oh well, I find it rather amusing, surely that much is expected from the rightful descendant of mysts, don't you think?"

  The advisor clears his throat but the audacity does not falter. "So, what decision has been taken?"

  "For now, no decision has been made, but we are at least gonna give her some options." Xane says. So this is about me, huh? I am curious to know about what options they think that they can possibly put before me and expect me to the one i try desire and not the one that want me to go for.

  "As the rightful advisor for the mysts bloodline for more than a decade, I see a much higher profit if the decision to be made is to marry her off. It will be beneficial securing up the relations with the other clans in this time of apocalypse." My eyes twitches at his words and I clench my fist tightly.

  Xane doesn't answer his question but just glances at his watch and turns around to leave without another word. I watch him leave and my eyes flickers just briefly to the advisor and l can see him cursing Xane out under his breath. I almost feel bad that xane isn't here to hear his sweet words to get him executed afterwards. Poor missed opportunity.

  The advisor turns towards me slowly and smirks in a way that makes me retreat a step. That middle aged face with that devilish smirk and lustful gaze makes me want to puke and kick him hard enough to ruin his insides at the same time.

  He walks towards me. Is it too late to run? Has Xane gone too far already? The man places a palm atop my shoulders and his smirk turns into a full blown grin. He tilts his head and says, "if i slip into your room tonight, would you scream for help or would you be a good girl and let me do whatever I want to you. I can ruin your life you know? A simple advice is all it takes, my sweet Ariyene. So you better not scream or tell anyone about this, yeah?"

  And then he leaves. And I feel my hands get wet with my own blood that spilled from clenching my fist tightly. I am shaking with fury and anger. I need to calm down, if there's anything I have been taught better than how to keep my mouth shut, its how to control my anger and save it for when it actually matters and has the potential to do something. Ruin my life he said? Oh, he has no idea, what ruining someone's life means.

  Luckily I do.

  "Miss Ariyene?" I slowly turn towards one of the countless maids that work here, "Dinner is about to served and it's getting cold outside, I suggest you get inside."

  "Sure."

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  The maid bows and leaves. And I look up at the sky one last time time before turning away from the grave and making my way Inside.

  Walking through the long hallway to the dining room, there are so many questions I need answers to. What was Xane and that bitch taking about? Something about decisions. That they will put options before me, what kind of options? Whatever it is I just know it's nothing normal or ordinary to be taken at once. This is about something important, and something that is about to change the course of how I have lived until now. I always get a bitter feeling in my ribs when something bad is about to happen and right now, its state is at its max.

  I suddenly stop on my track as I hear footsteps from....the right? My head turns to the direction of the turn to the right of the hallway which leads to the study of my late grandfather. A bunch of men walking with our astral cartographer. It takes me a second look at the group of men to realise that they are the veilborn priests of the religious community, the y'mirians. It is weird though, don't the Y'mirians hate those who don't follow their ways and beliefs and weren't they the one to publicly announce that the mysts are corrupting the underprivileged religions, them also included? Has it come to peace?

  I ignore the observation and keep walking until I reach the dining hall at last finally. Everyone is already seated but at least the food isn't served yet. My eyes lock with my mother's and then my father's and I smile softly, as I take a seat beside them. I look around to see almost all of my relatives chattering and the rest sipping on wine. But there is a enthusiastic kind of tension in each and every one of their bones. Something is definately up. Something is definately going to happen. The maids hurry with the plates and the dinner is to ally served. But I can't eat it yet. The famous line before dinner awaits first.

  My uncle raises the glass, "To another day living without religion and gods and still thriving!" Everybody raise their class of wine but I manage to be subtle. We are what the other calls, "the never-blessed", a name that was given to our bloodline when one of my ancestors turned down the red moon priestess, who had come to him for helping her with her suffering people, diagnosed by an ancient curse that had awakened and were slowly rotting from inside out. However, the news later came that it was no ancient curse but just a highly contagious disease but still the display of such cruelty eventually gifted us the title.

  "As of today, we know the most precious person to our family passed away. We truly grieve in his absence but do we promise to ourselves to always walk in his legacy?" He raise his voice and everybody raises their glasses once more. I do too, although I know that there are all just lies. Lies. And lies. Their eyes have always been towards the inheritance to be left after my grandfather's death. And I wonder if the papers have already been read. Or that is going to be one of the events of tonight, maybe that's why they are all putting up with their best behaviours with their fake smiles. Do these scums really think they have a chance of getting the big deal of the inheritance after everything they have done? Idiots.

  "So what is the important announcement?" Aunt Cassandra, Xane's mother, says. There is supposed to an announcement. It's either going to be about the inheritance or the decision I am supposed to make tonight. Maybe it's both.

  Xane answer instead. His voice carrying itself throughout the entire table. "It's about Ariyene. According to the order of the high council, she is going to attend Ayaerath. But the choice is hers whether she wants to not walk into an eventual death sentence of being a cadet at Ayaerath or she could be the safety of another family after getting married. It is only these two options. These creatures, otherworldly and bloodthirsty are on a brink of ending humanity. So the youths could either choose to restore the population, or fight for it. The choice is yours Ariyene."

  Silence falls throughout the hall and my heart skips a beat and it is suddenly hard to breathe. I fancy none of these options. But yet I can't choose anything beyond them, this is a declared order, and I can't do what I want. As he said, its only these two options. But which one do they want me to choose? I won't be able to choose the one they don't fancy. It has always been this way.

  I look towards my father and my eyes soften. His gaze is full of pain but has a soft smile on his face, as if encouraging me to take my decision, whatever I like and he will defend it no matter what. Since the order was decided by the high council, which my father is also a part of, I know that the decision is the only resort. And considering the state of the world, it is a necessity. If i get married, I will be chained, I will be used, I will be of no worth. My dreams will shatter, my freedom will get buried and I will be nothing more than just a slave. The other bloodlines don't care about basic human respect, they only care about what benefits them and I will be nothing more than just a toy for any of them. And I can't afford that. I can't let everything I have ever been, everything I have built myself into, every drop of tear I have suppressed to get stronger, manifesting the day I can choose for myself.

  My mother's palm comes to rest on my shoulder as she wishperes, "You have survived things no one sitting here can, my love. So never doubt yourself. And don't choose to get married because I know that's not you want and I will never let you lower your worth. You were born a warrior, and it doesn't matter if you are weak or strong. You have something most people lack, which is endurance ..And a strong will."

  Her words hit me straight in the chest and my eyes water briefly. I know that they would always choose to keep me safe. I know that they are screaming internally because they are afraid to let me go. To watch me leave to a place they are not sure I will, ever come back from in one peice. But they also don't want to push me, they don't want me to think that I can't do it. That I can't survive. And I am very grateful for them to have them in my life. I exhale once, and then the words that come out are unlike I have ever heard myself say, "I am not getting married." My voice seems to carry itself like cold wind that stings on your skin.

  Aunt Cassandra smirked, "very well then. Seems like you are not afraid of dying, Ayaerath doesn't do mercy. It weeds out the weaklings like you. Don't say I didn't warn you, later."

  I smile sweetly and tilt my head in mock innocence, "For someone who is closer to death by old age, you sure seem too enthusiastic." I chuckle and continue, " Dont worry my dear aunt, I am sure I will live long enough to find you in a casket before I end up in one."

  Aunt Cassandra's face looks like it will burst any second and the satisfaction that hits me is even more of a dopamine. She grits her teeth, "You insolent-" but the words never make it out of her throat when my mother chimes in, "dont you have somewhere to be, Cassandra?"

  Aunt Cassandra's face is full of fury as she turns towards my mother, but doesn't say anything and leaves, muttering a long streak of profanity. Smart choice. Xane turns towards me. Is he going to scold me? I highly doubt the since I have apparently removed all the filters of my choices of words.

  "Well, Ariyene since you have taken your desicion, we woukd like to introduce to you, Kyard. He will give you a heads up on subjects like lore and the Art of defeating the dark so you aren't wholly lost. These subjects may be new to us, but they have existed in ayaerath for centuries." He gestures to his right and then appears a figure from the shadows. An old man with a long grey beard. He is not human, is he?

  His voice is deep when he speaks, "pleasure to meet you...heiress of the Mysts." I do not register his formal greeting because eyes are fixated on his ears, they are pointy like described of a Fae in folklore.

  "Who the fuck are you?" Bad choice of words. Maybe I really need that filter.

  Kyard eyes widen and he clears his throat, "Quite a first greeting."

  ~☆~

  I walk with Kyard at my side to the hall of raven swan, my room. The silence is awkward and this old man walks without the sounds of footsteps. I am sure if I didn't know any better, I would have thought he is a ghost. His eyes do not even move a bit, not even to admire the gothic and wealthy architecture of the hallways of this estate. Most people get hypnotized by its beauty. But he doesn't seem surprised. Instead he looks like he is familiar to all of this. Like he has been here before.

  He catches me staring and speaks again, "So, you chose to go to Ayaerath. Do you know how to spar?"

  Sparring. Xane has taught me everything I know about fighting and defending. Even the basics of martial arts. I am glad I am not too far behind. "Yes, I do. I know several moves and even how to confuse my opponents."

  "Very well, it is surely going to buy you advantage against the cadets who have never learned how to fight. Although, the children of families who tend to teach their descendants how to fight from a very young age might cause you some problem. But I doubt it will falter you."

  I do not answer to that, maybe because I am too tired to speak now. He continues, "let me introduce to you what Ayaerath actually is." That catches my attention and I turn towards him. " Ayaerath has always existed in the middle of a dimensional fracture. It is a pocket dimension itself but it has immaculate wards."

  "What are....wards?"

  "Wards are a type of invincible protection against the corrupted. Corrupted are those whose threads of consiouness and divinity in a way has gotten destroyed."

  "So basically in a way they are fuckers who are villains or something."

  "I love your language."

  That was a sarcasm. I am surprised this old sag knows how to give sarcasm.

  He continues, "the truth is, the fracture in the middle of which Ayaerath lies is said to have its origins to a similar collapse like this one, but that only managed to leave a simple web of breakage. And then ayaerath was formed in the middle of it. You can't see the buildings this war college unless you pass the wards. Due to this collapse, which cannot be undone now, this realm of mortals got multiple breakage, and therefore also to Ayaerath. Consider your self lucky because otherwise you would have had to travel across realms to get to Ayaerath."

  "Important question, the realms of the fracture before this collapse also had fae realm, right?"

  "Yes, apparently, why do you ask?"

  "Because how else would you know so much about this fracture and stuff."

  He only chuckles and I raise my eyebrow. Did I say something wrong?

  "I know much more than you think I do." His gaze narrows again, "but don't mistake Faes for normal species as you, they can twist your words and make you do anything they want."

  "Are you, too, manipulating me right now?"

  "I am not, and even if I desired to, I couldn't."

  "Why?"

  He turns fully towards me and when he speaks, his tone is grim. "Because the pendant you are wearing around your neck,..is the most strongest charm any being could ever have in their possession.

  ~☆~

  The next day, the advisor is found dead in the hallway. He was stabbed on the throat I heard. Clearly whoever did that was smart enough to not leave any traces of struggle. The stab was clean and brutal. The journal of my late grandfather is also missing, no body knows who took it, but no body really cared about that much.

  I am leaning against the closed door of my room. "If i had a gun, I would have used it instead, but knife did the work too." I mutter to myself at the struggle of last night, as I shove the journal of my grandfather into my bag. My pendant was a charm all along, whatever that means. Kyard told me that it is supposed to keep the corrupted away. So my grandfather really did know something, and I am not going to let the knowledge bury itself. If he didn't bother to tell me, I will find out about it myself.

  ~◇~

  THE GRAND ORDER

  This is to inform every and each citizen of our world. The wars between countries has stopped and conflicts vanished. The world is on the brink of decaying. Therefore, it is ordered that every abled youth turning either sixteen or seventeen this year will present themselves as the cadets of Ayaerath and protect the existence until their last breath.

  -- A justified statement of The High Council.

  ~◇~