CHAPTER 1: Decision

“Monsters!”

“Murderer!”

“She must be banished!”

        I heard the crowd screaming from afar, yet loud enough for me to hear. I saw nothing but darkness, yet their voices echo inside my head. Their screams have gone louder as it repeats. My head is in pain as if any time from now, it will explode. I open my eyes, and I saw a familiar abode.

The slate grey colored walls, pure white granite floor, midnight black doors. Everything is in the same position as it was before. It is our home we used to live in for years. Our home 7 years ago.

“Please.” A voice of a young girl pleads but it seems no use. I roam my gaze around the room and I saw a little girl sobbing while sitting at the corner of the room. She has straight golden long hair matching to her pale white skin. She's wearing a simple white dress with spots of red. I can't see her face because she's leaning towards her knees. Yet, I know who she is. And I know that these red dots on her dress are not just a design. Those are blood.

“I didn't mean to. Please.” She said pleadingly, but the voices went louder. They’re coming.

“Monsters!” The people repeatedly said in the chorus. The little girl a while ago turn up her head and there a saw her face. She has deep blue eyes and blood-red lips. Her glare can make a lion turn into a scaredy-cat. Her mere presence is enough to shut anyone's mouth.

I look into her emotionless eyes and there is nothing. Her tears dry up. Her emotions are gone. But the pain and hatred remain.

“I SAID STOP!” She exclaims. Her voice echoes in the four corners of the room. I felt the walls shook and cracked a bit. While the floors shook for a moment.

Suddenly, a teenage young man opens the door of the room. He has red hair that looks like fire and a pair of jet-black eyes. Next to him, I saw a girl younger than him. She has grayish hair and a pair of icy blue eyes, matching her cold stare. It’s his younger sister, perhaps.

He walks toward the little girl without any hesitation and the younger one follows. “Hira,” He said while wiping the tears of the little girl by his thumb.

“We need to leave this place.” He said in a gentle tone while caressing her cheeks. Hira didn't bother to answer him. Instead, she just stood up and give a little nod.

As of cue, the young man gestures his hands, and the younger sister follows them going outside. But they have not yet gone far when the crowd saw them.

They run into the woods as fast as they could. But not too soon, they were cornered. They were all panting but seems like they would have some fight.

“People like you have no right to live in the world! Monsters!” A man shouted. The crowd became louder and the others form as if they are preparing to attack.

The two immediately cover Hira. Out of their power, they made their special weapons. They may not still grasp their whole power, yet they should, for they have someone to protect. The young man made a flaming saber sword, while his sister materialized a halberd made of ice.

People attacked in one blow but the two still manage to dodge the attacks. They’re fight went smooth, not until someone attacks from above.

They did not expect anyone to come from above the tree. He thrusts his dagger into the young man's shoulder and the other touched the woman's arm.

“Arghhhhh…” The young man screams in agony. The dagger used by the man is no ordinary. It has poison in it that made the young man squirm in pain. His rich blood is flowing out of his wound.

Hira gasp with her eyes wide open as she saw her older brother's blood. Pain and hatred immediately aroused in her system, disregarding her fear awhile ago on what may happen next.

Her deep blue eyes turn blood red. The whistling wind blew making her golden crowning glory turn into midnight black hair that flows along with the whistling wind.

“Arghhhhh!” The people around her scream in too much pain. The kind of pain that is like their power was draining out of their body. Bit by bit, they are getting drained to a point that their weapons vanished into thin air.

The girl standing in front of them this time is different from the young girl they want to kill earlier. From being weak and fragile, she turned into a monster that anyone should be afraid of. Even her siblings, themselves.

Hira looks at the attacker directly into his eyes. Fear is evident in his eyes. His hands were trembling in fear. With that, Hira smirks at him that sent shivers to his spine.

“Die,” Hira whispers into the air.

In an instant, everyone around her, aside from her siblings, are now gasping for air as if they were strangled to death. Soon, they start coughing blood and fell to the cold ground. Lifeless.

“Hira,” Her older sister said even if when is also gasping for air. Hira turned to her and only then realized what she had done. The expression softened in her eyes and a tear rolls down her pale white cheeks.

Her eyes returned to deep blue and her hair turned to gold again. She looked around and saw the lifeless men lying on the ground.

“It's my fault. I killed them! I'm a monster!”

She said repeatedly. Blaming herself while crying over and over. The young man held her hand even though he seemed to be twisting his flesh in extreme pain.

"It's not your fault, Hira. It will never be." He said and plastered a weak smile on his thin lips. And gradually closed his eyes. She shook her head. “No, I’m a monster. And it's all my fault.”

Everything got worsen because of Hira. And the worst part is, I am Hira.

******

“It's all my fault!” I scream from the top of my lungs while gasping for air. I woke up and immediately roam my eyes around. It was then I realized that I was still in the room. And I am dreaming about it again.

‘It was just a dream.’ I say in my thought while convincing myself. It has been seven years since then, but it still haunts me every time I sleep.

But I flinch in shock when my door suddenly turned into ashes and, ice immediately covered the doorway. There I saw my siblings panicking.

“Hira, what happens? Why are you screaming?” Alaric, my older brother, asks. He sat down on my bed, and look directly into my eyes. A hint of worry and concern evident in his eyes.

"Maybe, she dreamt about it again," Audra said while leaning against the wall. As always, she’s wearing her signature poker face, yet her care and concern never fail to show.

Alaric sighs because of what she said, and tap the top of my head. “Yes, Al. I just have a bad dream. Other than that, nothing bad happens.”  I said so Alaric would calm down.

But I noticed my sister Audra staring at me. Or rather I say, on my arm, since I'm wearing a white sleeveless nightie.

“Your seal. It’s visible.” My sister said as she looks at my arms. I turn my gaze upon what she’s looking at and there I saw the symbols on my both arms.

A ruby red dragon with merlot lining is visible on my left, which is a symbol of Alaric. While an arctic blue dragon with cerulean lining on the right which came from Audra.

These dragon tattoos on my arms stand are my seal. Because of what happened before, we’ve agreed to put a seal on me since I can barely feel nor use my power.

And also, the reason for my sudden loss of power at an early age is still unknown to this day. It has been 7 years since then, but we still got no answer to the questions in our head.

To make everything short, my power is not stable. And another thing, it's too dangerous. They say, when my eyes turn blood red, I can nullify the power of those around me. And that what happens to them before, according to them.

As an effect of this on me, aside from I won’t be able to use my power, my gold-colored hair turns into cinnamon brown. My intense blue eyes turned to color—

“Blue. Your eyes are blue.” My sister commented. So, I immediately approached the mirror, and there I saw what is she talking about. My eyes are glimmering blue. Deep blue, to be exact.

But, how did that happen? Because of the seal they put on, my eyes should be brown. Why does it return to its original color? Is it getting stronger?

"Maybe it's because of your dream." My older brother said now lying on my bed with his shoes on. Jeez. I wring his neck if my bed gets dirty.

“Sometimes the color of your eyes returns to its original color because of your dreams.” He added as he got up.

"So, change of plans?" My sister said that made me raise my eyebrow. What plan are they talking about?

“No.” Alaric answers. He’s a childish type most of the time but when we talk about plans, he never jokes about that thing. He’s acting as a king, in the first place.

"We're going home, Hira." But I was taken aback when Alaric speaks once again. In just a snap, we are now already inside our library.

All this time I come here to study and read books I want, I did not know that at the end of it there is another room.

“Hira, are you listening?” Alaric asks that made me turn my gaze onto him. We are now walking in an endless hallway.  I can't help it but look around. The ones on display are amazing!

There are lots of sophisticated paintings hanging on the walls. Numerous enchanted books are enclosed with glass cover. And there are even different kinds of a wand by the cabinet! In short, I feel like I'm in a museum.

Mageía Egress is here. This serves as our portal to Mageia, our realm. A place where everyone has power. Literally. But I stopped talking in my thoughts when Alaric hit my nape.

“I instruct you, but then, it seems like you have no plan of listening. Why don't you just go with us so we don't have to worry about you?” He said with his arms crossed over his chest. Honestly, he may look like a mother scolding her child right now. I try my best not to laugh so I just look down.

'I'm listening, Alaric.' I said inside my mind. "Good," He said while smirking at me. Oh, how can I forget that his ability is telepathy?

"As I said before, old maiden Audra and I will leave you here, so behave."

I was about to speak when he was struck by a flying vase. And there is only one I know who can do that.

And that’s none other than Audra. She is an Ice Elementalist, and telekinesis is one of her abilities. So when something floats and flies in your direction, there is only one suspect. And this is none other than her.

“Who's the old maiden, Alaric?” Audra asks while raising her eyebrows. Well, this is our usual scene. Alaric may be the ‘highest’ among us when it comes to hierarchy, but Audra has always been superior over him.

'You. Who else is an old maiden here?’ I heard my older brother say in his mind. This is one of my abilities that I do not know where it came from. I know our family is special maybe we are the Igetes. But, this? Not so sure.

We, or rather I should say they, are in charge of the whole region because we have more than two abilities, and believed to be the strongest among all the families. Also, as far as I know, Audra and Alaric have one element and four abilities each. But for me? Nevermind.

“Audra, help me put Hira inside my bag. She didn't listen anyway.”  The older brother said like a child complaining to his sister. As always, Audra and I just laugh at the way he acts.

We just kept walking down the hallway until we saw a golden door. And I first noticed the doorknob. There are symbols engraved on it.

Μαγεία

That is what is engraved here and it is amazing because it glowed when brother Al touched it. And I was even more amazed when his tattoo on his shoulder also gleams. The tattoo that only the strongest Igetes has. Cool.

But I was surprised when Alaric let go of the door and faced us again. Or more like, to Audra.

“Hey, Audra. Are you sure? Will we leave Hira here? Aren't you going to help me put Hira inside my bag?” Audra just rolls her eyes. Obviously, they do not want to be left here. But I am the one who insists that I want to stay here.

And the reason why I want to stay here is that I want to start anew. I chose to live a normal life from now on. Far from them, far from who I was.

“Alaric Solveig, let her decision be. She’s now 13 years old. Just trust her, okay?” Audra said to convince Alaric. And I didn’t expect my brother to react to what my sister said. He smiles. HE AGREES!

“Okay, then. It’s 2 versus 1, so what more can I do? Just take care of yourself, Hira. We are not by your side so take care of yourself.” Alaric said to me and, without a word, hugs me tight.

I know now that I have missed these two, especially my older brother. Because, obviously, of the two of them, the older brother is clingy and Audra is not showy.

Soon, my sister hugged me too. I don't know but I feel like crying. “Cut your drama, you two. Let's go home." Audra says while… Wiping away tears? That's new.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that. Alaric, open the door. Now.” She commanded while trying to hide her tears. I just smile at them. I’ll surely miss them.

Alaric opened the door once again and the two of them entered inside. They wave goodbye and their image gradually fades. Eventually, the door closed completely.

I hope I did not make the wrong decision.