Chapter 1

DAHLIA:

With a sudden golden movement, a dragon arched its great back. Instinctively, I hid behind a tree, avoiding any contact with its eyes. I didn’t know it was a dragon, a big one on top of it. In fact, I never dreamt such creatures existed. Until now, I believed only humans existed… Everything started with a letter, which I still had in my pocket; a note left by someone I never saw and nobody realized he left something for me.

I pressed my hands against my mouth and nose, strangling any sound that may come out; I didn’t want to die, I cherished my life like a treasure and didn’t want to lose it. I confronted my sister Dina because I didn’t want to die. I didn’t have a choice. I know I did something cruel but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t have any choice…

The dragon raised its head and sprang into the sky, wings wide with an unbelievable speed. I curled into a ball, wishing I could be smaller. It was night but I still closed my eyes. Maybe if I don’t peek at all, it won’t notice me. Its red eyes filled me with dread.

I didn’t know if I should surrender to the fear in me or the urge of curiosity that engulfed my half; The dragon was so beautiful, with its black scales and red eyes. Yet, I was still scared. The price to quench my curiosity was no other than death.

When I was a child, my sister Dina used to tell me stories, right before bed. I was fascinated by the creatures she described and the sceneries she elated. For me, they were imaginative stories and I admired her brain for coming up with them. Nonetheless, I never expected them to be real. As I felt the dragon soaring the sky, I opened my eyes gazing at the moon. I was cold; cold with more than the chill of the everlastingly clammy stone walls I used to run between; cold with the prescience of a danger I experience, whispering with terror.

What should I do?

Growing up listening to her stories, I came to believe the world was much more interesting than the walls I used to stay in. however, I never expected my fear of the unknown to come and plug my heart, standing like a tall mountain in my path. I curled into a tight knot of bones after spreading my legs unconsciously from relief, hugging myself ta ease the strain across y tense shoulders. Then, I forced my body to relax, muscle by muscle, joint by joint.

“I will be fine. I am alone but not lonely. I won’t die today. I gained another day.”

I got what I sought for, but at what price? I sacrificed a young boy I found in the woods to take my place. I dreamt of roaming free but I didn’t want to leave the village this way. I didn’t have a choice; If I stayed I would die. My choice made me a villain. I clenched my fists and squinted my eyes. There wasn’t enough light to see anything. I walked a little following the hint of a lantern; it was moving slowly but moving. My heart almost pounced from its place realizing I could finally talk to a human again. It has been a week since I left and my tongue didn’t address a word to anyone. I ran towards it but stopped midway; I held my breath; turned away facing it with my back; and waited for the Lantern Loitering to leave. I breathed a sigh of relief when it got further away from me.

Lantern Loiterings are bad spirits born from regrets; if you faced it, it would swallow your soul turning it into fireflies imprisoned in its lantern. You can’t mess with the dead. I climbed a tall tree and made myself comfortable on a branch. I missed my bed, next to my sister.

A drop of rain startled me; I wasn’t ready for it. My gaze jumped from my hands to the sky; I was fixing the letter intently and now in my pocket. Rain meant water. Water meant I wouldn’t be drinking dirty liquids for a day. I would be healthy and my stomach wouldn’t hurt again. I shuddered from the cold but I didn’t mind for I had clear water again. I jumped down searching for any container, anything to store water. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any but I sat down under the tree and stuck my tongue out, getting as much water as I could, with my hands spread wide.

I gulped down mistakenly swallowing a fly and I didn’t mind, flies could be nourishing for my poor body. After clearing my throat, I noticed small dots in the sky, moving quickly. I was certain it was a fight, with the clashing sounds and the thunderous weather. I got used to it, to everything; lying down on the lush grass and sleeping on thick branches. It was wildlife. Yet, it was the first time I saw two beings fighting in the air. From the silhouettes, one of them was the dragon I met earlier, the other one was different. While the dragon I saw earlier breathed fire, the other one sent lightning.

Each time my sister Dina described a story, it felt like she wanted to tell me things. From her words, I learnt about the outside world. She said humans had it tough outside. Slavery was a normal occurrence and life were cheaper than bread. When nobles needed money sometimes, they would light up flames to huts and rob lands taking everyone weaker than them and killing anyone with the potential to become stronger. I didn’t like those parts and worse, she described everything as if she lived them. She said the world was divided between stronger races, while humans were at the bottom, with land that became smaller with each passing day.

There was a war that sent everyone to their demise. It was over a stone capable of realizing your wildest desires; the gem was stolen by someone believed from the human race, as they didn’t have enough power to protect themselves. It was believed humans had to scheme to have land; the land is known as Dotoria, which no one could take from them.

Now, the gem wasn’t found anywhere and all races were searching for it.

I watched their fight with keen interest as it developed into chaos; the woods caught flames and thunder struck near the place I was in. I was forced to take shelter under a giant tree, I saw a Lingering strolling with a spooky noise. A chill ran down my spine as I focused on holding my breath when it walked closer. I wasn’t stupid enough to hold my breath while it was away. I waited until it came closer to me. Lingering were different from Lantern Loitering, they were spirits that stuck to the living absorbing their life forces.

I was so absorbed in my task that I couldn’t see the lightning coming at me. I lost consciousness in the midst of all this and ended up on the ground.

I woke up feeling pleasant energy penetrating my body, it made me numb, the sensation of burning I had before dissipated I tried to stretch my fingers but I couldn’t; I was too heavy to move a muscle.

“Look! She moved a finger and blinked,” an unknown voice said.

“Just do your work properly. With her burnt skin, I don’t think she can be sold as a sex slave.”

“Too bad! The remaining features of her face would have said she was a beauty… How much can she bring us?”

“I have my own plans for her. There is a mad scientist I know who would be interested in her. She is a fine lab rat.”

“But will you still put her in the auction house?”

“You know how those nobles can be crazy sometimes. Maybe she could catch someone’s eyes.”

I looked around me and saw the Lingering I tried to escape from; it was sharing my shadow, eying me with contempt. It was grey with empty eyes and a shady look, in the form of a small girl seeking something in me, sniffing the air each time a hand examined me. I felt scared, since when it was watching me. My sister Dina said it wasn’t good to have a Lingering on your shoulder, that they brought misfortunes. I closed my eyes again, too heavy and tired.

The despondent shape of my sister’s back appeared in my mind. She is a hero. A sad, weak and unlucky hero. She was trapped in that village, unwilling to leave it. I suggested to her to follow me several times… for us to see the world and learn its secrets. The dark gaze she directed at me and the sad words she told me made me hesitant. “Fate played us as jokes. I don’t want you to understand this place is better than the outside… At least for you, it is. This place must be your peace. Don’t go out and ruin what someone fought hard for.”

Yet, I escaped from that place I called coffin and regretted it, but the fear of dying made me reluctant to return. The ritual wasn’t meant to be an excuse for me to go outside, but I made it possible. I fought for freedom I craved for years and now, with these faces gauging my worth, I truly wished I was in that place, I promised I wouldn’t call it to coffin again but a home. It had to be an excuse for the ritual and the letter, it had to and I would fight for the way back home.