She strained once more against the weight of the water around her, finally grasping the dry sand between her fingers as she pulled herself from the sea and onto the sandy shore. It had been so long since she had seen land, she was grateful the feel the soft sand against her weary flesh. She had been drifting for what felt like months to her, lost at sea with no hope of making it back to shore. As soon as she had spotted this small island, she had swam as fast as she could, straining against the rising swells, hoping to make it to the shore before she died from exhaustion.
She had made it, and now relished in her victory over the ocean as she lay against the warm sand, which helped to soothe her now tired muscles. She smirked, as memories flooded her mind, memories of her grand escape from her former master's fortress. The scene of her leaping from the window just as the fortress exploded and falling helplessly into the ocean was now as clear as it was the day it happened. It was true, she was glad to be free of that man's service, but she would have never thought freedom would be so difficult.
She groaned, flipping over onto her right side as she realized what that word meant. "Freedom," She whispered the word out loud this time, as if to relish in what the word truly meant. She hadn't forgotten over the past three years what it was like to be free, however, she had forgotten that nature could be so beautiful.
She gazed around at her surroundings, her dull green eyes staring over everything, refusing to miss a single detail. Her master had never allowed her to see any of the outside world since she became his prisoner.
Thinking back to her master once more brought back the painful memories of his abusive nature to the young girl. He made sure she was beaten everyday from the day she had arrived, to make sure she never disobeyed him. Even though he made sure to erase her mind of who she was, where she came from, or any of the things she had done while in his service, he made sure to leave the memories of her abuse. She felt a few tears well up in her eyes, as the pain of her many sleepless nights came rushing back into her memory with full force. She could almost feel the metallic bindings tearing at the skin around her wrists and ankles as he and his team of 'doctors' performed their experiments on her.
'I can't focus on that now," she told herself as she brushed the tears from her green, almost grey eyes, 'He's dead, and I am still alive.' She thought to herself once more before turning her gaze to the sky, feeling one last tear escape and slide down her cheek.
She stood up from where she had lain and looked down at the now frazzled battle equipment that her mast had given her while she had been in his service. She clinched her fists as she remembered those doctors, examining every inch of her naked flesh as they measured her, feeling her exposed body as they went. The battle equipment was some of the best structures to date, being made of the finest dragon scale components, fitting her body in the best possible manner for mobility and functionality. Still the thoughts of what those men did to her while they were creating this suit of armor were enough to make her sick to her stomach.
Her anger seemed to course from her every pore as she began pulling at the shining material, disassembling it piece by piece. She tore at the metallic material, slicing her hands open on the sharp edges as she pulled more and more of it away from her. Her memories of that man giving her all the strength that she needed to completely disrobe herself, hoping to shed the terrible memories of her former life, forever.
It was only after she had shed the battle attire, feeling sunlight from above warming her naked body, that she felt truly free. She was free to do as she pleased from now on, and not have to listen to orders, or report back to anyone. She began walking down the beach, enjoying the feel of the waters lapping at her feet, the sand sinking with every step she took. This place was so serene, no where near the terrible place that she had come from, and was the perfect place for her to begin a new life. A life where she could be completely normal, completely happy, and never have to worry about that terrible man again.
It was then that a small glint caught her eye from about five feet before her. She smiled, realizing almost immediately what the source of the light was as she ran towards it, stooping down to pull it from it's sandy casing.
"I see that you've found me again, old friend." She chuckled, speaking to her sword as she dusted a bit of sand from the ornate hilt. This sword was the only thing she was thankful to her master for. She ran her index finger along the gold trimmings that had been inlaid into the hilt surrounding several small sapphires before making her way down to the base, where the largest sapphire had been placed. She grinned broadly, seeing the blue stone shine in the sunlight as she performed some of her most basic routines, her muscles glad to be stretched out for the first time in days.
"Well," She spoke to the sword once more, wiping a bit of sweat from her brow, "Better find us both some clothes," She said quietly as she walked towards the village just on the horizon, he sword still grasped in her hand.
She slid silently behind a large piece of rubble as soon as she entered the outskirts of town, hoping to keep her exposed body from the eyes of the public. She peaked around the rock, examining the empty streets, searching for any sign of life before she moved further into the town, entering the very first house she came too. Within it, she found a suitable outfit that would cover her naked figure until she moved on to a more 'populous village.
The baggy brown pants and the large cream over shirt combined with her already stocky body made her appear male. The fact that she now had her sword tied in place in a make-shift sheath on her back didn't help. She chuckled at her image in the mirror as she pulled her bright blonde hair into a meticulous bun, before moving out into the street.
'It seems there are people here after all.' She thought to herself, noticing a few demons running around the once empty street as she walked gracefully down the street, grinning down at the children who ran by her on each side.
"THE MONSTER HAS RETURNED!" The shrieking voice of a woman could be heard ringing through the entire marketplace. Almost instantly, the once serene town became a scene of panic as the inhabitants began fleeing to their homes. Tables overturned, women grabbing their children left and right and the men of the town flooding into the marketplace, weapons drawn and ready to kill the "monster".
She cut her eyes around the scene, her hand instinctively grasping the hilt of her blade, ready to defend herself from the beast. She dashed along the street, her eyes continually scanning the area for the creature that had harmed this people, hoping to slay the creature, effectively ending their suffering. However, she was halted by the soft whimpering of a small boy laying in the middle of the street. His bright orange cheeks streaked with tears as he flipped over, watching blood gush from the scrape on his knee.
"What has happened here?" She asked the child as she ruffled his green hair, leaning down and hoping that she could treat his minor injury. The child's golden eyes widened at the young girl that now stood before him using the long sleeve of her over shirt to wipe the tears from his eyes.
"YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY BABY" A deep feminine voice roared as a hand violently struck her across the cheek. She recoiled backwards a bit, her cheek stinging from the sharp hit before she turned to see a woman in a long olive colored dress dashing down the street, the child from before tossed over her shoulder, still staring back at the girl who tried to help him.
She leapt from behind them, running as fast as she could, trying not to lose sight of them. Seeing an awning pole hanging just above her, she used it to swing around and land just in front of the woman, causing her to fall flat on her backside. The child, whom she still clung to so desperately, turned his golden eyes back to face the young woman, trembling in his mother's arms.
"What is it that has terrified you so?" The young girl asked, leaning down hoping that she could help this woman up.
"Please," the woman cried, tears streaming down from her golden eyes as she wrapped her long fingers around the girl's ankles, "Please, I beg of you, have mercy on me!" She wailed, as the tears began to seep into the dusty ground below.
She stared down at the woman, her grayish eyes seemed to be filled with confusion as to the scene that was playing out before her. Shaking the woman free of one of her ankles, she scooped down and picked up the small boy, hoping now to get a better look at his injury. She ruffled the child's vivid green hair once more, hoping to soothe him as she got a better look at the gash. She ran her fingers over the child's cut, hoping to assess how deep it was, this caused him to flinch terribly, making her almost lose her grip on him.
"NOOOO" the woman's shrill voice made her flinch as she stepped back a bit, the woman's grip tightening to a bone cracking grip on her ankle, "I beg of you, don't hurt him!" She sobbed as she motioned toward the child, who cowered in the young girl's arms, confused as to why his mother was acting this way, "You've already taken away my husband, what more could you want?"
That was when the realization hit her, she was the monster of whom they spoke. 'I must have attacked it while I was still under that bastard's control.' It took everything she had in her not to break down weeping where she stood, but she knew the only way to save these people anymore torment was for her to distance herself from this village. She placed the child down beside his mother, patted the small tuft of green hair on his head, and prepared to run in the opposite direction only to find a large crowd of men behind her.
"So, you've come back to kill the rest of us, have you?" one man spoke, obviously the leader of this raggedy group of vigilantes. His golden eyes set in a sharp glare as he paced around her, "Well, I hate to tell you missy, but we are much more prepared for you than we were last time." He smirked as he grasped the hilt of his sword, pulling it from its sheath, prompting the other members of his gang to do the same.
Before she was aware of what was going on he had leapt over her and she felt the sharpened edge of his sword cut deep into her back, causing her to whimper in pain as she sank to her knees. She shuddered as she felt her warm blood flowing down her back, staining the ground below her a dark crimson color. The villagers howled in approval of the older man's outburst as he made his way back to their group, wiping the remaining blood on his shirt. She watched as the area surrounding her became drenched with the crimson fluid while many of the villagers moved in and began to spit on her.
The older man replaced his sword in it's sheath before pulling her from the ground, smirking at the pained look on her face, "That was for my son." His hissed, spitting in her face as he threw her back to the ground, preparing to step out of the way of the angered villagers. "You will pay, for every soul you took from this village."
Her eyes widened with fear as she saw them surround her, unaware of what they had in store for her. However, instead of fighting back, she simply lowered her eyes, staring down at the crimson stained road beneath her, waiting for them to get on with their judgment. . She bit down into her lip as the attacks came at her one by one, ripping into the already torn flesh on her back. She felt a barrage of small stones coming from some of the children, and a few of them spat on her, calling her a "curse" and "Satan's daughter". She then endured countless kicks to the ribs and punches to her back, causing her to spit up a small amounts of blood at their feet. She knew there was no way for her to defend herself against them without hurting anyone else so she simply drew her knees tightly to her chest and allowed them to beat her.
"And now for our trophy," the man from earlier chuckled as he drew her sword from it's sheath that had been cast on the ground beside her, "The sword that you have slain so many with, will now be the blade that ends your life." He shouted, admiring the glinting sapphires in the sunlight before swinging it down, with enough force to cut a deep gash into the back of her neck, killing her almost instantly.
However, this time she stopped his attack, mere inches from where her neck once was, the sharp blade piercing the toughened skin on her hands, spattering blood all around them. She winced at the pain that now came from her petite hands but she did not falter, pushing back a bit on the older gentleman.
She sighed a bit, pushing the pain into the farthest corner of her mind, before she cut her emerald eyes slightly to look into her assailant's golden ones. This caused the man to stumble backwards just a bit, and gave her a brief chance to seize control of her sword, which she promptly slid back into it's protective covering. She glanced around at the crowed to see their eyes all wide with fear and sighed. Then as quickly as she had appeared in the village she was able to push through the frightened crowd and escape, running into the forest that lay beyond the village.
"What the hell just happened back there?" she asked herself as she used her blade to slice through the dense foliage, a making a clearing just large enough for her to set up camp.
She placed a few small pieces of wood together along with some dried out grass she had collected. 'This doesn't make sense,' she told herself mentally as she struck a small stone against the sharpest edge of her blade, sending sparks shooting onto the grass, 'I should have remembered attacking them, so why don't I?'
She bent down and nursed the small flame until it roared into a large fire and moved closer to it. With the sun beginning to set, she began to notice just how cold it was getting, especially having such thin clothing on. She turned around and grabbed the small rodent that she had killed earlier and began expertly skinning it with her sword. Once the creature was completely skinned she skewered it with her sword and placed it just slightly over the flame, allowing it to begin roasting.
While her meal was cooking, she made her way a little deeper into the forest and found a spring. She stuck her head down into the water and drank straight from the spring, not caring how she looked while doing so. She savored the taste of the fresh, cool water passed over her severely chapped lips and down her dry throat.
After drinking her fill, she cupped her hands together and splashed some of the water onto her face, hoping to sooth her severely sunburned cheeks. She uncovered her face slowly and stared down into the spring water, hoping to get a better look at how bad the burn was. Her bloodshot grayish green eyes, tussled hair, and now very rosy cheeks stared back at her, almost a mockery of her former appearance. She couldn't help but smirk at how utterly ridiculous she looked in those clothes.
She stripped off her shirt and slipped into the cool water using it to clean the deep wound on her back. She couldn't see it, but she could feel just how deep it was as she used her fingers to clean out the bits of cloth that had gathered in it. After it was successfully cleaned, she tore the sleeves off of the shirt and wrapped them around her, hoping that this would keep her from bleeding freely any longer. She replaced her shirt and made her way back to the fire and sat down.
Her eyes intently gazed into the flame as she waited for her meal to cook, her mind constantly trying to remember just what she had done to those people. She watched the orange flames lick at the carcass of the animal for what seemed like hours before removing it. She took the creature from her sword and placed it back into it's sheath before tearing hungrily at the creature's warmed flesh.
'It must have been bad, they even recognized my sword.' she thought as she continued tearing at the creature with ravenous hunger 'But, I didn't mean to do it, whatever it was.' she thought to herself when she bit into a raw part of the animal, making her cringe as it's leftover blood flooded her mouth. She shivered and tossed it's remains into the neighboring bushes and lay down on the ground close to the fire. She pulled her knees to her chest and allowed herself to drift off into a restless sleep.
Dream
There was smoke everywhere as she watched the village from before go up in flames. She wanted to cry out as she drifted down the town and touched down on the main street. She summoned the courage to make her way down it, seeing many slain bodies of the villagers that littered the streets. The carnage was unimaginable, each body more mutilated than the last. She shuddered seeing a teenage girl's body, her neck laying at a peculiar angle, still clutching a living infant in her arms.
She reached down to sooth the sobbing infant, when he was swept up into one of the male villagers arms, as he dashed down the street passed her and into a small clay house at the end of the street. She instinctively dodged a falling awning as she made her way into his home.
"Ambali, you must take Amaro and leave this place." The villager spoke harshly to his wife as he handed his son to her, "I will go and finish this demon and come for you when it is safe." He said as he paced over toward the window, gazing out into the darkness, watching the flames draw nearer to his house.
The woman soothed her wailing child by rubbing the small patch of green on his head. Her golden eyes the narrowed at her husband. "Surely there must be another way?" She pleaded as she made her way toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"There is no other way," he said coldly looking at the ground, unable of how to tell his wife the next part, "She has taken the life of our daughter, Ambali," he said through clinched teeth, tears flowing down his ginger skin as her turned to face his wife, "I will not let her take away you and Amaro."
"Elek, please," she pleaded again, tears flowing freely now, "Let someone else take care of her. I don't want to lose you like we lost Shamilia." She choked out throwing her arms around his waist, nearly crushing the sleeping child between them.
"Hush now," Elek said as he wiped away his wife's tears, "I'll be alright." He whispered into her hair, taking in it's sent once more as he stroked his child's hair once more.
"Elek," A larger man called as he entered the small house, "It's time to go, she's on the move again." Elek sighed and turned his face back to his wife.
"Ambali, please, go with my father. He will protect the two of you until I come for you." He said as he hugged his wife close to him one last time and smoothed out his son's hair. The four of them made there way out of the small door and parted ways, he headed toward the destruction, while his remaining family fled from it.
She felt her heart catch in her chest as she caught a good look at the older man and the woman at his side. They were the younger versions of the woman and man from the village she had run into earlier. It was then that she realized what she was witnessing and she turned on her heel and ran toward the man called Elek.
"Please Elek you must stop" she pleaded from behind the young man, hoping that he would be able to hear her, "It's not to late, save yourself! Your family needs you!" she called out to him again, this time, the tears flowing down her face as she watched him continue on his path towards the center of the town.
She continued after him and before long they had entered the town square, or what remained of it. She began frantically searching for any sign of the demon there while trying to keep an eye on Elek. 'There has to be a way to stop this.' she thought to herself as she scanned the building tops.
Suddenly, there was a loud crash and Elek flew backwards. She whipped her head around in time to catch a glimpse of the figure, clothed in a gleaming metallic armor that was heading for Elek once again. Her breathing became shallow when the figure's face became revealed to her, her blonde hair, pulled meticulously into a bun high on the back of her head. It was almost as if she was staring into a mirror except this girl had glowing yellow eyes instead of her normal greenish grey ones.
She watched as the mirror of herself attacked Elek, who fought very bravely with a very beautiful sword clutched tightly in his right hand. The man had the moves of a great swordsman, even though he was just a common man from a humble town. But it seemed that no matter what he did, her former self was always one step ahead of him and easily able to stop his every move.
He stepped back slightly, and he lost his footing, which gave her former self just the advantage that she needed. With utmost precision, she pushed her blade completely through Elek, causing him to cry out in pain. She watched as the sword was ripped from his innards and forced through him again, this time in his neck. She shuddered at the gurgling sounds that he emitted as he fell to the ground, the blood now spewing from his neck and flowing from his mouth.
She felt the tears stinging at her eyes as she turned toward her former self, seeing the look of absolute ecstasy on her face. These people had done nothing to deserve this, and she didn't understand why she would be doing this. However, when she saw herself bow down she knew that it wasn't her doing, but her master's.
'But why would he come here?' she asked herself as she quickly ran behind the remains of a market stand. She knew that he couldn't see her, but she didn't know if she was ready to face him quite yet.
"Rise, Solene." She heard his cool voice echo throughout the square, causing her to shuddered immensely, "We've got what we came for, now kill the rest of them." She heard his maniacal laughter fill the air as she was ripped from the dream world.
She shot up quickly, covered completely in a mixture of cold sweat and the early morning dew. She covered her face with her hands and allowed herself to weep freely for the first time since she had been capture. She looked over to her sword and remember seeing it sticking out of Elek's lifeless body and instantly felt remorse for all of the people she had harmed, intentional or not.
"That settle's it" she said out loud as she placed the sword into it's sheath and stood, "I will disappear into the depths of Makai, where I may never again harm any one." She said as she turned away from her make shift campsite.
"This will be the punishment for my many deeds." She allowed one last tear to fall before she fled deeper into the forest of the Makai, pledging to herself that she would never be seen again.