Morgan's mind wandered off. Memories passed her by as her fingers gently touched the blue gate in front of her. The gate cast a blue glow over her body. The part of her fingers that disappeared into the gate could feel warmth coming from somewhere. She could freely move her fingers inside the gate without getting obstructed by something. The rain relentlessly pounded on her frame, but she didn't care. Her clothes clung to her body and the cold wind combined with the heavy downpour chilled her bones to the core. Her disheveled hair covered half of her face, but she still didn't care. She longed for the warmth on the other side of the gate. She yearned for the golden days with her family. Morgan slowly pulled her hand out and brought it to her face. It was still warm, she rested her head on it and closed her eyes. No matter how much she wanted to jump through the portal, she was still in Grima's clutches.

She didn't know what exactly happened, but she was sure it all started the day when her father returned home from the campaign in Plegia. The campaign claimed many lives, including her mother's, most of the Shepherds' and even the exalt's life. After her father returned, he declared with a callous look on his face that his wife had died in the battle. Morgan, while she was overcome with grief, convinced herself that it was just his way of dealing with her death.

Looking back at it, she should've known better, no, she knew better. She knew something was wrong. His behavior was suspicious and unlike him, but he was still her father. He was the only family member she had left. Her happy family fell apart in pieces and she was just a sad child who desperately tried to salvage the last piece of her family. Afraid of what words might fall out of his mouth, she didn't press him for answers. In order to protect herself and what was left of her family, she pushed all her suspicions to the back of her mind and put all her trust in her father. So, when he told her to come with him to Plegia, she went along with it.

"Come with me to our homeland, to the place we belong," coaxed the robed man in a rather calm voice, "This is for the best."

Morgan let herself be deceived for the sake of her family.

The days that followed after her father's sudden change were dark. Morgan swore her allegiance to Grima and quickly became one of the army's commanders thanks to her loyalty and skill on the battlefield. It didn't take long before she was just a puppet who followed orders without hesitation. There wasn't much left of the cheerful child she once was. To Grima, she was the perfect pawn. Her hands became more stained with blood as she blindly followed her father. With a heart of steel, she sliced through anyone who stood in her father's way. Meanwhile, the Fell dragon plunged everything into darkness. The world collapsed in the blink of an eye, whole cities burned down to the ground and the sky was painted into a rusty color. Death was an everyday occurrence. Morgan herself had killed a fair amount of people. Even so, she was sure this was the correct path.

But then, one day as she was alone in her tent. A voice spoke into her mind, it wasn't her own nor was it her father's.

"Child of the Fell dragon..."

Morgan stared blankly at the ground. Was she so tired that she was hearing voices?

"Soon, the world will meet its end and with that, your little world will end too."

…

"No matter how hard you'll try, you can't keep going on like this. You must've realized it by now. That man you call your father is the former shell of-"

Shut up.

"the man he once was. Grima took control of him that day in Plegia. He killed them, his comrades and wife. You might even say that he 'killed' your father," the voice continued as if it were never interrupted.

This was all just a figment of her imagination fueled by her fatigue. There was no way her faith would be shaken by something like this. They were just empty words. She was sure, so, so sure this was the correct path. Her faith was unshakable. Something stupid like this wouldn't break her faith. It was just an illusion of some sorts. An illusion! Ha! She had gone mad, and that was the only explanation she accepted.

Despite fighting the tears, they still welled up in the corner of her eyes. She didn't want to hear it. Even if she were to believe those words, what could she possibly do now? The world was for god's sake in ruins. What was she supposed to do if she lost her only family?

There'd be nothing left.

"When will you finally stop averting your eyes from the truth? That man is not your father, but Grima. This world will fall by his hands."

I don't want to hear it.

"What if I told you there might be a way to change the course of history? You could save your mother… and your father."

Save...? What the hell am I saying?

Her hands formed into fists and she clenched them tightly. Morgan was stared at the ground with disbelief, change history? Save her parents? It wasn't possible. She let out a laugh, the sad kind of laughter, and slumped onto the ground.

Never would she have stained her hands like this if the outcome of the campaign to Plegia was different, her parents wouldn't have let her. She could feel her 'unshakable' faith for Grima crumbling.

Was I always this weak…?

Morgan cursed herself and slammed on the ground with her fists. She felt horribly conflicted.

"I am the Divine dragon, Naga. Before this world sinks into oblivion, travel to the past and prevent this cruel fate. The future and past's hope lies before you, all you have to do is grasp it tightly. Child of the Fell dragon… If you wish to save your beloved family and atone for your sins, then return to the past and undo all the suffering. I'll send you to the Outrealm Gate, from there I'll lead you to the past."

At first, Morgan didn't react. She was still processing the words she just heard while the tears continued to form in her eyes. She was silently sobbing by now, all of the emotions she locked up inside of her heart flowed out and fell like a waterfall, overwhelming the girl. It was too much for her. To return to the past and create a better future. Morgan questioned Naga's sweet words, but the desire to see her parents won in the end.

A push was all it needed and the faith she had in her 'father' crumbled to dust. She didn't want to deceive herself anymore. The father she knew was a kind and cunning man who could surprisingly cook well, he was a talented man and loved his family dearly. He was almost perfect in her eyes. Her father hated senseless violence and always avoided resorting to it unless he absolutely had to. He was clearly the exact opposite of the man he was now.
Cries now escaped out of her mouth and it hurt when she tried to suppress her sobs. Morgan grieved, albeit late, for her parents. Naga took the child's cries as a sign and warped her to the Outrealm Gate.

"We're not pawns of some scripted fate. I believe we're more. Much more…
There's something between us all. Something that keeps us together… Like… invisible ties, connecting us."

He'd often randomly spout philosophical phrases like that. Her mother brushed it off as just one of his soliloquies and Morgan herself didn't understand it that well at the time, but now those words rang inside her head again. If by going into the portal, she could and/or would change the past, wasn't that fate? Was it fate too that the world had to be destroyed first before it could be saved or something like that? Actually, the more she thought about it, the more confused she got. Maybe she should ask her father about it. A bitter smile appeared on her face as she opened her eyes.

Morgan took a deep breath and braced herself for whatever may come. Her last thoughts of this world were of all the people she had mercilessly struck down. She had committed unforgivable sins. No matter where she'd go, those memories would haunt her forever. What she thought were Grima's clutches, were actually her regrets. She regretted hurting people and not listening to her heart. Only in hindsight she realized how foolish her actions had been. It was too late for her now. No one can escape the sin that flows in their veins and she was no exception.

"If I could somehow just forget the painful memories," she whispered.

The girl leaned forward and let herself be swallowed by the past.

This kinda was my first fanfic so I'd appreciate some constructive criticism or something like that. :)
Thank you for reading!