Two years after Azazel's destruction, Zafina fears of another turmoil approaching. Wanting to save her people, she's determent to use her powers in order to protect them. Will she succeed or other people are going to meddle with her plans? Is someone on her side or is she going to face this all alone?
I titled my story after the song "Butterflies and Hurricanes" of my favorite band (Muse), because I believe that it fits with the story well.
IMPORTANT NOTE: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to Namco. I do not own the song, as well.
My apologies for both possible grammar and spelling mistakes. English is not my native language.
I have a simple request. Please be kind with either positive or negative reviews.
Thanks in advance!
CHAPTER 1 (Prologue)
Somewhere in the Middle East...
The night sky upon this village of the Middle East was full of stars. Every night, women and men would light up a big fire and start dancing below them and around the fire. It was something like a feast to them for providing them with such beautiful scenery and because most of the times their fates depended on them according to their history's legends. Moreover, the villagers were praying to them to help them rebuild once again the abandoned land they left behind two years ago due to the war, which was spread all around the world, because they wanted to protect themselves and their families. But, here, they were back again. Being rid of the war and its catastrophes, they were ready for a new start...
They were hard working people and the new world, which was rising ahead of them, was giving them courage to continue their hard work. There weren't rich or poor people between them. Everyone was equal and they were working for the whole village's sake. Everyone in the way he or she was able. Some of them were hunters, others were builders and a small amount of them were chosen to protect their sacred tombs. These people were trained in assassination arts and were taught all the history of each one of the tombs or the places they had to protect. However, with protecting the tombs, they were protecting their fellow villagers. It was their duty...
One of them was, also, her...
She was a very smart woman...Interested in all of these legends hidden behind riddles inside the ancient tombs. She was taught all about them long ago from her predecessors, who some of them were protectors as well. However, what was making her special was something she inherited from her mother. She had the power to read the stars and their meanings. In her public life, she was using this power as an astrologist. But that wasn't it...The real thing was a "gift", which was passing through the women of the family. When her mother died, it was passed to her and if was something to happen to her the next one to take it was her little sister. It was always the oldest woman, who possessed it. This gift was giving them the ability to foresee the future and to recollect the past, as well. However, she wasn't confident that she could use her power in its best way. Sometimes, she thought of it as a curse, especially in these current days...
Her name was Zafina...She was loved inside the village and especially by the children, since she took it upon herself to teach them everything she knew about their tradition and the outside world. That being said, her guru and leader of the village was giving her a lot of missions outside the lands of Middle East and because of that she came across the progressive world. Everything, there, was easier when it was coming to food or roof but in the same time it was complicated. Zafina, as the observant person that she was, noticed the twisted minds and souls the people possessed and that scared her. In other words, she wasn't tempted at all to leave the old way of surviving in the Middle East and come to live in this dangerous place with the easy life. She preferred to protect her soul...
She was living with her sister in the house they left behind. They rebuild it together and made it even more beautiful than before. Zafina was enjoying spending time with her sister. She was the only one left to her anyway. However, the other villagers were doing a lot for them and made them think that they weren't alone. The sisters were thankful to them. Her sister's name was Amina. She was fifteen years old and she was sharing a ten year old gap difference with her older sister. Their mother died when Zafina was sixteen, thus for Amina she was her mother figure as well and she did her best to not disappoint her sister, who treasured so much. In contrast to her sister, Amina chose an easier life as a sewer along with other women of her age and older. She was the one making all of hers and Zafina's outfits with fabrics and other goods, travelers from China and other places of the East, and not only, were giving them and they were providing them with food and entertainment. In other words, when Zafina wasn't in a mission, she was sharing a peaceful life with her sister...
Tonight was another beautiful night...
The villagers were dancing and eating around the fire. Zafina's sister started the dance and she was watching her from afar. She was relieved to see her smile but in the same time a heavy burden was holding her back. Something inside her was telling her that these days aren't going to last for a long time. That saddened her...
She turned her back to her villagers' feast and made her way to the deathly hill of her village. There, she was alone and could study the stars in peace. However, she didn't come here for this tonight. She couldn't sleep any of these nights since she started having this feeling inside her. But why did she come here anyway? Did she hope for a vision? But it wasn't like she couldn't see it by herself. It wasn't that...She was too afraid to come up with a vision, especially if she was the one searching for it. What if what she was feeling was something like before? She knew that the days weren't peaceful as her fellow villagers believed. Only she and her guru knew of this. The others weren't ready to know but till now, according to Zafina's thoughts. She knew that by leaving them in the dark they weren't protecting them...
Her big brown eyes travelled through the black-bluish full of stars sky. She smiled at the sight above her and then she looked at the full moon. Her face's muscles tightened for a while and she fell on the ground. It was coming what she wanted to avoid...
The pupil of her eyes gotten bigger and she fell into her vision...
Zafina found herself in a relentless desert...
With the air she thought that she would lose her balance and she rested herself on her knees to avoid it...
She tried to look in front of her but the dust was covering the entire place along with her eyes...
She knew that she needed to continue through her whole vision and found the strength to stand up...
Suddenly her surroundings changed once again...
A white light "blinded" her and little by little it disappeared...
Zafina felt that she could open her eyes...
She was left breathless at the sight in front of her...
Blood everywhere...Human blood...Was it her people's blood or not?
She couldn't understand this vision...
Was it something that she will encounter in the future or something that she needed to find out through this vision?
She gathered the courage left within her and walked further...
Her surroundings didn't change until she started watching dead corpses at her right and left...
All the bloody place and the corpses disappeared...That relieved her for a moment...
It was dark again but she had a small eye sight...
She was walking further until she saw him...
Azazel...
She didn't believe her eyes...That wasn't possible...He was destroyed...The temple she was supposed to protect with him inside was disappeared and not destroyed...
She saw as he released a laser above her and she covered herself...
The only thing she thought of doing was to fight him...
She made her attack by running to him but an invisible wall threw her behind...
She stood up and opened her eyes...
Azazel was nowhere to be found...
His place took three male bodies on the ground...their faces hidden...
They weren't dead, were they? She thought...There was no blood coming from them...
For a second she thought of approaching them but her body held her back...That was true...This was a vision, she couldn't interfere...Her body is moving on its own now...
She watched as the man's body at her right disappeared into the white light...He left nothing behind him...Nothing that would leave her a clue of who he is...
The man's body on her left was swallowed by the floor's darkness...The same happened with him as well...
The only one left was the man right in front of her...
Her body allowed her to approach him...
She kneeled down and touched his body...
He was warm...Alive...
She moved her hands from his chest to find his face...She tried hard to touch it because it was hidden...At first, she thought if there was a face in the first place...
She felt his breath on her hand's skin and she smiled...Yes, he was truly alive...But why did that relieved her that much?
Suddenly, she watched as his left hand tried to reach for her own on his face but when it made contact with her skin...
Zafina snapped out of her vision...
It was the most clueless of all she had before...
She was still scared from the sight she saw. She needed to discuss this with the guru as soon as possible. She placed her hand on her chest and sensed her strong heartbeat...
She closed her eyes for a while but she opened them widely when she heard a voice...
"Zafina?!" said a male voice...
With her hand still on her chest, she watched him as he approached her and kneeled beside her. He looked her in the eyes and touched her shoulders...
"I saw you, almost, fainted. Did anything happen to you? Are you not feeling ok? Please, tell me." he said with concern to Zafina's surprise. This man beside her was one of the other protectors, who was always composed and focused on his practice even though he was still very young to take a mission on his own. He reminded her of her when she was in his age...
"Faris...Why did you come here?"
He stood up and extended a hand for Zafina. She took it and stood up as well...
"The guru asked me to look for you...He was the one, who told me that you may be, here."
She nodded...
The guru must have felt it as well. She looked at the man in front of her and said...
"I see...I'll go and find him. Thank you for coming up here just to inform me."
The man smiled at her and she returned the smile...
"You don't need to thank me. Will you follow me or you're going to come later?"
"Lead the way. I'm right behind you."
With that they left the hill but Zafina looked again back at the full moon to notice a small red spot, which made her even more worried...
The guru was living a little more isolated than the rest of the villagers. Even though, he was the leader of them, he didn't have a big house because he didn't need one being alone and of course he didn't want to seem different from the rest. He was attending sometimes the feast his fellow villagers were holding but the rest of the day he was spending it inside his room studying. From the small amount of people, who were visiting him, was Zafina. Every vision she would have, she would go and discuss it with him or ask for his advice. The guru knew both of her parents. He knew her talented father, who was a protector, and her mother, who was using her power as an astrologist. He had her mother under his care because she didn't know how to use seriously her power and she needed his guidance...
When they died, they left behind the sixteen year old Zafina, who just started practicing the assassination arts to become like her father, and the six year old Amina, who was following around her mother. The guru took them under his care for them to study properly and face the world. He knew that Zafina was capable in housework but she was still lost and helpless after their parents' passing...
He walked next to the open window holding a cup with wine inside. He looked at the sky and watched the full moon, which was like it was bleeding. He knew that Zafina had a vision. He knew that from the moment the moon appeared. He sighed and turned his head to the entrance of his house when he heard someone opening the curtain...
"I'm here, master." She said bowing her head...
He nodded and motioned for her to walk further inside. With small steps she made her way inside and sat on the ground following after the guru...
"Would you like some wine?" he said offering her a cup...
Zafina took it in her hands and thanked him. She didn't intent in drinking it but she didn't want to offend him...
"You don't need to drink it if you don't wish to."
Her eyes widened. She knew that the guru had his own powers but she never expected him to be able to read thoughts. She smiled and said looking inside the cup...
"I always knew that you were having divine powers, master...However, I never expected you being able to read people's minds?"
The guru refilled his cup with wine and said...
"Who said I do? No one is able to do such thing, child"
"But how did you?"
He smiled in Zafina's puzzled look...
"Being isolated from my fellow villagers made me want to observe how they act and express emotions."
Zafina was even more confused. She placed the cup next to her on the ground and said...
"It's not like I want to oppose you, master but, me not wanting to drink the wine you offered me, didn't have anything to do with emotions. Am I right?"
The guru nodded...
"You got me, child. I just wanted to trouble a little your mind."
Zafina sighed. The last thing she wanted was the guru's little mind games. She didn't have time for that. She had to ask his opinion on her vision. The guru drank the wine and placed the cup next to him, as she did before...
"Forgive me for playing with your already troubled mind, Zafina."
She took her hands with his and said...
"Do not mention it, master. In your way, I know you did it to cheer me up after that confusing vision I had. I suppose you summoned me here tonight for this."
Zafina released him and the guru nodded...
"Have you found a way to explain it?" he said...
She shook her head and frowned...
"N-No...I need your help once again, master. Please, lend me your help." She said pleading him...
"I guessed that the vision came to you when you faced the moon, right?"
Zafina didn't say anything. Thinking of the moon made her recall her horrific vision. The guru took her silence as a "yes"...
"Whatever it was, you don't need to rush for an explanation."
Her attention was back to him. She watched him as he stood up and approached the window once again. She stayed at her place on the floor. The guru looked at the villagers dancing around the fire and smiled seeing their happiness. He, then, turned to face the puzzled Zafina and said...
"Anyway, what did you see? From your silence, I believe that it was something awkward for you. What was it?"
She made her hands in fists and swallowed hard. She didn't want to repeat in her mind the vision but she knew that the guru could help her if only he knew of what she saw. She looked at him and started telling him about her vision...
"I saw him...I mean A..."
The guru interrupted her...
"Azazel"
Zafina nodded...
"What was he like?"
"He had a more human appearance and smaller, in contrast to what the legends saying...You, maybe, say that it wasn't him but I'm sure, master. It was him!"
He nodded reassuring her and Zafina sighed in relief...
"I believe you. You were the one, who was supposed to protect the temple, he was in. You would know more than anyone, if it was him. But it wasn't just this, was it?"
"T-That's true...I decided to attack him but I was thrown back, however, it wasn't by him. I'm certain about that. When, I stood up, he was nowhere to be found but his place took three male bodies on the ground."
"Male bodies?" he said interrupting her...
Zafina looked at him and nodded...
"I couldn't see their faces. One of them disappeared into a white light, the other was swallowed by the ground and I was able to move when it was only the one in front of me left."
"What did you do then?"
That time she decided to drink some of the wine, she was offered by the guru and he smiled at this...
"I approached him to find out if he was dead or alive. He was alive and then..."
Zafina stopped what she was going to say. For an unknown reason, she found it quite embarrassing. It wasn't like her and she noticed the guru's confused expression...
"Then? What happened? Why did you stop?" he said...
"I looked for his face and touched his cheek. I felt his breath on my skin and suddenly one of his hands touched my own." She said holding the hand, where the mysterious man touched her...
"That was it..." she said sighing...
The guru was confused by Zafina's vision as well but tried to hide it not wanting to trouble her more. She already had a lot inside her mind. However, he didn't tell her the truth. He had already seen Azazel in his dreams as well. In the same way as Zafina did tonight. He knew that he was still out there...Waiting...
He released himself from his thoughts and turned to face her. He noticed her eagerness. She wanted an advice...
"Indeed, your vision was a confusing one."
"Can you help me explain it, master?"
He shook his head and Zafina frowned saddened...
"However, I can tell you this"
She stayed quiet and watched as the guru sat again in front of her...
"Sometimes, your visions may not show you the beginning but the end, or the actions between them. I sensed that your vision wasn't complete as the last one, you had Azazel in it."
"That vision of mines was a complete failure." She said interrupting him...
"No, it wasn't. You saw him being destroyed. That was what you saw and not, who was going to destroy him. The person, you thought he was able to do it and save us, belonged to your own thoughts."
Zafina thought about it and realized her mistake. The guru was right. Back then, she believed that the two evil stars wanted to take Azazel's power for themselves and thought that the other star, in the sky, would be the humanity's savior.
"You are right. I shouldn't have let my own thoughts confuse my mind. I should have stayed focused."
"Don't blame yourself. You are a human with your own opinion and view of things. You're simply having visions and that doesn't mean that you must agree with them or accept them as your own beliefs. You, still, need to understand this." He said touching her shoulder...
Zafina nodded...
"If I understand right, you're telling me that I may need to have other visions, as well, for this one to be completed?"
The guru stood up and extended a hand to her to help her up...
"Yes...But you need to remember something. Don't assume that every vision, you're going to have from now on, is related to this one. Or that this vision was the end of what you're going to see in the future. Everything can change in mere seconds and you know it."
"I understand, master. I'll do my best." She said and turned to leave...
"I trust you, Zafina." He said to himself as he was watching her walking away...
Zafina was making her way back to her house. She was still thinking of the guru's words. In a way, she was relieved that she shared her vision with him. She needed to let it out. While walking she noticed as the villagers were cleaning the place and the fire was blowing out little by little. She had to move faster because her sister was alone at their house. Not that someone was going to hurt her but the sisters were overprotective of each other. She walked closer to her house but decided to help the women, who were cleaning the place. She was glad that they had fun, since these days weren't going to last forever...
She opened the door of her house and her sister ran over to her. That startled her...
"Where have you been all this time?" said her sister...
Zafina closed the door behind her and walked further inside with her sister following her slightly angry. She wore off her shoes and released her hair from her usual hairstyle not paying attention to what her sister was telling her...
"Sister, are you listening to me?"
She looked at her and said...
"I'm sorry, Amina, I wasn't paying attention."
"And why's that?" said Amina crossing her arms under her chest...
Zafina frowned and sat on the pillows they had on the floor. Amina's arms fell on each side of her body. She followed her sister and sat beside her...
"You visited the guru, didn't you? Faris told me, you did."
She nodded and felt Amina's arms around her...
"Z-Zafina...I don't want you to leave again. Please! You have to refuse him. If he gave you a mission, please, refuse him. Do this for me."
She hugged her sister back and caressed her hair...
"I'm not leaving, sweetheart."
Amina released her sister and saw her small smile. She wiped the tears, which were ready to come out of her eyes and said...
"Then, what did he want from you?"
Zafina stood up and pulled her sister together with her. She touched her shoulders and smiled at her...
"Let's go to bed and I'll tell you, ok?"
The little sister nodded and followed her to their bedroom. They were sleeping together and even sharing the same blanket. Zafina was always holding her sister until she would fall asleep singing for her lullabies. They changed into two white gowns and Zafina combed her sister's long black hair she was so pride of. Amina was doing the same with her sister every day. She was the one making her hair and makeup. She would always comment in her mind of how beautiful that woman was. Did their mother look like her sister? Amina didn't know because she had forgotten her…She could hate herself for that…
After that they rested their bodies on the bed and Zafina caressed Amina's cheek with her smiling at her. Amina rested her upper body on her elbows and said...
"Well? What did he want from you?"
Zafina's gaze was fixed at the ceiling but she was still listening to her sister's voice...
"I went to the hill, you know."
"So what?" Amina said...
"Back there..." she stopped for a moment...
"...I saw a vision."
Amina's eyes widened. She turned Zafina's head to look at her and said...
"Why? I mean...Did you want to see it? Or it came by itself?"
"I looked at the moon and it came." She said closing her eyes...
She covered her eyes with her hands. She was the one, who always thought of this gift as a curse. She was afraid of this power and she didn't even want to think of what her sister was facing every time she was drawn into one. Zafina accepted it but she couldn't...
"Did he give you an explanation of what it meant?"
Zafina shook her head...
"He said to not give it any thought for now. It wasn't something important."
"Is that really true?" said her sister worried...
She stood up and rested her back on the wall behind the bed. She took her sister in her arms and said...
"Of course it is. You have nothing to worry about."
Amina nodded and hugged her...
"I trust you, Zafina."
Zafina closed her eyes and started singing to her sister...
She thought that maybe, Amina found out her lies but kept silent because she wanted to believe that it was true. She understood her sister's fears. She was afraid that she would lose her. She was living with the fear of that gift becoming hers...
However, she wouldn't let that happen. She wouldn't allow anyone to mess with her sister and the villager's lives. She had come to realize that with this gift and its power, she was, also, carrying, on her back, a lot of people's fates...
Zafina won't be appearing for some of the next chapters because I want to introduce the other characters (there're a lot of them), since I'm going to focus in their stories as well. There's gonna be a lot of dialogue, too and that's the reason why the next chapters are going to be long.
My other protagonists, Lars, Julia and Tougou are coming next…Oh…And my sweet Alisa will be there (and some others).
Thanks for reading!