"So now he's taking me along with him to his healing trips, rather than Torean." Kira's eyes sparkled with glee and the two girls laughed as she herded her friend into a shop. "I'm getting him a new robe, his old one's getting dirty and a little scraggy, mother's constantly moaning at having to wash it." Kira scanned the lines of clothing and her friend picked one out.
"How do I look?" Kira turned and laughed loudly at the ridiculously over sized robe drowning her friend.
"Very nice, Tyara. Definitely your color, a bit small though!" They once again erupted into a fit of giggles. Kira clutched her side taking a deep breath and straightened up. Her eyes caught a length of shimmering material; she reached into the stack of robes picking a luxuriously elegant, moonlight-silver trimmed robe. The midnight blue of the robe contrasted greatly with the silver of the trimmings, she ran the robe through her hands and saw that it was floor-length with a hood. She picked an exact copy, but slightly shorter. "Like it?" Her friend scanned the robe and nodded slowly.
"Definitely! Why two?" Kira smiled slyly and whispered.
"I want to show the world that me and my father are related, that's all." She walked to the counter and opened her money pouch. "And it won't hurt to rub Toreans face in it, will it." Kira grinned to her friends as the shopkeeper rapped the cloaks in two separate bags and handed them to her. Placing two gold coins into his hand she smiled fleetingly and winked. The shopkeeper blushed and scuffled away. She turned and walked out of the shop, Tyara following. Walking in the street, Kira looked at her friend. Tyara was everything a girl could want her best friend to be. She was always there for her; whenever Torean tried any particularly vicious attacks Tyara would always be there by her side, her loyalty never wavered, she was an excellent friend and brilliant companion, and with her slightly satirical sense of humour she always found a away to make even the grimmest of situations amusing. Kira didn't know a smarter woman around, with Tyaras unmatchable intelligence and beauty she was a well sort out bride. Her father had been approached many times by scholars, and merchants from all over Northern Kyralia. Tyara had no choice. When her mother had died during child birth she was left in the care of her father. Despite being able to take care of her well for so long, he knew that it was soon time for her to be getting married and wanted it done as soon as possible. Kira knew Tyara resented her situation, but she faced it with her head held high- another reason why Kira respected her so much was her resolution to do what must be done. Kira could never and would never marry for anything other than love- a fact she had sternly and repeatedly explained to her mother. Kira's mother and father had kind of adopted her, so she had always been like a sister to her. Kira's mother had taught Tyara everything, from books to music and she was vastly on her way to becoming a very accomplished woman.
Approaching the door she bid he friend good bye and opened the door. The day light had faded quickly, and the moonlight was too weak to illuminate the hall way. Creating a small globe light she placed her new cloaks on the stair way and walked toward the study. She was going to bid her father good night when she heard shouting, increasing rapidly in volume, she heard a crash and that was when she froze at the scene before her. The door stood slightly a jar and Kira knelt down to see through the gap. Torean stood, shouting at her father. Kira saw her fathers face and caught his thoughts. 'No, don't think of it. He is stronger than both you and I combined. Look into his mind and see his crimes!' Kira concentrated and sort his mind. With her fathers training she was able to block out peoples unwanted attention and now could enter a persons mind at will. It was like another form of magic. Every time her father had tried to learn it he had failed. Now she entered Torean's mind quickly and looked for any memories or thoughts that would explain why he was attacking her father, and his mentor. She saw a memory of two days past. Torean was standing over an old magician and was slicing his arm. Kira gasped as she realized he had learnt higher magic without his mentor. 'How?'Her thought seemed to prompt a number of images to spring forward. Torean looking through books, finding one on higher magic. Going on a killing spree to gain magic to fight his mentor. 'Why?' Her face flashed through her mind. He hated her. The realization of this scared both her and her father.
Torean was attacking her father with relentless savagery. She caught a trail of his thoughts, they were a cocktail of emotions and she was both repulsed and terrified to feel his mind buzzing with the excitement of both killing his former master and her. Coldness ran through her body. Gone was the childish rivalry that had existed between the two of them. Gone was the boy who used to taunt her constantly with his 'apparent' superior knowledge of magic. No the man that towered over her father was the sick concoction of a power hungry, blood thirsty, and revenge seeking man. But revenge for what?! We haven't done anything to him! Father taught him as any master would teach an apprentice, he devoted most of his life to teaching him. Wasn't that enough?? Then it struck her, the answer came to her with the ferocity of an unshielded force strike Father had taught him everything...yet I ended up being Superior in magical strength... It's my powers that developed of their own accord...I was always able to block his attacks, with the help of Tyara, or on my own. He couldn't take the fact that after all his years of training...I came out as the superior magician. Kira silently scoffed to herself, then its good he doesn't know I can read minds too, I can't imagine him being too happy about that...
Kira watched in horror as Torean drew her father to a corner. With Torean's his back to her, they were directly diagonal to her right, she could see the emotions flashing through her fathers eyes; the fear of death, and what was to come, the disappointment that etched itself into each line of his face as he looked at his former apprentice is disgust... Kira's heart gave a painful twist as she felt a flash of self-loathing flow through her fathers mind...he blames himself for what Torean has become...
She locked eyes with her father, her heart set in determination for what she was about to do. 'I can attack him from behind, he doesn't no I'm here.' Her fathers eyes grew hard sensing what she was about to do
'No Kira. I forbid you to attack.'
She narrowed her eyes at her father you can't expect me to stand by and watch him kill you!
'There is no honor in attacking your enemy from behind, and he is more powerful now, you know from his thoughts that he has used higher magic to grow more powerful, even with your power you wouldn't be able to defeat him today. My powers are dwindling. Your mother is dead Kira...run from here. Far away... I have taught you well, it is you alone that will be able to defeat him, but not today...you must avenge us another time Kira...not today...'
Kira's heart twisted again, she bit back the tears that threatened to flow down her now moist eyes. Looking to the other end of the room she saw her mother's lifeless body lying still on the floor. She forced her way into Torean's mind, needing to know what had happened, a scene flashed before her;
'Tell me where she is or I'll make you watch them both die...' Torean had her mother's throat grasped between his hands, slowly squeezing tighter as they refused to answer. Her father was trapped behind a barrier, trying to break it with strike after strike, hate welling up within him, desperation threatening to overcome his as he watched his wife die. 'I'd rather die then tell you a thing...' Her mother threw her head back and spat in Toreans face before kneeing him in the groin. You go mum Kira thought, Torean gasped for breath kneeling on the floor. Just as her mother was going to escape he caught her with a line of magic drawing her back. 'If you want it that way then so be it.' He sent a powerful force strike towards her. Kira whimpered as she saw the strike come against her mother...but nothing happened...not a first...I didn't know mother was a magician!Her mother was fighting back, shielding herself with surprising strength making Torean weaker by the minute as he called forth more power into each attack. But she wasn't as strong as he was. Her shield wavered then fell. A flash of blue lit the room as her shield shattered. Then silence, as her still form hit the floor.
A crash brought her back to scene playing in front of her. Torean battered her fathers shield with an array of force and heat strikes; the blood red of the heat strikes battered her fathers shield relentlessly, while the blinding white of the force strikes showered bands of power almost obliterating his shield. There was a dazzling flash of Sapphire light. Time froze. The thoughts of both Torean and her father stopped for a moment. The whole room was cast in a hue of royal blue; dust swam in small spirals catching small snippets of the moonlight filtering through the study window. Then the world came crashing down as the ceiling started collapsing, she caught the venomous sound of Torean's malicious voice trail through the air thick with dust and debris; 'You're not even worth the trouble old man. I'll leave you to die the hard way...' She saw his mouth twist into a vicious smirk before he tore a hole into the opposite wall sending the ceiling's supports to break down even faster, He knelt down to face her father one last time; 'I'll get her like I got you...only her death won't be half as pleasant...' Then he stretched up, dusting his robes off before stepping over the rubble through his make-shift exit to the street not looking back.
Kira stumbled to her father, dropping to her knees, he was still conscious...but barely... 'Father what do I do? Don't go...please don't go' he smiled at her despite all the pain he was going through. The rubble and parts of the foundations holding the ceiling had landed on him crushing his legs, fracturing his arms and piecing his ribs. Kira marveled at the fact he was still live for a moment, he must be healing himself every few moment to keep his heart beating. She looked at him in dismay; there was no way she could get rid of the rubble before his magic ran out...
'Kira, I don't know how long I'm going to last. Your mother's gone, and I don't have long left...You have to go. Now...' He drew in a sharp breath, his eyes glazed over in pain for a second before he gathered himself 'Get out of here now, My skin barrier is still active now but once I die, the magic I have left will be released, you know what that means?' Kira shuddered as she thought of the story's she had heard of unguarded magicians deaths, the devastation the explosion of magic left behind was terrible. She looked down at her father and nodded slightly, she knew what must be done. Kira gently squeezed her father's hand kissing him lightly on the forehead.
'Goodbye dad... I love you'...his eyes sparkled brightly for a moment, all of the pain was forgotten, he smiled... a true heart warming smile; 'I know sweetheart...I love you too...'
She stood up, and moved to leave the room. Kira had never felt such unwavering, unrelenting hate before. She heart grew cold as she tried to comprehend her loss. Her mother was dead. Her father was dead. She had no-one. 'I'll make him pay for all he has done to me, I'm not alone, I have Tyara, we'll both avenge my parents and get our revenge.'
Kira had left the house and was walking down the moonlit street when she turned around. A thought that didn't belong to her fluttered through her mind 'I know you'll make me proud...'
Then the house erupted in a flash of white light spiraling out and around it in glorious arcs twisting around the framework...'It's strangely beautiful...' She thought. Then a strange silence filled the air, the light imploded leaving nothing but a crater where her home had once stood. Her last tie to her past had been destroyed. She turned back to the empty street turning her back to the fading light of the full moon and started walking toward the rising sun.