Chapter Two: Forests and Dragons
Fate has many ways of righting wrongs. In years to come, Fate will lead a young girl to Gaea to put an end to the evils of Zibach, when the great wheels of war are set in motion. But for now, Fate has the unfortunate task of dealing with a young boy, who should not be what he is. And fate has also to deal with a broken child on the earth, the motherless daughter of an abusive alcoholic father, who has to get away before she is killed.
Aiko is in the hospital again. A young girl almost recovered. She will be released tomorrow. She will have to go back to that home. She is the perfect candidate for Fate to employ in its plan. Combining the needs of one creature, with the needs of another, to come to an absolute end. Fate is clever and not to be toyed with. The sorcerers have toyed with Fate, and now they must pay. But first Fate has decided to correct their error in creating this creature. Fate will use this creature. this Aiko.
Aiko blinked as an iridescent glow of whiteness washed over her. She lay in the hospital bed. 'Where is this coming from?' She thought. After her brown eyes adjusted to it, she realized it came from heaven. "Have I died?" she asked aloud. "Is someone calling to me? To take me to heaven?" She welcomed the light. Then it moved away, to the window.
Aiko got out of bed, and followed the light. She went to the window. "Is someone calling me?" she asked again. As if in response, she felt weightless, and the light lifted her up. It began pulling her towards the sky. Two possibilities occurred to her. She was dead and being pulled to a paradise, or aliens were abducting her. Either way, she didn't care. She was being freed from this awful world and life.
But both of her hypotheses were incorrect, for she was being directed by Fate to Gaea. Here, she will begin to exact Fate's plan.
It has been four years and she has landed somewhere in Fanelia's lush forests, though she couldn't have possibly known this. There was a very light waterfall, trickling over a cliff face into a stream of silver thread; merry birds were chanting their songs in the trees all around her. The long tassels of droopy willows hung down, surrounding her in their delicate protection. The forest was making her sleepy. 'Is this heaven?' she thought, as she yawned. She had no desire to stand until a huge bump and crashing sound jolted her.
It was followed by another, and another. Aiko stood shakily to her feet and didn't move out from under the willow. There was nothing for many moments, and Aiko relaxed a little. Then suddenly, the noises recommenced, much closer and louder!
Thump. thump. thump. THUMP!!
Then nothing.
Silence.
Aiko stood perfectly still. She picked up a nearby stick and gripped it in her hands tightly. Her bottom lip quivered as she scanned the trees on the other side of the narrow stream. Nothing more came.
Then a horrendous and shrill cry erupted from the soft, slobbery mouth of the largest reptile Aiko had ever seen. It was bigger than an elephant and it came crashing through the trees, and then lopsidedly crashing into everything else once through.
Aiko was speechless, and could do nothing but stare at the kitana- sized teeth and helplessly hold her little stick, as she stumbled backwards. The movement caught the eye of the Fanalian dragon and it looked at her sharply.
This sudden attention made Aiko lose her footing and she fell to the ground. The dragon carefully surveyed her. The stick in her hand drew special attention. After a few moments, the dragon named her as an enemy, and screeched horribly, as it moved towards the helpless and frightened Aiko.
Aiko couldn't even scream.
Fate has many ways of righting wrongs. In years to come, Fate will lead a young girl to Gaea to put an end to the evils of Zibach, when the great wheels of war are set in motion. But for now, Fate has the unfortunate task of dealing with a young boy, who should not be what he is. And fate has also to deal with a broken child on the earth, the motherless daughter of an abusive alcoholic father, who has to get away before she is killed.
Aiko is in the hospital again. A young girl almost recovered. She will be released tomorrow. She will have to go back to that home. She is the perfect candidate for Fate to employ in its plan. Combining the needs of one creature, with the needs of another, to come to an absolute end. Fate is clever and not to be toyed with. The sorcerers have toyed with Fate, and now they must pay. But first Fate has decided to correct their error in creating this creature. Fate will use this creature. this Aiko.
Aiko blinked as an iridescent glow of whiteness washed over her. She lay in the hospital bed. 'Where is this coming from?' She thought. After her brown eyes adjusted to it, she realized it came from heaven. "Have I died?" she asked aloud. "Is someone calling to me? To take me to heaven?" She welcomed the light. Then it moved away, to the window.
Aiko got out of bed, and followed the light. She went to the window. "Is someone calling me?" she asked again. As if in response, she felt weightless, and the light lifted her up. It began pulling her towards the sky. Two possibilities occurred to her. She was dead and being pulled to a paradise, or aliens were abducting her. Either way, she didn't care. She was being freed from this awful world and life.
But both of her hypotheses were incorrect, for she was being directed by Fate to Gaea. Here, she will begin to exact Fate's plan.
It has been four years and she has landed somewhere in Fanelia's lush forests, though she couldn't have possibly known this. There was a very light waterfall, trickling over a cliff face into a stream of silver thread; merry birds were chanting their songs in the trees all around her. The long tassels of droopy willows hung down, surrounding her in their delicate protection. The forest was making her sleepy. 'Is this heaven?' she thought, as she yawned. She had no desire to stand until a huge bump and crashing sound jolted her.
It was followed by another, and another. Aiko stood shakily to her feet and didn't move out from under the willow. There was nothing for many moments, and Aiko relaxed a little. Then suddenly, the noises recommenced, much closer and louder!
Thump. thump. thump. THUMP!!
Then nothing.
Silence.
Aiko stood perfectly still. She picked up a nearby stick and gripped it in her hands tightly. Her bottom lip quivered as she scanned the trees on the other side of the narrow stream. Nothing more came.
Then a horrendous and shrill cry erupted from the soft, slobbery mouth of the largest reptile Aiko had ever seen. It was bigger than an elephant and it came crashing through the trees, and then lopsidedly crashing into everything else once through.
Aiko was speechless, and could do nothing but stare at the kitana- sized teeth and helplessly hold her little stick, as she stumbled backwards. The movement caught the eye of the Fanalian dragon and it looked at her sharply.
This sudden attention made Aiko lose her footing and she fell to the ground. The dragon carefully surveyed her. The stick in her hand drew special attention. After a few moments, the dragon named her as an enemy, and screeched horribly, as it moved towards the helpless and frightened Aiko.
Aiko couldn't even scream.