Anna Vergangenheit

"Daddy! Daddy! Where are they taking mommy?"

"Calm down, Anna. We'll be alright."

"Mommy!"

Anna's father took his three year-old daughter in his arms and started running for a crack in a cliff, where he hid Anna.

"I'm going to rescue Mommy, Anna. Stay here and don't get out for any reason," he commanded.

He ran with all his might. He couldn't believe the Desians had attacked Luin, and he couldn't believe they had taken his wife. He prayed to the Goddess Martel that his daughter would be all right.

Catching up with the Desians that had taken his wife prisoner, Anna's father started fighting with whichever Desian stood in his way, until he reached his wife. Knocking the Desians that held her hostage to the floor, he took her hand and ran as if his life depended on it… both of their lives depended on it… as did Anna's.

Reaching the crevasse, he pushed his wife in and cuddled himself against Anna and his wife, praying, pleading, they wouldn't be found.

Ten years later…

Anna was now fifteen years old. She was a beauty, flesh-and-bone. Her green eyes were as deep as the forest and her wavy hair as brown as the willow's bark. Her skin slightly tanned because of the exercise. They had just arrived in the Luin inn after traveling around Sylvarant for ten years; they would be staying there for a period of time, as they had done ever since Luin had been attacked by the Desians for the first time, and when Anna's mother was taken hostage. But while she was being held captive by the Desians, she heard something terrible.

Pushing her ear against the door of their room, Anna eavesdropped on her parents' conversation.

"Laura, we have to tell Anna what you heard while you were a detainee of the Desians. She's got the right to know it, and if it's true, her life might be in danger," said Anna's father to his wife.

"I know, Thomas, but I'm afraid it might be too much for Anna."

"She doesn't deserve this life of evasion. Not when she doesn't know what she's escaping from."

"I know, I know, but how would you feel in my place? How would you feel in her place?"

"I'd feel grateful!" he exploded. "I'd feel grateful for the new sense given to my nomad life!"

From outside, Anna heard a slap. She knew her mother had a short fuse, and wasn't the kind of woman who let herself be yelled at.

"Don't shout to me like that, Thomas. If you get altered so easily, how do you expect to tell Anna?"

"So you're telling her?"

"I didn't say anything like that. I just said that you get angered really straightforwardly."

"Hmph."

Tell me what? What could Mom have possibly heard when she was taken hostage?¸ wondered Anna, who clearly remembered that day.

"Fine," conceded Laura, after a moment's thought. "I'll tell Anna."

That was Anna's mark for her to dash back to the hall's beginning, knowing her parents would come out any second. Sitting down on the floor, she pretended doing something on the floor in a bored way.

"Anna, honey, would you come here for a second?" asked her mother, opening the door. "There's something I want to talk to you about."

Anna incorporated herself and walked into the room. She sat herself in a bed and listened to her mother.

"Anna… I don't know if you remember that day… when we lived back here in Luin, before we started traveling the world… when I was taken a hostage by Desians, ten years ago, or so."

Anna, nodded, looking at her mother straight in the eye.

"Well, when I was with Desians, I heard something before your father saved me. The Desians were talking about… something called the 'Angelus Project.' It involved creating something inside someone's body, and they thought that that someone was me. Because…" Laura made a pause as she breathed deeply. "Because they mistook me for you. That's why we have been traveling from town to town all these years. We were afraid they might come back for you."

Anna looked down to the floor; she didn't know what to say.

"Anna, all of this was because we lo--", but Anna's mother couldn't ever finish the sentence.

Outside, destruction, screams and evil laughter could be heard.

"Hahaha! This town is now under the control of Lord Kvar! Guys! Catch any human that you can!"

"Oh, no! We must hide! The Desians have found us!" cried Anna's father.

Quickly, the Vergangenheit family rushed out of the inn in search of a refuge. But unfortunately, as they were running, an arrow shot by a crossbow reached Thomas on the side, and he fell to the floor.

"Anna! Laura! Run! Don't stop, I'll be fine! Just put yourselves in a safe place and I'll catch up with you later!" he ordered as he tried to stand up.

"But Daddy!"

"Thomas…"

"Run!"

Laura took Anna by the hand, and ran as quickly as she could, but they started hearing rushed steps in the distance coming for them.

"The Desians are right behind us. Anna, run faster!"

They started running faster, but regrettably, it was not enough; the Desians quickly neared them.

"It's her! The woman with that girl! The woman who escaped ten years ago, subject A0011!"

They ran as fast as their feet let them, but the Desians caught up with them. The faster of the Desians grabbed Laura's free wrist and stopped them from going any faster. Laura let go of Anna.

"Run! Save yourself, my daughter!"

"Mommy! Please don't!"

"Anna, run away this instant! Run before the others catch up with us! If you don't, I'll never forgive you!"

"But…"

"Just run!"

"Mommy… I love you!"

Anna closed her eyes, turned around and started running, not daring to look back… she faintly heard an "I love you, too," from her mother as the other Desians circled her mother.

After that attack, Anna didn't ever see either of her parents ever again.

Anna installed herself in Luin, not wanting to leave the place where her parents had died. To survive, she had opened a small battle school, which had little clientele and less prestige. But she managed to get on through.

The reason for her school not being known to most of the people was that she taught her own battle style, and she was a woman. Actually, she was the only woman knowing anything about self-defense in Luin.

The years had passed and she had grown accustomed to life in Luin, having a few good friends and calm life. She was twenty-three now, and with the years, her beauty grew.

vvvvv

"Hello there, Anna! How is your school going?" asked David, a student in Anna's school.

"V-very well, David, th-thanks." Anna blushed.

"I'm glad. Shall we start today's class?"

"O-of course! Whatever you want!"

Anna was too afraid of rejection to tell David what she felt for him. The blond-haired, blue-eyed handsome young man barely seemed to notice her, so she kept her feelings a secret.

vvvvv

But one day, Luin was attacked again by the Desians. Her little school was attacked, also, and Anna did what she could to defend herself, but she was quickly outnumbered and taken a hostage.

"Finally," laughed the leader Desian, "we've got the Angelus Project. She must be taken immediately to Kvar."