Blood of Pain

19 years old.

Flanoir. The snow, beautiful, falling like tiny dots of cream from the dark sky, soared past the window where Tatheya was standing.

She had reached Triet Desert and the Renegade Base just to be informed that Yuan and the Renegades had gone to their base in Tethe'alla. Not even bothering to ask why she silently mounted her Rheaird again.

And now she was sitting at the inn, situated in Flanoir, the city in the middle of the fjords. She gave a sigh and went to sit on the bed, but before doing so, unsheathing her long and thin sword, placing it to lean against the bed, appearing as if she was unarmed if anyone was to attack her in her sleep. But then she pulled out a knife from her boot and placed it under the pillow where it could be easily reached. This was an unwritten rule of the ones that lived like she did. Always be prepared.

For who knew what one would come and attack her in her rest? Perhaps not here in Flanoir but even so, it was always important to keep her guard up.

In battles it was extremely important. If her sword were to be knocked out from her hands she would have nothing to defend herself with but her fists. Therefore she had always two knives in her belt and if she was to be knocked to the ground with no chance of reaching them, a knife had also been placed in her boot. She was indeed also able to concentrate her mana into various attacks if she was to be robbed her weapons. Mostly, though, she preferred close combat. It somehow seemed to have more speed and reality to it.

She normally didn't want to, but slowly, she fell into a light sleep, her hand under the pillow, grasping around the hilt of the dagger.

Run! For the love of the Goddess and all that is sacred run until your legs can't carry you anymore!

Tatheya ran. And ran. The one thought she had in her mind was to run. She'd seen the chance and took it. She knew that all of Kvar's men were after her and she'd face a fate worse than death if they would find her. So she ran, ran and ran.

She didn't realise the stairs in front of her and she lost her balance, falling headfirst down them. As she finally came to a stop once down the stairs she groaned, and was just about to stand up to continue her escape when she found herself staring upon a pair of boots. She slowly looked up to stare right into Kvar's cold grey eyes. He gave a dry laugh.
'Well, well, trying to escape are we?'

Tatheya stood up, and though she only reached to his hip, she tried to look down at him.
'Let me go! You have no right to keep me here!'
Kvar laughed harder.

'Ah, now you are a funny one,' he said and kneeled down to her, his eyes in the same height as her blue eyes.
'And that's why it'll be a shame to get rid of you.'
Tatheya gasped as his cold fingers grasped around her throat, cutting of her breathing.

'I could simply choose to remove the Key Crest on your special little exsphere, but I enjoy more killing you with my own hands!' he said, his eyes burning with insanity.
Tatheya managed to gather all her strength to her feet and kicked him in his face since he'd lifted her up in the air.
He cursed and dropped her on the floor.
'You little witch!' he hissed and grabbed her by the arm. 'Now you leave me with no option but to remove you Key Crest! May you face a painful death!'

'…You will do no such thing.'

A sword was suddenly pointed to Kvar's throat and he sighed. The owner to the sword's voice was strong and fearless, the voice of a Hero, in Tatheya's ears.

'Let go of the girl.'

Kvar saw no option but to do as he said. Tatheya immediately backed away from Kvar, only to back into the legs of her 'saviour'.

She looked up, for the first time setting eyes upon the fiery red hair and dark brown eyes.

'Lord Kratos.'

Kvar's tone was suddenly disgustingly smooth.
'Shut up, Kvar, there is nothing you can say to make Yggdrasill forgive you this time. You had no right investigating the effects of the exsphere without his permission.'

Kratos glanced down at Tatheya who looked at him with big eyes. 'And on a child as well,' his eyes narrowed as he looked at Kvar at rage. Kvar quickly found himself, standing up.

'Now, now, Kratos. It seems that you will never be rid of a conscious. Pity.'

Kratos merely grunted to answer.

'As for this child, she is to be freed, not to be persuaded.'

Kvar took a look at Tatheya, an evil glance in his eyes.

'As you wish, my Lord. You are free to go, little child.'

Tatheya didn't bother with the fact that he'd just let her go and she turned once again to run away.

It was not until she reached the free air outside Asgard as she realised that her Key Crest was gone. Panicked, she turned to the Ranch, before her vision got blurry and she fainted, the orb absorbing her very life.

Tatheya shot open her eyes. She sighed. Memories of her childhood at the Asgard Ranch still haunted her. Luckily, her father had found her all those years ago as she lay outside the ranch and saved her as he took her to Altessa, the dwarf, who carved her a new Key Crest.

In the dark, Tatheya could still see her exsphere, gleaming as the moon reflected upon it. A tool of death, that's what it is, she thought.

The snow was pressed harder together as her thin leather boots walked over the ground. The Rheaird rested in the edge of the glacier, and she had to get there in order to continue her path to the Renegade base. Her thoughts wandered into what they always seemed to wander into; what she would do with her life. What if this Chosen was to fail, like so many others? Things had to come to a stop.

She hated Yggdrasill's ideas. Surely, she was a human, not a half-elf as the insane leader. But she did, oh she did, understand what discrimination he'd went through.

For Tatheya had been living in a human ranch. Her mother was from the Asgard Human Ranch, and as she was waiting Tatheya she had escaped to Tethe'alla together with her father. But once Tatheya was born they had travelled back to Sylvarant, only to be found by Kvar. Her mother had been killed instantly, and Tatheya had been brought to the ranch under a promise to be with in Kvar's 'special project'. Tatheya looked at her hand to see her exsphere and painfully remembered what it was to be in the 'special project'.

She stopped dead as she faintly heard a howl. Her light but sharp sword already rested in her palm, ready for fight. Sometimes her reflexes were too fast for her own good. She could not remember how many times she'd cut herself as her hand automatically reached to unsheathe her sword in case of danger.

Tatheya's eyes travelled up over the snowy and sharp hills surrounding the glacier. Nothing. A cold wind fled over the ground of the barren snowland, dragging the light surface of the snow with it as it did. Suspiciously, Tatheya sheathed her sword again, unaware of her mistake.

For as she continued her walk to the edge, something big and dark gave a growl to then leap onto her, tackling her, both of them tumbling over the snowy landscape. Tatheya's vision was filled with a black coloured fur.

They finally came to a stop and the creature leaped off her with a growl, preparing for an attack a couple of metres away.

Tatheya was head down in the snow. Anger filled her; she's been struck with surprise, she hated to be surprised. She could feel a sting of pain in her side; the creature's claws had dug into her flesh. Then, quickly, she got to her feet again with a swift jump. Once again she's quickly unsheathed her sword, now ready for a fight.

The wolf leaped for her, and in the moment as it would hit her she felt her body surging with power. She closed her eyes as her exsphere was feeding her with power. Then, as quick as an arrow, she dodged the wolf, cutting the side of it, as if returning the favour.

The wolf whimpered but did not give up. It lunged for her once again and she was forced to roll aside in the snow, and as she got to her feet, she stated that she'd had about enough by now. As the wolf leaped for her the third time she thrust her sword through his throat, and it fell dead down before it even finished its attack.

She stood up, panting slightly. She suddenly staggered backwards as her vision faded for a moment. She sighed.

It was the first sign.