With a heavy heart, Kyra dragged herself up to her room, her mind consumed by thoughts of the recent events. Slowly, she drifted into a troubled sleep, unaware of the storm brewing on the horizon. Suddenly, she was jolted awake by her mother's panicked shaking. Voices outside filled the air, and her mother appeared pale and distressed.
"Kyra, wake up," her mother urgently pleaded. "The entire village is at our doorstep, shouting 'away with the shinobi filth.'"
Startled, Kyra rushed to the window and saw a furious mob gathered in their front yard, chanting derogatory words. To her shock, she spotted Rachel among them. While Kyra had pondered her next move, the village had already made a decision for her—she had to leave.
"Mama, I have to go," she hurriedly exclaimed, fully awake and focused. The fear in her mother's eyes heightened her urgency.
Her mother's face contorted in anguish. "What? But you're not a shinobi. You're my daughter, who has lived here her whole life. Tell me what has happened."
Kyra proceeded to share the recent events with her mother—the awakening of her powers, her experimentation on the villagers. As she spoke, she couldn't escape the guilt of having used the townsfolk as unwitting subjects.
Her mother fell silent, and to Kyra's surprise, she wasn't taken aback. "I should have known," her mother whispered.
Kyra's confusion grew. "What do you mean?"
"In our family, it's a taboo to discuss these matters. But given what you've been doing with your voice..." her mother trailed off, her voice barely audible. "I have to tell you."
"We are distant relatives of a long-extinct shinobi clan. We don't even know its name. Your great-grandmother possessed a similar gift, with her voice, though not as potent as yours."
Despite the tense situation with the villagers outside, Kyra was dumbfounded by her mother's revelation. "Am... am I a shinobi?" she stammered, her eyes widening. The idea of being a shinobi filled her with fear—she wasn't a killer.
"No, my dear, you're not. You're my daughter, an ordinary girl who didn't fully understand her powers," her mother reassured, trying to drown out the growing clamor from the villagers.
BOOM BOOM – the villagers were knocking hard on the front door. It made her mother go into protective parent mode.
"I'm afraid we don't have time anymore. You need to leave; it's no longer safe here," her mother said, adopting the protective stance of a parent.
Panicking, Kyra realized her mother was right. She reluctantly packed a bag, struggling to keep up with her mother's frenzied pace. The heavy backpack was pressed into her hands.
"Crawl out of the window and use the cover of darkness to escape," her mother instructed urgently.
BOOM BOOM; As a thunderous pounding echoed through the door, Kyra's tears welled up. "But where do I go, Mom?" she cried, tears streaming down her face.
"I don't know, my dear, I'm sorry, but it's not safe here anymore," her mother replied, tears in her own eyes. "I believe in you. You're strong and smart. You must survive until you find people who aren't afraid of your powers. And remember, I will always love you." Her mother held Kyra's hands on her shoulders, looking deep into her eyes.
Her mother pulled Kyra close, holding her one last time. "Now go quickly. I'll distract them," her mother whispered, planting a kiss on Kyra's forehead. Her mother opened the door, pretending to be angry to distract the villagers.
Kyra crawled out of the window, making her way through the backyard and into the dark forest beyond. Fear and adrenaline fueled her every step as she ran, pushing through her fatigue until she reached a considerable distance from the village. Exhausted from her escape, she collapsed at the base of a tree.
As she sat there, the gravity of what had transpired settled upon her. She had lost her home, her parents, and the safety of the village she had once called home. The weight of it all pressed heavily upon her, and tears mingled with her exhaustion.
"It's not fair," Kyra thought bitterly, her voice barely a whisper against the backdrop of the night. "Just because those people were afraid, I have to sacrifice everything to stay safe."
Her mind filled with a mixture of emotions, she clung to the photograph tucked away by her mother—a reminder of the love and support she had left behind. Tears streamed down her face as she held onto the precious memories.
With a heavy heart and a sense of determination, Kyra leaned back against the comforting presence of the tree. She knew she had to gather her strength, find her own path, and survive in a world that had turned against her.
And so, beneath the shelter of the tree's branches, Kyra closed her eyes, finding solace in the darkness. The unknown journey that lay ahead was daunting, but she refused to let fear define her. With her mother's love and the remnants of her past as her guiding light, Kyra vowed to navigate the treacherous path ahead, seeking a place where her powers would be understood and accepted.