Vanessa Lowell’s hands reached up to rub her worn, tired eyes as she walked towards the door to the screaming child’s room. How many nights was this now? 10? 11? The gods only knew. With a sigh she pushed the door open and paced quickly across the room to the young girl, picking her up into her arms and cradling her. The screaming continued for a short time and the old woman could feel warm, wet tears dropping onto her shoulder and down her arm. ”Hush now little one. You’ll wake the neighbours again.” she whispered softly as she gently swayed the little girl in her arms. The crying slowly subsided, replaced by a gentle sniffling as a pair of electric blue eyes looked up at her. Vanessa had to look away as guilt washed over her once again. Those eyes…
She lifted the girl up to hug her properly, her own tears now trickling down her face. It had been many years since that day, but the memories still haunted her. That day had been the result of nights exactly like this; a small child screaming as the magical energy within their body threatened to destroy every ounce, every fibre of their existence. The countless sleepless nights, hindered by the reminder that her husband, a great man, was now being hunted as a heretic. How long could she lie and claim she knew nothing? How long until the military came looking for their child in fear of his powers? That fear led to that regrettable decision to send the child away and claim he’d died, cutting all ties and attempting to move on with that guilt tearing into her heart, which in turn was broken to pieces the day her husband was caught and murdered in cold blooded fear. The day she had been forced to pretend she cared for nothing when in fact, there was nothing left for her to care for.
The child was snuffling now, a sign she had recovered from her terror and was now asleep once more. Vanessa gently placed the girl back onto her bed before wiping her worn, tired eyes once more, drying them and pushing those memories back where they belonged; in the past. She would not allow that to re-occur. As she left the room she spoke just one sentence. ”I will not let this happen again…I promise.”
For days afterwards Vanessa would drop little Kiya Lowell into a nursery at first light, then head to the library and search for something, anything that could help her granddaughter. She couldn’t suppress the magic, but perhaps there was a chance of disguising it. Masking it. Hiding it. Days turned into weeks, with each evening ending with that same scene of the small girl crying and the old woman soothing her. Then finally the Gods shined on Vanessa as she found what she was looking for; mentions of wind magics taught to humans by the Gods themselves. A magic powerful enough for Kiya to expend her magical energy, but subtle enough to be hidden from sight of the Pergrandian public. That day marked the beginning of Vanessa’s redemption. She couldn’t raise her son properly. Maybe she could raise his secret child instead? She stole the book, hiding it amongst the ruffles in her blouse and taking it to her home where she then began to use the stories to teach the young girl. In time the nights became easier and the girl learned.
14 years later and Kiya was finally going to meet him, albeit not for the first time. Their first meeting was the day Vanessa finally met her son, a year prior. But today was different. Vanessa had finally told Kiya everything; how she was orphaned at birth. How Vanessa had taken her in and raised her, never knowing her son but recognising the colour of her eyes. She’d never been sure until the day they’d met. How Marick was her missing son, the one she’d given away years before. How he must have returned to Pergrande as a young man, with the trip resulting in the birth of Kiya. It was a messy and clearly unrehearsed discussion, but the young teen took it in her stride. After all, only one thing mattered here really and that was the fact she was finally meeting her father with the knowledge that both of them knew their relation to each other.
The teenager shook violently with something she quickly learned to be nerves – she’d never felt these before – as she sat on the step outside of her home in anticipation. She’d already been waiting hours but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to go inside and wait. It was such an unusual and uncomfortable array of emotions and thoughts surging through her body. And then there he was. That tall, powerful figure clad in a long black coat, his platinum blond hair and electric blue eyes. The resemblance had never been more obvious. Kiya got to her feet before approaching the figure of Marick Lowell. Her slow steps began to speed up and, before she knew it, she was sprinting right at him, lunging into a full dive as she reached just a few feet from him, being caught in mid-jump by the Sabertooth mage.
The scene was short-lived as another scene broke out nearby. The Pergrandian military bursting into a home and dragging a man out by his tunic, throwing him to the ground and declaring him a heretic without trial. It was prejudice beyond compare and Marick was having none of it. He released the girl from his grip and removed his coat as he approached the guards, tearing them off of the man without a second thought. A fight ensued as the proclaimed heretic attempted to plead his case, only for the guards to go on the offensive and for Marick to hold them back. All the while young Kiya watched, her anger at these soldiers committing such a crime without consideration for whether the man was innocent, without a thought for the people that were now being pulled into the fray – Marick included. But as her anger surged, so too did her magical energy. ”NO MORE!” she screamed. But as she screamed she also released a powerful blast of black wind that flew through the air, sending two of the guards flying into the wall and knocking them unconscious. Before she could register what had happened Kiya found herself picked up and thrown over someone’s shoulder, a black coat thrown over her to hide her. She only recognised her carrier by the black tattoo on his neck; her father.
A few hours later and they were sat in a harbour awaiting a boat to Fiore, with Kiya completely covered by Marick’s coat. ”You can’t stay here now Kiya. I’m sending you to Fiore. No buts.” the man stated. His eyes betrayed his strong words. This was destroying him. ”I am staying here to find your mother…until I return, I want you to go to the desert village in Fiore. Tell them the King of Beasts sent you and that you’re searching for Sabertooth. Go to Sabertooth and stay there.” he ordered. He then pulled a sheet of paper and a quill from a table nearby and scribbled a letter. After a few moments he folded the paper and tucked it into the coat pocket, zipping it up to ensure the letter wouldn’t fall out. ”You give that letter to Raven and to Raven only. Understood?”
Kiya nodded, barely understanding what was going on. ”But…” she began, only to stop upon receiving a kiss on her forehead. ”No buts I said. Now go. The forces will be here soon.” Marick stated. With a tear in his eye he gave a warm smile. It seemed to sooth the girl’s nerves, even if she still felt so confused and scared. How had it come to this? There was no time to question it as she had to get moving. Her legs carried her without her asking them to. Before she knew it she was halfway out to sea, completely forgetting to say goodbye to her father and the life she’d left behind. She was headed to Fiore. To Sabertooth. To a new life.
She lifted the girl up to hug her properly, her own tears now trickling down her face. It had been many years since that day, but the memories still haunted her. That day had been the result of nights exactly like this; a small child screaming as the magical energy within their body threatened to destroy every ounce, every fibre of their existence. The countless sleepless nights, hindered by the reminder that her husband, a great man, was now being hunted as a heretic. How long could she lie and claim she knew nothing? How long until the military came looking for their child in fear of his powers? That fear led to that regrettable decision to send the child away and claim he’d died, cutting all ties and attempting to move on with that guilt tearing into her heart, which in turn was broken to pieces the day her husband was caught and murdered in cold blooded fear. The day she had been forced to pretend she cared for nothing when in fact, there was nothing left for her to care for.
The child was snuffling now, a sign she had recovered from her terror and was now asleep once more. Vanessa gently placed the girl back onto her bed before wiping her worn, tired eyes once more, drying them and pushing those memories back where they belonged; in the past. She would not allow that to re-occur. As she left the room she spoke just one sentence. ”I will not let this happen again…I promise.”
For days afterwards Vanessa would drop little Kiya Lowell into a nursery at first light, then head to the library and search for something, anything that could help her granddaughter. She couldn’t suppress the magic, but perhaps there was a chance of disguising it. Masking it. Hiding it. Days turned into weeks, with each evening ending with that same scene of the small girl crying and the old woman soothing her. Then finally the Gods shined on Vanessa as she found what she was looking for; mentions of wind magics taught to humans by the Gods themselves. A magic powerful enough for Kiya to expend her magical energy, but subtle enough to be hidden from sight of the Pergrandian public. That day marked the beginning of Vanessa’s redemption. She couldn’t raise her son properly. Maybe she could raise his secret child instead? She stole the book, hiding it amongst the ruffles in her blouse and taking it to her home where she then began to use the stories to teach the young girl. In time the nights became easier and the girl learned.
14 years later and Kiya was finally going to meet him, albeit not for the first time. Their first meeting was the day Vanessa finally met her son, a year prior. But today was different. Vanessa had finally told Kiya everything; how she was orphaned at birth. How Vanessa had taken her in and raised her, never knowing her son but recognising the colour of her eyes. She’d never been sure until the day they’d met. How Marick was her missing son, the one she’d given away years before. How he must have returned to Pergrande as a young man, with the trip resulting in the birth of Kiya. It was a messy and clearly unrehearsed discussion, but the young teen took it in her stride. After all, only one thing mattered here really and that was the fact she was finally meeting her father with the knowledge that both of them knew their relation to each other.
The teenager shook violently with something she quickly learned to be nerves – she’d never felt these before – as she sat on the step outside of her home in anticipation. She’d already been waiting hours but for some reason she couldn’t bring herself to go inside and wait. It was such an unusual and uncomfortable array of emotions and thoughts surging through her body. And then there he was. That tall, powerful figure clad in a long black coat, his platinum blond hair and electric blue eyes. The resemblance had never been more obvious. Kiya got to her feet before approaching the figure of Marick Lowell. Her slow steps began to speed up and, before she knew it, she was sprinting right at him, lunging into a full dive as she reached just a few feet from him, being caught in mid-jump by the Sabertooth mage.
The scene was short-lived as another scene broke out nearby. The Pergrandian military bursting into a home and dragging a man out by his tunic, throwing him to the ground and declaring him a heretic without trial. It was prejudice beyond compare and Marick was having none of it. He released the girl from his grip and removed his coat as he approached the guards, tearing them off of the man without a second thought. A fight ensued as the proclaimed heretic attempted to plead his case, only for the guards to go on the offensive and for Marick to hold them back. All the while young Kiya watched, her anger at these soldiers committing such a crime without consideration for whether the man was innocent, without a thought for the people that were now being pulled into the fray – Marick included. But as her anger surged, so too did her magical energy. ”NO MORE!” she screamed. But as she screamed she also released a powerful blast of black wind that flew through the air, sending two of the guards flying into the wall and knocking them unconscious. Before she could register what had happened Kiya found herself picked up and thrown over someone’s shoulder, a black coat thrown over her to hide her. She only recognised her carrier by the black tattoo on his neck; her father.
A few hours later and they were sat in a harbour awaiting a boat to Fiore, with Kiya completely covered by Marick’s coat. ”You can’t stay here now Kiya. I’m sending you to Fiore. No buts.” the man stated. His eyes betrayed his strong words. This was destroying him. ”I am staying here to find your mother…until I return, I want you to go to the desert village in Fiore. Tell them the King of Beasts sent you and that you’re searching for Sabertooth. Go to Sabertooth and stay there.” he ordered. He then pulled a sheet of paper and a quill from a table nearby and scribbled a letter. After a few moments he folded the paper and tucked it into the coat pocket, zipping it up to ensure the letter wouldn’t fall out. ”You give that letter to Raven and to Raven only. Understood?”
Kiya nodded, barely understanding what was going on. ”But…” she began, only to stop upon receiving a kiss on her forehead. ”No buts I said. Now go. The forces will be here soon.” Marick stated. With a tear in his eye he gave a warm smile. It seemed to sooth the girl’s nerves, even if she still felt so confused and scared. How had it come to this? There was no time to question it as she had to get moving. Her legs carried her without her asking them to. Before she knew it she was halfway out to sea, completely forgetting to say goodbye to her father and the life she’d left behind. She was headed to Fiore. To Sabertooth. To a new life.
