Burning Memories

Kiersa looked out at the distant remains of the village, the skeleton of the convent on the hill just beyond it. There was no life here, and disturbingly, some of the fires still burned in the village from that terrible night all those months ago. Just barren wasteland, charred wood and blackened stone remained.

The nun let out a shuddering sigh as she looked down at the key in her hand that the Arch-Bishop had given to her after she and her team-mates had cleansed the Holy Castle of its demonic taint. She had decided to try and come alone, to spare her friends the sight they would now be witness to… but sadly Aayla and Cirven had come along as well, using the reasoning they were a team now that they had to do this together… The nun just hoped they remained so afterwards…

She turned her gaze back to the shell that was once the convent and closed her eyes softly as she let out a slow breath to hold her composure together. “P-please…” she asked quietly, her voice travelling far in this desolate place. “D-don’t… don’t t-touch anything… p-please?” asked the nun of her team-mates before she began to walk towards the convent, having to travel through the ruined village first.

All around you, you would be able to guess what people’s lives and jobs would have been here… the remains of a mill, portions of a surviving blacksmith… the pen of a nursery… and many more, each one horrifically burned and charred, and yet enough left for any visitors to know what these people did.

Cirven had followed the nun as a teammate and a new friend. He had respect for her for sticking to what she believed in even though he didn't exactly believe in it himself. The area they arrived in seemed to be completely ruined by flames which gave him flashes of his past every time he closed his eyes. He blocked the thoughts out and continued to move along with his teammates.


He listened to the nun as she said not to touch anything but that did not take his curiosity away from the place. Shops were broken down but still could be figured out what they used to be. The weird thing was it seemed like the town was completely deserted. Like anyone that was there did not want to ever come back. He couldn't help but think of how similar this town was to the one his sister and him were in the past.

"So what exactly happened here?" He reluctantly asked thinking that it might affect Kiersa in a bad way. "This place looks way too familiar to me sadly."

"It's ok Kiersa... We're here for you, we won't do anything."
She assured the nun as they walked through the village. Her heart felt heavy as she looked at everything around them, everything was charred, some of it still burning away as no one had come to extinguish the flames. She had to cover her nose, the smell of death was over powering, and it made her feel extremely sick. 

It reminded her way too much of her own home, and the small tears gathered at the corner of her eyes proved that it affected her, even though she put on a strong face so she could be there for her friend. Every now and then, as they passed an actve fire, Aayla couldn't help but extinguish it with a gentle water spell.

Above them, Zinnath flapped her powerful wings as she kept an eye on the trio.

The nun stumbled in her step a little as Cirven asked her the question, but she continued to walk. "A... a d-demon..." she said. "The c-convent... h-had been k-keeping h-him p-prisoner f-for... I d-don't know h-how long... M-maybe s-since i-it was b-built f-for a-all I kn-know..." Kiersa explained, staring straight ahead as she walked, not daring to look upon the ruins once more. "H-he... h-he g-got f-free..." she said quietly.

As they exited the village, the nun would stop for a moment, her hand going to her mouth as she beheld the sight she had last seen that time ago. Arrayed between the convent and the village… was a mass graveyard. Rows upon rows of mounds, each with a very basic wooden icon at the head of each one. Each was varying sizes from the size of an adult… to the size of newborns.

The nun scrunched her eyes tight and bowed her head towards the graves. “I… I a-am so… so s-sorry…” she said softly, seeming to be addressing the graves. “…One hundred and sixty three…” Kiersa said quietly as she began to walk around the graveyard, keeping to a respectable distance of a few metres. “A-and i-its’ all… i-it’s all m-my fault…” said the nun as she began to ascend the hill towards the wreckage of the convent.

Cirven made sure to stay close to both of his teammates as they moved. He felt like he was the one who was least affected by the town or at least the one who could control it the best. He would reach over and hold his sister's hand every so often in an attempt to help her feel stronger and more comforted.

Kiersa explained what had happened, blaming it on a demon that was set free somehow. "A demon? Here too?" He mumbled as he thought of the similarity. "Its a coincidence, right?" He stopped speaking and kept following the nun. He wanted to wait for anymore questions.

They stopped for a brief time around the graves of the fallen. He held his sister's hand tighter as they were near them.

"How are you at fault for this, Kiersa?" He asked after she blamed herself. "Were you in control of the creature's actions or something?"

Aayla's hand trembled lightly, both from the sheer sickness she felt to the memories haunting her mind. She clenched Cirven's hand tightly as she walked along behind Kiersa in silence. She had to keep in in... she couldn't cry, she had to be brave for her... she couldn't be sick either... the smell couldn't get to her... nope...

She let go of Cirven's hand before darting away from the pair of them. She found a tree that was half burned down already and used it for support as everything came up. She couldn't help but throw up as the nausea of the scent and the panic of the memories quickly over-whelmed her.

"Sorry... im sorry..."
She said, coughing as she wiped at her mouth, summoning water into her hands to wash her face with. Her face was bright red with embarassement as she stepped out from behind the tree, her head hung low.

"Sorry... Kiersa... the smell just got to me..."
She muttered, not meaning it at all as an insult as they continued up. When she blamed herself for waht happened, she couldn't find the strength to comfort her... she didn't know her story, but Aayla could relate... the whole reason the dark mages attacked the village was to spite her father... the mage who had trample on their plans one too many times. They wanted to teach him a lesson, in life, in death, and through the daughter he spoke so highly of.

Kiersa looked back at the two siblings, offering an apologetic smile to Aayla. "I-it's a-alright... I-I'm th-the o-one wh-who's s-sorry... I sh-shouldn't h-have l-let y-you c-come... t-to s-suffer l-like this..." she said softly before looking back to the ruins of the convent as she walked. She slowly answered Cirven's question for why she blamed herself. "...I'm the one who freed him..." The nun remained silent as she let that knowledge sink in, her whole body and soul bracing itself for the inevitable backlash and hatred... she fully expected the two of them to leave her here now, amongst the fires and the dead.

Still, she walked on.

The nun reached the great doorframe that once stood at the front, bowing her head in respect before she stepped over the threshold. All throughout the convent ruins, there were stakes in the ground, their tips and lengths stained red. They reached what looked like a large hall, and Kiersa paused to look at an empty section of wall. “Th-there… there w-was once… a g-great s-stain g-glass window th-there…” she said softly, nodding in the direction of the gap.

If anyone were to go look, they’d find the shards of it lining the edge of the wall, and some pieces scattered on the ground nearby. “It… it was b-beautiful i-in s-summer…” she quietly remarked before turning her gaze and continuing to walk. They reached a point where there was far more of the stakes, arranged in a circle around a door that hung on its hinges, the entrance to the catacombs below.

The nun walked quicker past this part, as if she wanted to put it behind her as fast as possible.

He made sure to check on his sister as she was having trouble. He rubbed her back as she let it all out but kept his eyes turned away from the sight so that he didn't add to the mess of bile. He waited for her to be finished and cleaned up and then held her hand again. He didn't care if he got any of what was just let out by her on him because she was his sister. He couldn't allow himself to succumb to sickness. He had to be there to help her and Kiersa.

He returned back to hear the nun's reply to his earlier question. "So you let it out? Does that mean you made it kill all these people and destroy this town?" He threw the same question from earlier at her again. He knew she was torn about the event but he also knew that a person like her wouldn't have done it willingly. "How did it get out?"

Aayla gave Cirven a weak smile before covering her nose with her free hand as her left was taken by her brothers again. She did feel much better with him around, though not fully at ease with the situation. They continued to walk and listen to Kiersa as she spoke, and her words caused the girl to tilt her head. She had let the demon free that destroyed this place? Then she could completely understand how the girl thought that this was all her fault... she could understand how she believed their blood was on her hands... and she couldn't do anything to cheer her up, because Aayla felt the same way.

Even after the revelation she continued to walk behind Kiersa and next to Cirven, never once saying a thing as her feelings reflected the nuns almost perfectly. She was the reason her village was destroyed too... it was her fault that they came...

She was only snapped out of it when Cirven asked if Kiersa forced the demon to do it... of course she hadn't! Why did he have to go and be so mean to her at a time like this..!

Kiersa stumbled as Cirven asked her the question. She stopped and turned to look at him, her eyes red from fighting back the tears trying to form, a look of horror on her face. "Wh-why... why w-would I w-want... w-want any o-of... o-of... th-this?!" she yelled stammeringly, her arms spreading wide to encompass the devastation that had been wrought around them. "Th-they r-raised me! Th-they w-were m-my mothers! M-my s-sisters! A-and y-you th-think... Wh-why?" she asked him, confusion writ across her eyes before she turned around and kept walking, rubbing at her eyes with her sleeve.

Soon they came to an office, or what used to be one. “M-mother S-superior’s o-office…” she explained softly before she slowly entered the ruined room. Bookcases and charred tomes lay scattered and broken across the floor and walls, an upturned chair and desk that was split in two stood against a wall. Strangely enough, the only thing in the room intact seemed to be a painting hanging on the wall behind the ruined desk and chair.

It depicted a woman in white robes, her eyes crying blood, wielding a golden sword and shield, her wrists bleeding as well. Against her stood what can only be described as demonic in proportion. Behind the woman lay a city in the distance. The painting’s frame was etched with strange runes and symbols.

The nun slowly began to move the desks remains as well as the chair so she could get to the painting more clearly. “E-everyone k-knew, the M-mother… kept a v-vault h-here… H-hopefully… the h-holy w-wardings… k-kept him out of it…” said Kiersa softly, her hands reaching up to the portrait, hesitating for a few seconds before she very gently lifted the picture, and put it to the side reverently so.

Behind the place where the painting once lay, was the only unblemished part of the convent. You could see the clean white stone that framed a single keyhole in its otherwise perfect alignment. There were no hinges though, or any clear sign of how any door would possibly open.

He figured she would take his question wrong and he was kind of hoping she would do so. This wasn't something that it looked like she could get over herself at all. It was something he felt as a friend he should help her through. Especially with how they had such similar pasts.

"If you didn't force the demon to do this then stop blaming yourself. Odds are it would have gotten out eventually on its own and did the same thing or maybe worse. Blaming yourself for something else's actions won't fix anything and will only hurt you more. Finding a way to fix what happened, even a little is what you should be doing. Its what I did. I went through the same thing you are now but I found my way to fix things." He pointed to his sister with his free hand. "Aalya helped me see it and just like she helped me to see it we will help you to see it."

She looked up at her elder brother with tears of her own still haunting her eyes. How could he not think it was her fault? She was the reason they were all dead... her family, her friends... She stopped her train of thought as she noticed she was thinking about herself, and not Kiersa. She instantly felt guilty about it and squeezed her brothers hand tightly as they continued to follow until they reached what looked like it may have been an office.

She was barely paying attention to the situation, barely able too... her thoughts kept wandering back to her own tragedy, the scent stuck in her nose adding to the imagery she had hoped to forget. She bit her lower lip as she continued to foce herself into silence... not wanting to say anything that would upset either party, or further give way to the weakness she felt...

Kiersa looked down at the key in her hands as Cirven spoke. The weight of it felt like lead in her hands... The nun spoke softly in reply to the older man. "That's why I joined Sabertooth... It's why I try to be better... to get strong..." she said, turning her to face the pair, focusing on Aayla.

"Like you Aayla... you were the one who saved me from the desert's heat... you, who took out all those mages back in Oaktown... when all I could do was try to defend... you who took on all those Naga in the Haunted Seas..." she said softly, looking at the girl in admiration. "I'm sorry I've been a burden at times on our jobs... I've... I've never fought before... But, I want to get strong like you..." she said before looking to the keyhole. "...And the relic within may just help... To help me get stronger... to atone for my sin..."

The nun quietly let out a slow breath before she took the key in her hand, and gradually inserted it into the keyhole. As it entered, a soft light would radiate from the hole, before Kiersa turned it in the lock.

Taking a step back she watched as the stones all began to glow with a bright light, almost blindingly so that made her want to shield her eyes, but she dared not to. As the light faded, the key and the stones were gone, leaving only a hole in the wall with almost nothing inside.

Almost.

For inside the vault, was a single parapet, with a velvet silk pillow atop it, lined with golden thread. Sat atop this pillow was a single item. A small silver ring, set with a clear blue sapphire. The nun looked at the piece of jewellery for a moment before gently reaching over and removing it from its place of rest, looking it over.

She let out a short gasp, her other hand going to her mouth as she noticed something on the ring. “I-it… it can’t be…” she said softly, shaking her head slightly before she looked once more at the ring, a reverant gaze upon her face. Upon the inside of the ring was an inscription in gold filigree that read but a single word.

Avalon.

"Glad to hear she could help you out of a dark place too. Don't hesitate to lean on me some too though. I'd rather my sister not take in all the stress alone anymore. Kind of my duty as a brother." He hoped the nun understood that his questioning was only to help her see that she was finding a way to better herself and fix things rather than being sad over the past. The talk was one he could not have with his own sister which was why he was so stern in having it with the nun. He felt that he had failed his sister in not being able to find her and couldn't bring himself to have the same conversation with her.

The light from the unlocking of the safe was so bright that he had to put an arm over his eyes so that it didn't blind him. "The hell is in there for it to do that for? I almost lost my sight from that." He rubbed his eyes until he was able to see without the colored lines and spots blocking his sight.

"I..."
Was one of the first words she had spoken since her apology for being sick. She hit her lip again as the light began to blind them before she could tell Kiersa anything. All those things she did... what Kiersa called strength... it wasn't real strength at all... she was just hiding behind the teachings her dragon mother had given her... she was locking herself up so tightly in an illusion of strength, that no one could see how weak she really felt. She couldn't tell Kiersa... not now... she had just found something of her home... something that would no doubt be important to her... she couldn't sour the girls mood with her own story. This wasn't her story after-all.

Kiersa stared at the ring for a moment before looking back at the others. "It... it's Avalon... Avalon!" she exclaimed, looking at them for a moment before realising they maaaay not know what she was talking about... that and neither seemed able to see straight. The nun blushed before she coughed gently. "S-sorry... the v-vault h-had holy e-enchantments o-on it... the l-light you saw... a-any w-who were i-impure of heart, or b-bore the o-order i-ill will... Well... th-they'd b-be b-blind... forever. At best." she said softly, biting her lip. "A-at worse... th-they'd be ash."

She returned her eyes to the ring in her hands. "Avalon... it's an ancient relic... from the days of the First Dragon Slayers... when m-man and d-dragon fought against and beside one another..." she explained, turning around so that the others could see the holy item she held gently in her palms. "Th-the Order was more... militant then... lending aid wherever they c-could... relics of combat and defense from those times, are held across Earthland... Avalon, is one of these artifacts." explained the nun.

"It is said that the Warrior Healer, Arturia Draco, was one of the few in the Order to take up the arts of Dragon Slaying... but did not do it for her own power, but rather, imbued it into her vestments, so that the Slayers and fighters around her would be even stronger, and even be healed of their wounds in the midst of combat... simply by her presence." she said in reverant awe of the small relic in her hands.

Kiersa waited till the others had seen it clearly, and let the history sink in. Then the Arch-Bishops decree sank in to her mind as well. "And... and the Arch-bishop... wants me... to use it..." she said slowly, as the situation fully took on weight. "Oh Maker... I... I don't know... I..." the nun stammered before looking at the siblings, biting her lip. "What should I do? I mean... this is Avalon... Maybe... maybe he meant someone else should use it... I... I'm just a Sister... a mere Novice..."

Cirven smiled at the nun's modesty for taking such a thing. It was a good quality to be modest about obtaining such a thing or at least that was what he thought. He figured that the Archbishop from the Holy Castle would know what he was doing if he went through the trouble of giving her the right.

"Maybe the old man could see the potential in you to use this ring. Use that as a way to learn how to use it well." He moved from his sister and stood next to Kiersa as she looked at the ring. "This means that you will get that much closer to realizing your dream of being strong. So take it already. Don't think any of us want to be here much longer."

Kiersa looked between the siblings and the ring. She heard Cirven's words, but nothing from the Slayer... this place seemed to almost be... draining her. Looking at Aayla then at the ring in her palm, the nun gave a slow nod before slipping it onto her middle finger on her left hand. She took a slow breath before she looked back once more at the two mages. "B-be p-prepared... I-it... m-may get b-bright..." she warned them, a little unsure of what exactly would happen.

Kiersa took another breath before holding her hand outwards, the rings gem pointing to the sky above. "Clad mine flesh in thine vestments, sacred shield of the Dragon of Divinity, sheathe to the sacred blade of Arturia! Lend me thine light, and grace mine allies even as thou damn mine foes! Shine forth, Avalon!" chanted the nun, the air suddenly whipping around her in a vortex, the ring glowing with a bright blue light.

A pale yellow magic circle appeared beneath her feet, before an eruption of near-blinding light shot forth from it, seeming to consume her. The wind grew fiercer around the pillar of light that reached for the very heavens themselves, the skies above the convent darkening with clouds that seemed to have formed from nowhere.

Inside the pillar, the nun felt a warmth around and within her the likes she had never felt before. It was incapable of description, for no words in the human tongue could do the sensation justice... the closest being... bliss. The clouds split open with a deluge of rain, soaking into the barren earth around them, the fires dying out. Any part of the body touched by the rain would feel... warm. Warmed and relaxed. The pillar shattered suddenly into motes of light, the nun standing there, her whole being seeming to be glowing before the light faded to reveal her standing there.

Gone were the robes of a nun, her hair was done up in a braided bun, a blue ribbon holding it in place. Her body was clad in what appeared to be a fine blue dress, covered in plates of armour. Her hands, legs and feet were similarly clad in silver armour. She slowly opened her eyes, having had them closed within the pillar earlier, and looked at herself now.

Despite the rainfall, Kiersa seemed to be the only one not getting wet. The metal portions of her armour seemed to give off an inner light. "...Wow..." she said softly as she inspected herself as best she could before a new glistening of light caught her attention. On the bottom of the skirt, the blue portion anyway, the guild symbol of Sabertooth was forming, marking her out clearly as a wizard of the guild.

The nun looked over at Cirven and Aayla, blushing slightly in her new attire. "Umm... s-so... w-what do y-you th-think?" she asked.

Aaylas looked over at Kiersa almost weakly. She didn't seem to be responsive at all of the situation that was currently happening, she was so lost into her own thoughts that the present seemed more lke the dream than the other way around. The only thing that broke her out of her trance was the blinding light suddenly created by Kiersa's armor. She brought her hand up to cove her eyes from it, but couldn't help btu smile as it started to rain.

She let go of Cirven's hand to step out further into the holy rain, closing her eyes as she let it wash over her soothingly, wisking away her fear of what was happening. All around her, fires were being extinguished and the air itself seemed to get calmer. She brought both hands up in a cup infront of her, letting the water gather until she had a handful that she brought over to her lips and drank. She had no words to describe the taste... none at all... it was so fantastically calming and rejuvinating, she almost completely forgot where her thoughts were before the rain.

She turned back around to look at Kiersa with a gentle smile.

"It's great... it's absolutely great... wow Kiersa..."
She ran up to the girl and gave her a tight hug, muttering a small thank you as she did.

"Your religion is really into blinding lights aren't they?" He chuckled as she recited a chant. He readied himself for the light that came but was confused as a dark cloud came over them. "Does 'bright light' come with lightning and thunder?" He asked but never got an answer as the rain came down onto them.

The rain was surprisingly soothing and he realized it was putting out the fires around them like it was some sort of wish that Kiersa had. He returned his view to the nun where he saw the magic circle and quickly put his arm over his eyes. "Aww! It still got me!" He rubbed his eyes again so that the colors and lines would go away.

He moved his hands from his eyes and blinked a few times while looking at the ground around him before looking up at the now armored nun. "You look pretty cool, Kiersa! If this power doesn't do much you can use it as a blinding technique I guess." He joked with her. "The armored dress look really fits you."

The nun returned the hug that Aayla was giving her, smiling gently as she was thanked by her. The armour began to fade away, her usual attire replacing it as the rain slowly began to let up. Kiersa blushed at Cirven's compliment. Even her habit made a return, her hair falling back down loose. "Th-thank y-you..." she said to both of them, bowing her head once she eventually extricated herself from the Slayer's tight grip. The nun took a quick look around, gathering up what tomes she could find that were moderately intact and didn't disintegrate on contact. "W-we sh-should g-get g-going then..." she said quietly, looking back at the portrait that had covered the vault, biting her lower lip as she tried to figure out what to do with it.

She considered the tomes in her hands, and then looked back at the portrait. She had come here only for Avalon... but seeing it still intact... Kiersa looked at the tomes before gently laying them back down. "I-I'll b-be right b-back..." she said before darting off, retracing her steps towards where her old cell used to be in the convent. A quick rummage around and she returned with a large knapsack which she began to put the tomes into. Placing the knapsack on her back she went over to the portrait and gently lifted it from the floor before looking back at the others. "A-alright... w-we c-can g-go now... s-sorry f-for the d-delay..." Kiersa apologised.

As they began to make their way back out of the convent ruins, the nun tried to recall what exactly Avalon could do, besides the tale she had already told them. "W-well, the l-light i-is indeed o-one thing Arturia used. I-it's said th-that she c-could infuse her a-allies abilities with h-her own Holy power... a-and the ar-armour c-could h-heal th-those a-around her w-with its a-aura..." she said, although she thought back to that last one. "A-although... th-that sounds l-like a h-high l-level St-Stigmata spell... s-so th-that may n-not be the armour healing..." she slowly admitted.

"But i-it is s-said that any w-wearing it w-will f-find their own holy p-powers increased t-to almost a l-level higher th-than they a-are...." Kiersa quickly said as they neared the town once more.

"I'm glad you have it Kiersa... it's something special to be able to walk away with."
She secretly wished she had something like that... well, she did have the necklace her mother had given her but... it hardly had any special powers such as Avalon did. It didn't matter. She sighed before whistling loudly. Zinnath breaking through the clouds and landing just outside of the mother superiors office, waiting for two of them to climb aboard.

"Ready to go home...?"
She asked them. She would ride on Zinnath... she really didn't feel good and found it difficult to even walk, especially now that the rain had stopped. Of course she wouldn't go any faster than them as one of them would be walking.

"I'm sure you will find a good use with it. Otherwise I doubt you would have ever had the opportunity of getting it." He was happy that Kiersa had gotten something that seemed to help cheer her up. It was good to see but he still couldn't figure out what do do about her stuttering. It was almost as if she had picked it up from his sister when she was nervous but the nun had it at all times.

"You two ride Zinny. I'll walk. I'll feel better if you both were able to relax some after being here."