Fires raged, wood cracked, the house couldn't handle the pressure anymore and fell to the ground.
A girl hid in the shadows, covering her ears as she shook her head in denial.
She refused to hear the screams filling the night air, refused to see the swords clashing, blood staining their metal as the moon shined so peacefully.
Rose covered her mouth as she tried not to scream. Witnessing her family slaughtered as her home vanishes in a cloud of smoke.
God Lumen is merciless. Smoke carried away her dreams and aspirations. Leaving behind nothing but dust and choking reality.
If Lumen is the god of light, the god of all that is just, then why? She prayed to him, she was faithful and never strayed from the path.
Yet her god slowly ripped her heart to pieces, gifting her fear and anguish as they gripped her throat, knocking her to the ground into painful gasps.
"I have to get away," she hoarsely whispered. Thanking her luck in having gotten this far as she calmed her breathing, glancing once more upon her home.
It was hard to look away but she had to. Retreating into the dark step by step, still refusing to advert her gaze.
That was until she bumped into a wall of flesh, its chest rumbling with evil laughter, caressing her skin with chills.
"Hello there little rabbit. Where do you think you're going?"
In horror Rose turned around, facing her god's merciless reply.
Ember's sparked, fire reflected in Rose's eyes as she blinked away her childhood nightmares. Living in her current nightmare, those times were her only solace.
"Baroness." A maid lowered her head, her lifeless eyes reflecting nothing as she spoke. "The baron is in trouble."
Rose's hand which had been stocking the fire stilled. Her head lowered in thought.
Soon she stood up, straightening her gown as she grunted in acknowledgement.
"Let us go see."
* * *
"Careful miss." Alicia wanted to give her family staff a round of applause.
Their acting was very good, 5 star award winning as they truly looked worried for her, despite knowing she herself was putting on a show.
To the staffs' dismay, Alicia didn't know it was actually her own acting which deserved the reward.
Emotions were balancing on a highwire the moment they caught sight of red. It became even worse with the appearance of her neck.
Their young miss's skin would differ between the shades of creamy white and a lite bark beige. After tanning, in a few days, it'd often change back to its liter companion, like it is now.
Thanks to this the mark was glaringly obvious as it stung their eyes with guilt. Why had they agreed to this foolish idea? Now their miss was injured!
Over ambitious, seemingly blinded by the inhumanity before her eyes and her conscious pricking her with needles, Alicia's age had perhaps slipped her mind and taken a trip to the mountains.
She herself would be the first to admit, this was an overly ambitious idea.
After all, her family's staff was human too.
How could they completely ignore her age? It would be less realistic if they did go along acting out this play, disregarding the reality in front of their eyes.
Completely oblivious to this, Alicia staggeringly made her way to the man, who painstakingly was trying to lift himself off the ground.
What a stubborn will. Alicia complimented him in her heart.
Disorderly small footsteps clicked on the granite by his ear, prompting him to look up. Despite his impaired sight, he could make out a small shadow leaning down to his level.
"Hey there big fellow. I see you're still alive and kicking." Alicia hoarsely giggled.
Wow, he truly is a big fellow. Her arms weren't nearly enough to help, so she stood back up and called out.
"Hey Ash, you big lump of fur, shake that tail and get over here." Alicia giggled as she shook her head. Ashes grumblings were much too cute.
How does one not find a wolf taller than 6 feet acting like a baby, adorably precious?
Keeping up with her thoughts, Ash did not disappoint as he leaned his large head on her shoulder as he whined. "Mom you smell like a pig."
"Ah stop that Ash, just cause I stink doesn't mean you need to head butt me." Alicia tried to push at his snout but just got licked instead.
"Mom, let me get rid of that smell." Ash growled playfully, his tail wagging as he continued licking Alicia all over.
"Ugh your slobbering is nasty and getting in my hair you big oaf." She half grumbled and laughed as she exclaimed. "Stop it!"
"No." Ash barked.
"This is not the time nor place for this." Alicia stuck her fingers in each side of his mouth and pulled. "Now get down there, low to the ground and help that fellow up you hear me!"
Ash whined as his tail fell.
Pouting with his head lowered, he pawed closer to the man, sniffing him first before glancing back up. "There's a familiar scent on him mom."
"Familiar? How?"
"He has the smell of that blind fool whose arm you crippled."
Alicia looked stupidly confused as Ash further clarified. "Vision. Your Aunt's brother."
"Oh! the stupid fool who hunted Sheila and Bubbles." She baps her fist in realization. "Man Ash your nose is something else if you can smell that. I hadn't known the fool was that smelly."
"It's not his odor I smell but his magic." Ash looked back down at the man, and huffed air. "It's his eyes."
"Oh," Interested, Alicia bent back down and touched the man's face.
Despite covered in dirt and blood, bruises and cuts, his features were astounding. He quite reminded her of one of those heavy weight fighters as his face was broad and his chin square like those she had seen on tv.
Once cleaned up, perhaps he'd look like a cuddly bear? She giggled on the thought.
"Let me take a look and see." His gaze was strange as he looked at her. She couldn't place his emotions.
Perhaps he was worried she'd hurt him? It was obvious his vision was impaired now that she was close to him.
So she attempted to reassure him, "Silly head, I've got weak nubs made of cotton, I won't hurt you."
Not waiting for the man to respond, Alicia haphazardly sent a spark through his skin and peeked inside using her senses.
Thanks to her focusing only on the lightning element, Alicia's control was much more precise than even those who've lived with it longer than her.
This was because she had no other elements to grab her focus. Unlike everyone else who's born with two or more.
Gravity won't be mentioned, since even though she has it, she's forbidden to use it for obvious reasons.
That left her with just her lightning element to dabble with. That and she had modern knowledge as a cheat.
Thank god for the sci fi channel, and late nights surfing the internet.
It hadn't taken long for Alicia to find what had been tickling Ashes nose. A foreign current of lightning swimming in the man's irises.
She guessed this was also the cause for the man's poor eyesight. Though sadly she didn't have the opportunity to investigate it.
Upon coming across it, her own magic coming incontact with it, Alicia had accidentally destroyed it.
Whoops , what a blunder. That lightning was terribly weak. She scratched her head awkwardly as she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Thump!
Shocked, she moved to the side in exaggeration as the man, who had been leaning on his arms, who she had been probing with her magic, had fallen face first to the ground.
Both Ash and her looked at each in horror. Did she just inadvertently kill a man?
"Cosmus! A little help!"
Cosmus, the captain of the estates guard unit had just ordered his men to put the cuffs on the Baron and transfer him to the carriage he'd requested, when Alicia called out to him.
With Cosmus's help, she not only got the unconscious man into her carriage safely, but found out an important fact.
She hadn't killed him, he just went into shock. Quite literally.
Turning around the corner, the carriage meant to hold the Baron arrived. Just as it did, the Baroness came outside with her maid.
Shock was written on her face as she saw her husband in chains. Yet it didn't last long.
Not moving a single muscle, besides those in her face relaxing, the Baroness watched from the door. It was as if the man weren't her husband but a stranger on the streets.
Baron Kiv noticed her and felt hope flood his veins. "Rose, my love, you must help me." he squealed, his flowery words cringing the citizens who hadn't yet left.
The baron ignored his wife's dead eyes as he continued. "Inform commander Vision of my wrongful imprisonment. Duke Cadarvic has gone too far- ugh how dare you hit me!"
The guard wrinkled his nose and half squinted at the baron's irritatingly loud voice. Once again he backhanded him as he was loaded on to the carriage.
All the while, Baroness Kiv did not move an inch, watching until the carriage was out of sight.
Once she was sure it was gone, she walked back inside as if nothing had happened.
No one was surprised at this. It had long been public knowledge of the relationship between Baron and Baroness Kiv.
Even her families plight, their death by bandits and her life sold into slavery wasn't kept a secret.
How could the baron let his dirty laundry slip into the public's pot of drama?
Apparently it was because the baron had found it amusing, entertaining even, as he didn't skimp on the details of his life.
If given a phone, he would be a typical social media addict. Loving all forms of attention whether they be positive or negative.
Moving along and turning the corner, Alicia's carriage, along with her family's staff and guards set off.
"Today sure was an eventful day I'd say." Humming a tune, Alicia was crouched down as she poked her new guest on the cheek. "Don't you think?"
Ash responded with a yawn. "Least you didn't kill a man." wrapping his tail around her, he sat Alicia down safely on the opposing bench cushioned in red velvet.
"Lets just pretend that didn't happen." Alicia laughed awkwardly.
Padding in circles, Ash laid down, placing his head on her lap.
"Are we headed home?" Ash asked as he got comfortable, sticking the tip of his tongue out as he did.
"Of course," after all she'd picked up something unexpected.
Playfully she twirled a white rhizome root between her fingers, tossing it a few times into the air.
How lucky!
The one thing she'd been looking for days, even going in and out of shops all of today for, fell into her lap when committing a good deed.
How kind, god is making up for depriving her of pizza.
Now, if only she could find some tomatoes then perhaps she'd forgive the big man upstairs, letting him off the hook while she was at.
The soft fur between her fingers, her long awaited harvest, the beauty passing through the window all brought a smile to Alicia's face.
"Life is good." She leaned back in contentment.
Alicia's intentions were now clear as day. She, who's no saint nor mother Mary, had saved a life for her own goals and not for any foolish ideas on persevering morals and humanity.
A bulky white rhizome root, the gaff root which was spread across the ground, abandoned and forgotten. This item was unexpectedly ginger, which was perfect for making ginger tea for her mother's morning sickness.
"Ugh." Half way through the ride, a grumble came out of the unconscious man on the other bench.
"Oh, looks like someone's awake, did you sleep well?" Alicia giggled.
"Mom," Ash growled. "How could he sleep well with a shock to his skull?" Ash flicked his tail, his claw pulling at her gown.
"Didn't I say we were to pretend that never happened?" Pulling his mouth apart, Alicia grumbled. "Truly must you constantly remind me of my failures."
Human and beast rough housed as Ash playfully batted Alicia. She likewise pulled at his ears, shoving his large head away.
"It wasn't a failure." Halting, Alicia looked out in shock at the man sitting up with much difficulty.
He bowed his head, speaking with gratitude. "Thank you, I never thought I'd see the light again."
Moments passed, and the man lifted his head to such a strange sight.
The girl whom he thanked was wide eyed, her finger pointing out as it trembled. The wolf by her side had his mouth hanging wide, opening and closing strangely. They also both kept looking at each other and back repeatedly.
"What's wrong?" He asked in confusion.
"You, you, you," Alicia swallowed hard as Ash barked in intervals.
She glared at Ash as he confidently commanded the man. "Repeat what I just said."
The man complied with a nod. "Ash is the strongest, the mightiest, the most handsome wolf alive. Only he is deserving of his mother's love and tummy rubs."
"See mom," Ash wagged his tail, his snout to the air in victory. "Someone agrees with me. That means Bubbles can go sleep with his mom now."
"You little bugger who doesn't like sharing, am I toy to you?"
Locked in a vice grip, Ash flipped Alicia down.
Grabbing the bench, she twirled, hanging her head upside down. "I stand corrected, I am a toy to you."
Ash growled playfully, laying on Alicia's stomach, preventing her from falling.
She patted her wolf's head, "So, I'm Alicia, and this big lump of fur as you might have guessed is Ash, my unfilial son. What should we call you?"
Laughing aloud, something he hadn't felt he'd done in ages, the man spoke, "Krad. It's nice to meet you both."
»»————- ✼ ————-««
Author's note: In case of theft. This is an original -English- novel done by yours truly [MyKataren]. This author will state here and now, oh ye thief of old, thanks for the free advertisement!
Original : www.tinyurl.com/MVPGAwebnovel