"Become a hero." I remember my mother saying this to me over and over again when I was a little girl. "Be the best Aria, become a hero, save us." I wanted to save them, but I never knew how, until I turned 16.
Hi, my name is Aria, and I can control fire. I live in the world where everyone is born with some kind of elemental power or some of its variants. Everyone is born with a tiny spark inside them and if they train enough that tiny spark becomes a power. There are multiple ways that you can train, and I tried all of them. None work, until I turned 16, or more precisely, until I killed a man.
Now, as I'm walking down this pitch black corridor I can't help but remember it all. I'm much older now, heading for the King's arena. I'm all alone and all I can hear are my own steps echoing in the dark. It's scary but I've been through worse.
I know, I know, you are probably curious about the murder. But it honestly wasn't that big of a deal. Here in the arena I will have to do worse, so my parents were actually proud when they found burnt corpse next to my bed, they said I could finally begin. Begin what? I wasn't so sure. I spent the next four years training every single day, controlling my flames. I never had any friends, my parents thought me that love in the arena equals death, and I'm not allowed to die.
I remember it all as I see the door to my future. The silver sparkles of light floating around it, dancing like fairies, I wish I knew a fairy. I shook my head at that thought, I'm starting to go crazy in this darkness. I wish I was like Six, he always bragged about being able to see in the dark.
My palms sweated a lot as I reached the great door. This is it, I'm going to go in here and I maybe never leave this place. Everything is possible in the world where magic is real. But this is it, this is the moment that I've been waiting for all my life. The moment that will change everything. I need to become a hero, I need to save them.
I push the door and I'm immediately blinded by the lights. The door let me into the golden room with a single throne in the middle. A girl appeared in it. Her skin was shining like moonlight, and she had a golden hair that was floating in the air. She was so beautiful that my breath hitched. I didn't know many people, but not a single one of them was even slightly as beautiful. My thoughts returned to fairies, she must be one of them!
"Welcome warrior", she said sweetly. I didn't know if I should bow in front of her, but my parents warned me not to do that, even If I wanted to.
"I'm your first querist, here to give you your first test!" , she looked excited about it but I could feel a shiver down my back.
"You are not much of a talker are you?" she added. I wasn't but I still tried my best to answer something. I had to be careful because maybe it was a trap.
I took one of the daggers from my hip and answered slowly "I'm Aria". Nothing came flying my way so I realized I'm safe for now. The girl seemed delighted. She was beaming.
She then stood up and came my way. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to fight her or not, but because her petite frame and fragile looks I wasn't really bothered.
"Hmm let me see." She started looking me up and down and it made me feel self-conscious. "My name is Sunny by the way."
She kept going around me, just out of reach, looking up and down and giving "mhmm" sounds every now and then. I was wearing black shirt and shorts, with a dagger holder around my hips, as well as boots and a bigger jacket that my dad gave me. I had small cuts and bruises from my training but nothing really special about me. I thought she may not like me and felt a little bitter about it.
The girl finally stopped going around me and gave me another sweet smile. She maybe is small but she was dangerous in other ways.
"Okay, before I give my final judgment, I need you to answer a riddle!"
Wait, wait, waitā¦ A riddle? It that a test? I spent a lot of time training my body and learning about combat, no one ever mentioned anything about riddles.
I'm maybe bad at riddles, honestly I never answered any before, but how hard can it be? Certainly not as bad as failing the first chamber the arena, that would be embarrassing.
"Okay, here it goes : I am always hungry and will die if not fed, but whatever I touch will soon turn red. What am I?"
I blankly watched at her. What is the answer? A hellhound? A paint? No why would paint be hungry. I always think too logically. She was observing me before she asked the question. So it has to be something about me. Something that she can be seen?
"Thirty seconds left!"
I had a time?! I sent an angry glare in her direction, but she was still just smiling.
No, no, no, ugh. I hate this, think Aria, think!
"Twenty seconds! I am always hungry and will die if not fed, but whatever I touch will soon turn red. What am I?""
Something about meā¦Anger? It makes me see red but I don't think I'm always angry. Ah. This is hard.
"Fifteenā¦fourteenā¦.thirteenā¦"
Something about me, something hungry, something redā¦
"Tenā¦nine...eightā¦"
Oh my God, something hungry and red inside me.
OH I'm such and idiot. Flames.
"Fiveā¦fourā¦threeā¦"
"Fire." I say. "The answer is fire."
"That is correct. Well done!"
It took embarrassingly long for me to answer something this simple. I will have to work on the riddles. Maybe I will need this knowledge one day.
"Now, my judgment. You like using daggers I see, but sometimes they are not going to be as useful when fighting the enemies with long range so I want to give you this."
A black metal stick appeared out of the thin air.
"Now let me add thisā¦", she started twisting and turning the shape until she turned the stick into a spear.
"Here you go. I give everyone a weapon at the beginning. Insert the fire inside it and it should serve you quite well."
I took the spear, it was lighter than I thought, but it looked useful. I swung it a few times to remember how it feels. It's been so long since I used spear.
"Thank you." I said quietly. But then I remember to ask "How did you know that I'm a flame user?"
She laughed at my face. "Oh honey, you will figure it out soon, don't worry" she pushed me toward the doors. "Now go on, you will be late."
I stood a few more seconds there looking at her. She was the first fairy I met after all. I then turned around knowing that I will never see her again. After all, I can't look back, I have people to beat and I have to get stronger.
I opened the door to the next chamber. This is where we really begin.