Astellia
The town had changed so much. Last I remembered it was a deserted little village with barely any souls, now it was twenty times bigger with healthy people chatting and enjoying themselves all over the clean streets and elegant shops.
"It's changed right?" one of the spirits asked me, I only nodded my head in response and kept the hood of my cloak low on my face. Talking to myself would make me an open target of interest and no doubt I would be followed home if I acted weird.
The last time I came here I only bought some cushions before the spirits stole all kinds of different stuff for me.
"Come on, they have roasted spicy beef!"
I was tugged along by my clothes as the spirits led me to stand in front of a crowded food cart. The man behind smiled politely, curiosity clear in his eyes as he tried to get a good look at the mysterious stranger standing in front of him. That stranger being me obviously.
"What would you like today?" he asked as he eyed the small silver coin I took out of my pouch.
"Whatever I can get with this," I push the coin into his palm and nod to the beef covered in syrup and sandwiched filled with spicy vegetables and meat, they looked too appetizing to pass.
"Of course, I'll get them ready for you!"
Soon enough I was sitting in the center plaza, the middle of the town on the edge of a huge water fountain. The sky was in hues of red, orange, and yellow as the sun set, the food tasted amazing, the water quenched my thirst and cooled the spicy heat from the meat, and most importantly no stranger was talking to me.
It was blissful.
"Hurry up Stel! We need to go shopping!" the baby spirits groaned around me.
I tipped my head low so no one could see my mouth moving as I replied, "We already bought makeup, bought new clothes and jewelry, and watched a million puppet shows. What more is there to do? I'm tired!"
"There's so much stuff we have left!"
"No, it's getting late the sun is setting already. We can come tomorrow morning, okay? I promise." I groan and stretch my legs in front of me watching as my feet moved up along the brick and stopped before a pair... of boots.
My body tensed involuntarily as I looked up slowly, from the black shiny boots to the gigantic muscled man's cloaked face. Only red eyes were visible.
Red. Demon.
I reached for my dagger but cursed when I came up empty-handed, it was at home left by me in my excitement. Wasting no time, I cleared my throat, shot a polite smile, and stood up to move away from the man, head back to safety. I hadn't even taken two steps away from him before I felt a hand clench around my arm so tight, I was sure it would bruise.
He whipped me back to him and his other hand reached up to tilt my face to his, connecting our eyes. I shook in horror, fear, and everything nauseating as bile rose to my throat. A man was touching me but this man was so much stronger. I could feel it. The magic lived in him and he lived off it.
"Sir, would you let me go?" I asked still trying to be polite and not wanting to anger him and face his wrath. I searched the man's red eyes for any source of response but they stayed dead. Dull, like blood before he smirked.
"Your veins...are filled with magic," the man spoke low, his voice everything but nice. It felt like he cut me deep to the bone with a knife and sewed me together.
"I-I don't u-understand," I tried to rip myself free from his grasp but he only tightened his hold, so close to breaking my bone. He would, I could tell it in his eyes.
"Please sir, I don't understand," I whispered, tears gathering behind my eyes as memories from the past came to haunt me again.
"What is your name?" he asked, his voice like a killing machine itself.
"..."
"Don't give him your name, Astellia."
My eyes widened with disbelief as the earth elder spoke in my head. There was no way, I knew the baby spirits had vanished back to Belur warning the elders but they were speaking in my head.
"We told you, you're stuck with us for life now."
Fire elder! I'm scared, who is this man? Do you know him? I ask the elders in my head.
"No my dear we do not but listen to me. Earth elder will open the ground beneath the man and air elder will stop him from getting up for a short time. We can't do more than that since we need more time to renew our powers. You just have to run? Okay?" The water elder spoke this time, her voice too wise for her age.
Okay.
I waited for a second. Two seconds. Three seconds and when I felt the ground rumble beneath me gently, I tensed. The man looked confused at my sudden contraction of muscles and I slowly started to crouch low.
"What are y-" he didn't get to finish as the ground beneath him caved in and a strong gust of wind pinned him in the deep ditch. I made sure to pull my arm free as the wind loosened the man's hold.
"Astellia, run!"
So I ran without looking back. I ran across the huge town, feeling the baby spirits grab my clothes and try to push me faster with their little powers. I ran out the main entrance of the town and felt the air elder's wind propel me forward in bursts of magic.
Up the hill. Over the grassy fields. I ran until my lungs screamed and my muscles burned but I didn't stop. For two reasons.
One was that the elders kept yelling in my ear to run, not look back and I listened to them dutifully.
The second was the presence of the pounding footsteps right behind me, gaining momentum and speed as it got closer to me.
I spotted Belur in the distance and pushed myself harder, narrowly missing the presence behind me reaching for my hair as I felt the wind push me further. If I could just touch a single branch of Belur, I would be safe. It will pull me into safety.
So close, I was so close. Belur was cast in shadows as the sun set and the moon rose but I could see it as clear as day. The trees were tilted towards me, reaching me with their branches.
Ten feet away.
Seven feet.
Four feet.
I was so close, just a branch. A leaf even.
Please! I can't be locked away again! Please!
I pleaded to anyone who was listening, ignoring as the water elder sobbed in my head, the air elder cursed silently, the earth elder groaned, and ignored the way the fire elder became silent. But I couldn't ignore the sorrow that filled my soul.
Two feet away. Just a leaf, please.
I reached out to touch the branch that was curled in my direction. So damn close, one more footstep and I was falling as a crushing weight jumped on me.
"I just found you, you can't die on me yet kid," the man groaned as he pushed himself on me, pinning me to the dirt ground.
I looked up to Belur, watching as the branched sunk with what looked like defeat, "No! No, please! Let me go! I haven't done anything wrong!" I screamed and struggled against his hold.
The man pulled my hood off the cloak and fisted my short hair, "None of us have, kid. Welcome to hell," he spoke his last words before my vision turned black, the elders all cursed and screamed and sobbed, I couldn't feel anything anymore.
Please, not again.