One week before.
Alya ran without stopping. She jumped off a bridge and went through the water, violently.
"She jumped off the bridge!" She heard one of her pursuers yell. She swam as fast as her arms and feet would carry her.
They couldn't follow her. They had armor, so it was impossible for them to swim. Unless they took it off and jumped into the water. That would take time and she could take advantage and continue swimming without stopping.
Alya came to a stream next to an alley. She got out of the water and kept running. She looked back. They weren't following her. Had she lost her pursuers?
She hoped so.
Only when she allowed herself to rest did she realize how tired she was. She had been running for a long time. And her heart was bursting. Rarely had she felt so afraid.
'They're going to lock me in a dungeon,' she thought.
She embraced the reason they were chasing her: The High Honor sword.
"It's mine," she whispered, "it's mine, it's mine, it's mine," she repeated to herself, "I inherited it from my father. I inherited it from my father."
The truth was that she wasn't sure about that. There was no evidence that she had inherited High Honor from him.
Where did she get that?
She stood up and walked through the dense streets of Yish, her hometown. People came and went. It was a very bustling and busy city. One of the most important in the Federation.
Now she had to find a way to get out of there. She had to get to Kamsara. She felt in her pocket the bulge of her Treasure.
Alya had received it the night before.
She was trying to fall asleep when everything around her went black. She thought that she had died and that now she was in the world of the deceased.
But she hadn't died, the truth was even worse.
In front of her stood an enormous emerald-green dragon, with feathers instead of scales and a pointed beak instead of a snout.
"You have been chosen, human," the eon spoke.
"No, no, no," she answered flustered, "It can't be! It's a lie!"
The dragon smiled crookedly, if a beak can smile.
"If you accept my power, everything you wish for shall become true."
"It is not true!" The girl replied, "I know your lies! You eons dupe the humans! You manipulate us! And when we are no longer needed, you turn us into hideous spectres!"
"Only those who fail become spectres. Fulfill your mission, and all your wishes shall become true."
"Damn the eons…," she muttered under her breath.
Yes, damn all the eons. Now Alya was looking to get to Kamsara, where the first shrine was supposed to be. There, she would do whatever was necessary...
She arrived at the train station. She was lucky that Yish was connected to the other cities of the Federation.
Human commerce depended on a complex train line. All because of the dark mist. Due to that dense mist, ground transportation was not possible. Unless it was by train.
The other options were flying ships or boats.
Alya paid for her ticket and got on the train to Kamsara. Her seat faced the window. She watched people come and go. She saw a father with her little son of about seven years or so. They walked hand in hand. Smileys.
'Father…'
Alya remembered her father and she felt the need to break down in tears.
"You are not my daughter!" He yelled at her once. They were the most hurtful words he had ever said to her.
She had been called many things. Like bastard. That was the most common word that others used as an insult. However, "You are not my daughter," hurt her the most. It was like agreeing with everyone who called her a bastard.
She hugged her sword. The one she had stolen.
'No, I didn't steal it. It's mine,' she repeated to herself.
The train started moving.
About ten minutes into the journey, Alya noticed a bustle in the car in front of hers. City guards were approaching, eyes suspicious.
Alya's instinct kicked in.
'They're coming for me,' she realized.
She got up from her seat and ran down the aisle of the train.
"Hey, you!" a guard yelled.
She ignored him.
"That sword is not yours!" the guard yelled.
The guard managed to reach her and grabbed the collar of her shirt. She moved quickly and with a poke of her elbow, she managed to break free.
The guard drew his sword. She did too.
Zam! They collided with their steel. The people in the car shouted in surprise. The guard fought well, but Alya was much more skilled. She had been trained by the best swordswoman.
Alya managed to disarm the guard, gave him a punch in the stomach, and the man fell.
But more guards were coming from the other car.
Alya cursed inside and continued to flee in the opposite direction. She was aware that there was nowhere to run on the train. Sooner or later they would catch her. So she decided to do something crazy.
She opened the door of one of the train wagons. Rukutum, rukutum, the wheels of the train were moving at full speed.
She glanced at the approaching guards, and looked down at the rapidly moving ground, like a blur.
Rukutum, rukutum.
"Hey! Don't!" a guard yelled at her.
Alya swallowed hard.
She saw that the train would soon take a curve, next to a meadow with thick grass and a lake.
"On the count of three, I jump."
"Don't!"
One, two…
***
In the present.
Zenda rang some castanets. He rang them over every grave of every fallen soldier. Alya and Igneous were silent as the ritual was performed. Widows and mothers mourned their husbands and children.
And the orphaned children… their cries were even more heartbreaking.
Alya felt sorry for them. She wished they had been saved in time.
Zenda knelt down to pray, his forehead touching the ground, and the other demons did the same. Which god did they pray to? Alya had no idea. She once heard that each population of demons had their own cosmology and mythology.
One tribe of demons could believe in a totally different god or gods than another tribe of the same race.
Alya looked at Igneous, not quite sure what to do. He knelt down and bowed his head until his forehead touched the ground.
'Maybe I should do the same. Out of respect,' she thought.
She then knelt down and mimicked Igneous's movements.
Zenda intoned a sentence in a language Alya couldn't follow. She just listened.
After the ritual, the demon girl Igneous had played with earlier threw herself at Alya.
"Thank you very much!" she exclaimed. Alya was petrified. Days before she would never have imagined that a demon girl would hug her.
"Hey, what about me?" Igneous protested in an amused tone, "I fought too!"
"Igneous lost," the girl sneered.
"You're so mean! Ha, ha, ha. I won't protect you again."
"It doesn't matter because Lady Alya will protect us," the girl replied sticking her tongue out.
What the hell was going on? Why did the girl talk to her as if she cared for her? Alya felt a warmth in her chest. She felt... good...
Maybe the demons weren't as bad as she was led to believe. Alya and Igneous said goodbye to the villagers, after thanking them for all the hospitality.
"I saw that you became popular with the children," the boy said.
Alya shrugged.
"They're not that bad..."
"Wow, wow."
"By the way…"
"Yes?"
"My name is Alya."
Igneous widened his eyes, hesitated, and then replied:
"Nice to meet you, Alya."
The girl gently punched his shoulder.
"I'm just telling you so you don't call me Breeze anymore."
"All right."
Alya pulled a map out of her bag.
"If we follow the route outlined here," she said, "we can go through the mist."
"Why?"
"There are mist-free routes. This map shows them. We just have to watch out for the Legion."
"The Legion?"
"Yeah, that blue-haired chick who attacked us, she's part of the legion," Alya explained.
"I see, but they won't be able to beat us," said Igneous, smiling and puffing out his chest with pride, "we're a great team! Now that you have a Treasure, together we will be unstoppable! Yes! Yohoo!"
Alya smiled a little.
"What was that?" Igneous moved closer to her face, "Was that a smile?"
The girl hit her in the stomach.
"Shut up!"
"Ha, ha, ha, you told me your name and smiled on the same day."
"I'm going to hit you again!"
"Ha, ha, ha, ha."
She blushed and ignored his laugh.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" The boy exclaimed, "To Kamsara!"