The town of Balderas was a region that was mainly dedicated to agriculture during the warm seasons. At the arrival of the first frosts, the activity of the settlers could vary between textile management, pottery, hunting and forestry; These last activities were carried out in the limits of the village, crossing the Medis stream.
Known as the Marota Forest, an expanse of land covered in lush vegetation, it was home to countless medium-sized beasts. Which were used by hunters as emergency food in winter times.
Of the most representative fauna, the bolgio, an animal similar to the wild boar. With frontal antlers and sharp fangs, it was an extremely dangerous animal in the first days of the arrival of the change of seasons.
Walking in hand in hand, Sylvia and Luca walked along the path that the hunters took away from their caves. Trying to make as little noise as possible in order to avoid attracting the attention of those fearsome beasts.
"Luca, wait a moment please" – Pulling his sleeve a bit, Sylvia stopped for a moment to sit on the sidewalk to check the soles of her feet. Because footwear was a commodity that was a luxury for the poorer commoners, the girl had endured many times having to wear shoes that no longer fit her as she grew older.
Knowing that María could barely earn enough to support them both, Sylvia tried to endure that ordeal in silence. But this time, because she left her house very quickly, the little girl had left her shoes at the foot of the door.
"Well, it seems that there is no remedy" – Squatting with his back to Sylvia, the young Luca offered the fragile girl to climb on his back. Trembling from the slight cold air that was beginning to be felt among the trees, little Lichen firmly took the boy by the shoulders and clung to him.
- "Don't worry Sylvia. It won't be long before we get to where the alcornio plants grow." – Nodding her head very close to Luca's face, Sylvia did not notice that the boy's cheeks had blushed a little.
Feeling embarrassed, Luca continued up the path with the girl on his back. Keeping your attention to the sides in order to notice any sign of the proximity of a bolgio.
Experiencing a bit of drowsiness due to Luca's body moving, the little girl closed her eyes and fell prey to the sleep accumulated from the waking night she spent taking care of her mother.
- "Aurora, we are late! Move, dad can't start the car" – A voice that was familiar to her, came to her in the form of a dream from a distant life. Katia, Aurora's sister, was standing at the door of the house adjusting her headband while she looked at herself in the mirror hanging on the wall.
- "Kathia? How are you alive?" – Walking slowly until she reached her sister at the door, Aurora didn't get an answer from her. As if it were simply a mirage that evoked his heart.
Appearing in the doorway, Dr. Anderson made gestures by pointing his finger at the face of the wristwatch. That vivid memory of the day her sister was kidnapped, made the wounds she thought had closed slowly open up, letting the repressed emotions of so many years flow.
The feelings of guilt that she harbored in the depths of her being, caused the detective's soul to fluctuate violently, causing the memory image to be disfigured until it was a shade of blood red.
"I told you there was a price to pay for your request" – Descending with a pair of outstretched wings similar to those of a bat, Astaroth manifested himself in the young Lichen's dream. The pure appearance that had manifested in front of Aurora prior to her reincarnation had been changed to that of a being that was closer to being a demon than a god.
- "Do you have fun playing like this with me?"
- "Silly creature, do you think I'm laughing right now? I wanted to give you a chance to live a life away from pain, a new beginning. But contrary to my wishes, you chose the most painful path. Every soul that maintains ties with its previous life is condemned to drag part of it to the new world in which it will be born.
Unfortunately for you, the trauma of losing your sister burned very strongly into your old self. And behold the result, a new soul that has neither head nor tail. You're lucky you haven't lost your sanity in these five years. However, you will have to face the cost of maintaining your previous consciousness" – Opening a portal that allowed them to view the interior of María's hut, Astaroth and Sylvia contemplated how Doña Gertrudis did not stop placing fresh cloths on the maiden's forehead.
Who was already delirious from the sudden fever caused by the curse of mana gluttony.
- "Mother!" – Extending her arm uselessly, Sylvia was desperate before the panorama that the goddess allowed her to observe. As the minutes passed, Maria's state of health deteriorated to the point that her life expectancy was considerably shortened.
- "Goddess Astaroth, please! Take what you want from me, but save her life" – Taking the original form of her former self, Aurora stood up and stood firmly before the unshakable goddess. Who for a moment was hesitant to witness the determination of that woman.
Not only had he challenged her in the moment before his rebirth, but right at that moment, his eyes didn't show even an iota of fear or hesitation.
- "Are you completely sure of your words, creature?"
- "Yes I am! Take even my life if necessary" – Clenching her fists with her arms firmly at her sides, Aurora faced the goddess, who extended her hand over her and nailed her claws just at the height of her heart.
- "I accept" - With a violent movement Astaroth ripped out Aurora's heart; it began to form a silhouette of flesh and blood, which little by little took on the shape of little Sylvia.
- "In exchange for prolonging the life of that woman, I will take away your powers. As long as the breath of life remains in the one you call mother, the magic of your species will be sealed. The body and physical characteristics with which you have been known since you were born, will change due to the appearance you possessed while you were alive on earth" - Embracing the little homunculus, Astaroth threw Aurora's consciousness back to the earthly plane.
Opening her eyes again, Sylvia felt her body begin to burn while Luca was startled, throwing her to the ground.
- "Who are you? Where is Sylvia?
- "Luca, wait, Luca! I am your friend Sylvia" – With blue eyes and brown hair, her bluish skin had been transposed by a Caucasian tone similar to the rest of the people in the village. The shape of his face had also changed, taking on the appearance of his childhood on earth.
- "I don't believe you! You are an evil spirit that kidnapped Sylvia. Confess, where did you take her to" – Taking out a small dagger that he used while serving the mercenaries, Luca stood defensively in front of the helpless girl, who kept repeating that she was her friend, begging him to lower the dagger.
Then without realizing it, a wild bolgio hatchling appeared behind them. Despite being a mere puppy, that animal was twice the size and weight of the unfortunate Luca, who barely had time to react to its onslaught. Receiving a strong blow that almost cut off his right arm.
- "Lucaaaaa!" – Extending her arms, Sylvia tried to conjure magic to defend her friend from that wild beast, realizing the fact that the goddess had declared in the dream. The little girl lost her powers.
- "You brought this beast, right?" - Clumsily articulating those words, Luca tried to get up feeling how his right side was cold and bloody. Spitting blood out of his mouth from the spasms, Luca stood to attention with what little strength he had left and threw himself squarely against the bolgio.
- "Luca, stop!" – Screaming with all her might, Sylvia desperately tried to make her friend throw herself to certain death. But those cries of supplication fell in vain on the ears of the brave little boy. Who, in a single movement, saw how his head rolled on the ground, decapitated by the bolgio's horns.
- "Nooooo!" – Giving a heartbreaking scream that shook the treetops, Sylvia fell to her knees to the ground with her face covered in tears. The moment the beast noticed it, it began to run furiously trying to ram it , being pierced by the arrow of a group of hunters that belonged to the town.
- "Girl, hey girl! Are you okay?" – Taking her by the arms shaking her with force, one of the hunters was trying to get her out of the shock. Seeing how his eyes looked like those of an undead.
- "Lucas... Lucas" - Repeating the name of her friend, little Sylvia was traumatized after witnessing that heartbreaking end. Such a young and dreamy life had ended at the hands of a beast that fell so easily from a hunter's arrow.
If only they had shown up seconds earlier, if that arrow had been fired before Luca plunged himself to his death. The feeling of guilt ate at the little girl, who was reliving the trauma of losing her sister in her past life.
- "Hey boss, this child is the son of Mrs. Gertrudis" - Holding the child's severed head, the hunter closed his eyes, shaking his face as a sign of distress. Everyone in the villa knew little Luca, a lively boy with the drive of a small wild animal.
The mercenaries who used to hunt in the forest accompanied by Lucas, marveled at him, who had the potential to become a knight in the service of a noble family. But now, that longing had been extinguished with the last breath of his heart.
Taking what was left of Lucas's body, the hunters wrapped him in the skin of a wolfen and threw him into the wagon, while the leader took the girl by the waist and carried her back to the village. The march of that procession remained silent, with a solemnity typical of the courage shown by the reckless boy.
Spotting them from the door, little Abigail recognized the clothes of what she thought at one point was her friend. But seeing him up close, he reacted in a similar way to his brother, completely ignoring poor Sylvia, who was clinging firmly to the mercenary's cape.
Doña Gertrudis, who was still inside attending to María, hurried to the threshold of the hut to receive the brigade leader. Who, leaving Sylvia on the ground, extended the dagger that belonged to Lucas while he was alive, while he lowered his face when explaining that the child had died in the forest.
Collapsing in pain, Mrs. Gertrudis cried bitterly, raising her hands to her face, being comforted by Abigail, who hugged her trying to contain herself by the sudden death of her older brother.
Instead, Sylvia, taken beside herself by the shock of seeing her friend die, had one last thought in mind that allowed her to walk weakly inside the hut.
Bedridden, Maria found herself with a better countenance, as if the curse had miraculously ceased. But as if it were one more trick of the goddess Astaroth, the maiden did not react no matter how much the little girl repeated her name and waved her hand without being able to wake her up.
- "Who the hell are you? Release her right now!"
- "Grandma it's me, I'm Sylvia"
- "You are not my granddaughter! Who are you and where did you come from? – Pushing her hard causing her to fall to the ground, Mrs. Edith rebuked her firmly, demanding the whereabouts of her granddaughter.
It was then that the little girl realized that no matter how she tried to explain the situation, no one would believe her. Yes, the goddess had kept her promise. But the price to pay wasn't just limited to his powers; but also, he had taken his life in a way beyond symbolism.
Like a foreigner in the midst of those people, the girl lowered her face and walked towards the outside of the hut. Where one of the hunters took her by the arm and tied her hands to take her to the bailiff of the town.
During the hours that she remained under the surveillance of the village guardian, the girl was questioned about what had happened, remaining silent without saying a word.
- "It's useless, this brat won't speak no matter how much we question her" - Taking a sip from a beer jar, the bailiff hit the container on the wooden table without getting any reaction from the girl. That she was immediately thrown into the cell, waiting for a representative of the ducal head to come to give a judicial verdict.
Cornered in a fetal position inside that cold cell, Sylvia looked through the bars that communicated with the outside. The delicate moonlight that filtered through them reflected on her skin a tone as pale as that of a ghost.
As if longing to turn back time, the girl stretched out her arms towards the night sky. Seeing through the spaces of his fingers, the storm clouds that began to cover the night sky.
- "Luca" - Repeating that name in a low voice, the girl was running out of strength until exhaustion seized her, falling into a deep sleep.
The next morning the sound of sword metal hitting the bars made her startle awake.
Turning her gaze, still clouded by sleep, she saw four silhouettes that stood imposingly on the other side of the cell bars. With a severe aspect, sharp nose and the expression of the eyes like those of a lion; Captain Eusebio Rivera, responsible for public security within the Albert domain, was accompanied by two soldiers with their faces covered by their helmets.
"Is this the brat responsible for the impure blood's death?"
- "We don't know, your excellency, but she was the only survivor that the hunters found in the forest" - The bailiff could not hide his nervousness before his superior, a sea of cold sweat seemed to sprout from his forehead in panic, as if his life depended on the words he chose to speak in front of him.
Among the commoners, the temperament of Captain Eusebio was well known, a man lacking in empathy and tact for those he considered inferior. With eyes whose pupils exuded scarlet and pointed ears, it was undoubtedly a low-ranking Lichen.
Any soul that fell into his clutches would experience a fate worse than death. Therefore, among the common people it was common to mention that it was preferable to end up in the jaws of a chimera, than to face the bloodthirsty captain.
Giving a signal, the soldiers opened the gates and entered holding the girl by the arms, letting her dangle level with the imposing captain of the guard.
- "This is your last chance. Did you kill the unclean blood?" – Roughly holding her hair, Eusebio fixed his gaze on Sylvia's eyes, who vigorously denied the accusation that fell on her.
- "What's your junk name?"
- "My name is Sil..." - Stopping on the spot, the little girl considered that continuing to use the name her mother gave her would bring her more problems. For them, Sylvia had died in the forest. Repeating her identity would only get her charged as a phony and executed for impersonation.
- "My name is Aurora"
- "Aurora? Interesting name for a miserable rat" – With an apparently kind smile, the captain looked at the little girl for a brief moment. Who looked askance at the soldiers, who seemed to be trembling in fear for having seen their captain's smile.
By the time the girl tried to see Eusebio's face again, she felt a pair of sharp fangs piercing her carotid. The sensation of those cold jaws contrasted with the warmth of the threads of blood that ran through the delicate skin of her neck.
Pain quickly took over her body, feeling as if her blood was boiling as she was sucked forcefully by the inhuman captain.
Screaming until her throat seemed to tear, the girl kicked hard trying to free herself from that unpleasant torment. By the time he finished drinking his blood, Eusebio took a handkerchief and wiped the corners of his mouth. Snapping her fingers forming a magic circle that reminded the girl of the curse her biological mother cast on Maria.
- "Commoner Aurora, for the crime of murdering the commoner Lucas and being an accomplice in the kidnapping of a member of the Albert house, she is sentenced to live as a slave in the service of the Rivera house until the day of her death"
On the girl's chest, a blue flame etched a sinister symbol onto her delicate skin. Shaped like a star surrounded by a semicircle with a curse written on it, that mark was the sign of the Albert family's enslavement.
From noble to commoner, from commoner to slave. In a brief span of her life, Aurora was experiencing the weight of the curse she gained from defying the will of the goddess Astaroth.
Unable to maintain consciousness, Aurora's fragile humanity gave way to the pain and she fell unconscious, leaving her body to hang like a corpse at the hands of the soldiers.
- "We have finished in this place. Take the slave to my carriage and chain her hands and feet so she doesn't try to escape" – Turning around letting his cape flutter, Eusebio walked imposingly out of the cell, followed by his soldiers who escorted the little girl's body.
Keeping his head down, the bailiff continued to tremble as he watched the way the captain dispensed his form of justice. Giving thanks to the goddess that it was not him who ended up receiving such cruel punishment.
Putting on the shackles, the soldiers chained the little girl to the floor of the carriage, immediately withdrawing to make way for the captain. Who barely got into the cabin, gave the order to start marching towards his mansion.