━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

"Such an evil creature."

I am, evil?

"I can't believe we're family."

I still love you, cousin!

"We should have never taken you under our wing!"

I'm sorry uncle..

"Such a hideous creature, get away from us!"

Did I do something?

"Go die!"

━━━✦❘༻༺❘✦━━━

"AAHHH!" 

'It was just a dream, just a bad dream, a bad dream.. only a dream. Calm down now, it's all in the past.' 

Cold sweat covered her body, the nightmare paralyzing her. Quickly calming down she forced herself up, now sitting on the bed she regains her composure.

'Why was it so vivid.. It was just a dream. Nevermind that, I have to get ready. I should take a shower before I go, I think Dolion said he had some exciting news to share!'

"Get up, get ready, go" She whispered to herself, voice still shaking mildly, shaken up from the memory.

As she entered the bathroom, she quickly got ready but something drew her attention. Her eyes drifted towards the mirror above the sink, no, they drifted towards the one staring back. 

'Maybe I should wear contact lenses today too.'

She stared into the eyes of the one beyond the mirror, crimson iris' staring back, the eyes seem to pierce her very being, begging to be seen for once. Before paying it any more mind, she quickly placed some coloured lenses on her eyes, both brown, a normal colour unlike her own.

She got dressed and quickly tied up her ivory hair, packing up her stuff as she went. Pencils, binders, laptop, everything was now safely secured within her bag. Making her way outside, closing the door behind her, she couldn't help but stop and stare. The spring blossoms, the fragrance of flowers in the air, the dancing leaves, all blessings of the Gods. It was safe to say that all life was blessed by the Gods, especially that of the renowned Scholars. Blessed with the power to wield and harness arcana, the ability to communicate with our Celestial Beings, a mind so vast to hold and record the wisdom, knowledge and history of the Divine ones.

'Blessed huh?' The thought of being blessed made her chuckle. Looking back at her life, she had never once thought of herself as blessed, everything was against her.

Life was never fair to her, everything always took a turn for the worse once her father dissapeared. Her mother was never there, yet she would always feel her presence, nontheless, she abandoned her. Everything abandoned her, everything except one.

"Hey! Akira, whatcha doing staring into the sky like that?" 

Before her stood a young man, short chestnut hair, fair skin and a gorgeous smile. He was wearing a dark blue suit, bag around his shoulder and a coffee in both hands.

"I got you a drink, don't worry, I added extra sugar and milk in" He said confidently, handing Akira her drink.

"Oh wow, uhm, thank you Dolion!" She answered as she took the coffee he offered.

An angel sent from heaven, the one person she could trust, the only reason she has for living. The only blessing she had recieved in her life, he was her lover.

It was a lonely evening, the stars shined bright and the moon was full. Darkness climbed into her heart and grasped tightly, the feeling of loss towered over her as she balanced on the ledge. Her freedom was so close yet something held her back, an outreached hand, a calming voice, kind eyes not staring with judgment but looking with empathy.

Dolion saved her, he showed her the beauty of the world, the kindness of others, the blessings the deitys bestowed upon us. Meaning had been restored to her life, and she was grateful.

He would always help out with her work, always inquiring as to what some points being made mean and how they function. He was always the curious kind and it helped her remember and perfect her work. Now she was finally prepared to present it for the Supervisor.

"You know, I really do feel good about today, I might even get that promotion I've been aiming for."

"That's amazing, I will cheer you on!" She looked towards Dolion, proud of his accomplishments. 

Making their way towards the Manor of Arcane Knowledge, Hexes and Sorcery or M.A.S.H. for short, Akira tells Dolion about her dream, or rather, nightmare she had that night. He embraced her and made her feel safe as they entered the grand building of the Association of Arcane Knowledge.

-———---———-

"Heyy, I'm so sorry about this but, could you lend me some of your research papers?"

"GAHH" The suddenty of the inquiry gave her a great scare, she did not realise he was lurking behind her.

"How long have you been standing there and also, why did you need my papers?"

The young man, now in front of her looked around before leaning in for a kiss, startling her. He looked her straight in the eyes as he stated his intention.

"I forgot my papers at home.. I thought that if I saw yours I would be able to write mine quicker, or at least have some idea of what I was writing. We had pretty similer subjects of research didn't we?"

'Again, how many times does it have to take for him to remember his papers' 

Her thoughts were disrupted as the man in front of her grabbed a few of the papers and waved her goodbye. She was stunned but continued working nontheless, there was no reason for her to be too worried about this. Knowing how hard she worked on her thesis, he would return the papers in no time. it wouldn't be like last month where he accidentally lost her papers, or the year prior to that where her work was lost in the rain. He would most definitely give those papers back, she could feel that this time would be different.

'Maybe I should go talk to him about my papers before he forgets again?'

Those words drove her to his desk but no one was there, asking around the office and it seemed that he was at our section's supervisor's office.

She made her way towards the office, only wanting to wait outside to warn him but the door was slightly ajar and she couldn't help but overhear the conversation inside. 

»»---——⍟——---««

"-amazing paper, you've done it again."

"It was all due to hard work, long sleepless nights and the help of the branch!"

"This paper, it's a thesis about the Gods' correlation to the known plane and how their blessings have affected us, correct?"

'What?'

"Indeed, want me to walk you through the process of how I came to the conclusion?"

'Isn't it my thesis they're talking about?'

'MY thesis?'

'Why is he claiming it as his own, maybe he remembered his work and is presenting it?'

"-blessings are gifts of essence-"

'No, that is my work.'

'This has to be a misunderstanding.'

'This was no mistake was it, maybe I should just leave? No, I have to confront him.'

»»---———-　---　-———---««

She burst into the room shouting, demanding an explanation from him, as to why he would do something like this but only silence answered her. She looked to Dolion, her love, her life. He only looked at her with dissapointment, no longer were those eyes filled with empathy and kindness, no, maybe they never were. 

"What are you talking about Miss Arioch, Sir Wyles here gave his all producing this fine work here," the supervisor remarked, surprised by the sudden confrontation happening in front of her.

"That was my work! He stole it from me just no-"

"How dare you accuse Sir Wyles of such a thing, this work matches perfectly with his other works!"

'What, other works?'

"Contracts and their benefits, the language of the Gods-"

'wait.. no..' 

Realisation slowly hit her like a truck, she was being used. She had been used this entire time. He never loved her, he was using her.

'Why why why why whywhywhywhywhy'

"Clearly you have no idea what you're talking about!"

'betrayer'

"Leave our sight immediately, this instant!"

'traitor'

"Wait!"

Time seemed to slow down as he uttered those words, quietude returned as he continued speaking.

"Why would she try to steal my work, boss?" He turned to the Branch leader, looking into her eyes with his decieving ones.

"What if she is one of those conspirators?! Those that go against the blessings of the Gods, the ones that wish to destroy the world!"

Her eyes widened as she heard what Dolion was implying, no, she saw his mouth move but no sound would come out. He had betrayed her, he had abandoned her, just like everyone else. 

"Why would you suggest that Mr. Wyles?" The woman's eyes began to linger on Akira's.

"Wait, quickly check her eyes!"

'no'

As Dolion held her firmly, the supervisor came closer. The horror in her eyes grew as she took out Akira's contact lenses. Fear filled the room as they stepped back, careful as to not agitate the horrid creature in front of them.

"Do you not see this! This must mean she is evil!" He yelled, looking desperately towards the manager. Akira still could not believe it, she shared her deepest secret with him and he used it against her like this. She trusts him.. she trusted him.

"GET THE GUARDS IN HERE, GET HER OUT OF HERE and you.. YOU'RE FIRED!!"

As Security entered the room, her legs gave out. They couldn't carry her weight anymore, everything collapsed right in front of her. The Guards began to escort her out and she couldn't help but look back and what she saw would haunt her for ages to come.

That look he had on his face, a face full of disdain, of disgust, the hate was brimming within his eyes. 

'ahh, that's right.. a curse.'

Those were her final thoughts as they dragged her outside, the guards threw her on the pavement and prepared to tie her up and send her to the correctional facility.

'this is my end isn't it'

'what a joke'

'I was supposed to be one of the mighty scholars, reknowned for their knowledge'

'now I'll be sent off and.. dissapear'

'no one even knows where those people go'

'I don't want to die..'

[Do you wish to live?]

'What is even the point anyway, I'm now wanted by the entire world. They know my face and everything!'

'Even if I got free, what would I even do?'

Time seemed to freeze as the moments before her slowed down. Her vision faded as she closed her eyes, accepting this cruel reality before her. This was the curse she had to bear.

[Do you not wish for revenge?]

'Revenge?'

[That man, Dolion was it? Do you not wish to watch him suffer, to watch him regret everything he did to you?]

'I..I-I can't, I've never even told a lie before! I would never be able to exact my revenge..'

[Weak]

'What?'

[I called you WEAK, you are but a sorry excuse of a human being. You do not even try before you give up! You are pathetic, pitiful and WEAK.. no wonder your father dissapeared, he was ashamed of you.]

'..no..'

[..?]

'NO, DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK THAT WAY ABOUT MY FATHER'

[You can do nothing about it, you are weak. Just like how you could never stand against him, you can never go against me. You are PATHETIC.'

'I will protect my father's honour.'

[Oh? And how exactly, will you do that?]

'Help me exact my revenge on this world. I may be weak, but I will become a weapon made only to cut my enemies down. You will be the whetstone and I shall be the blade you sharpen and I will not stop until ALL those who were against me are dead.'

[ I  t h o u g h t  y o u  w o u l d  n e v e r  a s k ]

Her resolve was set in stone, she would never return to how she used to be. She was but a weak naive child but now she has matured.

Time resumed and Akira sat there, contemplating her options and she started to smile. Words spilled forth out of her mouth.

{Ur' Firum, Inscalucrum Va os Frescaro}

Flames burst forth and enveloped her in it's crimson fire, slowly growing. The guards fell back and watched in horror as the flames grew larger, slowly enveloping all. This was her moment.

She took this opportunity to run, as fast as her legs could carry her for she knew that those flames would not last forever. Before this moment she would have never imagined herself running, especially not this fast, not since Dolion..

Those memories were fake, everything was just a ploy to trick and use her. The more she ran, the more she left behind, all that joy, all the laughter, her past, her self, everything was left behind.

When she came to a stop in a dark alley in the shadier part of the city, she couldn't help but feel reborn, new, like a weight has been lifted off her shoulders. It finally dawned on her, she was free.

There was still one problem, the guards. They had seen what she could do, the danger she was, she was sure that they would be after her. Akira knew the dangers that presented themselves with this and she was prepared for the consequences. No longer would she stand idly by as everything was ripped from her, no longer would she be the plaything of Gods. Her resolve was clear, she was prepared to do anything to achieve her goal.

"This world will know my pain..."