at a no-name village
The sun was setting over the small village nestled in the heart of Pandora's rolling fields. It was a peaceful place, and Amanda's family worked hard every day to keep it that way. Her parents were farmers, modest and kind people, content with the life they had built, but Amanda had always sensed she was different. She felt the world around her—the pull of the wind, the spark of fire, the steady pulse of the earth—like they were waiting to respond to her command. As if the elements favored her and bent to her will.
Though she was only 16 years old, her family knew she was special, though none of them fully understood how. They felt something different about Amanda since her birth like she was meant for something greater than they could ever comprehend. They all just knew, even the rest of the villagers. Which led to her isolation as she never really fit in and never even had friends.
That night, like any other night Amanda was heading back from gathering herbs along the river as she usually does, when she spotted a glow in the distance. At first, she thought it might be her father's bonfire, a warm beacon lighting the way home, but as she got closer, she smelled the harsh, bitter scent of smoke and heard the crackle of flames. A chill settled over her and she feared for the worst as she could somehow sense something was wrong. This wasn't her father's fire. This was something else.
Amanda began to run like a starved dog finally seeing water after decades, her breath catching as she approached the farmhouse. A group of men in dark cloaks surrounded the building, wielding torches and drawn swords. She recognized them as the noblemen who often rode through the village, with their insignias glinting in the dim light. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched in horror, helpless, as her home was consumed in flames. The screams of her mother and father reached her, faint and desperate, from within.
"Please!" her father's voice cried out. "We'll give you whatever you want!"
But the nobleman at the front, with a cold, hardened face, only sneered. "This land belongs to the lord now. You've outstayed your welcome, so just die."
Amanda wanted to scream, to run at them, but her body was frozen in place, petrified even. Her parents were trapped and were about to be burned alive. As the flames rose higher, Amanda's vision blurred with tears. She didn't even feel the strange warmth that suddenly pulsed from her hands, or the tingling in her fingers as the air around her began to shift. It felt like she was in control of something but just didn't what. However, one thing she knew for certain was getting her parents out of the house.
With a crackling sound, a gust of wind exploded from her body, and she was hurled backward. The men turned, shocked, as a sudden rush of wind blew out their torches. Amanda lay there, stunned, feeling an inexplicable power stirring within her. She tried to stand, her body trembling, her fingers tingling with a strange heat.
"What are you?" one of the noblemen hissed, taking a step back. "A witch?"
Amanda didn't respond as she was still trying to stand up. Rage bubbled up in her chest, a fire that matched the flames consuming her home. The crackling grew louder in her ears, and suddenly, she felt a surge of energy, unlike anything she had ever felt before. The ground beneath her seemed to pulse, resonating with her fury, and the nearby river shifted as if responding to her anger. She lifted her hands, not even fully aware of what she was doing, and a column of water rose from the riverbank.
The noblemen staggered back, eyes wide, as the water twisted and turned in Amanda's hands. The fire at her home roared louder as if mocking her attempts to save her family. She hurled the water at the flames, dousing part of the blaze, but it was too late. The house collapsed in a shower of sparks and ash, the life she'd known crumbling before her eyes. Her parents burned to ashes, her home gone.
She turned to face the noblemen, her eyes blazing with fury like never as she had never really gotten angry in her life. "You'll pay for this," she whispered, her voice low and trembling. {I will make sure of it, it is the last thing I do}, she thought.
But the men only sneered, emboldened by her despair. They advanced, weapons drawn, their confidence unshaken. One of them swung his sword, but Amanda reacted instinctively, raising her hands. The earth rumbled beneath her feet, and a wall of rock rose to shield her, deflecting the blow. Her power surged again, stronger this time, and she could feel the elements around her responding to her call.
Before they could engage, one of the noblemen at the back, said "Enough, we don't have for her", the rest reluctantly turned away, for some reason obeying the nobleman with them.
Still, some felt like they should at least finish the job and wanted to end her but realized they were outmatched and hesitated. The leader sneered, his voice dripping with contempt. "You may have power, girl, but you're just a child. This land belongs to those with true strength." "we will see how long you survive ".
Amanda's fists clenched, her body trembling with grief and fury. She didn't know where this power had come from, but she could feel it thrumming through her veins, begging to be unleashed. Her family, her life, everything she had ever known—gone, all that remained was ashes. all because of these men who believed their titles gave them the right to take whatever they wanted. Never seeing them as people and looking down on them.
She wanted to unleash the full force of her power on them, to make them feel the pain they'd inflicted on her. But before she could act, the noblemen retreated, their leader shouting orders to his men. "Leave her. Let the wilds deal with her. She won't last the night". The leader was still afraid of invoking the wrath of silent mysteries nobleman with them.
Amanda fell to her knees as they disappeared into the darkness. The power within her ebbed, leaving her exhausted and empty. She was alone, surrounded by the charred remains of her home. Tears streamed down her face as the reality of what had happened settled over her. All she could do was cry and cry she did.
The fire had taken everything from her—her family, her home, her childhood. She clutched a handful of soil, feeling the weight of her sorrow mingling with her growing rage. She could feel something within her, a power both beautiful and terrifying, calling to her. It was a gift, one she didn't fully understand yet, but one she was determined to master.
As the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, Amanda made a vow. She would not rest until she was strong enough to bring down the nobles who had destroyed her family. She would use this power, this magic that had awoken within her, to hunt them down and make them pay.
"I will make them pay no matter what it takes", was all she could say before she readied to leave
She stood, her face set with a newfound resolve. The village would not remember Amanda, the farmer's daughter. One day, they would know her as something far greater—a force born of fire, earth, water, and wind. A force to be reckoned with. A force of vengeance. A ##### to be feared.