Chapter 6: Chapter Six: A Fragment of the Past (Part ||)
|| 3 Years Before the First Gate is Breached ||
It was quiet. And the atmosphere, cold and biting.
A brisk wind blew, sharp and refreshing. It softly touched the leaves of the nearby trees, gently making them dance to the wind's lovely rhythm.
The night had already fallen, finally making its appearance after softly coaxing away the day to the other side. It arrived and it arrived beautifully. The star-filled sky looked magnificent—those shiny little things were beautifully scattered apart; as if the Celestials above had carefully handpicked them and placed them in their desired position.
Ayra gently kicked a pebble away from her path, slightly wincing when the action cause the wound in her knee to throb. Her legs, elbows and the inside of her palms were adorned with scrapes and bruises—each of them painted with dried blood. It pained for her to even walk. Her eyes welled with tears of discomfort and ache but she wouldn't cry.
She refused to cry.
A wizard should be able to take this much.
Ayra thought resolutely, chanting the line in her head again and again to numb the physical pain.
The air was cold and lonely. It was the last and final night of the Moon Festival. Ayra's heart held a twinge of regret at not being able to observe the festivities to their full rapture.
But, oh well, at least, she was able to get what she went in hunt of.
Ayra gripped the four ripe, juicy berries in her arms and stared at them, slightly befuddled and doubtful.
They were some dubious-looking things; these berries. They were slightly larger than normal berries and were caressed in the ugliest shade of purple and blue. It was as if someone plastered these two colours on a plain-looking berry and called it a day.
Ayra scrunched her eyebrows, a little skeptical.
Will they be enough to heal a person completely? Are these monstrous-looking things capable of something like that?
They looked perfect for killing someone instead.
Ayra scrunched her nose. She can only imagine how nasty they would taste.
But the healer did say that these berries were capable of healing even the most deadliest diseases.
Hope and uncertainty bloomed in her little heart at that thought and Ayra immediately shook off the latter emotion; forcing her heart and mind to sail on the little hope that she carried and believed that everything will be alright.
She smiled.
Yes, everything will be alright.
With a soft sigh, she trod on until the gates of the shelter came into view.
A woman stood just outside the gate, pacing back and forth and looking around frantically. As if desperately searching for something.
Or rather, someone.
Ayra immediately lowered her arms beneath her dirty cloak and pressed them against her torso, desperately trying to conceal the weird-looking fruits.
She let out a breath and a moment later, slowly strided towards the woman.
"Leorah." She softly called out.
The woman immediately snapped her eyes towards the small figure approaching her. And with a cry, she sprinted towards Ayra, arms wide open and splayed.
"Ayra!"
Ayra closed her eyes, releasing herself into Lady Leorah's arms. A wave of fatigue suddenly consumed her entire being, her small body finally calling it a day.
"Ayra! Oh dear, Ayra, wherein the heavens were you?! I searched for you all over the town! Do you know how afraid I was? One moment, you were with the rest of the kids, enjoying the festival and the next moment, you disappeared!" Leorah cried, clutching Ayra's body tightly in her arms.
Ayra knew this was going to happen. Knew that Leorah would be the only one apart from Caelan who would search for her and worry about her with her entire heart and soul.
She sighed, smiling a little at the warmth embracing her.
"Where were you? Why are you coming back so late?" Leorah questioned frantically.
Ayra scrunched her eyebrows in concentration.
What should she say to that?
Something believable, she decided. Something that would stop Leorah's mind from asking further questions.
"I was, haha, looking around?"
Oh Celestials above.
Leora pulled back and Ayra for the first time that night, truly noticed how tired Leora looked. Her cerulean blue eyes looked dull and lifeless, her rich butter blonde hair was all over the place; as if someone had run their fingers through them repeatedly.
Guilt pinched at her senses. Ayra didn't regret the choices she made and to act upon, but she'd always regret making Leorah worry so much over her.
Leora frowned at that response and gripped Ayra's shoulders.
"Don't lie to me, you little devil. Tell me where have you been?"
"I was looking around." She mumbled softly.
The hands on her shoulders tightened.
"Stop lying to me, Ayra.''
"I'm not lying!"
She suddenly leaned back and rolled her shoulders to free herself from Leora's grip. But as she did that, one of the berries loosened itself from her hold.
Ayra and Leora speechlessly stared as one of the four berries tumbled out of her hold and rolled to the ground between them.
The wind hissed.
And silence followed. A heavy silence.
Leora slowly reached for the berry in front of her. She raised it to her eyes and her eyebrows squeezed together in concentration.
"What—these are mawa berries." Her eyes snapped up and her voice turned sharp as if Leorah knew that Ayra stirred up some trouble while getting a hold of them.
"Where did you get them from?" She asked sternly.
Ayra looked away. Leorah swiftly reached forward for the pin clasping her cloak and before Ayra could protest, her cloak came undone.
Leorah's eyes fell on the three other berries that Ayra so desperately tried to hide.
"Oh my—" She gasped and glared at her. "Ayra! Answer me! Where did you get these berries from?"
Ayra knew there was no going back now. She had no lie to back her up. Slowly shutting her eyes, she clenched her fists and opened her mouth, to tell the truth.
"I stole them. From old man Griffin."
Leora's eyes widened at the confession. For a moment, she couldn't comprehend the words that came out of the young girl's mouth.
"Griffin—You mean that fruit seller from yesterday?" Leorah asked, incredulously.
Ayra nodded before lowering her head.
Leorah remembered Griffin, alright. That grumpy fruit seller from yesterday who so heartlessly chased that poor woman away.
She had to stop Ayra from clawing at the man but to think that she'd go and steal from right under his nose; Leorah couldn't believe it.
When Ayra nodded in confirmation, Leorah sighed heavily and slightly shook her head.
"What have you done, Ayra? Why would you do something like this?!" Leorah bellowed in disbelief.
"Because these berries are rare and expensive and I didn't want you to use the shelter's money on something as expensive as this."
Leorah paused. Took a fleeting glance at the berries. And understood everything.
"Is this because of Caelan?" Leorah questioned softly.
Ayra turned her face away. But the answer was loud and clear.
It was almost deafening.
"Ayra—''
"I understand." Ayra cut her off, "I understand that this is not the right way. And I'm sorry." She looked up, eyes wide and bright with unspoken emotions, "But I didn't have any other choice."
"I just wanted to help." She finished with a soft mumble.
Leorah sighed. She understood why Ayra decided to take matters into her own hands. Because Ayra loves and Ayra cares. And Leorah knew that she would do anything for the person she adored with her entire heart.
Leorah's eyes filled with wonder as she stared at the little being in front of her, tiny hands clenched and shiny eyes wide.
She sighed. She'd personally go and apologize to Griffin on Ayra's behalf because it was partially her fault for not seeing the situation. And her fault for not seeing the desperate need burning in this child's heart.
A desperate need to save a loved one.
With a light, teasing tone, she questioned.
"Are you really sorry, Ayra? To me, it looks like you're perfectly glad to have stolen from Griffin."
Ayra huffed and looked away, slightly pouting.
"Of course I am." She tilted her head.
"People who have the power to survive are strong. And strong people like them should always help the weak. Not crush them down with that very power that lifted them." She looked away, "It's like they forget that they were once weak too."
Leorah stared at Ayra, her mind and voice robbed of speech and thinking. She wondered if the child was still talking about old man Griffin.
Sometimes, Leorah found it hard to believe that Ayra was just a child.
Ayra's eyes burned with such fire—no, a storm. A storm roiled inside her icy blue eyes and Leorah for the first time ever understood why she was gifted with the power of the wind.
This child was a raging storm.
"It always takes me by surprise when you talk like this, Ayra. Such wise words from a young lady."
Ayra grinned slightly in response, feeling a little proud.
Leorah chuckled. "Go back inside. It's way past your bedtime. You need to get some sleep. We'll talk tomorrow."
She handed over the berry to Ayra.
With a nod, Ayra took the berry from her and began walking inside. But suddenly, a thought popped up in her head and she turned back.
"Leorah?"
Leorah, who was dusting off dirt from her dress, turned towards Ayra and raised her eyebrows.
"Yes?"
Ayra bit her lip.
"If someone comes knocking on our door, asking for a place here—" she slightly tilted her head. "You won't turn them down right?"
A gentle smile bloomed on Leorah's face.
"Of course not, Ayra. This shelter is a home for everyone who doesn't have one."
Ayra smiled.
A lovely wind caressed the night.
"Alright."
And Leorah smiled back. "Alright."
When Ayra left, Leorah slowly lifted her head to the star-filled sky.
''Melione.'' She softly whispered, "Are you looking at your child right now?"
Leorah smiled at the night sky, heart clenching.
"I hope you are."
ווו×
Ayra stood behind a door, intently staring at it.
The clock in the main hall chimed ten times, and the sound resonated through the sleeping corridors.
It was deadly quiet.
Ayra knew she was supposed to go to bed.
The other children and the Ladies of the orphanage were already asleep. For a second, she wondered if she should come the next morning and just retreat to bed for now.
Ayra looked at the four berries in her hand. And made a swift decision.
She'll just place them on the bedside table and leave. Yeah, she'll do that.
Ayra laid her hand on the knob and twisted the door open. A gust of wind blew her way and she closed her eyes, softly feeling her magic flutter in response.
The room was dark but the windows were wide open. The curtains softly flowed with the wind, dancing enigmatically as if they had a mind of their own.
A small bed positioned itself by the window and on that small bed, amidst a sea of pillows and a large white fluffy overspread, sat a small, frail figure.
The figure was leaning against the pillow, gently resting against the headboard and intently staring outside the window; at the lovely darkness and the deep, deep silence beyond.
"Caelan?" Ayra softly called out, her voice tugging at the heavy silence.
Caelan snapped his head in her direction, eyes narrowing inside the steady darkness embracing the room.
"Ayra?" His voice was mellow, barely over a whisper but the wind carried his voice to her.
She slowly stalked towards his bed.
"Ayra, where have you been? Do you know how worried Leorah was? Do you know how worried I was?"
Ayra couldn't make out her best friend's expression in the dark but she could swear to the Celestials above that his brown hazel eyes were deep with concern.
She smiled slightly. Such a worrywart.
Though, she thought, he did have a good reason to be concerned. Ayra would too if she was in his place.
"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Ayra questioned instead.
"Don't avoid my question."
"Don't avoid mine too. You are supposed to be resting, you know."
Caelan avoided her eyes. "Don't change the subject."
Ayra sighed. "Do you want to hear about the festival?"
Caelan still had his face turned away. "No."
She didn't say a word. Instead, she simply walked over to him, dumped the fruits on his lap, pulled out a stool and sat down.
Caelan eyed the mawa berries resting on his lap.
"What are these?"
"Mawa berries."
His eyes widened. He grabbed one of them and lifted them to his eyes, inspecting them closely.
"You mean—"
"Yes."
" I didn't even finish."
"I don't care. Just eat them," She huffed, cheeks puffing.
Caelan shook his head, placing the berry back down.
"Ayra, where did you get them from? I clearly remember the healer telling us that these berries were rare and very, very expensive. They are not easy to purchase."
Of course, she remembers. That was the very reason why she even decided to steal them. No wonder there were only a bunch of them at the shop too.
Ayra looked at Caelan.
"The healer also told us that these berries have incredible medicinal properties and may heal you of your sickness. So, stop asking and just eat them."
"After you tell me where you got them from."
She scrunched her nose. "You are annoying."
Caelan grinned, eyes lighting up.
"I learned from the best."
They looked at each other and after a moment, shared a hearty laugh together; the beautiful sound brushing away the heavy silence for a moment.
Caelan looked down and fiddled with the fruits, lost deep in thought.
Ayra opened her mouth to ask him what he was thinking about before he opened his mouth and Ayra felt the world crash on her.
"Another healer visited today. "
The wind grew heavy.
"You know what is funny? I never see the same healer twice." He chuckled but it seemed restrained. "The one who visited today came all the way from Orynvis." His eyes suddenly lifted to hers. "You know Orynvis, right? That city behind the Great Minnecan mountains? A lot of successful healers hail from there." He paused for a beat and confessed with a small smile, "I think—Ayra, I think for the first time, I was hopeful."
Something broke inside her.
But Caelan continued, not looking at Ayra. At the despair and sadness that bleeded out of her.
"The healer didn't tell me to eat any medicine." He chuckled and pointed at the berry, "She didn't tell me to eat these mawa berries too as the other healer did; even though these were well-known for their healing properties."
Caelan turned towards her.
"Ayra."
She shook her head.
"Ayra."
"No." She breathed.
Caelan continued, mercilessly. "The healer told me that I can't be healed. That she didn't know what was wrong with my body. She said she didn't know how much time I had left. She didn't know anything, Ayra." His voice broke at the end and Ayra couldn't do anything.
She couldn't do anything but silently allow tears to run down her cheeks.
"These berries won't help me, Ayra. They won't heal—"
"Stop!" She screamed and grabbed his hand.
"Don't say anything. Please, just—"
"Please." She finished pathetically. Caelan grew silent as he quietly listened to her cry her heart out.
Ayra always knew it. Deep down in her soul, a bitter truth burned. She always knew that. But Ayra was too scared to touch it. So, she left it to burn alone.
And now it was consuming her wholly, burning her to the very pits of hell, leaving nothing but despair and hopelessness in its wake.
Ayra was powerless against it. Tears fell down her cheeks and she lowered her head to her chest. And cried hard.
Caelan's hand slowly lifted up to her face and gently wiped away her tears. Ayra closed her eyes. His hands were so cold but for some reason, Ayra felt warmth like never before. It was the kind of warmth that made her happy and sad. It was the kind of that she loved so beautifully and hated so fiercely. It was the kind of warmth that she wanted to treasure for a long, long time but she knew it would eventually fade away.
And that seemed to break her even more.
Caelan lifted her chin and gestured towards the berries.
"Will it make you happy if I eat them?" He suddenly asked.
Ayra couldn't find her voice so she sniffed loudly and nodded her head.
A hand reached out and ruffled her short hair.
"Alright. I'll eat them."
She sniffed again. "Okay."
He smiled. "Okay."
A gentle wind blew inside and into the darkness.
"So, are you going to tell me where did you get them from?" Caelan asked.
"No."
"Okay."
It was silent for a moment.
"I stole them. From a fruit shop at the market today."
Caelan didn't speak.
"Are you angry?" She asked quietly.
"Yes."
Ayra lowered her head. "Oh."
"Did you have a good reason?"
"You were the reason."
Caelan turned towards her with a bemused expression.
"That doesn't make me feel very good, you know."
Ayra grinned before contorting her face into a silly one. It was a lame move but she wanted to chase away the sadness lingering on her best friend's face.
Caelan grinned back and shot an even more,e sillier expression.
Both laughed at each other.
One was still laughing her soul out and the other's faded away into silence.
Caelan's expression turned soft as he looked at his best friend, eyes crinkled and lips pulled back into a smile, as she continued to laugh at his earlier expression.
'Thank you, for fighting for me to stay alive,' Caelan wanted to say.
He wanted to tell it out loud. But he stopped himself.
Not now, Caelan decided.
He'd do it soon. He'd tell it soon.
But not today.
Not today.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone