Capítulo 2: Prologue
/I decided to add the two chapters together to make the Prologue better since I got a complaint and a 1 star review about the Prologue being trash. Hope this helps.
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Fwishhhhh. Thwick!! Fwishhhhhh. Thwick!!!!
Two projectiles zoomed through the air, slicing through the wind with little resistance before ultimately slamming into their intended targets, two adjacent trees with large red dots sprayed over their rough surfaces. The back of the arrows quivered in place, the razor sharp tip having plunged itself deep into the trees girthy trunk, dead center of the painted circle. Eventually everything came to a standstill, returning to how it had been before the release of the arrows, a peaceful silence falling over the surrounding area.
"That makes 956 out of 1000," Erik Fotia proudly announced as he lowered his bow, sweat dripping down his face. "That makes me the winner. Hehe."
"That it does,"Pagonia Fotia muttered from her spot on a small log, situated a few feet away from Erik. "Its truly amazing how quickly you've progressed. Though you still need to improve on your running shots, you got quite the talent for the bow. I'm impressed."
The rays of the sun filtered down through the trees, illuminating Erik's snow white hair as the youth grinned, red eyes slightly squinted. Though the young man looked far worse then the silver haired girl perched on the fallen tree, sweat coating his skin and clothes matted in dirt, he looked far happier.
"Well, then. Shall we go again then? Or are you done for the day?" Pagonia asked, rising up from her seat, long silver hair catching in the wind. Soft rust colored eyes locked onto the youth as he pondered his next move.
"Sure. I can go for another round," Erik said cheerfully as he pulled another arrow from the quiver strapped to his back. "But let's go to 100 this time. My arm is getting tired."
It was around noon, the sun having nearly reached its pinnacle. Despite it being rather difficult to tell due to the towering trees, Erik always seemed to know where the sun was and the approximate time of day.
Located a ways into the forest, Pagonia and the youth would often escape the confines of their home and into the vast wilderness, seeking to purge their own boredom through various games and activities. Recently, that game had been archery, something that had always interested Erik but something he had never pursued due to his extremely short attention span. Erik and Pagonia had been outside since the break of dawn, taking shot after shot at self made targets, competing to see who could hit the most bullseyes. Normally, the white haired youths older sister would win the day, taking the lead with her vast archery experience.
However, today wasnt one of those days.
After countless weeks of practice, Erik was finally able to beat someone whom he had sworn he could never beat.
The light from above reflected off the bronze, sun shaped symbol hanging around the youths neck as he pulled back the arrow, aiming for a tree half a kilometer away. With one crimson eye squeezed tightly shut, Erik zeroed in on his target before letting it fly.
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"Wow, you guys are a mess." A soft, feminine voice remarked, cutting through the casual chatter Erik was having with Pagonia. "Especially you Errie. You look like you got hit by a truck."
A few hours had passed since Erik and his sister had started their third round of shooting, the sun having long since passed its peak. Within those hours, the siblings had gotten more and more competitive, even having wrestled each other at one point, of which was evident by the amount of mess the two had created on the ground and on their clothes. Erik's jeans and black shirt were wrecked completely and even ripped in places, and Pagonia's silver skirt and white tank top had seen better days. The two had gone at it pretty roughly, with the older sister emerging victorious, having pinned Erik to the ground during their squabble.
Of course, the white haired youth hadn't truly minded any of that as it was something he and Pagonia always did. Of all his family members, his silver haired sister was the one he was closest to, spending nearly all of his time with her, doing nearly everything together.
"Oh, Chioni. Didnt expect you to come out here," Pagonia said as she pulled an arrow back on her bows string. She took careful aim at her target a dozen or so meters away before letting it fly, letting it hit the tree with a THUNK before turning towards the new arrival. "Did you want to shoot some targets with us?"
A young girl of around 14 stood behind the two of them, arms folded under her breasts, an amused look held in her cyan colored hues. Standing at a solid 5 feet 5 inches, she was a near identical image of Pagonia, from the top of her head down to each and every curve, the two were similar almost every way. The only two differences between her and her twin sister was that Chioni kept her hair significantly shorter and possessed cyan colored hues whilst Pagonia had rust colored ones. That being said, even if no difference existed, Erik was confident in his ability to pick out which sister was which, having in fact done so before as a sort of test.
"No, I unfortunately cant do that today," Chioni said with a wave of her hand, an apologetic smile on her face. "I have some assignments to take care of as well as some studying left over. Once that's done, THEN I'll join you guys."
"But you've been studying since early this morning," Erik noted, tilting his head slightly. "You haven't finished yet?"
Right before he had ran outside with Pagonia, he had passed by his short haired sisters room which was slightly ajar and the light being on. Having had the idea to invite his other sister out with him, he had stopped and peaked his head in, making sure she was actually awake as opposed to simply barging in, something Pagonia would've done without hesitation.
She wasn't sleeping though. Instead, her nose was buried in a book titled "Biology For Dummies", a book that Erik himself had read before in a moment of pure boredom. Clutched in her right hand was a number 2 pencil with a sheet of lined paper positioned beneath it. It was quite clear what she was doing and Erik had left without uttering a word, leaving his sister to work.
"Studying is something that's long lasting," Chioni explained, more towards Erik then to her twin sister. "If you want to get into a good university when you're older, then you need to study as much as possible, during every available opportunity."
"But studying doesnt guarantee that you'll get into a good university," Pagonia countered, walking towards the marked trees to collect her arrows. "Not that it's bad to study, its just that doing it constantly wont amount to much if you dont take breaks every now and then."
"While I do hear what you're saying, I'm pretty sure I can handle it," Chioni rebuttaled, her tone becoming robotic. It was quite clear to Erik that Pagonia's words were getting under skin but, like always, she said nothing about it as she turned away. "In any case, Mom told me to come and fetch you guys for dinner. We're having lamb chops and mashed potatoes."
"Why dont you be more like Erik over here?" Pagonia continued, as if she hadn't heard anything her sister had said. "Our little brother aces all of his tests and he barely studies due to his severe ADHD. His attention span is almost nonexistent yet he scores better marks then both me and yo-"
"I just have a really good memory is all," Erik excused, cutting the silver haired girl off mid sentence. "Its nothing to be proud of."
The area fell silent, the tension so thick that one could cut it with a knife. No one said a word to each other, everyone staying where they were for almost a full minute. Eventually, without saying a word, Chioni walked away, fists clenched at her sides and whole body trembling.
Erik could feel the pain and anger rolling off the girl in waves as she disappeared into the trees, branches and vines catching on her snow white dress. He had half a mind to chase after her and attempt to comfort her in some way, but after careful thought, decided to just give her some space. He wasnt even sure what he would say to her or how he could brighten her mood, more then likely becoming a tag along who would be little to no help.
"Pagonia, why did you do that?" Erik asked firmly, demanding to know why she had chosen to upset her sister, knowing full well that her sister was self conscious about her own intelligence. "I know you're aware that she already has a low self esteem. Why did you have to hurt her like that?"
"Because she never bothers hanging out with us," Pagonia said softly as she pulled out another arrow from one of the trees. "All she ever does it study study study. She never has any time for either of us. Even our mother whose always busy has made time for us. But her? No."
"But you still didnt ha-"
"I'm already aware that what I did was wrong." Pagonia said loudly, nearly shouting as she interrupted Erik. "You dont have to try to make me feel bad about it as I regretted what I said the moment I finished."
Erik didnt say anything to his sister after that, silently making his rounds as he collected his arrows one by one, crimson hues furrowed in thought as he slung his bow onto his back. He no longer felt like shooting arrows, instead opting to go and eat his dinner before it could get any colder then it already was. After everything was collected and properly organized, he walked over to his Pagonia and grabbed her by the hand, forcibly pulling her along as he made his way out of the forest. He knew that if he left her alone, she would stay outside all night and just cry her heart out, so instead he chose to bring her inside with him, even if it was against her will.
It took a few minutes to reach the end of the maze of trees what with Pagonia dragging her feet and eyes focused on the ground, but eventually they did reach it, a large clearing emerging as they stepped out of the forest. Acres upon acres of grasslands spread outwards from the forest boundary, a smattering of houses here and there as the sun shone down from its position in the sky.
The house closest to the forest, a beautifully built, two story house, was Erik's home, the one he had lived in for the majority of his life. It was this very place the youth had been raised in and brought up, where he had learned everything he knew, and where he had made countless irreplaceable memories. There was no other place quite like it and, to Erik, there would never be another house that could ever compare to the quiet and serene beauty the glorious abode offered.
"Whew. You guys are a mess," Ellena Fotia, Erik's mother, stated as she watched the two fi them approach the houses back door. "Were you kids fighting again? I told you not to rough house with nice clothes on."
Erik smiled as he let go of Pagonia's hand, allowing the twin sister to head on inside without a other word, giving her mother a kiss on the cheek as she passed by. "Well, we did try not to, but it got pretty heated on who had won the last match. We couldn't decide so we settled things with a wrestling match. Of course, I lost."
"Pft, you're both lucky I wasnt out there," Ellena said with a laugh as she motioned Erik forward with her hand, a wet cloth clutched in the other hand. "I would of shown you what a real master of archery looks like."
"But mom" Erik complained as his face was wiped down, his protests and struggling ignored. "You always join us. We KNOW you're better. We just dont care because someday, we'll beat you."
"HAH!! Bring it on Errie," Ellena said before standing up straight, satisfied with Erik's npw spotless face. "You'll have to work hard if you want a PRAYER of surpassing the one who taught you how to wield a bow in the first place."
"It'll happen," Erik rebuttaled as he walked past her. "You just wait and see."
"Maybe in the next lifetime kiddo," Ellena said with a shake of her head as she closed the door behind them. "Now go wash your hands and head to the table. Your food getting cold."
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