Broken

Loss

Placing my mother’s journal back on the table, I prepare myself to learn the truth. Whether I like it or not.

                                                                    My dear Serafina,

        If you’re reading this right now, you know things aren’t going to be easy from here on out. I’ve started this journal for you to write down advice you might need on your journey to come. I’ve filled pages with answers to every question I can think of, but I know it won’t be enough. Some of my advice might be wrong, I don’t know everything, my darling girl. No matter how many times I’ve told you I do. I’m so sorry this burden falls on you.

                                                Let’s start from the beginning, shall we?

        Serafina, you are the child chosen by the prophecy. We knew as soon as you were born, but we wanted you to have a normal childhood, at least as normal as we could give you. Every year we moved so no one would find you. Even if someone eventually figured out who you were, we’d be gone before they could do anything. We always tried to protect you as much as we could.

        We love you so much, don’t ever doubt that. You might feel betrayed by the dishonesty or withholding of the truth, but please believe we chose to do what we thought was best for you because we love you so much.

          The prophesy was foretold over a thousand years ago, people have always speculated who would do what to turn the world into chaos, but no one knew the answer. Within the last few years, a powerful dark sorcerer named Zander has been building an army and plans on taking control over this continent first and expanding his army and control until the world is at his feet.

            He is cruel and malicious, he must be stopped. I know this is a lot for you to process, my love. But you can do this. You are so powerful, so strong.

            You’ve been keeping yourself from your true potential with your self-doubt and overthinking. I know it’s hard for you, but you need to trust in yourself. When you trust yourself, you can achieve anything. Believe in your strength, believe in your power, believe in yourself.

            When you’re done reading my instructions, it’s time to start your journey. No one is ever ready for something like this, but not being ready isn’t the same as not being capable.

            You will have to journey on foot or on horseback, some of the places you'll have to go are not meant to be found easily.

            The first place you must go is the Ruins of Endor, when you get there you’ll know what to do next.                             Anya has a map for you, it will keep you on the right path.

            Be strong daughter, you are a Stormfire, fire flows through your veins and fills you with passion and power. You can achieve anything.

            I love you more than life itself, hopefully some of the advice on the following pages will be of some assistance.

                                                    Be safe, be strong. I love you.

                                                                        -Mom

    When I’ve finished reading the note she left for me, I realize tears had fallen onto the page. I hope they’re okay. Neither of them have called me yet. Looking at the clock on my phone I realize it’s three in the morning, I get up and try to find Anya.

    When I find her, she’s sitting in a kitchen chair with her head in her arms on the table, passed out. Walking over to her I gently shake her shoulder until she lifts her head.

    “Hey, go lay in bed. Your neck is gonna be sore tomorrow if you stay like that. I’m gonna go crash on the couch. Love ya, Auntie Anya.”

    As the slowly gets up, she chuckles and hugs me so tight the air is squeezed from my lungs.

    “You haven’t called me Auntie Anya in years, maybe I should dump life changing prophesies in your lap more often.” She jokes as she finally lets me breathe again and walks to her room. Rolling my eyes, I huff out a laugh before going to flop on the couch for a few hours.

-----

            The sun reflecting off the mirror hanging adjacent to me shines so bright it wakes me up, as I open my eyes I’m momentarily blinded. Startled by the intense burst of light to my pupils I flinch and accidentally fall off the couch. That’s one way to shade my eyes, I guess. Checking the time as I get up, it’s only seven in the morning. Great. A full nights rest is useless anyway.

            There’s a beeping noise coming from the kitchen, high pitched and irritating, I follow the noise to see what it is. On the far end of the kitchen on the counter there’s a flashing green light coming from… the coffee pot. Thank the gods. Grabbing a mug from the cupboard, I pour my coffee, adding cream and sugar as I stir. It doesn’t sound like Anya’s up yet so I make a cup for her and head toward her bedroom. Knocking lightly, I c***k the door to peek inside. Padding my way toward her bed I leave the coffee on her night stand and leave a note on her notepad for when she wakes.

                                                                        Auntie Anya                                                                                                            It’s early and you need your sleep. I’m going to go check on my parents, everything                                                             should be okay by now. I’ll call you later.

                                        Enjoy your rest, you need it. It was a long night.

                                                                        Love, Fina

            Silently leaving the room, I close the door behind me and get ready to go. After finishing my coffee I slide my jeans back on, then my boots and my jacket. After I’m dressed, I put the journal in my bag and grab my keys on my way to the door.

            As I drive down the dirt roads of the town, the bright sunshine calms me as it warms my skin. People are just starting to get up and go about their day, so it’s not that crowded on the road yet. By the time most people leave their homes I’ll be on my way out of town.

            The long road to my house gives me time to think everything over and try to come to terms with it. When I get home there’s a lot I need to talk to my parents about. While I’m stuck in my thoughts, a deer jumps out of the trees and across the road. Swerving so I don’t hit her, I lose control and my bike goes sliding down the road, leaving me behind laying on my back.

            After a few moments of focusing on my breathing, I get up and check on my bike. There’s a few scratches on both of us, but we’re good to go still. My left side mirror is broken, but that’s an easy fix.

            Picking up everything that fell from my bag, I freeze as the feeling of being watched floods over me. Carefully looking around so if there is someone, they don’t know I feel them, I don’t see anyone. But the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight up, sure that there’s someone there. As I turn back around toward my bike, movement above me catches my eye, a single raven sitting on a branch is staring directly at me. When our eyes meet, it holds eye contact for a few heartbeats before flying off in the blink of an eye. The feeling of being watched leaves with it. Confused, I try to ignore it and write it off as a coincidence. Once everything’s back in my bag and on my bike I continue toward home.

            As I go forward I keep noticing a single raven sitting on a branch ahead of me staring in my direction, when I pass it after another half a mile there’s another one. Is that the same bird… Or are there just a bunch of them spread out? Either way it’s creeping me out. Finally turning the corner down the street from my house, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I had been holding. As I pull up, I get a weird feeling. Everything is so quiet, so still. It’s just my imagination, so much has happened in the last twenty four hours I’m just psyching myself out.

            “Ma, Pop! I’m home!” I yell through the house, but I’m met with silence. Something feels wrong. Hurrying through each room in search of my parents, I come to a halt when I see the stairwell just outside the dining room. The once white walls covered in family photos and paintings is now stained red with blood strewn from wall to wall. 

            Slowly moving forward, I see… my father. Face down in a pool of his own blood, dagger in hand. He fought til the end. But he shouldn’t have had to. Turning to face the stairs, my mother is on her back. Lifeless eyes staring to the ceiling, her throat slit from ear to ear. They didn’t deserve this, they were good people. They died protecting me. But I refuse to blame myself this time, this time I get revenge. Taking a deep breath, I use all my willpower to block out my emotions, I can’t let this cripple me. I have to keep going, I have to fulfill my destiny. I will not let their deaths be in vain.

            “Levantar no aerem, levantar no aerem, levantar no aerem.” I chant in a low whisper, filling the words with intent. Watching my mother and father lift into the air and float onto the couches in the living room broke my heart, but I have to keep it together. I have to be strong. Placing them down gently, I walk over to my mother. A single tear trails down my cheek as I close her eyes and kiss her forehead,

            “I’ll see you in the eternal, mother. I love you. Live in love, die in peace.” I whisper as I stand straight, shutting my eyes for a moment to reinforce the walls keeping out the emotional whirlwind that’s trying to break through and control me. Walking to my father, I do the same for him.

            “See you in the eternal, father. I’ll miss you guys so much, I love you. Live in love, die in peace.” I repeat to him before I go back to the hallway and stairs. Looking between the bodies left on the ground that my parents killed, I let a c***k open in my mental wall just enough to let the anger fill my body, flowing through my veins it fills me with the power to destroy a city. Letting the energy explode from my core, the bodies of these scumbags fly through the wall into the dining room, torn to pieces when the energy flows back into me.

            Walking up the steps, I go straight to my room, packing my black waterproof duffel bag with everything I might need.

            “Medrar in infinitum.” I recite while holding my duffel, so I can put as much as I need into the bag and it’ll feel empty. Should be useful.

            As I finish packing clothes and toiletries, I grab the journal my father gave me to write in and place it in the bag. Going into my parent’s room I grab their weapons, the books my mom would use to teach me, and the few amulets, potions, and herbs my mother kept. The last thing I grab before heading outside is the last photo taken of us all together before my sister died.

            Before pulling out of the driveway, I turn back for one last look at the home that isn’t mine anymore.

            “Pluvia ignus.” Is the last thing I say before leaving the house to burn to the ground.