THE DESPISED SOUL

A gentle breeze blew from the northern direction, distant from a foreign sea. The sun had gracefully set, creating a pleasant atmosphere. Stars began to emerge, one by one and in pairs, decorating the sky until the clouds were illuminated, signaling the approach of nightfall. “Lisa! Lisa!” a scared voice screamed out from a far distance, ranting in agony. “Mother! Mum! Where are you!” a little dying girl dressed in an oversized rag wobbled around a dense foggy war scene. The loud sounds from the explosives didn’t leave a chance for clear conversation, everyone wobbled in fear searching for a safe place to hide, but these killers show no mercy, swords slit through the throats and bellies of innocent civilians, spilling their blood carelessly on their land. Death was a preferable option for them. “Mum, where are you!” confused and fidgeting Lisa screamed out with fear written all over her face. Her nerves kept a high pace, and she couldn’t think straight, but no one was there to give her a response, her swollen and pale eyeballs were wet and ready to run out of her skull. “Look at you little girl,” a warrior with a deadly broad voice tapped her from behind and laid a heavy hand on her shoulder. She turned back slowly with half of her heart out of her chest, she felt death had reached her. She couldn’t scream or utter a word, looking at his wide chest and the dense silver amour covering his whole body made her shiver furiously. “What did you want from me, who are you?” she summoned some courage to speak even if she knew she was going to die. She staggered backwards as she stared fearfully at his eyes that were hidden under his helmet. “I’m not going to hurt you, come,” The warrior squatted to her height and he stretched his hands forward requesting her to come to him. Lisa was scared and confused. She could see the other warriors killing people in the background, completely and incompletely dead bodies lying in the pool of their blood. She took a slow step backward instead of giving out her hands, she moved another slow but faster step backward. The warrior noticed her, he knew she was about to run. He stood up and smiled till he frowned his face. The moment Lisa noticed his angry face, she increased the speed of her steps, turned back and took a complete race. The warrior didn’t bother chasing, “Where did you think you were going to?” He asked while watching her running like an ant. “Lisa.. Lisa!” Lisa’s mother, Alice, unexpectedly ran into her. She was so relieved of her fear, that she knelt at Lisa’s height as she buried her in her warm embrace. She couldn’t hold back her tears, she had almost wept out her eyes. She already thought she had lost her. “What an emotional moment,” the warrior complimented, “but I don’t like being emotional,” he added. He moved heavy steps towards Alice and Lisa. The environment was almost silent, they’d successfully killed all other inhabitants of that land, and those who could run had fled into the wilderness while the children were enslaved. They took their gold, jewellery, animals, and other valuable properties. Alice's eyes couldn’t bear those things, she crossed her hands over Lisa’s head as she buried her face between her chest. They were outnumbered, fighting was a good option, and the scary giant warrior kept approaching while others were busy packing the stolen commodities into the chariot. The warrior took his last step in front of them. She knew that might be her last breath, but she would do anything to protect her daughter. She stood up from where she knelt with her daughter, Mariam, and moved two steps backwards to gain stamina. “Get behind me,” she told Lisa, without hesitation. Lisa quickly hides behind her mother. Alice stood, confronting the warrior. She spread her arms to each side like a wild cat that was ready to strike. The warrior seemed surprised at Alice's sudden courage, he stood folding his arms a little below his chest, and with a grin on his scary face while he watched Alice perform her drama. “Elclanta debrumde heil darnaga….” Alice started incantation like a whisper, and it grew loud as the wind reacted to her voice, her eyes were glowing blue, and claws grew out of her fingers and toes. Within a short period, her dark short hair turned grey and long. The other warriors were surprised at the sudden wind coming from the woods, “what’s going on there," One of the other warriors questioned the one with Alice and Lisa. “Nothing much, just watching this brat perform some sh!t,” he replied, jerking in wicked laughter. Alice didn’t stop, she increased the intensity of her voice. She was wrapped in chaos, and she brought her pain into her words as the blue glow in her eyes shone brighter, the wind responded to her emotional incantation, it blew heavily from the woods and drove in every direction. Lisa’s oversize dress blew in the command of the wind and she held Alice's thighs so hard. The warriors were troubled by the wind that gradually turned to a mighty storm lifting everything around, including the warriors and their horses. The giant warrior that was standing before Alice became horror-struck, he couldn’t move a step forward or backwards, he was bewitched by Alice’s magic, he couldn’t survive the intensity of her voice, he tried to cover his ears with hands trying to tone down Alice’s pitch and the irritation on his eardrums. He couldn’t hold on for too long, he fell before Alice and Lisa and was taken away by the storm. Everything came to an end, the warriors too were dead and the storm died down. Alice had given too much of her to bring the storm strong and steady, she gradually faded out of her strong form into her normal form, she fell recklessly, and Lisa quickly grabbed her head from hitting the ground. “Mum, mum, speak to me,” Lisa held her reckless mother in her hands sobbing like a kid she was. “Ma. Priam,” Alice said, gasping as she had no more breath in her. “Mum, I’m here, they are all dead, stand up and let’s go,” Lisa said with her eyes swollen and pregnant with tears. She had seen a situation like that before, she knew her mother was dying but she couldn’t help. “I’m sorry,” Alice said as she drew her eyelid close and she gave up the ghost. “Mum!.... Mum! Stand up please, please don’t die, I don’t know where to go. Mother please,” Lisa screamed and at the same time wept. She felt her world coming to an end, Alice had been the only one for her since the departure of her father. He also died in a war, leaving Alice and her in poverty, they had only survived on the little they could get from the garden they cultivated behind their hut. His death has not only brought them suffering but also great despise. Everyone believed that he betrayed them by disclosing some of their secrets to their enemies. Alice and her mother were hated and no one was ready to help or make friends with them. Now that Alice too is gone, what else is left for Lisa? Just the suffering and endless pain. Lisa couldn’t keep her eyes off Alice’s cold face. Her body was heavy, yet Mariam kept her on her little lap, sobbing. She wished Alice could come back to her. “Mother please, come back,” Lisa said as she rubbed her head against Alice’s chest. “Little by little, we get rid of loss but never of love,” a man said as he walked slowly towards Lisa where she sat gasping in grief. She raised her head slowly, ready to welcome death as it might be a pleasure to her grieved heart. “Those memories keep dangling in our minds. Memories that were met to be sweet and romantic bring sorrow and grief into our hearts,” the man said as he was approaching and also weeping. “Mark? I thought you were dead,” Lisa recognized him. He was a friend of her father and he was the only one who knew of his innocence. “I should have accepted death rather than this grief,” Mark answered with sorrow written all over his face. “I’ve lost everything, my wife, my children, my properties, they are all gone,” he added with sorrow in his voice. “I’ve lost everything too, she was the only one I had. I’m lonely now. They exchanged chats of sad moments and emotions. Mark helped Lisa carry Alice’s dead body to a nearby stream to bury her. They departed into the woods to seek shelter and food. That was the first time in Lisa’s entire life, she had never seen two men or women fighting not to talk of a war. It’s a complete mystery. She decided to find the cause of the war and those who sent the warriors after them.