GREY

A New Path

Alleria was born the second child of Witch Empress Feonna. She possessed a striking resemblance to the witch queen in both appearance and character. In addition to inheriting both holy and dark magic from her mother, Alleria was also blessed with nature’s aura. She had heard the first child of the witch queen had possessed such ability, but since he was male, the witch had sacrificed him before that power bloomed. Alleria was anything but stupid. She did not buy that bluff. She had a brother somewhere, and secretly, she desired to meet him one day.

Alleria handled all of her mother’s affairs with outsiders and other guilds. Her entire life was following Feonna’s commands and eliminating anyone who strayed out of track. Feonna had used the holy knights to fight her way into the last village of the infernals. Using nature’s aura, Alleria had guided the men straight into Emroth, and in exchange, she had retrieved the human her mother was now obsessed with.

What made her curious was the entity called Grey. Her mother had advised her to avoid him at all costs if they encountered him. But upon arriving in Emroth, all they had found was a dead old man. Did Grey have immense power, or did he have something to do with his brother? Now that she thought of it, the barriers that kept Emroth hidden were infused with nature’s aura. Mayhap her brother had been among the people that the holy knights had killed?

There were so many questions. Too much unknowns. Her mother was no fool either. She knew how to keep Alleria in the dark if she wanted to. Feonna was the master of plotting and deceit. Her craft was interwoven into everyone’s lives like a web, and when the need arose, she’d simply pull a string and her will would be done. Alleria did not like the power of influence. She was content with staying in her mother’s shadow. It made things easy, killing in the name of the Witch Empress instead of doing it on her own volition.

Alleria stood in front of a mirror in her room. The way she looked like her mother made her wonder if she was simply another vessel of Feonna’s will. She shed her robe, infusing nature’s barrier on her door as she did so. She released her hiding spell. She took a deep breath. That spell constantly drained at her strength whenever she was outside. A veil tore off from her form. Her dark hair became as white as snow. Two, majestic white wings appeared on her back. She flapped them. When she looked in the mirror again, her mother’s grim form was no more. She glowed. Her impassive face softened into a smile.

“I will find you, brother.”

***

The coastal town of Cath’e was busy during the evenings. Merchants from all over the world took homage therein, offering their merchandise to visitors who visited Egnir for either religious or economic business. Spices, cloth, jewels and charms… There was no end to the dazzle. s***h had never known such a beautiful place existed, and so close to the place where she had once called home. She allowed herself to savor the moment.

Grey had made good on his promise. Apparently the Blademaster in charge of the trainees owed him a huge favor. Grey had registered her name on the list of assassins in training. After that, s***h had been given an assassin’s garb that comprised of soft-soled boots and light armor made out of black silk, all of which had been designed to allow silent, swift and flexible movement. In addition to the armor, each trainee had a distinct mask that covered the lower face. The pants were rather too tight for s***h’s comfort, but she was willing to compromise. For the first time since dying, she truly felt alive.

Grey had simply vanished with Sight without saying goodbye. For a moment she was tempted to believe they had gone to fetch her a farewell gift, but knowing Grey well, s***h knew they were gone for good.

There were thirty recruits that were oriented that day. Six were girls, all roughly in their mid-twenties. The men had a wide age range, though s***h noticed none could have been older than forty. All she needed was one glance at each of the trainees to judge that none was capable of defeating her. Some of them had sparred in the noon as they waited for their vessel. s***h might as well have been competing against children. Being trained by death itself had raised her standards too high. She smirked as she fantasized about dominating her mentors and humiliating them in front of other trainees.

“I am starting to like you a bit, Grey,” s***h said to herself.

“What?” a girl sitting next to her asked.

Slash remembered just then that she was not alone. All the trainees had been granted the privilege to enjoy the sunset at the famed Cath’e beach. It had been so long since she last enjoyed normal conversation with other people.

“It’s nothing,” s***h said.

“You are different from the other trainees here,” the girl speculated.

“How so?” s***h inquired.

“I’ve watched you all day. You don’t pretend. I can tell you’re a hard worker.”

“Tsk,” s***h scoffed.

“My village offered everything they had so I could train to be an assassin. They thought that someday I’d bring honor to them. I am good with the sword and bow, but I fear I am not as good as I should be.”

“Not my problem,” s***h muttered.

“I want you to teach me more. How to maneuver and wield the dagger,” the girl requested. “I know you are strong.”

Finally, someone recognized her might. s***h restrained the smile that started forming on her face. She wanted to refuse right away, but she remembered that Grey taught her it was always beneficial to be owed by people. Her presence here was the perfect example of how that mindset was beneficial.

“What’s in it for me?” s***h asked.

The girl did not respond. s***h looked at her. The young woman’s emerald eyes reflected untainted innocence. s***h had no right to exploit her, but she could, and would.

“I have no money to offer, but I promise to watch your back. I will be a trustworthy friend.”

“You seem to think we are equals,” s***h said with a chuckle. “We are not.”

“I know,” the girl said meekly. “I will be your servant then.”

Slash grinned. “Now you’re talking. Will you wash my linens and scrub my back?”

The girl bowed her head towards s***h.

“I will do anything.”

“By Grey’s filthy beard, you are desperate,” s***h mocked. “I’d kill anyone who talked to me like this.”

“I cannot afford to fail. My grandmother always told me to pick friends wisely. People like me don’t get to choose often. I will need you.”

“Are you… an infernal?”

“I am afraid so,” the girl said, her voice filled with regret. “But I am not bad. Not all infernals have ill intentions.”

“I know. I am an infernal too,” s***h confessed, feeling a soft spot for her kin. “And in that regard, I shall treat you as an equal. I will help you. Friends, you said?”

“I would be honored,” the girl said, blushing. She lifted her head and met s***h’s gaze. “My name is Gia.”

Slash observed Gia closely. Her demeanor reminded her of Sight. Abitha had been like her child, her sister, and her only friend. She never told her how much she cared for her because that would be an unforgivable weakness. Now Abitha was gone, and so was everything from the past. s***h needed to let go and pursue her dream. Gia was one of the few souls she would align with to fulfill her goals.

“Call me Thalia.”

The journey to the western temple was cold and tiresome. Grey did not speak much. Sight missed s***h already. She was the spark that made their tedious bunch more lively. Though the old man did not say it, Sight suspected he would miss her too.

They camped a couple of miles from the temple and Grey went into the forest to hunt for food while Sight prepared a fire. Grey could survive without eating anything. He had always hunted for her from the first day. Left alone to herself, Sight thought of a world without him. Would she survive? She had always known she would lose Grey to death through old age or by some accident, but it hurt to lose everything she had so quickly. She was not going to cry when they parted ways. She would thank Grey for saving her life, and she would embrace her new one.

Sight finished her task and waited for Grey. She sat by the fire and thought of her future. If she excelled as a healer, would the kingdom value her more, despite her being an infernal? She imagined falling in love with a young handsome man who would take her on an interesting adventure before they settled to start a family. She’d have beautiful children and…

Something dawned to Sight that instant. Grey never took this long to find something to eat. If anything, he always returned suspiciously early. Grey had not left her to go hunt for food. The realization that Grey was gone for good stabbed at her heart like a poisoned dagger. He had not introduced her to anyone at the temple, but Sight had lived with Grey long enough to know that the old man had planned everything beforehand. Sight smiled, feeling her nose itch and tingle. She focused her gaze into the fire and watched the flames dancing through her blurry vision.

“Seer Abitha?” a voice called from behind.

Sight turned, and she saw three women dressed in the custom temple robes of white and blue standing before her. Two were young, the third was old, and she wore the amethyst stripes that gave her away as the High Priestess of the Holy Convent. Sight stood and bowed before the women.

“We were told that you’d be here,” the High Priestess said. “Please, do not bow before us. We are but fellow servants of the Light. The last seer we had died five years ago. Your service would be priceless should you decide to join us.”

“I would be glad to,” Sight said, lifting her head up. “If you will have me.”

The priestess smiled warmly. “Nina and Nola here are blessed with the gift of healing. They are infernals, but not once in their lives have they used their power to do harm. Do not be afraid, the Convent embraces everyone regardless of their nature.”

Sight found the passion to smile back. Looking closely, she noticed that Nina and Nola were twins, and they did not look any older than herself. Maybe, just maybe, they would be her first friends in her new life. But…

“The messenger from beyond left this for you,” the priestess said, gesturing to one of the twins, who walked forth and presented a dead rabbit to Sight. “He requested that you cook it and eat it here with us, before we head back to the temple. And he strictly told me to remind you not to forget the mint.”

Sight figured why s***h had hated Grey so much. Did the old man expect a rabbit to make up for just abandoning her? She laughed despite her murderous intent. Grey was a coward. He never faced his problems head on; he used other people to do it for him. The more reason why the tools Sight and s***h had existed. Now that he was done with them, he sought some self justified way to discard them properly.

“Are you alright, Seer Abitha?” the priestess asked, as tears tricked down Sight's face despite her laughter.

Sight looked at the priestess. The woman looked kind. Unlike Grey, she had emotions. She would teach her how to be happy, to love, and to enjoy her existence. Sight did not need Grey. She accepted the rabbit from the twin.

“I’ve never felt better.”