The Story of Aria and the Slayer

Chapter 5

Aria had woken up the next morning with an uneasy feeling trapped inside her.

She glanced around the room, looking for something or someone that hadn't been there before. Her focus had almost immediately caught onto a pile of fabrics of different shades on the black nightstand by her bedside. On the ground, a pair of tall grey boots leant against the table. They were almost uncannily similar to the ones she'd worn the day she lost everything. But those ones had been ripped apart during her fight with the Slayer.

Aria sat up, reaching forth a hand to grasp the clothing clearly left for her use. She pushed herself onto her feet before laying out the materials onto her bed. And there, spread out in front of her, was an article of clothing meant for something much different than a casual stroll.

As if on cue of her realization, she heard the familiar sound of the doors being pushed open. Unlike before, it wasn't Miraan who entered, but the monster who had haunted her dreams. The nightmares that weren't just a figment of her imagination. 

“Ah, I see you've found the clothes I had Miraan bring for you,” the Slayer drawled, gesturing to the fabrics Aria had placed on her mattress. “I was just about to wake you and inform you about what's going to happen… But, I suppose it's already pretty obvious.”

She swallowed the lump in her throat. Her hands, which she hadn't even realized she moved, clutched the sheets in front of her tightly. And from past experience, Aria didn't dare shift her gaze from the demon.

An amused look crossed the Slayer's features and he folded his arms against his chest. “Well, you should get ready. I'll be back in a few minutes to take you to where we'll begin your training.” He then turned swiftly on his heels, taking long strides out of the room.

Aria waited, frozen to her spot until the monster disappeared from her sights. Slowly, she'd unclenched her fists from the bed. Although it seemed it wasn't a good idea to do so as her hands began to tremble in front of her.

Training. The time had finally arrived for Aria to begin her “training” with the Slayer.  Which meant she'd been right about her suspicions. The suspicions she had before she even saw what the healer left her with. And both her and Miraan were correct to dread what was about to happen. But it just felt so soon. Like barely any time had passed since she'd reluctantly agreed to let her parents' killer “train” her.

Aria took in a deep breath, letting it out shakily. She stared at the fabrics she spread across her bed. Hesitantly, she reached forward for the white collar of a shirt. It held no buttons, but a black ribbon was tied underneath the collar. The dark material had only been visible in the front where there was a separation in the fabric of the collar. The part of it that was seen had been tied into the type of bow she'd seen on shoes before, and a small band of gold was attached around the center. Other than that, the shirt was quite simple, with long white sleeves folded until just above her elbows.

She tugged it over her head, exchanging it for her loose white robe. Then she took hold of the next item. A pair of grey pants, lighter than the boots Aria had seen. Its seams, unlike most, ran down the front, cutting off at her ankles.

She carefully tucked the fabric of her shirt into the pants. Finally, she pulled on the dark coloured boots that used to rest against the nightstand. And as she came to glance at her reflection in the mirror of the bathroom, she saw someone she almost couldn't recognize.

Aria looked pale, sickly pale. Her hair was a tangled mess and dark circles occupied some of the space below her eyes. Her eyes that once held the golden light of the stars as her parents had said, despite having never seen real stars, had faded to something void of the emotions she yearned to feel again.