Kajji-Tarra

Prologue

???'s POV

"It's gotten out of control," I muttered to myself while rummaging through my father's books.

My kid was looking at me from the doorway of the room.

"Is it happening again?" my child asked. The fragile kid's voice broke with those words while holding back tears.

I paused for a moment and went up to him.

"Whatever happens to me, you need to be strong okay? Just like me. Now, go to that place in the house that I told you to hide in. Whatever you hear, do not come out until I tell you to."

A hug and a nod was my only response.

That was the last time I'd see my kid again.

Nothing was okay. My twin has gone out of their mind. Taking out an entire nation is one thing, but killing our father, who created this vast world, is something else.

Left to hide amongst my father's creation, I'm desperately searching for an enchantment that will stop this madness.

I picked up the book I was searching for and flipped quickly through the pages.

There was no time to waste. My newfound enemy would crash through my hideaway any moment.

I took off my bracelet and laid it on the table, and muttered words from the phrase I underlined in the book.

My father gave me this bracelet and always told me this was a symbol of his protection despite its lack of supernatural qualities.

"All the more reason to bring this to good use," I muttered to myself again.

I have never felt so scared in my life. My vision was unsteady, my hands were trembling, and sweat was dripping off my brow. Never would I have thought my worst fear would be family.

The bracelet's pendant glowed softly, then flashed, then sparked.

It was done.

Unfortunately, this bracelet will no longer be in my possession, for my enemy knows me too well at this point.

My child, only age 6, would be too young for this.

Fortunately, I have heard of this realm in another world where its inhabitants have survived much physical, emotional, and mental suffering.

"One of them must be strong enough to endure whatever future I'm going to give them," I mumbled.

It sounds wrong to give someone a chaotic future of war in an unfamiliar world, but I'm not sure if this war is something I'll survive.

I need someone to make the final blow.

I grabbed the bracelet and another book, rushed downstairs to a basement room, and barricaded my only entrance and exit.

Facing the wall, I locked the bracelet around my wrist and flipped through the pages of the new book I was holding to the bookmarked page.

Between me and the wall were several items that were needed to perform the realm traveling spell. There was a heart of a rare Gillisan, a jar full of Nerrises, and a dead branch from Lilion, the first tree.

Going over the words one last time in my mind, I heard a crashing noise above me.

Fear spiked up within me. There was no more time.

Hopefully, my father's spirit watches over his grandchild.

I threw the book aside, stretched out my hand towards the wall, and recited the spell, "Kirineth hilidaya jisir mrikasan nidetta beryuran."

The wall began cracking apart with a faint image of a garden on the other side.

The barricaded door then bust open behind me in an explosion.

Raising my hand in the air and focusing my energy towards it, a lightweight sword formed in a flash of light.

In a split-second, I sprinted forwards to the side and made my twin's blade miss my torso by a few inches.

Regaining my balance, I focused my ability again, and the sword morphed into a shield.

Holding it in front of me, I pushed my opponent aside and charged towards the half-opened portal.

I fell down and rolled into the soft grass on the other side.

The area around me was a garden under the night sky. No one was around. Nothing is going to plan now.

It's all improvisation from here.

"Enough already!" my twin yelled as my greatest fear made its way through the opening.

I got up unsteadily and summoned my sword back into the palm of my hand again.

My twin did the same, but something was wrong.

The sword was golden.

My twin was using energy from our father's elemental core.

That was too strong...

"Guess I'm heading home now," I whispered with a smile as I got my stance ready.

My opponent yelled and began our final duel.

I knew this was my last fight. I was never going to make it through another battle with this monster. I already lost and got injured so many times before. I was too weak to face a fellow child of a realm creator. It was even worse now that this demon is now supported by our father's abilities.

Everything was moving too fast. The blades in this combat became a blur to me. I was getting tired. I couldn't keep up.

My rival saw this and took advantage. The wings of an angel appeared behind the back of the newfound demon.

With my twin in the air pointing the blade towards me, I saw it flash in the moonlight through eyes that were blurred by tears.

The moment I blinked, I felt a cold sword thrust through my chest and pin me to a tree, like an arrow passing through an apple and meeting its stop at a tree trunk.

"Quiet now. It's the end of the line for you," I heard my sibling whisper.

Glowing bronze particles surrounded me as I faded to nothing and took my last breath.

???'s POV

Pulling my sword out and letting it diffuse from my hands, I felt relieved with another barrier out of the way.

I watched as my twin's lifeless body dissipated to glowing bronze particles.

All that remained was a glowing orb of bronze.

"Another elemental core just like father's," I said as I took the orb and took in the energy emanating from it, leaving the lifeless shell of it to crumble away like ashes.

When nothing was left, I was about to turn and leave, but something shone in the corner of my eye.

I picked it up from the grass and gave it a closer look.

It was our father's bracelet.

Only fragile people hold on to such things.

I threw the bracelet to the side and left it to be lost in the grass.

It's nothing but a useless accessory.