Mana Rift

Episode 1: Kat Aero

Kat felt exhausted as she finished her chores. "Mom, I finished my chores! Can I go to school now? It seems like you're starting to stall me every time you tell me to do chores..." Her mom walked to the patio door, "Oh, i'm sorry sweetie! My back is just hurting too much lately. I think I might become a hunchback if this dosen't go away." she said with a giggle. "Now hurry up and get ready. You don't want to be late for school!" Kat thought to herself "how ironic considering i've been doing chores that prevents me from getting ready. I shouldn't let it bother be, it is mom after all."

As Kat walked to school, she noticed her good pals, Hunter and Myth, are nowhere to be found on her way to school. They weren't even in any of the classes. "Where could they be?" She thought as she walked home from school. Suddenly, she heard a cry for help. She went towards where it was coming from and saw a little boy rolling on the ground in a public park wailing for help, saying "Ghost! Ghost! There's a ghost on me!" She rushed over and told the little boy "What's wrong? Don't worry, there's no ghost on you. Ghosts only come in at night time, not in the day time." The little boy drenched with tears advocated her. "No... there's a ghost. It's right behind you!" Kat was annoyed on the inside. She turned her back to see what was behind her, assuming it was another little boy with a sheet over his head. "Oh come on, there's no ghost behind-" and right in the instant, she saw a terrifying ghastly face. She screamed real loud while shutting her eyes on the little boy. "A ghost.... a ghost.... A ghost!! No, please... don't hurt-" Then she heard someone call out her name. A familiar voice made her look up. "You okay Kat? You seem a bit run down today." It was Hunter and Myth, offering help to her. "What are you guys doing here? And where were you guys all day?! I havn't seen you in class today!" Kat proclaimed. Then Hunter replied with a grin "We can't explain where we were today, but we heard a scream when we were walking, so we decided to check out what was happening. Turns out it was just wimpy old you crying for nothing." Kat got up and nudged his head "Hey, I wasn't crying for nothing! There was a ghost here and-" "A ghost?" Said Myth showing a strange face, like we was really curious of what she saw. The three soon fell into an awkward silence. "We should probably just go home" Kat implied. As they agreed and walked home, she turned back to catch a glimpse of the little boy, only to find that there was nothing there.

It was almost sundown when Kat came home. "Where were you? I was worried sick about you! I couldn't do anything because of my painful back!" said her mom. Kat knew her mom wouldn't make an excuse like that just because she had a painful back. Then she asked "Mom? Is your back really that painful?" then with an instant reply, "Yes! I've been taking anti-pain ointment about 11 times today, and it still hasn't gone down! If anything, it got worse! Now please eat your dinner. I've also prepared the bathtub, so you can bathe once you're done. Honestly, it's so much of a pain doing this stuff. I'm going to my room to rest a bit." Kat started to worry for her. She's the only family she had left. Her father died and she had no relatives or siblings. She was all alone with her mother. She can't afford to lose her only family member left. But she's only 13, not old enough to apply for her own job or career so her mom can rest easy. Thoughts ran all over her while she was in the bath. "How can I help my mom? I can't apply for any jobs, I can't apply for any careers, I can't even cook for myself. All I can do is  do the house chores. She's the only one that's precious enough for me to die for. If I just let her back pain go, sooner or later, she'll-" There was a bang in her bathroom window. She got startled and rushed to the window slowly and saw what was outside. But what she saw was a girl that looks to be a same age as her in a black cloak. The girl looked at her and said "Are you Kat Aero? Please come outside once you're done bathing." It was then that Kat's life had gone into a twisted turn. After she was done, she went outside, seeing that the girl was right outside her door. Kat started to get nervous as of what will happen. "Can I help you with something?" She said stiffly. The girl replied "Yes. Please follow me." She turned and started walking. Kat was unsure of where she was going to take her, but it must be important considering she had never met her in her entire life. It might have been fate she thought.

Kat followed her to what seems to be a dark alley. She started to regret her decision of following her. "Wait, where are you taking me? Who are you, and speaking of which, how do you know my name?!" She said with a hint of paranoia. The girl said "I cannot tell you how I know your name or where I am taking you. But I can only tell you that my name is Mizuki. By any chance, does that ring any bells?" Kat nodded. "Well, that was expected. But you will soon find out who I really am once we reach our destination." Thoughts began to run through Kat again. "Mizuki? So that's her name. Why did you say if I knew her name or not? That's odd... in any case I wonder where she's taking me. I'm starting to get really worried. And my mom! Oh no, I went out in this hour without even knowing! I hope she dosen't get mad at me when I come home this late!" Then she stopped. Kat stopped too, asking "Is this where we need to be?" Mizuki replied "Yes, this is where we'll need to be to perform to spell." Kat was suddenly surprised to hear that. "Spell? What spell? I swear if you brought me all the way out here just to play wizards..." Then Mizuki said "I need to do this in a place no one can see. Now please, turn around." Kat was uneasy about it. Despite that, she turned around. "So what are you going to-" and she was cut off by the fact that Mizuki slashed her back with a peculiar sword.

"My name is Mizuki, and I come from the world of Mageo. I am here to help you get rid of the Riften inside you, dear princess Kat." She said.