Divinity's Hold

Prologue: Conviction

Prologue

Has she come? I thought. The human girl who'd always visit my hole usually came when the bright ball of light in the sky cast its light shadow in the wet tunnel like it was now.

It was dark down here, but I never seemed to mind. I've only been here for as long as I thought I remembered, the dark always seemed to be my friend. I heard footsteps approaching and I saw the same familiar face that had visited me for the past few seasons.

"Hi, Lyu." she greeted me.

"Hi, Rori." I greeted her back.

She called me "Lyu" because it was easier than my full name, "Lyutyerryan".

"I see you're still stuck in that hole." she said.

"Yeah, but it's not that bad. It's better than being out in the rain."

"Yeah, but the hole you're in is there to collect rain to prevent flooding up here." she giggled, "I wish you could come and live with me, but my parents would never let me."

Rori reached down and ran her fingers through my hair and around my short, dull horns. I blushed as she reached to put her hand down on my cheek.

"I also wish that I could be up there with you," I sighed, "but the Serevinese people don't want me around."

"Well, I'm Serevinese," Rori smiled, "and I want you around."

Humans called Rori's name in the distance. Rori took her hand off my cheek and out of the hole.

"I have to go," Rori sighed, "I'll be back tomorrow to talk later, okay?"

"Okay." I smiled a faint smile.

"Bye now!" she waved as she stood up from the hole, but a silver chain slipped from her wrist..

"Wait! Your chain!" I stuck the chain out of the hole.

"Oh! Thanks! Bye!" Rori quickly turned back to grab the chain and left through the broken fence board she always appeared from.

"Goodbye Rori." I said quietly, already knowing that she was too far to hear me.

I sat down in the wet tunnel and looked at my reflection in the trickling water flowing endlessly through the tunnel. I still had faint memories of how I got stuck down here in the first place. Serevine had made a law that only humans were allowed to be citizens in their nation. Rori said all others of my kind were either driven out of Serevine or kept away somewhere.

But that was many seasons ago, could it be different now? No. Serevine's laws were never changed or abolished once they were made. There was a special class in Serevine they called warriors that could hold light in their hands. How I wished that I could be a warrior if I weren't illegal. To be able to protect and fight for what I believe in.

Days seemed to pass like minutes down here. Rori hasn't visited for the past few days either. I waited, and waited, but she never came.

Where was she? Had something happened to her? I wondered.

The little stream in the tunnel grew. A storm was on its way. Rain poured down outside and I tried to stay dry as the tunnel filled with water. It was cold and I tried to shake off the rain that leaked through the stone bricks of the tunnel.

Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled a few moments after. I hated storms. Not just because my shelter became useless from them, but because of the horrible wrath it brings. The water rose and I was running out of space to sit as the cylindrical tunnel sloped upwards.

My ears twitched as rain from the hole in the tunnel fell on my head. I heard crying. I peered out of the tunnel and saw Rori against the wall next to the hole. She had her head between her knees while she was soaked by the rain.