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Chapter Eight

Glory gasped and heaved great breaths as both she and Ember focused on calming themselves over what had just happened. It was like she was caught in a trance and he wasn't able to help her. Now they both were shocked as ever like both of them just saw the world shatter and break open in front of them. Glory eventually stalled her breathing and Ember started to calm down soon too. Then she turned toward the stone staircase beside them, shot her hand off of the pictured wall, and she started sprinting up the steps. Ember watched her dash forward and he followed her without asking questions.

She led him up the staircase and she dove through the long curtain of vines that hung low over the entrance. Ember was right on her heels, and he pushed away the ivy to see where she was. His eyes widened at the sight of Glory at least ten yards away already, sprinting for her life like the catastrophes of the world would catch her if she didn't stop running. He scoffed and kept running after her, leaving the ivy behind him to dangle down.

Glory ran way far ahead of him, totally unaware of where it was that she really wanted to go. She had just seen a vision of what her probable past life was like, and she couldn't believe what it was or who she was. Several thoughts ran through her mind as she sprinted freely toward the wilderness and through the dense woods.

Shadow Drift.

Windel.

Goddess.

Warrior.

Every one of these thoughts passed through her mind, and she didn't know where it was supposed to lead her. And she didn't care. She didn't even acknowledge Ember's cries behind her, he was shouting her name, trying to get her to slow down from her sudden run. She passed several glances over her shoulder, her hair flinging and thrashing around through the chilled breeze. The mist seemed to fade over their time in the temple, and all that remained was a faint glow from the sun that beamed down on them both. Glory heaved and breathed heavily from running so far and so fast. Her legs and feet may as well have been blurs under her torso.

She wasn't running toward the big oak tree, where the other girls and Raven were. She had no destination at all, she just wanted to go somewhere and think for herself. As she felt the blows of the wind on her face and through her hair, she got flashes of memories that flooded through her mind and she let it blend in with what she was presently doing. She saw red, orange, and purple colors shade over her vision, making it look like she was in a completely different place. The skies and forest around her was on fire. Flames scorched the earth and soil around her, turning the natural greenery to a blood red color. She felt open wounds and blood trickle down her chin and shoulders.

She was wearing black running boots, and heavy duty black armor. It was heavy, but comfortable for her to run in. There was a leather skirt that hung down from her breastplate, and her sword and shield were strapped to her back. Her hair was tied back in a long braid. More than that, she felt taller, and older, like mortality consumed her completely. Then her vision cleared out again, replaced by her shorter, younger self running through the green forest again. Her eyes glowed white again, and she leapt over a fallen tree trunk that blocked her way before taking the sprint again. Her wrists and fists whipped up to her chest each second that passed, and each breath that she heaved.

She now paid attention to Ember's cries for her, and she slowed down enough that he nearly rammed into her when he passed. He skidded to a stop and jogged back to her side. He had an exhausted and pained look on his face, like she'd just told him that his dad was dead. He put a hand on her shoulder, but she brushed it off, and that made him look even worse. His lip started to quiver, and he gasped in huge breaths of air.

"What happened?" Ember asked. "Did I do something?"

Glory shook her head. "No, Ember, you didn't do anything. I'm just having a pretty tough time about it."