Magic of Shadow and Secrets

The Beginning (Part 2)

The fires couldn't be extinguished. The emerald green flames danced as they swallowed whole houses. Tria couldn't breathe, she could still feel her heart pounding against her ribcage. She'd been splattered in scarlet ooze. The blood wasn't hers, but that didn't make the situation any better. Behind her, she dragged a remnant of her mother, who had just been brutally murdered.

It was a severed arm.

Four year old Tria wanted nothing more than to hold her mother's hand again and listen to her lullabies so she could sleep peacefully once again. But she'll never hear her mother's sweet melodic voice over the screams that still haunted her from ten minutes ago.

It was just ten minutes ago that her mother was still alive.

The crowd of villagers looked down at her with distaste as they parted to reveal her father and brothers. She slowly made her way towards them, each step feeling heavier than the previous one. The entire village was silent as Tria approached her father. When she was only three feet in front of him, she showed him what was left of mother. It was proof that a monster damaged the village. But this only angered him as he aimed the flint pistol in his hand at her.

To see a child unscathed after such onslaught did arouse suspicions. It was true that Tria hardly had any severe injuries.

"Magic..." father seethed, glowering at her. In the kingdom of Shreyat, many were superstitious. And magic seemed to be the work of demons. Father pulled the trigger.

It happened so fast that the girl didn't have time to react. She first felt a great pain in her stomach, as if her insides had just exploded. She released a silent gasp as she fell to her knees. Of course it wasn't as painful as the horrors she witnessed only fifteen minutes ago.

The arm of her mother fell from her hands and rolled away a few inches, the joints bent in impossible ways. After a few heartbeats, Tria grew confused. She half-expected blood to be pouring out of her shirt, but her clothing was still dry and stainless. She stood up and peeled back her shirt to see that there was no wound. Had father missed? No. She felt it hit her.

The villagers gasped in terror to see the girl unharmed. Tria's brothers displayed a range of emotions on their faces. Some showed fear, some hatred...and some concerned. Father gritted his teeth and shot another bullet, this time at her head. She heard one of her brothers, most likely Yan, scream her name. This time, the pain wasn't as brutal, but it made Tria stagger back, causing dust and sand to be kicked up.

Everyone waited for the dust to clear, hoping that the cursed child was lying dead on the ground. But what they saw made them back away.

The girl was still standing.

She had caught the bullet between her teeth. Tria looked to her brothers again, who hid behind father. Yan sighed, as if he was relieved that Tria was still alive. Ghira looked also somewhat eased.

Father shouted a curse, one of his hands rolled into a trembling fist. This time, he aimed his weapon at her heart. How else could a demon be killed? If she survived again, he was going to tear her apart with his bare hands.

He pressed the trigger, this time Tria was startled by how much it hurt. A scream escaped her lips as blood splattered the dirt ground. Tears streamed down her face. She heard someone yell for her. Yan. But she was blinded by tears so she couldn't see him. She pressed a small hand to her chest, blood seeping through her fingers and splashing the ground.

Then the screaming stopped.

This time, the children let out a chorus of shrieks as they cowered away, men stood in front of their wives and children as if to protect them. Tria was still standing, eyes as wide as dinner plates, a large hole in her chest. Blood pooled towards father's feet, but he didn't falter.