Saharabi: Awaken the Veil

Safina

The look on everyone's faces was exactly as I had anticipated: shock mingled with disbelief. Despite their reactions, I knew I needed to share the truth; they could help me find a way to reach Zara.

"You mean the benevolent giver goddess Amaryssa?" Jameel asked, his voice laden with astonishment.

"Yes," I confirmed.

"Amaryssa, the one who blessed us all? That Amaryssa? Mother of the Mubarik?"

"Yes, Jameel," I replied patiently.

"So why aren't you..." he hesitated, his question hanging in the air.

I understood what he was struggling to say. Why wasn't I Mubarik like the others? The truth was I still didn't have the answers. Not even my time at Nuraqiya had shed light on whether I shared Zara's powers.

"I'm not sure why. Yet." I admitted. "That's why I need to wake Zara. She's a Vael, a guardian, and immensely strong. Having a warrior deity like her on our side would be worthwhile."

As I spoke, I could sense my words sounding like gibberish to them. Even I hadn't fully grasped the enormity of the situation yet.

"Nia, I think we would have noticed a sleeping deity who looks like you here in Saharabi. You're almost always the topic of discussion," Ashra chimed in, half-joking yet skeptical.

This was a mess. My attempts at explaining had only muddled the situation further. Determined to clarify, I decided on a different approach—starting with Safina, my lead. If my mother had directed me to her, she must be crucial.

Turning to Nafeesa, I asked, "Do you know anyone named Safina?"

"Yes, your bird. Sefu, tell her," Nafeesa responded lightly.

"Nia, what do you know of Safina?" Sefu asked curiously.

"No. She's a bird, yes but I mean an actual person. I'm looking for a person," I said, frustration seeping into my voice as they kept bringing up my bird.

"I don't think you are, Nia," Sefu chimed in from behind me.

Pinching the bridge of my nose to keep myself calm. I couldn't let the frustration overwhelm me; it wasn't their fault they couldn't grasp what I was trying to convey. Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I began again. "I was unconscious, then transported to Nuraqiya, a haven city in the divine realm. There, I lived as Zara, daughter of Amaryssa, sovereign of Nuraqiya. I trained with Thea, a guardian deity known as a Vael. I also studied with Sekai and his guardian spirit, Kagami. He is the son of Amaterasu, goddess of the sun, and a Saharabian corsair. Thanks to them, I remember my time in the divine realm where my mother instructed me to find Safina. She is the key to waking my sister Zara, who is also a Vael and currently lies dormant within me due to an unexplained event during my mother's pregnancy that merged us into one person." I felt clearer and lighter after this explanation.

"So when I find Safina, she can wake Zara. When she's awake, she can use my body as I used hers in Nuraqiya. Then she can fight alongside all of you because she's incredibly strong and skilled—I would know; I lived it."

The room remained silent, everyone absorbing the weight of my words. I searched their faces—Nafeesa, Sefu, Adil, Siya—all of them quiet. A sense of hopelessness crept in, but I didn't want to let it show. I wish they understood. Now more than ever, I wanted to wake my sister. Give her the life she lost by coming here. As it was, I knew deep down that without her, i wouldn't survive this. I was void. Living in Nuraqiya, training and growing as Zara, I didn't just see how different our lives were, I felt it. The strength I had in Nuraqiya, the confidence, I didn't have it here. That's why I didn't want to come back. I didn't want to feel weak again.