Fates Intertwined

58. | Hologram

"You seek answers of your parents. While I can grant you the ability to see the past, I cannot tell of their names or their locations." The voice spoke, and Aurora felt her heart pound.

"Please." Aurora begged. "I need to know who my parents were."

"As you wish, dear child." A hologram appeared then, skimming through the moments in Aurora's life. From the moment with Zyran in her bedroom, to her adoptive family. But then it stopped.

There was a baby sitting in a cave, reaching up toward the fire creature that stood towering over it. Despite its appearance, the baby wasn't afraid. No, it was giddy, a smile on its face. Aurora took a step forward.

The Fleurachia.

Realization simmered in Aurora as she realized that this wasn't just any glimpse of the past. It was a glimpse of hers, and the baby was her.

The words the Fleurachia had spoken to her finally clicked into place.

"I am a protector. It is my duty."

"...my darling Aurora."

Aurora couldn't help but wonder was he the one who took her from her cradle? But if he did, why?

Her attention drew back to the sight of fire. She could vaguely hear the sound of a baby crying and a roaring as she watched the Fleurachia fend off a group of angry villagers. One of the villagers managed to grab the baby, Aurora, and carry it off, but the Fleurachia noticed and chased after them. The man cried out, dropping the baby, but the Fleurachia caught her by her dress, carrying her back into the cave.

Aurora's eyes welled with tears at the sight. This was when she was adopted by her family and trained to be a thief. If she didn't steal, she didn't eat. That was the family rule until they all died miraculously when she was twelve.

"Go back." She demanded, blinking back her tears.

It did, skipping through memories until she was staring at a woman as she gave birth. Her hair was the color of night and her face was scrunched in pain.

"Mom..." Aurora whispered.

Her face relaxed when she heard the faint cries of a newborn baby. The baby was cleaned and wrapped in a cloth, but they weren't doctors.

Home birth, she thought.

"Tatko, dozvoli mi da ya pregŭrna, molya te." Aurora's mother spoke, her eyes glossy with tears. "Tatko, molya te."

Aurora couldn't understand what she was saying, but she recognized the accent. Bulgarian.

The door suddenly burst open and a man stormed in, drawing a sword. "Makhni dŭshterya mi, kopele." He growled. Aurora's mom looked at him in relief.

The man holding Aurora, who she assumed was her grandfather, gawked at the man. She couldn't see their faces clearly. "Kak si pozvolyavash!"

She couldn't understand them. What were they saying? She needed to know.

But then she saw Aurora being handed over to her mother. The man who burst in held his sword steady as he turned around, only dropping it once he could rush to her mother's side.

"Momichentse." He whispered. Her mother nodded.

The memory fizzed into another. She saw herself first, dressed in a baby nightgown, and then she saw the woman holding her. Her hair fell in dark curls and she smiled down at the little girl she held.