Goraldia: The Element Wielders

15: Deception

If not for the fire, the night would have been black, save the sparse moonlight. All would be hushed as well. It was a normal night like any other. Well, was, that is. This night the peaceful village of Ingroth and the surrounding woods were greeted by burning ultra-hot flames. Everything smoldering, nothing spared. But this was no natural wildfire, as it seemed nothing was natural once the two universes cracked. This was a man-made (or rather woman-made) fire, feasting on the energy of the soul. Everyone perished in this fire. In this large village, the people scream their last sounds as the fire burnt their skin until they died. It was truly horrific. The name of the woman behind the atrocious act - Mikal. Her mind had been tainted, but not corrupted. She was mislead by another... 

~~~

Mikal awakes in a frenetic daze, but she's not given any time to be afraid. There is a man standing before her. He tells her to get up, and, fearing for her life, she complies. Mikal watches the man raise his arms. Suddenly, everything is dark. Mikal looks around everywhere but sees nothing. Then she is lifted into the sky, who knows how high, by a divine force. Her heart beats fast and she screams - well, at least she thought she did. Confused, she screams again, but she can't hear her screams. She can't hear anything. Terror quickly takes hold and she fruitlessly screams and flails about. Tears stream down and she silently cries until she sees light again, much later.

~~~

Light appears from nowhere and nearly blinds Mikal. It had been an eternity for her since she had last seen or heard, and it is almost overwhelming, even though it isn't very loud or bright. Her ears ring and her eyelids can not be closed enough. She sits there, on a marble floor.

A voice with two voices orders, "stand up."

Mikal responds with, "I can't."

"You will stand up."

"I can't! My eyes hurt. They burn."

The more sinister of the two voices fades and the man becomes sincere. A false sincerity, but one Mikal can't determine. "They're burning for a reason. I can help you control it. I'm here to help you."

"Then can you help me with my eyes?"

"Concentrate. Don't feel pain. feel the fire in your eyes. There is actual fire in your eyes. Remove it. Throw it forward. Blast it straight from your eyes or convey it to your hands."

Mikal covers her eyes with her hands. Her eyes start to glow red. "OH GOD!" Mikal screams. The light fades away and she looks up at the man. "I can feel it. it hurts."

"You have to succeed. I need you."

She hesitates, then puts her hands back up to her eyes. The glow returns and she grimaces. Her hands glow redder and redder. Finally she pulls her hands away and her hands are engulfed in fire. She looks at her own hands in befuddlement. She turns her head to the man. Her mouth opens to say something - anything - but nothing comes forth.

The man's expression remains monotone. He tells Mikal, "Now, I need you. You have a very special job. You have been transported to this world from your world. So has everyone else in this world. They are trapped here, in this hellish land, full of terrors and pain. You came here by dying, so you must do that again. Your destiny is to free them and release them back to Earth. In order for you to do that you must be willing to kill. But don't worry. You aren't actually killing them. You will be the savior of this world. You will save them all. Do you accept your destiny?"

"I can save everyone?" Mikal asks bewilderingly.

"You have to save everyone."

Mikal thinks about this for a long time. After a while, the man gets aggravated and asks louder, "Do you accept your destiny?!"

Mikal flinches. Finally, she tells the man, "Yeah. I accept my destiny. If I can save everyone, I will."

~~~

Mikal looks down at the village before her with unease. This was the first town she would liberate. She looks over at the man. Mikal has her doubts; she was just ordered to kill people and she had accepted. But he was the only person she had met. She was greeted by him when she woke up. It had to be true. Mikal walks away from the edge of the rock face and sits down on a big rock until dark.

~~~

The sun had set, and the man walks over to Mikal. "It is time. First I will tell you the name of the unknown man in front of you. My name is Airic, and I found you for a specific reason. You must fulfil your destiny. It is in the prophecies."

"It's nice to meet you, Airic. I'm Mikal-"

"I know your name," Airic cuts her off sharply, then eases his voice. "Your name shows up in the prophecies many times. There are no need for introductions."

A silence follows, until Mikal gets up. "Should we get going then?"

"It is your destiny, not mine. You must liberate them from their Goraldian bonds."

"But you can help me-"

"Go. Now. They will thank the girl from the prophecies back on Earth."

Airic leaves, and Mikal is left to liberate the village. Down the rocks she goes.

~~~

Mikal is afraid. She has a gigantic responsibility and is the only one who can do it. She sighs. Sounds of the village life can be heard over the wooden wall. Mikal feels her hands getting hot. Flames burst open on her hands and crawl their way up her arms. She builds up energy in her hands and shoots flames downward. Over the fence she flies, and lands on a building roof, which had little support. Inside the house, she blasts a heatwave of fire, setting everything ablaze. She flies out of a window into the street and makes a flamethrower of her arms. House after house is set to glowing embers. She hears the screams of the innocent, almost as loud as the roar of the fire. Hovering in the air above the houses, she screams out, "I'M SORRY FOR HOW THIS HAD TO BE, BUT I HAVE SAVED YOU! LIVE YOUR LIVES ON EARTH INSTEAD OF THIS TERRIBLE PLACE!"

She burns the entire village down, and the fire catches onto the woods on the perimeter. Mikal feels as if she had committed a terrible act, as if she were being deceived, but also was excited and coursing with adrenaline. She had saved all those people.

But now her thirst for glory glows as bright as the fires on Ingroth. Mikal shoots like a rocket off to the next civilization, craving salvation.