The sunrise would have been peaceful if not for the sounds of chaos that echoed around the village. Children screamed in fright as the men with guns shot their loved ones down one by one. The village's greatest warriors charged with their spears, but it was no use.
One girl stood at the edge of the village. Her crimson hair blew around in the wind like those red leaves that fell from trees in autumn. In her hands, a slim object that fit so nice between her fingers. It was one of the enemy's guns. Before testing the weapon in her hands, She observed the way the men had shot. She aimed it at one of the burly men and pulled the trigger. It was different from the bow and arrow she was used to, but it still found its target. The man collapsed, with an expression of shock left on his face.
The girl stumbled backwards, surprised by the power that came from the gun. She would have fallen if not for the rough hands that grabbed her. The same rough hands that yanked the gun out of her hands and kept a firm grip on her arm. Pulling her arm upward, she bit the man's hand and managed to pull free. A strong force yanked her back by her hair as the man snarled into her ear,
"I don't like defiant little girls." He drew back a fist, but before he made it made it's damage, the girls was shoved down. Her vision became blurry, but she saw a flash of familiar crimson hair. It was her brother. The man grabbed him and the moment happened all too fast.
"Run Emlyn, run! And don't look back," her brother screamed. The girl-Emlyn-scrambled to get up and sprinted despite her sore legs. For one second, she couldn't help but look back with hope her brother had escaped the man. That one second was enough to see a bullet fly from the man's weapon, and into his head. She still ran, adrenaline giving her more power as she ran, then walked, then crawled, then did anything to get away from her once peaceful village. Soon, she could not go any further. She sat in despair as she thought about leaving her brother. Could she have saved him? Hot, angry tears streamed down her face. Angry at herself, those men, and her brother for leaving her alone, trapped in this this awful world. With rage and determination, she stood up with a mission to get revenge on the evil men. She made a few steps before completely collapsing. It was no use trying to do anything. Why her? Why couldn't she have died? Those were her last thoughts before drifting to sleep.
Emlyn woke up with a feeling of euphoria. Yet, she wasn't completely awake. Surrounding her was complete darkness, except for a woman emitting a slight glow. Except, she wasn't what you'd exactly call a woman. She was what you'd imagine as the enchantress from Beauty and the Beast.
"The Egyptians used to believe that only those who had hearts that weighed less than a feather would pass on to the afterlife. Carrying the loss of your brother won't make your heart any lighter. You must keep going and not let your brother's sacrifice go to waste." The woman had an angelic and powerful voice that left Emlyn confused and said at the reminder of her brother'a death.
"But how do you expect me to just
forget my brother?" She cried.
"You don't have to forget, just let go. Remember his courage and use that to inspire you."
"I-i just wish I had something to remember him by..." Emlyn's voice faded as she thought. She soon woke up from her dream. Was it a dream?
The woman had listened. She wasn't any woman. She was Celosia, the goddess of flame. Using her powers, she lifted the soul of Emlyn's brother into the sky to create a new star. It was a fiery red, like his hair.
Emlyn built herself a fire as she had done many times before in her village. Only this fire was different. A strange gray ribbon lifted from the fire and pointed towards the sky. In the sky, Emlyn spotted the red star and knew it was her brother. She named the gray ribbon smoke, after her brother.
You've probably seen smoke before. The strange gray wisps that move around to it's own dance. That is the goddess of flame, lifting Emlyn's brother's soul to the sky.
