"Father, why does everyone tease me?" I ask my dad, his large form towering above me. Though I am 17 years old I look barely past 14, Is that why I'm teased? I ask myself. Shade, King of Obscurum, father of the pathetic, weak, being called Zirconia standing in front of him, studies me curiously. "Zirconia... Don't let those jerks make fun of you. Your the princess." He pauses as if wanting to add more but doesn't. "And the creator of stupid Acnologium." I mutter, kicking a stray pebble. Shade pales and glances around nervously. "Don't talk like that, you know were not to talk of that world here." I turn away and pout, "You still didn't answer my question." I feel tears forming in my eyes and squeeze them shut, willing them away. Is it my tattoos? I think of the blue-black markings swirling down my body, starting as a blooming lotus on my right palm, twirling over my hand and up my arm, over half my back and up to the base of my neck, and then winding down my right side and around my leg, ending at my ankle. Theres no pattern to them at all unless when you look close it sort of resembles vines or tree branches. After a few minutes and my father hasn't answered I begin to leave, just believing it's because I'm me. He doesn't stop me so I continue, stopping in the doorway and saying something I know he'll hate me for, "Atlas would have told me." I whisper before breaking into a full sprint, away from my father's anger. "ZIRCONIA!!!" His voice reverberates off the wall and I can't help but feel a burst of joy through this rush of adrenalin. Running at full speed, the world a blur around me, I've never felt more free than this. I turn a corner and run into my favourite palace guard, Aslet. "Zira? Weren't you having a conversation with yo-" He cuts himself off abruptly, his eyes filming over and becoming completely white. "Found you." A voice, close to Aslets but not quite says. Father why? I turn and sprint in the opposite direction, Aslets armoured boots clunking behind me. Father has the ability to control anyone, anywhere, anytime, as long as they are in the Obscurum kingdom. He calls it Take-over magic, I disagree with it fully since once you are controlled, you have no free will, your just left to do his bidding. Father doesn't use it often though, since it drains his magical energy. Oh! A thought strikes mr so suddenly I almost skid to a halt, but then remember I have to keep running. Luckily for me, even though Aslet could easily pick up a bench and throw it across a room, he does poorly when it comes to running. I glance back over my shoulder and don't see Aslet. I slow down and walk, still moving but catching my breath. Would Atlas really tell me? I ask myselfwondering if it was worth it to anger my father. I pause by a window and look out upon the kingdom. The capital city of Obscurum, Lues, is on the side of the kingdom that is far from the bordering kingdom of Lumen. In each kingdom there are two seasons. In Obscurum, a season where all the leaves change colour and litter the ground like confetti called Cadere, and a really cold and snowy season called Hiems. In Lumen, there is a mild and rainy season, and a warm,sunny season, called Fons and Aestas. I wish I could go to Lumen just to have a taste of the sunshine there."Zira?" I jump and whirl around, ready to run, but Aslet is back to normal Aslet. No creepy possessed eyes or voice, just the plain old regular normal Aslet that's my best friend. He smiles at me and my heart beats a little faster, just from running, I tell myself. "Sorry about earlier, but um, do you wanna come get lunch with me? I know you're not supposed to leave the palace but..." "You ask me every day," I laugh. "Why bother? You know I'll go with you." And putting the rest of today behind me, I grab Aslets arm and he jumps us out of the castle.
