DISCARDED: The Ones The World Did Not Need

Twenty one

People from Manderin are usually pale in complexion and carry caucasian features.
The physical traits of humans differ from kingdom to kingdom; For example Himiko who has Asian features is from North Ridge.

Enid shot up from the bed in shock.
She felt like she had a dream but she did not remember what it was.

She looked around confused. She was in one of the rooms in the temple.
Her clothes had been changed and her foot, bandaged.

She remembered the voice she heard before she lost consciousness and decided to get out of ber despite her protesting muscles.

She limped out of the room with short quick thuds as she looked for the person who helped her.
She tried to ignore the waves of nostalgia that hit her as she passed the rooms she played in as a child when the weather was too hot to be outside.

Enid thought it was strange; no one ever wandered into the temple when she lived there with Racheal. It was like a force repelled people from finding the place.
So why was there someone there now?

She went to the pond in the back when she could not find anyone indoors.
A huge figure sat in front of it, gazing in.
It was a man.

All the hair on his head and face had grayed and he had visible wrinkles but other than that, he had the huge, stocky body of a man in his prime.

He turned to Enid with a stern, solem gaze. His left eye was cloudy but his right eye shone a vibrant red.

"You can see them, can't you?" He asked, turning back to the pond.

Enid's gaze followed his. The shone a pretty green colour.
The koi fish changed their colours at intervals; from green to blue to purple and the like.

They had always been able to do that and Enid once thought that all fish could do that till she realized that Racheal could not see their changing colours.

"Yeah."

"They're called 'Tejina Koi'. They're on the brink of extinction and only certain people can see their colours change. For some reason, they're surviving here in abundance."

Enid gave him an odd look.

"Who are you?"

"You can call me Gramps. Nice to meet'cha lass."

She raised an eye but chose not to comment on his name.

"How did you find this place?"

Gramps laughed.

"Same way you did."

"Hmm, it doesn't seem like you just wandered in though."

"Neither did you."

Enid had a feeling that she would get no actual answers from him.

"Thanks...for my leg."

"It was in a pretty bad shape, you shouldn't be standing on it. What happened?"

"Stepped on a pretty sharp twig," Enid replied trying to move her injured leg around.

"I know that much. I mean what happened to your neck?"

Enid instinctively touched her neck. It was still sore but she didn't realise there was a scar.

She took a look at her reflection in the pond. A red angry scar in the shape of a hand print covered her entire neck.

The sight of it sent shivers down her spine. She did not know what type of magic Alexander used but for the first time, she did not want to know.

Enid turned to Gramps.