Chapter 1
-- Ever --
The ground trembled with violent, angry strikes of rage. Stones from the cracked, cobblestone road under my feet scrambled over the surface, away from the commotion and chaos. Through muffled hearing, I could still make out the screams and cries of victims as the sounds sliced through the crowded street. Swarms of people raced past, towering over me like I was a child. Their bodies blindly slammed into me like they couldn’t see a young girl standing in their wake – shivering, afraid, lost. I tried to call out, to get someone’s attention, however the faces that passed me were nothing more than blurs of twisted pain and agony.
A frenzy of ghosts blurred within the destruction.
Each one desperate to find salvation, only to be interrupted by the sudden hand of death.
A bomb soared through the pitch black sky, illuminated by the fiery tail that trailed behind it. It slammed into a cluster of buildings to my left, igniting the area in a red-orange glow as flames and smoke barrelled through the air. I dropped to the ground, covering my head as brick and metal shot outward, impaling many of the phantom bodies still racing through the streets. A collection of dismembered corpses piled up around me, only to be kicked and trampled by those still trying to escape.
Flames licked against the exposed skin at the nape of my neck. Daring a step forward, my foot landed in a puddle that splashed over my bare leg and stuck to my skin. The rancid, copper scent of it brought my gaze down, and my stomach lurched at the sight of red liquid staining my sun-kissed skin. I panned my attention upward, following the current of blood through the cracks of stone pavement to its source – to the open mouth and unblinking, lifeless silver eyes of a teenage boy. His blonde hair had been dyed red, matching the gaping wound in his throat.
“M-Move…” I pleaded with myself, prying my gaze from the death and gore. “Just move. T-They told you to keep moving. Y-You c-can’t stay he-here.”
An onslaught of explosions and fire congested my vision and reverberated against the bones in my torso, stealing the air from my lungs. Smoke clogged my throat and stuffed my nose – plumes of ash were so thick I could not see more than a few feet. The acidic residue it left burned with each breath I took, leaving a bitter film on my tongue and stinging my eyes with searing hot tears. I forced a painful swallow, fighting against my stomach’s demand to spill its contents. I was afraid, but I could be brave.
They had told me I was brave.
My knees buckled, and my arms caught me a second before my face smacked into the pavement. I coughed up a mouthful of acid-ladened spit, only to suck in air that was littered with ash and the putrid taste of death. The lining of my throat was raw and scorched with swollen blisters. Blood stuck to my palms and trickled down my shins, but I managed to pull myself away from the stampede of phantoms before one could step on me.
Another cough shook through me as I pushed myself upright and stumbled into a grassy patch of land. The air around it seemed fresher, as though the blight of violence had not yet touched it. Weak and trembling, I leaned against a marble statue and forced the cool night air into my burning lungs. The touch of the stone electrified my skin as another rumble of Devine energy shook the ground around me.
I lifted my gaze, stealing a periling second to examine the towering sculpture. A woman’s graceful figure peered over the fire and war-torn streets. Like a beam of light within the violent horror and dark, bomb-streaked sky. Large cracks splintered up the chiseled waves of her dress and reached up toward her chest. Vines of moonflowers wove around her bust before trailing down her outstretched arm, stopping just short of her wrist. In her palm rested a six point star, each edge gleaming as though the scene around it wasn’t marred with red and orange flames – completely untouched by the thick, vile soot that clung to everything else.
Lightning sliced through the sky above like a knife trying to rip open the heavens. I felt the statue start to crumble, the cracks growing larger as they raged upward with vengeance. The green vines holding the moon-kissed flowers caught flame, tarnishing the pristine stone. The cracks stretched outward toward the woman’s hand, and I only had time to blink before the star within her palm began to plummet toward the earth.
Directly towards where I was standing.
A piercing scream tore through my throat as I scrambled to get out of the star’s path. The earth shook violently as it landed and broke into a dozen pieces. A chunk of it struck me in the side as I turned to flee, and I yelped as I tumbled back into the grass.
“Here!” someone nearby called out. “She’s right here!”
I turned to see a soldier standing at the corner of the street just past the grass field. It was hard to make out anything identifiable on his uniform, such as what kingdom he served or his rank. All I could see was that it was black, and the energy that came from him told me he was Devine – that he had magic.
His expression when he faced me displayed his intent to kill.
“Stop her!” another voice bellowed. This one was more lethal, villainous. The hair on my neck and arms stood at the ice-cold hiss in his tone. “I want her alive!”
I ran.
As fast as my legs could carry me, I ran. I could feel the owner of that voice following me with every hazardous step I took. His presence chased me through the crowded streets as I wove through the chaos. Despite how much I pushed my muscles, how I fought through the sharp pain in my chest from my clogged lungs, it felt like he, whoever he was, was getting closer and closer. He loomed over me as though I were a meal, a conquest. The voice penetrated the haze around me, becoming the only thing that felt real among the ghosts I weaved through.
“Get back here, you little bitch!”
“Fuck you!” I screamed back, picking up my pace. “Fuck you! Fuck you!”
I slid into a gap within a toppled brick wall. My breath was ragged as I gasped for air, my chest tight from inhaling too many acidic fumes. I tucked my head between my knees and covered my ears to the screams and threats as they got louder and louder. Broken, raspy cries escaped my throat. I pleaded with the gods to save me. Called out into the air for anyone, anyone at all, to rescue me.
Suddenly, silence filled the street. The shouts, explosions, and harrowing voices all vanished, along with the blood that stained my shoes and ankles. The world around me felt still, as though something had frozen time and swallowed everything except me and the bricks I cowered under.
I cautiously crawled out of my hiding spot. Though my heart still swelled in the base of my throat and slammed against my ribcage, a calming sensation swept over me. It washed away the dust and soot that lingered on my skin, healed the sores left by the flames, and lightly kissed the areas that had been scraped and bruised.
My eyes widened as I took in the sky above me. Clouds of pink, purple, blue, and silver dust swirled through the sky. The cloud glittered as it danced with stars more vibrant than I had ever seen. It seemed to call to me, speak to me, and a part of my soul reached out as though it recognized the particles. So I took a step forward, breathing in the tranquil allure they radiated.
Then, a light – calm and serene – illuminated the street. A woman stood in the middle of the road. Her midnight blue dress ruffled in the breeze as her glowing presence washed out all the death and destruction around me. I could faintly see a crown of blue, purple, and pink gems sparkling on her head, though I could not make out her face. It was as though she was a mirage, both familiar and not. An odd sense of bewilderment filled me as I gazed upon her, almost like I knew she didn’t quite belong there.
The woman reached out her hand, and a star rose from her palm, similar to the one that had almost crushed me moments before. It intensified the light, turning everything bright white until the nightmare around me faded.
