~Note:
A = thoughts1
A = thinking 2
""/ « » = Speaking
~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first thing I felt was the grass beneath my body. Soft, soothing. As if nothing else existed.
Then came a smell.
Acrid. Metallic. A smell I'd recognize in a thousand.
Blood.
My heart missed a beat. In an instant, my world expanded beyond this deceptive haven.
A battlefield? No. Worse. A city in ruins.
I must flee.
No... It's not-
We can't stay here!
It made sense. The continent of Egiom was at war with the abominations. I myself... had died fighting one.
Died?
A cold shiver ran down my spine. It didn't make sense. The names, the places that came to mind... I didn't know them. And yet there they were, as real as the air I breathed.
My eyelids, tinged red by the sunlight, drew me from my thoughts.
I opened my eyes. All too quickly.
A bright glare blinded me. I closed them again.
This body isn't mine.
Of course it's mine.
Then why does it look so small?
Only now did I realize my condition. Too weak. Too different. My body was covered with open wounds. My blood was slowly escaping. My right hand was broken, a dull pain pulsing there. A weight weighed on my chest.
But I didn't have the strength to pay attention.
Sleep.
No... I must-
Rest.
I sank again.
________________________________________
When I regained consciousness, night had fallen.
The sky was an ocean of light. Endless constellations gravitated around an immense, brilliant, too-perfect moon.
I froze.
A shiver ran through me. Something... was wrong.
And then, memories came flooding back.
A glow engulfing me. Consuming me. My body reduced to filaments of light, sucked into an immense sphere.
A man, standing in the middle of chaos.
My stomach churned.
Forget it.
No... it was real...
It doesn't matter.
I swallowed the acid burning my throat. Vomiting would be a luxury. Every ounce of energy counted.
This time, I could move. My body protested, my muscles screamed, but I straightened up.
And I finally understood what was weighing on my chest.
A woman.
Her body was slumped over mine, as if she'd wanted to protect me. Her face, stained with dried blood and dust, was familiar. Too familiar.
I held out a trembling hand. Parted a lock of her hair.
Alia.
The name was obvious.
Sister !
She had sacrificed herself for me.
But why? But when?
A yawning chasm opened up in my mind. A painful void.
I should probably cry.
No. This isn't the time.
Why is she dead?
I must tell Father.
But which father?
I'm not allowed to linger.
I inhaled deeply. Then, ignoring the pain that lacerated my muscles, I moved.
With effort, I supported her head and gently placed it on the ground.
My fingers remained frozen for a second too long before I turned away.
Then reality crushed me.
The city stood before me, bathed in an unreal glow. Its once imposing walls were reduced to rubble. Flames rose, crackling, casting moving shadows across the ruins. Silhouettes wandered silently through the destruction. Waiting.
Screams still echoed, even in the absence of voices.
I knew what had happened.
I knew who I was.
Or at least... who I had to be.
I'm Abel.
No. That's not...
I'm Abel Zanah.
...
« I am Abel. »
I breathed in, feeling tears welling up in my eyes.
And today, the city of Zanah, my family's heritage for centuries... had fallen.