The morning after the tragedy was eerily quiet.
Thin wisps of smoke from the destroyed Seventh Sect still lingered in the air, curling faintly above the trees, the gentle murmur of the river nearby was the only sound breaking the silence, a fragile reminder that the world was still turning, even after everything had burned.
By the riverbank, Elora lay unconscious, her body battered and bruised from the fall, her once-bright face was now smeared with dirt and dried blood, slowly her eyelids fluttered open, her vision hazy and spinning,
When the blur cleared, she gasped.
Kneeling beside her was a strange bluish-skinned woman, her hair flowing like rippling water, eyes glowing softly with an otherworldly hue, her hands hovered over Elora's body, releasing a faint blue healing light that seeped gently into her wounds.
Elora's breath caught in her throat,
"Wha…who…are you?" she managed to whisper weakly,
The woman's voice was calm and serene, like the flow of a quiet stream,
"Relax, let me heal you, you're too young to carry such pain", she said softly,
Suddenly, sharp pain spiked through Elora's head, she clutched it, crying out, "Aghhh! My head…it hurts so much!!",
The woman stood, moved behind her, and placed both hands gently over the wound, "It's alright, I'll fix it",
A soft, shimmering blue glow bloomed under her palms, slowly, the throbbing pain faded and the gash began to knit itself closed, leaving smooth skin behind, Elora's breathing steadied,
She sat up slowly, blinking in confusion, it was clear this woman wasn't human, no human possessed such abilities, despite her dizziness, Elora managed to bow her head slightly, "Thank you… for saving me", she said sincerely,
The woman nodded silently and rose to her feet, her presence calm but distant,
Then, like a floodgate breaking open, Elora's memories returned, the guards, the torches, the fire…her father's last words…Elias's cough… the house collapsing.
Her heart clenched painfully, she dropped to her knees, clutching the earth beneath her, and sobbed uncontrollably,
"It's all gone", she cried between broken breaths, "Everything… it's all gone, because of them…because of those Top Tiers!!!",
Bitterness welled inside her chest, a storm she had never felt before, she was alone, utterly alone,
The strange woman watched quietly, for a brief moment, she almost stepped forward to comfort the girl, but something held her back, with a heavy heart, she turned to leave, her bare feet making no sound as she began walking slowly into the forest.
Elora lifted her tear-streaked face and saw the woman's back retreating, panic flared inside her, she scrambled to her feet and shouted, her voice trembling,
"Please… don't leave me! I don't have anyone else anymore… please!",
The woman froze, she turned slowly, her glowing eyes narrowing slightly,
"Even if I healed you, you're still...a human", she said coldly, "Humans and my kind stopped mixing long ago, for years, I've been running, hiding from your people who wish to capture and exploit us, I can't trust you",
Elora's lip quivered, her voice soft but earnest,
"I don't know your story…but I'm sorry, truly, I know humans have done terrible things, I must have touched a wound deeper than I understand, I'll…leave you alone",
She turned away, tears falling silently as she walked,
The woman's chest tightened, her conscience whispered, she watched the fragile girl's back trembling as she walked away, and something inside her shifted,
"Wait!!!", she called out suddenly,
Elora stopped, startled, and turned,
"I'm not that heartless", the woman sighed, crossing her arms, "You're far too young to be left wandering alone in these woods, come with me but we must move quickly, if the other humans are still searching, they won't rest until they find survivors",
Elora wiped her tears, nodding quickly, she stepped closer, a flicker of fragile hope lighting her eyes for the first time since the fire.
Together, the strange woman and the girl disappeared into the shadows of the forest, leaving behind the river, the smoke, and the life Elora once knew.
The District Sect Hall was bustling that afternoon, filled with the Top Tiers and the General Overseer, the heavy wooden doors opened as Piers, head of the District Guards, strode confidently into the chamber, his boots echoed sharply against the marble floor.
He stopped before Lord Azael and bowed briefly,
"My lord", he reported with pride, "your command was carried out exactly as instructed, the people of the Seventh Sect offered nothing of value, so…we did what had to be done, the Sect was cleansed, and a few survivors have been taken captive for questioning",
A satisfied grin slowly spread across Lord Azael's stern face, he leaned back on his throne-like seat and spoke loud enough for the entire hall to hear,
"Good!!!",
The single word carried cold ruthlessness, and a heavy silence fell over the room, none dared question his methods, instead, they merely nodded, fearful and obedient,
Piers was dismissed, and the rest of the meeting proceeded as usual, the Top Tiers discussed resource allocation, guard patrols, and minor disputes but their lord's earlier cruelty lingered in everyone's minds like a dark shadow.
When the meeting ended, everyone went their separate ways through the grand corridors of the District Sect Palace,
Everyone… except Lady Anaia.
She wandered slowly through the palace gardens, her long gown trailing behind her, her heart remained heavy, the grief of her son Jasper's death refusing to fade, it felt like an eternity of pain she could not escape,
As she walked aimlessly, her attention was caught by the voices of three guards gathered near a side passage, curious, she approached and what she saw made her stop in surprise,
One of the guards was holding a young boy, his face was half burnt at the side, his clothes were torn, his skin bruised,
"Who is this boy?", Lady Anaia asked sharply,
One guard straightened nervously, "My lady, he was found under the ashes of the burned-down Sect, somehow…he survived",
Lady Anaia stepped closer, her breath hitched as she studied his face, he was roughly the same age as Jasper and his features were strikingly similar, a ghost of the past seemed to stare back at her.
As she stood frozen in thought, the boy coughed weakly and opened his eyes, confused, he sat up and looked around,
"Where… am I?" he asked in a trembling voice,
"You are in safe hands", Lady Anaia answered softly,
But as the memories of the fire returned to him, his face twisted with despair,
"My father…my sister… I want them back! Please help me find them!" he cried, his small body shaking with sobs,
Lady Anaia's heart tightened, she looked into his eyes and saw Jasper not as he died, but as he lived, in that moment, a dangerous thought began to form in her mind, her grief, once only sorrowful, twisted into yearning,
She gently told the guards, "Do not harm him, do not move him until I return",
Then she turned and walked briskly down the halls, a plan taking shape in her mind.
She arrived at the Sect Dormitory of Sir Drewsaw, she knocked sharply, and after a moment, the door opened,
"Lady Anaia", Drewsaw greeted with mild surprise, "What brings you here?",
"I need a favor", she said firmly,
He raised a brow, "What kind of favor?",
"The kind that calls for your usual powers" she replied, exhaling slowly. Her tone left no room for doubt,
His eyes widened slightly, "Why would you need that from me?",
"Because you owe me", She shot back, "If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have a seat among the Top Tiers and keeping quiet about what you truly are? That was a bonus too, think of this as me collecting a debt",
Drewsaw scoffed, "If I wanted power, I could have manipulated my way to it myself—",
"But you didn't", she interrupted sharply, "Because of me and now I need you to return the favor, it's important, Drewsaw, you owe me",
Her unwavering stare left him with little choice, he sighed deeply, "Fine, who am I using my power on?",
Lady Anaia explained everything, the boy's resemblance to Jasper, his survival, and her wish for Drewsaw to manipulate the boy's memories to make him believe she was his mother, and that his real family no longer existed,
He warned her of side effects, but she didn't care,
"Do it!" She insisted,
They returned together to the room where the boy was resting, she dismissed the guards and locked the door,
The boy sat up again, asking for his family, Lady Anaia averted her gaze as Drewsaw sighed and revealed his true form,
His skin shifted to dark red, his face twisting into a disturbing spiral shape, but the boy didn't scream, he stared in fascination, his young mind already falling into the hypnotic pull,
Drewsaw stepped closer, placed his hands on the boy's hands and whispered power laden words,
"From this day forward, you are Jasper, Lady Anaia is your mother, forget your past. Forget your family, she is all you know",
The boy's eyes glazed over for a moment, then, just as quickly, they cleared and the hypnosis was complete.
Drewsaw returned to his human form and wiped his hands,
"It's done", he said flatly, "If anything happens, I take no responsibility",
Lady Anaia nodded gratefully, "Thank you", He left the room with a scoff, knowing the truth she had chosen to forge.
She turned to the boy, his eyes lit up as he looked at her,
"Mother!", he whispered, then he hugged her tightly,
Tears welled in her eyes, for the first time since Jasper's death, she felt warmth flood her heart, she immediately had him cleaned, dressed in fine clothes, and treated for his injuries, his burns were healed using trapped Deper essence and his illness was miraculously healed with the help of the same Deper restoring his face to a smooth perfection, her perfect Jasper reborn.
Later, she called a small gathering of the Top Tiers, with a carefully crafted lie, she explained that the boy had suffered a head injury and now believed she was his mother, she wanted to raise him as her own,
Sir Wulfric chuckled, "Ah, like an emotional replacement—",
Lady Monique slapped his shoulder sharply, "Don't put it like that, she lost her child, raising this boy doesn't make her a monster, it makes her human",
Realizing his insensitivity, Wulfric quickly apologized, "You're right, my apologies, Lady Anaia, if this will bring you peace, then you have our support",
The others nodded in agreement.
As they left, only Sir Drewsaw lingered for a moment, watching her silently, he knew the truth but said nothing, with a quiet scoff, he turned and walked away.
Lady Anaia then went to her new Jasper and whispered to herself,
"I will protect you, nothing and no one will take you from me, not this time",
She held him close, believing that fate had granted her a second chance at motherhood… even if it was built on a lie.
Meanwhile, Elora and the woman continued moving deeper into the forest, making sure they were far away from being caught again, Elora's legs ached with every step, but her tiredness didn't matter, all she could think about was the unbearable truth she had lost her entire family, as the forest grew denser, so did the weight on her heart, she clenched her fists, silently vowing that the Top Tiers were nothing but heartless monsters.
After a while, curiosity overcame her grief, she glanced at the woman walking ahead and asked softly,
"What...are you, really? And what's your name?",
The woman looked over her shoulder and replied calmly, "I'm Wavereen",
"Wavereen?", Elora repeated, surprised, "That's…unusual, but unique, I'm Elora, by the way",
As they walked, Wavereen slowly shared her story, she explained how she had been on the run for a very long time, constantly hunted, and that even her own twin sister, Reefeina, had been captured, she spoke about her kind, Depers, fragile creatures whose powers could be dangerous to themselves if overused, her voice carried both strength and sorrow,
Elora listened carefully, her heart aching for the woman, "I'm so sorry… for what humans have done to you, and for your sister", she said gently, "But…not all humans are the same, some are cruel, yes… but some are kind too",
Wavereen didn't respond immediately, her expression was distant, unsure whether she could truly believe those words,
Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the thick bushes nearby, both froze, Elora's breath hitched as fear tightened around her chest, her mind immediately leapt to the worst possibility, the guards had found them,
But what emerged was not human.
From between the trees, a lean, muscular cheetah slinked into view, its golden eyes locked onto them like prey, its tail swished slowly, its stance low, ready to pounce,
Elora's heart pounded wildly,
"W–Wavereen…", she whispered shakily,
"I know", Wavereen replied calmly, stepping in front of her, "Stay behind me, running will only make it worse",
Elora backed away, trembling, panic clawed at her mind as the cheetah's snarl echoed through the forest, for a moment, she thought,
'Maybe this is it…maybe this is how it ends for me.....'