Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Ashes of Home

The world was burning.

Nycresia stood at the edge of what was once Oakwood, her vivid green eyes reflecting the dancing flames that consumed her childhood home. Beside her, Arriane clutched her arm, tears streaming down her face.

"We have to go back," Arriane whispered, her voice cracking. "There might be survivors. We can't just—"

"We can't," Nycresia cut her off, her tone gentler than her words. "The Obsidian Veil... they'll be watching. Waiting."

For us, she didn't add. The words hung unspoken between them, heavy with the weight of their newfound reality.

As they turned away from the inferno, Nycresia's mind raced. How did they find us? We were hidden for generations. Protected. Safe. The questions burned hotter than the flames at their backs, but she pushed them aside. Now wasn't the time for wondering. It was time for running.

Nycresia leaned against a tree, her chest heaving. At eighteen, she'd never imagined being responsible for both their lives like this. She glanced at Arriane, who was scanning their surroundings with a mix of fear and determination in her eyes. Despite being only fifteen, her younger sister was holding up remarkably well.

"You okay, Ree?" Nycresia asked softly.

Arriane nodded, a wry smile touching her lips. "As okay as I can be, considering. Who knew turning fifteen would involve running for our lives, huh?"

Nycresia couldn't help but chuckle. "Not quite the celebration we had in mind. But we're together, and that's what matters."

"Where are we going?" Arriane asked as they plunged into the thick forest surrounding their former home.

Nycresia's lips quirked into a wry smile. "No idea. But 'away from here' seems like a good start, don't you think?"

Arriane managed a watery chuckle. "Your planning skills are truly unparalleled, dear sister."

"Hey, I'm making this up as I go along. Cut me some slack."

As they pressed deeper into the wilderness, Nycresia's thoughts drifted to the life they were leaving behind. The cozy cottage they'd shared with their parents. The secret grove where they'd practiced their fledgling magical abilities. The old oak tree where she'd carved her initials next to her first crush's.

Stop it, she chided herself. That life is gone. Focus on what's ahead.

But focusing on what was ahead meant confronting a vast unknown, a world they'd only heard whispered tales about. The thought sent a shiver down her spine that had nothing to do with the cool night air.

As they trekked through the forest, Arriane pointed to a glowing mushroom. "Cress, look! It's like the Elder Oak's roots, remember? How they used to glow sometimes?"

Nycresia nodded, a bittersweet smile on her face. "You're right. I wonder if there's a connection..."

They traveled through the night, pushing themselves to put as much distance between them and Oakwood as possible. As the first rays of dawn began to peek through the canopy, Arriane stumbled, nearly falling face-first into a bramble patch.

"Whoa there, little sister," Nycresia said, catching her arm. "I think it's time for a break."

Arriane nodded gratefully, and they found a small clearing to rest in. As they sat catching their breath, the reality of their situation began to sink in.

"Cress," Arriane said softly, "what are we going to do?"

Nycresia sighed, running a hand through her tangled hair. "We keep moving. We find somewhere safe. And then... I don't know. We figure it out."

"That's not much of a plan," Arriane pointed out.

"Well, it's the best I've got right now. Unless you'd prefer my backup plan of becoming hermit cave-dwellers and subsisting entirely on moss and good intentions."

Arriane wrinkled her nose. "I'll pass on that, thanks."

As they rested, Nycresia took stock of their meager supplies. They'd managed to grab a few essentials in their frantic escape – a water skin, some dried fruit, a small hunting knife. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

"We should head for Ibana," Nycresia said after a while. "It's the closest city-state. Maybe we can find help there."

Arriane's eyes widened. "Ibana? But that's... that's Enoch territory. We've always been told to avoid the Enoch."

"We've always been told a lot of things," Nycresia replied, a hint of bitterness creeping into her voice. "Look how well that turned out for us."

The journey to Ibana was a crash course in survival for the sheltered sisters. They learned to forage for edible plants, to move silently through the forest, to listen for the telltale signs of danger. Each day brought new challenges, but also small victories that kept their spirits up.

On their third day of travel, they stumbled upon a swiftly flowing river. Arriane's face lit up at the sight of the clear water.

"Oh thank the gods," she exclaimed, rushing towards the bank. "I'm so thirsty I could drink a—"

Her words were cut off by a startled yelp as she slipped on the muddy bank, tumbling headfirst into the frigid water. Nycresia watched in horror as her sister was swept downstream, flailing and spluttering.

Without a second thought, Nycresia plunged in after her. The cold hit her like a physical blow, stealing the breath from her lungs. She fought against the current, her eyes locked on Arriane's bobbing form.

Just a little closer, she thought desperately. Come on, come on...

With a final burst of effort, she managed to grab hold of Arriane's shirt. Using every ounce of strength she possessed, Nycresia pulled them both towards the shore. They collapsed on the riverbank, gasping and shivering.

For a moment, they just lay there, catching their breath. Then, to Nycresia's surprise, Arriane began to laugh. It started as a small giggle, then grew into full-blown hysterics. Nycresia found herself joining in, the absurdity of their situation finally hitting home.

"Well," Arriane gasped between giggles, "I guess that's one way to take a bath."

Nycresia snorted. "Next time, maybe just stick your toes in first?"

As their laughter subsided, Nycresia felt a warmth in her chest that had nothing to do with physical exertion. Despite everything, despite the loss and the fear and the uncertainty, they still had each other. They could still laugh. It wasn't much, but it was something to hold onto.

As they huddled around a small fire, Arriane whispered, "Cress, I keep thinking about those strange black cult. Did you see how the shadows seemed to cling to them?"

Nycresia nodded gravely. "The Obsidian Veil. I overheard Dad talking about them once. He said they seek to upset the balance of the world."

"Balance? Like what Wyla mentioned?"

"Maybe. We need to stay alert, Ree. I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of them."

The mishaps didn't end there. Over the next few days, they faced a veritable gauntlet of challenges. There was the incident with the angry mother bear, which taught them the valuable lesson of always checking berry bushes for signs of recent ursine activity. Then came the "Great Mushroom Debacle," as Arriane dubbed it, which resulted in a night of vivid hallucinations and a solemn vow to never again eat fungi without absolute certainty of its edibility.

Through it all, they relied on each other and their own resourcefulness. Nycresia discovered a knack for improvising tools from whatever was at hand, while Arriane's keen eye for detail helped them avoid more than one potential disaster.

As they drew closer to Ibana, the forest began to thin, giving way to sprawling farmlands and the occasional glimpse of distant buildings. The sisters found themselves both excited and apprehensive at the prospect of civilization.

"Do you think they'll help us?" Arriane asked as they crouched at the edge of a field, watching workers tend to strange, shimmering crops.

Nycresia shrugged, trying to project more confidence than she felt. "They have to, right? We're refugees. There must be laws or something."

But as they approached the outskirts of the city, their optimism began to fade. The gleaming spires and floating platforms of Ibana were a far cry from the rustic simplicity of Oakwood. Everywhere they looked, there were signs of technology and magic far beyond anything they'd ever imagined.

"I feel like we've stumbled into another world," Arriane whispered, her eyes wide as she took in the sights.

We have, Nycresia thought. And I'm not sure we belong in it.

Their first attempt to enter the city proper was met with suspicion and hostility. The guards at the gate took one look at their bedraggled appearance and forest-stained clothes and turned them away.

"No vagrants allowed," one of them sneered. "Take your begging elsewhere."

Nycresia felt a surge of anger at the dismissal. "We're not beggars," she snapped. "We're refugees. Our village was destroyed. We need help."

The guard's expression softened slightly, but he shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we can't just let anyone in. There are procedures, protocols. You'll have to apply for refugee status at the outer district office."

And so began a frustrating dance with Ibana's bureaucracy. They spent days shuttling between various offices, filling out forms, and pleading their case to increasingly disinterested officials. Each night, they slept in makeshift camps on the outskirts of the city, huddled together for warmth and comfort.

"Maybe we should just leave," Arriane suggested one evening as they shared a meager meal of stale bread and overripe fruit. "Find somewhere else. Somewhere... kinder."

Nycresia sighed, running a hand through her hair. "And go where? We don't know anything about this world outside of Oakwood. At least here, we have a chance."

But as the days wore on, that chance seemed to grow slimmer and slimmer. They were running out of options, and more importantly, running out of hope.

It was Arriane who suggested they return to the ruins of Oakwood. "Maybe we missed something," she said, her eyes bright with desperate optimism. "A clue, or... or survivors. We left so quickly, Cress. We should at least check."

Nycresia wanted to refuse. The thought of seeing their home reduced to ashes made her chest ache. But the alternative – continuing this fruitless struggle in Ibana – wasn't much better.

"Alright," she agreed reluctantly. "We'll go back. But we have to be careful. The Veil might still be watching."

The journey back to Oakwood was quicker than their initial flight, now that they knew the way and had some experience in wilderness travel. But with each step closer to their former home, Nycresia felt a growing sense of dread.

When they finally reached the outskirts of the village, Nycresia's worst fears were confirmed. Where once stood a thriving community, there was nothing but scorched earth and crumbling ruins. The devastation was total, absolute.

"No," Arriane whispered, her voice breaking. "No, no, no..."

They spent hours searching the ruins, calling out for survivors, digging through debris. But there was nothing. No one. Oakwood, and everyone they'd ever known, was gone.

As night fell, they made camp in the hollow shell of what had once been the village square. Neither of them wanted to sleep in the ruins of their own home. They sat in silence, the weight of their loss pressing down on them like a physical thing.

"What do we do now?" Arriane asked, her voice small and lost.

Nycresia stared into the small fire they'd built, watching the flames dance. She thought of all they'd been through – the terror of that first night, the challenges of their journey, the disappointments in Ibana. She thought of the life they'd lost, and the uncertain future that lay ahead.

And then, surprising herself, she smiled.

"We keep going," she said, reaching out to take Arriane's hand. "We've made it this far, haven't we? We're still alive. Still together. That's not nothing."

Arriane looked at her skeptically. "That's not much of a plan."

"No," Nycresia agreed. "But it's a start. We'll figure out the rest as we go along. That's what we've been doing all along, isn't it?"

As they sat there, surrounded by the ashes of their past, Nycresia felt a strange mix of emotions. There was sorrow, of course – a deep, aching grief for all they'd lost. But there was also a flicker of something else. Something that felt suspiciously like hope.

They had survived. They had learned. They had grown stronger. And whatever came next, they would face it together.

As the fire burned low and the stars came out overhead, Nycresia made a silent vow. They would not let this be the end of their story. Somehow, someway, they would find a new path forward. A new home. A new purpose.

The journey ahead would be long and fraught with danger. But as Nycresia looked at her sister, saw the same determination reflected in her eyes, she knew they were up for the challenge.

"Get some rest," she told Arriane softly. "Tomorrow, we start again."

And as they drifted off to sleep, surrounded by the remnants of their old life, Nycresia allowed herself to dream of the new one they would build. Whatever it took, wherever it led them, they would find their place in this strange new world.

Together.