2 The Beginning

The night was young and the stars were at its peak. At the very edge of the western continent stands a lone mysterious ruins, beside an old village. The moon seems to shine upon its beauty, as if it was speaking of its own secrets to those who could hear. The world was asleep and only the tranquil whispers of the wind could be heard.

'Hoot hoo~', a certain owl entered the place, carrying a message for the astrologers who lie in waiting. In the middle of the ruins was a tower with a single window located at the very top. Lights could still be seen illuminating from within.

"Master! Master! The messenger has arrived!" A soft female voice echoed from the room.

"Quiet, Eslora! I'm not done yet!" A deep yet raspy voice responded from the other side of the door.

"But Master! You told me this was important! It's a message from the King of the West himself!" young Eslora, insisted. She raised her small fists and kept banging on her master's door, annoying the old guy who was busy studying the stars.

The door opened, revealing the face of an old man with white beard who seemed to be done with life itself.

"Ah bah! King of the West my arse! This old man was just receiving a bad omen from the stars!" He grumbled, upset that he was interrupted and turned to his owl who was waiting at the window.

'Hoo?' The owl tilted its head to the side while the owner raises its leg ; taking the small piece of parchment that was tied to it.

He opened the small piece of paper and read its contents. The more he read, the more dreadful his expression became.

"Master?" Eslora, who was too short to see what was written, poked her master. The old man snapped from his thoughts and looked at his curious disciple with a worried gaze.

"Is there something wrong?" She asked, noticing that the atmosphere suddenly felt off. The ancient astrologist placed a hand on his disciple's head and shook his head, placing the paper inside his robe. "It's nothing. You should rest now." He declared, clasping his hands behind his back and turned to leave the room, leaving Eslora lost and confused.

Three days passed and the once tranquil ruins were now thrown to a chaos by the mere present of a tyrant.

"So you are saying you cannot fulfill my request?" A man sat on a throne, his voice deep and booming. This question seemed to put a heavy weight on the hearts of the men who were kneeling in front of him.

"Forgive us, my lord. It is impossible to fulfill your request." The group of astrologers kept their heads low, their chest beating rapidly as if they were playing with a ticking bomb. The man pursed his lips and waved his hand.

"Dismissed,"

The men bowed once more and turned around to leave. Once they were fully gone, the once calm man on the throne banged his fist on the armrest causing it to form a crack. The guards lowered their heads further in fear and waited for the incoming command. His lips curved upwards and thirst could be seen in his eyes. He opened his mouth only to say,

"Destroy."

Meanwhile in the nearby village, Eslora was playing with children around her age. The men were either hunting or farming while the women were taking care of their livestock.

"Hey Eslora! I heard you were turned into a disciple by some man who can read the stars!" One of the children stated while the rest turned their eyes on her.

"Well. . . " She scratched her cheek, "He said that I have the same affinity as them and that my destiny would be even greater." The little girl would always feel embarrassed when talking about this topic.

"Ah? You actually believe those? What if it's just a trap to fool you so they can sell you to those bad people who sell slaves?!" One of the children exclaimed, not believing what was stated one bit.

"Master isn't that kind of person!" Eslora defended. "He taught me many things about the stars and its power." She waved her hands around and caused some sort of light to form upon it.

"See? This is one of the things he taught me! Although it's not really complete yet..." She showed it to them and of course, no one heard the last part.

The children backed away slowly, showing their vigilance. Eslora noticed it and asked, "What's wrong? Why are you backing away?"

"EVERYONE RUN! SHE'S A WITCH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" No one knew which one of the kids yelled that statement but everyone soon ran away in a rather messy way. Some tripped while some bumped on the others.

Eslora was left alone, lost and confused, again. She didn't know why but she felt very sad. Tears slowly formed in her eyes and trailed down on her cheek. For some reason, she hated crying in areas where other could see, so the child ran into the deserted part of the village, the old house where her master used to live.

"It is normal for the weak to be afraid of the strong." A voice seemed to come from behind her. She wiped her tears and turned around, only to see a tall slender man with pale skin and jet black hair. He had the clothes of a king yet an aura of a tyrant.

"W-who are you?" She asked, her face still red from crying. Somehow, his words made sense and these words will forever be engraved in her memory for as long as she can remember.

'Might as well tell this child since she won't be alive for too long anyway..' He thought and looked up the sky. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and left these words before disappearing into thin air.

"Khufra."

Little did she know, this name would forever haunt her no matter how many times she may forget.