Chapter 2: A tragedy

"A tragic turn, a change in the wind"

Recap.....

Her father then ended the story. He smiled softly as he noticed that Zara was already sleeping peacefully on their wooden table. "Your mother very much hoped that you'd bring glory to us as well.. you never disappointed us Zizi. Me and your mother love you very much..

What is the secret to the life of a victor? And what are the secrets that are yet to unvail..

Chapter 2...

" The liberty that was given, was more likely a curse bestowed upon them.. "

Walking through the forest. Dried leaves crunching beneath my feet, as I take a step. Fallen leaves flowing through the wind's direction. Riding my hair through its cold breeze. I came towards a lake in the forest, I looked around for pebbles. I took some pebbles and sat on a large flat rock. I placed my collected pebbles on some grass, and picked a rounded one. I threw It across the lake. It made ripples as it jumped on the water's layer before finally submerging itself, falling under. I took a couple rounds of throwing it, I then heard a soft chuckle in the atmosphere.

I stood up alerted, who is there I question myself hesitatant to make any sound. I made myself a blur, teleporting myself up on a tall tree, scanning through the forest. I felt a sudden breeze behind me, I swiftly turned. And teleported myself behind the supposed being whilst locking it with my power. Proceeding to strangle the body of the person by invisible force. "Who sent you here." I responded coldly. "Master Kaiden! I apologize for the sudden-- inconvenience." The man said, with his voice strained. "I have-- been ordered.. to take you to the palace." He once again mentioned, strained. I let him go from my force, he gasped for air as he held his throat. Holding onto the tree bark.

"Who ordered you." I asked, coldly but curiously. "Your father master kaiden." The man said slowly stablizing his breath. "Hmm.." he hummed nonchalantly. "Fine, take me to him. But don't, and I mean it. Don't call him my father, ever again. He will never be my father" Kaiden mentions again coldy as he teleports them both down. The man coughs to clear his throat as he leads the way. A few minutes into their walk to the palace, Kaiden sighed. He snapped his fingers and they are already at the central hall.

Kaiden leaned over to the man, "I'm sorry if I shocked you, it was taking a little too long. And I apologize for earlier's inconvenience" he whispered in a much calm and warmer manner. He gave a reassuring smile as the man bowed with a grin and walked away. "Yes Dasmus?." He asked, in a nonchalant way. "First of all, shouldn't you call me father? I have been married to your mother for 20 years son." The current leader of their clan, Dasmus, then responded with a warm smile. "No, I choose not to. No matter the decade, you will never be my father. I will not allow you to replace the position of my father. He has brought great glory to our clan for centuries." Kaiden proceed to say coldy. "Kaiden, don't be immature. I'm not asking you to let me fill in for your father's position

In your life. I'm asking you to give me a spot in your life, to let me in." Dasmus then explained. "I have very good reason as to why I don't agree." Kaiden responded while coldy staring at the tiles of the palace. "And why Is that?" Dasmus asks. "Go straight to the point." Kaiden said bluntly. "Alright, I need you to disguise as an assassin. And kill a man named Dallas. It is for good reason." Dasmus then says. "No, I won't kill without proper elaborated reason." He says coldy. "I've had enough of your cold responses. You will obey your leader's orders!" He proceeded to shout frustratedly.

Kaiden walked out with no expression. As he came out, it seemes the palace is in ruins. Or rather disguised as one. Which is probably why they are one of the most mysterious clans. But inside has a beautiful marble interior. Outside is a pile of solid rocks covered in vines and moss.

He teleported himself, into the crystal cave of alias. With the water fall, dripping sounds of water echoes through the cave. He held onto the water, streamed with beautiful light coming from the crystals. "Alias.. Bring me to the day of your last breath.." Kaiden says in a warmer and softer tone. The water shines as he hovers his hand on the water. He stands up, and teleports himself to the flat rock closest to the waterfall. He willingly walks inside the waterfall as he enters a trance.

April 24, 1934

( 90 years ago in the parallel universe created by the cave of Alias)

A bright light appeared, and soon enough it faded.. he saw his father, Alias, walking towards him. He scanned the house, seeing a big house made of wood. Similar to the house he lives in now.

"Son, want me to take you somewhere secret?" Kaiden's father says, patting his shoulder. He stared at his father in a daze, as he felt a slight pang in his chest, a sudden weight. He struggled to speak. "Are you okay son?" His father asks. "Y-yeah" he finally said as it seems as if the air was punched out of his lungs. Feeling this sudden dryness in his throat as he held back tears. "Yeah, sure dad" he says with a genuine smile. They walked through the forest til they reached mountain Idara. "You know this place, right?" His father asks. "Yeah, it's part of our history" he says, despite already knowing what his father intended showing. "place your hand onto soil--" his father says, he placed his hand onto the soil as was instructed. "And try to feel the energy of nature. Try to collect all that energy onot your palms. Once you do, imagine it exploding into the abyss making multiple branches of energy growing form your palms.." his father says. He did everything easily, as he already knew how. A portal opens up. "Wow son, you have really grown" his father says proudly. He smiled to his father with sadness in his eyes. They entered the portal, leading into a crystal cave. The same crystal cave he had always came to. He looked at his father with eyes that clearly show longing. His father patted his back, "look son, whenever you feel distressed, sad or in worry. Just call my name in these very waters, and I'll hear your call.." his father says with a compassionate smile. Suddenly kaiden's mood changed, his eyes widened. "Dad, we need to go" he said in a hurry. "What?" He said confused. Kaiden teleported them into a crowded village. "Kaiden? Since when did you learn how to do this." His father asks astonished. "I just figured it out on my own dad.. I uhm--" he got cut off his sentence thinking of an excuse. "I wanted to play this archer game with you! I saw this earlier in the morning." He explained after formulating an excuse.

His father still quite in a daze. "Alright son" he said with a chuckle. Confused about what happened but also astonished.

April 24, 1934 ( 90 years ago, in reality)

"It's really beautiful here dad!" Young 37( equivalent to 10 years old at best) year old Kaiden says. Suddenly a flash of thunder was heard outside. Rumbling the Earth's very grounds. Kaiden father immediately hugged him in act of protection. His father asked him to stay inside as he went outside to check. He opened the portal, his father stood there alerted outside the portal. Suddenly a light pierced through his heart. "Kaiden-- run.. " his father said with a strained voice. Kaiden froze, his father hugged the man tighter causing the sword to dig in deeper into his heart. In order to temporarily trap the man. "Run!" His father shouted with a strained voice one last time. Kaiden came out of his trance and ran outside the portal. When he reached a certain distance, but still was able to see his father struggling to keep the man trapped in his arms. "Go son, don't worry about me" his father said with a smile as blood drips on the corner of his lips. He smiled with teeth stained blood red, he spat out blood, clearly losing control. "Run some, don't look back. Do it for your father!" He shouted with his very last strength.

Kaiden cried, but he wiped his tears and ran through the forest.

" Imagine being able to see the outcome if you changed your choice in a certain moment that you regretted. Despite knowing that once you come back to you reality, nothing would change?"

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"Paper unfolding "

"I'm going to the market dad! We're out of food." Zara says to her father. "Alright zizi, I'll just run some errands. I'll be back soon okay?" Her father says. "Hmm, alright dad" she hummed in acknowledgment. She walked through the market, with her ginger hair tousled in soft waves. She took an elastic from her pocket and tied her hair into a low pony tail as she walked through the summer heat.

Meanwhile with her father, he entered the Forest claimed by the Withara Clan. He enters with no hesitation and finds a path that leads to ruins. A collapsed ancient temple, covered in vines and moss. He held his hand onto the rocks, he felt strong vibration run through his veins. "I seek entrance to the palace" he whispers as it echoes through the palace halls. Dasmus hears this call, and opened the portal. Zara's father enters with a straight face. "I need to ask permission to gain entrance to the Cave of Alias. I must talk to Zephyr and Xaravi." Her father said bluntly. "No, I do not give you access to one of our claimed wonders." Dasmus says strictly. "But it is important, it is about Verenity.." he says, now with a worried expression. "Simply no." He says. "I beg you, I need to tell them something important" he begs on his knees. "No, well.. not unless you surrender the kid you have been hiding for 22years." Dasmus says smugly. "What?" He says shocked.

"Don't act like you don't know, Dallas."

Dasmus says with a now serious expression. "No, I will not!" He shouted in anger, standing up and placing his feet firm on the marble tiles. "Well, I knew you would be stubborn. " He signals his guards, the guards held him. "What are you doing to me?" Dallas shouts in panic as he struggles to set himself free from their clutch. Once he finally did he ran outside the portal. But an invisible force held him tightly, crushing his bones bit by bit. He screams in pain. "I've longed to do this, ever since I learned you were the cause of her imprisonment!" Dasmus shouted angrily. "Please-- no!" He shouts strained. "But Dasmus became deaf to his cries. A loud cry echoed through the forest... Creating an agonizing silence..

Meanwhile, Zara was at home placing dinner on their table. She went outside their cabin door and looked around. The day was almost ending and her father is no where to be found. She asked everyone yet no one saw him. She became anxious. She then went behind their house, sat on the grass by the lake.. whenever the moon shines upon that lake, it always glimmers so beautifully.. As she hums a song, all of a sudden terror hit her. She saw her father's crushed corpse floating through the lake. She screamed in agony. It went completely silent in her village as they all came to look. She quickly jumped into the shallow lake, submerging half of her body into the cold water. "Dad!" She shouted, her voice strained. She cried in agony, lightly touching her dad's bloody and dislocated corpse. Scared to move his body. She wailed aloud. Covering her mouth muffling her agonizing cries as a wave of gasps flow through the breeze. "Who did this to you!?" She said coldy in between her cries. The village people helped her reach the corpse to the shore, and dig a grave for her father. Her face was blank, she couldn't even cry a single tear anymore. She stared at her father's corpse being buried looking extremely pale, with her eyes swollen form crying. When the village people have sent their prayers and left. She fell onto her knees. And whined silently placing a hand onto the soil.

Her father was buried behind their house. Everyday she brought him fresh flowers, and watered his grave. She made a cross using wood she chopped from a nearby tree and manually carved his name onto it. She stuck it into the soil, and had always told her father about her day. Wishing he was here.

" Sadness which consumed onself, along with anger that consumed ones reason "

Chapter 2: A Tragedy

Author: Hayven Averdine