1 Chapter 1: End of the Beginning (Skyra)

~A blank void. A place where there is nothing. Nothing... if so then why am I here. Is this my fate. After everything... the pain the heartache... is it all over for me. Who is me. Who am I. Faces burry and dull echo through my mind. Along with the feeling of my heart ripping from my chest. Who are they. These people who haunt me. Who am I.~

I was floating; nothing was above or below me. When I opened my eyes there was only darkness, yet as I examined my surroundings I felt no fear. I kept sinking when suddenly, it stopped, and I found myself able to stand. Kind of a strange sensation, imagine standing in a black room and the floor can't be seen. Like standing on glass waiting for it to break and you to continue falling.

Now able to accomplish the feat of standing at all, I began to look around once more. Possibly there was something I missed. As I did, I saw that the area around me was starting to lighten. Quickly, I look away so my eyes wouldn't burn from the sudden brightness. Moments passed and I slowly reopened my eyes, letting them adjust. I looked around some more. What I saw no amount of words could bring to life. It was amazing... So many colors surrounded me filling me with a warmth that I had not felt before. I felt at peace.

The darkness had turned into a large field with tall grasses, the wind pushed them around sending the image of waves. Over to my right was the distance outline of a forest. Above were the sounds of birds flying across the crystal blue sky. Wisps of clouds swirled in the air around the sun that shown with a peaceful brilliance. Not seeing any other land markers, I began to walk over to the forest. Not knowing what I would find but again I felt no fear. Pretty funny considering I didn't have any memory of this place.

That's when I stopped completely freezing in my tracks. Memory? My memory, what happened before this to get me here in this strange place? Now that I think about it I...I didn't even know who I was. A wave of panic swept through me. What was going on... why... why am I... who... My breathing became erratic as I lost myself more and more to the verge of insanity. Clutching my head I fell to the ground eyes wide.

My body curling in on its self, my ears heard nothing as my mouth opened. Was I screaming and if so why couldn't I hear it? Black spots began to dance at the edge of my vision. I was losing air but why I don't understand. I don't understand any of this! 'Calm down.' A single thought that danced around my mind. A voice familiar but one that was not my own... or was it. It didn't speak again. Left alone I began to focus. Calm down. Breath in breath out deep slow breathes. Just like it said... 'Good very good.' It encouraged before fading once more.

The process was slow but soon I had begun to recover. When I had finally been able to breathe properly I began to unravel from the ball I had curled up in. Once more I took a deep breath. I glanced around trying to find something anything that could possibly trigger some kind of a memory a flash or something. Though after a while I had begun to lose hope. I fell to the ground on my knees as I felt tears begin to gather at the edge of my eyes. I closed and forced them back but I couldn't stop the choked sob that erupted from my throat. Turning my head to the sky I screamed. Pain, agony, fear, anger, and uncertainty vibrated from my throat out of my mouth. Echoing through the empty field that trapped me. "Just who am I!"

'Skyra.' I halted before shooting to my feet. I looked around nothing was there. But I could have sworn- 'Skyra.' I froze. There I was again it said Skyra. Was that my name? "My name is Skyra." I tested it, yes it sounded right. I smiled. I found my name. I fought the urge to dance with joy. Instead, I focused on the real problem. I was still missing so much. Sitting back down within the tall grasses slowing my breathing I concentrated and searched. I was Skyra, but who made me Skyra? Who were the people closest to me? The people I cared for the most. If I had any that is...

A quick pain filled me before it faded and a young boy's face was there. About a year old, blond curly hair surrounded his head and soft brown eyes looking at with me warmth and love. Strange for a boy so young to show such an emotion. Love blossomed in my chest. I knew who this was. This was my brother. Warren. My precious baby brother the one I had sworn to protect... he was so unlike me, so innocent where I was defiled in darkness. I shivered as that thought crossed my mind...

My own black raven hair contrasted with his own golden blond hair and the only trait I had inherited from my mother, my blue eyes where he was brown. We couldn't be more opposite... and yet so similar. Then the love disappeared replaced with such hopelessness and loss. I flinched, what happened for me to feel this way.

'Failed...protect...mother...death...controller...father...gofers...chaos...crimson...copper...blood...monster." The voice whispered brokenly. My eyes widened. Mother? Father? A woman and a man appeared. The woman was about 5'4 with long blond hair that traveled down her back, tired yet surprisingly bright blue eyes pierced through me with smooth tanned skin without a blemish, unlike mine. Once more such love filled me and yet, such regret. This was my mother. The man next to her was the exact opposite. Black hair and dark brown eyes, pale skin with a scar that traveled across his right eye. Yet left the eye undamaged. His was very tall about 6'1 not too strong yet muscles defined him. Scars littered his knuckles that told stories of his battles and the enemies he had created. Betrayal, hatred and yet a little respect filled me. My betrayer, my teacher, he was my father. The one who made me a fighter and a survivor? My torturer. Then more memories filtered in.

This was about my parents. Stories late at night that my mother had told me, from what father had cursed in his anger while beating me black and blue, from what I discovered myself.

My father was a warrior, an old soul that didn't belong in this world. Though if he wanted to survive he had to become as such. Then he met my mother and fell in love with her. She was from the higher classes. Her parents ran a business that was quite successful. But they found out my grandparents didn't approve of the partnership and forbad her from seeing my father. Of course, that didn't work. My mother would sneak out to visit him. To her, he was kind gentle he truly loved my mother. Years passed and the relationship was finally put to light. My grandparents if you could even call them that were furious. Thus they left my mother to fend for her self only to completely disown her when she became pregnant with me. After a while, they got married and had me a few months later.

That's when things changed. Father's enemies came. They attacked the house when I was barely a year old. Father managed to fight them off but he knew that he needed something done. So when mom was working he took and trained me. To fight, to survive, to lead, to kill... Not caring that I had only just learned to walk. The first present he ever gave me was a knife with a seven-inch blade for my third birthday, one that I have always kept with me since then. He was a ruthless taskmaster, but he was my father so I did what I could.

Because of him I never had a childhood. I was a soldier never knowing the safety of not knowing too much. The only reason I didn't become like him was due to my mother. She was a saint who didn't deserve my father. She knew what father was doing and tried to stop it but I refused. I knew that he was only trying to protect her. When I turned five every day after I came home from school my father trained me. Mom would come up to me and led me to the living room where she would treat my injuries. She comforted me when I wasn't strong enough to control my emotions. I knew that the training he had me doing was for a good reason. He said it was the only way, as an extra defense for when he had to leave.

I knew he was going to. His enemies were too strong and were looking for him so in order to protect mother he had to go. To use himself as bait so the rest of us could live. If everything went to plan then he would be back. I loved yet hated him. Yet even as I say this I could never have predicted what happened next. Mother had become pregnant. When she told father I could feel his rage happiness and unease. This event had put a major stop to his plans.

During those months leading up to my sibling's birth, father's training became worse. He drove me harder and most of the time I would pass out in exhaustion. At times he scared me. Not allowing me to leave the training grounds until I got a certain move right. Once I did I had to do it until it was engraved in my every soul. Then he would randomly attack me. I learned to sleep with my eyes open at all times. Sleep light always aware of everything around me.

The months passed and soon my brother was born. When I saw him for the first time such happiness filled me. I knew he was the one I was supposed to protect. Yes, I was only six at the time and my father may have been a bastard but that didn't mean that he didn't teach me important lessons. He taught me to never be like him. It was good to have emotions. It was okay to care because it could only push you to be stronger once you had something to protect.

A month later early in the morning I had awoken to the sound of voices coming from the hall. Silently I got up and made my way over down the hall and to the living room. My father and mother stood there, near the front door. Her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were red and shining with an emotion I was all too familiar with. In my mother's arms was Warren, he squirmed lightly as she clutched him tighter, fear for the future shining in her eyes. At that moment I couldn't believe what was happening. What was going on, why was mom... Then I saw the bags at my father's feet and I knew.

At that moment I wasn't the fighter that father had taught me to be. I was just the scared little girl that didn't know what the future would hold. Racing forward I latched myself onto his arm. Tears falling from my eyes as I pleaded and begged him not to leave. If he did what would happen to mother, my brother. I needed him to stay I couldn't protect them both not alone.

Father looked at me before blocking mother from seeing me and from hearing the words he whispered in my ear. "It's your turn. Protect them remember what I told you. Do not fail me. I'm true-" He cut himself off suddenly as he then picked up the bags before the mask was back upon his face. It was just like him. No words of acknowledgment no I'm proud of you or I love you. Just business like always not really surprising, by now I was used to it.

I watched as he glared at us like we were lower than the dirt he walked on. Forcing myself not to flinch under his gaze I glared back with all the hatred and rage I could muster remembering back to his training. Stepping between him and my mother and brother I spoke up. "Get out," I whispered but the intent was clear. Looking at him I could see a bit of pride in his eyes and certainty that I would protect them. I was finally standing up to him. That just made me angrier. This man doubted me. "GET OUT!!" I roared as I pointed to the door.

Eyes blazing with a fury that burned deep into my soul. He had taken everything from me and now he was leaving us. I won't fail. He smirked at me seeing my resolve then turned and walked out. His image fading as the door closed. Waiting a few moments I then turned automatically and took my brother from mother's arms. Just in time to, as she collapsed to the ground tears falling from her beautiful crystal blue eyes so much like my own as she covered her mouth trying to choke back the sobs that escaped her. I showed nothing only shifted my brother in my arms as I bought my mother into a hug trying to comfort her as much as I could.

As I felt her warm tears fall onto my shirt I made a promise then as I held my family close. I would do anything to protect them. I would never let them be harmed. I loved them too much for that to fail after all this. I. Could. Not. Fail.