34 Nira

"A Blood Rose?", Raven asked as she looked at the white-haired man sitting beside her.

"Yes. It's named after its ability to connect with a person's blood and magic, which bonds it to that person and only that person", Axil answered. "It can store and protect a person's memories"

Raven's eyes widened. "You mean, I can store my memories in this rose?", she asked, astonished.

"Yes. You can store or summon any one of your memories from the rose", Axil answered.

"That's…amazing", Raven said as she stared at the rose in her hand with admiration.

Silence fell between them.

The smile on Raven's face slowly faded as a gust of questions blew into her mind. What was Axil trying to do? Why would he follow her? Why would he even bother giving her such a precious thing?

Raven decided to voice these questions.

"Why?", she asked.

Axil frowned. "Why what?"

"Why did you give this rose to me?"

Realising that she wanted answers to questions that he himself didn't even know, he tried to evade her question.

"Oh, you know…since you mentioned that you have trouble remembering things, I thought that…well…I thought you'd need it more than I would", Axil said.

"I figured…but that's not what I'm asking…" She looked up at him. "Why me? You didn't have to give it to me. You could've kept it…gave it to someone else…why me?", Raven asked.

Axil turned his head toward Raven. His eyes met the dark ones. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know the answer…he couldn't even understand himself anymore.

"I…I don't know", he whispered.

Raven silently returned his gaze. A slight frown appeared on her face as she watched the glow fade away from the silver eyes.

"Alright, then answer me this: why are you here?"

Axil silently stared into Raven's eyes. He realised that he could not evade her questions anymore. He turned his head away and sighed.

"I was part of a group of people called the Vegvisirguard. Our job was to protect the people of Bregaldia, to guide them. There were scholars, healers, warriors and many others part of this group."

He looked down at his hands before continuing.

"I was captain of the Guard. Our leader, a powerful sorcerer by the name of Aulran, gave us our missions. Our last mission was to defend our sanctuary from one of our own who had strayed from the path…Nira… She was a talented sorceress and a strong warrior but, she turned to the dark arts and misused them. She was responsible for the plague that struck Bregaldia twenty-nine years ago."

Raven frowned.

"There was a plague?"

Axil looked up at Raven.

"Yes. Many people died during the two years that it lasted. And Nira was behind it. But Aulran defeated her."

He sighed and looked up at the night sky.

"She was captured and locked up in a secure cell at our sanctuary. A place she'd never escape from. Or, so everyone thought. Three years ago, Nira escaped. She had managed to seduced one of the guards assigned to her cell. He was foolish enough to believe her false words and her promises of power. He freed her from her cell and she killed him right there, sucking the life out of him."

"Sucking the life out of him?", Raven asked with a frown.

"Yes, she stole his life force", Axil said as he turned his head to look at Raven. He studied her face for a moment before he continued.

"Our search for Nira was in vain. We couldn't find her. But a few months after she had escaped, she returned. Aulran suspected that she'd come back to our sanctuary and we were prepared for her. But no one expected the power she'd return with."

His eyes rested on the grave in front of him.

"She wiped out half of us in seconds. I was leading the small party protecting Aulran. Nothing stopped Nira. As soon as she had reached us, we attacked. She killed the others with but the flick of her wrist and cast some kind of spell on me that prevented me from harming her. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't…", Axil said, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness.

"She and Aulran fought. But she was stronger than him. When he could no longer fight, she stabbed him in the chest with a dagger and absorbed his power. For a moment, her eyes had…changed. She spoke to Aulran but her voice was different…almost as if it was someone else speaking through her."

Raven's eyes flicked to his moonlit face.

"Soon after, she just…turned to ash."

Axil sighed softly.

"With his dying breath, Aulran told me to take his scrolls and to finish what he had started. And ever since then, I've been searching…" His eyes met the dark ones.

"But my search is over. I've found you."

Raven returned his gaze.

"You really believe that I'm the one from the prophecy?"

"Yes. It cannot be otherwise"

A soft smile reached Raven's lips. "And what if you are wrong? What if I'm not the one you were looking for?", she asked.

"Deep down you know I'm right about you", Axil replied.

"Perhaps, perhaps not. What I do know is that I cannot do it. I cannot fulfil that prophecy."

"Do you really believe that?"

"Yes. I've seen what Beastie can do. His powers are beyond my capabilities and, forgive me for saying so, yours as well. And that is just one of my worries. Getting across the bridge is nearly impossible, and if you do…who knows what dangers lies beyond the bridge?", Raven said.

She sighed and looked away from the piercing silver eyes.

"Everything you said is true…except for one thing."

"And what is that?"

"Your powers are stronger than anything. Stronger than mine and even the creature's."

"Yeah right. If I have this great power then…why can't I control it?", Raven asked as her eyes snapped to the white-haired man's. "Why couldn't I use it to save all those people who died on the bridge?", she asked with an unsteady voice, tears welling up in her eyes. "Why couldn't I have used it twelve years ago?"

"You cán control it, Raven, you just need to learn how."

"Do you truly believe that Axil? Because I don't. Do you know why?", she asked in a soft tone.

Axil silently stared down into her empty eyes. He felt his heart wrench.

"I'm not worthy of it. I'm not worthy of this…power", Raven said.

The silver eyes darkened.

"Who made you believe that?"

Raven lowered her gaze. "It's is the truth Axil...there's no use in denying it. I'm not worthy…"

A tear slipped from her eye and travelled down her cheek. A hand softly touched her face and wiped it away, lingering on her cheek. Raven lifted her eyes involuntarily. Her eyes met Axil's darkened ones.

"I never want to hear you say those words again…"