1 The Fates Of Bondred

Four young girls stood in a half-circle facing a robed figure. No girl in the group had particularly striking physical features. However, all of the girls had distinctively colored hair. The tallest girl in the group had hair that was as blue as a sapphire. The smallest girl had hair that was the color of crimson. The figure who stood in the center wore intricately wrapped robes the color of pitch, no parts of the figure's body were showing. The walls of the room, only lit by torchlight, are rough and uneven. The room seems to be shaped like a dome, the ceiling is too far above the girls to see.

"Gla o ni obdo koa munsa gla stebe ni kupli aksisa stibda.". The figure would speak first, then the girls would echo a moment after. The unholy song would drive even the strongest insane. The figure speaks,

"It is time children. When we go to battle, leave no man alive."

"Yes, master."

"You are the shepherds, and they are the sheep, and may Lyno save our souls"

"Yes, master."

They reply in the same cadence as the chant. The girls light torches and walk towards the back of the room, they squeeze through an opening that is only wide enough for one person at a time, while the figure stays behind. The girls step out of the cave into a beautiful valley with steep mountainous cliffs, the grass a vibrant green. The tallest one pauses for a moment, then leaps off the ground.

However, she does not land back on the earth. She continues to ascend past the apex of her jump. She pauses in the air for a moment and looks back at the other girls. The others hesitate for a brief second, then follow in suit.

The girls ascend past the valley's walls, moving faster than any horse. They wince as they hear the blood-curdling screams of war. The girls float overheard of the soldiers, the fighting pauses as men on both sides of the battle watch. The girls stop in front of the opposing army and raise their hands toward the heavens.

"ba hisguh bodtu norkod badobe tu nol yobla kafluk fog." Suddenly lightning arcs from their hands, electrocuting hundreds of soldiers. The soldier's shriek as their heartbeats are controlled by the pulsing of electricity. As quickly as it started, the lightning dissipates. Those the lightning didn't kill were quickly slaughtered by the soldiers. Their minds were already broken from the horrors of battle. The smell of cooked flesh lingers in the air as the soldiers advance.

There is no rest for the girls, they only travel twenty meters before encountering another force of soldiers. It is apparent to the girls that these men are more skilled than the others they faced before. These men are known as Magekillers. They are dressed in hardened leather, and no metal on them. They are a special squad of soldiers, trained to kill users of magic. The girls hesitate for a moment and then begin their chant: "hie akitko hif do ife hi bis do fiyi atku he bekirfo." The wind whips around them faster and faster until they are lifted off the ground. Most of the Magekillers are able to escape the gale winds. Those caught in the tornado are ripped apart. The girls chant again

and the ground shifts and rolls, every man that was standing is now on the ground. Soldiers are tossed into each other as the ground suddenly shifts. A crack forms in the ground and expands, what was once a moment ago an insignificant imperfection, is now a ravine. One man stumbles and falls into the crevice. His screams echo as he falls to his death. The girls lift their arms once more, spikes made of packed dirt shoot from the ground and pierce the Magekillers torsos. Blood and gore spray the ground. The girls lay waste to many other soldiers, but are pushed back. They decide to fall back to the cave, where they can rest.

"How much of our souls have we burned already? Five years? We keep pushing ourselves like this, and we'll die before the end of the battle. I'm telling you, master, there is no way we can win. They are too strong, we must come up with a new strategy-"

"Be quiet child. Let your master think for a moment."

The robed figure takes off their hood. A man with many scars across his face reveals his head from the robe. The milky scars contrast his pink face. He would have been handsome if it weren't for his deformities. The man sighs for a moment and speaks:

"The king has ordered that we use whatever means necessary to win. If that means that we have to sacrifice children, so be it."

"But-"

The smallest interrupts. "However, that does not mean all of you have to die. Lyno speaks to me… She asks for the return of three souls." Everyone looks at the girl with crimson hair.

"Wait, I don't want to be alone. I want to fight with you guys. Please don't do this."

The man walks around the room and stops when he gets to a coffin.

"Please lay down child" "I-i don't want to. Please, there must be another way."

"There is none child, it must be this way." The girls lift the crimson-haired one off the ground and force her into the coffin. The three girls begin their chant:

"Tutre norihi rani etitu banu no re liyu yuke yudi, shabreko stakn gandek glurk shabanha kliko beykern krulkra."

Try as she might, the girl cannot keep her eyes open. She can hear her master speaking to the other girls as she loses consciousness.

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" Leila cries out. Nobody responds. "I-i can't see anything, I'm scared." The girl begins to cry. "Why am I the one that's asleep? Why do I have to be all alone?" The girl cannot eat, she cannot sleep, she cannot die. She is trapped inside her head. She is a prisoner to her mind. The girl decides to do something she hasn't done since she joined the military. The girl got on her hands and knees and prayed.

"Lyno, please - if you can hear me, please help me. I tried my best to be a good servant. I devoted my life to you." The girl's voice breaks.

Suddenly a golden light pierces the darkness. The girl lifts her hands to shade her eyes. Squinting her eyes, she can make out the silhouette of a slender woman descending from above. As the woman moves closer to Leila, her face seems to morph and twist whenever the girl moves her head. The woman is dressed in silk that flows around her with every movement.

The woman moves closer to Leila and offers her hand. Leila hesitantly accepts the gesture. As soon as Leila touches her fingers she starts to drifts away. Like a kite in the wind, she is pulled toward the neverending void of the sky. The woman watches from below and waves as Leila drifts higher. Leila looks at her hand and gasps. Her fingertips have begun to fade. As more of Leila fades the more her consciousness returns to her physical body. Leila's vision dims and flashes, her mind is filled with images of her comrades and mentors as she begins to awake.