1 Chapter One — The Dream

The woman knelt against the cobblestone steps as she coddled her newborn baby in her arms, with her husband standing behind them closely.

"Growing up may be hard, but I want you to know that your parents love you. You will have many questions as you grow, and I'm sorry I won't be there to answer them. But I will always be thinking of you, my dear." The woman looked at her baby girl with her eyes filled with love and despair

"We have to go now. They're getting closer." The woman's husband gently laid his hand upon her shoulder, his gaze not leaving the floor. The woman held back her tears and planted a loving kiss on her daughter's forehead. She carefully laid the baby back in the hooded Moses basket, covering the infant's body with a hand-knitted blanket that had her name embroidered in it.

The woman rose to her feet, and the man took hold of her hand. Without even a glance at his infant, he immediately hurried down the alleyway while pulling the woman along with him. But her footsteps soon came to a halt causing her to tug on his arm.

The man halted his steps and turned around to face her. His iris flashed the color grey as she looked into his eyes. "What if we are making a mistake?" The woman hated the plan of leaving her daughter behind. Just like every mother would, like every parent would. "You've seen her future, my love. It was a warning given by the Gods."

If it was any other person standing before her, her blood would have been boiling with anger. But that wasn't the case, her heart was too busy with the stinging pain of sadness. "We are leaving behind our daughter. And you didn't even say goodbye, let alone look at her." She pulled her hand away from his as she stared at him.

"I knew if I looked at her angelic face, then I'll have no choice but to pick her up and keep her in my arms forever." His voice was threatening to crack. He held back his tears and stepped closer to his wife.

The woman had broke down in tears as the man placed his hand upon her cheek, lowering his head to rest his forehead against her own. "We are doing this for her, not for us."

The tragic moment was cut off with the howling call of the beasts that could be heard over the woman's soft cries, bringing the couple out of their embrace. The man took his wife's hand and looked at her worriedly. "We really must go now, my love."