The Goodbye

Northern/Southern Kingdom Borders ― Southeast Asia, 16th century.

The carriage had stopped, even the carts that were leading the way were not moving.

"How strange…", Alya's mother, The Queen, said.

The sun had already disappeared in the horizon, only the light of the torches that each cart held could be seen from afar.

As young Alya was sitting next to her mother, she moved to the window and leaned looking to the outside ―the many carts that followed behind them, also stopped moving.

"Are we waiting for someone, mother?" Alya kept looking to the open field.

The horse riders that pulled the carts, jumped down to the grass, and looked behind as if something wrong was happening.

"Do you see anything daughter?"

"No… wait… there seems to be fire and smoke behind those trees," Alya pointed.

"What?", her mother looked out the window.

"Heeey!! Heeeey!!", a servant appearing out of a fuggy darkness, ran towards their carriage with his arms extended.

The horse rider that pulled the royal carriage where Alya and her mother was, jumped down to the grass and walked to meet this servant. Alya looked to her mother looking for a clue, but she seemed to ignore the matter as she did.

"What is wrong?", the servants talked to each other.

"You have… to take… the queen and the princess far from here," this servant said with his hands on his knees, "The king and other soldiers are defending the carriage!"

"The King?", Alya's mother mumbled, "What do you mean? Where did the King go?"

"Mother? What is happe…"

An earthquake shook the carriage.

Horses neighed as if they sensed the smell of blood. The fire lighted the cold night while the scream of the nobles, begging for their lives, invaded the open field.

"Oh no…"

"Your majesty," the servant who came with the warning said, "If it's necessary, please leave this place."

"Mother, what is happening?"

Alya wanted to look up, but her mother kept holding her small head against her chest as tightly as she could.

"Pay no heed my daughter, everything is going to be alright."

Her heart was pounding rapidly.

"Mother where did father go?"

But her mother's heavy breath was all she could hear.

"My Queen!" another servant came shouting, "you two must escape to the forest. They are almost here!"

"Mother?", Alya looked up.

"How could this happen?", her mother said while her tears started to fall on Alya's forehead. "…and the King?"

"His Majesty… is trying to keep them away... but…"

After a deep sigh, she kissed Alya on the chick and said.

"Alya, my daughter… remember what your father use to say about your special gift?"

"That I have to always protect it?"

"That's right. These people are after that special gift and if you ever come up into a situation that you need to use it, you must show it and fight until the very end."

"But father said…"

"Father said that you need to be very careful with that gift, but in order to protect your people and the world, you must use it and fight with it... now, grab my hand and don't look back."

Alya reached her mother's hand, and as they stepped out of the cabin, her mother hugged the three servants.

"Please, help me protect my daughter."

"You don't have to ask my Queen. Now take this horse, we will keep the enemy with our lives."

"I give you my utmost gratitude."

But the horses were jumping as if they wanted to scape too. It was impossible to calm them down.

"It's of no use," her mother said, "we will run to the forest."

"But…!"

The smell of smoke had reached until this point. The long line of the royal carriage appeared to be a snake of fire. Many people were losing their lives.

"We don't have any more time! You two must escape!"

Alya and her mother started to run to the forest without any hesitation. She had never seen her mother act in such a desperate way.

"Alya!" her mother said as they were approaching a forest next to the open field. "Run with all your strength!"

Another fierce earthquake shook their legs, making them fall to the ground. Alya looked up ―a strong green fog appeared to be eating a weak blue aura.

"Mother… is that Father?"

"This is impossible…" she barely stood up with Alya on her arms, "is that the bearer of the Earth Force?"

"What do you mean by the… Aaah!"

Another earthquake made it hard to stand.

"Don't stop running! Don't stop running!"

Their sandals made it difficult to take the next step since the grass was wet, but her mother did the impossible to keep running.

Another earthquake.

The trees were almost there, just a few more steps.

"There they are!!" men with swords, that they did not recognize, pointed at them.

"No, no, no!!" her mother had a pale expression she had never seen.

"Don't let them run away!" one even shot an arrow at them, which missed her mother's head by a small distance.

Alya turned back as they were approaching the trees ―the servants that her mother had hugged, stopped these men until each one of those servants fell to the ground by their sword.

Other servants came to help them with their swords as they would shout.

"Keep running!!"

"The bearer of the Water Force is running towards the trees!!" many voices shouted almost at the same time.

"Alya! Keep running! Don't look back!"

But it was almost impossible to not turn her head back. The green fog was approaching at an incredible speed and in its center, there was a man with long hair holding up his brown sword.

"I won't let you get any closer!" her father, The King, blocked the attack.

This strange man was robust and even taller than her father. Both fought as two tigers. She had never seen her father fight in such a desperate way, his moves were as if he did not care to die.

"Run Alyaaa!!", he shouted after blocking another attack.

Her mother was crying her soul out. She was not looking back. At this moment, Alya was filled with a shock she had never experienced before.

"Mother!! father is going to…!!"

"Alya!! You need to survive at all cost!!"

Her mother full of tears hugged her tightly and as she felt her mother's trembling hands. Right behind them, her father fell to the ground as well.

Alya was pushed into the forest. Her mind was blank. When falling downhill, she barely knelt and heard through the woods the desperate screams of her mother.

"Please have mercy! Please have… aaaah!!!"

"Mo… ther, fa… ther" Alya wanted to go back up as she was mumbling those words. "Mo…!"

But her mouth was shut from behind. It was a strong hand that dragged her deeper into the trees.

"Princess!", it was a familiar voice whispering near her ear. "We must escape!"

"But... my parents are…!"

"Bring me the bearer!!", a voice, as if a tiger's roar shouted.

Were all these happening because of her? What did they mean by the "bearer"? was it the gift that her father passed on to her when she was born? There were many questions but none of them had answers at this moment.

In her mind, the words "Bearer of the Water Force" echoed as she was running through the woods.

"Why?", she cleaned her tears with her other wrist. "Adam, why is this happening?"

"My princess... I was so careless… for not being… by your side at this moment. No matter what... no matter what, I… I will always protect you… for it is my duty."

The leaves were hitting her skin, the wind was hurting her swollen cheeks and her breath was short. Alya could not stop thinking about her parents.

The burning in her chest hurt too much.

"Adam…" Alya swallowed her tears, "I can't."

"Wha…at?"

"I just… I just can't keep doing this."

"No princess! We must keep running. We must…"

She pulled her hand off his.

"I told you that I can't keep doing this! Don't you see it? We don't have anywhere to go! It's just… It's just a matter of time… that we might get killed as well."

Her eyes were burning with each drop they let out and her whole body was as stiffen as a rock. How could Adam believe they had any hope as to escape?

He had her same expression but, he still stood in front of her.

"Adam…"

"Princess," he grabbed her trembling shoulders with both hands. "If something happens to you… I… I don't know what I would do without you… please… I beg you, as the only servant that has been by your side since you were born, please trust in me!"

"Haven't you realized? My parents are gone! There is nobody! Nobody!!"

"I would die for you, my princess."

She covered her ears and turned around, hoping to get out of this nightmare.

But it was not a nightmare.

"Please… I beg you!"

She wanted to trust him. She really did. In whom else could she trust? Alya lowered her pale hands slowly, one reaching out to him. With a frightened hand, he held her hand.

"Adam?"

"Yes, my princess?"

"Never leave me."

"I will stand by your side until the end of my…"

Adam disappeared from her short sight while her hand was left hanging.

"A…A…dam?"

Bushes were shaking on her left side as if two animals were fighting to the death. Someone had caught Adam.

"Adam!?" her spine got shivers.

She knew he was one of the best warriors of the kingdom, but at this time she was more worried about him than her own life.

"Ruuuun!! Princess, Ruuuun!!"

How could she leave him behind?

"Ruuuun!!!", but his tearing voice was too hard to strip away.

Her next step felt as if she was walking off a cliff. She could not believe it. It was too much for her young age ―her parents, her best friend, her servants, and many of her people.

Alya ran while pressing her ears. She could not bear any of the sounds of death anymore.

"There she is!!", croaky voices were heard, but she could not see anything.

Keep running.

"I'm sorry Father, Mother…"

Keep running.

"I'm sorry my dear Adam…"

Keep running.

"I'm sorry everyone…"

Keep running.

"I don't want to live anymore..."

Keep running.

"I don't deserve to live…"

Keep running.

"I don't want this curse…"

Keep running.

"Please forgive me… everyone."

…You must show it and fight until the very end.

"…the very end… I…"

Her feet stopped running.

"I must fight until the very end."

"There she is!" they pointed at her.

"These men…"

"Princeeeeess! Ruuun!!!", Adam shouted as he kept protecting her with his life.

"…must die."

----------------------------------------

Her mind was immersed into a dark abyss as if it was the dark ocean.

"Where am I?"

"Alya, open your eyes." A woman's voice traveled through the waters.

Her feet touched the bottom, feeling a cold mud covering up her ankles. The surface was flat as the floors in the altars of the kingdom.

"Who… are you?"

"This is the time"

"The time? For what?"

"You will help to reach the new world"

"What are you talking about?"

In front of her, a female figure appeared but all she could see was, green eyes looking at her. The female figure was replaced by a mirror of water, where she could see herself.

"Where are my clothes?", Alya mumbled as her reflection seemed to blur with the waves of water.

Behind her, a large group of people appeared, she only recognized the first in the line.

"Fa… father?"

"This is the time!", everyone shouted.

The cold water slowly kept heating up.

"This is the time!"

A light appeared on the other side. It was so bright that she thought it was the sun, but it kept getting closer to her. The light was so sharp that she thought her skin was about to fall off at any moment.

"What is happening!?"

"This is the time!"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!"