Prologue

The twins believed in the legends of dragons and sea serpents. They would draw outlines of the myths on their rondavel wall using squashed berries and turmeric. They'd burn coal and let it dry, using the powder to outline the wings and long tail. The dragon and sea serpent were the founders of the earth according to the first priest of Kustal, before the prophecy during the C.E. The dragon blew fire on the rock, and the sea serpent flushed the rock with water and air, and the earth had risen. The twins thought the story was enchanting, especially when their mother would tell it to them. Their mother, Mita, would tell them the myths and prophecies that were tucked away in the burned holy books at the shrines.

Before the rising of the Lord Mortus, when Mita was a child, she would memorize scriptures from the book and recite them to the Gods, hoping they'd hear her devotion and affection towards them. But she never saw a holy book again after the riots and destruction when Mortus held the throne.

The eldest twin favored the Goddess of Elfs, Shivra, a white-skinned fairy with pointed ears and slicked eyes. The fairy was a descendant of the sea serpent and had wings that were clear as glass and smooth as honey. The goddess had a pot in hand where water flowed from it. The fairy created all the waterfalls that dazzled all of Canaan, including the waterfall that sits in our village. The goddess was a woman of enchantment, but neither referred to themselves as one. They were mystical and not human.

The youngest twin, favored the God of Flame, Zehari. A god that bore the symbol of flame on his whole body. His legs were shaped like donkey's feet, but his tail and hair burned in rage and lightning. He cast flame from his sword and foot, as he dashed into battle, it spiraled in a circle as he fought. He was a descendant of the dragon, the flame of the earth.

When both twins were in their bed, sleeping on the hard floor with dead rats and roaches, their mother would lay with them and pray for the safe return of the twin's father, who was away in battle. The twins prayed to the Goddess of Elf, and God of Flame especially.

After prayer, their mother would tell them about the historical legend. Her favorite legend. She'd go on in her pastel and warm voice, causing the twins to relax.

"Every one hundred years, an oracle is brought before the Priestess of Kustal, and a prophecy is preached. A prophecy of hope and destruction that will befall the Empires. During those years there was always a rise and ruin in the continent of Canaan. Whether it's famine, war, corruption, or invasion, it's always deadly. On the rise of the yellow moon, a Chini will rise. And when that Chini gets older they will save that continent from its predicted dome.'

'That Chini is the Sevilena. The Chosen One.'

'But in the year 9000 A.P, when Mortus Hernun the fourth held the throne as emperor, he changed everything. He killed every last priest and priestess in Canaan with the help of the other Cannan emperors.'

'He forced his ideology of Chini's being cursed human beings. His philosophy was that Chini's and their descendants, with dark skin and yellow eyes, were vulgar devils who were the dirt of the earth. He ordered the churches and shrines to be burned, and the Chini's to be killed under the law of Mortus, the Lord.'

'Chini's are born with marks on their body that designate their special curses. He had them burned off their bodies and held in glass plates for the country to see.'

'Soon many of the Chini's died out, and their children were despised because of their skin and eyes, even without their cursed abilities."

The twins were always frightened of the story. They'd get chills just by hearing about it. But the story was fascinating to them. It was the only source outside the village they knew off. That the country they lived in was ruled by a madman.

Their mother continued. "The oracle was forgotten, but many believed it true." Or else the twins' mother did.

"Is that why the asklanders kill us?" the younger twin asked. The young twin was a curious one unlike the eldest who was quiet and full of bleakness.

Mita grinned, her cheeks growing wider. "They kill us because of our sins."

The young twin frowned. "What sins have we committed?"

Mita caressed both the girl's cheeks, putting a strand of her braid away from her face, the beads making a crackling sound. Mita took one finger and dipped it in the bowl that was full of turmeric, and started outlining the dragon on the wall. "Life is so colorless in this village." The young twin never questioned her mother when she didn't answer her question. It was unlike her stubborn self.

She always wondered why the asklanders would spit on her and Mita whenever they'd visit the town square, why the villagers would disappear at times, why she couldn't go to school with the town's square children. When she was four, she was pushed off a cliff by a forigen boy who called her a demison. Demon.

The world was odd for the young twin. Too odd to understand. And it was even odder when everyone thought it was normal, a considerable fate. The young twin found it too hard to live in such an inconsiderable way, but who can understand a child like her?

The young twin felt her mother's lips on her forehead before falling asleep. She dreamed of her mother and father chasing her and her sister down the rocky sandhills of Berveria, buffalos, and jackrabbits running with them.