6

"Let's get this show started!" I laughed before walking backwards until the sword was out of me. I used my right hand to show myself the blood flowing from me. I held my bloodied hand towards Kairi, "Blades of blood." I whispered but everyone was stunned when the blood that now was on the ground, my hand, and my body lifted into the air and turned into spears that darted in an instant towards Kairi. She dogged them by diving and rolling across the ground. When she stood I laughed, "Too slow!"

Kairi's eyes opened wide as she felt the spears pierce her back. She bent over in pain so I summoned my spears out of her. The blood came back to my hand as I waited for Kairi to stand. She suddenly sprinted towards me and tried to stab me but I held her off with the sword I had created out of my own blood.

I started attacking Kairi with the sword so quickly that she was forced from offense to defense. I then took a few steps back and threw more spears at her. She cut them with her swords but was shocked when my blood fell like rain to the ground, "Blood dance." I whispered and Kairi screamed as spears came from the ground and stabbed her from every angle. As she slumped to the ground I came over to her. A blood sword formed in my hand as she watched.

I held it to her neck and was about the attack her. "Eva! Stop!" Gonen hollered and, when I heard my name, I felt my side burn and I dropped to the ground as I grabbed it. Blood seeped from my wound as my skin and hair changed back to before. I fell to the ground on my side as I let out a scream while my side burned.

"No!" I screamed at the top of my lungs as I started shaking, but blacked out quickly.

I woke up in one of the medical beds but grabbed my side as my breathing became faster. Images from the day my family and town were murdered flashed through my head, "Stop!" I cried, "Don't hurt my little sister! Please!"

Suddenly the fire, the screaming, my sister, and the corpses were all gone and Gonen started shaking me, "It's alright, Eva! It's just a nightmare!"

I felt myself crying and I embraced Gonen, "It hurts."

He held me while squeezing my shirt in his hands, "Your tattoo?"

I nodded as I curled up in his embrace, "Where am I?"

"The medical room."

"Where's Kairi? Did I kill her?"

"No, she was not terribly injured. She left a little while ago to eat. She hasn't left your side since you fainted."

"Why? She knows I'm not a normal human anymore." He sighed, "She does not seem to care."

I shook, "How did Asher react?"

He kissed my head, "He hasn't spoken a word to me or the king since the night of the battle."

"Why is he refusing to speak to either of you?"

"He was very angry with us when he found out we had kept this from him this whole time."

"How many Wielders came?"

"Not as many as last time," He replied before having me lay down on the bed again, "Eva, I want to talk to you about Kairi."

I laid my arm over my eyes so that the candles in the room would not make them hurt more, "What about Kairi?"

"I don't think you should associate with her."

I moved my arm so that I could look at him, "Why in the world do you say that?"

He looked to the floor, "She is a Wielder, Eva, and along with that…her age…"

"What about her age?"

He paused, "She is the same age as your…"

"Stop," I hissed, "Don't you dare finish that sentence."

Gonen frowned as he looked to me with an intense gaze, "I think you are trying to make up what happened in the past through protecting Kairi. If you do that, you will end up hurting Kairi and yourself. You're using here to fill the gap that was left when you…!"

I sat up quickly and grabbed Gonen's shirt, "Kairi is not her replacement!" I protested, "I could never think of Kairi like that!"

Gonen stared me down, "You don't want to admit it to yourself, but you are, Eva. The queen was right when she said you two act like mother and daughter. You are trying to make up for the death of your own daughter by protecting that monster!"

I felt my eyes brimming with tears, "Kairi is not a monster!" I yelled, "She is a sweet, innocent, girl who was forced to battle another Wielder and ended up destroying part of the city to try to stay alive!"

I was startled when Gonen slapped me across the face, "She is a monster, Eva! Wake up and come back to reality!" He hollered, "She is the same type of being as Kana! For all we know she was sent to Lakes View in order to find you and was told to use the same tactics as Kana in order to get your attention! She could be working for him! She could be a trap he has sent so that he can capture you once again!" I looked away from his burning gaze, "You can't even fight back on this, Eva, because you know I could be right! We don't know anything about where that little monster came from or why!" He grabbed my chin and turned my face towards his, "And don't you find it alarming that Kairi is not drawn to the smell of your blood? There is only one other Wielder who does not lose their mind when they smell your blood, and that is the exact man you've been hiding from for so long! She could be his daughter or relative!"

I shoved his hand away and the room became quiet for a few minutes, "Until I know she is here to do me or someone else harm, I will not accuse Kairi of being like him. But I promise you that if I find out she has anything to do with him I will stay away from here at all costs."

Gonen sat back down in the chair beside the bed he had sat in before, "I didn't mean to upset you, Eva. I just…" He took my hand in his, "I just want to keep you safe."

I nodded, "I know I need to ask Kairi questions and find out who she truly is, but I couldn't bring myself to ask her. When I was with her on the journey here, I felt comfortable around another being for the first time since the incident. I couldn't bring myself to ask her because I knew if I did we could probably never be with each other."

He looked to me, "I understand. I also wish you could keep Kairi at your side because I know she makes you happy, but I cannot put your happiness over your safety," He was quiet for a moment before he stood up, "I will go get you something to eat."

He started to leave but stopped when I grabbed his jacket. "I want to go with you."

"Are you sure you should be walking?" I slowly nodded before getting out of the bed, "I want to move around a bit. My body is stiff."

Gonen put his arm around my waist and helped me stay up as we walked. We went slowly down the hallways of the home, "It has been raining non-stop since the night after you fainted."

"How long have I been asleep?"

"Nearly four days," He replied as lightning lit the sky outside the windows we passed, "You kept screaming in your sleep and scared one of the maids that was attending to you."

I sighed, "Recently, I either have no dreams when I sleep or I relive that night again."

"The night your family was killed?"

I nodded, "I sound like I'm still the little girl you took care of for so long, losing sleep over that nightmare."

"In my mind you are still the little girl I brought back with me."

"I know." I replied before we came into the dining room to see Kairi, the king, the queen, and the brother of Asher's fiancé, Noah. They were all shocked to see me walking, but before anyone could move, Kairi had thrown her chair back and ran over to me. She lightly hugged me as she cried against my shirt.

"You're awake!"

I petted her head with sadness, "I'm sorry I scared you."

She looked up to me, "You must be hungry."

I nodded, "I am."

Kairi quickly took my hand and led me over to the table so I could take the seat next to her's. Gonen sat on the other side of me and seemed happy when I rested my head on his shoulder as Kairi kept my hand captive.

Food was quickly brought to Gonen and me. The queen watched me intensely as I quickly started eating. "Eva," She started and I looked to her, "I knew from the moment I met you, when Gonen brought you as a young child to our home, that you were special, but I never expected you to be so extraordinary."

I slightly smiled, "Most people are terrified of me once they see my powers."

"Have you always had those powers?"

I shook my head as I sat up straight, "I was a very average child since the day I was born, except for the fact that my blood attracted Wielders. But I did not discover the power my blood held until it was brought out the day my village was attacked. I believe my power was what saved me from the initial attack that killed most of the citizens."

"Are your powers that of a Wielder?"

"No, ma'am, as far as I understand there are not Wielders that can control their own blood. Both of my parents were human so there is no way I could be anything but a human."

"Were you born with that tattoo that takes up most of the right side of your body?"

I shook my head, "I was given it right after the attack because I could not control my own power. A very old man I met before Gonen found me, tried to help me control my powers. But once my powers were awakened they took a large toll on my body and the old man ended up having to seal away most of my power with a tattoo, but since my power was too much for only a tattoo to seal, he also gave me my two bracelets to seal the rest away."