Awakening

As the morning sun casts its gentle rays upon the river bank, Kareen sits with a solemn expression, her crimson eyes fixed on the horizon. The slave, awakens to find Kareen watching over her. A shiver runs down her spine, sensing the intensity of Kareen's icy stare.

Feeling the weight of the silence, Kareen breaks it with a question that lingers in the air. "What is your name?" Her voice, still tinged with detachment, carries a hint of curiosity.

The slave's brows furrow in confusion before she responds, "My name is Amaterasu. What about you?"

A flicker of recognition flashes across Kareen's face as she hears the name, triggering a distant memory that struggles to surface. She reaches out, grasping at fragments of her forgotten past. Yet, like grasping mist, the memories slip through her fingers.

"I... I'm Kareen," Kareen admits, her voice tinged with frustration. "Just now, your name, it triggered something within me. A memory perhaps."

Amaterasu studies Kareen's face, her own curiosity mingling with a newfound empathy. She reaches out and places a comforting hand on Kareen's arm. "Perhaps those memories will resurface with time. For now, maybe you should rest. You seem tired."

A glimmer of gratitude flickers in Kareen's eyes as she takes solace in Amaterasu's presence. For the first time in years, she feels a connection, however fragile, to her true self buried beneath the empire's influence.

As the river flows beside them, Kareen lays her head down on the ground beside an ashy pile that once was a fire. Her eyes flutter, trying to resist the temptation to fall asleep. Amaterasu places her hand down on Kareen's head, "it's ok, you can rest now. I will keep watch." Kareen has a faint smile before finally going to sleep.

Amaterasu sighs. She looks longingly at the flowing river, glancing down at her hands becoming sick at how gross her body is. "I'm filthy…" she thinks to herself. She stands up and walks to the river. She removes her clothes, looking at her scares and her frail self in the water's reflection. Her tired blue eyes stare back at her. Her blonde short hair moving faintly with the breeze. A deep scar on her face stretches down the left side of her face. She slowly brings her hand down the scare, feeling upset.

Amaterasu steps into the water, sitting down into the flowing river, the water warm. She feels relaxed and smiles, looking up at the sky above her. She notices smoke coming from within the forest. Her sense of danger spikes suddenly.

Leaving the river's edge, she walks back to where Kareen rests, peacefully slumbering. Amaterasu contemplates waking her, but a protective impulse holds her back. With a gentle touch, she ensures Kareen's comfort, Kareen letting out a gentle whimper as she dreams the unknown.

Amaterasu speeds towards the smoke, her heart beating with apprehension and resolve. She navigates the winding paths, traversing the dense forest with a tenacity born from years of survival as a slave. As she nears the smoke, her pace slows, and she sneaks around. She arrives at the source, hiding inside a bush to see who it is. It is a group of knights around a smoldering campfire, their tents pitched up orderly around the area. The knights are conversing loudly and Amaterasu listens to them to see what is happening.

"How much longer do we have to search for that brat?" A bigger knight says, "Until we find her, you idiot. The lord will kill us if we don't do this." The smaller, annoyed knight responds. "tch, whatever, let's just hurry." Amaterasu gasps and immediately gets up to run back to Kareen. She steps on a twig causing a loud snapping noise alerting the knights who see her running away, unaware to Amaterasu.

"I have to get back to Kareen before it's too late or we will be dragged back to that awful kingdom." She thinks to herself frantically running quickly through the forest, the knights now racing behind her.

Amaterasu's heart pounds with urgency as she races back to Kareen, her steps quick and determined. She reaches her side just as Kareen stirs from her slumber, her crimson eyes snapping open to meet Amaterasu's frantic gaze.

"Kareen, we need to go. Knights are coming for us," Amaterasu exclaims urgently, her voice laced with concern.

Before they can formulate a plan, the sound of approaching hooves grows louder, and the knights emerge from the trees, encircling them. The armored figures exude an air of arrogance, their weapons glinting ominously in the dappled sunlight.

One knight steps forward, his voice dripping with malice. "So, you thought you could escape our grasp, traitors? Surrender now, or face the consequences."

Kareen's eyes narrow, her grip on her weapon tightening. The unknown voice echoes in her mind once more, urging her to protect Amaterasu at all costs. Without hesitation, Kareen steps forward, her expression devoid of fear or doubt.

"I will not let you harm her," Kareen declares, her voice cutting through the tension like a blade.

The knights sneer, amused by Kareen's audacity. They charge at her, weapons at the ready, their attacks swift and merciless. Kareen, fueled by her training and her determination to shield Amaterasu, engages them in a deadly dance of steel and Ki.

The battle rages on, the clash of metal and the grunts of combatants filling the air. Kareen's movements are swift and precise, her strikes calculated and deadly. She fights fiercely, driven by her will to protect Amaterasu..

However, the knights prove to be formidable adversaries, their coordinated attacks pressuring Kareen. In a moment of vulnerability, a knight lands a brutal blow, causing Kareen to stagger and grit her teeth in pain. Amaterasu's anguish and fear surge within her, her fists clenching in frustration.

Driven by a surge of raw emotions, Amaterasu taps into a well of power deep within her. Flames ignite around her, swirling and dancing with an intensity that matches her fury. With a defiant cry, she unleashes a fiery explosion that engulfs the area, searing through armor and scorching the earth beneath.

The knights are thrown back by the unexpected display of power, their ranks broken and disoriented. Amaterasu's blue eyes glow, a winglike image sprouting from her back, fueled by fire. The knights, gaining their senses back, look in awe at the sight of her. "Bathe in the fire of your sins." she waves her hand down and a sudden flash of light covers the knights. Fire sprouts from the earth, enveloping them. When the light fades, nothing remains but a blackened earth.

Kareen stares at her with awe, Amaterasu falling to the ground.