The tower in the castle
It was a little salon. There were two sofas, a table, a chimney, and many decorative objects. Arja sat on the sofa with her armor in a very heavy noise. Arja's moves were not delicate while the lady in front of her was exceptionally graceful.
"So... Obviously, you are not Zuline as you are not a Jessadien but you met her. You are also one of my sisters. Tell me who you are and what you are doing there."
She was speaking with an authoritative voice. Arja also had her character and didn't tolerate such a tone with her. She started to stand up to leave.
"So, obviously I have nothing to tell someone who asks questions without presenting herself first. Accept my apologies for accessing your residence, I am leaving now and you will never see me again."
The young lady that Arja saw previously entered at this moment with three glasses and a bottle of red liquid. She was delighted.
"Please, stay with us for a while. Forgive my mistress, we didn't see a visitor for ages, and especially not one of our clan. My name is Ëmie and my sister is Leïlana."
Arja calmed a bit, she didn't expect to find living creatures in this castle. Even fewer people of this blood. She was transformed less than a week ago and she learned so much in such a short time that her head was in pain.
"My real name is Arja."
Leïlana laughed after hearing her name.
"Seriously!? Arja? like the Arja? Arak'thor's daughter?! Ha ha, this one is good."
Arja felt a kind of rage running in her blood seeing Leïlana laughing so loud. Ëmie answered her to calm the tension.
"We didn't expect any other sister after Jäwell went sleeping, who transformed you? Guaïla? You seemed to have lived a lot of adventures. The last time we heard about you you were a rich princess in the capital. Sister is surprised to see you with such an appearance, we would never have recognized you. I am sorry for her reaction."
Arja took the glass in front of her. She smelt its sweet scent, it was a delicious thing and when she tasted it, it was even better. She caught herself smiling. Ëmie stared at her and was pleased by her reaction.
"My friend Altraya revived me a long time ago."
Leïlana laughed, she took a glass and drank it in one sip before serving herself another one.
"As far as I know, there is no Altraya in our blood. Who transformed your master?"
Arja no longer smiled. She was aware that she was in a tower of Jäwell's castle and that Leïlana was probably very close to him. She hesitated for a second, then resolved to tell the truth.
"Altraya was revived by Miroïr."
After these words Leïlana spat out her sip, Ëmie let fall her glass from her hand, it broke on the floor with the impact. She didn't even move as the blood inside was spreading on the carpet. This revelation had a bomb effect, Arja kept her calm.
"Say it again... What did you say?"
Leïlana was horrified and Arja repeated.
"My creator is Altraya, created by Miroïr"
Arja had a clear and understandable voice, still, a dead silence invaded the room and she could sense true fear from the ladies she was talking to at this moment.
Leïlana stood up and invited Arja to follow her. She placed her glass on the table after finishing it in one shot and joined her. They took the stairs going up to the top of the tower.
"We have just a few rules. Number one, don't kill one of ours, except if it was decided by Jäwell and Miroïr."
Leïlana pushed a door once they were on the top. Arja entered after her and discovered a large circular room. It seemed more like a laboratory. An orb was in the middle. The orb was dark with lights looking like the galaxy and the stars. Arja smiled thinking of the little star who always shined in the sky while she watched. Leïlana's voice was suddenly cold like death.
"Second is, never revive more than one person."
Leïlana prepared some stuff on the table in front of the entrance, she opened a book and closed another. She seemed to be rushing, then she grabbed a tool and returned to Arja.
"And last, Miroïr will never make a creature."
Arja felt sweat running down her spine. She understood that all the parts of her branch were not supposed to exist. Even if the first rule reassured her a bit she felt quite tense.
Leïlana made a sign to Ëmie, the little servant nodded and stood up. She went to search for the strongest alcohol they could have in the cabinet. Ëmie was about to serve a glass when Leïlana stopped her and drank directly from the bottle. Arja was surprised by this attitude. Leïlana laughed.
"Long time ago... Our creator Zarkhaïm made a pact with the worst creature of the seven worlds."
Ëmie went to search for a second bottle and gave it to Arja. Arja started to listen carefully to what Leïlana had to say.
Leïlana pointed to a painting in the room. It was a painting of three creatures with wings fighting each other.
"In the beginning were only these three. Tridjan, Zarkhaïm and Archanium. They ended up fighting together, and humanity was almost extinct due to that. To preserve the world they made a pact. Archanïum would go into exile with his Gods and Zarkhaïm, our creator, was forced to accept that our bloodline will have the right to transform only one person per generation in all our eternity."
She laughed very loudly. "Archanium tricked Zarkhaïm. He counted on the fact that one day one of us would break the pact and make more than one, this day Archanium would have the legit right to return with Zarkhaïm's full support."
Then her voice became dark, low, like a deathly whisper.
"Zarkhaïm himself broke the rule. Archanium managed to kill first Jäwell, Zarkhaïm's friend, and then he killed Miroïr, Zarkhaïm's lover. Of course, Zarkhaïm could not support losing Miroïr so he broke the rule."
She sighs deeply.
"Miroïr was supposed to live hidden for the whole eternity and especially not to create anybody. If we could hide the existence of Miroïr we cannot hide forever the three of you. This is a terrible problem."
Aja answered this.
"Miroïr told me that Jäwell would scent me and try everything to awaken to kill me and Altraya. He sent me to kill Jäwell's worshippers to avoid them awakening him."
Leïlana seemed skeptical.
"If there is one thing you always must remember with these two is that the truth is never so simple. They are... Complicated. Better not be involved with them. Why Miroïr would send you here?"
Ëmie laughed, the young girl was much older and smarter than she appeared.
"For you to talk to Arja and convince her to end her life. No lineage, no proof, no mistake."
Leïlana scratched her chin. "You are probably right. Miroïr knows a lot of things, his power is far more important than mine, but if there is one thing for sure that I know is that you must die Arja. With you, free, walking in the world, Archanium will not take long before noticing an issue in our number and he will come back to earth with his gods. That would be a disaster."
Arja laughed. "You think I will accept to die so easily? I promised Altraya to come back to her."
Leïlana stared at her with a cold glaze.
"If you stay alive, there will be no Altraya to return to, no land, no people, nothing. Archanium will kill us all. I can see you praying to Yshnaa, you have her pendant around your neck. You know how the gods can be powerful."
Arja took her pendant in her hand. "Yshnaa doesn't kill humans".
Leïlana laughed and drank a bit more.
"You are not human and your creator isn't human anymore too. Arja, you must die. Do you understand? Is your life more important than the whole of humanity?"
Arja lowered her head. She didn't have the desire to survive so much. Typhon was on the other side, maybe waiting for her. Leïlana understood this expression. The expression of the woman who desires to join her beloved one on the other side.
Leïlana spoke with a soft warm voice.
"There is nothing anymore for you in this world. You don't have an objective except protecting your creator. You don't have anything else left. The dagger you took in the armory is made of a metal that could kill you without too much effort."
Arja stayed there, sitting, drinking. She was realizing how much her life was a mess.
She was tired.