Alrin and Shella walked at a good pace. All Shella could think about was how exhausted she felt inside. Her heart was racing, but she didn’t know what the cause was. She’d wonder if it was her exhaustion or maybe how she felt for Alrin. Her thoughts kept racing in her mind as Alrin finally got to the back of his small cottage. From there Shella could see various plants and foliage that he would labor away at each day.
“Come on, Shella. Right back here is where I keep them.” He leads her farther behind his home.
“Them? What do you mean?”
There was a big smile on his face. She could see how excited he was to show her something important. He stops walking and then she stops too.
He let go of her hand so he could point at what he was looking at. “Right there. You see them?” Alrin squints his eyes and points at a small group of unique elegant flowers, trying to direct Shella's line of sight. Shella tilts her head and squints her eyes as well to see what he was pointing at behind his home. “These, right over there, are special flowers. My best kept secret. You see, when the moon’s light hits them at just the right angle, they begin to glow. It’s called bioluminescence. Various colors are emitted by the plants. But unfortunately, they aren’t ready just yet. Sorry, I-I couldn’t wait any longer to tell you. So, when they are ready, I-I want you to be the first to see it. Under the light of the moon.”
In a low voice, Shella attempts to speak to him. She looked down trying to avoid eye contact. “Uh… oh… that’s nice Alrin. But I should….” She could hardly focus on the things he was saying. Her vision was almost a blur due to her exhaustion.
“They are very different from any other plant species I’ve ever encountered. Unique and …rare, unlike any plant that’s been discovered before. I managed to find them in the wild and preserve the seeds.” Alrin was so excited about telling Shella about his rare plants. He couldn’t tell just how exhausted she really was. Shella was drained mentally. All she wanted to do was to go home. Her mind was spinning and she was starting to feel an overwhelming amount of pressure in her head. Alrin just kept talking. To her it felt like a million words a minute. She made a fist with her hand. She was getting upset even though she didn’t want to. It was all too much for her emotions.
“ALRIN!” Shella didn’t want to disappoint him or hurt his feelings. But she was stressed out with the constant thoughts in her head that kept overwhelming her, along with Alrin’s talking, and her growing exhaustion, she was at her breaking point.
“Huh? ….Shella, is everyt…..” Alrin turned around. He could see Shella’s eyes burning with rage.
“You’re not listening to me. I WANT to go home. I’ve had enough of this!” Shella covers her face with her hands trying to hide the fact that her emotions were overwhelming her. Her hands began to shake. She thought about what she just yelled out at Alrin. She swallows hard, trying desperately to hold back any more words that were about to slip out of her mouth. She felt horrible inside after yelling at him. Tears began to swell up in her eyes. She weeps and realizes that she is about to cry. She didn’t want Alrin to see her in that state. She quickly turns around and runs away from Alrin’s home toward the direction of her house.
Alrin was left standing there, wondering if he had done something wrong.
Shella opens the door to her home and immediately shuts it closed behind her. She leaned her body on the door and slowly slid down to the floor. She collapsed there, in front of her door, unable to move her body another inch due to her tiredness. She sat there on the floor with tears running down her face. She was breathing hard and her hands were shaking. “I’m so tired. Arghhh Alrin, why did you not listen to me? I told you. I told you I just wanted to go home!” She kept wiping the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She couldn’t stop herself from crying. She didn’t know exactly why she was crying. But she knew she was extremely exhausted both mentally and physically.
The house haunts her each day that passes. She can imagine her little brother any moment now bursting through the door with a big smile on his face, singing at the top of his lungs because he loved to sing but now nothing. His voice will never be heard from again. The silence was killing her. Then she would imagine the gentleness of her father. He would come through the door with a big elegant yellow flower in hand for her. He would give it to her and she would smell it and thank him for it. Now, there was no flower. Her father was gone.
She didn’t have the energy to get herself back up from where she’d collapsed at, right in front of her front door. Her mind was spinning, it was impossible for her to sleep. Her heart wouldn't stop racing, including her thoughts. She couldn’t keep her inner thoughts quiet long enough for her to truly focus. She just kept jumping from one thought to another. “I could have done something, I could have protected them. It’s all my fault. I should have done more. And now… now they're gone.” Shella begins to sob, no longer concerned with wiping the tears from her face. She just let the tears flow and fall to the floor around her. To her it felt like an endless waterfall.
“I do not know what grandpa sees in me. I’m…. I’m nothing but a failure. Why train at all? I could not save you, Corri. Father would have been…. disappointed in me. I do not deserve to be an Aleeyah warrior. I should tell grandpa Kiev that I quit. I no longer want to train with him!” Hours went by as the sun began to set. Shella just sat there, feeling empty inside. The tears finally dried up.
“Why? Why do I feel this way?” After her heart stopped racing, she eventually convinced herself to get up and she collapsed once again in her bed. It was stuffed with straw and feathers. It wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep but she needed to make the most of what she had. She would lay there for hours, unable to turn her thoughts off, unable to get herself to sleep.
With only her grandfather left, it was up to her to keep the farm going. Her grandfather would come by from time to time to help her out. However, all the daily tasks for her to have food on her table was all up to her. With most of her time being consumed by training, it was tough for her to keep up to date with everything that needed to be done on the farm. Some tasks were neglected at times. Her grandfather would notice and tried his best as a loving gesture to help her out. There were moments that she didn’t feel like getting up. She felt like there was no point, putting herself down, completely feeling depressed about the loss of her family.
The next morning she heard a knock at her door. And in came her grandfather to check up on her. When she would leave training upset, he would make it a priority to give her a visit the next day. Grandfather Kiev wanted to make sure she was alright. She would use her blanket to cover her face, trying to block the light from the sun. She moans frustrated at the fact that she didn’t want to get herself up.
“I’m making you some tea, my angel!” He yells out to her from the kitchen.
“Thank you grandpa!” She says in a drowsy manner. Once the tea was ready he asked her to come join him. Shella got up and sat down at a small table near the large pot that was boiling the tea. He pours her a cup full of warm steamy tea.
“Have you eaten yet, child?” Her grandfather asks her in a loving tone. He understood Shella’s mind and her emotions. He was patient with her and gave her the time to express herself freely.
“No… Not yet.” He could tell just by looking at Shella’s face that she was consumed by sorrow. Shella takes a quick sip of her tea when he hands it to her. She almost burns herself.
“Hey! Careful Shella, it's very hot. Take your time.” He sat down next to her and looked at her eyes. “How much sleep did you get last night?” He knew she had trouble sleeping at times.
“Hmmm.” She takes a sip of her grandfather’s delicious tea. It made her feel good inside, at least for a moment. Then she thought about his question. “Uh… Not much, but I did get a little bit of sleep.” Grandfather Kiev nods as he takes a sip of his tea.
“I feel like I need to tell you this.” Shella looked at her grandfather. He looked very concerned and worried. “When you finally leave on your journey to find the Chosen One, I will start to train the young people in the village.”
“Oh, what? Why? You think I cannot find the Chosen One on my own or something? Grandpa about training ....” Shella puts her cup of tea down trying to process what he just said, while also trying to tell him that she no longer had interest in training. But her grandfather quickly interrupts her.
“That's not it. I didn’t say that Shella. Listen.” He takes a quick sip of the hot herbal tea and continues. “This village needs more than underground bunkers. Like I said before, the people here are very concerned about the safety of their families.”
“Because of The Invasion, right?”
“Yes, Shella. And the more people trained in combat the better. But only for the defense of this village. In your journey you will come across other villages that have become abandoned. That is due to the presence of the Dark One.”
“If these villages are abandoned, then where do the people go?” Shella had a concerned look on her face as she looked deeply into Grandfather Kiev’s eyes.
“There are still a number of strong kingdoms out there that exist. I told you about the downfall of the ancient Kingdom of Inibera. However, there are more. Many have decided to flee to those places and seek refuge. These kingdoms train warriors to defend against the Darkness warriors. Aleeyah fighters are also trained in one or two of these kingdoms as well.”
“Wait. So you're telling me the ancient fighting style that you're teaching me now, that's being taught regularly to others in these kingdoms?”
“Yes, and no. You see over the years, the style could be modified and changed. I can only teach you what I know. But a modern day Aleeyah warrior might not fight exactly the same way you fight.”
“THIS IS INCREDIBLE!” Shella got excited. And a spark of hope was seen in her eyes.
“What? What’s incredible, child? What are you even raving about?” Grandfather Kiev scratches his head confused as to what Shella was even talking about.
“Grandpa, it's incredible to hear that there are people out there that are Aleeyah warriors like me.”
“Your training Shella is not even close to being complete. At the moment, you're not an official Aleeyah warrior. You need to slow yourself down. I didn't even explain everything to you just yet.”
“There’s more you have to tell me about these kingdoms? This is a lot to take in all at one time grandpa.”
“Yes there’s more Shella. You see, the kingdoms that train Aleeyah warriors have a ceremony, it is their rite of passage. They must prove themselves worthy of a prestigious mission. Only the top warriors, usually only two, both a male and female, are chosen to leave the kingdom.”
“Leave the kingdom? Why?” Shella takes a quick sip of her tea.
“Well, if they come out on top more than their peers, their mission is to work together and find two things. The Diamond of Light or as many know it to be the Diamond of Inibera, and the Chosen One.”
“Huh, so what you're telling me grandpa is that, right now, at this very moment, there are people out there searching for the Chosen One?”
“Yes Shella.” Shella stares off into the distance as she puts her cup of tea down.
“Then what's the point? …..Why should I be out there searching too?”
“This is important. Pay close attention my angel. I have a strong feeling that those other people will never find the Chosen One.”
“What? You suddenly think this is all a lie and the Chosen One does not even exist grandpa?”
“Shella! I did not say that. What I am saying is, you are going to be the one to find that person, the Chosen One.”
“Whoa. Grandpa.” Shella puts her hands in the air wondering if her grandfather was thinking straight. “What makes you believe that I will find this person? Me. Shella. Why exactly are you even sure of all this?”
“I just have a feeling that is all.” Grandfather Kiev takes a deep breath.
“A feeling!?” Shella scratches her head confused. “Okay. This is all sounding very strange grandpa. You cannot just go by a feeling. That is ridiculous.”
“That is not ridiculous. You know what is ridiculous? Your bad battle stance.”
“Hey! I practice my battle stance almost everyday…. Almost.” Grandfather Kiev and Shella both looked at each other and began laughing. Shella felt good inside when she was able to talk to her grandfather. She trusted him with her emotions.
“Shella.” Grandfather Kiev stopped laughing and said her name seriously. That’s when Shella stopped as well and looked at his serious face. “I believe it is time to reveal to you an important tool, a weapon, that the Aleeyah warriors use. You're at the point of your training that it is necessary to show you. You’re at the tail end of the first half of my training.”
“What is it, grandpa?” She was extremely curious. She wanted to know so badly what this ‘weapon’ was.
“I know you’ve been stressed out lately with the duties of the farm. I know you’ve also been struggling with your training. But cheer up. Soon things will improve for you. I know it will. I’m giving you space but I know not to leave you on your own for too long.”
“Grandpa…. I’m…” Shella looked down at her cup of tea. She was trying to apologize for all the times she walked away during training when she was struggling. She wanted to explain to him that she didn’t want to disappoint him, that’s why she would keep coming back to continue her training the next day.
“Shella, I do not like it when you isolate yourself from others when you are feeling emotionally overwhelmed. That is the reason why I come by, why I visit and check up on you.”
“I know grandpa… thank you.” Shella got up, closed her eyes, and gave him a strong hug.
While they were in a warm loving embrace he spoke to her. “Tomorrow, early in the morning, meet me at the training grounds. Your new weapon will be waiting.”80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSiK9jwZhZQ
