Aziya:

Aziya couldn’t help but worry, all of her life she took care of her brother, now she was digging a grave for him with her own hands, she trembled everytime her shovel hit the ground. She wasn’t going to cry, crying meant weakness and in order to protect the people around her she needed to stay strong… but who was she protecting? Brald is dead. The thought kept hitting her head only drowned out by the one that kept telling her that she was alone. Aziya wiped the tear that had started forming on the edge of her eyes. Everything had been a blur to her. The wendigo, the boy, her brother's death, she felt like the world was falling onto her, but she kept her tears to herself. They threw shovels full of dirt on top of her dead brother, the emptiness she felt scared her. Then the realisation hit her, she was alone there would be no one left in her family now that she no longer had a brother. She held back a whimper, this wasn’t the end, she wouldn’t be the last to suffer, she needed to end the suffering. Aziya suddenly remembered one of the many textbooks she had read in the library that Oakira had brought her to once, “Help everyone even if they don't deserve it; Kindness will always be repaid.” Kindness… she had seen the world as a happy place, where life is preserved and peace prospered, all she saw was a massacre. In front of her the boy named Hunter had started dueling Frevor, The Soul King himself, the one who took her dear brother’s soul to make himself more powerful. She despised him, but also pitied him, someone who relied on killing to stay in power… she imagined how she would feel after taking a living being’s life, she shivered as she remembered the flying head of the monster that landed in her arms.

“I WILL TEAR YOU” Frevor roared at Hunter as his undead charged at Hunter “I WILL TEAR YOU TO PIECES SO TINY THAT EVEN FISH WILL BE UNSATISFIED WITH THE BLOOD AND FLESH THAT COMES OFF YOUR BODY”

Aziya watched in horror as Hunter pointed a black sword at Frevor and laughed, it seemed as though Hunter was having a fit as his arms shook, Hunters laugh turned to mad giggling as he raised his head he said in a quiet yet clear tone “I will not die from this, I will make you suffer for the murder of our mother”

Aziya ran to the backside of the altar and chiselled the circle into the side of it with one swing of her hammer, out of breath Ophelia appeared beside her.

“We need to get out of here” Ophelia said with a worried expression on her face “This is unusual”

Ophelia picked Aziya up without any effort except when she winced and placed her hand at her wound. “Shit, I can’t do anything with this”

“Here,” Aziya said placing her hand on the wound, Ophelia gasped as her hand started to glow, after a few seconds Aziya satisfied with the amount of energy she had spent raised her hand “That should make it better”

“Aziya… Your ability… Why would you lie about it?” Ophelia asked stunned at how precise the healing was not leaving even a scar.

“Well… I didn’t really feel comfortable with telling someone like him” Aziya tilted her head “He seemed to be the kind to like mind games”

“And you trust me?!” Ophelia put her hands on Aziya “I’m an assassin! Aziya, AN ASSASSIN!”

“I do” Aziya’s eyes lingered on the wounds that Ophelia had, as she leaned on the side of the altar

She looked around her, everyone evacuated when the undead had surfaced, and behind her laid the fight that she wanted nothing to do with. She sighed as she pushed her hair and forced it into a ponytail. She peered over the top of the Altar, and watched the bloody brawl that was being held.

“RAT!” Frevor was swinging his blade around madly as Hunter sat on a rock “I WILL CRUSH YOU”

“Mhmmm I’m sure you will” Hunter said as he raised his blade and allowed it to pierce Frevor’s chest

“I WILL BE THE HERO OF THIS KINGDOM-” Aziya watched in horror as Frevor continued his speech while spewing blood, as if he was completely unaware that Hunter had shoved a blade through his heart. “THE KING’S WILL RECOGNISE ME AS THE GREATEST”

Aziya walked toward the two bloody men “Hunter?”

“Shut up for a second” Hunter said looking tired “Let me do this”

“You… will suffer…” Frevor croaked as his legs gave up “I… will… King…”

“Repent for the suffering you have caused, Repent for being one of the murders of my mother, Repent to all the innocent that you have killed” Hunter said as if it were a prayer, raising his sword “May you suffer for eternity”

Aziya looked away, but that didn’t stop the noise from reaching her ear. *crunch* she fell to her knees as she remembered the boy that had died to the wendigo, Get the noise out… GET IT OUT. She covered her ears and closed her eyes, she didn’t want to be reminded of what happened. Suddenly she felt a hand grab her, she opened her eyes.

“Did you plan this?” Hunter’s whisper made it sound that much more threatening “Was this part of your plan from the beginning?”

“What do you mean?” Aziya couldn’t reply, she didn’t understand what was Hunter accusing her of? “Plan what?

“This is not Frevor” Hunter used his sword to knock the helmet of the Frevor “This is nowhere close to Frevor”

“B-but that is Lord Frevor?” Aziya had seen Lord Frevor visit this town many times since she was a child “What do you mean?”

Hunter stared at her for a few seconds before turning away to laugh, Aziya was concerned as Hunter seemed to have another fit. She put her hand on Hunter’s back, and immediately backed towards Ophelia’s position.

“I know you're the one helping him, Where is he hiding?” Hunter turned red tears streaked from his eyes, his eyes had turned to a deep black leaving white pupils. His voice sounded possessed as if someone was using him to talk “Where is Frevor? Where is Frevor? Where? Where is he?”

Aziya ran towards Ophelia who had gotten in a position to strike, Hunter picked his blade from the corpse and started towards her, Ophelia motioned her to the door that stood ajar. Aziya ran in the through the door rushing past Ophelia who looked behind Aziya where the second door stood ajar

“Come I’ll bring you to my pact, we need to get away from him” Ophelia said pointing at Hunter who had started a slow march towards them “The Hanged king is using him to speak into our world”

“What do you mean?” Aziya said, shutting the door behind her “Pact? How are we going to get to the central if he’s locked on to killing us?”

“Pact as in Guild that I work for” Ophelia said quietly as she fidgeted with her machine that she pulled from her luggage bag “And about our transportation, here we go”

The machine opened, gears shifting, metal rods coming into place with each other, forming a square, Ophelia pulled Aziya to her side and flicked the switch that turned the machine on “Hold on this will hurt”

Aziya landed, a rough landing as she completely fell on the ground and attempts to get up only caused her to slip again, she raised her head, tired from the day “That was a jumper portal?”

“Yes” Ophelia grabbed Aziya’s arm “I’m going to have to explain to the Leader why I needed to use it”

Aziya stood and viewed her surroundings, the building was similar to a church, but she felt something different, she walked with Ophelia to the door, for the first time Aziya got a good look at Ophelia, Her long platinum brown hair ran down to her waist, her figure was slim yet fit, and she was definitely a very attractive lady. Compared to Aziya at least, Aziya looked at her reflection in the mirrors in the hall. She saw a girl with black hair that stopped at her shoulder, her body was similar to Ophelia walking beside her. As they got to the door, Ophelia opened it and Aziya stood shocked.

“Welcome to the capital!” Ophelia said with a faint smile, pulling Aziya, which made Aziya feel like Ophelia was just to make sure she wouldn’t get lost. Nonetheless the view was breathtaking. People gathering clean streets with laughter and food everywhere. She felt safe looking at the happy crowd. Her family dreamed of coming to the capital, her deceased family she had layed everything down to protect. The tears came before she could react.

“Eh?” Tears started running down her cheeks “Why am I crying?”

Ophelia pulled Aziya into a hug, it was this moment that Aziya felt safe, she felt the warmth of protection, the comfort of safety. And for the first time in Aziya’s life she let the tears run loose without caring about her surroundings. She was alive and she was grateful she was.