Arine

I was in so much trouble. After the incident, Olaf brought me back to the infirmary and a petite woman carried out a multitude of tests on me. I felt like shit. My life meant nothing anymore, I was only a puppet for Jenna and a disturbance in the eye of anyone else.

After some time, the nurse finished and I was left alone, not for long though as a short while later Olaf, Eli’s mom, and Mister Sirus appeared. At least I didn’t kill that girl. I don’t know how I would have lived, knowing my actions took someone's life. Still, she was seriously injured, with multiple broken bones and it would be quite a while before she would be able to live a normal life again.

They didn’t even let me drown in my misery, immediately the interrogate started. I didn’t listen, their word passed me. Why couldn’t they just leave me alone? I knew how badly I fucked up, I didn’t need anyone reminding me.

“Arine, are you listening?... Arine!” It was Eli’s mother. I hadn't had the strength to look her in the eyes. Disappointing her, for some reason, was just as bad as disappointing Eli. Would she still let me see Eli? What if they thought I’m too dangerous and have me expelled or locked up…

“Arine!”

“Yes.” I said barely loud enough for me to her.

“So Arine, when you first arrived, you told me that you’re an orphan and just recently discovered your Magic abilities... That was obviously a lie, ” Mister Sirius told me with this stone-cold expression. He didn't sound angry, just sad. “When I was your age something similar happened to me. My parents died after a failed assault. When I saw them being attacked and so helpless, something changed inside me and my magic first manifested. Sadly it was too late for my parents, I couldn’t do any more for them.

“I know how people in your situation feel. So I obtained this scholarship for you... Please tell me it wasn't all for nothing” - his expression told me I was a failure to him too - “please Arine.”

“I… I…,” I couldn’t bring myself to speak. It was so hard looking back at everything that has happened. Eli's mother was about to say something when the door opened and another person stepped into the room. It was Eli.

“Eli.” I couldn’t believe it.

“Ari, ” she said rushing towards me, “tell me you’re alright, please. I was so worried about you.”

It felt good being in her arms. I needed it. The calming effect, Elis warmth, they could take away some of the pain. “Eli... I’m so... so glad you're here.” I said sniffled through her shoulder.

Eli’s mom was very attentive watching our exchange, “Well, Eli. It’s nice that you want to be there for your friend, but we need to have a conversation with Arine.”

“What? Don’t you see? She’s in no position to answer anyone's questions.” Eli barked back to her. Eli’s mom was about to say something when Olaf put a hand on her shoulder.

“Mara, give it a rest. I think your daughter is right. Arine is probably the most affected from all of us. Let’s give her a rest shall we?” he smiled at her.

Eli’s mom wasn’t to please with it but ultimately, she agreed. In general, she seemed nice enough, at least to me. Only once or twice did I felt something about her was odd, this was one of those moments. I didn’t pay them any mind though as Eli trusted her and she had to know her mother best.

Mister Sirus was next to speak,  in a stern voice, her said, “Good, we will give you a while to sort your thought, but Arine... Please be cooperative afterward.” With that, the three left us to our own.

For a while, we didn’t say anything. I just layed there, being held in Eli’s arms. The last time I was this close to a girl, was when I comforted my ex after an argument with her parents. Only that I was now the one being held and comforted. There were so many emotions inside me, it was hard to tell what I was feeling. When I finally calmed down, Eli took me by my shoulders, “Arine, you need to tell them whatever happ….” She stopped mid-sentence. Something stole her breath.

“Ari.. your.. your eye… it’s… it’s violet...”

“Wha-” I sprung from the bed and used the sink mirror to get a closer look at myself. Eli was right, my right eye was violet and not only violet but a dark mist was also moving behind it, like clouds forming on a storm.

Dropping onto the bed again I clung onto Eli and tried to forget, forget about this world, about Jenna, about what happened. When there was a light knock on the door sometime later, I already felt a lot more like myself again.

Olaf, Mister Sirus, and Eli’s mom, Mara entered the room again. Taking a deep breath I prepared myself to tell them everything that happened. From the first time I felt watched, to the bus accident, the events before the forest. The only thing I left out was the necklace. If I told them about it, they would surely take it from me. But without it, Jenna would know something was wrong. It was her connection to me after all.

“Jenna.” She said, her hands balled into fists. “Arine, undress.”

“But-”

“NOW.” Her voice was filled with fury. With a bit more control over herself, she added, “I need to see the runes on your back.”

So I did. I took my shirt off and turned around, giving everyone a good of view of my back. The room was dead silent. I looked up to Eli and found her truly horrified, was it really that bad? Her mom, on the other hand, looked like she was ready to murder someone.

Olaf was the first to regain his composure, “If what you tell is true, then these are truly terrible news. Arine, I understand that this all must take a great toll on you. But you mustn’t bear this burden alone anymore. Everything will be alright.” He offered a reassuring smile.

Mister Sirus looked thoroughly devastated. Throughout the whole time I told my tail, he had to hold back tears once or twice. And now, after he saw my back, he couldn't hold back anymore. “Arine, I’m so, so sorry. Had I known what happened to you I… I… I should have never doubted you.”

I felt sorry for him, none of this was his fault but he clearly took it too heart. It is a strange thing to say but in a way, he reminded me of my dad.

“Arine, please wait here. The others and I have a few things to discuss.” Eli’s mom said after she too, cooled down a bit. “Eli, you’re coming to.” It wasn’t a request but an order. Eli squeezed my hand once more before she left with the others.

After this whole ordeal I felt… better? For the first time in a long while, there was hope, actual, tangible hope.

 

---

 

Elinora

It didn’t feel right leaving Arine there, alone. I wanted to be there for her, be the friend she needed right now. Still, now I sat here in Olaf's office and waited for them to inaugurate me into whatever they knew.

“Do you know what happened to Arine? Can you help her?”

“One step after another, ” Mister Sirus said, “do you know what the rune on Arines back mean?”

“No.” No, I didn’t know. But I would never forget her back, the endless wounds, the blood from her newly ripped open scars. As if someone drew a picture with ten thousand lashes. A picture that was forever burned into my mind. I struggled to understand how and why someone, anyone would do such a thing to a person.

“To start thing off, ” Sirus continued, “the rune you saw is a vessel rune, a soul vessel rune to be precise.”

“So this, Jenna woman wanted to bind Arines soul to something?” I asked and now my mother was the one to speak and correct me.

“Not exactly, the rune was not meant to bind Arine's soul but to bend someone's soul to Arines body and by the looks of it… they were partly successful.”

“I don’t understand, why would Jenna want that? What would she gain from it and who’s soul would she-”

“Eli, please.” My mother said with the wave of a hand, “it’s a long story, so… where to start?”

And so, Olaf, Mister Sirus, and my mom took turns explaining to me the story of Zeres Shiva, Goddess of destruction and Zallas Sypha, Goddess of protection. A long time ago, when the world was still in balance and the people were deeply connected with their spirits, the gods of this world stood in close contact with its people. Two of these gods were Zeres and Zallas, two sisters, different as night and day.

Together they guided the world and ensured the balance of this world. Each had a priestess, represent them on Amebria. Alida Shiva was the first priestess of Zeres, Goddess of destruction. Palliva Sypha the first priestess of Zallas, Goddess of protection. Together they kept the balance of this world for several hundred years. Until one day, madness overtook Zeres, she lost herself and started on a quest to eradicate all life in Amebria.

With every life she took, every village she burned, and every life she destroyed, her madness grew. Zallas saw no other way, to stop her sister's rampage, she had to banish her. Through the help of her priestess, she used Zeres connection to this world, Aldina Shiva to banish her soul into another realm. A realm where she shall never return from. 

Yet, her decision was not without sacrifice. To banish her sister, she had to remove her connection to this world first. Assigning her own priestess of protection, Erina Sypha, to end the life of her very best friend, Aldina Shiva.

Aldina knew very well what was to come. There wasn’t a fight, she knew it had to be done. She knew Erina could never live knowing she killed her best friend, so when the two meet, she took her knife and did, what Erina never could forgive herself for. She died in the arms of her friend, her last breath granting Erina access to her soul. And with this last act of friendship, Erina with Zallas help was able to grasp Zere's soul and banish it into a blank grimoire, a book that would be later known a the grimoire of Zeres.

A long search for a safe place ensured a place where no one would be able to get a hold onto Zeres grimoire. When she found it, she vanished, never to be seen again. And with Erina's disappearance, so disappeared Zallas. Many say that Zallas could never cope with the loss of her sister and so she turned her back onto this world. Ever since, Zeres grimoire is buried deep down in Alos ancient library, right underneath the Aterium.

“Today only the descendants of those pristeress remain, Arine and you, Eli.” My mother concluded. “As for Zeres grimoire, not many know it exists, less even where it lays. You, Eli, are now one of the very few people who do.” I was so absorbed into her story that it took a while for me to process things right again.

Wait, my surname is Sypha

All the information came crashing down onto me, what would this me for me, what would this mean for Arine? My brain was working overtime making sense of all the different things I just learned. So many scenarios were playing before my mind's eye, one worse than the other, was there truly hope for Arine?

“So, what do we do, we have to do something? We can’t just leave Arine t-”

“Breath Eli, breath, you’re hyperventilating.” Mom was right, all this stirred me up so much. They were experienced mages, they knew what to do. Even if I couldn’t think of anything, they surely had a plan. Anyway, after calming down one question still plagued my mind. 

“Mom? What if we help Arine get rid of… this vessel thing? Can she get her old body back? Can she get her old l-” I didn’t need to finish. I had my answer. The faces of everyone told the truth. No matter how successful we were in fighting Zeres and Jenna, Arine was stuck here.

Stuck with this body she hated, stuck without her family, her friends. And the worst of all was the false hope she had. The hope I saw in her eyes when Olaf told her everything would be alright. It was a lie, he knew it then and I know it now. The severity of her situation leed me to a whole nother set of thoughts. Why didn’t I freak out more when my mom first appeared, why was I so nonchalant about this all? Why was I even okay with this at times? Is there something wrong with me? Wasn’t I betraying Arine like this...

“Eli... Eli...” It was a while until I noticed Mister Sirius was violently shaking me back and forth. “Eli are you still here?”

“Oh, yeah… just thinking about… stuff” This wasn’t good, I couldn’t let myself fall into the same pit Arine was in. I needed to be strong, I needed to be there for her. Self-pity was the last thing I or Arine needed from me right now.

“You know Eli, it is no coincidence that you care so deeply for Arine.” Mom said, giving me a reassuring smile. “Even without the connection to Zallas or Zeres, the bond between the priestess successors still persists.

“However, the thing we should worry about most right now is Jenna and her cult.” The others still looked so oppressed by Arine's fate, me being no exception. But she was right, we had to worry about the world first and Arine second, no matter how much it pained me. We had to focus on Jenna and her cult… cult…

“Wait, Jenna isn’t alone on this?” This was getting worse and worse, how is this even possible? Slowly I began to understand how Arine must have felt this whole time. It wasn’t a nice feeling.

“Yes, Jenna“ - she spoke her name with so much disdain it was unnerving - “has a cult around her… Well, it’s not exactly her cult, she was born into it.”

I got the feeling my mother and Jenna knew each other but I wasn’t about to prey. Whatever my mother had to say about Jenna wouldn’t be nice and I already had had enough bad news for the day.

I was about to make my way back to Arine, when my mother stopped me, “You know that you can’t tell Arine any of this?”

I didn’t answer. I just looked at the floor, I knew.

“Good.” - She put a hand on my shoulder - “You may go now and comfort your friend.” I didn’t want her touch, it was strange. Normally I was getting so ecstatic every time I got into contact with my mother, but now? Now I felt nothing, I just wanted to be gone, locking myself inside a room with Arine and turning the world off.

It took a great deal of courage to open to door to the infirmary. I stepped through the door and sat myself beside Arine, to my surprise, she was the one to hug me this time.

“Oh Eli. I’m, so glad” - She sniffled into my armpits - “Soon this nightmare will end.” She said as tears were running down her face. Not tears of desperation, no. These tears weren’t of sadness. These were tears of joy. Joy from the hope she had and it killed me inside. How could I deny her the hope she so desperately needed? I wanted to tell her, tell her the truth, but I couldn’t. Not because my mother didn’t want me too, but because it would shatter her. Never had I seen her so happy and with every passing sob of happiness, the anger inside me grew. No matter what feud my mom had with Jenna, I would be the one to kill her.