Crowned 4 - Petty Villainy

 

CHAPTER 4

Elvira blinked at the hand held out – was she supposed to take it? Clap against it? Or run away from it? Why would someone be kind to her for no apparent reason?

The last time people chose kindness with her, she hurt them for not keeping up with their expectations. What did these two expect from her? She had nothing on herself except for a torn dress, a broken stick and a crushed piece of paper.

“W-with you?” Elvira asked, “What do you do?”

Kaeo shrugged and Kairo waved a hand in her face, feigning nonchalance.

“Not to brag or anything…” Kairo started.

“But we’re sort of big…” Kaeo continued.

“We’re going to conquer the world, you see.”

“We are super villains!” Kaeo exclaimed.

“Not really!” Kairo rushed to explain, “Super villains have a territory to rule. We do not have that—”

“--we’re working on that.” Kaeo interrupted.

“We will be super villains, one day. We’re just villains for now, umm—petty villains.”

A smile broke onto Elvira’s face. She nodded in understanding. They were being kind to her because they were societal rejects as well – probably because their brain wasn’t in the right place.

“Linch killing villains?” Elvira asked, amused.

“Oh that? That was for research purposes,” Kaeo shrugged, pointing his free hand back at the Linch Cliff.

“What research?” Elvira urged, concluding their lack of normalcy.

“The world conquering kind,” Kairo whispered, jade eyes narrowed with conspiracy.

“Are you sure you should be telling me that?” Elvira exhaled, exasperated. She took off her hand from her neck and let go of the stick, quite instinctively.

“Of course, you don’t seem harmful.” Kaeo said as he stepped forward and patted her back (since she did not take his hand).

Elvira scoffed. “You’re awfully trustworthy for being villains.” She had read stories; textbook villains did not work like that.

“She called us awful,” Kairo whispered and shared a fist-bump with Kaeo.

“Don’t worry, if you ever seem threatening, we’ll kill you instantly,” Kaeo grinned.

So…the reason they chose to be kind was because she had no magic. “Ha…” Elvira scoffed, “How reassuring.”

“We look out for our underlings.” Kaeo stated, in a business-like tone.

“Not that we have any.” Kairo urged to add.

“Doesn’t mean we won’t have any.” Kaeo snapped.

Kairo nodded, “True that.”

“Unless, you become our first!” Kaeo proposed.

There was an eager earnestness in his eyes that set Elvira’s heart aflutter. Startled by his kindness, Elvira looked away. The tips of her ears were beginning to blush but her stomach beat them to attention. It produced the most strangled cry for food that Elvira had to physically strangle its non-existent throat.

“Oh—I’m sorry,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“Nothing to apologise for, let’s go!”

Kairo nodded and with a snap of his fingers a brilliant magic circle appeared underneath the three. It dazzled under the sun, captivating Elvira’s attention, and before she knew it, they were standing in the middle of a busy bazar. Her eyes widened at the sudden change and her hands rushed to cover her flaws but with another snap of Kairo’s fingers, the three of them were dressed in black overalls with matching black hats and ginger hair.

“Isn’t he so useful?” Kaeo grinned, ruffling Kairo’s hair.

“He is overtiming with this magic,” Elvira scoffed as she looked down to observe her clothes. She had a black turtleneck on which was long enough to cover her neck and thin enough to survive the vengeful afternoon sun. Her legs were clad in loose black pants and comfortable heeled shoes. “Your spells are to die for…” Elvira mumbled, mesmerised by the details.

“Kairo is brilliant. Maybe one of the reasons why he isn’t able to ascend to Class SS is because I keep using him like that,” Kaeo grinned.

“Yeah, Enhancer Types are usually inherently selfish,” Elvira snorted.

“It’s okay, Kae will pay me with his life,” Kairo grinned back.

Elvira was taken aback by the nonchalance of the promise. “Where are we?” she asked, looking around at the bustling square. Even in the harshest of afternoons, people were buzzing with life. The streets were lined with shops and stalls, while adults and children alike clamoured for new products and bargained for the old.

“D’amar Square,” Kairo replied.

“They have the best noodles.” Kaeo informed.

“What…what continent are we on?” Elvira asked, frowning at the bright sun and dry wind threatening to suck the non-existent moisture out of her.

“Kalmia, land of the shapeshifters.”

Suddenly, the bright grinning faces made sense.

Kaeo led them across the street and inside a small, dimly lit, restaurant. The interior was cold and damp, walls a dark brown in colour and furniture made out of hardwood wood. The spicy scent of well-made noodles held a chokehold on every nook and cranny.

They took a seat in a farther corner, Elvira with her back towards the wall and the brothers facing her.

“Umm…I must confess…” Elvira hesitated as she began, “I don’t have money.” She whispered.

Kaeo and Kairo leaned in as they whispered in sync, “It’s okay, neither do we. But villains don’t have to pay. Watch and learn.”

Kaeo leaned back and called, “Lizzy, get me three large bowls with extra toppings!”

“They’re all Lizard-folk shapeshifters,” Kairo explained.

“Wouldn’t they be weary of us…? We’re different than them.” Elvira said, biting on her lower lip with hesitation.

“They won’t know. Illusion spells are rare to master and Kairo has perfected them.” Kaeo stated, fanning hands around his brother’s face.

“Wah…you are all amazing…” Elvira grinned, putting two thumbs up in their faces. She wished she was half as excellent as them…but all she could do was be a freeloader to them. She did not want that. “Is there something I can do? To help?” Elvira asked, leaning over the table.

“Of course, you’re our first recruit in the World Domination plan! You’ll be working plenty from now on, so eat a lot first,” Kaeo said.

Elvira sniffled.

A red haired and thin-yellow-eyed woman placed three bowls of noodles on the table before walking away.

 “Hold up now,” Kairo said. With his fingers, he drew a line on the table, connecting the three bowls. The line left a faint green glow. In the centre, Kairo drew a circle and started drawing symbols around it. As soon as he was done, the lines glowed a brilliant green before disappearing. “A simple illusion spell, the bowls will appear filled as long as we’re here. They don’t take money unless we eat,” Kairo explained.

“And they ask foreigners to pay at service,” Kaeo pointed out.

Sure enough, Elvira saw the waitress counting coins a few tables away while the food bowls were balanced on a tray in her hand, steaming hot.

“Can you not create an illusion of money, instead?” Elvira asked, frowning.

“I can, but it would disappear too quickly. The duration of the spell in codependent to its intensity and the range of the caster.” Upon seeing Elvira’s stupefied look, Kairo chuckled before elaborating, “For example, I’m here and I create an illusion of a pebble then it will disappear as soon as I am out of range, which for it would be the door of this place. How do you calculate range? It is the density of the created object multiplied by the mass. In simpler terms, big objects have a larger range and duration in comparison to smaller objects.”

“Let’s just eat,” Kaeo said.

“Yeah, you do you,” Elvira sniffled and shoved a bite in her mouth—like the starved woman she was. It had been so long since she had eaten…she felt bliss capture her soul as she scarfed down the rich broth with thick noodles, each bite more fulfilling than the last.

“Spells are an intricate art…and science,” Kairo sighed, staring at the two hungry souls beside him, “You’ll never understand.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, I don’t want to,” Kaeo mumbled in-between bites.

As soon as they were done eating, the trio got up and left the restaurant, as stealthily as they had arrived.

“So, how long will the illusion last?” Elvira asked.

“For about ten stris,” Kairo replied, “We can be out of the Square by then.”

“Thank you for the meal…” Elvira said before a burp escaped her mouth, “This was so good…ugh! Ah-ha! Now that we’re done with petty villainy, what are we doing next?”

Kairo and Kaeo narrowed their eyes at her, expressing disappointment.

“What?” Elvira asked, eyes widened.

“Is there somewhere you have to go?”

“Oh! That reminds me!” Elvira rummaged her pockets and was surprised to find the piece of paper in them. Again, surprised by the finesse of Kairo’s magic, she took out the paper and showed it to them, “Here, do you know where this is? It was taped to my thigh; I found it after I woke up.”

“Hmm… Dowdry Lane, never heard of it…”

“FX83551…is it an address or a code?”

“All I know is that the handwriting is similar to my bestfriend’s, back home.”

“It’s alright, once we take over the world, we will have all the resources to find your pretty little lane!” Kaeo exclaimed.

“Wah…you have too many things on your agenda.” Elvira scoffed.

“Pfft…what do you mean? We only have two things on our agenda!” Kairo exclaimed.

“Yeah, see,” Kaeo held up a finger, “World Domination,” Then he held up another, “Find Dowdry Lane.”

“Easy!”

“How kind,” Elvira pressed her lips in a smile.

“Okay, now that you’re with us, we’ll let you in on our research secret,” Kaeo began.

They were walking amidst the crowd, barely keeping track of each other by their striking hair colours.

“Are you sure it’s the right time and place?”

“There’s a time for everything if you make it—”

Suddenly, the bustling street darkened and the glaring sun disappeared into a haze.

“W-w-what’s happening…?” Elvira stuttered, frowning at the skies above.

People began disappearing from her vision until all she could see were Kairo and Kaeo closing in. Was it one of their villain tricks? Elvira stood corrected as she spotted the harsh frown on Kaeo’s forehead and the panic surging Kairo’s eyes.

“Remember how we’re not super villains?” Kaeo began.

“That’s because there’s someone above us, the one with territory.” Kairo continued.

“The real super villain.”

“Stay behind, it is a trap.”

Kairo pulled Elvira behind him as Kaeo stood in front of her, with his back to her face. They were trapped in a cage of darkness and Elvira could barely even see her hand. Yet, she could feel the warmth exuding the two bodies she was trapped in between.

“Can you see it?” Kairo asked.

“Yes, but—”

“Don’t worry, leave them to me. Take her and run.”

“W-w-what are you talking about? What is there? What is happening?” Elvira stuttered.

Kaeo turned to face her and Elvira squirmed upon sighting his glowing sapphire eyes. He was an Enhancer Type mage so it made sense that he could enhance his vision to see all that Elvira could not. “Don’t worry, do you mind?” he asked, eyes wandering over Elvira’s scared face.

Odd gurgling noises birthed around them.

“Mi-mind what?” Elvira asked, hoping he wouldn’t sacrifice her.

“This.” Kaeo wrapped an arm around her waist, picked her up and flung her over his shoulder. “I’m counting on you, Kai.” He shouted as he began running with a yelping Elvira on him.

“Always,” Kairo said. He raised a hand and a magic circle appeared over it, enlarging until it covered the darkness and illuminated it a brilliant familiar green.

Hanging and bouncing, all Elvira could see was the green spell interacting with the darkness, eliciting fiery embers and disgruntled cries in their path. Her eyes widened in realisation as she caught sight of a thin, sharp claw-like hand being burned by Kairo’s spell.

“They’re Kindlers, creatures of the darkness. The darker it gets, the stronger they become. Their bite spreads their cause. But, but, they cannot survive under sunlight or moonlight, which is just reflected sunlight—so, they are either found in the depths of oceans or underground or within dense forests. It’s impossible to see Kindlers on land, in broad daylight, unless someone had been harbouring them in an illusion of absolute darkness.” Elvira said, remembering the textbook pages of her Creatures of God Book II, ed. 12.

“Brilliant, you win a back-pat!” Kaeo grinned and patted Elvira’s back, “They’re his favourite pets. Perfect minions of death.”

“His?”

“Yeah, our father’s.”

Crowned 3 - meeting the villains.

 

CHAPTER 3

Elvira, covered in mud, Linch dung and blood, ran across the forest floor like a fly trying to escape a spiderweb. More than a dozen Linchs used more than a million of their legs to chase her, wreaking havoc on the forest floor.

The ground trembled beneath her feet. The trees shook, the berries fell, some Linchs sprouted wings and began buzzing behind her.

“This is an evolutionary crimeeeeeee!!!” Elvira cried as she propelled herself forward with no regard for safety or a sense of direction in tow. Panic surged within her being; her feet felt like molten sticks detached from her body but supportive nonetheless.

All she did was run towards the blue in the sky, hoping it would lead her to the edge.

And to her surprise, it did. Lead her. To the edge of a CLIFF.

Even if she were to jump, the ones with the wings would catch her. Still, she couldn’t die being Linch food—just because she had no magic to her fate did not mean that she would die such a horrible death! Being drained out of her blood, no less. No.

Elvira shivered as she sped forward. The edge of the cliff was in sight. And so was the rocky terrain, not too distant, of another cliff. It was Amoris’ land and she would be illegally crossing borders if she jumped.

“I will deal with jail if I live to tell the tale!” Elvira coaxed herself.

The creatures were catching up. Her hands and feet got clammy, nonetheless, she tightened her grip around the wood and paper. One jump and she could live to see another day. One jump and maybe she could see Zinna again. This couldn’t be how she would end. So, Elvira took a leap of faith – quite literally.

Though, just as she flung up in the air, her breath hitched as two shooting stars zoomed past her side – one blue and the other green. Were they people? Mages?

Elvira couldn’t spare a thought as she lunged at the rocky cliff and grabbed a hold of its edge before she could fall to her death. Small rocks fell from where her hand had grabbed the coarse stones. She heard the rocks knock against cold hard ground and shatter.

Elvira gulped.

She did not have the gall to look down.

Her left hand was already hurting. She couldn’t propel herself upwards without using both hands.

But she could only hold on for so long.

The flying Linchs should have gotten her by now…what happened?

Reluctantly, Elvira turned her head.

Elvira gasped as what her peripherals witnessed amazed her senses beyond belief.

The shooting stars hadn’t been an illusion of near death and extreme dehydration — no, they had been actual people! Two mages, sweeping and slashing the Linchs like they were big bags of hay tied together. In mere seconds, the army of Linchs following her had been wiped out. The duo stood in mauve remains as wind fluttered past their blue and green robes.

“Did you get them all?” one of them asked as he superficially dusted his blue clothes.

“Uh-hm, there should have been twenty but I only have nineteen samples.” The other replied as he looked up and turned to spot Elvira hanging off the Amoris cliff. “Ah, there’s our twentieth.” He stated.

“A little help…please?” Elvira called out.

“Why not?” the mage in blue grinned. He tipped himself off the edge of Linch Cliff and floated over the gap, upside down, like a feather. His dark hair caught the sun and shadowed his sapphire blue eyes, which stared directly in Elvira’s dull auburn gaze. There was no magic circle around him, neither did his full rosy limps seem to be chanting a spell.  With practiced elegance, he landed on the Amoris Cliff.

“Woahhh…” Elvira gasped, “Enhancer Type?”

“Induced, Class Double S!” he replied, thick dark brows raised and mouth in a grin.

“No way! That’s so cool! I have only ever met a S before! My father is Enhancer Type, Induced, Class S.”

“Wha!” the blue mage gasped, “Where does he induce it?”

“Strength, mostly,” Elvira grinned.

“Cannot say the same about you.” The other mage whispered right behind Elvira’s ear.

“ARAHHA!”

Caught off-guard, Elvira let go of the cliff and fell. She yelped, expecting to fall into the abyss and be impaled by dry, hard, rocks. But she was quite surprised when her feet touched a solid ground. Gasping, Elvira looked down as found herself standing on a brilliant green magic circle, pressed against its owner. She turned to glare at him.

“That was vile!” Elvira snapped.

“Look brother, she complimented us!” he laughed, blonde hair catching the sun in an iridescent halo.

“Ha-ha! You’re so funny,” the blue mage grinned, eyes brightened by the comedy of Elvira’s life and death.

Elvira sucked in a harsh breath, processing his jade eyes and amusing gaze piercing through her skull.

“If you’re done resting on me, may we get the Linch blood off you?” the green mage asked. He had a thin mouth and a triangular face with sharper features, in comparison of his brother’s more rounded features.

Elvira blinked and jolted out of his personal space. “What? Blood? Yes-yes, yes please!” she replied, partially flustered and partially grateful.

The mage nodded and with a snap of his fingers a green magic circle appeared over Elvira’s head. She was captivated by the purity in its colour and the clarity of the symbols revolving around the circle. It gently passed over her body, elevating her of all the mud, dirt, moss, Linch dung and blood. As the circle reached the bottom of her feet, it disappeared and a mauve vial appeared in the mage’s hand.

“Conjuror Type?”

“Spells, Class S. Kairo.”

“Kairo?” Elvira blinked as the magic circle levitated underneath her.

“That’s my name.”

“And I’m Kaeo!” the blue mage grinned as he helped Elvira off the magic circle and grimaced at the sight of her gashed hand. He looked up at Kairo and the green mage nodded.

“I’m Elvira!” she introduced with a smile on her face before jumping off the circle and landing on Amoris’ territory.

Kaeo smiled back while Kairo took a hold of Elvira’s left hand and placed a magic circle over it.

“Why were you banished?” Kairo asked as the open gashes on her hand began closing up.

“Huh? Banished?” Elvira turned to face him.

“You have the mark on your neck. You didn’t know?” Kaeo asked, pointing at his neck.

“Oh…I didn’t know they marked me…”

“It’s seal,” Kairo observed, eyes narrowed at the brown brandishing engulfing her slender neck, “Created by some Soirse. You know them?”

Instinctively, Elvira detached her hand from Kairo’s magic circle and placed it over her neck. She felt a pang in her chest which she exhaled momentarily. To think her family would go through such lengths to get rid of her…Elvira took a step back and curled in her shoulders. Her eyes evaded theirs and she chose to stare at the dry, barren ground. Had she been wrong about the forest—did they jump continents and Land in Kalmia?

“It’s okay, Kai can hide it for you and we can go eat something good!” Kaeo exclaimed as he took a step towards her and patted her back.

Elvira looked up to face him. He had a kind smile which birthed dimples beside his pouty lips.

They would abandon her once they get to know why she was banished. Elvira decided to get done with it, sooner rather than later.

She huffed, mouth easing into a smile as she explained, “heh…actually, I was shunned for not having an ability. I’m cursed, apparently…so, I don’t think you people should be hanging around with me…” she grinned sheepishly.

She took another step back; hand still placed over the seal. “Bu-t, thank you for helping me, I’ll be fine, so before something bad happens to you, please leave,” she said.

Kairo scoffed. Kaeo snorted. Then, together, they burst into a howling laughter.

“C-cursed? Being cursed for not having an ability! Have you heard of this before, brother?”

“Nu-uh, never ever.”

“Oddity? Yes, but calling it Cursed is insanity!”

“Have you never been out of your town?”

Elvira looked at them, eyes narrowed with strange confusion.

“Just because a group of people reject you doesn’t mean you’re cursed. It just means that you haven’t found your right ones,” Kaeo shrugged and held out a hand for her to take, “Do you want to be with us instead?”

Crowned 2 - left to die.

 

CHAPTER 2

 

“Mhm…arrgh…”

Elvira’s eyes blinked in an attempt to open. The sudden light was blinding so she placed a hand over her eyes. The action birthed instant regret as a goop of mud landed on her face. Her left hand stung and the pain shot through her entire arm.

“Arff-argh-thoo-thoo!”

Elvira spat the gross wetness from her mouth and forced herself to get up. She opened her eyes and confirmed her surroundings to be the Humid Linch forest in the East. Her torso was soaked in mud and quite possibly Linch dung, she guessed from the stench of it. Her head and feet were relatively dry, covered only in dirt and moss.

She grimaced as she looked around to spot a giant tree with a hollow bark behind her.

“Ha--!” Elvira scoffed, “How kind of them to provide me with a new home,” she scoffed again, exasperation dripping off her frowning face. “In a Linch forest, no less, three towns away from home!” she grumbled to herself as she stood up.

All she had on was the white ceremonial dress and the excuse of a tree-house. “Not a single penny, nothing, pfft,” Elvira spat again, blowing the mud off her lips. She looked around at the short bushes, prickly vines, blue berries and lilac flowers around her.

“Perfect place they picked,” she snorted, “Not a single thing that isn’t poisonous! Well, the mud isn’t, yet—but who knows?!” she exclaimed to the bushes and the bees, whosoever was listening.

Linches were giant creatures with cylindrical body shapes and an inflated middle abdomen. They were characteristic for their more-than-a-thousand mini tentacle-like feet which possessed enough suction to suck the living juice out of anything that came in contact with it. They thrived on Purbush Berries and their poison, which made their skin equally venomous. They had a soft sheen of hair over their skin, both of which were lethal.

“One touch and you’re dead,” Elvira giggled to herself. “What am I supposed to do now?” she grinned at the flowers. “Why am I behaving like this?” she giggled again, “Zinna must have given me a big boost. Ahahahahaha.”

She stopped talking and her face fell. Carefully, Elvira got up. Her stiff limbs ached with every step she took towards the hollow tree-trunk. Only to find it empty and narrow enough to only let her stand and move her arms.

“What was I expecting even…?”

She picked up a thick branch from the foot of the tree and inspected it. Though, before she could draw a conclusion—her ears picked up the subtle rustling of mud and leaves. Her academy teacher’s words resonated in her head. She remembered her class, the small muddy glass bowl everyone was given and the angry little Linch inside it.

“Linches want to be as stealthy as snakes but the sheer number of their so-called feet affects their mobility, quite a lot. Remember to never come in direct skin contact with a Linch or you will die before you could even call for death. Now, you see that thin membrane below its head and over its body? That is the only weak point of a Linch. This right here—hey! Pay attention! This, this is the vessel that can burst—”

The crawling closed in.

Goosebumps travelled all over Elvira’s body.

She struck the stick against the bark of the tree and created a, albeit weak, lance for herself.

“Distance, distance, I must maintain distance…”

She looked around in order to determine the direction of its location. Her left hand was still covered in mud, which was seeping through the open gashes from last night. If Elvira did not find a water source as soon as possible—she would have to lose a hand.

She needed to escape fast but the only way out of the Linch Forest of the East was the Linch cliff. Beyond it, Elvira closed her eyes to imagine the world map, “Come on…what’s beyond Linch Cliff? I know there’s Amoris Town but what’s in between? Forest? What forest? Marshes?”

Leaves rustled.

Elvira put her right leg out and leaned slightly, readying the makeshift lance.

“What am I doing…I should be running away?” she mumbled to herself, head jerking per second in all four directions, “But mother did not raise a quitter…” she whispered, subconsciously enough.

Then, Elvira grimaced, halted her fighting stance and got back into talking position, as if explaining to herself, “No girl, mother raised no one.”

The words were confirmation enough for Elvira to nod and shrug. “True that,” she mumbled.

“Are…you talking to yourself?”

“AAAAAHHH!” Elvira screamed, jumped to switch her stance, slipped over a wet leaf and fell face-first into the mud-dung puddle again.

“Woah, woah, easy there!”

Elvira jolted to a stand, her wooden lance wielded as a sword. She looked around only to find a Linch nearing her.

“AAAAH WHY ARE YOU TALKING?!”

“What do you mean talking?” the creature stopped and stared at Elvira with big beady eyes.

“This—words, what?! I am talking to a CREATURE! Bug-Insect Creature—Linchs cannot talk!” Elvira shouted and grabbed the end of the wood lance with both of her hands.

“Oh! come on, sweets, all creatures talk!”

Elvira grimaced. Her brows mushed, eyes crinkled, nostrils flared and lips flattened to a line.

“Please do not call me sweets,” Elvira gagged, “Knowing that you could literally consume me any moment does not help your case.”

“But mages are desserts,” the Linch replied in a matter-of-fact-tone. It began crawling again.

“The Linchs I saw in class did not talk! You cannot talk! I’ve never read about it!” Elvira exclaimed, backing off into more mud puddles.

“Way to deny reality and awful that you’re getting reality checks from the lowest ranked creature out there…but yes, all creatures, who are naturally bred, can talk.”

“Wow…this is a real low for me.” Elvira dragged out in a breath.

“But hopefully a pleasant meal for me!” the creature exclaimed and pounced at its prey.

“NOO! I WON’T DIE BEING YOUR FOOD!”

Elvira shouted and ran all the way back into the hollow tree.

“Why run when you cannot hide, sweets?” the Linch sang. It had a deep voice with a resounding baritone to it.

“Come on, think about it…what was the weak point of Linchs? We covered it last year, I should remember this…”

The creepy crawling neared with every second Elvira spent thinking. The hollow was small enough for someone with Elvira’s lanky limbs to hide.

“Come out, sweets!”

Suddenly, its forebody was grasping at the edge of Elvira’s skirt, pulling it outside. Its middle abdomen was too big to enter the hollow so it resorted to dragging Elvira out.

Though, his tugs snapped just the right memory.

When the creature recoiled with every pull, the thin membrane hidden between his forebody and middle abdomen would show up.

“Just a little touch would be enough!” the creature sang.

“Just a little touch, yes,” Elvira sang back and stabbed the wooden lance right into his weak-spot.

Mauve fluid oozed out as the creature burst open, its body scattering around the forest floor in hundreds of bite-sized pieces.

“Argh…gross!” Elvira moaned as she placed the wood lance right before the edge of the cloth that Linch had died grasping. Then, she pulled her dress from behind it. What could have been a perfect horizontal tear suddenly ran all the way up to her waist, vertically.

Elvira yelped as she let go of the fabric before it could cross all of her thigh. Though, instead of catching a glance of her pale skin, Elvira spotted a piece of paper taped over her right thigh. She ripped it off, owing to surprise—and instantly regretted it because of the pain.

The paper read: Meet me at Dowdry Lane, FX83551

“Huh? 83551? Zinna? It’s her handwriting.”

Elvira mumbled as she stepped out of the hollow. As if on cue, a blob of mauve fluid dropped from the tree and drenched her in Linch blood.

“Arrghhh, CoMe On!” Elvira stomped as she marched out with the stick in one hand and the paper in another, her white dress-skirt now flailing like a flag of defeat. She tried to wipe the fluid off of her but the more it came in contact with its kind, the more it kept sticking into each other.

“There was something about these…the Linch blood…I remember…what was it?”

She marched past a cluster of dense Purbush Berries.

“Umm…it isn’t deathly, I know that, but…”

She turned back after reaching a rock wall. The deeper she walked into the forest, the more it rustled, as if trying to communicate with her presence.

“What was it?”

Beady eyes glinted behind a tree as they caught the sun.

“Where even is Dowdry Lane? Is it in a town? A city? Who stuck the note?”

Leaves rustled behind her, as if crunching notes of doom in her behest.

“Note? Oh! I remember!” Elvira’s face perked up, “It was in the upper left side of the textbook, in a yellow box reading note to remember! Linch blood attracts other Linchs and in mourning they consume the remanent of the dead Linch in order to immortalise the memory of the lost!” she clapped.

“Well done, sweets.” Another deep voice complimented.

The non-existent colour drained from Elvira’s being. Hair stood up on her face as her eyes widened in the horror the realisation had created.

Elvira did not turn.

Elvira bloody ran.

Crowned 1 - The Awakening.

CHAPTER 1

 

“Elvira, you look beautiful today!”

“Thanks, Auntie Helena, you do too!”

“Oh! it’s wonderful to see you, Elvira! Happy birthday!”

“Thank you, Uncle George!”

“Elvira! Thank you for accompanying Orion yesterday. He’s a bit sick now but he has never gotten full marks on his homework before!”

“Thanks Aunt Lily, Orion is a lovely child to teach!”

“Elvira! Big day today, are you excited?”

She raised her brows, mouth widened with a grin as she nodded, “I’m stoked!” she exclaimed, striking a fist-bump to the sky.

“Ah-ha-ha-ha, to be young and spirited…” the woman chuckled as she turned round the corner with a basket of dirty laundry levitating behind her.

Elvira turned to face her friend, her exaggerated smile immediately drooping into frown. “I AM ABSOLUTLEY TERRIFIED!” she shouted in a whisper, every muscle in her face twitched and squirmed with the fear of expectations burdened on her head.

“Reeelaaax,” Zinna sang as she caressed a hand over Elvira’s back, “You’ll be fine.”

“You don’t understand Zinnie!” Elvira exclaimed, cartoonishly glaring at her pale hands, “I DON'T FEEL ANYTHING IN ME,” she groaned like a Gremlin with a case of hoarse throat, "ABSOLUTELY NOTHING."

“You worry so much,” Zinna waved a hand in Elvira’s passionately disgruntled face, “You were born under the Mirai Star, don’t you remember Old Lirin’s reading? You’re destined for greatness.”

Elvira threw her head back to stare at the darkened cloudy sky. “Well,” Elvira said, “Did you forget that it is a Shadow Star, Zinnie, A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD!? I can either be a great Saint with no monetary income or a great disappointment!! Nothing in between!” she wailed in exasperation.

“Imagine you end up being a great saint, like Saintess Iris.”

Elvira scoffed. "Or, realistically, I end up falling into darkness like you-know-who," she said while rolling her eyes at Zinna's idealistic temperament.

They were standing in a field of flowers, surrounded by the source of the fragrance manufacturing hotspot of the world. Yet, the blooming flowers provided no sense of comfort to Elvira’s impassioned soul.

“You’re the Chief’s daughter, Elvi, everyone loves you. You’ll be fine nonetheless. Also, it is hard to sense the energy flow before the awakening. Once you consume the Stryn metal infused Lake Virae water thing, it’ll strengthen your affinity for you to harness your ability,” Zinna explained as she walked by Elvira’s side.

The river by the fields rushed with serenity, leisurely making its way to the Ocean Heart. Though the sky was cloudy, the water still dared to sparkle underneath it.

“I wish it were true…” Elvira mumbled, biting her lower lip. The frown on her forehead was so embedded, Zinna was afraid it would make a mark a on her skeleton.

“Come here,” Zinna mumbled.

As Elvira leaned in, Zinna flicked her forehead. Her fingertip sparkled with a green light and a rush of calmness engulfed Elvira’s being. Soft gusts of wind momentarily caressed the flowers before fleeting away. The fragrance followed it.

“Ahhh—goosebumps,” Elvira moaned, shivering as the rush passed through her body, “Hehe, I like this~” She giggled.

“Of course you do,” Zinna murmured, looking around, “What ability do you wish you’d get?”

“Hehe, I dunnooo~ maybe, maybe a Conjuror like my mother! It’s so fun when she pulls out weapons from nowhere! Tehehe, Enhancer Type is good too, my papa and you, you’re both good—but I dunnoo, I don’t feel it in my bones…”

Zinna caressed a wilting flower before plucking it out.

“You’re making a flower crown for me?” Elvira giggled, her pale mouth widened in a grin.

“Mhm, have to celebrate my saintess.”

“With wilting flowers?”

“Your magic will make them bloom.”

“Of course~!” Elvira grinned, spreading out her arms to let the wind embrace her.

“You know—”

“Pretty lady! Pretty lady Soirse! Knight Rima is looking for you, come quick!” A kid ran into the fields, shouting on top of his lungs.

Elvira turned to face the child but he was properly disguised by the lush growth of flowers in between. All she could spot were his shiny red shoes.

“Alright, thank you Tomas!” Elvira shouted back.

“Gimme candy when you’re done! Byebye!” Tomas shouted, waving his hand. Unbeknownst to him, his goodbye couldn’t be seen.

Elvira’s stomach churned as she muttered, “I must go, mother awaits.”

“I’ll see you tonight,” Zinna smiled and ruffled Elvira’s mopey brown hair.

“See you!”

Elvira rushed out of the fields, across the bridge, past the sparkling river and into the town she grew up in. The old, bricked, yet fragrant town of Floria.

“Elvira, don’t rush baby!”

“I’m not a baby anymore, don’t worry Auntie Molly!”

“Elvira did you have breakfast?”

“Yes, thanks for asking Uncle Ben!”

Her flat shoes and agile build stealthily meandered her way through the crowded cobbled streets, yet, her silhouette was clearly recognisable to familiar gazes.

“Elvira, going home? Skip Hiori Lane, Penny’s spell went wrong and now her clothes are dancing all over the street!”

“Thanks Aunt Lily, poor Penny must be traumatised.”

“She’ll live; her mother is just too much.”

Elvira nodded before running past her and Hiroi Lane.

This was the town Elvira Soirse had grown up in. The streets were her home and each resident was a relative in name. Behind her parents’ busy backs were the walls she grew up in and the white picket fence which she would jump over to get out because the gate was too tall for her to open.

She was five when she first wandered out, Elvira remembered as she ran past Aunt Helena’s home. Her hair was an uncombed mess and tears were threatening to fall off her eyes owing to the severe groaning noises her stomach made.

Aunt Helena had seen her on the street and lured Elvira into following her. Helena was a relative of the Royal Chef of Lunaria and her culinary skills were well renowned around town. It was one of the many days when she hosted community dinners and everyone got together to get a taste of perfection.

It was a humid night when Helena held a dried fish in front of a distraught child and led her into her house. There, Elvira met the other ladies of the town along with baby Zinna whose mouth was covered in a creamy red sauce. Elvira was hungry enough to wipe the sauce off the first kind face she saw and licked her fingers. Zinna did not mind the strange greeting. They shared a smile and rest was history.

The townsfolk did not detest or blame Chief Kiof and Grand Knight Rima for their neglectful upbringing. Every morning the couple would leave for work and Elvira would sneak out to play around the neighbourhood.

It was a rainy Solday when Uncle George asked Elvira to pet-sit for him in exchange for evening snacks. The idea had stuck with Elvira throughout years to come; as she would pet-sit and eventually baby-sit for her neighbours to repay her debts to them.

Elvira loved her people but she also wanted to earn every bite she got.

Though she had learnt how to cook when she was fifteen, Elvira continued her neighbourly duties.

As long as she was outside of her house.

“Elvira Soirse! Where have you been all morning? Don’t you know that I took a day off for you? It is such a big day and look--!” Rima pointed at the dirty hem of Elvira’s skirt, as soon as she entered through the door, “You’ve been over the bridge?!”

“I was taking a walk with Zinnie,” Elvira replied sheepishly.

“A walk?! It is no time for a walk! Have you prayed today? I don’t understand what you spend all your days doing instead of training! Now that it’s your Awakening day, be a little concerned for yourself, will you?! You cannot let us down, you know it!”

“I do, I know, I won’t,” Elvira mumbled as she stepped inside the house and closed the door behind her.

“Let’s get you praying,” Rima declared. Out of nowhere, a glistening lasso appeared and wrapped itself around Elvira’s torso. Rima flicked the other end towards the prayer room and Elvira couldn’t help but act upon the weapon’s whims.

She was shoved into an empty room with white walls and Rima pushed her in the very center of it.

“Concentrate, can you see the stars? Pray upon the one which shines the brightest in your vision. That’s your birth star; it will bless you and guide you forever.”

Despite being one of the strongest Knights of the Empire, Rima was a short and muscular lady, seemingly in her early thirties, with a rare daintiness to her face. The duality of her physicality worked in her favour on the field.

But around her daughter…not so much.

Elvira stared at the blank walls, clenching her jaw. She could see nothing, as always.

“Do you see it?” Rima asked again; there was a desperation in her tone.

Elvira turned to look at her mother’s earnest gaze and bit her lower lip.

“I—I can see it but it’s all a bit hazy…” Elvira lied, mumbling.

“That’s good! That’s good! Now pray for being an Alchemist Type it is the best! Strongest, most resourceful—"

"—absolutely hard to master," Elvira added.

"—most respected—" Rima continued.

"—of course that's what you like," Elvira mumbled as she closed her eyes.

"We are the Chief family of Floria, we need to set an example for the townsfolk!" Rima exclaimed as she patted Elvira's back, "Straighten it more, concentrate your magic in your hands, you can pray to be an Elemental. Elemental would be easier for you to master, pray for it. The stars always listen to a desperate heart.”

A desperate heart…

Do the stars ever listen?

Elvira gulped as she stared at her reflection in the water bowl placed in front of her.

Her desperate heart and incapable sight had spent the whole day begging into the emptiness, “I wish I have an ability. I wish I have an ability. I wish I have an ability.”

Anything.

Yet, as the evening hues dawned over her crown and each neighbour walked up to her with a lantern in hand, sharing their best wishes, Elvira felt familiar dread crawling up her stomach.

She felt no different than yesterday or the day before. Or ever.

An old woman walked to the center of the field.

“As you must already know, we’ll cut your ring finger on the left hand to draw blood closest to your heart. The droplet will be poured in this Stryn Vessel, in alignment with your birth star; The vessel has water from Lake Virae so the blood does not dissolve. Then, a mage from each type – Enhancer, Conjuror, Alchemist and Elemental – will pour their drops of blood. After I recite the spell, the Ability Type your blood is attracted to and merges with will declare your Awakening.” Grandma Jiani explained, hovering a hand over the golden vessel.

Awakening ceremonies were usually lowkey.

But Elvira was a Soirse, so, the whole town was in attendance to celebrate the succession. Unlike for most, Elvira’s Stryn Vessel was lit up with reflected lights from the town’s lanterns shining like artificial guiding stars in her favour.

Yet, each starlight seemed to be piercing Elvira’s vision.

Her hands were sweaty.

Her eyes searched for Zinna’s face. Though her white dress had a flower pinned from each member of the town, Elvira wished for Zinna’s wilting coronet to support her head.

Or maybe it was her Calming Ability that Elvira longed for.

Something, anything to escape the prying eyes which had never felt a burden before.

“Do you understand, girl?” Grandma Jiani urged.

“Of course she does!” Rima exclaimed, patting Elvira’s back.

“Yes, she does,” Kiof stated as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s shoulders.

Elvira turned at the sound of her father’s voice. “Papa,” she said, a pleading look etched in her furrowed brows and quivering eyes.

“Daughter,” Kiof acknowledged with a nod.

“The stars are aligning, we should begin…”

The soft gusts strengthened into a rush of wind swirling over the Stryn Vessel. Thunder rumbled through the sky, eliciting an additional electrifying hue into the reflection.

The stray woodsticks crackled underneath Elvira’s feet.

“Give me your hand.”

Elvira raised a clammy hand over the golden vessel. It was etched in the center of open town grounds, atop an intricately carved marble pillar. She stood on one end of the ovular vessel and hunching Grandma Jiani stood on the opposite. Behind Elvira were her parents, standing hauntingly close.

Wind rustled through the trees like a lost lover, caressing every leaf.

Behind Grandma Jiani stood Vice Chief Herbert, an Alchemy Type Mage and his son Danzel, an Elemental Type Mage.

At a distance, the rest of town circled them to witness the ceremony.

“O’ Stars divine,” Jiani chanted as she traced a finger over Elvira’s palm.

Storm clouds responded and winds howled against her favour.

“O’ STARS DIVINE, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE!” Jiani chanted with more power. Yet, the clouds only thickened.

Whispers birthed amongst the crowd. Rima and Kiof shared worried glances before looking up at the sky.

“O’ STARS DIVINE, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE,

GUIDE THE LOST THROUGH DESTINY’S LINE,

WHISPHER TRUTHS THE DARK MAY HIDE,

LET YOUR BLESSING BE BY THEIR SIDE.

CALM THE WINDS AND STILL THE SEA,

SHOW THEM WHAT THEY’RE MEANT TO BE.

WITH VIRAE’S PYRE, THEIR HEARTS ALIGN,

O’ STARS DIVINE, LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE.”

Jiana ran a crystal blade over the tip of Elvira’s ring finger.

She squirmed yet stood firm, eyes earnestly hoping for a miracle.

“Guides, please do your part.”

A cold chill ran down Elvira’s spine as the four volunteers poured a droplet of blood each.

“I cannot call upon your star due to this weather… Danzel, clear up the clouds for me.” Jiani ordered.

“Yes, grandma.”

Danzel raised a hand toward the sky and a bright sliver bolt of light shot from a magic circle over his palm. The clouds resisted the forceful retreat but did nothing but grumble in protest. Distant pitter-patter of rain twitched Elvira’s ears.

Suddenly, the moons and the stars were in clear view.

Jiani placed a hand over the Stryn Vessel and other over the Mirai Star in the sky. Her lips chanted a spell in a lost language.

An iridescent thread appeared in between her hands, fragile yet dazzling against the darkness around it. All the lanterns had flown away with the winds, so, the iridescent thread glowed like a light of hope in Elvira’s face.

Gently, Jiani lowered her hand from the sky and connected the thread to Elvira’s blood.

“The Awakening will begin now.”

Elvira, Rima, Kiof, Herbert, Danzel, Jiani, Zinna, Helena, Orion, Penny, Lily, George, Tomas, Ben, Molly – they all tip-toed, trying to sneak a peek into the vessel.

“What is it, Oldmother?” Rima asked after a moment’s worth of waiting.

“Yes, which one is it?” someone from the crowd shouted.

“Do you feel anything, daughter?” Kiof questioned.

Elvira dared not turn.

She merely gulped, staring into the Stryn Vessel and then at Jiani’s widened eyes.

“It’s…it’s never happened before…the blood…it’s not reacting…it’s not choosing…?” Jiani whispered.

“W-w-what do you mean the blood is not choosing?!”

“It’s…the Stars…this child is not blessed by the stars.”

The age-old face of Jiani looked up at Elvira and her eyes hardened.

Gasps and whispers surrounded them.

“What do you mean she isn’t blessed? It’s a—it must be a misunderstanding! It is our daughter! There is no way--!” Rima exclaimed, eye blown wide as she slid to Elvira’s side.

“Momma…” Elvira whispered as she looked at her mother’s cold face. Never had she ever seen fear in the Grand Knight’s gaze, yet, tonight, she stood before her daughter with wandering eyes and an open mouth.

“No, this is wrong, this must be a mistake. This cannot happen,” Rima whispered. Her fingers twirled into a golden light and a dagger appeared in her hand. She passed one fleeting look at Elvira’s horrified face before slashing her hand.

“Ah—Ma—Mother! It hurts! Stop, Mo—”

“No, it cannot be! You cannot be a curse! You are my daughter!” Rima snapped, slashing and squeezing Elvira’s hand to pour more blood into the vessel.

Yet, the iridescent thread gathered all of Elvira’s blood in one singular circle – away from the rest of the blood droplets.

“Knight Soirse, stop it!” Jiani scolded.

“Let go of me—!” Elvira cried.

“No —”

“Rima!” Kiof shouted. “Come back to me,” he whispered and held out a hand.

The woman looked at her husband, face distraught and tear stricken. Blood dripped off her hand as she placed it over her husband’s.

The clouds returned. Thunder gauged everyone’s grim faces.

Kiof avoided his daughter’s desperate gaze.

“She is a cursed one!” Herbert shouted, his eyes twinkling with opportunity.

“Elvira Soirse is not blessed by the stars!” Danzel shouted, following his father.

Elvira turned to convey the betrayal in her eyes.

“Ah cursed child! Unblessed! She will bring calamity onto us!”

“We will be destroyed for harbouring evil!”

“Cursed…is that why Orion fell sick after spending time with her? She, she is already harming my grandson’s lifeforce!” Helena shouted.

“No…is that why my brother passed last season?”

“Unblessed do not belong here!”

“Leave us—we beg you, Elvira…we don’t want to suffer the wrath of the Stars!” Molly shouted.

“Useless! Go die! Don’t bring doom upon us!” George shouted.

More words followed but Elvira’s mind wasn’t present enough to process them.

Rain began to pour, a simple droplet at a time, striking against her skin.

Her eyes finally found Zinna’s. She looked worried. It flickered hope in Elvira’s heart.

“Leave. Leave and never return.”

The hope was crushed as soon as her father’s words rang through her ears. She turned and her knees buckled. Elvira fell to the ground and the rain worsened its thrashing. Winds howled at the spectacle as the girl begged.

“Papa! I’m sorry! I’ll do better, I’m sorry, please don’t make me leave! I know—I don’t know anyone beyond this town, papa, please, forgive me. I—I will live silently, I will never go out—you can hit me, beat me up but, but, don’t make me leave—”

“Yah! You curse, don’t you understand that no one wants you here anymore? What, did you think that everything will go back to the way it was in a week or two? That they’ll begin throwing you leftovers again?” Herbert mocked.

“Leave while you still have dignity or the town will tear you apart.”

Elvira looked up and indeed, the once familiar warm gazes were now cold and evasive. Just because she did not have a stupid ability…everyone closed their hearts on her. Feet shuffled, footsteps—Elvira saw the retreating feet of her mother.

She lunged at them.

“Ma—”

Someone dragged her by her feet. Away from her mother and across the rough ground.

“You! Get out now!” Danzel spat.

The crowd began dissipating.

Desperate, Elvira’s gaze struggled to find a flicker of kindness.

Sadly, the night had eaten them all up.

A green flicker. Elvira saw Zinna’s lips mouth, ‘This is all I can do for you.’ She flicked the light towards her.

And Elvira passed out.