Chapter 3: Alvina

All my life, what I have known was the darkness, surrounded in it. Drowning in it. I did not know any other life beyond the VOID, that's what we called it.

My kind and me.

I never thought that I would be initiating something that will change the world of darkness around us. I never thought that I would be looking at my existence as something that will be a blessing to a person that I will soon discover.

But first, I have to get out of this wretched place.

I called it calling from behind. The chants that have been calling for 20 years ago. But, it suddenly died, and now, it was calling again.

Open the door for the portal of the Dark Realm.

Dark Realm, that's what the VOID was called the enchanters that I know as mortals. I don't know how I come to know these things but I was sure there was a reason why they were opening now.

Most of them were for me to go after the light at the end of the tunnel.

Others have not been called by this enchantment but I can see there were 5 more shadowy silhouettes were ahead of me before it slipped into the tunnel. I was the last one to get out of it and right now, I don't know if I can face this new change in life.

Suddenly, I was not looking at the darkness anymore. I was not in the dark but there was something above me that was twinkling at me. I sat up as I was feeling something soft under my bum.

Grass, that's what it was called.

The blinking lights were stars.

How come these things were named and I knew about it was beyond my imagination. Perhaps it has something to do with who I was and what I was. I shrugged before I was looking at myself. The last time I saw my physical form was when I was trying to appeal to get out of the VOID. But now, I was out and it has been a long time since I was looking at my physical form.

I moved a little bit and it reflexed. It was tiny and it has five digits on left and right. When I made a punch, it curled inward before I saw the veins that were popping along.

It was a hand, the name whispered to me before I was looking at my lower form. I have two shapely, long staff that ended up with two shorter lengths. It has 5 digits like the hands and it moved when I willed it.

Legs and feet. Interesting.

Something nudged me to get up and I was moving forward before I bent at an awkward angle. I did not know that I could do such a thing. When you're living your life long enough as a shadow, it was intriguing when I could do something else with my physical form.

I stood before I was wobbling on my feet. I turned to look at the sky, that's what I was looking at earlier before the winds whispered something to me.

Men, approaching…

Men, what were these men that it called? I heard something in a few distances before I turned to see that I was facing a horse. It was black and its eyes were looking at me. It scared me as I was stepping closer to it before it neighed.

I did not know what to do but to release the allure that I know I would be carrying around me. it was a part of me and I know that I can wield it whenever I wanted.

"Easy, boy, easy," I said as I was holding up my hands. The horse was trying to escape but when he sensed my allure, he calmed down. The animals loved it whenever I used allure when I was out a few thousand years ago.

This time, I felt something inside me before I shoot my eyes up and someone was staring at me.

Someone with blue-grey eyes and hair as black as ebony. I did not know what to say as I was holding the horse before he snapped his eyes and he was averting my eyes.

I don't know what was his problem before he was clearing his throat and his satiny voice was filling my eardrum.

Again, I don't know these names but it just came to me.

"You're naked," he said before I was arching my eyebrows at him.

"Naked?" I asked him again, not knowing what was the meaning of naked meant. I was looking at the man again before he turned to look at me for a second. Then, he stepped toward me as if my allure was calling for him.

But I did not conjure up my allure for I had calmed the horse down.

He was removing something from his collar before he draped it on my shoulders. He grazed slightly on my skin before I felt something foreign inside me.

Thump, thump, thump…

What a weird thing to hear inside the darkness that we were plunging into.

"What are you doing in the forest alone and naked at night?" the man said as he was covering me up so that he could look at me in the face. I supposed that what he was doing for he was putting his hands on his hips before regarding me with his fascinating orbs.

"Night? Alone? What are you talking about?" I asked him for I did not know what those words meant. But of course, everything else that was whispered to me made sense. Only this…mortal's words were not making sense.

I felt like I was being cheated somehow by the winds and of my own making.

"Are you always this dumb?" he asked again before I blinked my eyes at him. He sighed before some rustling was coming from the way that he came from before.

"Kolya, did you find the horse?" someone asked before I saw 5 other mortals were coming through the path. The person in front of me—Kolya was his name—sighed before he turned to look at his mortals. He nodded before he was returning his gaze at me again.

"Yes, and it would seem that I have found a lady as well in the forest," he said before I tilted my head. Now, what's a lady mean?

"Are you serious?" one of the mortals stepped forward before I was regarding them all. Even in the darkness, my eyes had adjusted for I have lived in the VOID which was nothing compared to this night, as Kolya said.

One with black and green eyes.

One with blonde and grey eyes.

One with brown and blue eyes.

One with auburn and green eyes.

Lastly, one with chestnut and hazel eyes.

The black hair and green eyes was the one that asking the question before as Kolya nodded at him.

"Yes, and I thought we need to help her," Kolya said before we were looking at each other. And for the first time in my existence, I was looking into someone's soul and it did not look troubled at all.

Or he wished that I did not look at his troubles after all for his aura was all over the place and I don't think I don't want to get to know all of it at all.

Well, it was quite opposite effect actually.

*****

I was sitting by the fire since they were talking on the other side of the camp. That's what they were called when I heard them telling each other before. I had been riding Kolya's horse with his cloak to cover my nakedness. Then, he gave me a tunic and a legging to cover me up.

I tried to put them on before he clicked his tongue and helped to get me dressed.

"You are such a burden," he mumbled but I kept quiet for I don't know what burden meant at all.

Right now, I was sipping on the soup that they prepared and I looked at them, hurling together before Kolya was turning to lock his eyes at me. it was not a pleasant look but not dangerous either.

I don't know what to think of it but I think it might be something like a pity or annoyance. Maybe both.

He got up from the group as they quiet down before he went to sit beside me. I was looking at the fire while sipping on the soup slowly. I was still trying to get used to this new development of my physical form.

Apparently, I can taste what I put in my mouth, the one that has teeth and my voice carried when I talked.

"So, are you lost?" Kolya said as I turned to look at him. I did not know what this lost meant but I was certain that I was not.

I just escaped the VOID for fuck sake.

"Lost? What does that mean?" I asked him before Kolya was rubbing his mouth with his hand. I tried to understand his body language but it would seem that I cannot read him at all.

Not without sleeping with him. Woah, where did that come from?

It must be the wind, I know it was.

"Well, since you are here in the Old Winton, perhaps you were coming from Miofea. Are you sure you're alright?" he asked again, gently this time as if I was a lamb.

But I was not for I can sense the darkness inside me.

I shook my head before Kolya nodded at me. His face said it all. He will bring me to this Miofea that he spoke off and until that happened, I will be stuck with him.

Whether I liked it or not.