Chapter 3

The crackle of a fire is what awoke her. She sat up slowly, groaning as her head was throbbing from the intense pain coming from her head. As Naji looked around, her vision started to blur, causing everything to spin. But as she was getting ready to black out, she saw a familiar silhouette running towards. She was trying to keep her eyes open so that she could get a look at the person's face but before she could, she slipped back in the darkness of her mind. Only an hour passed by before she woke up again, the fire was still crackling and bright as the moon was high in the night sky. She turned her head to the side, seeing if she could make anything out in the darkness around her. Naji sat up slowly, her head throbbing but not as badly as before. As she was looking at the fire, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned quickly but that was a very bad idea as everything around her started to spin. The footsteps suddenly rushed over to her, hands grabbing her shoulders so she didn't fall to the ground. "Easy, you hit your head pretty hard in that fight from earlier." The voice sounded familiar to her but she couldn't quite put her finger on it or as to why it does. As her vision began to clear, she looked at the face of the person who was talking taking care of her and gasped, for the eyes of the person, she knew those eyes all too well. "L-Leo?" Leo nodded and laid her back down on the ground, watching her tear up. "W-why did you l-leave me?" Leo stood up and turned around, his hands clenched into fist, his body shaking. "I had no choice Naji..I had to do it to protect you.." Naji could only stare at Leo, trying to understand what he was talking about. She sat up, coming to sit criss cross. "I want to know why Leo. You left me alone all these years." Leo sighed and nodded then sat on the ground across from her and stared her in the eyes. "When you were only 6 years old, a group of people came by our home. They wanted to try and recruit me for something. They kept saying that I was the chosen one. I didn't understand what they were talking about at first but it was only when they threatened to kill you that I did." Leo closed his eyes, remembering how it all went down, as if it was yesterday. He opened his golden eyes once more, a small breeze blowing by, slightly messing his white hair that was in a low and loose ponytail. Naji could only stare, not sure what she should say to this. "But I still don't understand. WHy didn't you take me with you?" Leo sighed and looked up at the starry sky, the makings of dawn was showing. "Because I didn't want you to get hurt from being with me. Those people were powerful, I could feel it Naji. I knew they would kill you if I didn't do what they said." Naji thought this over for a minute. "Were they wearing clocks?" Leo nodded, "Yeah, they were. Why?" Naji looked Leo dead in the eyes and said, "Because I met one. Probably not the same guys you are talking about but still. He kidnapped someone that I need to find. He was trying to tell me something but all I could get out was to find the others and then to go find him. I don't know what he means by that though." Leo thought this over then suddenly gasped and jumped up, running over to his sack. "Naji, I think I know what the guy was talking about. There's a saying about something. I have it here somewhere, if I can find it." He started to take out scrolls and food, piling it all up beside him until he made a sound of achievement, holding up a small parchment of paper. He walked back over to Naji and sat down beside her, showing her the parchment. "See? Can you understand what this says?" Naji looked over the paper but shook her head. "Sorry but I only learned how to read the vampire language. I don't know what this is." Leo nodded, "It's the demon language. Here, I shall translats it for you. 'When the world has come to its end, 7 shall appear to bring the world back as one.' Naji, I think what that man was talking about was the 7 people. He wants you to go find them. I also think that you are one of the 7 people. You must be if he wants you to go find the others." Naji stood up and started to pace, rubbing her chin. "I don't understand. How can I be one of the 7 people who are supposed to bring the world as one again? The only thing I do is hunt vampires." Leo stood up and grabbed her by the shoulders, making her stop and look at him in the eyes. "Naji, I always knew there was something special about you. I just didn't know what. I still feel like there's some kind of magic hidden deep inside you that you just haven't found yet." Naji refused to believe him, thinking that this must be some kind of joke. But before she could say anything else, a brown sack was tossed at her, hitting her in the face, causing her to stumble back in surprise. "What was that for!?" Leo tossed his sack over his shoulder, holding the draw strings. "We are going back to the village to see if anyone else is alive." Naji closed her mouth in surprise, not expecting that answer. Leo started the walk towards the village with Naji following close behind. They walked in silence, the tension feeling thick as the two got closer to the village, not wanting to see what has happened to it. As they got closer to the village, they could see the smoke still blowing with the breeze. They stopped at what used to be the gates of the village, no longer standing proud like it did before. Naji gulped, not ready to see what has happened to the people she couldn't save. Leo laid a hand on her shoulder gently, squeezing slightly in reassurance. Naji took a deep breath and walked through the ruin gates and into a ruined village. As she looked around, she could see that houses were burned down or were still burning, bodies scattered all over. Tears start to form in her eyes as she looks around, wishing she could go back in time so that she would be able to save them. Naji closed her eyes and shook her head, knowing there was nothing she could do to save them and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes and started to look around for anyone that was still alive, her brother doing the same. After searching for a while, they noticed a small house standing off to the side, completely untouched, even though there was a ring of black around it. Leo walked up to the door, knocked and stepped back, waiting for an answer. The door slowly opened and it revealed a young woman with golden brown hair and dark blue eyes. "May I help you?" Leo cleared his throat and said, "Hello miss, sorry to bother you but we noticed that your house was the only house that was untouched by the fire. I was hoping you could tell me why." The young woman seemed to fidget in place as Leo asked the question. "I-I don't know..please leave.." But before the woman could close the door, a little girl ran out and looked up at Leo then looked over at Naji. Leo bent down to the little girl and asked, "Hi, what's your name?" The little girl didn't speak, she only looked at Naji once again. Naji stepped forward, "Do you mi-" But before Naji could finish her question, everything around her started to get blurry and she stumbled back, holding her head. "Naji, what's wrong?" Naji looked at her brother before falling forwards, her eyes closing. But just before she hit the ground, Leo lunged towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and gently laid her down on the ground. After he laid her down, he looked up at the woman and saw that she was frightened and that the little girl was smiling, "Finally, now that she's asleep. We can talk." Leo snarled and glared at the little girl, holding his sister closer to him. "What the fuck did you do!?" The little girl took a step forward but quickly stopped when she heard Leo growl under his breath. "I only casted a sleeping spell on her. It won't hurt her, just let her sleep is all." The little held her hands up to show that she wasn't a threat. "Who the fuck are you? And why the fuck did you put my sister to sleep?" The little girl began to glow a white light, everything about her was changing. Her short brown hair grew longer and turned black, her green eyes turning a bright blue, her ears becoming more pointed. Her clothes began to change as well, changing from a simple dress to a pair of brown leather pants, a white clothed shirt with a leather over shirt. Her feet bare besides the small golden anklet. She looked Leo in the eyes and said, "My name is Tialha, and I am an elf. And you Leo, are one of the 7 chosen ones." Leo could only stare at the elf, knowing that none of this was true. "How? I thought elves no longer existed?" Tialha only shook her head. "No, we have always existed, Just in secret. But I was banned from my home for helping humans out of our forest. And this young woman had helped me stay hidden so in return, I helped protect her." Tialha turned towards the woman and nodded, giving off a small smile before turning back to Leo. "Now listen to me Leo, You are one of the chosen 7. Come help me gather the others before it's too late." Leo only shook his head. "No I'm not. I'm not the one who has to gather them all. My sister is." Tialha could only stare at Leo, not believing a word he was saying. "No she's not Leo. You are." Tailha took a step towards Leo and Naji but Leo set his sister down and jumped in front of her, "You are not going to touch her, do you understand me?" He snarled. And at this did Naji begin to open her eyes, getting the bits and pieces of what was going on. "Leo….understand me?" Naji shook her head and groaned before she felt something inside her and she suddenly had energy flowing through her. She stood up off the ground, Tailha taking a step back, speechless that anyone could break her sleeping spell. Leo turned and saw his sister standing but something about her was different. "Naji, are you okay?" asked Leo. Naji looked at her brother, her eyes almost a bright green, then looked at Tailha. And when she opened her mouth to speak, it was her voice that came out but not her voice at the same time. "He speaks the truth. He is not the one who gathers the 7. It is I who does so. Is there a problem, Elf?" Tailha was shaken up and shook her head no, making sure not to make eye contact with Naji. It was then that her eyes turned back to the steel green they once had and she stumbled, groaning and holding her head. Leo lunged forward and caught her, "Easy sis, whatever that was, it took a lot out of you." Naji nodded and leaned into her brother for a minute before opening her eyes and looking at the elf. "Who are you?" Tailha shook herself out of whatever trance she was in and looked Naji in the eyes, "My name is Tailha and I suppose to help you find the others." Naji only nodded and closed her eyes again and said, "Well if it helps, I feel like I found some of them." And then she looked at her brother then at the elf. "And I think you two are part of the 7 people."