sisters

He stared up behind the woman in curiosity. She had a child, just like him but this was a girl. The girl was a funny looking thing but she refused to touch him.

She would scream when he got too close and cry when his skin touched hers. She had no markings like the other children he had ever met. She dressed up funnily and liked to tie her hair with ribbons.

Zola had never seen anything more amusing.

The girl thought he was different but Zola didn't see anything different about them. They had the same build and breathed the same air or was it because she was a girl?

Then he remembered he looked different. Black veins came from his eyes down to his neck and beyond. Zola had no idea why he looked like that and was not aware of it until the girl pointed it out.

The boy walked up to the funny looking girl.

"Greetings. My name is Zola. What is your name?"

Instead of a reply, the girl let out a terrified scream and ran off, her funny looking dress following behind her.

Zola did not understand why the girl was terrified until he looked into the water and saw his reflection.

The boy sighed. He did not see Wara anywhere even though he heard her name several times. Though he could not understand the strange language the woman and her child spoke, he at least knew she was coming for him.

He sat opposite the rushing water, listening to the harsh music of the waterfall and closed his eyes. The man from the dark place appeared in his head and he immediately opened his eyes.

But his vision of the man did not disappear.

"Khari." The man said, staring at him with a grin. "I'll be waiting for you."

Zola took two steps backwards and watched in horror as patterns formed themselves on his bare arms. He was recieving his Nik'sati.

This was unnatural. All his life, all Āsimati children received their Nik'sati right before they were born but here was his skin creating it right in his presence.

The man stared at him with surprise and mumbled "So that's what happened..."

But to Zola, it was like the man had said it right beside his ear. The Nik'sati was as unnatural as its appearance. It was black and pulsed like veins. And instead of appearing like scars, they drew themselves slowly like it was forcefully being drawn on his skin.

As the pattern completed itself halfway, the man's expression turned from shock to horror.

"It can't be..."

It was then Zola noticed the man was speaking to him in a different language but he could understand him all the same. He opened his mouth to ask what was happening when the man suddenly disappeared and in his face was the woman who had brought him to the waterfall.

The woman stared at him with the same horror and yelled at him but he did not understand any of what she said.

"What did you do? How did this happen? How? Answer me damn it!"

Zola stared in confusion and slight fear as the woman grabbed his arm harshly and began scrubbing on it witha stone.

He began to cry out from the harsh treatment of his skin and then he bled. As soon as his blood made contact with the stone, it exploded into pieces and the woman jumped back with shock.

The boy's eyes had turned pitch black and his body was slowly floating. She gulped as he raised his hand and talked back to her in the language she spoke.

"You dare to harm me witch?" Her body shivered as she knew the voice was familiar but didn't know why. Zola raised his hand and began to chant in a foreign language.

He cursed her to live three times her lifespan and everytime she died, she would ressurect four minutes before her death and her countdown would restart from the moment she ressurects.

He cursed her to forever be caught in a crossfire and never know peace.

Then he slumped.

***

The sky brigtened and Wara woke up with a gasp. She knew where Zola was.

He's in trouble.

She stood up immediately but stopped when something grabbed her left foot.

It looked like a hand but also a shadow. Her skin had already began to rot around where it had grabbed but it was also healing.

No matter how she tried, the hand didn't relent and slowly dragged her back.

"Where are you off too early this morning?" The annoyingly cheerful voice asked Wara as a mouth grew on the back of the shadow's hand.

It moved again this time when Wara stared at it and told her. "If you go there, you would not find them. Wait."

She wanted to protest but then she paused, a strange feeling coming over her and the shadow hand immediately let go to disappear. A figure dropped from the trees without making a sound or disrupting anything.

"Good. I knew you were smart." Zelda said. She was sitting on the log from the previous day with a smile on her face. The smile made Wara slightly uncomfortable and then she glared.

"Stop that." This has Zelda tilting her head to the side with a confused but amused hum. "What you are doing. What you did. Stop it. These emotions are foreign."

Zelda laughed, an unsettling laugh. It sounded like she was being struck by pain and humor at the same time. Like she was choking. The laugh was loud and short but enough to send whatever brave creatures that remained away from their surroundings.

Wara walked to the log and sat beside her her, still glaring at her but it quickly morphed into confusion when Zelda replied her.

"Says the one who knows how to use spells but has no memory of ever being taught spells in her entire life."

Zelda's words struck a chord in Wara. Wara could somehow use spells, but she had never recollected being taught one. Another thing was that she was convinced she had spent seven years of her life near the Dakijen but could not remember Zola's father.

She shifted on the log, slapping a tiny creature off her leg which was about to bite her.

Then something else came to mind which fueled her next question. "You know me."

It was more of a statement than a question but Zelda answered all the same. "Yes. I know you from before you were found by the seer."

Wara was startled. Frenvír had told her she was found wandering in the forest as a child. Probably one who had seen almost a hundred full moons. She looked like she was ten.

They took her in where they spent those seven years near the Dakijen but Wara could never remember it. Frenvír always blamed it on the incident...

"How long?" Wara asked to which Zelda replied. "From birth. I knew your mother. We were..." Zelda paused, her silver pools of liquid suddenly stilling as she reminisced. "Sisters."

Zelda drew on the word sisters and turned to stare at Wara, causing the latter to shift uncomfortably due to her unnatural movements. "Our mothers were sworn sisters. They were bosom friends when the white men captured them and took them across the sea to work in their fields. Our mothers were slaves Khari. We were born as slaves."

This new information startled Wara. Somehow, when she had gone to the human village, she understood the ill welcome she had received but was also confused. Their disgust told her they saw her as lesser though she never understood why. Now she did.

"They worked for years with no way to escape because they had been branded." Zelda continued. "And then one day, two men came to discuss business with the Slavers and our mothers were offered as entertainment. One was the Faery prince, the other was his advisor. They had their fun but unfortunately, our mothers who had never been touched, immediately conceived, and had us."

"We grew together, working alongside our mothers to lessen their burden. Because we were half from their race, the Slavers did not brand us and instead, groomed us so when we were older and riper, they would sell us and gain more."

"But then, after a few years, the men returned and the Faery King knew straight away you were his daughter and took you away. Because he was a rich man and seemed to want to take care of you, your mother agreeed. Mine thought it was unfair that I wasn't taken along and voiced her opinion. She was silenced by her mouth sewn shut. My mother died shortly after that and your mother took care of me."

By now, everyone else had woken up and were listening to the story. Some knew the story but only half while the others were interested in it.

"I grew into a fine woman and the slaver sold me to another man. The Faery King's son. It was an ill fate but I had solace that maybe you would grow up differently and come save me but seeing you here with no memory of me tells me different. What happened to you Khari?"

Wara was silent. She knew nothing and it was obvious. She had no way of confirming that Zelda was speaking the truth and not weaving lies into her brain.

"How do I know this is not a tale you have woven?" She shot at Zelda, her doubt written clearly on her face. Zelda smiled. "You don't."

It was not the answer expected but was the answer expected of her to give. This greatly confused Wara. "You mean, you will not convince me to believe you?"

Sica shook his head, already knowing how this conversation will end. It always ended with someone getting seriously confused or upset.

"Why should I? When I can show you."

"Show me?" This was a new development for Wara. "I never knew seers could share their visions with others."

"They cannnot. This is different. There is a spell to unlock your memory but it will have a great cost. Khari, Magic is not free." Zelda then swung a leg over the log she was sitting on so her legs were on both sides and she was staring directly at Wara. "To unlock what has been locked will take more essence than a plant or a small animal's entire life force. We will need something bigger."

Wara immediately stood up and started walking out of the forest but this time, Zelda did not stop her.

Unfortunately, Sica on the other hand was worried and started to complain.

"Where? Where is she going? Is she coming back?"

Nak did not share his worry and grumbled. "I hope she doesn't." He turned to his side to pick up a stick and then tossed it to Yhra who caught it and placed it in a bundle she was collecting.

Sica was surprised. He had woken up later than everyone else but still didn't expect them to immediately be busy.

Fjammi was the only one still sleeping.

"Why are you not complaining?" Sica asked Yhra, examining the sticks she was collecting. "We had to move from the camp we were staying in peace and not once did you complain."

"Because I have no where else to go." She replied in a monotone and continued bundling the sticks.

"That does not answer it Yhra. You usually are a fierce person and a woman of few words but you have been acting strangely, even for you."

This statement seemed to annoy the woman and she whirled around, a strange fire in her eyes as she screeched in his language. "BECAUSE I HAVE NO WHERE ELSE TO GO!"

As she screamed, a strange invisible energy slammed into Sica and sent him flying. Before he could land and possibly, hurt himself, someone caught him.

Nak placed him down and turned to stare at Yhra in horror. "I knew there was something strange about her. I thought she was just a warrior but I was wrong." He pointedly spoke to Sica as if telling him indirectly that she was a mistake.

It all seemed strange to Sica. Nak was more negative than he usually was. On a normal day, he would be the one with positive energy but during the Dies Lucis, he became the polar opposite.

This Dies Lucis had completely surpassed Sica's definition of strange. First the strange purple eyed woman who could kill them off if she wished just drops into their camp. Then Zelda's siren song drives all the beasts of the forbidden forest their way. The Faery King then sends a witch to their camp and another undercover.

Zelda shows up from nowhere and even stranger things begin to happen.

Yhra had been acting strangely. Listening to Wara more and trying to talk to Zelda, although from a distance ever since Zelda's touch almost killed her. Fjammi had been even more silent than usual and it looked like he was avoiding Nak the other day. Now the boy still lay on the floor despite all the noise. He had been like this since he did whatever he did with Zelda.

Then there was Nak.

It had not escaped Sica's notice that Nak was hiding something. At the beginning of the week, Nak had kept something in an unfamiliar satchel that he did his best to hide from Sica but Sica had stolen it at night to see what was in it.

At first he saw pictures of strange glittering things in the night sky that looked quite ethereal but he did not understand it.

Then he began to see pictures of people he had never met. He eventually found the halfed picture of him with Nak, Yhra, Fjammi and a few other people he had never seen before. He placed both halfs together and finally saw the full picture. All were staring up at the glitter in the sky.

There was also a strange cloaked figure at the edge of the picture, watching them. Sica did not know what to make of this and forgot it. Until he saw Nak returning Wara's satchel and realised that the drawings were hers.

Now, he still knew nothing of what this was. He felt like this was a puzzle for him to solve. Which was the main reason why he never really was against the strange women.

As the time went by and Wara eventually returned, Sica concluded that it was best for him not to get too involved or even stranger things could occur.