It's All Me

(Hyzi's POV)

On my birthday, my mother held me in her arms and my father sat with her, smiling down at my face.

"We agreed on Hyzi, right?" she said, laughter lacing her voice.

"Yeah... after all, he's our daylight." On Afaria, Daylight also means "Hope for the future."

My mom's name was Reita, and my father was Jodo. They were kind. We were middle class, so I never worried about food or money.

One day, I felt a shift within me. I could sense the intentions of others when they were intense—blessings or curses. If someone cursed another with their words, a faint black smoke would coil around the victim. But blessings appeared as a pink mist, the same shade as my hair. This was the first sign of my awakening.

I was four, and unsure of what I was seeing—until the day my mother came home engulfed in the Black Smoke. It started with a cough. She claimed she'd just choked on laughter, but it worsened each day.

I started buying books on medicine and herbs, in case I could help her. One day, I overheard Viwa—my mother's supposed best friend—talking to a neighbor:

"Yeah, Reita's ill. We can't figure out what's wrong."

"Eww, It's unheard of for anyone to get sick here... I hope it's not contagious."

"Oh, but Jodo would be heartbroken if anything happened... I need to stay close to make sure he's okay."

They laughed, but I saw a chain linking Viwa to the smoke around my mother. I followed it. When I found Mom, she had collapsed, coughing and crying blood. I was terrified, but I lifted her with all my strength, and a light surrounded us.

"You're going to live a long life," I cried, eyes squeezed shut. "You're too good to die now. You have to get better."

Ten seconds passed, then her arms wrapped around me.

"My daylight... my hope. I wouldn't let a little cough take me away from you. I need to see you grow up."

I opened my eyes. The Black Smoke had vanished, replaced by pink mist. She looked healthier than she had in weeks. I had reversed the curse.

That same day, a mark appeared on my arm. My left hand turned completely black, with intricate designs and tiny, near-invisible flowers spinning up my shoulder. I knew what it meant: I had to leave home.

My parents argued against it, of course. But it was law. The Chosen had to be raised in the palace to ensure loyalty. Keeping me would be seen as treason.

"As soon as I'm an adult, I'll visit you," I said. "I have a purpose, so please understand."

My mother broke down. My father embraced her as she screamed, "You're a child!" I couldn't understand the rest through her sobs. I had already called for the guards.

I intended to go back. To make them proud. To fight for our planet. But sometimes, hoping too hard ruins everything. That was the lesson I learned.

When I arrived, the King tested me briefly, then dismissed me to flirt with a woman near his throne. The room they brought me to was cold—maybe from the stone walls, maybe because I was alone.

"Hey! I wanted to be there to welcome you, but I got caught up this morning."

She stepped into the room. Long dark brown hair flowed nearly to the floor. She wore a white dress, no shoes, a red ribbon on her ankle and neck. One golden eye watched me. The other side of her face was wrapped in bandages.

I caught myself staring at her lips and looked away.

"Oh... it's okay... nice to meet you." My heart raced so much I trembled.

"I'm Tana. I'm in charge of instructing you." She pulled papers from her satchel.

"Thank you for your service," I said awkwardly.

She laughed and sat beside me.

"No need to be formal! I taught the first generation too. It's just my job."

"You seem nice," I said. That comment made her flinch.

"Appearances can be deceiving. Anyway, let's get started. I need to see what you know. Once you master the basics, you'll be passed on to a specialist."

I decided then: I would hide what I knew. She was the only warmth in this place, and if I outgrew her, she'd be taken away.

On the right side of her face, I saw a powerful curse. King Vetro held its chains. He spoke sweetly to her in public, but the curse worsened when he was near. It didn't seem fatal, though.

Years passed. Our bond grew. I could talk to her about almost anything. It wasn't until I was older that I realized the feelings I had for Tana weren't maternal. I wanted to protect her. Cherish her. She brought kindness into my isolated world.

Once, she cried when I told her about my parents.

"I would love to meet them one day," she said.

Sometimes she seemed distant, lost in a sad memory, but I didn't ask why. Instead, I made her laugh, distracted her from her pain. I wanted to be the light in her dark world.

"Tana... dance with me," I offered Another day.

"Dance?... Why would I dance with you?" she scoffed.

"Ouch! You wound me!"

She blushed and looked away before mumbling the excuse,

"I didn't mean it like that. I just... there's no music, and... I'm not sure if I'm allowed."

"You're not allowed to have fun?" I teased

"Things have been peaceful lately... I don't want to ruin it." Tana admitted, careful to keep her voice quiet.

"If you need music, I'll get us music." I said, ignoring her worry and instead trying to put her at ease.

She gasped. "You lie!"

"I do not lie," I teased.

She looked to the door. "If you get the music, I'll dance with you. Just once."

That night, I created a music box and an automatic pipe organ. I made it play the song my parents danced to. By the next time I saw her, it was ready.

Her eyes widened.

"What is that?"

"Music," I said. I activated the organ, locked the door, and offered her my hand. "You promised."

She smiled. "I suppose I did."

We danced. Her head sometimes rested on my shoulder. Her smile lit the room. My heart could barely keep up.

"This would be perfect with drums or bass!" she said playfully.

"It's already perfect," I whispered, pulling her close.

We danced for hours. By the end, we were laughing, breathless, and I kissed her.

She pulled back. "Oh no..."

"I'm sorry. Did I misread the mood?"

"I thought we were friends."

"We are." She tried to leave. I blocked the door.

"Tana, please talk to me."

"You're so much younger, and... I never thought you would..."

"Why not? I'm an adult. Why wouldn't I want to be with you?"

She started crying.

"I can't..."

"Then come with me. I'm leaving soon. Be free."

"V would never allow that."

"Are you going to tell him?"

"What?! No! Never!"

"He won't even marry you. You can choose who you want. I want to be with you. Have you never thought about us? When you fell asleep in my lap? When we danced?"

"You're making this hard for me... You don't know what he's capable of."

"Then that means you care."

Her eye stared into mine, full of longing.

"I need to go." She slipped from my grasp.

I let her. But my heart boiled with rage and regret.

Days passed. Tana didn't come. I stopped eating. Weeks passed. I collapsed.

When I woke again, I was in a child's body in the middle of the Red Spot. The Earth Chosen had decimated a neighborhood. My parents in this life were killed.

I survived by becoming Smoke. My powers saved me.

A year later, I walked to the palace.

In this life, I am Insinz. 7,882 years have passed. I didn't die from collasping, my brothers and I were killed. We were all considered a bad influence when Tana got caught packing to leave the palace by V who unexpectedly visited her in the middle of the night. He tortured her. Forbade her to brush her hair or dress up unless it was for him.

He killed me in my sleep.

That must mean Tana never told him who she was leaving with. So he killed all the Chosen instead of investigating to find out.

She tried to protect me. Even then.