Welcome to Meriandin

Krain's POV

"Don't," I stopped Krace.

"We have no choice but to fight, Krain."

I don’t want to hurt Chiena. There must be some other way.

"Its fight or die. And our only choice right now is to fight." Krace hold the door of the van. "Think of Chiena as a sacrifice for a greater good," he said before going out.

I move out of the van and stand in the water with Krace. I kneel on the water and touch it. The water stopped waving and it became ice.

"Chimsy— I mean Krainarie," Chiena called as she walks on the ice. "We both lied, so we're even."

"Why are you doing this?"

She smiled, as if hearing my question makes her happy.

"Because I have to."

She raised two hands and dropped it in the ice. I stepped a foot back to support my balance as strong wind blows our way. I flinched with its intensity. I look at Krace but he remained standing straight beside me.

"Krace, please don't hurt her," I said.

"I'm sorry, Krain," he replied before disapppearing.

The wind abruptly stops and Chiena was thrown to my direction. She immediately stands on her feet and wiped the blood that came out of her mouth.

"Krace!" I shouted when he disappeared again. He appeared behind Chiena to which she felt right away. They exchanged powerful punches and kicks, but Krace disappeared once again.

"Chiena!" I shouted when a rain of stones went to her direction. I kneel on the ice and punch it, creating a crack that spreads to the spot where Chiena is. From the cracks, water made its way to protect her from Krace’s attack.

"Krace!" I shouted in frustration when he turned the water barrier into ice.

I run towards him. He jumped away so I put my palm in the ice, releasing vines from the water which crept into his left foot. I pulled him so he ended up in the ice.

"You shouldn't have helped me because I'm here to kill you," Chiena whispered. A tornado formed in between us but I didn’t move. I can't hurt her.

"Why are you doing this?" I repeated my question.

"Because I need to!" Before she could send the tornado, half of her body was pulled down on the ice. I frowned and looked at Krace but it is not him who did it.

Chiena can’t move completely until she was buried up to her neck. The tornado dissolved into thin air too.

"Krace, stop it!" I shouted. Krace stood up and brushed the vines away from him.

"It's not me," he answered before his gaze pass through me. I look back and saw my sister.

"Tera!"

The bright blue and white in her eyes are exchanging every second. Her long hair became white and glowed. She is floating a little and the edges of her cloak are partly touching the ice.

I run towards her and hold her hands. I immediately let go of her when I was electrified upon holding her.

The powers she is releasing is too strong.

"Tera Marie," I called her gently.

She blinked twice and her eye color turn back to normal. Her hair turned back to black too.

"Krain," she said when our eyes met. "I'll erase her memories."

Erase her memories? "You can?"

She walked pass me. She went to Chiena and kneel, holding her head. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Is this her new power? Back when I was in Dauthi, she only knew how to control all the elements. Aside from that, she knows nothing.

"Her special power?"

Could be. "She hasn't done this before," I whispered as I watch my sister. "Well, maybe she has done this when I wasn't around."

Chiena’s eyes closed slowly, followed by the glowing of Tera’s hand. My attention was stolen when Krace faced me and covered my ears.

‘Close your eyes,’ I heard him said in my head so I did.

I heard a soft sound. It lasted for seconds so my eyes remained closed. When the sound stopped, I first saw Krace who is staring at me.

"Who are you?"

We both look at Chiena when she said that question. Her forehead creased when she saw me and Krace.

"Who are you?"

Tera stood up. She put her palm on the direction where Chiena is. The ice melted and she was elevated out of it. She looked at it in confusion then looked at us innocently.

‘I've erased some of her memories,’ I heard Tera in my mind.

"Are you my parents?" She asked as her gaze went from me to Krace and then back to me again.

"Do I look like a parent?" I asked Krace as I pointed in myself in confusion.

Krace laughed at me before bending down to see Chiena clearly.

"No, we are not. But we'll be your guardian."

Chiena’s face lightened up and she hugged Krace.

"She only remembers the time before she met her parents," Tera shared. "Her parents are in Guerreier. She’s here because she needs to surrender you to Guerreier. Her parents will be killed if she fails her mission."

I was right. Chiena won’t do this without a deep reason.

"We’ll go to our house so we need to leave,” Krace said to Chiena. He held her small hand and guided her to the van.

"May I know your name?"

"Krace. My name is Krace."

"What’s your name?" Chiena asked before going inside the van. I sit beside her before answering.

"I am Krain."

She nodded and whispered my name with a smile. She faced Tera and asked the same question.

"I am Tera Marie. I’ll be your sister from now on."

Chiena gasps. "Really?" She asked with a smile. "And they will be our mother and father?"

"Well, you can say that," Tera answered.

Happiness is evident in Chiena’s eyes. The van started to run and she keeps on pointing everything that she sees. Tera calmly answers all her answer.

"They aren't gonna kill her parents, are they?"

Krace shook his head as an answer. "If her parents are still useful, they will not kill them just yet."

I hope they will think that Chiena died while trying to take me to them. That’s the only way to save Chiena from Guerreier.

I took us twelve hours before we arrived at Meriandin. Chiena and Tera fell asleep throughout the travel. We arrived there at midnight so the surrounding is silent, and no one is there.

"I guess this is where we'll get off," Krace said when the van stopped.

I look at the two, contemplating whether to wake them up or not. I look at Krace but he already has a sleigh in front of him.

"Where did you get that?"

"I made it," he answered as he carefully lifted Tera. Before he could place her, I gestured my hand to make a bed of leaves, acting like a carpet.

"So you could also control other elements?"

His eyebrow formed a line. "Isn't that a given? All Dauthinians have the ability to control all elements. Haven’t heard of it?"

He carefully lifter Chiena and put her beside Tera. Upon stepping out of the van, it melted, leaving not a single trace.

For our safety.

"Do you know which way to go?"

"Do you know where the house is?"

We both sighed as we said those words at the same time. We both have no idea what to do.

"Didn't your mom say that the van will disappear once we arrive at your house? Then where is the house?"

It must be somewhere here.

"Krain."

Tera lifted herself up as she rubbed her eyes, adjusting her vision. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked pass me.

"This is where we'll live?" She asked in awe. "This is awesome."

Krace and I looked at each other.

"She's seeing something we can't see."

Tera shake Chiena. When the later opened her sleepy eyes, my sister excitedly pulled her up.

"Let's go to the house!"

Chiena looked around and frowned.

"There's no house. Are you seeing something we can’t see?"

Tera’s smile dropped. She looked at the direction of the house that she sees before looking at me in confusion.

"You can't see it either?"

I shook my head. She let go of Chiena and walked away. She raised her hand in the air, as if she is rotating a knob or something. When she pushed her hand a little, light glowed from her hand. The light scattered and a huge mansion became visible.

"Wow!"Chiena whispered. She went to Tera who suddenly fall into her knees.

"Tera!"

What just happened?

"I'll just.. sleep," she said, closing her eyes momentarily.

Krace carried Tera inside the mansion. It has two floors so we went to the second floor together where the rooms are.

"We'll take the rooms that are nearest in the stairs. Chiena and Tera will take the other two rooms," Krace said.

The first door will be Krace’s room, the second is mine, the third will be Tera’s and the last that looks like a guestroom will be Chiena’s.

After putting Tera in her bed, we lead Chiena to her room. Krace and I went down together to check the house.

The interior is well designed. The receiving area is wide, especially that the kitchen is connected to it. I opened the door near the stairs and saw that it is a library. I went to the door near the kitchen and was in awe upon seeing the amount of food and other supplies there.

"This looks like a supermarket."

The supply of food is telling me that we'll stay here for a long time.

"Did they prepared this quantity of food because they are planning to make us stay here forever?" I asked.

Krace just sighed. I went out to and peeked at the window where the sea is visible.

"In the other end of this are the people that we need to protect," I mumbled. "How could I protect them if I am here?"

"For now," Krace said, standing beside me. "Think of this as a mission where we have to protect ourselves. And your sister."

My thoughts stopped when I remembered my sister.

"Speaking of Tera." I faced him. "Do you know how she was able to see this mansion?"

"She went to Kauma, right?" I nodded. "She must have mastered the eyes of a seer."

My forehead creased. Eyes of a seer? "What's that?"

"It is a skill that only a few could learn. I've tried learning it, but I wasn't born to be a seer."

"Only those who have Kaumanian blood could possibly become a seer."

"It is different from the seer of Heilsen who could see the past or future?" I seriously asked.

He nodded. "The seer of Kauma could see things that are not visible with our naked eye."

"You mean something like this house?"

He nodded again. "If we go outside, I bet we'll never see this mansion. Not unless Tera opens the door for us like what she did earlier."

That's why Miss Xhora made sure that Tera is with us. Because she knows that my sister is a seer of Kauma.

"But she fainted right after opening the door for us. Does that mean that she'll keep on fainting every time she uses her power as a seer?"

"I don't know. I've never met a Kaumanian seer despite the fact that I grew up in Kauma. I heard the last seer was your grandmother."

The grandmother that we've never met.

"Kauma was training every single child in the district but no one passed and possessed the power of Kaumanian seer. Maybe your sister is the first in this generation."

I smiled. Tera Marie will always be special.

"It is already sunrise. The second day of ranking exam."

My smile disappeared. The ranking exam.

‘See you in three days? I know you'll survive till the last station, I'll be waiting for you there.’

He wouldn't wait for me, would he?

I am not significant person in his life.

Who am I? I am the person that he has to kill.

"Still thinking about him?"

I didn’t give any reaction. I know who he is pertaining to.

"Yes. Because I’ll be back to bring him down."

I'll protect my people even if it means I have to go against him.

...