Chapter 2: Luck and Its Companion

CONTENT WARNING: This chapter contains detailed depictions of self harm. Viewer discretion is advised.

—

Valora was exhausted. Not too long ago, she passed away and met the Holy Entity. Now, here she was, slumped over and mind racing. She tried to think of a way to somehow alleviate the misfortune that she had been dealt with. She knew that negotiating with the Holy Entity was out of the question. It hated her guts. Not to mention, she was cursing at It like there was no tomorrow. 

Suddenly, an idea popped in her head prompting her to look around for any sharp object she could use. Not far ahead, laid a sharp piece of ice that presumably broke off the icicles that hung from the ceiling of the cave opening. She balled up her fists and proceeded to drag herself across the snow-covered ground until the piece was within her reach. Then, without any hesitation, she jabbed the piece into her stomach. She screamed as the ice dug into her stomach tissue. The sound of blood dripping and tissue ripping continued as skin and smooth muscle stuck to the ice. 

Surely this method was enough to kill her and use up all her chances to resurrect. In no time, she will finally be free of this punishment that was cursed upon her. 

But, nothing. 

Somehow, Valora was still alive. And, what's worse, the fatal wound she inflicted on herself vanished without a trace. Valora laughed. Of course, she thought. It was never going to be that easy. With how much It despised her, it wouldn't be above the Entity to take away her choice to die on her own terms. But, Valora's hopes were not crushed. Being stranded in a deserted, frozen wasteland proved to be a blessing. Soon, hypothermia will come stalking and preying like a wolf at night. 

"Hey, lassie! What are ya doin' out 'ere? Ya tryna freeze to death?" An old man covered in various layers of animal skin yells out, his horse following closely behind him. You've got to be kidding me. Valora ignores the man, hoping that he was either just a hallucination that her brain conjured up out of starvation or apathetic enough to walk off and mind his own business. But, alas, he was neither of those things. 

"Hey, ya 'ear me?" Valora, unable to ignore the man any longer, shoots him a smile. "I'm fine, sir. I'm just… out for a walk." The man, unimpressed, raises his eyebrow. "Pretty eventful walk ya have out 'ere in negative degree weather," he sarcastically remarks as he reaches his hand out to pull her up, to which Valora shies away from. "Ya had a fight with yer parents and ya ran from home, no? Sigh, ya young folk these days." Now, he's pulling her up as she clutches the snow on the ground, not wanting to be moved. "No, sir. Really! I'm fi– Ah!" With a yelp, she gets hoisted up. Despite attempts to wriggle herself free, the man successfully gets her to sit atop his horse. "Yeesh! Ya really stubborn and thickheaded. Ya lucky ya ran into me instead of some other folk. Things get real dangerous out 'ere! C'mon Rumus, let's bring 'er home." With a firm pat, the three walk off. Valora sits in silent frustration. Sometimes, luck comes at the worst of times. 

—

It had been a couple of days since Valora was saved (debatable) from the freezing lands of Laetus. They travelled tirelessly, only stopping to rest for the night or eat. Evidently, there wasn't much time to idle and chatter. Hence, throughout the days they journeyed, Valora only knew of the man's name. "The name's Albus," The man said one afternoon as he handed her a piece of roasted chicken before he sat down to eat his own piece.

Arriving closer to civilization, the three stumbled upon a small village whose people were hospitable enough to welcome and offer them a place to stay for the night. The shed, though small and quite run-down, was undoubtedly the most comfortable accommodation in the village. Clearly, though the villagers did not have much, they did their best to cater to the two outsiders. 

"Hey, lassie, ya wash up. I'll get dinner started." Albus throws Valora a piece of cloth to dry off with and leaves the shed to start a fire. Not wasting another second, Valora heads to the communal bath house behind the shed. 

Upon entering, Valora peeped around, checking for any signs of life in the bath house. Confirming that there was indeed no one else, she lets out a sigh of relief and dips herself in the warm water. Though Valora was no stranger to being in the wild or travelling, it would be a lie to say that she was accustomed to the lifestyle. The things she had taken for granted, even a mere bath or home-cooked meal, were privileges she realized that she was born into. Though, of course, those privileges were never really always guaranteed. At least, not back in Laetus. Nonetheless, there are things that may be missed when they are gone. 

Valora's thoughts then towards her current situation. The Holy Entity must be enjoying Itself as It toyed with her life. Though It was never described to be necessarily benevolent or merciful in the Scroll, One would never suspect It to be as cruel and borderline petty as It was. Surely, the god of Ecegonia must have something better to do. Then again, if Valora were in Its shoes, she would probably be as pissed as It was as to hold a grudge against her, her parents, and Laetus. After all, the war, more famously known as the "20-year purge" almost wiped out a third of Ecegonia's population. It also didn't help that the war primarily started due to her parents' demanding to have the kingdom's crystal returned to them. Undoubtedly, it was seen as an act of rebellion and painted Laetus as a traitor, scheming to steal the crystal and have more control on the amount and use of the power it contains to take over the other kingdoms. No matter how she looked at it, the people to blame were apparent. But, just as the written past could never rewrite the future, blame could never change the fact that people have died and the very notion of her existence is proof of that. She had to die. At the very least, that would be some sort of reward worth celebrating. With that, she leans back against the wooden wall, with one mission in mind.

She was snapped out of her train of thought by the sound of footsteps walking towards the door of the bath house. With each footstep, her heart drummed louder and louder. Who else could be here at the dead of night? Then, the footsteps stopped right outside the wooden door. Knock knock. Valora's heart stopped. Instinctively, she held her breath and sat as still as a statue. Despite her unmoving state, millions of thoughts ran through her mind. 

Is there someone out to kill me? She pondered. But, who? It's not like anyone knows of my identity, let alone what my parents had done. Then again– wait. She paused. Isn't this a good thing? If someone were out to get me, I'd die much faster. At the thought, she relaxes. Her lips curl into a smug grin. 

"If you're gonna kill me, do it quickly. I know you're out there."

"Ha, kill ya? Lassie, ya got something wrong in the head. I came 'ere to tell ya that dinner's ready."

If there was any time Valora wished to get killed, it was right there and then. With her weird antics, this poor man is probably rethinking his decision to help her. He might as well just leave her at this point. 

Valora coughs out of embarrassment. "I-I'll be out in a minute." Begrudgingly, she steps out of the water and takes her sweet time to get ready. In all honesty, it was just an excuse to recuperate from the awkward exchange before heading back to the shed. 

—

Dinner between the two was quiet and, in Valora's opinion, awkward. Albus was munching away at the boiled vegetables, while Valora slowly ate the cooked fish, her eyes never leaving the table. 

"Why'd ya run from home?" Valora almost chokes on a piece of fish meat, surprised that he decided to start a conversation. 

"My parents were forcing me to marry some guy I didn't know." Valora looks down at the fish on her plate, eyebrows furrowed and lips pursed. The scene, in Albus's eyes, made her look so pitiful his heart ached for her. Internally, Valora was cringing at herself. Lying made her palms sweat and stomach churn. The possibility of being caught in a lie only amplified the uncomfortable feeling. Hopefully the lie was good enough to get her by. Hopefully. 

"Ya know, my daughter married a lad from Laetus," Albus started. "Didn't approve of 'im because I didn't believe that he was good enough for my daughter. But, seeing how much he made 'er happy… it was impossible to say no." He furrows his brows as he picks at the fish bone stuck in the piece of fish. "The day she tied the knot, no matter my grievances against the lad, I would have given anything to see 'er as happy as she was then." His voice and his gaze softened as he recounted the day in his head. Valora, feeling quite guilty that the man was pouring his heart out to her when she herself was lying through her teeth, brought the napkin to her mouth before asking, "How is she now?". 

"She's dead, has been for quite a while. The war took 'er. Laetus, that bitch of a kingdom, killed'er. Had she not married and moved to Laetus… had I married 'er off to someone else, maybe she would still be alive." Albus continues, the choke in his voice becoming more apparent with each sentence. "But, knowing myself, I could never bring myself to," he laughs bitterly. "I don't know if that makes me a bad father, sending 'er off to 'er death." 

Seeing the pained expression on Albus's face as he swallowed hard to stop the noticeable choke as he spoke, Valora looked away as guilt clawed at her insides. It didn't sit right with her, how she, a war criminals' daughter, could be sitting right there, alive and well, in front of a man who lost his own daughter because of her parents. She, indeed, was not deserving of his kindness. 

"I'm sorry," she blurted out. Albus shoots her a funny look and laughs, "Ya know, yer a peculiar lass. First, ya got a death wish. Second, yer apologizing for something ya didn't do." Valora stays quiet, not knowing what to say. Though she had no hand at the war that played out, she couldn't help but feel responsible for the atrocities it caused to others. Millions of lives lost, a kingdom gone, and an allegiance broken, these are the effects of the war her parents chose to start. A mere apology could never make up for such devastations. 

Receiving nothing but silence from the lady across him, Albus scratches his neck out of embarrassment. "Agh, there I go again. Can never seem to stop my mouth from blabbing." He then motions at her at her food. "Ya should finish yer food. It don't taste good cold." He goes back to munching on the boiled vegetables. Just like that, the night went on without either of the two uttering another word. 

—

The smell of smoke and sound of screams woke both Albus and Valora from their slumber. Albus reaches for the wooden window, his hands shaking as he fears for the situation they're in. The moment the window swung open, smoke infiltrated their shed, its vast and dense body incapacitating the basic functions of both seeing and breathing. Tears welled up and violent coughs escaped as they felt the hot smoke burn their lungs and sting their eyes. On one hand, Valora was glad because death had handed her another opportunity to die. But, remembering Albus's life was at risk as well, she had to think of a way to get out of here. Quickly. Using every last bit of her vision, or whatever was left of it, she searched for the door, hoping to push it open. Her heart skipped a bit the moment her fingers brushed against its metal knob. With a twist, Valora falls onto the dirt, heaving and barking out a series of paroxysmal coughs; her face a mess from the mix of saliva, snot, and tears. In the midst of taking in the fresh air, a wave of panic washed over her. 

"Albus!" No response. Valora's mind raises as she entertains the possibility that Albus had passed out before he was able to make it out of the door. Despite the increased ventilation the opened door provided, the smoke was still relatively thick. What's worse was the fact that the fire was moving towards the shed. Essentially, it was a ticking bomb bound to explode any minute now. Acting hastily, Valora rips a part of her thick, wool cloak and soaks it in water, which she sourced from the pot of water Albus used to boil the vegetables. She ties the wool around the lower part of her face before heading back into the smoke-filled shed. Thankfully, the smoke had not fully reached the ground, which gave her a bit of crawl space. 

Not much distance had to be covered before a familiar brown-robed man was found sprawled on the floor. Valora pulls him up, his back as close to her body as possible, and loops her arms between both his armpits. She, then, positions him between her bent knees. With a grunt, Valora pushes her feet against the floor, allowing friction and sheer leg strength to extend her legs, allowing her to inch closer to the door. With another shaky breath, she pushes against the ground and moves another few inches. One more push. Just one more push. Valora grits her teeth and shuts her eyes as she feels her muscles begin to cramp. She readjusts the grip she has on his shoulders as the sweat had started to cause her to slip. One…two…THREE! With one final push, Valora successfully pulls Albus out of the shed. She continues with her strategy until they both are a safe distance away from the flammable shed. Valora shifts him to lay on his side, afraid he may choke. It was only when she saw his chest rise and fall with a bit more stability that she sighed in relief. 

Valora looks around, her eyes scanning the once peaceful village now burnt, ransacked, and deserted. Only a couple of corpses were sprawled out, the blood seeping into the cracks of the dirt ground. Some of the bodies she could identify were from the village. The rest, however, she could not confirm so easily. However, based on the dark clothing and knife attached to the belt that hung loosely around the waste, Valora could only conclude that they may have been raiders and thieves, looking to steal any valuables the village had. She slumps against the barrel that functioned as support for what once was a fruit stall. She's done it again, brought misfortune and death to countless innocent civilians. A bitter laugh escapes her. She wanted to cry and scream, but there were no tears left to shed and no screams left to scream. 

CRUNCH! Valora jumps, eyes darting around only to land on two men, similarly dressed in dark clothes. 

"THERE'S STILL TWO OF THEM OVER THERE!" The shorter man yelled before both of them started running towards them. 

Shit. With her body tired and weakened, Valora knew she was no match for the two. It also didn't help that she had to worry about the unconscious man she just saved. She had only one option left— an option that would undoubtedly blow her cover. 

She waves her hand around slightly as she blows air towards it, allowing the air to form into a circulating, cold wind. Seeing the men's figures grow larger and larger, she furrowed her brows and concentrated on lowering her body temperature more quickly. She began to shiver from the drastic change. As a result, she grabs her right hand with her left in order to stop it from shaking. By this time, the men were closing in on the two of them. 

Come on. Valora grits her teeth as the cold air continues to increase in speed.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! The brittle dirt squirmed with each step.

Come on. She motions for the wind to stop abruptly, allowing each particle to be highly imbued with potential energy.

CRUNCH! CRUNCH! The brittle dirt cried from the continued impact.

Come on. She aims her hand towards the two men who were now at arms length and ready to pounce her.

CRUN-

NOW! Valora flicks her fingers outwards, bracing for the burst of her attack.

THUD!

As Valora's head hits the floor, a pendant, weakly glowing, peeks out through the collar of her shirt. 

— end of ch. 2—