Mira was standing near a medic bay at the east gates of Laptove town. Her eyes flitted never settling as she scanned the faces of the injured at the medical base. Scratches ran down their faces like fading war paint, and dried blood clung to their lips. Others skin clung to their bones showing their skeletal structure as they gazed to the
solstice sun mouths dry and cracked struggling to take in the warm air. Gloom
had settled and made sure that it's presence was felt.
Mira's thoughts raced elsewhere. Around her the injured were with their families and friends consoling each other as they awaited help. Yet she stood there alone. This feeling was no stranger to her. Her back faced
the wall as she stared past the gates hoping to see any signs of Sen or Neil. The only two people who were the reason for her continued stay in the village, since she was five, were now past her the reach of her might and she couldn't help.
Before meeting Sen nor Neil, Mira was an outcast among the children of the village. When she was five Mira and her family had moved onto the village. This happened to be a few months before Sen and his grandfather came to the village. She was different, behavior wise , from the normal village child. She was mischievous and care free always trying to engage other children
in trouble. But they never liked it. Or rather they never were able to keep up.
" Sorry , we can't right now."
" Now's not a good time "
We're a few of the responses that acquainted her every time she tried to ask them to play.
But these changed the day she met Sen and Neil.
It was the day Sen moved into the village. People gathered at the town square all glazing a silver haired figure unloading travel bags of a caravan. At his side was a sickly boy with gloom written all over his face. His
right hand bandaged with a black smudge at his palm spreading through the linen.
His silver eyes were void of joy as cloud of sadness loomed around him. That
was the first time Mira saw Sen. In the
crowd were other children. They kept their distance away from her but not their voices.
" Oh great , here comes another outsider to show us how to have fun." One boy said eyeing Mira.
" They should just go back to where they came from." Another supported.
Mira clenched her fist trying not to talk back. But that wasn't in her nature. Before she could turn back as give them a mouthful she
heard a voice.
" Don't mind them. Let them talk, that's all they know."
Mira turned to look at the source of the voice. A boy with a slack expression, dull eyes stood looking at the Sen and his grandfather. He faced forward with indifference like everything around didn't matter. One of his eyes was covered by a strand of hair , hiding his light green eye.
" Neil." A voice called out.
" Yes Miss Chin. The boy responded as he moved closer.
" Seems like u made a new friend." The lady said looking at Mira.
" Well then ,both of you come help Sen and his grandfather move into their new house."
That was the first time Mira had heard both of their names.
Mira's thoughts were pulled back by a periodic light blue flashing of the Lishanar shields. The rhythmic light drew people's attention as the intensity grew with every flash.
" Why's the Lishanar shields acting like that?" someone murmured a hint of panic in their voice.
" Are the shields breaking?!" a man said then covered mouth hoping no one had heard what he said.
Mira averted he gazed from the pulsing light using her hand to block the light. She felt it. The already defined out come of her two
friends. Even though her heart raced trying to escape the imminent truth, she
understood that her days with them were over. With the way the shields aggressively
hummed as they absorbed the impact she knew neither Sen nor Neil would survive
that.
Mira's heart weighed down ,her legs losing strength by the minute, her hands the only thing that maintained her balance. Flashes of the past times she had with them coursed through her head all ending with the flashes of the present. Their vibrant smiles all to flashed away by the raging wind.
Then suddenly a final crash clashed with the shields lighting up the entire town light blue.
Her chest tightened with helplessness, the crash was certain and powerful. She slowly lowered her hand already a mental image of the outcome forming . Outside the dust clouds obscured the skies. The bright light of the Lishanar shields slowly faded carrying away the force from the impact. Her eyes struggled to perceive past her hands.
Standing in the flash were two men. One silver haired , his shirt slightly ripped with blood stains tainting it's white color. The other was dressed more officially dressed. Draped over his shoulders was a pristine, white imperial coat—broad at the shoulders
and cut long in the back with Intricate silver braids looped from one shoulder to his chest were the two gold stars pinned on either side of the high collar.
They both had one thing in common. In their arms were unconscious boys each drawing closer to the light. Their bodies sagged with exhaustion, heads bobbing lifelessly with each step of their carriers.
The one carried by the imperial dressed man looked hollow. His body looked battered like dough. It was covered by a fading pale green light trying to hide the coarse and energy deprived body.
His hand trembled faintly, suspended
limply at his side. Pale light pulsed through his body, flickering like a heartbeat on the verge of failure.
The other boy's hair was dyed scarlet. Arcs of energy coiled up his fingers—twitching, unstable threads of raw arcane too wild to contain. Veins near the wrist glowed beneath the skin, tracing frantic currents that throbbed with unnatural heat. His arm glowed with power, unstable power, as
though ready to bust. At the center of the palm, where a rune had once rested
in symmetry, a jagged crack now split it down the middle. It glowed erratically
each pulse from the mark sent a shiver up his arm, twitching muscles in his unconscious form.
The blinding lights faded. Mira stood rubbing of the tears that were blurring her vision. A
warm smile developed on her face as she sped towards the two everything else
fading as she said their names.
"Sen , Neil."