My sister Ami woke me up suddenly in the middle of the night. Her hand grabbed mine, tightly, almost painfully, and pulled me out of bed. "Come on! Run!" she whispered, her eyes wide open, full of terror and determination.
I went outside. The village was burning. The roofs of the houses were ablaze, and the smoke stung my eyes and throat. Screams, moans, and muffled crackles tore through the night's silence. Ami pulled me toward the forest, her hair glistening in the light of the flames, and in my eyes I saw the same fire I had known since childhood—fearless and ruthless in the face of danger.
"What's going on?!" I tried to catch my breath as I ran alongside her.
"Don't ask, just run!" she replied, her voice tense but controlled.
We run through the burned village, stepping over fallen beams and burning carts. Smoke billowed around us, and ash rose from the ground. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest and my hands shaking from adrenaline. Every step was a struggle for survival.
After a few minutes, we reached the edge of the forest. Our mother was standing there, creating a safe passage for the other children who were trying to escape. Her silhouette was hidden in the shadows, and she was holding a silver spear with traces of blood on it. Her gaze was calm, though her eyes betrayed pain and fear.
She leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. "Take care of him. Do everything in your power to protect him. You are strong, so I know you can do it," she said to Amia. Then she showed us the way: "Head south, but before the next village, turn east towards the lake... there you will find Reiki from a bowl, but it's not what it seems, it's more like a crevice created by Reiki floating slightly above the ground."
"Yes, Mom!" Ami replied, clenching her fists. Her gaze was fixed on the road, as if she were looking for salvation and a plan there. I can see tears running down her cheeks.
We run as fast as we can. With every breath, I feel my lungs burning, every breath is painful, but neither my sister nor I can give up now, we have to run to survive.
Before we could catch our breath, a loud, metallic clang came from behind the trees. A figure emerged from the darkness. A tall man in thin, golden armor, with the emperor's symbol on his chest—seven spheres arranged in a pyramid, connected by lines. Red-haired, wearing glasses, with six scars crossing his forehead, stretching from his eyes to his chin. His two swords glowed in the fire, and in one hand he held our mother's head.
"Aaa..." Ami groaned, her eyes widening with fear and anger. Tears and anger could be seen welling up in her eyes.
"Chinomo... run!" she shouted, but I couldn't move, as if I were paralyzed. My heart was pounding in my chest and my stomach was twisted. I couldn't move my legs. I couldn't believe that my mother, whom I had just spoken to, was now dead and that the man standing in front of me was responsible for her death.
Ami approached him. Her body radiated darkness, and a black cloud swirled around her—the Reiki of darkness. The cloud pulsated, creating a vortex that sucked weapons and fragments of fire into invisible space. Ami plunged her hand into the cloud and pulled out a large, heavy sword. Although the sword looked extremely heavy, Ami wielded it with one hand as if it weighed nothing. And the black cloud that appeared around her seemed to have a life of its own.
Serafin raised his hands, and pillars of fire shot up from the ground, blasting toward Ami. The flames licked at her body, but did little harm thanks to the darkness of Reiki, which protected her form.
Ami struck with tremendous force, but Serafin was so strong that he blocked her powerful blow with one sword and grabbed her wrist with his other hand. He muttered something under his breath, and his hand burst into flames. As her entire hand began to blacken, the burnt tissue gave off a sharp, unpleasant odor. Ami's scream pierced my ears—piercing, painfully human.
"Chinomo! Run! Now!" she shouted as her arm finally fell off, leaving her in agony.
I didn't wait. With pain in my heart and tears in my eyes, I moved forward, running deep into the forest. In my head, I heard the echo of her scream and saw the ruins of the village, smelling the burning bodies. Every step was saturated with guilt—that I was too weak, that I couldn't protect anyone.
Ami continued to fight. Then our eyes met for the last time. Despite her pain, she smiled at me one last time.
If you've made it this far, I'd love for you to share your opinion in the comments. It really helps me and motivates me to keep working.
Thank you for delving into this dark world. I appreciate your time and attention more than anyone could imagine. Get ready—this is just the beginning, and the shadow is drawing ever closer... See you in the next chapters of "The World That Doesn't Exist."