The sun rose on the long-awaited day—the day all of "Aetheria" had both feared and anticipated: the entrance exam for the prestigious "Zeus Academy."
In a quiet corner of the church, Aria's youthful features contorted with annoyance as Mother Joanna's repeated calls pierced the silence of her slumber.
She defiantly rolled to the other side of the bed, pulling the coarse blanket over her face, attempting to escape a reality that was forcing itself upon her.
Joanna sighed deeply, her patience wearing thin at Aria's coldness, which had now turned into true provocation.
With a sudden movement, Joanna screamed, shaking the very corners of the room as she violently ripped the blanket off Aria's body, saying in a tone that brooked no argument:
"Now, Aria... get up! There is no more time!"
Under that scream, Joanna's eyes
sharpened, staring at the girl who was desperately trying to block the bright morning light with her hand from her crimson eyes.
Aria realized that all escape routes were closed. She sighed in resignation, feeling Joanna's angry gaze piercing her like arrows. She muttered in a hoarse voice:
"Fine... fine... I'm coming."
She struggled to sit up, overcome by heavy drowsiness; last night had not been kind to her, as thoughts of the alleged
"execution platform" gnawed at her peace for hours.
She yawned so deeply that tears welled in her eyes, then stood up wobbling, walking toward the wash area, hoping the cold water would break the chains of lethargy and clear the fog from her scattered mind.
Meanwhile, Joanna set off like a bee toward the modest kitchen, preparing breakfast with lightning speed, as if in a race against time to prepare her daughter for that fateful confrontation.
Aria finally emerged from her bath, water still dripping from the ends of her red hair.
She put on wide black trousers and a loose white shirt, granting her the freedom of movement she would undoubtedly need.
She began drying her wavy locks and combing them carefully, then zipped her light canvas backpack after placing a water bottle and some simple necessities inside.
She headed toward the kitchen, and as soon as she crossed the threshold, her eyes widened with a childish joy she couldn't suppress. She froze in her tracks, staring at the table, then stepped toward Mother Joanna and asked in a stunned tone, pointing at the exquisite dish:
"Is this really for me?"
Joanna smiled and nodded in eloquent silence. Aria showered her with hugs and words of gratitude; she had made her favorite "Chocolate Cheesecake," alongside a warm glass of milk that smelled of tranquility.
Aria sat down and began to eat with relish, trying to reclaim a taste she had almost forgotten; due to their hardships in the church, they had been deprived of such simple joys for years.
Every bite restored a bit of her psychological strength before the great confrontation.
As for Mother Joanna, she stood watching her in a heart-wrenching silence.
Tears glistened in her eyes as she saw Aria eating joyfully; the thought haunted her that this might be Aria's last day within these walls, and that this breakfast might be the final farewell to the daughter she raised before the walls of Zeus Academy—or worse—claimed her.
After Aria finished what she called
"the feast," a brief silence ensued, broken by her realization of the absence of the usual children's clamor.
Surprised by the stillness of their rooms, she scanned the kitchen before asking, but Joanna understood her thoughts before she spoke, saying calmly:
"It's still too early for them to wake up... You know the Kingdom is far from here. The Ash Suburbs are almost isolated, and you must set off now to arrive on time."
Aria nodded in understanding, but quickly fixed Joanna with a firm, emotional gaze, saying:
"But I don't want to leave without saying goodbye to them."
Joanna smiled tenderly; Aria had always been a second mother to those little ones. She signaled her to wait, then left for their room.
Moments later, Aria heard the thundering of their running footsteps shaking the wooden floor.
They all threw themselves into her arms with streaming tears. Aria embraced them with profound sisterly love, kissing one's forehead and stroking another's head.
Aiden stepped back slightly, trying to regain his lost dignity as he wiped away the tears that betrayed him, asking in a trembling voice:
"You'll come visit us... right?"
Aria stroked his hair with a warm smile:
"I'll try, Aiden. I promise."
Aiden returned the smile, his nose red from crying, while Mikey shouted eagerly:
"Don't forget to bring us a souvenir from there!"
Lora added with childish excitement:
"And I want candy!"
While the youngest, Ibra, jumped in place, her wide eyes overflowing with brilliance:
"I... I want a doll!"
Aria laughed from the depths of her heart at the innocence of her siblings and said:
"You shall have it... but on one condition: don't tire Mama Joanna, is that understood?"
With a synchronized movement, the little ones raised their thumbs in agreement amidst collective laughter that lightened the weight of departure.
Aria put on her cloak, tightened her grip on her bag, and took her first steps out of the church.
She waved her hand to them incessantly, while they all stood at the doorstep, watching her figure grow smaller and smaller, fading into the mist of the Ash Suburbs, leaving behind a piece of her soul and heading toward an unknown fate in the heart of the Kingdom.
Aria walked for distances that stretched until the borders of the desolate
"Forest of Oblivion" were consumed beneath her feet, finally entering the depths of the villages near the Kingdom's walls.
There, the looks were not merely curious, but stabs of suspicion. Whispers followed her like faint shadows, wondering in a hushed, indignant tone:
"What is this hollow creature? And how can a body without a magical pulse carry all this rebellious beauty?"
But Aria did not give them the slightest attention; she continued walking with a coldness that provoked their resentment.
At the edge of the rugged road, she stepped aside to sit on a protruding rock and took out her water bottle to quench the fire in her throat, which had dried from the journey.
She drank slowly, then returned the bottle to her bag, ready to resume her journey toward that place which represented the true nightmare for those like her.
After hours of walking under the weight of the sun, the landmarks of grandeur began to manifest.
The walls of the Great Kingdom rose before her eyes—towering, encrusted with magical crystals that reflected the light with provocative vanity. Aria stopped suddenly, her body stiffening before those walls that separated two worlds.
She turned back for a short moment, a silent farewell look to everything she had known, as if exhaling her last breath in the world of Ash to be born anew in a world she knew nothing of but enmity.
She turned again, tightened the fastening of her cloak, and took her first steps toward the giant gates.
Her crimson eyes overflowed with a steel-like determination that broke the prestige of the place; she did not walk like prey being led to its slaughter, but like a coming hurricane destined to shatter the foundations of that ancient magical system.