The day finally came to a saddened end running it's course yet again, the sun dipping it's round large golden face from the horizon, the silver waning dimply-lit moon taking it's place in the raven inked sky. Pure blackened night seemed to eerily tell signs of woe and true misery that laid ahead, a cold menacing reminder to events that will transpire after midnight into the wee hours of morrow. Moods and changing attitudes wavered through the township of Mallowpine, the people seemingly having an inkling of something so vicious and dreadful looming over them like a curse. In odd reality, they had no clue to the misfortunes that were going to befall them, befall whole of Aurora by something so wicked, so vile, so truly dreadful- Bandrial setting forth with her wishes to scour, pillage and then annihilate Aurora of resistance, traitors,....newborns who might be of the prophecy, which was foretold to her truthfully by a noble and olden prophet so, that would eradicate Bandrial out of existence forevermore.
The ordinary citizens didn't know of such a prophecy and of such a terror that was coming full circle, oblivious and naive all the while. But something put a sense of dread in their thoughts and motivations, a sense of absolute pain that will instill in them something so fierce specially for what was waiting for them the next day. As a result, the chronic effects caused the trader town to become loathing with gloom and doom. The tension was too much for the trader city causing the city to turn in the very likeness of ancient Sodom and Gomorrah within a mere few hours. To put it simply, the people went stark raven mad and out of control. What was a peaceful and prosperous city turned into shambles and pure hell quicker then the magical rivers that flowed swift in the Mallowpine forests. No one knew the cause of such a turn of debauchery and total defilement of such a wonderful city, things going down hill from there.
The city was like a prisoner who was having it's last supper before execution the next day, not caring and doing all things under the sun knowing they will never live to see another day. "Aye! Aye! Come with me and we'll turn the city topsy-turvy!", one boisterous and loud fat disgusting red-haired man spout as he snatched a lady from a throng of delirious and strung out people. The young whorish raven-haired lady, who was by no means the definition of beauty, suggestively giggled at the man as he whisked her away back to a "lively" brothel next to the crowd of people.
Taverns and bars opened to the streets gave off sounds of high-pitched laughter and screams of insanely glee, "One more round for the beggars and one more round for the excrements of mankind!", all shouted in singing with one another from one bar that had everyone crowded to the max. One drunkard bumped harshly into another quickly causing them to break in a grisly fight, all the people chanting and egging the fight on, "Get him! Knock him dead! Do it!", they all chanted away as the two continued to beat each other to a bloody pulp.
Down the street, between a crosswalk and a small vegetation field, an older man walked casually home from a hard days work as a merchant, trying to get home and away from the ruthless nonsense the people were creating all over town. Continuing to walk and mind his own, someone crept up behind him menacingly, stabbing the poor old man into the back twenty-two times, "AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!", the old man shouted as his gurgled screams faded into the darkness, the assailant walking away like nothing had ever happened after taking the old man's purse full of hard worked profited gold.
Back in one of the lesser boisterous taverns, The Night Owl, everyone talked amongst themselves, telling stories of olden sad tales that caused the befall of their previous King Zaxon and giving up theories of what was going to happen next under their present queen Bandrial's rule, "Rumors say that the queen has a paranoia to anyone undermining her and taking the throne away from her. That is why she is cruel and ruthless.", one barfly whispered to a small group of people who lined the bar-stools.
"Whether it's true or not, I wouldn't be surprised of the lunatic bizarre Bandrial. The woman is out of her mind as it is.", a cockney voice of a raspy woman spat, taking another swig of her darkened ale. All looked to each other in agreement and clank their glasses together in correction of what the woman said, "Here here to that.", a man nodded with the others. The bartender listened intently to the conversation and added his own two-cents, "Let us not talk too loudly for there are traitors amongst us who are followers of the maddened queen...", he warned them. They all just shook their heads in shame while taking more swigs of their alcoholic drinks....
Meanwhile upstairs in one of The Night Owl's resting rooms....
After much praying and chanting to Ai, Elle made a temporary force-field barrier, called protection from evil, around her room, trying to keep the evilness and rowdiness of the people who were on the other side of it away from her. Ai had foretold her things like that were going to happen before the prophecy was put into action, warning her to stay in the room, where she was as of now, until morning when it was all over- she didn't know that the town was going to be submerged in a bath full of blood, Bandrial's soldiers destroying the town in their path, rummaging to see of traitors who had any newborns that could be one of the seven heroes of light.
Elle took a seat on her small feathered bed and moved her silver satchel near her dark gray linen-clad thigh. She opened the bag of its contents, reaching inside for a small painted portrait of her clerical family who had nursed and brought her up until their death. Furrowed delicate arched brows and saddened lavender eyes studied the little portrait, the only memento left of them. Bandiral was going to surely pay for what she had done to Elle's family.... If it had to take seven heroes to take her down then so be it. Elle wasn't complaining about that fact....
All of a sudden, a bright large meteoroid flashed through the darkened bleak sky, signalling a chain of events that were to transpire after it. Elle peered out her window and followed the comet across the sky, never tearing her gaze from it. It seemed to put her in a trance, hypnotizing her to no end. The clock finally struck midnight, everything and everywhere around trader city fell silent to Elle's ears.... Immediately, a sharp pain ran up and down Elle's right arm causing her to screech out in pain, her body hitting the floor in protest, "Ughhhhhhhhh!!!!". The pain didn't stop but only amplified as a mysterious white mark appeared on her inner right pale arm, branding itself into her sensitive flesh.
Quickly Elle ripped her white long-sleeve that was attached to her peasant style shirt, trying to find the source to where the pain seared her skin. It didn't take long for Elle to look wide eyed at it, "What is this marking? How did it came to be on my arm?", she thought, in conflict with her curiosity and horror of the sight. Out of nowhere, a piercing scream rang through Elle's ears, it a domino effect to a chain of massive screams that followed. Everyone down below Elle and outside wailed in absolute terror and pain, the ground shaking underneath them like a massive earthquake from the soldiers stampeding the town, rampaging and killing everyone in sight.
Everyone ran, scattered and spread out, hiding in any hiding spot that they could find, "Please don't kill me!!!!", a man croaked. A solider on horse ran headlong at the man, from behind, quickly impaling the man with his long golden encrusted sword. Everyone screamed louder as more people were run down and killed by Bandrial's soldiers. The sudden mass of hysteria and commotion was too much for Elle, she covering her ears and burying her face in her lap as things continued to go out of control. What was happening?! Why were things turning out like this!?!?
Quickly Elle blacked out....
The morning embittered gray air slowly woke Elle from her deep slumber, it telling her that things became darker and.... much more bloodier. Elle slowly rose from the cherry-wood floor, dazed confusion rattling her brain. Was everything, that happened last night, twas only a dream?... Of course not!... Elle walked over to a large mirror that sat opposite across the room, staring at her flushed frustrated countenance. She placed her hands on the glass and stared at her reflection with dull weary eyes. If she didn't move on soon, heaven's know what will happen to her if she stuck around....
After taking a quick bath and freshening up her body, a change of blouse and pants and packing her mentionables in her satchel, Elle surrounded her lithe frame with the dark silver cape that hid her so well. She took leave out of the room and went down the steps.... What her eyes showed her was going to be forever seared into her mind, the images never wavering.... Just taking only one step down, Elle was greeted to the gruesome sight of mangled shredded bodies that littered the floor.
Elle quickly covered her mouth from screaming in horror, shaking her head at such a horrific display. She should've known from the eerie silence that things were not quite right, she greeted by the sight of dead flesh everywhere. Blood pooled around the carcasses as Elle tried her best to traverse around them, trying not to disrespect the dead by walking on top of them. Finally outside, the sight-seeing didn't get any better, getting worse from there. Blood washed and paved the streets, more bodies littering the trader town.
Not too far down the street, "Not my baby, please not my baby!!!!!", a young brunette woman shuddered in fear and screamingly pierced out of nowhere as she clutched her infant near her heaving chest. The two remaining soldiers just laughed at her evilly, taking out their swords quickly. Elle's eyes widened open in fear, standing paralyzed in her spot, when there was a flash of powerful heavy metals striking down on the woman, cutting her and the baby right into....half. There was no more words of protests from the woman, she and the baby quickly dead on the spot.
"That's all the infants in this town. It's time to move on.", one of the two soldier's spoke finally, he sheathing his mighty large sword. The mass slaughter was done, the two finally satisfied with the results. As they were going to mount back on their horses, they quickly caught sight of Elle standing there, the only survivor in the whole town. They furrowed their brows in pure anger, "You there! How dare you stay alive!?!?!", one of Bandrial's soldiers questioned menacingly. Elle couldn't speak but started to tread backwards slowly on her heels.
"Don't you dare move a muscle or I'll strike you down!", the other added, quickly reaching for his sword again. The other studied Elle and began to realize that she was on the top list of criminals wanted by Bandrial, he given a good description of what Elle looked like when she fled from the castle two months ago. She was thought to be of a rare beauty that Bandrial wanted to destroy badly, highly jealous of someone who outshone her own. But Elle was wearing a dark cape?!?! How could they tell it was her they were searching for?!... It was the face that gave her away, she forgetting to put her hood up. How stupid of her!
She didn't listened to the soldier's threat and continued to walk backwards, fight or flight response kicking on overdrive, "Listen to what you are told! Don't move!", the solider quipped again, his sword on full display. "You seem to fit the description of what Bandrial was trying to find of the wretched girl who fled from her!", the other inquired, as the both of them started to threateningly walk towards Elle. Elle didn't say another word and began to run headlong the other way as fast as she could. The two soldiers screamed and began to chase after her out of bloodied trader city and onto the expansive road.
One of the swords, that the solider produced from him, flung at her speedily almost cutting her shoulder if it wasn't for her dodging quickly from such an attack, "How can she do that!? Dodge so quickly?!?!", one shouted frustratingly to the other, "I'll go back and get the horses.", the other one spat as he ran back the other way. With one turned down going back, it was between her and one solider now. How would she get rid of him? Elle thought fast and quickly turned around, running backwards faster than the solider could ever run forwards, it didn't help he had heavy armor on.
"You will regret you had ever chased me....", Elle finally spoke, ice cold anger flowing from her full-shaped pink lips. She immediately stretched out her arms and began to chant readily on command. All of a sudden, using the power nimbus of light, a white light shot from her arms, traveling at light speed at the solider. Quickly, the solider was flung into the air landing flat on his back loudly wailing, massively hindered from running any further. Elle's power didn't damage the solider too much only giving him light scrapes and bruises on his person but it majorly affected him from ever gaining the momentum to run near as fast as she could, trying to capture her with all his might.
Elle turned back around and continued to run, forgetting about the other solider who promised to hunt her down on horse. It didn't worried her too much because by then she was already too far for him to catch up to her and even if he did, she would do the same to him and his horse that she did to his fellow ally and brethren. Elle was not to be trifled with when anger flowed through her holy-loving veins and she was not the type quick to anger, staying angry or being angry at all. But when she was...let's just say it's hard for her to calm down and stay sated in the aftermath. That is why she steadied her temper at all times by practicing meditation of tranquility, the result successfully keeping the nasty rare trait at bay, most of the time.
"And so it begins, young one. The third step to your prophetic journey has come to pass....", Ai whispered to Elle as Elle trudged on, racing across the long open road that was in front of her......
The meeting of three heroes....
Running for what seemed like hours, Elle begrudgingly slowed to a stop, surveying her gray depressing surroundings. Not too long ago, Elle was chased out of bloodied trader city by two soldiers who wanted to capture her and bring her back to Bandrial who wanted nothing more then to see her executed- executed for simply fleeing! Elle had it up to her neck with Bandrial, getting more annoyed that the guards and soldiers wouldn't give up and just see Elle as a lost cause. But we are talking about Bandrial here. The dreadful queen wouldn't stop for anything until her needs and desires were met, everyone highly miserable and tortured so behind it as a consequence.
After gaining some of her bearings and breathing, both settling to a better rate, Elle's mind re-registered about the white marking on her inner right arm. She pulled back her dark cape, followed by pulling up her linen white sleeve, quickly studying the mark. If it was a sign by the comet that she was marked a chosen hero then the mark wouldn't go away when she tried to use her power called, curing the maim, to try to heal the mark away. She took a deep sigh and put her left hand over the white mark. A small white light came through it and softly caressed the supposed "scar" on her right arm. It soothed her arm and calmed Elle somewhat but it didn't make the mark go away, she removing her hand quickly and looking at the mark with final realization....
Elle was one of the chosen heroes.... Ai was right with whispering the realization into her ear not too long ago when Elle was racing across the road. "Blessed be Ai! For I am really a hero chosen by you!", Elle surprisingly shouted to the top of her lungs, surprising herself in the process knowing she wasn't the type to speak louder than her usual low serene tone. After Elle fixed her sleeve and re-situated her silver cape back in place, Elle began to walk faster instead of running this time again, platinum blonde long tresses blowing gently in the wind, she regaining and conserving some of her energy.
All of a sudden, Elle could sense the heroes again, their auras ten times stronger this time. They were near, too near for Elle quicken her black knee-high length boot clad steps, it somehow magnetically pulling her to them against her own will. A couple more paces and steps, Elle could see the outlining of two other human beings who seemed to be converging paths with hers. As she drew nearer and nearer, the outlines of the other figures turned into two young men. Were they some of the heroes who knew when to meet up with one another, finally congregating?
Elle strangely somewhat knew but she wasn't sure if they really were the ones. Still, their auras around them gave dead giveaways that they were chosen just like her. She cautiously walked closer to the other two, quickly studying their countenances. One, who looked very muscular and fit with golden blonde hair, was armed with a deadly sword, giving Elle somewhat initial nervous shivers. Elle never liked weapons and the like, wary of what damage they could do, shying away from them as much as possible. But she didn't have time to be threatened by such a weapon on this heroes' person, putting the phobia quickly behind her as much as she could.
The other, with black hair and a slightly smaller frame, seemed familiar to her.... Immediately, Elle recognized a fellow ally- a Wen Lief, he apart of the mage group that was close to the clergy. They not only traded with one another but also worshiped each others goddesses, the young man's attire letting her know he was one of them. She gave a quiet sigh of relief as she continued to walk closer and closer to them. At least she could be familiar with at least one of them, her eyes never leaving the two....