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"Hade," a voice of a woman called from nowhere outside her sanctuary of pure darkness.

She tried to find a single strand of memory where she heard that name: Hade, just to realize that it was her, the woman was calling. Yes... now she is Hade. Herschell is no more than a part of her past, since the very moment she went away from Marionne.

As if awakened from a dream, she was startled by the sudden touch of the blinding light from the table lamp at a corner of the small room they just occupied, and rubbing her eyes, hoisted herself from cold and hard wooden seat.

The room felt very foreign to her. It has been her first time to go to another realm from the Nexus, where she had fled to when she left Rideah. This is very different place from what she has been accustomed to... a realm where people wear strange clothings other than dresses or robes, where living places and infrastructures are shaped like giant rectangular boxes with no embellishment but thousands of glossy windows embossed on all corners of the gray or black edifices, where there is little to be seen of the natural world, where natives speak diverse language and practice different strange rituals offered to an absolute being they call God, and where people does not... or perhaps cannot practice sorcery. It might have been just a few days to her, but in this realm's time, it has been nearly two weeks since they arrived.

"Hade, are you alright?" A woman, averagely at her early twenties stood in front of her with a tender smile. Her curly brown locks adorn her slender but wide shoulders as the dazzling lady's hazel eyes seem to reflect Hade's pale appearance with an unusual color. She flitted her moss green velvet cloak to the back of her shoulders and put down the hood, revealing her magnificent face.

She managed a forced grin that made her lips look twitching.

"I'm fine, Mistress Esriem..." She tilted her head to the right side as if to bow with her face as blank as a white parchment.

"You, very sweet little--," she said smiling, then paused to speculate the reaction of her former apprentice.

Hade looked at the lady blankly without a word, then turned her stare towards the orange and brown vine-patterned parchment covering the whole wall of the room. The lady seemed to understand what she met by the stare. She hates being called or much, treated like a little child. She is not a little child anymore. She's turning fifteen in a few months time. Time had passed hastily for her.

It has been almost seven years since she left Marionne and forgot everything about Rideah; the kingdom where she was born; where her childhood memories flourished and thrived... Or at least she thought she did forget about that cursed place. But apparently she did not. In her dreams or during her senseless waking hours she still reminisce about her old village... the village where there once was peace and contentment, and where everything seems to be in harmony... or at least she thought so.

The lady's cheeks turned red. She faced the lit fireplace and put her hand closer to the flames, then rubbing them, faced Hade with a worried smile.

"O, Hade... you're always very polite. How many times have I told you to not call me mistress anymore. We... you and I are of the same rank in the order now. I'm no longer your mentor, but a companion... a friend." she said with her usual girlish tone.

She nodded. A friend... she tought deeply.

"I apologize... E-Esriem, but I'm quite accustomed to calling you my mistress. Even though we are already at the same rank, you will always be my teacher and I thank you for that." No emotion showed on her pale face but she knows that the lady understood that she is sincere with what she said.

Esriem smiled once more as if she never runs out of reason to do it.

"I can still remember when I found you lying unconsciously in Hindara desert..." She sat onto the soft couch next to her and enclosed one of Hade's hand in hers.

Yes... She can still remember. After finding out that Seth; the village chief's future successor and her best friend, was gone, people poured their boiling rage on her and blamed her for influencing Seth to become a wicked boy, just like her family.

She tried to hide back to their manor where no one who does not belong to their clan cannot enter... alive, thinking that the village people's wrath will sooner or later fade and that she will again be able to go back to the village, then to the ruins to find Seth. But she was wrong. She was never accepted again and even tried to kill her. She tried to go back to the ruins, but to her dismay, she cannot find the mysterious cave anymore. She searched every corner of the Marionne borders but to no avail.

That instance while crying with desperation, she realized what caused all the mysteries which caused the strife the she had witnessed: magic.

From such conclusion, she has but one option; to go to the main capital of Rideah: Enkadme. There is the only place known in Marionne where people who can perform magic can be found. Several charmers and spell-casters live there and train apprentices for free. Maybe she could pay one of them to go to Marionne and find Seth through magic, or if not, train her to be a spell-caster. Gold is not a problem to her. Their clan could pay a trolley of gold and not feel even a tiny itch inside their pockets. Their riches are bountiful and this is where their secrets root.


She escaped from the manor after gathering some of the gold coins she had kept since she was three, for she knew her parents and grandparents would not allow her to go to Enkadme. And certainly, it would not please them to lend their precious gold for charity, especially if it benefits someone from the Marionne village who treated them like Rideah's most horrible family.

The desert was harsher than she thought. She kept travelling on foot for days and lacking store of food and water, she became weak, not to mention encountering, having to fight or run from herds of gigantic insects and packs of craving beasts. If she had been a normal from the village, she could have been at that point. But she is not an ordinary girl from the village... she has her own secrets.


Taking her teacup from the glass table in front of her, she nodded to the lady as if telling her, Yes... I can still remember.

She was dismayed to find that her tea is already cold. Have I rested that long? she thought.

"You saved me teacher..." her voice not more than a whisper.

"You are worth it, Hade. When I saw you lying unconsciously in Hindara desert near the border of Shin Khali village, I was curious. What would an eight-year old do in a place like this? And when you mentioned that you came from Marionne... that distance, and the danger; I knew that there was something special in you.

"I decided to train you for I have no apprentice yet and I have not mistaken for choosing you. You've got sorcery burning in every corner of your veins... And now..." She smiled as her cheeks turned red once more. "Now, you look at you... the Hade I've trained is now a member of the order and even more powerful and skillful than me." Esriem patted her shoulder just like what a normal sister would do.

She almost bowed to Esriem. It is difficult to outrun her in the practice in sorcery. Not only that she has to have excellent skills but also because she had to step on her mentor's pride.

"Don't say that Gairuo Esriem... the pleasure of being in the order with you is always mine, for if not for you, I would have accomplished none, or worse I would have died in the desert and eaten by gigantic maggots." she said still not moving a muscle on her face.

She waved a hand as she let out a girlish giggle. "No, no... Gairou is for older teachers only," she chuckled a bit. "It would sound as if I'm already ancient if you call me that, I'm afraid... though it's a term of great respect.

"Now I have to go fulfill my mission here, so that we can go back to the Nexus as soon as possible." She waved her left hand in spiral motion above her head, and with a spray of golden dust which came out of nowhere, her cloak transformed into a long brown coat seemingly made of shiny leather, while her inner clothings became a tight fitting pair of pats made of black cloth and a long-sleeved tuinc with collar barely revealing her neck and partially covering her chin and lips. Her hair was tied up so that the golden brown culrs don't get into her eyes.

"That's it. I'm ready." she said facing a huge mirror which just appeared on the wall, and seemingly satisfied, headed to the door.

"Wait!" she called the woman back. "Are you not going to let me go with you? I can dress up as fast as you did."

She shook her head and smiled. "This is still my mission. We had a hard time convncing the elders of the order to let you come with me this far. I don't want to take you back to the Nexus even with the slightest scratch."

"What about your right arm. It has not yet fully-healed. I could help you accomplish your mission." she said with worry in her voice.

She shook her head again. "You stay here... or if you want, saunter around the city and explore things you've never seen before in the Nexus or even in Rideah." She opened the door and stepped out. Before closing it, glanced at Hade with her head protruding from the narrowly opened door.

"Don't forget to change your clothes before going out!" that and with the same girlish chuckle, she closed the door and headed to her mission.

She's even acted like she's my sister. She smiled silently. Mistress Esriem was not even the most perfect mentor as far as she knows. She was even often called a drop-out during her days of studying in the Academy of Nexurian Sorcery. She's always prying into Hade's business like a very thoughtful mother and what comes with same old mom's worrying but nagging- lots and lots of it.

She found herself smiling at the thought of her mistress. If weren't for her daily encouragement, she would have felt empty and more miserable everyday. She's usually not happy... nor sad. Maybe she already forgot how is it to feel. All she anticipates upon waking up in the morning is the task laid to her by the order. And though these tasks seem to bore her rather than pose a challenge, at least she'd have a reason to still wake up in the morning.

Her life have become a wreck and a pleasure at the same time, though she doesn't always appreciate being a sorceress and member of the order as a pleasure, but a mere duty.

She sank tiredly on one of the soft couches. She pictured Esriem's face the first time they met, in her mind. She was like a bullying sister and more. She thought Hade everything she knows and more; ideals and principles in life and how to deal with them. Although, Esriem always forgets... anything she said after a couple of minutes, or the composition of her last meal, or important appointments in her duties with the order, or even to tie her shoe lace and brush her hair before going out.

She shook her head at the thought. Good thing I'm here to always remind her.

Though she does not doubt her mistress' abilities in sorcery and physical combat, she worries that this mission may have been to much for her.

She started to get dressed and while planning what to do that night, sat silently with a black book on her hand. Therein lies her memories of Seth which she treasures everyday of her life. A sketch of the 8 year-old Seth was mae by her on the last page. And she wondered... How does he look like today... if only...if only I could bring you back.

Her fingers started to numb as she held the book tightly, as if letting go of it would let go of all her cherished glimpse of the boy who once made her smile.
________________________________________

to be continued...

To anyone who would spent a moment of precious time on this work, i would gladly accept your comments and suggestions. PLEASE visit my friendster account shim_eiram@yahoo.com.ph

thanks,
the author


crying sweatdrop emo

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