The Ember of Darkness...

She glanced at the metal bars, not knowing what to do. Confused, bewildered, sad, angry and happy…emotions were suddenly thrown into doubt. Tears of fire and despondency rolled down her eyes, yet tickling her delicate cheeks. The full moon, which she had admired since birth and the stories she heard about the moon was now peering down at her, with sympathy. It lighted the whole prison cell as she struggled through the thick chains tied to her soft hands.

Suddenly, a shadow appeared covering her sight of her queenly sandals. The shadow moved closer and then she looked up to see a handsome man with a thick beard, crimson hair and a gold chain on his right arm. He stared at her with his piercing blue eyes. She stared back, not knowing what other option she had in front of her to react. Dement, she was as she stared at the man. She had seen him somewhere; she knew that he knew her better than anyone else in Hedward; but still she could not recall or recognize him. Then she noticed a glazing silver badge pinned onto the lower part of his shoulder. It read LIEUTENANT EDWARD GROFFIN.

Then it hit her; the man she was wandering about since six long years. Her love, he was standing there…right in front of him.

‘E…Edward!’, the one word she managed to stammer as more tears flowed down her eyes like an unrepaired fountain.

‘My love, I didn’t know you would do a sin like this.’, he cried as he knelt over, closer to her.

‘I…I didn’t do it, Edward. Please…you at least, believe me! It wasn’t me!’, she wept as though her only hope had also shattered into pieces, ‘You…you’re the lieutenant! Please, one word you could speak to the Emperor pleading and making him believe that it wasn’t me.’, she cried.

‘Decision has already been made, Andye. I can’t do anything now…however I wish I could.’, he said as he again got up and turned to walk away.

‘Noooo!’, she pleaded crying loudly, ‘Don’t be so disheartened. You are not the Edward I know. The Emperor is turning your heart into stone, Edward, believe me! At least you. I waited and waited for your return for six long years staring at the window, doing nothing. You can’t do this to me, please!’, she cried.

Edward paused there, gasping. He turned back and walked back to her prison cell. He whispered, ‘What did you just say? You…you waited for my return for six years! If I’m not the Edward you know, then you’re not the Andye I know. I know where you’ve been all these six years, Andye. Lucas told me everything. Now shut your mouth and consider yourself privileged that your execution is after a week, because just eight wonderful words from me, Andye Frank’s execution to be held right now, and soon your head will roll. Bear that in mind along with your emotions and pains.’, he smirked and left the scene.

This pain was unbearable for Andye. Lucas had fed Edward with lies all six years about her and she regretted trusting him, now. She banged her head purposefully on the thick wall and it started bleeding profusely. She didn’t care about her head smarting, she just cried now and soon, she fell asleep for drowsiness took over her on the thick brick floor of Prison Cell 300.

*             *            *

The next morning, she woke up with a shudder, it was as though years had passed with a night’s sleep. She gazed at the orange sky. The clouds hovering around the huge tower of the dungeon had just parted to reveal the rising sun. But…but she was in a state of confusion. She yawned as she realized that her head was pretty much all right even though she thundered her head on the wall the previous day. Her hand scoured around her head, and there was no scar, no mark, no pain. She got up from the floor. The sun beamed brightly at her mocking her with its pride. But she gently smiled back, as though she was self-content, though she mysteriously didn’t know the reason, herself. She felt something weird and untoward happening. Her eyes crawled around her neck and her hair stood on its edges. Her cheeks twitched and her legs twisted by itself. She creamed and supported herself on the thick wall of the cell.

The two guards still stood there, pretending to not hear her scream and yelp. They stood like a statue, though they themselves didn’t know for how long they would be keeping this masquerade. Suddenly, an intimate figure appeared from the left. She looked up at him with grateful eyes, but when the person was revealed, her eyes burned with hatred. It was Lieutenant Edward Groffin, himself. A crooked and evil smile appeared on his flat face. He smirked and laughed as though he knew what caused her this miserable, unbearable pain.

‘Painful, isn’t it?’, he smirked, with his piercing blue eyes twitching, he smiled with them at her.

‘You caused this, didn’t you?’, she cried, gritting her teeth.

‘Yes, yes, my love. Lucas had also told me that you’re good at guessing!’, he said with a maniac laugh.

‘What did you do?’, she asked, her voice turned gruff and her hair started floating like the base was water.

‘Lucas also told me that your hair stands when you’re angry!’, he teased her, but not in an amiable manner, ‘Anyway, you know…I’m not the kind of person you can expect to just beat around the bush…coming to the point---’

‘Answer me!’, she said. Edward could see a sudden change in her. He gasped, but hid it. Andye’s eyes turned garnet red. Her teeth scrawled above, and the brunette shade of her hair turned merlot and then, darker as each moment passed.

‘You are killing me!’, she grinned.

‘I am killing you. But you…had already killed me!’, he grinned back, at least now…showing some fear.

‘I’m not the person who you think I am, Edward.’, she said, ‘You poisoned me!’

‘Indeed, I did! You’re quite smart, Andye. Certainly, you were not the person I thought you to be.’, he smirked.

Andye’s blood spit out of her vein, and her hair floated above like an eagle. It stood right in ninety degrees above her and…and her hair grew second by second. Edward gasped into her nails. It grew more than ever like a tiger’s claws. She yelled out loud and her clothes tore. She fell down on her knees, but it didn’t cause her any pain as though it were made out of metals. Blood dropped from her mouth as she choked herself to stop it. She screamed like a monster so hard that people from the next city would’ve be able to hear it.

‘What…what is happening to you. No, these weren’t the symptoms of my poison.’, he yelled, afraid.

‘Indeed, Edward, indeed. These aren’t the symptoms of your poison. There are the symptoms of betrayal, deceit, anger, despondency and hatred! You will suffer for this, Edward. Mark my words!’, she hollered.

Guards from all over the prison then appeared there. Edward stepped back and the guards held their spears tight pointing it at her.

‘Stop this nonsense!’, a guard yelled.

‘I’m afraid I do not know how to.’, she grinned back.

Suddenly, flames increased, and the back side of her clothes burned with fire, with the base and initial still unknown. She yelled, though she didn’t know why. The flames…it didn’t burn her, it provided her comforting warmth, instead.

Everyone gasped and stepped behind. The flames then spread over her whole body, but she was completely unaffected. She howled as though she was a wolf. She screamed as though she was a demon.

The fire increased and she ran towards the end of her cell and screamed towards the guards, threatening them. They all ran from the scenario and rushed towards the Emperor’s palace outside the dungeon. Edward was there no more. Perhaps, he too went.

She smirked. She glanced at her long nails. It had almost grown roughly one and a half inches long. She smirked and pierced her hand through the small space between two of the metal bars. She the inserted her nail and twisted it, wondering whether it could break open the chain, and true to her thoughts, it fell, broken. She brought in her hand with ease and opened the metal door, slowly. She exited the cell and came out, and took a deep breath.

An evil smile stretched from the feet of her right eye on her innocent face; it didn’t match her for any reason, but she liked wearing it. She smirked and walked towards the exit of the dungeon, still burning in flames.

Just then, a group of soldiers emerged from both the sides of the exit. Their blazing red uniform gave permission for the pleading sunlight to reflect. The metal spears’ edges pointed out abruptly threatening anyone on its path. They all grinned as though Andye didn’t have a way to escape.

Andye didn’t react, but smiled at them in a cunning manner.

Suddenly, a guard stepped forward and jeered, ‘Charge!!’.

Footsteps thundered and soldiers came hurrying towards her with their spears in position. Andye of course couldn’t defend herself against a huge army like this, she ran to the opposite direction panting. But an advantage which favoured Andye greatly was that she was faster than the guards, now!

She hurried to the opposite exit and she was almost there, when another figure appeared in front of her. He had a blonde beard with light maroon eyes; he had crimson hair with lithe muscles. Two swords with letters of ancient Greek was prescribed on both the swords of the man tucked in between his fastened belt. Andye’s hair stood on its edges…she understood who it was, the emperor himself!

‘Surrender, Andye Frank!’, he yelled drawing out his sword and pointing its edge at her chin, threatening her. The sound of the metal being drawn out against another metal sheath was unbearable especially when it’s by a legend’s arm.

‘Never!’, she replied boldly.

‘How bold…can you be to your Emperor, Miss Frank?’, he smirked, ‘You won’t fight your Emperor now.’

‘If I must, I will.’, she said.

‘Well then, surrender, Miss Frank. You know…I won’t ask you a second time.’, he said again.

‘I will never surrender! And I…won’t answer you a second time, sir.’, she smirked.

The Emperor yelled and stepped back, balancing his weight on his left foot, and he threw his right fist out in a curved stab at Andye’s temple. Blood drained down from her neck temple as she covered it with her hand. But…but no pain took over her. She…she really felt no pain. Then turning ninety degrees to the side, she brought her right forearm up to counter the blow, formed a fist with her left hand, and she threw it at his outstretched jaw. The Emperor jerked and limped behind.

Everyone gasped when they saw a lady, even though she was on flames defeating the Emperor. The Emperor got enraged. He rushed onto Andye with a furious face. He drew out his sword again and swished it through her body. Luckily, she managed to duck and step back. The Emperor didn’t stop, neither did he have a habit of giving up. He kept on spamming attacks on her not giving her time to attack back. Finally, after an attempt, Andye turned around and kicked him with her right leg. She gasped. How could a woman beat an Emperor like that?

The Emperor fell back, his head hit the floor. H tried to get up, but his muscles weakened, and he couldn’t even limp across the floor.

Andye wanted to apologize; she didn’t mean to do anything like that. Something…something was controlling her, though she didn’t know what, who or why.

But now…she needed to focus on what mattered the most…on the present. She ran to the opposite exit, ignoring the bleeding Emperor. She ran, still being chased by the huge army. But she gained speed and her energy seemed to increase rather than decrease each moment.

Suddenly, three guards emerged from both her sides and drew out their swords and tried to stab her. She ducked on time and kicked one of them on their abdomen. Then she drew out the sword of the fellow guard’s and stabbed the other one before he could get near. Then, she saw a horse on the outskirts of the forest. She glanced at the beautiful horse. With dijon back hair and a mix of alabaster and ivory white, the horse stood there as though it was waiting for her arrival. The brown saddle was already fixed on the horse. She didn’t think twice; she leaped onto the horse back and pedalled herself on the saddle. She didn’t know to ride a horse, either…but she had watched people doing so. She clutched onto the leather rope and pulled it backwards, kicking the beastly animal softly. The horse neighed and before more soldiers could get to her…the horse ran with thundering steps towards the forest. Then, the flames on her gradually decreased and it was no more. Perhaps…because of the wind.

And there stopped the soldiers…they didn’t come any forward. The soldiers glanced and gawked until they were out of sight in the fog. But still…Andye’s head was about to burst with questions…so she decided not to burden her cerebrum with anymore.

Andye herself didn’t know where the horse was heading to, it seemed as if it knew the right way and ran without stopping a moment, and as for Andye…she could do nothing but clutch herself on the saddle of her horse. the horse

It was then Andye noticed her surroundings. It was winter time…and pine trees were all covered and bathing in snow. Snow nearly covered all of the earth in the forest.

Suddenly, the horse stopped and neighed loudly. Andye confused, then looked forward and was astonished. A small cottage made out of thick straws…thick compared to most of other straws…but too weak for a cottage…or a hut, even…in fact! The wooden steps seemed like the only part of the house not made up of straws. The edge of the small windows which covered the sides of the cottage also was made up of straws except the plain part that the air enters. Designs of flowers were carved on the straws…though it wasn’t possible without magic. The roof or ceiling of the house pointed up from both the edges until they met each other at the top to form an isosceles triangle in the roof of the cottage.

The horse carried her closer to the small cottage. Suddenly, an old woman came out of the hut. She had a pointy nose, blonde. With black hair and dark eyes, she looked at Andye as though she had seen her somewhere and was trying to recall the moment where they met.

‘Andye Frank?’, the woman asked with a gruff, but amicable and friendly voice.

‘Yes ma’am?’, she asked with confusion.

‘Yessss!’, she yelped in joy, ‘The Prophecy!! The Prophecy, it came true! The famous…err, Andye Frank who is going to be famous in future for her sorcery and witchcraft visits my home!’

‘I am sorry, ma’am. I didn’t get you. What prophecy are you even talking about? And…sorcery? What do you mean?’, she asked, enraged and bewildered.

‘Sorcery, will take over

The world shall depend on her

Careful she must be indeed

Can’t know how one will bleed

The eldest daughter of Frank Alias

Shall enter the world of adventure

Rest in the only hut, in the graves of the woods’, the old woman ended

‘What?’, Andye exclaimed, she was more confused than ever.

‘I will sum it up for you, Andye. It says that you will enter a world of sorcery and the world will depend on you for a great tragedy has occurred there. Now this task must be done by the eldest daughter of Frank Alias, which is biologically…you. And the last line is most important of all, Rest in the only hut, in the graves of the woods. The only hut in the graves of this woods is mine. Rest here, and the next moment…you are a saviour. Enter the world of sorcery, they await you, Andye.’, the woman said.

‘I am still unconvinced. How come only you are aware of this prophecy?’, she asked, bewildered.

‘Because I am the only one with the hut in the graves of the woods, smart brains!’, she exclaimed, ‘I was the one told of this prophecy and I had to tell this to you when time comes…when time permits.’, she replied.

‘Now close your eyes and take a deep breath. Calm yourself down, and you will know.’, she continued.

Without thinking, she blindly closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and calmed herself down. Just then, the next moment she opened her eyes…