The Sovereign - the One of Fire (Book 1)

Seraphina

Night arrived. The darkness sets faster in the woods.

The large hellhound sat beside me in the bushes where I could oversee the entire village. I have waited here since the evening, and now it’s getting dark.

“Land, what should I do?” I whispered.

The Sovereign had given me the entire day to surrender myself, using their loudspeakers to make sure I could hear them.

“Whatever you do, turning back is not an option,” he replied, his tail swaying slowly from side to side.

“What’s going to happen to my parents?” my voice trembled involuntarily.

“Worse come to worse, they die,” Land answered monotonously.

I winced in response.

In contrast with his appearance, Land seemed to be more of a happy-go-lucky person, or I mean, hound. He was sassy, in both the way he spoke and the way he moved. He didn’t look too old, his body toned and muscular, covered with scars here and there. His voice was rather monotonous with a deep undertone. As we walked from our hideout to this turf, I bumped into him a few times, and to my surprise, his fur was well-groomed but had a rough texture. I could imagine Terron helping him take care of his fur, with him basking happily in the sun.

My attention snapped back to reality when I heard someone shout. I saw the Sovereign officers emerging from my home. My parents were dragged along behind them in metal chains that rattled as they walked. The officers pulled at them to hasten their pace.

I squinted my eyes. Something seemed off, something wasn’t right with their posture.

“They broke their arms.”

Land’s statement echoed in my mind.

“No…” I whispered.

Those arms. It was those arms that once held me. Now broken.

“Seraphina Monard, the cursed one of the Eshban,” the loudspeakers sparked to life with static noises.

I cringed at the man’s low, sinister voice.

“As you have chosen not to reveal yourself, nor surrender yourself, we hope you are watching what is to come.”

I forced myself to etch that man’s face into my mind in case I had the chance to have my revenge in the future.

The officers pushed my parents toward a pile of what seemed like black soil. At a closer look, the pile of soil wasn’t what I originally thought it was.

They were stacks of firewood.

“No way,” I whispered, hardly believing my eyes.

Two giant crosses were brought to the center of the village, carried by the villagers, the very people who worked with my father, and the very people he called friends. My parents were shoved towards it roughly and I watched them struggling to stay on their feet.

“I advise you to leave, girl,” Land nudged me with his nose, his voice laced with thick disgust. He knew what was going to happen next.

I knew what was going to happen next, I just didn’t want to accept it.

“I need to save them!” tears starting rolling down my face. “I need to surrender myself, maybe they will listen!”

“If you surrender yourself then you will be burning with them!” Land snarled.

I heard hammering, and I turned back to a gruesome sight. They were nailing my parents to the crosses. My heart broke, piece by piece with the rhythm of them nailing into their flesh and bone. It must be so painful, yet my parents kept silent, not letting any cries of pain escape them.

“See how much they’re sacrificing for you girl, and you want to give yourself up to these monsters?” Land growled, keeping his voice low. “They are not uttering a sound, afraid that you may still be close, afraid that you’ll turn back if you were to hear their cries,” Land’s emerald green eyes looked straight at me. “I advise you to leave, girl,” he said again.

I couldn’t tear my eyes off the scene.

I was crying, I was in pain, but I just couldn’t leave.

My beloved parents, to die, in front of me.

“To be burned on the cross, according to the legends, the Eshban was of fire, thus we shall get rid of them the Eshban way,” the officer announced gleefully.

Some of the villagers turned their heads, refusing to watch.

Cowards.

Darkness swelled around me, the night had arrived. The crosses were set within the firewood, one beside the other. Both of my parents looked serene, my mother even had a hint of a smile on her face.

“Any last words?” the officer looked at them like a wolf cornering its prey.

My mother’s voice was faint, but I could hear it all the same.

“Live long, Seraphina. You will always be our lovely child.”

The Sovereign officers sneered, yet an unknown fear rippled through them.

I realized that whatever legend that was tied to me, and whatever curse I bore had made an impact on the Sovereign. I could almost taste their fear in the air.

Was it the reason why they want me dead?

Was it the reason why they’re hunting me and my parents?

It wouldn’t have just been because of a mere legend, it must have really happened back in the days for them to take the Eshban mark on me so seriously.

If it was really true, do I really bear the powers of the Eshban, the people of fire as the officer had said?

I looked at my parents helplessly, they were being brutally punished yet they had unwavering faith, and neither of them were cowering in the face of death.

“Your child was born to burn down the heavens! Born as one to rebel against the Sovereign, and yet you defend her,” the officer’s eyes looked like they were going to pop-out of his skull. His voice shook and his body trembled along with it.

“She is our child, no matter if she was born a monster or born with whatever doomed destiny, we will protect her, even if it means sacrificing our lives for her,” my dad growled.

Land nudged me again. But no, I couldn’t move.

I couldn’t take my eyes off my father’s arms, once strong, warm and protective, now broken and battered, nailed to a wooden cross, awaiting the fiery embrace of flames.

“Shall we start the execution?” the officer snapped his head back to another officer who was holding the torch.

My heartbeat echoed in my body, all of my instincts screamed at me to run, but something inside me had me rooted to the ground.

Something in me wasn’t allowing me to back away.

“Do you desire power?”

If I am really of the devil, or the Eshban, or whatever the legends say, then grant me power, power to protect those I love, power to make me strong.

“Power to destroy.”

As they set fire onto the firewood, I stood there helplessly, angry and crying at myself for being completely worthless.

Please, not them.

Anyone, anything but my parents.

That feeling of hopelessness clung itself onto me, seeping its roots down into my soul.

I don’t ever want to feel like this again. I don’t want to be helpless anymore.

I want to be strong.

I need to be strong.

Power, I need power.

Please.

Memories came flashing back, so many at once that I started to see stars that had all the colors of the spectrum.

My father’s arms, my mother’s singing voice, a lullaby, an apple, and burning crosses. Like pictures, each memory was shown to me one by one.

As memories of my short, doomed life flashed before me, I heard the witch doctor’s voice.

“She was born to burn down the heavens!”

It echoed endlessly in my mind.

"And burn down the heavens I will.”

In an instant, the woods surrounding my village burst into flames, yet the flames did not spread to the entire forest. The fire only trapped the people within the village.

My head was throbbing with all the visions and voices in my head, yet the screams of fear that came from the village below sounded like music to my ears.

Unknown strength, unknown power surged through me as I stabilized myself.

Land stared at me wide-eyed, an unknown fear and respect rippled through those green eyes of his.

A sense of calm washed over me as I stood up from my hiding place.

At that moment, I was fearless.

Everything came to me naturally as I called forth my own fire.

It surrounded me gently, trying to comfort me in its fiery presence.

All I felt was calmness.

Peace.

And the urge to slaughter.

I walked slowly down from the woods, my eyes taking in the view of the inferno I’ve created. These are my powers, the legends were true.

“The child of prophecy has awakened.”

I stepped through the raging wall of flames, it being the only thing standing between me and the people who had threatened to hurt my family.

These flames no longer scar me, and they no longer burn me.

“May you wield the power to burn down the heavens.”

The people were still screaming, running around trying to diminish the fire. Water was a scarce source in my village, they won’t be dousing out my flames that easily.

“My fire is fueled by my rage, my sadness and my pain. Too late trying to put it out now, don’t you think?” the voice within me mocked.

Was that myself? It didn’t sound like me, her voice was cold and merciless. Was I really the monster they said I was?

It doesn’t matter, it doesn’t matter if I become a monster.

They killed my parents, and they will pay.

They will burn.

Power surged through me, I felt completely different.

This control, these flames.

They felt natural to me, as if I’ve had these fiery powers my entire life.

I did not forget what I was supposed to do, with my newly gained strength, I willed myself to run towards where my parents were supposed to be, the massive pile of firewood.

The officers spot me.

“It’s her!” they screamed, but all I hear was fear and cowardice.

A few had the guts to run towards me. The moment I set my eyes on them, they froze in their tracks, the fear imminent in their eyes.

Burn.

I charred their insides and watched them as they start to realize what was happening to them.

They clawed helplessly at their bodies, trying to cull the searing pain within them but to no avail. I watched their expression twist in fear and pain, and felt the satisfied smile dawning on my face.

All of you shall burn.

Smoke protruded from their mouth as they convulsed.

As the fire consumed the officers, I finally reached my parents.

Fire is merciless, and it had not spared them.

I clambered up through the flaming firewood.

They protect me, but only me, not my parents and not anyone else.

“Mother! Father” I cried out.

“My child…” my mother whispered, her voice hoarse.

“You awakened… your powers,” my dad choked from the smoke.

Half of their bodies were already burned beyond recognition, I had to put out the fire. And then something struck me, I was too far away from any water source, the lakeside was too far away for me to reach in order to save my parents.

And my parents knew.

“My child, we will always love you,” my mother smiled within the flames that licked at her beautiful face. The smell of burning flesh was overwhelming but I did not care.

My parents, I still couldn’t save them.

I heaved myself to their height, throwing my arms around the both of them.

“I am so sorry,” I cried. “I’m sorry I can’t save you, my powers… they only allow me to destroy…” my voice was barely a whisper.

“I am proud of you Seraphina,” I looked into my father’s warm brown eyes for the last time as tears started rolling down my cheeks, yet again. They hit the blazing fire underneath and it sizzled, doing little in putting out this inferno.

All I could do was to hold them in my arms, and cry.

I cried and I cried, I cried until the flames stopped, I cried until everything went silent, and I cried until my parents were gone.

And until everything went dark.

☙