The sky remained greyed by the clouds, even further away from the coast. Risks of rains were upon them, as the group stood at the edge of what remained of a village that seemingly thrived twenty years prior to this moment.


    Orion had decided to keep the event with Velridar to himself for now, as it would take a long time to explain. Telling them what happened in Horizon was a smartest move than speaking in the middle of Auro.


    When he returned to pick them up, he noticed the fear on their faces. Really, that giant beam of raw magic and the roar that came before it certainly shook all livings to their core.


    He took a little moment to calm them down, but immediately after that, they came through the portal.


    "T-This is..."


    Amelia stared in front of her while biting her lips, feeling a mix of emotions surging inside her head.


    "Bandir. Or what''s left of it, really."


    The one who already saw this mess of a place, Orion, spoke to confirm.


    A village able to contain a few hundreds people had been reduced to a field of burnt wood, ashes, and a darkened earth.


    ''There''s not a single house remaining at all.''


    Karteira thought, looking at Amelia.


    "Amelia. Let''s continue."


    ''Really, I''m not sure if this is a good idea. I had my doubts, but am I making her more miserable by making her come here?''


    Grimacing slightly, Orion walked in front of the girls, killing his feelings in the process to not make the matter worse for Amelia.


    ''Whatever happens, or what she find out, I''ll be there. Karteira and I will support her.''


    Silently, Amelia caught up to him, and grabbed his hand without a word. Orion, noticing the trembling of her hand, silently held it with strength.


    Karteira followed on the other side of Orion, sometimes glancing at her two friends faces.


    ''Amelia is having a hard time looking around, and Orion is doing is best not to let his emotions control him. I know he doesn''t want her here, but we''re not sure if this area is truly her birth place.''


    Both Karteira and Orion''s mind thought the exact same thing.


    ''Until we know or not she was born from this place, we have to stay.''


    They walked between the broken building, that looked more like pilled rubble. Every once in a while, you could actually find a burnt corpse, that left a bad aftertaste in their mouth.


    Unrecognizable, nobody even cared about burying these poor people. That is what happens when an history become hidden by the top members of a society.


    Nobody came back, or even cared, because for them, the Azur Dragon was responsible for burning Bandir. With time, what was known as a small city on the edge of the east coast, it disappeared from everyone''s memories.


    No many remember it nowadays, except the Apostles, and the few who survived the Dragon''s Rampage.


    Walking further in, they followed what looked like a path made of bricks. At one point, they arrived in an area that was quite big, and completely burnt.


    "This is the area were the fire blast started, isn''t it?"


    Analyzing the area, Karteira saw that there was not many destroyed building around them, and that there was something strange about a specific spot in the surroundings.


    "It is, most likely. And there is clearly where everything happened."


    Orion and Amelia also noticed the spot instantly. A piece of the ground was in a pristine condition, as if the fire wasn''t able to damage it at all.


    Ten meters away from that spot, a two meters circle of ground had been completely melted. This was the starting area.


    "If that is where Kelvin was standing, then this is..."


    Switching between the two spots, a clear conclusion came to the three.


    "My mother''s."


    Amelia gripped Orion''s hand stronger, which he responded in kind.


    "But no one said she could use magic. Leaving the ground like this means she managed to protect herself."


    "Or me."


    Silence fell, giving time for Amelia to get her emotions together.


    Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    -


    "... you... mind?!"


    -


    Surprise appeared on Amelia''s face. Her complexion suddenly changed, and her eyes closed involuntarily.


    "Amelia? Are you feeling alright?"


    Noticing her grip weakening, Orion called out to her, but she had already fell into the deepest part of herself.


    Her past was about to be revealed.


    ~


    Twenty years ago, in the town of Bandir.


    A woman with golden, long curled hair walked around the town''s plaza with a child in her arms. She a small shopping bag held by her right wrist, that was holding the baby.


    She was considered as the most beautiful woman in the town, because of her snow white, yet healthy skin. You could even consider her beauty to be unrivaled in Triazils.


    Golden blond hair naturally curling, with an unequal band of hair on her right side falling past her shoulder, a face capable of capturing the attention of anyone glancing in her direction, sky blue colored irises, and always displaying a smile in all circumstances. She was always dressing casually too, never in a flashy way.


    She wore a grey turtleneck that day, because of the chilly weather that came from the sea, and a straight blue jeans, which was her perfect combination to create maximum appeal. Her low boots also helped elevate her height a little, giving her a defined style at the time.


    Around town, this woman was known for the care she showed to her child, even though she was a widow. Thanks to her husbands previous work, she had no need to work either, making her a hot topic among housewives.


    That is to say, she was by no mean hated. In fact, she sometimes joined them to talk, and was always happy to give them advices that could help in their daily life.


    The woman''s name was Henrietta.


    "Well, we''ve got everything we need for tonight''s dinner. Isn''t it too cold for you? Let''s get home quickly."


    Her sultry voice went toward the little life that looked at her with the most unusual type of irises in the world.


    As she walked, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.


    "I guess it is time again."


    Looking at the sky, her eyes, that had a color similar to it, glowed a darker blue.


    She turned around, and saw a man, quite young at that, walking with haste toward her.


    "HENRIETTA!"


    His voice echoed with an anger that took the whole town''s people by surprise. But once they knew who it was, they instantly disappeared from the area in a rush.


    "It''s the son of Dellthord again! Quick!"


    "Hurry up!"


    "Mama! Let''s go back home!"


    Henrietta narrowed her eyes at that.


    ''As always, it never changes. This man brings disaster each time he comes here.''


    She really didn''t like him. Now alone in the middle of town, Kelvin Dellthord, twenty at the time, stopped in front of her.


    Typical of the Dellthord family, he was in full armor. A shining silver knightly armor. His skin was whiter than Henrietta, since he lived in a snowy area. He had dark grey hair, long in the back, and short on the sides. One of his bangs covered his left eyes, which you could sometimes see when he moved.


    He clearly was in an awful mood right know.


    "I came to pick you up this time, I won''t accept your refusal."


    Forcefully, he tried to grab one of her arms.


    "If you touch me, be prepared to lose your hand."


    Once again, her eyes glowed, and four blades of water appeared around his wrist.


    "Tsk! What did I say?! Do not refuse my offer!"


    "Stop acting like a child. I said it how many times by now? I do not, and will never follow you. You dared threaten the life of my child, and mocked my late husband''s name."


    She was also in a bad mood now that he had appeared.


    "That bastard child! I don''t care at all about it! Just send her somewhere, and come with me, damn it! The dragon is coming, don''t you know?! Only I can defend you!"


    With a devious smile, he stood his arm extended, afraid to lose it. Making wide gestures with his free arm, he tried everything to make her follow him.


    "You do not love me at all. I don''t understand how you can fool yourself in thinking that, but I am not stupid enough to even believe a single moment you do. If you had accepted my little girl, maybe I would have considered it, but you are in the end so much inferior to my husband."


    She turned around with her child.


    "Leave this town be. I have no reason to believe your words, and no dragon will bother this village. It has never offended a dragon to begin with."


    "Kuh!"


    Kelvin made a pitiful noise at her words. As she walked away, she released her magic.


    "Leave this place immediately, and never come back. The next time, your head will roll. I cannot have you in her life."


    Standing motionless, Kelvin stared at the ground, his rage boiling. He clenched both fists and shouted toward the sky.


    "WHY DOES NOTHING GO MY WAY! THE DRAGON! THE WOMAN I WANT! FATHER''S LEGACY! MOTHER''S LOVE!"


    "WHY?!"


    Henrietta stopped in her tracks and simply glance back over her shoulder, silent.


    "Why can''t I have a little relief?! Why is life like this?!"


    The air around him began to heat, creating a mist instantly when it hit the cold air.


    "If I can''t have you..."


    His words suddenly felt wrong. His eyes glowed a little red, and his voice felt inhuman in many ways.


    With the next words, came the worst fate for anyone living in Bandir.


    "NOBODY WILL!"


    A huge booming sound echoed, as his body stood there like a puppet. His face slowly moved up, and he stared at Henrietta.


    With fear in her eyes, Henrietta stood still.


    ''I should have killed him when I had the opportunity... but.''


    She looked at her child.


    Kelvin opened his hands, and two large spheres of fire grew from his palms. The air grew heavier, making it hard to breath.


    At that moment, the world fell silent. Birds already left the surroundings a long time ago. The wind had stopped blowing for whatever reasons, and the people stopped making sounds.


    It was pure silence. The terrible silence that made you realize how bad of a situation you were in.


    "S...O...LAR..."


    That simple word brought the end of Bandir. Kelvin, his eyes completely red, clashed the two spheres together with such a force that he made them collapse into each other, releasing the fire magic''s deadliest potential.


    The ball of fire became a hot sun, and it began to expand. Until it exploded again.


    *FUSSSSSS*


    Everything melted around him, as the fire burned without caring of what was on its way. Buildings, people, animals, ground, nothing escaped it.


    Only Henrietta, who had time to use her magic, managed to react in time.


    "D-Damn it!"


    She had placed a tremendous amount of layers made of water around her. She could protect her and her child from the fire, but not the heat, and it was making both of them dizzy.


    "I don''t have much time, so I''ll speak quickly."


    Looking at her daughter, she smiled.


    "Your mother was unable to protect your life, and for that, she is terribly sorry. I wish it would have ended differently, but I won''t be around to see you grow it seems."


    As she smiled, a single tear fell on the baby''s cheek, who she embraced without caring about the layers vanishing at an incredible pace.


    "Your life will be challenging, there is no doubt about it. There is more to that of course. Find someone you love, and be happy. That is the end goal of any living being. That is the only thing I can teach you."


    "..."


    She placed her child on the floor, before casting multiple layers of water magic around her.


    "Amelia. Grow strong and beautiful."


    The baby was about to lose consciousness, when she saw the fire break the last barrier, engulfing Henrietta.