The world was a blur of smoke and panic. A child ran, her small body trembling with fear that burned hotter than the village behind her. A raging fire had already swallowed half the buildings, and in the distance, a man's voice boomed with a terrifying command.

  "Find and bring that child to me!" he bellowed. "She belongs to me!"

  She sprinted, her six-year-old legs burning. In her hand, she clutched a single wand, her first and final birthday gift from her mother. It was supposed to be a symbol of her future, but it had become a relic of a past that no longer existed.

  "Mother... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry for everything!" she sobbed, the words lost to the wind.

  A snarl from the bushes ahead made her freeze. A wild boar, its eyes crazed with fear, charged at her. Instinct took over. She raised the wand, and in a flash of light, she shot a wind bullet. Although It was just a basic spell, it managed to distracted the boar away, giving her enough time to slip away as it retreated into the forest.

  "Who's there?!" a voice shouted from the treeline.

  Her heart hammered against her ribs. She had to hide. She ducked behind a thick cluster of bushes, a desperate incantation forming on her lips.

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  "Hidiah alimp," she whispered, the camouflage spell taking hold.

  The Holder walked past her hiding spot, a menacing grin on his face. "Did you find that child yet?" he asked, his voice laced with venom.

  "No, sir," a subordinate replied. "But I felt a slight surge of Ender around here."

  The Holder's gaze settled on the bushes, and a cold dread filled her. She held her breath, forcing herself to be still. His eyes, burning with a malicious and dangerous glare, made her want to scream, and the spell around her wavered.

  "Welp, no matter. Just let it be," he said, turning away. "That child probably got eaten by a monster around here anyway."

  As he and the others walked away, she heard him mutter to himself, "If I couldn't have her, then no one ever will."

  When they were gone, she dropped the spell and stood up, watching the last of her home burn. A cold despair settled in her heart. She felt so powerless. Only guilt and self-hatred remained. And then she saw it. An emblem, covered in blood, lying on the ground.

  She picked it up, her fingers trembling as she stared at the Holder's symbol. In that moment, the guilt and self-hatred turned into a single, understandable emotion: wrath. She clutched the symbol, a physical reminder of the vengeance that now consumed her.

  "You will pay for this... all of you... for everything you've done!" she screamed into a quiet, burning world.