Aria felt nervous as she walked through the slave quarters. She’d yearned for so long to be free of this miserable life, and now she and her mother were finally going to formulate a plan of escape. That gave her hope for the first time in… well… maybe for the first time in her life.
But that hope was also why she was so terrified. She was scared near to death of the thought of having that hope squashed.
Every step she took was painful, and not just because her back still stung from the whippings. She did her best to keep her face an impassive mask, and thought she’d been doing a good job.
That is, until her mother had grabbed her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze, “Calm yourself, Aria.”
Aria pressed her lips together into a thin line, “I thought I was doing a good job at hiding my nerves.”
“You were,” Anila turned back and gave her a half smile, “I just know you too well.”
Her mother gave her hand another squeeze, “It’ll be alright.”
“Will it?” Aria found herself asking, “how do you know? The odds are heavily stacked against us.”
She made sure to make no mentions of their future escape, lest they attract attention. It hurt Aria to keep this from her people, but if anyone caught wind of it, then they’d no doubt demand to join them. And that would make a discreet escape impossible.
“Yes. We’re not likely to succeed,” Anila admitted.
“Then why do you say everything will be alright?” Aria leaned in close and whispered, “Mom… if we fail, then we’ll die. And so will many of our people.”
“Many of them are going to die even if we succeed,” Anila pointed out, “ESPECIALLY if we succeed.”
That was true, and knowing that fact cut Aria deeply. She could see in her mother’s eyes that it hurt her just as much, if not more.
“And if we die,” Anila paused, before sighing and finishing her thought, “then at least we’ll have died in defiance of this blasphemous empire. We’ll still be freed from this life of slavery to Athanasius.”
Her mother gave her a smile, and for once, Aria couldn’t tell if it was forced or genuine, “Whether we succeed or fail, we’ll be free, Aria. I suppose that’s why I say it’ll be alright.”
It was a testament to the difficulty of their lives that Aria didn’t disagree. But she knew there was more to it, so she pressed her mother, “Mom… what aren’t you telling me?”
“I’ll tell you when we meet with the others,” Anila promised.
The two remained quiet the rest of the way, and Aria tried not to look around and see the pained, exhausted, misery filled expressions her fellow elves wore on their malnourished faces.
Eventually, they made their way into a specific, ruined building. It was surprisingly spacious for how small it was. Inside there were only three others present.
Aria recognized them.
The youngest of them was an elf woman named Aila. She had long, dirty, tangled, light brown hair, and green colored eyes. If Aria recalled correctly, Aila was around two hundred years old.
The one next to Aila was a man named Fylson, who had green hair and sky blue eyes. He was around three hundred years old, she believed.
The last one was not only the oldest elf enslaved here, but was probably one of the oldest alive. He was an old man named Feno Biydark, and had been among the first elves to be captured and enslaved after being stranded in Ignis by the Great Fragmentation.
He commanded great respect from all of the elves, and for good reason. He, like Anila, had once been a Hunter who fought in the front lines back during the war with the humans.
Most of the elf slaves, Aria included, simply referred to Feno as “The Elder.” He had long, dirty gray hair and a matching beard. By human standards, his body appeared to be middle aged.
For elves, that meant that Feno was very old. Elves usually remained in their physical prime and aged extraordinarily slowly until around their seventh century of life. If they managed to live that long, then their bodies began to age at a more accelerated rate. To appear middle aged by hume standards meant the Elder was around eight hundred years old and counting.
Given the harsh conditions of their lives as slaves, Aria marveled that the old elf had managed to stay alive.
“Ah, Anila and Aria. Good to see you both,” Feno the Elder greeted with a tired grandfatherly smile.
Now that Aria was closer, she could see the heavy bags under the Elder’s eyes. She also noticed his body was trembling slightly. It seems the three days of nonstop labor had taken quite the toll on the old man.
“Feno,” Anila greeted each of them with a nod, “Aila. Fylson.”
Her mother was one of the few who referred to the Elder by his name. Given Anila’s own status among their people, that wasn’t surprising.
“It’s good to see you both are holding up given what we’ve endured the past three days,” Aila gave a concerned look to Aria, “especially you. It was lucky that whistle sounded when it did. You might have died otherwise…”
Aria didn’t care for the reminder.
Fylson scoffed, “And if you had died… well… Anila might have finally snapped and gone on a suicidal rampage.”
“My mother has better self control than that,” Aria rebuked.
“Oh?” Fylson raised a brow, “then why hasn’t she corrected me or said otherwise?”
Aria turned to her mother. Anila averted her gaze to avoid looking her in the eye.
She frowned at that. Worry blossomed within her.
Fylson shook his head and said to Anila, “You haven’t told her, yet?”
“I wanted to wait until we met up with you all,” Anila answered.
“Tell me what?” Aria asked, looking back and forth between her mother and Fylson.
The Elder glanced to Aila, who nodded, “I’ll keep a lookout for any eavesdroppers.”
The woman left them to continue their meeting.
“Mom?” Aria pressed, “are you okay? What happened?”
When Anila hesitated to answer, it was Fylson who answered for her, “While you were unconscious, your mother nearly went to kill the slaver who whipped you. I saw the murder in her eyes and stopped her myself. She probably would have gone through with it if I hadn’t convinced her otherwise.”
Mom usually has more self control than that, Aria thought with alarm.
This time, she was the one who grabbed her mother’s hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze.
Her mother looked so… exhausted, and not just from their laborious punishment.
“I’m tired, Aria…” Anila admitted as she gazed into her eyes, “I fear I’m reaching my limits…”
“What do you mean?” Aria asked nervously.
Her mother’s eyes appeared old as they momentarily reflected her true age in contrast to her youthful appearance, “As you know, I’ve been a slave to the Dominion for a long, long time. For over six hundred years… I’ve seen too many of us enslaved by the humans be tormented and killed over those long centuries... All either worked to death, tortured, or worse… There have been several times where I’ve been close to just… snapping. To trying to kill as many of the humans as possible before they inevitably kill me. Everything changed, however, when I had you…”
Anila sat down by the wall, leaning back on it and resting an arm on one of her knees. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the wall, “When you were born, Aria… It was simultaneously one of the happiest moments of my life… and one of the most terrifying. Every day since I’ve feared you would either be taken from me, just as many of our people are forcibly separated from their families, that you would be killed… or worse…”
Anila shuddered at the thought, “If that ever happened, Aria… I know with certainty I’d finally snap and go on a slaughter… and then the humans would retaliate and inflict punishment on the rest of us ten times over. When you got whipped so severely earlier, I was the closest I’ve ever been to simply starting a massacre. Then, I knew with certainty that you were the last thing keeping me sane and stable.”
“Mom…” Aria had a sad look in her eyes as she gazed at her.
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The feeling is mutual, Mom, she thought.
Her mother opened her eyes, and Aria saw they were glowing with an intense green color. They quickly faded back to her normal sapphire blue.
“That is part of why we’re finally forming a plan for us to escape,” Anila continued, “because I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to hold back. And I see it in you too. For better or worse, you’ve inherited both my love for our people, and my wrath for those that would do them harm.”
“She inherited a lot more than that!” Fylson butted in, “why, Aria here growing to be the spitting image of her mother!”
Aria flushed down to her ears. For her, that was a massive compliment.
“And that is another concern of mine,” Anila added grimly, “as you grow older, Aria… I fear that one of the slavers or even one of the taskmasters will take a liking to you. We both know what happens to the ones taken by the humans with more… perverse intentions…”
Aria shivered and trembled at the thought. She too, had that growing fear as she got older. The ones who were taken to pleasure and service the humes in that way were usually never seen again.
Not alive, anyway...
“If you were to be taken for such a reason,” Anila stated, “then I’d kill the wretch who tried to take you on the spot. And then I’d take as many more down as possible before I’m eventually killed.”
Anila’s hands clenched into trembling fists. Aria knelt down next to her and held one of her fists in both her hands in a comforting manner. Her mother stopped trembling, and quickly embraced her. She returned the gesture, trying to comfort her.
It couldn’t have been easy to admit all this… Aria thought as she and Anila held each other tightly.
After giving her mother a few moments to calm herself, Aria pointed out, “You said that was part of the reason… what else is there?”
The Elder, who had been silent for a while, beamed and said with a twinkle in his eyes, “Ah! The answer to that, young one, is this!”
Feno took off a hidden necklace that he’d been wearing and showed it to Aria.
It appeared to be a silver medallion at first, but upon closer inspection, she saw that it was too white and bright to be silver. The Elder beckoned her to touch it.
She did, and realized that it was made of some kind of wood. The wooden medallion was carved with the image of a great and massive tree. The entire thing was so white it almost seemed to glow. For some reason, it gave off a comforting feeling.
“What is it?” Aria asked in awe.
“That, dear child, is Astridian Wood. Carved from a piece of the blessed Astrid Tree that resides in Vindanna,” the Elder explained.
Aria gasped. Her mother had told her stories a plenty of the Astrid Tree. It was a gargantuan, ancient tree that was located in the very heart of Vindanna. The wood of the sacred tree was so white that it gave off a glow that was said to bless those whom its Vessel favored. Its leaves were said to be so mesmerizing that one could lose themselves in gazing at them. It served to protect and empower the Realm of the elves for millennia.
What’s a piece of it doing here? Aria wondered.
As though he heard her thought, the Elder answered, “This Astridian medallion was one I wore as a keepsake back during the war with human kind. When we were stranded by the Great Fragmentation, and it was evident we would all soon be captured, I hid the medallion somewhere safe. Even this seemingly innocuous and tiny piece contains power, child. Better that our enemies not get their wicked hands on it. It was only recently that I got it back. And that was only with the help of Malachi.”
The name was unfamiliar to Aria, though her mother frowned at its mention. That only further confused her.
“Who’s Malachi?” Aria asked.
“Someone who’s helped us from time to time. For now, it’s unimportant,” the Elder stated before continuing, “this medallion, Aria, will serve as a beacon to guide you and your mother through the Void Sea. It will show the way to Vindanna, should you manage to get that far in your escape attempt, that is.”
“That’s… that’s amazing!” Aria’s lips spread into an excited, almost childish grin.
Anila smiled fondly at her daughter, “How long has it been since I saw you smile like that Aria? I’d nearly forgotten how adorable that smile looks on your beautiful face.”
She flushed, her entire face and ears turning red with embarrassment.
Anila only smiled wider at her reaction.
Fylson chose that moment to clear his throat, “Before we start planning, I need to let you all know some news I heard recently.”
“What news?” Anila asked with a frown.
“Apparently, the central section of Ignis will be holding a feast at the castle to publicly commemorate the arrival of the New Champion. I don’t know why they held it off for as long as they did,” Fylson answered.
They all considered that for a moment.
The Elder spoke next, “This must mean the Champion’s conduct has progressed far enough that the Dominion is comfortable in showing him off to the other ashborn in a more… formal setting.”
“The Champion…” Aria spat on the ground, ignoring the frown of disapproval from her mother, “let me guess… that demon is another reason why we’re finally planning an escape?”
Anila, the Elder, and Fylson all nodded in confirmation.
“As I’ve already told you, Aria,” her mother reiterated, “the last time humanity summoned a Champion, it ultimately led to the humans conquering Axis Mundi. And that had then led to the Great Fragmentation. Now that a new one has been summoned… that doesn’t bode well for the future…”
“And one of us needs to make it back to Vindanna to warn our people of these recent events. The recovery of the Astridian Medallion finally makes that possible,” the Elder added, “Anila is the strongest of us all, and the one with the best odds at successfully making the escape. And, as her daughter, Aria, you will be going with her.”
She let it all sink in, and then began to sweat nervously. She gulped, not wanting to voice what came to her mind. However, it was too important to not bring up, so she reluctantly pointed out, “If that’s the case… if my mother truly has the best chance at escaping… then why don’t I stay? With my current level, I’d only get in her wa-”
“NO,” Anila interrupted.
Her mother hadn’t even raised her voice, but she had been so forceful with that single word that the very air seemed to freeze in place.
“I refuse to leave you behind. Especially considering that if you stay, you WILL die for certain. This isn’t up for discussion,” Anila explained.
“But…” Aria began.
This time, it was the Elder who interrupted her, “Child, it will be only you two who will make the attempt to escape. Once you do, the humans will retaliate with a slaughter of our kin. No doubt to discourage anyone in the future from replicating the attempt. It doesn’t matter if it’s one or two who try to flee. The punishment will be harsh, regardless. Once we enact this plan, many of us will die. That is for certain. There is no need for you to be among the casualties. Especially since your mother has already made it clear that you are the only thing keeping her in a rational state of mind.”
So that’s why she opened up like that earlier, Aria realized.
“There is another reason why you will be going as well,” Fylson added, “and it’s your latent potential.”
Anila beamed with pride and explained, “Aria, you’re not the first person I’ve ever trained. Far from it. During the war with the humans all those centuries ago, I trained many of our people into formidable warriors. Of them all, you have the most potential. So much so that you’ll surpass even me with enough dedicated training. Of that I’m certain.”
Aria flushed again at the praise. Her mother wasn’t one who gave out compliments regarding such things easily, so she knew that Anila meant what she said.
Fylson chuckled, “If the humans have themselves a new Champion… well… you’ll be our counter to that. Just as your mother battled the First Champion several times during the war.”
“That’s a lot of pressure…” Aria muttered, eliciting chuckles from the other three.
“You’ll be able match, if not exceed our expectations, Aria,” her mother encouraged, “you’re my daughter, after all.”
Aria smiled warmly at that.
“Now,” Fylson clapped his hands together, “onto the next bit. We need to formulate a plan for you two to escape.”
The Elder seemed to visibly age as he sighed, “About that… I might have one in mind.”
“Oh?” Anila raised a brow, “let’s hear it.”
“We’ve already established that once you two make your escape attempt, regardless of its success or failure, our slavers will retaliate against our kin,” the Elder explained with a forlorn tone, “so my thought is… if we’re to die anyway… then how about we go out fighting?”
“Are you suggesting an uprising?!” Anila’s eyes were wide with shock, “Feno, that’s madness! That’ll only make the wrath of the humans all the worse. The retaliation against our people would be on a scale we haven’t seen in centuries! It might even result in a genocide!”
“And if we don’t get word to our homeland, then they will be caught unaware and unprepared to face a fully realized Champion,” the Elder argued, slow in his words to accentuate his point, “Anila, you’ve faced the First Champion many times in battle. So you know, better than any of us, what the Champion is capable of. The Dominion already has Athanasius! A false god he may be, but his power is nothing to sneer at. He may even be a match for the High Elder of Vindanna!”
That silenced Anila, and Aria could understand why. From her mother’s lessons, Aria knew that the summoning of the First Champion had been the thing that had single-handedly turned the tides of the war between humans and elves. And that had eventually put humanity in a position where they could have feasibly conquered all of Avani.
Athanasius Durai, by Anila’s best estimate, was even more powerful than the First Champion had been in his prime. So should the new Champion reach his full potential, then all of Avani would have to face two enemies who could each, on their own, have a decent chance at conquering the other Realms.
Compared to that, what were the lives of thousands upon thousands elves? It was cold, but made sense from a grand scheme of things perspective. Aria hated that she could understand the line of thought.
Fylson spoke next, breaking the tense silence, “Anila… the Elder and I have already spoken to many of our people. Not just in this section, but in others as well. We’ve even spoken to some of the slaves of other races. Our lives under the Dominion is utter torment. Death would be a kind of release, an escape. And if some of us have fates worse than death awaiting us… well, let’s just say you’d be surprised how many of us have made our peace with that.”
“Of course, not all are willing to make such a sacrifice,” the Elder pointed out, “but they are the ones who’ve given up and accepted that this is all they will ever know until they die. This life of cruel slavery… it is no way to live. The needs of the many, especially when the many may very well be all of Avani, outweigh the needs of the few… I don’t like it. I hate that this is how it must be. But unfortunately, it’s the hand we’ve been dealt.”
Aria could tell Anila was grinding her teeth. She didn’t blame her. She felt the exact same way.
After several moments of seething, Anila finally hissed out, “Winds! You’re right… As someone who’s lived this life longer than most, I know you’re right… But I still hate this!”
Anila, with a tremendous look of guilt, looked up to the sky. Then, looking more ashamed than Aria had ever seen her, her mother dipped her head, and whispered, “Maker… forgive us for what we must do…”
The Elder bowed his head down and prayed, “Maker… let the weight of the lives that are lost from this be on my soul alone. For this was my plan. Please, let not the others here be penalized for my sins…”
Fylson bowed his head as well, giving a silent prayer. Following the example of her seniors, Aria lowered her head, begging for forgiveness. But along with that plea in her heart… was seething hatred for humanity.
To the void with you, humes! To the void with you, Athanasius! And to the void with you, New Champion! Aria cursed them all for forcing them to make such a sacrifice. She vowed to make every single one of them pay.
