Elysium - Chapter 1 [Part 1]

It was a dream… It was just a dream. No… it was one of those dreams again. This has been happening since I was very young, though they are much more vivid now. A sigh escapes my lips and I sit up. That was the closest I had been to seeing that woman’s face. From all the dreams I’ve had, I can only presume they were lovers. Though I cannot see why someone would kill their loved one.

My hand moves with a mind of its own as it reaches towards the small table next to my bed and grabs a miniature journal. Subconsciously, I open to the next blank page and start writing. Viras had told me to write down everything I remembered and then show it to him.

Viras was the oldest in the village at the age of 1,947. When I was young, I discovered that I possessed magic. By discovered, I mean turning my juice into a snake. After everyone else learned that I had magic in my veins, I was forced to move to the small forest everyone feared. I never knew my parents, and I stayed at an old house for orphans, so I went alone. I was only six at the time. Viras wouldn’t stand by and let them basically condemn a child to death, so he took me under his wing and raised me.

It really wasn’t bad, most would devastated finding out that they had magic in them. However, I had always found it interesting. My case was a bit different still, I had trouble controlling the magic I possessed. Usually by the age of 16, most Sorcerers and Sorceresses had their magic completely under control. However, I was 19 and I still had many issues with controlling it.

I groaned and stood up, stretching my limbs. I shrugged off my loose white shirt and slipped on some black leggings as well as my usual dark gray shirt. Over this I put on a black cloak, the hood mostly concealing my face from view. My worn down brown boots were slipped on as I headed towards the door. My journal and a few small coins were put inside my old leather satchel.

Lately, money was getting even more scarce. I used to sell potions, but people seem to have grown even more wary towards magic. Even Viras was getting sent hateful looks similar to the ones I had been sent since It was found that I had the blood of a witch. It angered me that he received those looks. He was the reason they were protected, yet they still didn’t trust him. The door to my two-roomed house was closed as I walked out. Locking it was pointless as it was protected by a charm.

The woods around my small home would be considered creepy or eerie to others, but I saw differently. If you looked past the tall trees and shadows, you could see the ravens caring for their young. The small dark purple flowers that littered the ground. The way the dew on spider webs glistened in the morning.

People didn’t see this through, their minds were too closed off. They only saw dark and mysterious things. Sometimes the young ones would see the ‘dark charm’ of the forest like I did. I knew that it was only a matter of time before their minds began to fear the forest as their parents do.

My boots made barely any noise as I walked, only making a small crunching noise every now and then when I stepped on a twig or leaf. Eventually I made it to the edge of the forest, where a meadow separated the village houses from the forest. My destination was near the middle of the village, where Viras’ house was. In the In the meadow was farming land, where all the crops were grown.

As I passed one field I saw a woman in a tattered dress and her son sprinkling seeds along the row. The young boy suddenly pointed at something in the meadow and smiled.

“Look! Look Mamma! A faerie!” The mother glanced up and briefly looked at where her son was pointing before hitting him on the head softly.

“I don’t know what you’re looking at Alyn, there’s no such thing as faeries! If you don’t get your head out of the clouds, you're never going to find a job and be able to raise a family.” She huffed and dragged the boy along. The boy briefly glanced at the spot he was once pointing at and reluctantly followed his mother.

A soft chuckle left my lips as I glanced to where the boy was looking at. Sure enough, a soft blue glow was bobbing up and down. The woman hadn’t seen the small graceful creature because she didn’t look close enough. Faeries blended into the background. Meaning if you weren’t looking for them, you wouldn’t see them. The same was said for many other magical creatures. Some big, some small, no one saw them. I did though, because I was magical myself.

Eventually, I turned and continued towards the village, ignoring the looks people sent my way. I was ignored by many, which I liked, while many of the women sent crude looks my way. Most likely because of the way I was dressed. It wasn't right for a lady to wear anything but skirt and dress.

Eventually I reached a house made of dark wood and had odd symbols carved onto the doorframe. I opened the door and walked in, not bothering to knock. The room inside was filled with many books scattered about, as well as scrolls and empty bottles. On the back wall all the way to the right was the entrance to a hallway.

“Viras?” I called out, pulling off my cloak and putting it on a small coat hanger nailed to the wall.

“In the back, Dear.” His muffled voice called back. I entered the back hallway, soon after a few steps, a door appeared. I turned a knob and walked in, only to duck abruptly when a green flash flew towards me.