**NALIA**

If I had to state an exact moment my life started going downhill, I would say it was the very moment I was brought into this god forsaken world. I don't believe in any "All-powerful" being or whatever those radicals down at the Sanctuary believe but I know if there was one, then they would have to be sick to build this sort of rigged world.

I sigh as I walk farther away from the little cottage I call my home. It has been eight years since I started living in Rovar, a small quaint town located not too far away from the Capital. It's a peaceful place, calm and beautiful. Due to how close it is to the Capital, the aftermath of the war can barely be felt here. The economy thrives, the environment is a sight to be behold. It would have been perfect if not for the abundance of mages in the town.

Rovar, despite being a small town, is where one of the Empire's largest mage academies, Devaurne's, is located. Students from far and wide troop into the town every season, looking for a chance to attend the academy. You could find them literally anywhere, at the grocery store, at the adults pub past curfew, at the gambling house. I try my best to avoid them but like I said, "All-powerful guy" is sick.

I readjust my bag on my back as I get closer to the herbs store. The owner of the store is an old friend of my mum's so she always gives me a discount. Of course it helps that she also knows a lot about medicinal alchemy and considers me family.

My mother had been a maid at the Atherton house, one of the noble families in the Empire. My father, a count as of then, took a liking to her and raped her while she worked. When my mother found out she was pregnant, she ran away in fear. Four years after I was born, the Count's first daughter died from an unknown sickness and I was brought into their home to serve as a replacement. For a while it was blissful, I ate to my satisfaction and there was finally a roof over my head. Then the Count's wife gave birth to a baby girl, blessed with magic power like none the family had ever seen. I lost my importance after that and my mother was subjected to humiliation on a daily.

When I turned nine, my mother came down with the same illness that had killed the Count's first daughter. My little half sister, Estelle, was only five then but she had already begun to show the sort of person she would become. After crying before her father and screaming, "That woman will infect me!", the Count threw my mother and I out. The store owner, Gaby, took my mother and I and helped us find a new home. To me she is beyond irreplaceable.

"G'morning Aunt Gaby!", I said as I pushed open the store door. There was no one at the counter but I paid no mind to it. I took my bag and went around picking up herbs to brew a tea for my mother. Gaby has been helping us with the dosages. Honestly, she's the only reason my mother's still alive. After filling my bag, I went back to the counter to pay but there was still no one. I waited for a bit then went to find her.

I opened the door leading to the backroom and I was assaulted by the pungent smell of iron. I relled over and immediately covered my nose with my sleeve, the smell was horrible.

"Aunt Gaby, where are you?"

Still no response, so I decided to go deeper into the backroom. The store has a door connecting the backroom to the back yard, so I figured maybe she was behind. The door burst open before I could finish thinking properly and a sweaty Gaby stood before me.

"Pumpkin. What are you doing here?"

"Morning to you too. I couldn't find you so I came behind."

"Well, you've seen me. Leave."

"Well, aren't you just jolly this fine morning? What is that horrendous stench?"

I made an attempt to come closer and Gaby visibly frowns. Her shirt is sticking to her body like it's been glued on, her face is pale and her fingers are shaking. I frown as I take in her appearance, something is terribly wrong somewhere. On closer look I notice the manner in which her fingers are twitching, it's a sign language she taught me when I was young. I remember thinking it was absolutely useless because the language was basically dead.

"Aunt Gaby, I don't have the time for games. Are you alright?"

"Heavens, Nalia, pay attention and leave."

Her fingers are twitching and her face seems even paler than it was a moment ago. The hairs on the back of my neck stand and a strange sense of danger comes over me. I look at her fingers again.

Run. Find Mom. It's not safe here.

"It's not safe here?", the moment the words left my mouth, I knew I had made the biggest mistake of my life.

NALIA

How did it all come down to this? I'm sitting in the corner of my bedroom, shaking, breathing. I feel like there's no air in my lungs, my head is spinning and dots are dancing in the corners of my eyes.

Aunt Gaby is dead.

No matter how many times I replay it in my head, I still can't come to terms with it. Everytime I close my eyes all I can see are her lifeless eyes, the blood staining her cotton cardigan and her mouth as she told me to run.

Soon after she signed for me to run, a hand so black it put the night sky to shame, punched it's way through her chest. I couldn't move nor breathe, it was like time came to a standstill for me. The hand pushed her lifeless body to the side and in her place stood the creepiest creature I had ever seen. It seemed like it was made of shadows and at the same time it was solid. Black matter constantly flowed around and away from it's body and it's eyes were crimson red.

I abandoned all my herbs and fled. For some reason the creature didn't follow me and honestly I was too scared to care. The guilt is suffocating, if I had left when she told me to, would Gaby still be alive right now? Would she still be here to mix my mother's potions?

It's my fault.

Apparently, someone reported the disturbance at the apothecary and Gaby's body was discovered. It didn't take long for the Guard to arrive at the scene and they are already sealing off the area. The sound of my mother's coughing breaks off my train of thoughts and I head over to her room

Sickly yellow skin and grimy red hair that hung off her scalp, I can barely see her shape under all the blankets. I took out a reserve potion and helped her gulp it down. She immediately drifted back off to sleep. My mother was once a beauty. She had brilliantly red hair that flowed all the way down to her waist, amber eyes that shone under the sunlight and a smile so bright, she resembled the sun. That's how Gaby had described her to me.

Once again I'm reminded of Gaby and overwhelming dread settles over me. What will happen to my mom and I now? What was that thing? Why was it after Gaby? Questions after questions storm my brain and soon I'm too dizzy to even stand. After contemplating, I decided to brew some tea for myself.

After putting the kettle on fire, I sat at the kitchen table and tried to relax. My peace of mind was short-lived because at that moment, I heard someone pounding on the door.

The only person that ever visited us was Gaby and now that Gaby's gone... The pounding continued and I hurried to the front door so the noise wouldn't wake my mother up. After taking a deep breath I swung the door open and I was greeted by the red, blue and white of the Guard's uniform.

The Guard?

Maybe it was my paranoia or the looks on their faces but I could tell these people didn't come here to have a cup of tea with me. I could immediately tell what they were thinking. The disgust and displeasure was poorly hidden on their faces. A man, presumably the leader, came forward and without even the least courtesy, read off a paper in his hand.

"Miss Nalia vuel Atherton, you are hereby under arrest for the murder of Gaby Crissain. You are asked to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you before the Courts."

Murder?

"I'm sorry, could you please repeat yourself? I didn't murder anyone."

The disdain in his eyes were piercing and I knew there was no getting through to him. Without a word, he signaled for his men to capture me while he turned and left. I screamed and I begged them to listen to me. I begged them to at least let me speak to my mother but no one answered me. I cried and cried until my voice was hoarse but no one paid attention to me.

They threw me in a carriage and took off, no doubt towards the Capital. I tried to calm down and think about why they would not believe me. Nothing popped out at me and I was just as lost and when I first got into the carriage. I was just about to give up when the guard by my side hissed.

"A vuel Atherton. I can't believe I have to handle such swine.", His eyes glazed over me and I look I was all too familiar with settled on me.

"A fine face at least." He said and brought his knife up to my chest and just like that, in the course of a few hours, I had lost everything I had ever held dear.

I didn't need All-powerful guy to tell me my life would never be the same.