Chapter 1 - The Girl Named Lexi Skyler

The night seemed darker than usual and the cold wind sent chills down the spine. Within the hours of darkness, the two blood moons shone with unspeakable evil.

There was no rustling of leaves in the trees even though it was a windy night. There was no howling of wolves, which never happened before. Everything was dead silent as if the sound was completely trapped and could not break free.

The entire Draechron Empire was completely shrouded in darkness and silence. The eerie fog that began to cloak the whole kingdom gave off a sinister aura.

The Draechronians, the people of Draechron, shut their doors and windows. No one was brave enough to leave their homes. No one dared shut their eyes. Everyone held their breath and kept quiet.

Mothers tried their best to suppress the muffled cries of the young ones. They were afraid that the faintest sound might still attract that “thing” in the woods. Everyone was waiting for the fog to pass.

No one dared to break the silence. The entire kingdom was no better than a ghost town.

Not far from town, a hooded figure walked out of the woods - alone. The figure was oblivious of the prowling menace that had zoned in on its prey.

The solitary traveler felt the presence of stream nearby and instinctively moved towards its direction. The deafening silence was too much to bear, but the traveler seemed to be fine.

If it was someone from the town, he would have fallen unconscious already. It was easy to tell that the visitor was not ordinary.

The visitor finally found the stream and decided to follow it. She walked half a mile until she found a seemingly abandoned town.

“Hello, is anyone here? I’m lost,” said the sweet, gentle voice that belonged to a young lady.

There was no answer. It couldn’t be right. She heard from her travels that each town of Draechron was bustling and noisy. It was always lively even when day turned into night.

The young, pretty girl remained calm and composed amidst the dead silence surrounding her.

In her right hand, she held a stick that she used to sway around to clear her path in the woods. She had a backpack, which contained her food supplies. Sitting on her left shoulder was her contracted spirit beast.

The spirit beast looked like a furry, round bunny. No one would suspect that its original appearance was that of a ferocious, humungous spirit beast. It had big googly eyes, which made it looked innocent and harmless.

It looked adorable as it sat on the young girl’s shoulder. Its strength should not be taken lightly. Even its true size would overwhelm anyone.

The young lady saw a huge boulder and decided to sit there and rest. She took out something from her backpack and began to eat. Her face was filled with joy as if she was savoring a scrumptious dish the five-star chef had prepared.

Not far from the young lady, the black fog grew bigger and bigger as it devoured everything in its path. The young lady remained oblivious and continued to enjoy her meal.

The sinister fog inched its way to the young lady, who just continued eating even though she felt an ominous presence. The fog was about to shroud the young lady in darkness when the spirit beast on her shoulder gave off a loud shrill.

The young lady’s spirit beast jumped from her shoulder and revealed its true form. It flapped its huge wings and breathed out an enormous amount of fire. It trapped the fog within the fiery embrace.

The young lady just watched and did not flicker at the scene being unfolded before her eyes. She knew her spirit’s beast true capability, and she knew that the dark fog must be eliminated at all costs.

“That’s enough!” She spoke in a commanding tone.

The spirit beast stopped its assault. When the fire was cleared, nothing was left of the fog. Nothing was destroyed, except the fog. The trees and animals were unharmed.

“Your sacred fire is really something, isn’t it?” The young lady turned to her spirit beast as it changed back to its cute, adorable form.

“Purr!” It answered coyly.

The young lady patted the head of her spirit beast. She gathered her things and prepared to walk out of that place.

“Where do you think you’re going, little girl?” A huge hand landed on the young lady’s shoulder. She turned around and trembled uncontrollably when she saw the man’s face.

“We meet again and you are going nowhere!”

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The alarm sounded off, and Lexi quickly opened her eyes. She seated herself immediately. She was panting, and the look of horror can be seen on her beautiful face.

She had the same dream for almost a year now. She could not recall when it began exactly, but it always felt real each time she dreamed of it.

There were times when she found herself getting a bruise on the same spot that she had in her dream. She managed to control the occurrence of the bruises, and all thanks to her training.

Each time she dreamed of the familiar scene, she never forgot to try the new techniques and moves that she learned from her martial arts teacher. Mr. Hampton had been her martial arts teacher for seven years now. Although Mr. Hampton told her that she was already good on her own, she wanted to continue her training under her teacher’s supervision.

Mr. Hampton was a 60-year old martial arts master, who had a vast knowledge and expertise on different forms of martial arts. He thought Lexi the right discipline that a martial artist must possess, and explained everything that she needed to know to remain composed and level-headed.

Lexi can be considered a loner. She had no friends and was often bullied when she was still in middle school. Something happened back then and it changed her life forever. She started learning martial arts when she was ten and Mr. Hampton was the one who supervised her training. During that time, she stopped going to school and stayed at home for the remaining days of the semester. Her adopted mother Carmen was the one who decided to allow Mr. Hampton to train Lexi. She was afraid that something terrible might happen to Lexi if she was bullied again.

Lexi finally got up and prepared to go to school. She put a band-aid on her bruise to conceal it from her mother. It was ugly no matter how she looked at it. She wondered when she acquired it when she was sure she was able to dodge the attack. The bruise had deep purple color, almost black, and she did not have the patience to explain everything. Covering it was the best solution. The people around her were already used to seeing her with minor cuts.

“I’m off!” She shouted as she ran toward the door.

“Be careful and come home early!” Carmen reminded her.

Lexi heard Carmen’s reminder, and the corners of her lips curved into a slight smile. Carmen was not her biological mother, but Lexi had a feeling that Carmen and her mother shared a bond similar to that of sisters. She never once felt that Carmen resented her, but her adopted mother tried her best to avoid any discussions about Lexi’s biological mother.

It was Carmen who took care of Lexi when she was still a baby. It was Carmen who stayed by her side when she was sick or feeling down. Lexi regarded Carmen as her real mother and not just someone who raised her. She had a hunch that Carmen was her biological mother, but she had no proof that she was. DNA testing? Sure, she could do that but she chose not to. She wanted Carmen to tell her the whole story, and she was patient enough to wait a bit more. Carmen just told her that her mother died while giving birth to her, there was no other explanation.

Lexi was someone who would keep asking until she was satisfied. Even at a young age, some of her teachers regarded it as a good trait while others found it annoying. When she could not get a satisfying answer, she would often visit an old library. The librarian there was already old, and Lexi was the library’s sole visitor.

“Why do you still keep this library?” She once asked the librarian.

“Because I am waiting to serve you.” She replied with a sweet smile on her lips.

Lexi did not bother to ask the meaning of her answer. Somehow she was waiting for such a reply, but couldn’t fathom why she was waiting for that reply and why the old librarian gave her such a response.

“Lexi, over here!” It was a familiar voice that Lexi would always recognize.

“Sam!” She replied joyously.

Samantha Weinheart was the only friend whom Lexi had managed to get close to. It had been two years since she rescued her from the kids who bullied her. At the time, Lexi was already a proficient martial artist. Ever since then, Sam was always with Lexi. She was not bothered by the fact that Lexi was an outcast. No one dared approached Lexi in school, and only Sam was her constant companion.

Sam was a transferee, and she did not know Lexi’s heart-wrenching, horrible middle school years. She only learned about them when someone warned her about associating with Lexi. Sam learned that Lexi was also bullied in her younger years. Her mother, Carmen, wanted to make sure that Lexi would not suffer injustice again so she hired a martial arts teacher for her daughter. Lexi stopped going to school for a year and learned martial arts.

Sam was not very clear about what transpired at the time when Lexi came face to face with her bully once again, but ever since that day, no one dared get close to Lexi. Even the bully practically disappeared one day. It was said that his family had decided to move out of the country.

“I hope we have a nice schedule this time around too.” Sam sighed as they walked shoulder to shoulder together.

“Yeah, Mr. Hampton is going to give me some advanced training from this day onwards.”

“You’re still training?”

“I did not stop, and I feel like I still need to learn more.”

“Looks like you’re preparing to go to war.” Sam laughed as she teased her friend.

Lexi looked at Sam and felt like what she said was true after all. Was it instinct? Was she really preparing all this time so she could fight her enemies? Where? Somehow, she always felt that her dream was some sort of training. Each time she dreamed of it, she always doubled her training routine to improve her physique and speed. She always felt that she still lacked something, but what was it?

“Oh my, here comes the infamous Lexi Skyler. I was wondering when I can have the pleasure of meeting you face to face.” It was a big fat boy with a pock-marked face who spoke.

It was a group of senior high school students. Lexi was held back for a year due to the incident before. The fat boy was named Lewis Scott, and his friends kept snickering as they approached Lexi and Sam. They caught the attention of the students passing by.

Lewis Scott and his friends were transferees and had no idea what happened between that boy and Lexi. They had no idea regarding the true ability of the girl named Lexi Skyler. Those who knew what happened back then could just send looks of pity to the rowdy bunch of boys.

“Lewis Scott!”

It was Principal William Scott, Lewis’ uncle who shouted. Principal William Scott knew Lexi Skyler since she was young. He also knew the things that Lexi had done to that boy, named Collin Blake, who bullied Lexi in middle school.

“Lexi Skyler, you may go now. Don’t waste your time with my nephew here. He just transferred and doesn’t know a thing.” Principal Scott explained as beads of sweat began to drop from his forehead.

Lexi and Sam looked at the principal and nodded their heads before they walked away. Principal Scott heaved a sigh of relief.

“Uncle, I-,” was all Lewis could utter.

Principal Scott turned around and his face was red with anger. He pointed his finger at Lewis and reprimanded him, “You are courting death. You have no idea what you brought upon yourself. Stay away from Lexi Skyler, it’s for your own good.”

The principal left Lewis and his friends, who had puzzled look on their faces. The other students who witnessed the whole thing simply shook their heads. They knew that if Lewis and his friends continued targeting Lexi, they could be the next Collin Blake.

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