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mindcrackloveThis is (obviously) a chapter r7 wrote and he wanted me to post it here. So, first reader submitted chapter, and it's about how Vechs and Aureylian make their way to Paul (there may be more to come, you'll just need to wait and see ;) )
Thanks r7 for this great addition to the story!
Note from r7:
Written by R7, set in the AU generously provided by Clashofdemonessense. This is being posted by them (because it is their AU/story), hence this Announcement of author. Yay collaboration!
---
As consciousness started to return to me, to my shattered mind, I felt something. I hadn't felt it in a long time, I thought I had beaten it, but I guess that last spell had taken a toll on my mental strength. However, I still managed to sit up and open my eyes. I couldn't remember exactly where I was, but hopefully I could fix that.
It had been so long… so long since I’d seen them, since I’d even thought about them. I wasn't quite sure what had started me thinking about them, but I didn't care, caught up in my thoughts of the past…. of Home. Suddenly,I remembered why I didn't think about such things, but it was too late. It was already coming.
The flashbacks were strange things, the effect of a old, old spell gone wrong. I would be pulled into a memory, but I actually re-lived the experience, and to was hard to remember that it was just a memory, or to break from the thought patterns I had back then (unless I was significantly impaired, such as being significantly younger or drugged in some way).
I hurriedly check around me, both that I wasn’t in danger, and that someone wouldn't walk in on me and start panicking because I was spazzaming on the floor. Luckily, both were true, so I simply lied down on the ground (so I wouldn't fall from the bed), preparing myself for the flashback.
As the past rushed towards me, I braced myself, before letting go. As my identity fused with the past, the world around me slowly disappeared…. then it was gone.
The past had me in its grip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Mommy, mommy!” I shouted, skipping over to her from across the back yard. My shrill four year old voice was slightly hard on the ears, but it didn't stop my child-like self. As I reached her legs, I continued. “Can we go see Relly today? Pweeeeease?” Aurey had lived across the small street from me and my parents, all those long years ago. My mother’s serene voice filled the memory, as she replied.
“Sweety, you went over to her house yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Don't you think you should wait at least until tomorrow?” While looking back on it, she had a point, but in my four year old eyes, tomorrow was an eternity.
“Aw, but I just figured out this new fire trick I want to show her!” I had continued, before making a bright red flame appear at my fingertips, then forming it into a representation of a bat, which I made fly around. Suddenly, my mother crouched down, covering my small form from view of the road.
“Vechs Davion! What did I say about using fire outside the house?” My mother said sternly, before looking over her shoulder to the road. I lowered my head in shame, afraid of the punishment I was about to get.
She looked down at me and I looked back, but there was something wrong. It actually took me a second to realize that I couldn't see her face. Where her face should have been, there was just a back, empty void… A hole on the memory.
Suddenly, the soft feeling of something small and cold on my face snapped me back to reality. I twisted around, looking for the cause, before I realized it was a tear. My mother… My own mother…. And I couldn't even remember what her face looked like. I hadn’t cried in so long, not since Aurey got put in a coma but… this was worth crying about.
As the tears spilled down my cheeks, I felt the memory rushing to the surface, returning me to my past.
As my child self looked back up to my mother; he, I, recited:
“If you use fire outside, you will be in big trouble. No fire for the next three days, extra chores, and…” I choked back a sniffle before continuing. “And…” another sniffle “And n-no s-seeing Aurey f-for a-a w-wu--week.” At this point, I dissolved into tears, bawling like only a small child could. I didn’t cry that much for a toddler, but this was one of the few occasions that I did. Aurey was my only real friend back then, the only one who understood me, was like me. If only I had known how alike we were….
Soon after, the loud sound of many boots marching in rhythm filled my young ears. Immediately, my mother changed her tone, moving to a soothing voice.
“Shh.. Shh… It’s okay….” I quieted down slightly, but continued my wailing. “If you are very good, and quiet down right now, I’ll let you see Aurey tomorrow, okay?” This made me stop immediately. I honestly didn't care about the other punishments, it was the isolation from my best friend that was bad. As such, the prospect of that part being revoked was both very intriguing and confusing, as my mother rarely went back on punishments.
With the hindsight that I now have, many years later, I know that it was the army of boots, and the soldiers wearing them, that led my mother to use such extreme measures to quiet me. As the sound of the boots moved closer, my mother stood up, facing the road.
The soldiers continued to approach, coming directly for our house. When they forcefully opened the waist-high wooden gate to our yard, my mother stood in front of me, acting as a shield from the officers’ vision.
“Mrs. Davion?” A man with a gruff, deep voice asked.
“I am her.” My mother replied curtly. “May I ask why you are invading my property and damaging my gate?”
“Is your husband home?” The guard continued, ignoring my mother’s questions.
“No, Why?” My mother replied, beginning to become agitated. In response came the sound of a large scroll un-rolling, and a deep inhalation from the guard, like he was preparing a speech.
“In accordance to the Regulation Of The Magically Inclined Individuals Act, I have to question your husband about Involvement Or Harboring Of The Magically Inclined. May I ask where he is?” Being the expert actor (that I realize now was out of necessity) my mother was, she acted shocked and horrified.
“Oh, dear! You don't think that our family has anything to do with the strange ones, do you?” She said in such a good impression of a panicked woman that my four year old self almost panicked as well, only her completely calm hand on my shoulder prevented me from doing so.
“No, no, my good lady. We are just worried for you safety, as we suspect that the daughter of the family across the street may have sorcerous powers.” The guard said, and my mother kept up her facade of shock. In the memory, I could hear my young mind thinking: Are they talking about Aurey? She wouldn't hurt anyone….. However, I was interrupted by the Guard continuing.
“Would you happen to know where she is? By the way, is your son with you?” At the second set of words, I felt my mothers hand clench on my shoulder, holding on tightly, afraid to let me go.
“No, the girl’s father left with my husband a few hours ago. They took the children with them.” She lied expertly.
“Ah, okay. We’ll still need to search their house however.” The guard said, seeming genuinely disappointed. At this point my mother scrambled to cover her tracks, even though only the hand on my shoulder showed it.
“No, no. I don't think you should do that…” My mother started, a weak lie for someone of her caliber.
“And why would that be?” The guard replied, suspicion beginning to edge his voice.
“Well, the wife is still at home, and she is a very jumpy person. I wouldn't want one of you to get hurt, or, more likely, her to mess up your search in some way. Besides, if the daughter isn't there, wouldn't a search tip off her parents, letting them get away from you?” My mother finished expertly. The soldier stopped, realising the truth in my mom’s statement. He seemed to be unsure of what to do before my mother continued.
“Why not come in to my house for a small meal while you wait? There’s no reason not to, and if the seven of you come in, the other family won't see you.” Back then, this had confused me, but now that I was no longer a toddler I realised why she had done such a seemly out-of-place gesture: And you won't be able to see them. I was sure she was thinking to herself.
“Oh… Sure. Thank you Madam, we’re… well, we're not really used to people being so kind. We’ll be right in.” The guard responded, before being stopped by my mother’s upheld hand.
“Thank you, but it would be best if you waited here for a minute or two. I have to prepare the house for guests.” My mother started, producing an approving and accepting nod from the soldier. She then walked calmly towards the house, bringing me with her, all the while preventing the soldiers from seeing me.
When we entered the house, my mother dashed upstairs before returning with my travel pack. It was a small, brown bag that she made me pack every day. It held my most prized possessions as well as some food, water, and a sleep roll with blanket. Back then I thought that it was totally normal to have one of these, and to expect to lose anything that you couldn't carry on a small pack that you carried on your back.
Finally, the strange, slightly sequestered life I had been living was paying off. My mother slung my bag over my shoulder before kneeling in front of me and placing both of her hands on my small shoulders.
“Vechs, I want you to go into the living room. When I start talking to the soldiers, I’m going to need you to run over to Aurey’s house, find her, find her dad, and tell him ‘In the end, they always come’. Do you understand?” She said, speaking firmly and clearly. I nodded my four year old head nervously. Whenever she talked like that, bad things happened, especially if I didn't do exactly what she said.
“Good. If she isn't there, leave the note pinned to your bag on their back doorstep, and head east. There will be a man in a large tree, and he will take care of you. If you find Aurey, then do the same thing unless her parents tell you otherwise. Okay?” I nodded again, before checking for the note on my pack, as well as the compass I always had around my wrist. My father had thought me how to use it about a year ago, and I’d had it ever since. Suddenly, my mother engulfed me in a tight hug. When she back away, I stood there, wondering why she was acting so strange.
“Why are you still standing there?” She asked sternly, but I could hear the tears starting to choke up her words. “GO!” She shouted, swinging her arm in the direction of the living room. At this point I dashed out of the room, running to the side door two rooms over. I stood there for about a minute before I heard my mother calling the soldiers in. Her voice seemed perfectly normal again, as though nothing had happened. Soon after they were talking in the kitchen, but I couldn't make out the words. I stuck around for a while, not wanting to leave, until I heard a small bit of a sentence from my mother.
“....My son VECHS, he went with his father; they were GOing…” This pounded the message home and I dashed out the door, careful to be as quiet as possible, while still being fast
. I ran surprisingly fast for how young I was, crossing the street quickly and arriving in Aurey’s back yard in a time that could rival an adult walking briskly. When I got there, Aurey was riding on a small ball of wind she had made. When I burst through the gate, the ball quickly faded, and the landed gracefully on the ground.
“Yay! You’re back!” Aurey said happily. “Wanna play?”
“No, not now.” I said simply imitating the way my mother had been talking earlier. Me and Aurey were surprisingly good talkers (and walk/runners) for our age, probably due to the survival (if you could call it that) training that our parents had given us after they found out we had the gift. “Where’s your dad?” I continued. Instantly, Aurey caught on. We'd both been through sessions like this, sometimes with each other. Unfortunately, this time it was for real.
“Right inside.” She responded, also assuming the serious tone. We dashed over to her back door and opened it, nearly walking into her father. When he saw our faces and my travel pack, his features formed into an incredibly concentrated expression. He called over his shoulder to his wife for the to get ‘the bag’ before turning to us.
“Vechs?” He asked simply, probably because I was the person who had come from somewhere else, as well as having the travel pack.
“In the end, they always come.” I said, as though I had rehearsed it a hundred times. Aurey’s father’s eyes widened, and he urgently told his wife to hurry. He knelt down in a similar fashion as my mother and started hurriedly telling us things.
“Okay. When you have your packs, you’re both going to head east, to a very big tree. In that tree is a man, his name is Mr. Soares; and he will take care of you. Right now there are very bad people after you, and they look like guards, so don't trust them, all right? Very, very bad things will happen if you do. Aurey, make sure to follow Vechs, he has a compass. The tree is about two days away, so be sure not to eat all of your food right away, and remember to camp at night and to put your sleeping bags in a tree. Vechs, you’re going to start fires, and Aurey you can occasionally fly up to look around, but no other wind or fire, at all. Understand?” We both nodded and he continued.
“Good. The tree is about due east, so you shouldn't miss it, but if you do, follow the coast, because you can see it from there. If the coast stops heading east-west, you’ve passed the tree so make sure to turn around and keep looking while following the coast. Most importantly: No fighting whatsoever. If you do, you’ll get caught and never see each other or get to play again, understand?” We both nodded again, this time significantly more nervously this time. I felt Aurey’s hand slip into mine as mine slipped into hers, each not wanting to be separated from each other. Being separated was not only the worst punishment in my house, but Aurey’s as well, as we had been in similar social situations back then. We'd each hated the week long punishments but… forever? That was a very, very long time.
Suddenly, the flapping of leathery wings interrupted our quick talk. A small brown creature had flown from my window to me, and was now resting on my shoulder.
“Fwappy!” I exclaimed, jubilant. I hadn’t been able to get to him before I left, and I was worried that I wasn't going to see him again, but my mother had remembered to unlock his cage when she grabbed my bag. As my wonderful bat landed on me, Aurey’s mother flew down the stairs, bearing a small travel bag. As she dashed over to Aurey and did a similar thing as to what my mother had done to me, Aurey’s father pulled me aside.
“Vechs, keep her safe…. Promise me. Please.” He said simply. I know now even more than I knew back then that she could take care of herself, but having someone looking after you couldn't hurt. Besides, I was always the more combat oriented of the two of us, so it also made sense in that regard.
“I will. I promise.” I responded immediately. I would have done it anyway, she meant too much to me for me to just let her go. She was my only friend, the only person who understood me… she… she was…. Aurey. Back then, for me her name was practically synonymous for friend, companion, and ally. In fact, during my earlier stages of talking, it was my word of choice. Even now I occasionally (when not thinking and/or tired) make that mistake… and mortify myself.
The sound of many boots marching in tandem pulled me back into the memory. As we heard them, Aurey’s parents stood up and backed away, and I tightened my grip on Aurey’s hand. I double checked my compass, the trip from my house to hers had indeed been in the right direction, and then looked back at her parents.
“Aurey, remember, we love, and we will always love you… And Vechs, I know that your parents are the same way.” Aurey’s mother said. She was slowly drowned out by the sound of the boots. Aurey’s dad looked over his shoulder, before looking back at us.
“What are you waiting for?” He asked anxiously, fully aware of the soldiers moving closer and closer. “GO!” Instantly, I tightened my grip further and started to run, dragging Aurey with me for the first few steps before she managed to recover. Her parents waved sadly, knowing full well that they were the last thing we would ever see of the life we were leaving behind, the happy life that had been taken from us.
And we ran.
---
A/n: Hi! It’s me, R7, in case you didn't figure it out yet. I was really interested in both this story, and Clash’s idea for audience interaction, and I had a burst of inspiration about this, so here I am. But the inspiration hasn't ended….
This isn’t the best writing I’ve done, as I find myself once again outside my comfort zone (as well as this being produced roughly). Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter, as well as this magnificent AU Clash has created!
However, my inspiration for this hasn't ended, and I am actually going to be turning this AU(/time- period) of an AU into a fully fledged (though possibly mini) story. I hope that aside from bringing you good things to read, it will also serve to fill in Vechs’ and Aurey’s characters in the Au, as well as providing lore and background info. I’m not sure when it will be released: Running concurrent with Magic and Hierarchs (either starting up now or in a little while), or being posted over time (though probably as a finished product) after the current story by our talented friend Clash has ended.
Thanks r7 for this great addition to the story!
Note from r7:
Written by R7, set in the AU generously provided by Clashofdemonessense. This is being posted by them (because it is their AU/story), hence this Announcement of author. Yay collaboration!
---
As consciousness started to return to me, to my shattered mind, I felt something. I hadn't felt it in a long time, I thought I had beaten it, but I guess that last spell had taken a toll on my mental strength. However, I still managed to sit up and open my eyes. I couldn't remember exactly where I was, but hopefully I could fix that.
It had been so long… so long since I’d seen them, since I’d even thought about them. I wasn't quite sure what had started me thinking about them, but I didn't care, caught up in my thoughts of the past…. of Home. Suddenly,I remembered why I didn't think about such things, but it was too late. It was already coming.
The flashbacks were strange things, the effect of a old, old spell gone wrong. I would be pulled into a memory, but I actually re-lived the experience, and to was hard to remember that it was just a memory, or to break from the thought patterns I had back then (unless I was significantly impaired, such as being significantly younger or drugged in some way).
I hurriedly check around me, both that I wasn’t in danger, and that someone wouldn't walk in on me and start panicking because I was spazzaming on the floor. Luckily, both were true, so I simply lied down on the ground (so I wouldn't fall from the bed), preparing myself for the flashback.
As the past rushed towards me, I braced myself, before letting go. As my identity fused with the past, the world around me slowly disappeared…. then it was gone.
The past had me in its grip.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
“Mommy, mommy!” I shouted, skipping over to her from across the back yard. My shrill four year old voice was slightly hard on the ears, but it didn't stop my child-like self. As I reached her legs, I continued. “Can we go see Relly today? Pweeeeease?” Aurey had lived across the small street from me and my parents, all those long years ago. My mother’s serene voice filled the memory, as she replied.
“Sweety, you went over to her house yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that. Don't you think you should wait at least until tomorrow?” While looking back on it, she had a point, but in my four year old eyes, tomorrow was an eternity.
“Aw, but I just figured out this new fire trick I want to show her!” I had continued, before making a bright red flame appear at my fingertips, then forming it into a representation of a bat, which I made fly around. Suddenly, my mother crouched down, covering my small form from view of the road.
“Vechs Davion! What did I say about using fire outside the house?” My mother said sternly, before looking over her shoulder to the road. I lowered my head in shame, afraid of the punishment I was about to get.
She looked down at me and I looked back, but there was something wrong. It actually took me a second to realize that I couldn't see her face. Where her face should have been, there was just a back, empty void… A hole on the memory.
Suddenly, the soft feeling of something small and cold on my face snapped me back to reality. I twisted around, looking for the cause, before I realized it was a tear. My mother… My own mother…. And I couldn't even remember what her face looked like. I hadn’t cried in so long, not since Aurey got put in a coma but… this was worth crying about.
As the tears spilled down my cheeks, I felt the memory rushing to the surface, returning me to my past.
As my child self looked back up to my mother; he, I, recited:
“If you use fire outside, you will be in big trouble. No fire for the next three days, extra chores, and…” I choked back a sniffle before continuing. “And…” another sniffle “And n-no s-seeing Aurey f-for a-a w-wu--week.” At this point, I dissolved into tears, bawling like only a small child could. I didn’t cry that much for a toddler, but this was one of the few occasions that I did. Aurey was my only real friend back then, the only one who understood me, was like me. If only I had known how alike we were….
Soon after, the loud sound of many boots marching in rhythm filled my young ears. Immediately, my mother changed her tone, moving to a soothing voice.
“Shh.. Shh… It’s okay….” I quieted down slightly, but continued my wailing. “If you are very good, and quiet down right now, I’ll let you see Aurey tomorrow, okay?” This made me stop immediately. I honestly didn't care about the other punishments, it was the isolation from my best friend that was bad. As such, the prospect of that part being revoked was both very intriguing and confusing, as my mother rarely went back on punishments.
With the hindsight that I now have, many years later, I know that it was the army of boots, and the soldiers wearing them, that led my mother to use such extreme measures to quiet me. As the sound of the boots moved closer, my mother stood up, facing the road.
The soldiers continued to approach, coming directly for our house. When they forcefully opened the waist-high wooden gate to our yard, my mother stood in front of me, acting as a shield from the officers’ vision.
“Mrs. Davion?” A man with a gruff, deep voice asked.
“I am her.” My mother replied curtly. “May I ask why you are invading my property and damaging my gate?”
“Is your husband home?” The guard continued, ignoring my mother’s questions.
“No, Why?” My mother replied, beginning to become agitated. In response came the sound of a large scroll un-rolling, and a deep inhalation from the guard, like he was preparing a speech.
“In accordance to the Regulation Of The Magically Inclined Individuals Act, I have to question your husband about Involvement Or Harboring Of The Magically Inclined. May I ask where he is?” Being the expert actor (that I realize now was out of necessity) my mother was, she acted shocked and horrified.
“Oh, dear! You don't think that our family has anything to do with the strange ones, do you?” She said in such a good impression of a panicked woman that my four year old self almost panicked as well, only her completely calm hand on my shoulder prevented me from doing so.
“No, no, my good lady. We are just worried for you safety, as we suspect that the daughter of the family across the street may have sorcerous powers.” The guard said, and my mother kept up her facade of shock. In the memory, I could hear my young mind thinking: Are they talking about Aurey? She wouldn't hurt anyone….. However, I was interrupted by the Guard continuing.
“Would you happen to know where she is? By the way, is your son with you?” At the second set of words, I felt my mothers hand clench on my shoulder, holding on tightly, afraid to let me go.
“No, the girl’s father left with my husband a few hours ago. They took the children with them.” She lied expertly.
“Ah, okay. We’ll still need to search their house however.” The guard said, seeming genuinely disappointed. At this point my mother scrambled to cover her tracks, even though only the hand on my shoulder showed it.
“No, no. I don't think you should do that…” My mother started, a weak lie for someone of her caliber.
“And why would that be?” The guard replied, suspicion beginning to edge his voice.
“Well, the wife is still at home, and she is a very jumpy person. I wouldn't want one of you to get hurt, or, more likely, her to mess up your search in some way. Besides, if the daughter isn't there, wouldn't a search tip off her parents, letting them get away from you?” My mother finished expertly. The soldier stopped, realising the truth in my mom’s statement. He seemed to be unsure of what to do before my mother continued.
“Why not come in to my house for a small meal while you wait? There’s no reason not to, and if the seven of you come in, the other family won't see you.” Back then, this had confused me, but now that I was no longer a toddler I realised why she had done such a seemly out-of-place gesture: And you won't be able to see them. I was sure she was thinking to herself.
“Oh… Sure. Thank you Madam, we’re… well, we're not really used to people being so kind. We’ll be right in.” The guard responded, before being stopped by my mother’s upheld hand.
“Thank you, but it would be best if you waited here for a minute or two. I have to prepare the house for guests.” My mother started, producing an approving and accepting nod from the soldier. She then walked calmly towards the house, bringing me with her, all the while preventing the soldiers from seeing me.
When we entered the house, my mother dashed upstairs before returning with my travel pack. It was a small, brown bag that she made me pack every day. It held my most prized possessions as well as some food, water, and a sleep roll with blanket. Back then I thought that it was totally normal to have one of these, and to expect to lose anything that you couldn't carry on a small pack that you carried on your back.
Finally, the strange, slightly sequestered life I had been living was paying off. My mother slung my bag over my shoulder before kneeling in front of me and placing both of her hands on my small shoulders.
“Vechs, I want you to go into the living room. When I start talking to the soldiers, I’m going to need you to run over to Aurey’s house, find her, find her dad, and tell him ‘In the end, they always come’. Do you understand?” She said, speaking firmly and clearly. I nodded my four year old head nervously. Whenever she talked like that, bad things happened, especially if I didn't do exactly what she said.
“Good. If she isn't there, leave the note pinned to your bag on their back doorstep, and head east. There will be a man in a large tree, and he will take care of you. If you find Aurey, then do the same thing unless her parents tell you otherwise. Okay?” I nodded again, before checking for the note on my pack, as well as the compass I always had around my wrist. My father had thought me how to use it about a year ago, and I’d had it ever since. Suddenly, my mother engulfed me in a tight hug. When she back away, I stood there, wondering why she was acting so strange.
“Why are you still standing there?” She asked sternly, but I could hear the tears starting to choke up her words. “GO!” She shouted, swinging her arm in the direction of the living room. At this point I dashed out of the room, running to the side door two rooms over. I stood there for about a minute before I heard my mother calling the soldiers in. Her voice seemed perfectly normal again, as though nothing had happened. Soon after they were talking in the kitchen, but I couldn't make out the words. I stuck around for a while, not wanting to leave, until I heard a small bit of a sentence from my mother.
“....My son VECHS, he went with his father; they were GOing…” This pounded the message home and I dashed out the door, careful to be as quiet as possible, while still being fast
. I ran surprisingly fast for how young I was, crossing the street quickly and arriving in Aurey’s back yard in a time that could rival an adult walking briskly. When I got there, Aurey was riding on a small ball of wind she had made. When I burst through the gate, the ball quickly faded, and the landed gracefully on the ground.
“Yay! You’re back!” Aurey said happily. “Wanna play?”
“No, not now.” I said simply imitating the way my mother had been talking earlier. Me and Aurey were surprisingly good talkers (and walk/runners) for our age, probably due to the survival (if you could call it that) training that our parents had given us after they found out we had the gift. “Where’s your dad?” I continued. Instantly, Aurey caught on. We'd both been through sessions like this, sometimes with each other. Unfortunately, this time it was for real.
“Right inside.” She responded, also assuming the serious tone. We dashed over to her back door and opened it, nearly walking into her father. When he saw our faces and my travel pack, his features formed into an incredibly concentrated expression. He called over his shoulder to his wife for the to get ‘the bag’ before turning to us.
“Vechs?” He asked simply, probably because I was the person who had come from somewhere else, as well as having the travel pack.
“In the end, they always come.” I said, as though I had rehearsed it a hundred times. Aurey’s father’s eyes widened, and he urgently told his wife to hurry. He knelt down in a similar fashion as my mother and started hurriedly telling us things.
“Okay. When you have your packs, you’re both going to head east, to a very big tree. In that tree is a man, his name is Mr. Soares; and he will take care of you. Right now there are very bad people after you, and they look like guards, so don't trust them, all right? Very, very bad things will happen if you do. Aurey, make sure to follow Vechs, he has a compass. The tree is about two days away, so be sure not to eat all of your food right away, and remember to camp at night and to put your sleeping bags in a tree. Vechs, you’re going to start fires, and Aurey you can occasionally fly up to look around, but no other wind or fire, at all. Understand?” We both nodded and he continued.
“Good. The tree is about due east, so you shouldn't miss it, but if you do, follow the coast, because you can see it from there. If the coast stops heading east-west, you’ve passed the tree so make sure to turn around and keep looking while following the coast. Most importantly: No fighting whatsoever. If you do, you’ll get caught and never see each other or get to play again, understand?” We both nodded again, this time significantly more nervously this time. I felt Aurey’s hand slip into mine as mine slipped into hers, each not wanting to be separated from each other. Being separated was not only the worst punishment in my house, but Aurey’s as well, as we had been in similar social situations back then. We'd each hated the week long punishments but… forever? That was a very, very long time.
Suddenly, the flapping of leathery wings interrupted our quick talk. A small brown creature had flown from my window to me, and was now resting on my shoulder.
“Fwappy!” I exclaimed, jubilant. I hadn’t been able to get to him before I left, and I was worried that I wasn't going to see him again, but my mother had remembered to unlock his cage when she grabbed my bag. As my wonderful bat landed on me, Aurey’s mother flew down the stairs, bearing a small travel bag. As she dashed over to Aurey and did a similar thing as to what my mother had done to me, Aurey’s father pulled me aside.
“Vechs, keep her safe…. Promise me. Please.” He said simply. I know now even more than I knew back then that she could take care of herself, but having someone looking after you couldn't hurt. Besides, I was always the more combat oriented of the two of us, so it also made sense in that regard.
“I will. I promise.” I responded immediately. I would have done it anyway, she meant too much to me for me to just let her go. She was my only friend, the only person who understood me… she… she was…. Aurey. Back then, for me her name was practically synonymous for friend, companion, and ally. In fact, during my earlier stages of talking, it was my word of choice. Even now I occasionally (when not thinking and/or tired) make that mistake… and mortify myself.
The sound of many boots marching in tandem pulled me back into the memory. As we heard them, Aurey’s parents stood up and backed away, and I tightened my grip on Aurey’s hand. I double checked my compass, the trip from my house to hers had indeed been in the right direction, and then looked back at her parents.
“Aurey, remember, we love, and we will always love you… And Vechs, I know that your parents are the same way.” Aurey’s mother said. She was slowly drowned out by the sound of the boots. Aurey’s dad looked over his shoulder, before looking back at us.
“What are you waiting for?” He asked anxiously, fully aware of the soldiers moving closer and closer. “GO!” Instantly, I tightened my grip further and started to run, dragging Aurey with me for the first few steps before she managed to recover. Her parents waved sadly, knowing full well that they were the last thing we would ever see of the life we were leaving behind, the happy life that had been taken from us.
And we ran.
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A/n: Hi! It’s me, R7, in case you didn't figure it out yet. I was really interested in both this story, and Clash’s idea for audience interaction, and I had a burst of inspiration about this, so here I am. But the inspiration hasn't ended….
This isn’t the best writing I’ve done, as I find myself once again outside my comfort zone (as well as this being produced roughly). Either way, I hope you enjoy the chapter, as well as this magnificent AU Clash has created!
However, my inspiration for this hasn't ended, and I am actually going to be turning this AU(/time- period) of an AU into a fully fledged (though possibly mini) story. I hope that aside from bringing you good things to read, it will also serve to fill in Vechs’ and Aurey’s characters in the Au, as well as providing lore and background info. I’m not sure when it will be released: Running concurrent with Magic and Hierarchs (either starting up now or in a little while), or being posted over time (though probably as a finished product) after the current story by our talented friend Clash has ended.
