Black
Ever since I learned Yahar had found Annia, I haven't left her side for a single moment. I'm her shadow, her damned shadow, just as I've always been. I know she's waiting for the perfect moment to attack.
When I saw her heading into the garden, I didn't hesitate to follow her and reveal myself to her. It was easier to protect her by being close; otherwise, I wouldn't be sure where or how she would attack.
When I stood before her, everything in me tensed. She was no longer the little girl I saw in the woods, nor the teenager I'd watched from afar. Having her before me and seeing that storm in her eyes was mesmerizing. I didn't know how to approach her without scaring her.
So I asked her to dance, without giving her the option to refuse.
I remained alert. I felt we weren't alone. And my brother, who should have been watching my back, didn't appear.
As Annia moved away from me, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air put me on guard. Instinctively, I stepped in her path.
The impact pierced my abdomen.
Although we're trained for this sort of thing, the pain that gripped my insides was unbearable.
I thought she'd run away, terrified. But instead of fleeing, she helped me. And so, we ended up involving the brunette, who was still holding the evidence of my suffering.
"Lucia!" Annia chided her for the abrupt way she pulled the arrow.
"What? He said quickly." She shrugged.
The girls became alert when they heard noises coming from the roof. They looked at each other, and it was Lucia who approached the window overlooking the courtyard.
Then, my brother fell from the roof... eating a couple of chips.
So that's why he hadn't shown up? For some damn chips.
The girls' screams nearly burst my eardrums and those of the entire block, while he just smiled and waved.
Idiot.
"What are you doing?" he asked, popping a chip into his mouth without the slightest remorse.
I gave him an incredulous look before raising an eyebrow.
"Where were you?"
"I went to get some chips. You know, when I come to this part of the world, I can't resist." He shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
I snorted, feeling irritation bubble up inside me.
"So you're late for some chips? We almost got killed, and you were just sitting there, calmly enjoying your damn snack."
"Sorry. Let me fix you up."
He walked past the girls and sat next to me on the couch. He leaned forward slightly until his hands pressed against my wound.
The veins in his hands began to show, as did the level of concentration reflected on his face. He was using his ability.
Heclares had the gift of healing by simply placing his hands on the wound.
When his hands left my body, the wound was completely closed.
The room fell silent. Lucía's mouth was open, unable to process what she had just seen. Annia, on the other hand, stood in front of us, pointing at both of us with a look of disbelief.
"Now I can't take it anymore. What the hell was that? How did you heal him just by touching him?"
"I..." Heclares tried to speak, but trailed off when she continued her barrage of questions.
"How the hell did you know where we were? Who are you? And why the hell did someone try to shoot me with an arrow?"
She was getting angry now. I stood up and put on the jacket Heclares handed me.
"Hello? Did you hear what I asked? You said you'd explain what's going on." She leaned in close, inches away.
"I know what I said... I don't know where to start."
"From the beginning, okay? Because I'm two seconds away from calling the police and saying there are a couple of maniacs here."
I smirked at her.
"Those cops are nothing to us." I sighed deeply. Let me introduce myself: my name is Black Ravenshroud, and this is my brother, Heclares. We come from Noctisvael, a Nexaris world.
"Nexaris?"
"A world connected by invisible forces. That's why humans can't see it." I glanced at Heclares, and he nodded. "We are chosen creatures, a species never before seen. In our world, we all possess abilities. That's why he was able to heal me, and why I could withstand the arrow."
They sat in the same chair, processing what I had told them.
"What can you do?"
"You see, I am… I was a royal guardian. We have more developed abilities. I can make you forget your memories, like bringing them back."
"Are they vampires?"
I shot a poisoned look at Lucia, who leaned closer to her friend.
"We're not vampires." We are chosen, a much stronger species that has lived for centuries.
Annia had a distrustful look on her face. She wasn't believing anything we were telling them.
"So what are you doing here?" Annia asked.
"A little over two decades ago, our kingdom was betrayed. Our king was murdered by his best friend. That day, before the ambush, he entrusted my brother with the protection of his daughter Hela," Heclares replied. "He knew she wouldn't be safe in Noctisvael and that it was only a matter of time before she was found. So he decided to bring her into this world and left her on the doorstep of an orphanage."
Annia tensed at that last bit.
"Since the day he took the throne, Noctisvael has been under his shadow. As long as he remains in power, no one will be safe."
"Thanks to an informant, we discovered that Yahar had managed to locate her. That's why we decided to show ourselves to her."
"Who is she?"
His question echoed throughout the room, drowning out the silence that had formed.
"Annia... it's you."
Annia
Hearing those words is like a bucket of cold water falling on my back. They can't expect me to believe them right away. The atmosphere has become so dense it seems you could cut it with a razor. I don't know what's going on or how I got to this point.
Three pairs of eyes are watching me expectantly, but all I can do is let out a nervous, almost maniacal laugh.
"A very good joke. Where's the hidden camera?"
I wait for them to react, to tell me it's all a lie, that they're just playing a practical joke. But the face of the one who calls himself Black remains impassive.
"I'm not playing. Your name is Hela, and you are the heir to the throne of Noctisvael."
I stand up firmly, with no desire to continue listening to such nonsense.
"I'm sorry I can't believe you, but this is all too confusing, full of gaps, and I don't intend to be a party to this absurd situation." I'd appreciate it if you'd back off and forget you ever met tonight.
I try to turn away, but his hand catches my arm, preventing me from moving forward.
"We've met before. Only, back then, it wasn't time for you to know the truth... so I erased the memory from your mind."
His other hand holds mine, and his eyes remain fixed on mine.
Then I see him.
It's a flash. A shock.
His eyes change from deep blue to blazing red, and a chill runs down my spine. I feel a slight vertigo, as if reality were folding in on itself.
Suddenly, I'm no longer here.
The forest materializes in front of me. It's my home, but I'm a child.
A man dressed entirely in black stands before me, his face hidden beneath a hood. He turns slowly, and I see his red eyes glowing in the gloom. My chest tightens. It's him.
The world begins to fade. I find myself in another place, one I don't recognize. A man in his fifties holds a baby in his arms. His gait is hurried, his footsteps echoing in the long hallways of high walls and imposing architecture.
We follow him in silence until he descends some stairs and stops in front of a door. Behind it, there is a younger Black man. He is dressed in black, but this time he carries a sword on his back. His tight clothing feels like a second skin.
Seeing the man, Black bows.
"Your Highness."
The man steps forward and places a hand on his shoulder.
"There is no time for us anymore. You are my trusted man, and I would never put my daughter's life in anyone else's hands."
"Sir..."
"Listen to me. You have to go. Take your brother with you."
He places the baby in his arms, caresses her tiny face, and places a kiss on the top of her head before leaving the room.
Memories hit me like a violent tide. They are red flashes, fleeting images of someone who has regained their memory.
Black coming into this world.
Black and his brother leaving the baby at the orphanage.
Black watching… as my mother picked up the baby.
Black hiding in the woods, watching me.
Black following me.
Black receiving the arrow.