Kismet’s Tale

      She stood just above the streets, boots on a steel railing. If the little girl finds her like this. She would have been maddened at the sight of a woman of her age acting in such a way. She still called Elea a little girl despite her age. When she was with her lonesome self, she didn’t have to be Bellatrix De Ziba, the head of the Angelus Company, and right-hand of the little girl who grew up to become a fine leader of Lazon.

She was just Natalya Tomas, Guardian of the Tomas Family.

Fifty-seven years ago, I thought that I wouldn’t see such a sight, Natalya looked at her unwrinkled hand. The spark is life and destruction itself, it is everywhere and with the spark one could stay youthful. Please, I should be older than this, nonetheless it is good.

She dreamed of escaping her nightmare once. Those repeating moments of time where she had stopped counting. Relieving those memories gives Natalya a solemn nightmare. In that repeating nightmare she had to call ‘visions’ for the sake of her sanity.

She pulled on her black gloves. Letting the wind tussle her hair. She liked growing her hair and keeping it free, but this time she had it tied into a braided bun to move freely. Some may call it wasteful, but she liked putting a spell on her hair that would allow her to move it freely. Losing a hand meant that she had to use anything she could.

Your silver hand stills do wonders, husband. Too bad that I had to remodel it, put some black iron on it to keep others from knowing, and that it belongs to you. No one should have it, my liar.

Natalya adjusted footing when the wind blew. The winds of Finia were pathetic compared to the strong winds of Lazon. Fifty-seven years of living in that place made her think of it as her own home. Though she does return to her personal home in Sudugar to visit Maria, and chat with her old friend. She hated how she didn’t have the talent for the bloom. If she had, she wouldn’t have let that beautiful woman become so wrinkled. It was simply a sin that such a body and face was ruined by time. Then again, she was beautiful, far too beautiful as she got older.

She hated the idea of it, but time was cruel to those who did not have means to fight it. She and her ladies had a way to fight off aging, and they could remain perpetually young and healthy as long as the sparks flowed within them. And even if it does stop flowing, the spark had flowed in them long enough that it would keep them young naturally. Though it doesn't mean that they are immune to diseases as well. It only makes them resistant. Not that she’d personally want to live forever. The stress she was getting, managing all these affairs, was something she’d wished that she’d never have to do, but couldn’t allow her little girl to do alone.

Elea’s grown, at her age, she should be thinking of finding people to share such time with. Then again, who am I to discuss about her? They know what happens, and what will happen to those who are long-lived. We could turn them into a magiborne, make them stronger, but they do not have the proper materials, they simply do not have the proper formula.

Natalya looked at the area where the grenades exploded. She had followed the trail of destruction, and thought to herself that she needed to catch the one who did it. Nonetheless, when she’s alone, she always found herself being alone, perhaps self-loathing, and in a way there is a part of her that was afraid of this. She had lived long enough on those nightmares to witness many things, and saw many individuals who could be used for her own means. Once upon a time, she wanted to fly a plane, but this time she had a plane that could carry planes, and a ship that could fly in the sky and carry planes.

If it wasn’t for the enormous wealth that they had gathered in the years. She doubts that she could achieve so much. Not to mention that the plan that Aunger concocted, or at least that’s what he was persistent about keeps on yapping. Nonetheless, the plan worked, though there were disagreements with Aunger that led him to leave Lazon and seek his own fortunes.

Aunger’s been loyal, but to think that he would just die like that. It’s unbelievable that one of the strongest of the wounds would die of the fire, then again, he was wounded because of that half-exiled one. He could have just asked, and I would have subdued it.

But men had pride and although she would have preferred it if Aunger fought without restraint. He was restricted by his emotions, and had to barely put down the half-exiled one. Of course, she had helped, but the damage was already done to the poor fool. She initially wanted to take in the son and daughter he kept on hiding, but nonetheless, if he do not wish to be part of the family, then Natalya could only respect his choices. Then again, she felt obliged to guard the family after marrying into it, suffering that bit of happiness she still cherished, keeping it warmth.

It had been years since then. And yet the embers she found and cherished had kept her going. Time was cruel, but it also healed. Still, it was hard to forget something like that, when in her repeated nightmares, there was only one who changed, and kept on being a lamp for her to feel warmth.

All she was the ashes and the embers. Which she would keep in her memories until then. Though she had realized that her views might be more conservative just like her pupils are. Younger people tend to have more lovers, though there are great men surrounding her, and though pretty enough for her taste. She didn’t like how brazen they were, and shameless, targeting an old widow that had longed to take an oath of love to her man till death takes her as well.

Though she does worry about her students who seem to have little interest. Then again, they have to face her before they could even whiff the air they are standing on. Perhaps, it was one of her faults as their guardian. It was hard to assess any men trying to court her little girl when most of them couldn’t even hide the greed in their eyes, and the truly in-love ones were mediocre in terms of ability and wealth. Not to mention that their spark-enhanced body could live longer than them, making it hard to feel comfortable. There was one that got close to Elna, but he was a soldier who simply couldn’t live long enough to capture Elna’s heart. After that, she just closed in, unable to let anyone in.

They did say that birds of the same kind flock together. In a way, they were different. Not that she was dictating Wendy’s life, and it was only because she wanted to that she was working as her president. She trusted them, but she didn’t want to treat them as a child, and make them learn through experience. Experience itself was a mentor, and only through suffering those experiences that they learn.

Still, she made a miscalculation with the antiwar movements being involved and the third unknown party that took Wendy away. She could at least deduce that they didn’t want to hurt Wendy. She would know if the spark of her life goes away, and once that link is broken, she would be unable to face Maria and Wendy’s parents. She wouldn’t have the stomach to stand there and say that their sweet Wendy died.

As much as she wanted to make them strong and resilient through experiences. The situation has changed and she must act while Elna and Elea handle the situation within Holmia. They were tested, and have been handling the affairs of the world long enough to show those awful bureaucrats and politician’s function.

Besides, it was a good time to unwind and take the mask off. Still, she needed to find Wendy and if her guts were right, then she should be moving out of the Holmian mainland. She didn’t want to discuss whether this was her choice or not. All she wanted was to find her. Her spark of life was pointing to this direction, and the sparks she spread all over had been nulled by something and there was only one thing that could naturally do that.

Someone who possessed black iron.

Dangerous. However, this one holding the iron knows how to wield it well. Good enough to kill those two, and deadly enough to make a mess out of Minerva, and slaughter her people. Wendy’s with this one, so I have to be careful, and as much as I like to go in, whip out my hand and break this person. Wendy’s safety comes first.

Natalya had promised on that hill, and when holding Lady Alma’s hand that she would protect those who she cherished.

If she ever finds her wounded, bound, and treated like some damn pig.

She’d ripped them apart.

She would leave no quarters.

Her eyes sparked with a contained hatred.

Her mark was not stopping and the moment she spread her sparks. She could only follow the remnants where the black iron was and follow that trail.