Dawn of a Second Life by Kathrayne (distant reading .txt) 📕

a shuffling behind me. I turn to see th4e Dragon Sister hood standing in two lines. The two blondes, Ruby and Sapphire, are on one side while Onyx and Amethyst are on the other. Their fisted hands are on their hearts and they are bowed at the waist.
Rage is saddled and ready, bent down for my mount. My eyes misting up, I walk forward. Right on cue, the four sisterhood members raise their swords, the tips touching. Golden red flames erupt from the hilt, lighting their blades. I walk under them, unafraid. On the other side, I turn back to see blades put up and them watching me.

Whatever fate and destiny bears
With our last breath
And final flame
The Dragon Sisterhood
Will forever proclaim
We fight ‘til death
For ours, mine, and theirs

The sisterhood’s battle cry and motto was something I lived by. For the Fireite people, it meant that whatever fate and destiny puts them through, with our last breath and the final flame, the Dragon Sisterhood will fight until death to protect everyone in this realm, whether they knew them or not.
With a salute to my heart and a bow at the waist, I mount Rage. He rises high, nearly to the hangers ceiling. I look to Topaz, over the Fireite crowd, and then to the Terrainians. With a rush of powerful magic, a great portal opens up before me. Tinged in purple and silver light, I can just barely make out the visions from the other side. Images of far off places in the realm of Terra. Excitement builds and with a might push of wings, Rage lifts off and then flies through.

Chapter Six

All around me, I could feel the lights as they landed on my skin. It did not hurt, it was more like someone poking you. The colors were magnified within the portal, like someone had turned the luminosity up to one million. It hurt my eyes, but I did not want to shut them. It was beautiful. Different hues and shades of violet purple, crimson red, lightening blue all meshed together is great swirls. Through the gaps, you could see a land of which I have never laid eyes on. Great mountains lined the distant horizon on my left. When I switched to my right, I saw miles and miles of endless trees and plains. I moved my eyes to the front of us, where a white light rested in the distance. It seemed that either it was getting closer to us, or we were getting closer to it. I leaned it towards Rage’s neck as he barrel rolled through the hole. A bright flash of light occurred, and then all was still. I lay resting on Rage’s back while his breathe came in quickly, his sides heaving greatly.
“Are you okay, Rage?” I ask him, patting his neck.
Yes, my lady. I will survive. He stays low to the ground as I slide off. I survey my surroundings, taking in the huge trees. They are bigger than even Rage, which means he can easily be hidden.
“You stay here. I’m going to find out where we are.” I tell him and he lies completely on the ground. With his coloring, he blends in well. I walk slowly beyond the tree line, listening for some sign of life. A rustle sounds above me in the trees and I look up to see a flock of brilliantly colored birds. Their feathers are a bright royal blue, tipped in lemon yellow, with fire red eyes and sunrise orange beaks. I then focus on the tree they were in, looking at it’s rough brown bark and farther up until I see its dark green leaves.
All around me, it’s sisters and brothers blow in the breeze. It sings through the leaves, an enchanting melody that travels through my ears and enters my heart, a song specifically saying that I was home. Scents of the world around me filled my lungs; flowers, trees, dirt, rivers. It all came to me in one moment. I was home. This was where I belong.
I continue on through, laying my hands on the trunks of trees as thick as Rage’s neck. A small stream trickles nearby and I make my way towards it, carefully stepping so that I would not crush any little white wild flowers growing there. As I got closer to the creek, something catches my eyes on the other side. It is an archway, made of white stone and covered with a green vine with purple flowers. In my heart, something clicks, telling me to go over to it. I take a few steps back, measuring the distance I have to jump. Energy surges up within me and I take off running, my legs pumping, pushing me faster and faster. At the edge of the stream, I push, flying through the air over the six feet of water.
As soon as my feet hit the grass of the other side, I feel something within my soul. The back of my neck tingles with energy. I feels as if I have been here before. I place my hand on the stone, power surging through me. The back of my neck burns like fire, but I continue on. I need to be here.
I walk the worn stone pathway. Cracks have severed the stone, giving leave for grass to grow between them. Flowers from both sides spill onto the footpath, scenting the air sweetly and adding brilliant splashes of color to the area. White stone buildings stood off to the side, lined with flowers that look like pink trumpets. I veer off the main passage and walk to one of the smaller buildings. The door has long ago been torn down but the windows have remained intact. I step inside and gasp involuntarily. Blood stains the walls and some of the furniture are pierced with old arrows and knives. Three skeleton heads lay in the corner, two adults and a child. Some of the wooden chairs look scorched and burned. I look up onto the northern wall, seeing a flag that resides there. Part of it is three feet long, while the rest if about half a foot. The shorter edges look charred. I gather the material in my hands, feeling the brittle cloth. Blood is splattered over a piece of an emblem, a circle with a lotus flower in the middle. I take a step back, looking at the larger picture.
It is made up of three individual rings, with the flower being in the middle. The area between the middle circle and the smallest is filled with vines and flowers while the last ring is filled with trees. Recognition ignites as I realize that I am looking upon the banner of the Terra realm. I once again step forward, putting my hand over the lotus flower. I remember what Topaz told me about my people’s symbol.
“In the middle is the lotus flower.” She had said. She had taken it upon herself to teach me bits and pieces of my heritage and ways. “It represents life, from beginning to end. It starts at the bottom of a lake, and works its way up to form a beautiful flower. The rings represent the different stages of life. The first ring is the beginning, the second adulthood, and the third death. In between the rings are images of the stages of the forest. Flowers inhabit forests first, and then trees and shrubs are next. To you people, Emerald, it is about the circle of life. Everything must begin, and everything must end.”
She told me that Terrainians were strong people, like the Fireites. That they were not warriors unless provoked, and then if a realm challenged them, it would be like waking a sleeping giant. As I stood there, I remember the symbol on the back of my neck. It is exactly like this one, but smaller in size. Tenderly, I reach back and cover the mark with my hand, feeling nothing but smooth skin. That does no matter, for I still know it is there. It is a birthmark, not something that was put upon me by force. It is the Earth Warrior’s mark.
A flicker of light off to the side catches my eye and I reach for my sword at my waist. I unsheathe the weapon, gripping the golden hilt. It is purely a thing of beauty. The hilt, made from pure gold, is engraved with flowers and vines. The blade is silver and razor sharp. Towards the top a words are shown, with the Terra emblem beneath it.

地 球 戰 士

It means ‘The Earth Warrior’ in Fireite. I turn towards the light, searching for whoever is watching me.

Chapter Seven

It looks like just like a female. Her hair is jade green, her skin pale, and she has eyes the color of morning mist. On her body is very little clothing. Her small, but full breasts are uncovered, but she has a forest green skirt on with a slit up to her thigh. Her right hand is gloved up to her elbow and a thick gold band decorated her neck. As I step forward to get a closer look, she lands on the windowsill and watches me in return. She has pointed ears pierced with gold bars and hoops and golden yellow and black wings adorn her back. Thin black tribal tattoos and dots decorate her skin.
“Cé go bhfuil tú?” Her voice sounds like little bells. She speaks a strange language, one of which I have never heard of before. I look at her quizzically, not knowing what to do. “D'iarr mé ceist agat.”
Suddenly there is a breeze that flows through the room, lifting dust from its place and leaving everything clean. The scorch marks disappear, and the bones and weapons are gone. Something sweet sits in the air, reminding me of summer.
“Listen with your heart, my daughter. You will understand.” This new voice achingly familiar as it sings to my soul. I look for it, desperate to find it’s owner. There is a shimmer in the corner, where the bones once lay. I peer deeper into the dimness and see four people there. In the middle is a woman, her hair the color of the soil and ending at her knees, skin white of snow, and eyes the hue of grass. She smiles warmly at me, lighting up her young face. “It is good to see you, dear.”
I can only look as she walks forward, not even touching the ground. She reaches out and touches my cheeks, a gently caress like the wind. “Who are you?” I ask. Instincts are telling me that I should kneel, but all I do is nod my head.
“I understand why you know not.” She tilts her head, her brown hair falling off her pale shoulder. I see the little being there, sitting on the strap of the woman’s green and brown dress. “Emerald, you