Chapter 8: The Wind and Water

A past event that foretells who Thalia Rayne used to be! Wait Shiloh is here?!

It was a bright and sunny day before the massacre. Shiloh, only five years old, inexpensively killed everyone in her entire village. Friends who loved her, family who taught her to love the world, and neighbors who offered her guidance were all gone.
She was covered in blood with saggy eyes showing no signs of sleep. Everything was in ruin and no one had survived. Not even those who attempted to stop her.
The only thing Shiloh could hold onto was her blue dress as she walked around her village bare footed. Many heads were decapitated from their bodies and the birds fed on the new flesh that tainted the earth. It was all her fault.
The air became bitter cold and snow begun to gently fall from the sky. Destined to die alone where no one may bring love, comfort, and peace, Shiloh’s heart drowned in darkness wandering aimlessly.
The agonizing screams of both the villagers and platinum knights continued to ring inside her mind. She placed a hand on her neck wandering if the glowing heart would ease its charm. Heavy tears streamed down her cheeks as her stomach growled in hunger.
Not a moment too soon she felt death creeping upon her, watching her closely to see her fall to her own demise. Despite this, however, Shiloh’s stubbornness continued to fight against the odds. Corpses piling on top of each other ceased to increase as she kept moving forward.
The beautiful village she once called home was now in ruins, tattered beyond recognition. Her eyes exuded death as she smelled the rusty human flesh. Ashes heavily flowing in the air caused her to cough and soon her body became covered in soot.
Shiloh’s stomach as well as her shoulders, arms, legs and head began to ache from the fatigue of traveling nonstop. The wind grew stronger and surrounded her a small force field which only could be visible to Shiloh. With the massacre at hand, the news of the incident spread like wild fire to the neighboring villages and no one dared to take Shiloh in. She was a monster that could never be tamed. 
Shiloh’s skin became very numb, hard and pale from the frigid air of winter. Her once fair skin slowly turned from red to grayish- yellow with a hard and waxy texture. As Shiloh pushed herself to continue walking her eyes became dark and droopy from the lack of sleep, and she began to feel pain and slight tingling all over body.
Shiloh embraced herself as she shivered from the cold. The snow continued to build up onto the ground, making it difficult for the young girl to walk. Her muscles screamed in agony as she crawled through the snow. Unable to move on, her knees gave in and she collapsed onto the cold, hard snow.
The snow glimmered before Shiloh as her body continued shivering from the cold. Her entire body was mangled and decimated, preventing her to move. Her skin camouflaged Shiloh from receiving any help from others.
“I’m…going to die…I deserve it…” she whispered calmly.
The calm nature of winter only seemed to be a cruel joke to this pitiful child. As night fell, the whistling sounds of the wind could be heard and wild animals observed the dangerous girl, waiting for her death.  Shiloh closed her eyes for a few moments to feel the fatigue from the miles her aching feet had taken her.
From a distance, a gentle white rabbit noticed Shiloh sitting by a corner of garbage. The rabbit nuzzled its nose, sniffing the girl and then twitched as it moved closer to Shiloh. The small creature brought a beautiful smile across her face.
Shiloh offered her hand in hopes to receive compassion and empathy from the small creature. The rabbit dashed away fearing for its life, for animals knew when a monster is near. She then sighed deeply, awaiting death to pick her up.
“There’s no point to live…I’m a monster…not even animals want to be near me…”
 “A monster you say?”
Shiloh, startled, looks up to see a young girl probably a few years older than her, looking down at Shiloh with curiosity and wonder. Her tan beige skin and oval face shined before Shiloh, causing her to admire the girl’s natural beauty. The young girl crouched down to Shiloh as she carries a Claymore bigger than both of them combined.
“What do you want?”
“Well, nothing really. Why are you sleeping on the snow? Also, why are you near garbage?”
“Because I don’t have a home to go to...”
“Why?”
“I killed my family.”
“Well that seems to be normal in our kingdom.”
“I’m too exhausted to argue with a normal person…”
“Normal person? Hmm…”
Shiloh began to cough violently and blood escaped from her lips. The young girl with long auburn hair quickly moved away and then stopped. She looked to her left and then her right. Nodding to herself, she picked Shiloh off the snowy ground.
“What are you doing?!”
“We’re the same.”
“HUH?! Are you stupid!? You should get away from me!”
“My name is Thalia Rayne, what’s yours?”
“What the devil is wrong with you?!”
“Name.”
“UGH! FINE! My name is Shiloh Aldwin…”
Thalia threw Shiloh up onto her shoulders and walked towards the winter forest. Shiloh, unable to conjure up the energy to argue, nodded off to sleep. Thalia laughed seeing how Shiloh barely wore anything but a blue gown covered in blood that smelt like rust.
Thalia continued to walk with Shiloh on her back, and with reassurance Shiloh kept herself awake with anxiety. Suddenly Thalia walked towards the forest covered in snow where the moon’s light was shining in silver light. In the middle of the forest stood a large tree where its purpose was protecting the forest with love and care.
“Where are we…?”
“Oh, you’re awake?”
“That doesn’t answer my question…”
“You’re pretty rude for someone so young!”
“You don’t seem that much older than me!”
“Well to answer your question, we are in the Forest of Roses.”
“Forest of Roses? How? There’s nothing here but snow.”
“Just be patient.”
With no warning Thalia dropped Shiloh onto the ground which caused her to feel the frosted flakes of snow. Shiloh felt great starvation and annoyance from Thalia, causing her blood to boil. She pushed herself to stand before the short girl preparing an attack.
Shiloh stopped and gazed her eyes onto Thalia who was dancing in the snow like a fairy. Suddenly, Thalia’s crystal mark on her lower thigh glowed brightly blue as she controlled the snow. The snow around her danced like ribbons in the air, delicately following her maneuvers.
Thalia then exposed the ground around a ginormous tree that was a hundred feet tall, with a variety of flowers sprouting in different colors of blue, yellow, purple, red, and orange.  The snow that covered the tree soon disappeared, displaying flower veins from its trunks. Pink lily rains, red roses, buttercups, graham thomas roses, and many more surround the tree.
Butterflies soon appeared flying across the forest and Thalia danced with them. She then released the snow, turning it into water to pour down on the forest. The warm beauty of the forest captivated Shiloh’s heart, bringing tears to her eyes.
Running water pouring down the tree’s branches as its glow shined downwards. Around the tree a spring surrounded it in crisp water for nature and those seeking its minerals. Pollen was exposed from the colors in multiple colors; red, blue, purple, green, and yellow. The pollen then turned into lights flying towards the gigantic tree that made them look like decorations.
The sight captured Shiloh, leaving her breathless. Thalia continued dancing as birds surrounded her, chirping in happiness. The animals in the forest continued to surround Thalia as if they were thanking the young maiden for lifting the cold winter blanket.
 The scenery before Shiloh made her envision a painting that many nobles created for their auctions and homes. Mixed emotions wrapped around Shiloh’s mind along with anxiety. Jealousy soon clouded her mind.
Then suddenly a thought occurred to her. Why was Thalia able to control the snow like how Shiloh can create tornados? Shiloh thought for a moment as she continued watching Thalia. Only one answer came to mind.
“You are…a Zest?”
“What makes you say that?”
“WELL, NO ONE ELSE CAN CONTROL THE ELEMENTS!!”
“Why are you so frustrated?”
“B-because! I can’t… I can’t control mine! Yet you control yours flawlessly without any worries!”
“You think this was easy to master?”
“The way you dance… you were like a sugarplum fairy…”
Thalia stopped in her tracks, baffled by Shiloh’s comment. Her eyes grew big in shock and then thought to herself for a moment. A huge grin spread across her face as she looked at Shiloh.
“I have never been called that…I’ve always been called a Panther…hahaha!”
Thalia scratched the back of her head in embarrassment with her eyes closed.  Shiloh looked down on herself as Thalia stopped. The animals around them soon returned back to their homes.
“Can you teach me how to control mine?”
Thalia walked straight ahead debating with Shiloh’s request. Then finally stopped and turned to look at Shiloh with a stern look in her eyes.  Shiloh looked back as if wanting to explode with the mixed emotions swelling up inside of her.
“No, I cannot.”
“What do you mean?”
“It can’t be controlled.”
“What?!”
“Our Essence is part of ourselves, like our hearts. We can’t command when we want our hearts to beat and pause. We can only feel what our Essence makes of us and that is our identities.”
“Identities?... What?! Start making sense!”
“Man you’re pretty stupid if you didn’t understand that.”
“Well explain!”
“I JUST DID! You incompetent little twit.”
“Well explain it better!”
Thalia sighs, “You can’t control your Essence until you know who you are. For example! My name is Thalia Rayne, I am a citizen of Oiorpatra and a local from the Mefus village. I am also known as the Water Panther leading a revolutionary war against the King of Oirorpatra. I am also one of the living Essence of Seles; the Essence of Water. I want to guide our people to a democratic government and not a hierarchy.”
“Wait...how old are you…?”
“I’m ten years old,”
“WHAT?! And you…you believe in all of those things…and have a dream…?”
“Well unlike you, I fend for myself; I go where the rivers take me.”
“WHAT?!”
“Judging by the color of your skin you were not privileged until you realized you’re one of Seles’ Essence. It is pretty rare to see someone with fair skin such as yourself.”
“I-I don’t understand…”
“Of course you don’t. Your parents probably kept you sheltered all your life just to hide the shame you have brought them.”
“Will you stop insulting me?! My parents loved me! More than you could ever know!”
“I’m only analyzing the situation! Gods, you’re not very bright…also you would understand basic oppression if you were truly loved.”
“STOP! JUST STOP!”
The sunny day that had brought joy to the creatures of the forest soon became engulfed in dark clouds. They swarmed to block the sun causing fear and anxiety to creep upon the forest. Thalia grew concerned for Shiloh as she clenched her head with both hands.
Roaring winds soon engulfed Shiloh, piercing and cutting the grass around her. The woodland creatures hid behind Thalia to take shelter from Shiloh.  The ground temperature increased as the moist air heated the atmosphere.
The moist air then embraced the cold dry air rising from the east, which then exploded upward, forming a thunder cloud above the two. A violent rotating column of air extended from the thunderstorm to the ground. The crashing sounds of thunder and lightning soon clashed upon the adamant earth causing an earthquake.
The ground shook as tremendous destruction with winds sped, slowly uprooting the trees and few being hurled at Thalia. She drained the water from each tree to hastily counter the attacks. Shiloh’s eyes glowed bright green as her veins began to appear around her. The calm, cool and collective atmosphere soon changed its course as if Mother Nature was enraged by Shiloh’s Essence.
“DO YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?! STOP TRYING TO CONTROL YOUR ESSENCE! YOU MUST UNDERSTAND WHO YOU ARE BEFORE YOU CAN BE ONE WITH ITS POWER!”
“AAHH!!!”
Shiloh shrieked, ignoring Thalia as she began to float from the ground and levitate inside the tornado. The eerie sound of whirls and twirls of the wind only grew stronger by Shiloh’s emotions. Thalia shielded herself with her left arm in order to prevent being drained by the power.
“Tch! Stupid kid!”
Thalia felt cornered by the eye of the storm and couldn’t find another other solution to calm Shiloh down but through force. As such, she brought both of her arms towards the gusty winds. Within seconds Thalia could feel her limbs nearly tearing off her body, and the anguish pain soon became a distraction to her plan.
With hesitation and no confirmation, Thalia then soon began to draw out the waters of the wind. Blue orbs of light soon escaped from Shiloh’s fierce winds. With both of Thalia’s limbs the lights continuously entered into her body one at a time, but in speed the orbs came and entered her body.
Thalia’s reign over Shiloh’s tornado soon came into fruition as the wind began to die down. Shiloh’s eyes had returned to normal as she fell flat on her face. The young five-year-old stood up looking around her surroundings in astonishment.
The trees were eradicated and scarred like an executioner had tortured a human body.  Thalia breathed in and exhaled to calm herself down then began walking towards Shiloh. Instinctively, Thalia slapped Shiloh across the face. It took a few moments for Shiloh to process what just happened until she looked back at Thalia with a hint of contempt in her eyes and angrily shouted “WHAT THE F**K?! I-I MEAN SERIOUSLY?!”
“Yeah, seriously! You’re nothing more than a child! A mere child, bitching about what needs to be done! If you feel that you are indeed a monster, then do something good with what you have!”
“HOW?! I KILLED MY FAMILY, MY FRIENDS AND THE SOLDIERS WHO WERE AFTER ME!”
“Oh, waaah! Life is full of obstacles, isn’t it?”
“Stop it!”
“Well, if you want to make a change for yourself then learn about your origin! Who are you?”
“H-how am I supposed to answer that? I know who I am…but…”
“Life isn’t supposed to be easy, Shiloh! We need to make the most out of it based on what we would like to see. That’s why I vowed to release our country from the grasp of the current ruler of Oiorpatra.”
“The Queen...?”
“Yes. If you want to learn about yourself, you must seek those answers on your own.”
“You keep telling me what I need to do…BUT HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO DO THAT IN THE FIRST PLACE?!”
“Simple, you s**t-face.  Enter through the door of this tree.”
“What?”
Thalia sighed then walked over to the giant tree. She quickly but gently knocked onto its wood. The green leaves turned bright pink while the light orbs upon the tree turned white. The tree’s leaves danced in the air around Thalia and Shiloh uplifting the petals from the meadow.
Slowly piece by piece, a door began to carve into the tree’s main branch as it dropped down before Shiloh. Thalia looked at Shiloh in ease and discomfort and opens the door, revealing a mist clouding up the doorway. Thalia stood by the door taking another good look at Shiloh.
Shiloh began quivering, unable to move from her spot. Her body began to freeze and refused to cooperate with her brain. Thalia laughed in a thunderous manner as she placed a hand on her Claymore.  Shiloh’s lips quaked causing her to bite her tongue, and her arms moved slowly upwards reaching toward the door.
“You can feel it, can’t you? This tree is dead due to the lack of Essence in our dying land. “
“W-where does it lead…?”
“It is said that it leads to one’s inner most secrets, revealing everything about themselves. If you wish to know yourself better and claim your life, this is the best to educate “yourself”.
“B-but…it’s…”
The uncomfortable feeling Shiloh received from the rooting tree, eerie and silent. Nothing was left as if Thalia had placed an illusion to trick Shiloh’s mind about the beauty of nature. Death seemed to await Shiloh on the other side of the door.
“This tree was the first gift God Aiden had given to the Goddess Seles. It is the Reflection Tree. If you value your life, you need to know who you are. I would go in that door if I were you.”
“Why don’t you?!”
“Because I already did. I know who I am.”
“Knowing who I am…will give me better control over my Essence?”
“Yes.”
“What if I die?”
“Then…I guess all seven of us will die with you.”
“SEVEN?! There’s more of us?!”
“Oh my god, I discovered an idiot…” Thalia spoke as she did a face palm.
“Stop insulting me! You hammer on as if you are a perfect being sent by the Goddess Seles!”
“I’m not perfect, but I am no coward either! I didn’t wait for a miracle to come my way. I earned the right to continue living!”
Thalia suddenly took a good grip onto Shiloh’s arm “And if you want to control your damn Essence instead of ruining the world, then I suggest you get your damn a*s in this tree and find yourself! Like this tree, it is connected to many things that we have taken for granted."
"Huh…?"
"..."
"If you wish to control your Essence, you must be one with nature. Specifically, yours."
"Be one with mine?
"Yes, be one with the wind."
"Wind..."

Author's Note

This is when Thalia and Shiloh first met!