Melda's eyes fluttered open as the shafts of sunlight broke through the broken window. The brightness pierced her senses. Underground, morning had always crept in silently. So this was new, bright and painfully stung her eyes. She squinted, groaning softly and rolled to escape the light. But there was no familiar stone wall to catch her. Instead-
THUD.
"OW! Who invented these sky bed death traps?" she hissed, rubbing her hip. "That hurt so bad!!"
Instinctively, She turned to the second bed to see Eliara groggily glaring at her fall. But the space was empty. Messy, but cold.
Gone?
She was gone?
Melda's breath hitched. She actually left? Just like that? Was she serious about not training? Or did she just…switch rooms because she didn't want to be with her? She abandoned her? Going separate ways with her- What? No. she said she was going back home! But…without a single word? Or she really wants them to forget each other?
'She hates me…she hates me…she hates me!!! She hates me! She hates me! She hates me!'
The three words echoed in her head, each repetition a sharper blade cutting deeper.
"Stop saying that-" She whispered aloud almost to herself.
The door creaked open. Eliara stood in the frame, arms crossed, eyebrows raised.
"Who are you talking to? Your voices again?"
Melda looked at her surprised.
"I didn't run away. I wouldn't just sneak out while you are asleep."
Relief hit Melda so hard it felt like her bones melted.
"Then…where did you go?"
Eli rubbed her neck awkwardly. "To…you know…you are gonna need coins to survive up here…"
Melda narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"
"I got you coins." She smiled proudly showing her a small tightly bound pouch. "That is enough...I think. I know nothing about coins."
"How did you- Did you hurt anyone?"
"No…I didn't hurt anyone. It was a blind old lady, she could barely fight back. So I just took it, without hurting her. Damn, I am an angel."
"Angels don't…do that-"
"You are so ungrateful." She turned away in mock defense. "Anyway, wanna walk around the city and spend this hard earned money?"
Melda face-palmed herself. This was such an Eliara thing to do…and say after. And still, despite that she smiled, and giggled a little.
"Yes. Let's do that." She said.
.
.
The capital of Elzeria was a whole different world, filled with brightness and songs. And this day was different from the previous day they were here. The enchanted cobblestones shimmered faintly beneath their feet with every step they took. Stalls spilled vibrant silks and jewelry onto the streets. Music drifted in the air, as levitating performers played different instruments.
Eliara's eyes sparked with curiosity, tugging Melda this way and that, like an over-excited child. Melda, exhausted and sore kept up only because she loved the sound of her sister's rare laugh more than her own comfort. And she very well knew that this was the first and last day they would ever spend together on the surface.
Soon, It was already midday and it dawned to Melda that they hadn't spent that 'hard earned' money on anything.
"Think we should buy something to eat with your 'hard-earned' money?" Melda wheezed breathlessly, on the verge of collapsing.
"Whatever, sure." She said barely listening. "But where?"
"ANYWHERE!!"
With that, they immediately turned to the first restaurant ahead of them and got in.
The restaurants up here were just as good inside as they looked outside. Now…how heavenly is the food gonna taste like?
They both thought to themselves.
"Excuse me? Are you going to sit or stand there drooling?" A woman, with a sour face and a hairbun so tight it definitely scared children scowled at them. Melda flinched but Eli was pissed. How dare she?
"How about I punch your dirty face and introduce you to beauty? Huh? How about that-"
Melda covered her mouth. "S-she's violent when hungry. I'm s-so sorry." She then dragged Eliara to the nearest empty table where they sat.
"Why? Should've let me introduce beauty to that fucking ugly rotten unpleas-"
"I get it, you think she's ugly. But, we are not underground. I haven't seen people beating each other up here. So please behave."
"What the- she's ugly though, and rude, an-"
"Control yourself, pleaseeee"
Eli sighed. "Fine. But she's an ugly bitch."
"Sure." She answered awkwardly.
Melda then noticed writings shimmering across the tables surface.
"Cursed?"
"No." she said reading. "It says…food available…I think we should…pick what we want?"
"Whatever…"
As Melda read through all of the foods available, Eli noticed something. Or rather someone. No. two people, as they walked through the double wooden doors. One of them, a girl with long black hair and her eyes concealed beneath a tight black blindfold, with a slender sword strapped to her back. The other one, a guy with deep crimson hair, and a half mask that covered half of his lower face. It's not about their looks. Something felt different with them. But it felt…oddly familiar. Had she met them before? No she was certain she had never seen them before.
She traced their steps as they took a table. When they sat down they both turned to her direction. She quickly looked away. Who are those people? And what is this feeling she had? Her throat tightened. Like she was out of air.
"…I think we should- Eli?"
"H-huh?"
"Are you…okay?"
"Yeah." I'm okay" she lied. "Let's just…eat?"
After a short time, Melda figured out that to access the food here you had to cast a spell that would make food appear on the table. That was actually…genius. How come no one in the underground ever thought of that? But that meant food was limited to only people who could use magic here? She cast the two spells and two bowls appeared, and she pushed one over to Eliara.
Why was she staring at the two of them like that? "Eliara?"
"No…I have a bad feeling about them."
"You are just paranoid. Look at this food it looks amazing! Let's eat-"
"I…want to kill them." She whispered suddenly.
"Huh?"
"I'm…gonna…kill them."
"Just eat your food."
She then turned and looked at Melda "That night when Jess…and the night when my parents died…the killer…made me feel…this way... this feeling...I'm not scared…I just…want to kill them…before they take something from me...again..."
"B-but you killed him. The one who-"
"You don't get it!!! I feel the same-"
Melda stood up and grabbed her hand suddenly. "We should go somewhere else-"
Eliara groaned as she grabbed her head. Images flashed rapidly in her head, too quickly, she couldn't grasp anything. Was it a memory she couldn't recall? She leaned back on the wall, her head spinning. She felt like she was drowning and could only hear voices from afar, Melda included calling her name at the moment.
Then it all just suddenly stopped and everything went black.
"Eli! Eli! Are you okay?"
She looked up at Melda. Her eyes were filled with…confusion. What the hell was that?
"We should…go."
She said standing up.
Before she could do anything else, a sword was thrown her way, flying inches away from her throat embedding itself on the wall behind with a deep metallic thud. Screams erupted as diners scattered like startled birds.
Melda shrieked, instinctively ducking . Though she knew a mere sword wouldn't be able to kill her sister.
Something in Eliara's eyes changed as she cocked her head to where the girl sat, she knew it was hers. She's the only one who walked into the restaurant with a sword strapped behind her back.
In a blur, the girl appeared beside her yanking the sword from the wall and swinging.. That was even too fast for Eli to follow. Still, she quickly dodged it, and the blade cut through the table. Swift and clean. Just how sharp was it?
More people ran out of the restaurant as they realized how dire the situation was.
"Melda, stay back." Eli said
Of course she obeyed, she knew she couldn't be of much help. And she didn't want to die either. So she stayed back.
The masked guy watched quietly from his seat, unbothered. As if this wasn't even a fight.
Eli sprang into action, throwing a powerful kick but the blindfolded girl was quick to dodge. Effortlessly.
"How are you dodging with a blindfold? I'm gonna kill you!!"Eli snarled.
She then sent punches, kicks, a full barrage- so many at the same time- but the girl skillfully dodged all of them leaving Eliara shocked. In her moment of shock, the girl punched her ribs thrice, so hard Eliara heard them crack, and a brutal kick to the stomach that sent her flying through tables across the room, and into the wall with a sickening crack.
Just who was this girl?
And how the hell was she so strong?
Eli stood back up, blood trickling from her mouth. The girl cocked her head, confused, probably shocked that Eli was still alive.
"You still have a long way to-" before she could finish, the girl appeared in front of her, her blade slashing across her stomach.
Melda gasped, in as much as Eli had fast healing, the wounds were still equally painful before healing. Healing? She noticed something odd...she wasn't healing!
Eli hit the floor, writhing. The girl raised her sword again stained with Eli's blood and aimed it for Eli's heart. Before she struck, the other masked guy walked up to where she was and held the blade.
"Enough. Don't make him even more mad"
She only nodded, sheathed her sword and walked out of the restaurant.
The guy then crouched beside Eli. "I'm sorry. I can't control her sometimes. She gets carried away..."
Eliara couldn't speak. Her open wounds were too painful.
"I hope to fight you next time." He said almost kindly as he stood up and walked away.
As soon as he left, Melda ran to Eli, hands trembling
"Your wound isn't healing!! W-why?"
Eliara stared at the ceiling eyes wide.
"Why????" Melda pleaded.
"…"