Chapter 17: Melia’s Story
I lived in a small village, deep in the forest, called Elderglen. I was different from the others, and they always treated me differently. They were always suspicious of me.
I was more aware of things, more sensitive to the world around me. I could feel things other people couldn’t. I could sense the magic in the woods, the spirits that lived there. I could see things in the shadows that no one else could.
The villagers were afraid of me, always whispers behind my back. My family, too. My father, my mother, my two sisters. As I got older, they grew more distant from me.
I had no friends growing up, or none that I recall. People would call me a witch, or a freak, or worse things. My family did nothing to protect me. Except for one sister. My older sister, Nara.
Nara was always kind to me, always protecting me from the cruel words and deeds of others. She was my only solace in that place. We were close, and she understood me in a way no one else did. But one day, she was…she was just gone.
She went into the forest, searching for something she wouldn't tell me about.
She never came back. I was heartbroken, and I blamed myself. I thought I should have done something to protect her, but I didn't know what. I was young and scared, and I didn't understand how the world worked.
After that, things got worse. My parents blamed me for what happened to Nara. They said I was cursed, that I had brought bad luck to our family. They said I should leave and never come back. So, I did. I left Elderglen and wandered the forest, trying to find my sister and make sense of what had happened.
That's when I met him. His name was ...his name is...I can't remember. I didn’t know this at the time, but he was a warlock, powerful and cunning. He said he could help me find Nara, but he needed something from me in return. He said he was drawn to my powers, to the magic that flowed through me. He wanted to teach me, to help me unlock my full potential. I was naive and desperate, so I agreed. I let him take me in, let him teach me. I thought he was helping me, but it was all a lie.
He used me. He used me to gain more power, to strengthen his own magic. He twisted my abilities, warped them into something dark and twisted.
I don’t know exactly how long I was with him. It might have been years. I think I was eighteen when I met him, and I remember several summers and winters.
We’d travel all over the valley, and sometimes to places over the mountains. He’d…he’d use my magic to amplify his powers. He’d find people who were alone in the woods, or who lived outside of towns or villages. His own powers allowed him to manipulate people the way he manipulated me. When he used his magic through me, though, he could do much more. He’d find people could do…terrible things.
My memories of this are hazy, but… I remember he made a farmer burn his entire crop, just to amuse himself. He would rob people by making them want to give him all of their money.
And then there were the women. He’d use me to make them do…to make them do things.
I was the only person he couldn’t control like that, and I think that made him angry. He could make others act like they were doing things because they wanted to. He couldn’t use my magic on me, though. He could only use it through me.
If he tried to make me do something, it would be obvious I didn’t want to do it. After a while, he stopped trying to make me do things. He just used me to make his magic stronger. All he could do to me after that was stop me from escaping.
I tried to escape a few times, but he always caught me. I stopped trying to run away for a long time.
Until this one day…
We had found a carriage traveling through the woods. There was the driver, and the passengers were an older couple and their daughter.
The warlock…he stopped the carriage and….he made the father and the driver fight to the death while the mother and daughter watched. Then he made the driver kill the mother, and…the driver climbed a tree, up to the highest branch he could reach, and…
He made the driver jump. Then the warlock took everything valuable he could find, and the daughter… I realized what he was going to do with her.
He was going to bring her with us.
I looked at the daughter. She was about the same age that Nara had been when she disappeared, and she looked very similar to her. For the first time in a long time, I fought back against the Warlock. And something different happened.
He used his magic to cause me pain. It felt like my entire body was on fire. I screamed to the woman to run, but the Warlock used his magic to stop her.
He was holding her and torturing me at the same time. I don’t know how or why, but I saw…a gap, or an opening in his magic. I saw the spell he was using on me, and the one he was using on her, and in the middle, I saw him.
He had been using me to make his magic more powerful. I wondered if I could do the same to him. I’m not sure how I did it, but it worked. I reversed both spells, trapping him and causing him intense pain.
I gave the woman all the valuables the Warlock had stolen — including ones he’d stolen from other people — and told her to take the carriage and get out of the valley.
I should have gone with her. I should have taken the Warlock’s staff and bashed in his head right there in the road. But I didn’t.
I was afraid. I was afraid of what I’d done, and what I was capable of. I was afraid of the power inside me, and the darkness that had come from using it. I ran. I ran as far as I could, and I didn’t stop until I collapsed in the forest, exhausted and terrified.
I don’t know how long I lay there, but eventually, I realized I was no longer in the same forest as before. The trees were different, the air was different, the magic…it was different. And that was when I realized the Warlock had found me. He had found me and cast a new spell. This strange forest was closing in on me.
Soon, all I could see were trees. They got closer, and I could only see bark, and then wood. And then nothing.
I remember very little after that. There was the smell of wood and moss, the feeling of rain. And there was the hunger.
I wasn’t just luring in victims for me. I did it for him, too. He fed off the lives that I…that I took. It was like that for a long time, until the Warlock stopping coming and taking most of what I had stolen.
He stopped coming, but the hunger didn’t stop, and now it was all mine.
I became…cruel. Ruthless. Vicious. I trapped people and drained their life, while I made them think they felt good. Most of them never even suspected anything was wrong. They died with smiles on their faces.
But then there was you, John. You saw that something was wrong. You pulled Keira out of it, and you lured me in.
You…you reversed the magic. You did exactly what I did to the Warlock. I don’t know how I did it. Do you know how you did it?
***
John and Keira sat stunned as Melia finished her story. They let her question hang in the air as they absorbed her tale of horror and survival.
“I don’t know, Melia,” John finally said, his voice grim. “I just...reacted. I saw Keira was in pain, and I wanted to help. I didn’t think about reversing the magic; it just...happened.
“And…I didn’t know what would happen to you. I didn’t know there was a human inside of that creature. I was trying to save Keira and myself, but when I saw what was happening to you as you lay on that stone, I realized that maybe I could help you, too.
“I don’t think I’m the hero of that part of your story, Melia. I might have started the process of reversing the magic, but you’re the one who fought your way out.” John looked at her with a certain admiration. “You fought back when you had a fighting chance.” Melia looked down at herself, a small frown on her face as she touched her wings. “I can’t help but feel responsible for everything that happened, for the things I did. I don’t know how to deal with the memories, or how to live with what I have become.”
Keira took Melia’s hand again, her voice soothing. “You can’t change the past, Melia, but you can change the future. You’re free now, and you have the chance to start a new life. What happened before was dark magic controlling you.
Now, you’re free, and the darkness is gone," Keira said. "You can make decisions for yourself now, and you can choose to be a force for good.
Melia nodded, but her eyes still held a hint of doubt. “I don’t know if I can do that, Keira. I’ve done such terrible things...” Keira squeezed her hand. “I know it feels overwhelming, Melia, but you don’t have to figure everything out right now. Let’s take it one step at a time. First, we need to help you get better physically.
“You’ve been through a lot, and you need time to heal and adjust. After that, we can focus on helping you come to terms with your past and finding a way forward. But for now, let’s just focus on getting you well.”
Melia looked up at Keira, her eyes filled with gratitude. "Thank you, Keira. I don't know what I would do without you and John.”
John smiled at her, trying to be reassuring. “We’re here for you, Melia.”
They say in silence for a moment. Melia look at the floor-to-ceiling bookshelves lining the walls. “What is this room?” she asked.
“It’s part of the library,” Keira replied.
“Do…do you think it might have information about my village? I don’t know how long it’s been. I’m sure my parents are…are dead, but I wonder if I still have family there,” Melia said quietly. “Or if anyone would even recognize me…”
John stood up and walked over to the bookshelves. “I’m sure we can find something here, Melia. Keira, do you know where to start?”
Keira joined him, running her fingers along the spines of the books. “We’ll need to look for historical records, or maybe a map of the area. Aveliora’s library is vast, so it’s possible we’ll find something.”
Melia sighed and moved to sit at the desk. “I don’t know why I’m even hoping for anything. It’s been so long.”
John turned to face her, his voice gentle. “It’s certainly worth looking,” he said.
He and Keira began scanning the bookshelves. They found several volumes that looked promising, so they sat down at the table and starting flipping through the books. Some books were handwritten copies, while others used printing press technology, which probably came from outside the valley.
John found an entry for “Elderglen” in a printed book simply titled “Encyclopedia.” “I found something,” he declared.
Melia sat up from the seat where she had been napping. “What did you find?”
John began to read the entry aloud, but then stopped. Hr skimmed the rest, and then looked up at Melia. “I’m sorry, Melia,” he said, “it says that Elderglen was slowly abandoned, and now it’s all forest again.” Melia’s eyes welled up with tears, but she took a deep breath and nodded. “That’s okay. I should have known. I just...wanted to know if there was anything left of my home.”
“I’m sorry, Melia,” Keira said, setting a hand on her shoulder. “Maybe we can find something more specific about your family.”
“That may take some time,” John said. “Why don’t you get some rest? We’ll let you know if we find anything.” Melia nodded, wiping away a tear. “Thank you. I... I think I just need some time to myself.” She stood up, her wings rustling softly, and made her way towards the door. As she reached it, she turned to face them one last time. “Thank you, both of you. For everything.” With that, she left the room and closed the door, leaving John and Keira alone with their thoughts.
”Where should we look next?” Keira asked.
“I lied,” John said softly.
Keira looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “What do you mean, John?”
John sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Her village wasn’t abandoned,” he said, sliding the book across the table to her.
She began reading aloud. “The village of Elderglen was…destroyed by a fire four hundred and eighty years ago. According to the only survivor, Mara Woodburn, the fire was started by her…her sister, Melia Woodburn, who entered the village with a man believed to be a notorious warlock. Mara Woodburn said that she believes her sister and the warlock intentionally spared her, but not her husband or her children, who all perished in the fire.” Keira’s eyes widened as she read the passage. “John, this is…this is Melia’s story.”
“I know,” he said. “I just…I couldn't tell her all of that.” John sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I didn't want her to think that her family was gone because of her. Not yet, anyway.”
Keira turned to him, her gaze soft with understanding. “You did the right thing, John. She needs to heal, both physically and emotionally. Finding out that her family is gone because of something she did would only hurt her more.”
She looked back at the book. “There’s more. It says that her sister left the valley.” She shut the book and leaned back in her chair. “If there’s information about her out there, we’re not likely to find it here. Aveliora’s library has almost everything you’d want to know about the valley, but not much outside of it.”
John sighed. “Well, we tried. That’s all we can do tonight.”
The door opened, and Zenna entered. She immediately noticed the dour expressions on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, concern etched on her features.
John sighed and rubbed his temples. “We found out some disturbing information about Melia’s past.”
“What happened?” Zenna asked, walking closer to them.
Keira looked at John, who nodded. “Melia’s village, Elderglen, was destroyed by a fire about five hundred years ago. The only survivor, a woman named Mara Woodburn, claims that the fire was started by Melia and a warlock.”
Zenna’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s…that’s awful. Poor Melia,” Zenna said. Her eyes flicked between John and Keira. “Did she know?”
“No,” John said. “She has a right to know, but this didn’t seem like the right time to tell her.” John let out a long sigh.
Zenna nodded. “ I understand. It’s a heavy burden to bear, and she’s already been through so much.” She paused, her eyes thoughtful. “Maybe there’s another way to help her. The temple of Aveliora has healing techniques that go beyond just the physical body. There are rituals that can help heal the soul and the mind.
“Perhaps one of those would be beneficial to Melia. It might not erase her memories or her past, but it could help her find a way to live with them.”
John nodded. “That’s a good idea, Zenna. I’ll talk to Melia and see if she’s open to it.
But right now, she needs rest.”
“Of course,” Zenna said. “I’ll leave you to it. If you need anything, let me know.” She turned to leave, then paused and looked back at them. “And John, don’t be too hard on yourself. You’re doing the best you can for Melia, and that’s all any of us can do.”
After Zenna left, John and Keira sat in silence for a moment, the weight of the evening crashing down on them. Finally, Keira spoke. “Let’s call it a night. We can figure a lot of this out tomorrow.”
John nodded. “That sounds like a good idea.
We’ve done all we can for tonight,” John agreed, rubbing his tired eyes. They had been up for what felt like days, and the weight of Melia’s story was taking its toll on them.
Keira nodded in agreement. “Let’s get some rest. We can talk to Melia about the healing rituals tomorrow. Maybe we can find out more about her sister too.”
John washed up and climbed into the large, plush bed. Keira climbed in with him.
“I thought maybe you’d have your own room,” he said.
“I do,” she replied, “but I want to stay with you. You’ve been through a lot tonight, and so have I.”
John nodded and wrapped his arms around her. “Yeah, we have.”
Keira snuggled closer to him, her head resting on his chest. “You know, for someone with no memory, you’re quite intuitive.”
John chuckled softly. “Well, I’ve got magic powers, apparently,” he said.
Keira leaned in and kissed him. He kissed her back. Things were about to get more intense when they both fell asleep.
John slept fitfully. At first, he dreamed of Fawn and his other friends in Krivian.
But then, he dreamed of Krivian burning.
He dreamed of the screams and the smoke and the sound of his friends dying. He saw Melia's pain in his mind, her memories seeping into his dreams, and he woke up with a start, gasping for air.
Keira slept soundly beside him, but John's body was tense, his heart racing. He looked around the room, feeling disoriented. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He was in Aveliora's tower, in the valley of Elderglen. He was safe. He was free.
But he wasn't free, was he? He was tied to Melia, tied to her past, to her pain. He just didn’t know how. Not yet.