Bloodlines of Archaea I. Afira
A Greeting from the Shadows

As the sun began to set that evening, I attempted to light the torches with my hands.

“You ready?” Akuma asked, handing me a torch.

“Worth a shot,” I said, taking the torch and holding it between my hands. I concentrated hard on heating my hands. Akuma stayed perfectly silent, watching me with curious eyes. I closed my own, thinking of Grandma Lilly and the way she could make the world seem perfect all the time. I thought of how the fire from the fireplace looked as it danced and crackled, roaring at those who opposed it. I brought back the feeling of a ball of fire in my hands, Akuma inhaled, quietly, I opened my eyes realizing I was holding a burning torch in my hands without noticing. The fire clawed through my fingers, but never burned me. I laughed excitedly, doing the same with the other three, each lighting faster than the last.

“I’ll take the first shift, again,” I said, watching Akuma try to hide his yawns. I tossed him a blanket. He nodded, thanking me.

I sat there, in the darkness for a while, before practicing lighting flames in my hands to pass the time, rowing to stay on track and checking the map once in a while. I concentrated, bringing the flame back, and then putting it out. It came back very slowly the first time, then faster, until the flame was almost instantly in my hand, and out the same way. After I practiced this for a while, a large gust of wind interrupted pushing the boat way off track. We sat in the middle of the ocean for a while as I figured out which way to paddle to put us back on course. I began to paddle, but something held us in place. A chill ran up my spine, sending shivers running along my back.

Voices, like rusty nails, screeched in the darkness. Shadows covered the stars. “Look at her,” they howled from above, “the one who is meant to save it all. She can barely light a torch.” I stood, searching the sky for the shadow creatures. “And look,” they screeched, one swooping close enough to the boat to blow out one of the torches, with a mere flick of a long finger, “the one supposed to protect her, asleep right next to her. He’s just a boy.” They roared with laughter, swooping closer, and with another gust of wind, all of the torches went out, sending the boat into total darkness. Only glimpses of the stars to light the otherwise pitch black world. The shadows rose high into the sky, and then, one by one, swept towards Akuma pulling at his arms and legs. I dove towards him, covering his torso with my own, in a measly attempt to stop the shadows from pulling him closer to the water. I pulled him back onto the boat, trying to stop him from descending into the deep blue sea.