Chapter 1
It was night.The moon was seen full and pregnant amid the roaring clashes of thunder and rain. On such a night as this, it was best to remain indoors, enjoying the warmth only a place called home could provide.
And it was on such a night as this that the young priestess Filia did her daily devotions in her room in the chapel. When she was done, she gave a sigh, withdrawing into her own thoughts. Thinking of her distant friends living in a great Forest and where would her life take her.
Being raised in this little town of Greenshaven, she was orphaned at birth. And no one knew who her parents were, she was just found one morning outside the chapel steps, and since then she was raised as a priestess.
Though she was orphaned, the townspeople treated her kindly, loving her as if she was one of their own, and she loved them back… with the only exception of Randal and his gang of friends, their existence was like a black mark on her life in this town…
A loud crash outside roused her from her thoughts; it was followed by the smell of burning flesh, which could be clearly recognized even in the pouring rain. Startled, Filia peered tentatively out of her window. There was a figure lying prone on the courtyard ground. Filia gasped, was the figure alive?
As if in answer to her unspoken question, the figure moaned in pain, Filia gave a sigh of relief, still alive.
Wasting no time, she quickly woke up her neighbors up and briefly explained the situation. As one, they hurriedly put on thick cloaks to provide some relief from the rain and swiftly headed out into the courtyard.
The four of them approached the person, whose breath was getting more and more shallow. Upon approaching, Filia could tell that the person was a teenager barely out of boyhood, around thirteen years of age. One of her companions, Cassandra, shouted over the torrent of rain, “We have to get him indoors! We can’t do anything for him out here!”
They quickly supported the boy and carried him towards the chapel, but as they got closer, he started thrashing violently and began to scream as if in terror. He struggled to the extent that they could no longer make any progress.
Filia was puzzled but then she realized something and exclaimed, “Cassie! He had wings! He’s an Harc!”
Cassandra’s eyes widened in surprise and then understanding, and hurriedly told her companions to carry the boy to the outdoor sanatorium. She understood that the race of winged-people called Harcs, are creatures of the Dark, and because of that they can’t enter a holy place like the chapel freely. But out of all the Dark races, the Harcs are one of the most righteous, ironically fighting on the side of the Light, which is the chief reason why the priestesses are still choosing to help him.
And indeed, Filia was right to say that he had wings, his shoulder blades have two very bloody stumps where his wings were supposed to be, and judging from the state of his back, his wings were apparently burned off, flesh, bones and all.
Once in the sanatorium, they started administering to the Harc’s injured body. Applying medicine and wrapping bandages as and when they are needed.
Several times they thought they lost him, but through constant prayer and vigilance, they kept his hold on the world of the living. With practiced ease, they shifted misplaced bones and realigned broken ones. With the worst taken care of, they did what they could with his other less severe injuries, like cuts and bruises, including one particularly large wound at the crown of his head. Soon they finished their administrations.
“What happened to him? Harcs live far in the south, what’s one doing here?” one of the priestesses asked with fear and curiosity.
“I don’t know… but it seems that he has a story to tell. I hope that head wound doesn’t cause any memory loss… he could have much to tell us.” Cassandra answered, “Filia, you discovered him, so you take care of his subsequent treatments. The worst has been avoided, you should be able to handle it now.”
Filia nodded in understanding and inquired, “Should I inform the High Priestess of this?”
“Not necessary for now, we’ll leave that for the morning when we break our fast.” Cassandra smiled, “Sisters, I think we should go back to our rest.”
As the priestesses bade each other good night and went back into the chapel, Filia remained behind. She looked at her sleeping patient and felt a pang of pity, what marvelous wings he should have had… but now he will never fly again…
With a stifled yawn, Filia realized how tired she was. Striding back to the chapel and effectively to her room, she changed back into her nightclothes and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
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Signing off at...
10:21 PM
