Memories of Gaia: Seeking Shadows in the Storm

Aira had left the shop feeling very pleased with herself. She knew her harsh words had wounded Valeena as the once crisp afternoon was now covered in a hazy, mist of rain.

She had reluctantly returned to the group, not bothering to wait for the emotional girl still in the shop, and halfheartedly agreed to meet them back at Caspian. Aira had no intention of ever returning again as she felt that this was not her battle.

Aira did not even wait until the team was out of sight before she broke out in a sprint, enjoying the gentle rush of cool wind on her warm skin. She might miss Rowan someday, Aira thought as the wind whipped through her long, silvery locks. But he was it. She was extremely tired of Valeena and her being so weak. And she hated Elden, of course.

Aira had found herself feeling homesick more and more lately, and had used this as an opportunity to return to her home village, instantly regretting taking the silly Heart of Gaia object with her.

Aira sat near a small pond that was quickly evaporating in the heat of the sun, resting her still injured leg as she debated whether or not to toss the damn thing into the water and let Valeena deal with finding it again. Instead, Aira held the element in her hands, examining it.

It was ugly and not exactly a heart, in her opinion. It was made of three various sized circles fused together. One circle was made out of gray stone, the other was made out of a single pale, pink shell. And the final circle was made out of a piece of petrified redwood.

At one point, Aira had wanted to steal the Elements after they were all acquired, to stop Elden from opening Nihonal. But now, after the journey she had had, Aira had no desire in taking them for herself.

“What a stupid thing to worry about.” She mumbled, holding a piece of the Heart in each hand and forcefully pushing on. But the heart was far more durable than it appeared, not even cracking as the elf tried to destroy it.

Aira heard the call of a giant bird in the distance, catching a glimpse of red as something fell to Gaia. She turned her attention back to the Element in her hand, deciding that whatever had landed was not her problem.

‘Let Valeena deal with it.’ She thought bitterly, grunting in annoyance as she shoved the object back into her pouch and climbed to her feet. She still had a long ways to go.

Aira tethered the chocolate colored horse she had stolen from a small farming town that she had not even bothered to learn the name of and faced the great, blue ocean. She glanced skyward, shielding her silvery eyes from the beams of the late afternoon sun, it was almost time.

To her left, sat a large, gray and green mountain range that had several sharp peaks poking out of the salty, ocean water. The shore was lined with fat, round redwood trees that seemed to grow as tall as the mountain itself.

To her right was nothing but lush, open green field and the brilliant blue of the ocean.

Aira waited as the wind shift directions, carrying the sweet scent of Lilac to her nose. She stepped towards the water with sure footing, her toes never getting wet from the salty waves. Powerful Elven magic prevented any other species from walking the hidden trail.

Aira loved the feeling that she was walking on water, even if it was only an illusion. She strolled cautiously, breathing the lovely scent of Lilacs as she made her way along the clear path that sparkled faintly in the afternoon sun.

The Lilac scented path led her moving towards the mountain peaks sticking out of the water. Clouds surrounded the tallest of the ocean peak, blocking the top from view. Her village was up there, resting among the clouds.

The stem of the giant lilac branch poked out of the fog, like a dagger that had torn through a pocket as Aira made her up along the invisible path.

Aira continued strolling above the mist and roar of the ocean below, weaving her way up into the sky, the clouds hugging her like cool, wet pillows.

Her feet at reach the end of the lilac branch when out of the mist a large, Wind Lizard emerged, its short, pale, yellow wings flapping madly to hold its massive, stout, mossy body in the air.

Aira cautiously removed her bow, an arrow positioned on the string, ready to let it fly. She sensed something was wrong, however, as flecks of bright red blood splattered on the exposed skin of her arm.

Aira saw a long gash on the left-hand side of the beast, one she had not noticed before as the beast had curled its body away from her.

The Wind Lizard flapped its wings madly, its yellow eyes wide with fear. Aira reached out a hand, unsure how to the creature, retracting it quickly as it snapped at her fingertips.

The beast gave a final grunt before stopping mid-flight, its body falling backward to the raging ocean water bellow.

Aira gasped and forced her eyes away, wondering what had happened to the poor beast. She felt panic grow in her heart and she raced towards her village, fearing the worst.

Aira never got over the beauty that her village held; gasping as she finally saw the familiar purple clumps of flower weaving their way along the mountainside.

The city had hastily been built on a giant lilac branch that was propped against the mountain side, the giant end of the branch was the only way in and out of the village aside from the hidden path.

Houses and shops were built on the many stems extending from the main branch, the lovely purple petals covering the walls of the buildings. Clouds floated everywhere, making a moveable carpet, that came and went among the petals.

There were four floating islands that drifted lazily in the skies of her village. The largest one held the elven Queen’s beautiful palace. Another one that held the only living tree that floated among the petals of the lilacs. The third island held the Temple of the Ancients, which was only accessible via the hidden path between the castle and the island itself.

The last island was a floating oasis that rested above the village, casting shade from the brilliant yellow sun; an endless waterfall cascaded over the edge, most of its contents spilling to the world below. A small stream of it filled a pond that then branched off in several rivers, running down the stems of the massive lilac branch.

Aira saw the pink spots that were once the bright, red, blood of the wind lizard on the clouds, fading away as she watched, like a sponge absorbing water.

An Elven warrior donned in the traditional green and brown leaf armor sat holding his tall silver spear, shaking his head, watching the last of the blood fade away.

Aira approached him smoothly, taking note of the sticky, red, blood that was dripping off the tip of his deadly weapon.

“What happened here Ajax?” Aira asked as the last bit of pink faded off the crisp, white cloud, erasing all evidence of the battle that had taken place. Ajax held up a hand and shook his head.

“The Wind Lizard that guards the entrance to the Temple of the Ancients attacked our village this afternoon! I do not understand! Why would-“ Ajax stopped abruptly mid-sentence and scrunched up his nose, leaning away from the beautiful elf.

“Aira, you reek of human!” Aira did her best not to appear offended by his words. Although, truthfully, it had been a while since she had last scrubbed her skin.

“I had been traveling with a few humans and some others on a quest to save their world,” Aira said casually, doing her best to make it sound far less important than she felt it was.

Ajax shook his long, braided, brown hair and laughed, cocking his head sideways to look at her, still making sure to keep his distance.

“I have not seen my old friend in many weeks and this is how you return? A human war is not one you should concern yourself with. After all, Humans drove us here, forcing us to abandon our home. We were lucky to find this lilac branch to escape to. And the-“ Ajax jumped to his feet, annoyance racing across his face as he turned away from Aira.

“I cannot speak to you while you reek of those horrid creatures!” Aira watched in dismay as the handsome elf stormed away, making his way towards the far side of the village.

Ajax had been one of her only friends years ago, back before her life was torn apart. She wanted to call out to him, but instead, Aira just watched him go.

Aira sighed deeply as she made her way towards her old home, knowing it was better to wash up and change before she dared speak to the Queen.

Her home was far smaller than the other floral structures around, resting in the sun on the far west side of the village.

She had strolled by several of the residents of the village, most ignoring her completely. Others complained loudly of her scent, causing Aira to quicken her pace.

She entered the building through the small door that was falling off its hinges, feeling a tingle of sorrow as her silver eyes fell upon the woven purple blanket that her mother, Maple, had handmade for her years ago.

Her heart ached for the woman who had raised her as her own child as she shut the door, casting the room in shadows.

Aira stood among the dust of her past, blinking back the tears that threatened to escape, feeling incredibly alone.