The Thirteenth Key

Aera’s head throbbed as she slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry, but eventually cleared. She was staring at the blue sky. She grunted as she tried to sit up. Pain shot up her back, making her fall back down onto the ground.

“Argh!”

She forced herself to stand. She felt her hand hit something and looked at the object. It was the silver bloody Box. Her eyes widened as she sat up and grabbed the Box. She sighed in relief that she had not lost it. She looked to her left and saw the Dark Forest just a few feet away. She quickly scurried away, frightened. She held onto the Box tight.

“Give me.”

That creepy voice haunted her.

She looked to the right and saw another forest, yet it looked more lively and welcoming. This was strange. Was this a place between the Dark Forest and another forest? Aera had just come out of one, she wasn’t planning on going into another one for a while whether it was a “good” forest or not. She looked forward and saw that the Dark and “Green” forest emerged into one. This was like an area in the middle of the two forests.

Water sounded behind her. She unstably stood up. Her legs shook from running for so long without stopping. She turned around to find a beautiful waterfall. Wild flowers and plants surrounded it perfectly. She swallowed dry air as her mouth watered. Her whole body shook from the lost of blood. Her back was still trickling with it. Her shaky and careful footsteps made her inch closer to the waterfall. A small and achieved smile made its way onto her lips.

Aera made it to the edge of the pond where the waterfall fell into.

“Hurry! Get her!”

Aera’s eyes widened as she turned around. She could see silhouettes in the Dark Forest.

The Royals were after her. She looked around at her surroundings. She knew that she couldn’t run any longer. Her legs were weak and she was exhausted. Her back was the worst part. Only one idea came into mind: jump.

Several footsteps were getting closer.

Aera sighed and took in a deep breath. She held onto the Box tight in her hands and jumped into the small pond that was surround by large gray stones. The cold water engulfed her body. Aera looked up and saw the blue sky in ripples. She looked forward and began swimming towards the waterfall.

“Where is she!” three men yelled as they searched the forest.

“I know that she ran here somewhere,” the first man yelled.

“She couldn’t have made it this far could she?” the second one asked.

“I don’t know,” the third and oldest spoke. “I just hope that if she’s in the Dark Forest, she stays in it until something eats her.”

Aera swam under the waterfall. The water pressure knocked the air out of her lungs. Her eyes widened in fear. In panic she took in a deep breath, but no air went into her lungs, water did. Her throat burned as her lungs protested, as if she didn’t already know. Water shouldn’t replace air. She forced herself to swim forwards pass the waterfall. She kicked her legs hard and used her right arm to push her way through.

With much effort she made it pass the waterfall. She immediately swam her way up to the surface. She gasped for air. She was safe. The Royals wouldn’t be able to hear her from behind the loud waterfall. She looked down at the silver Box in her hands that now only contained traces of blood. Most of it had washed off in the water.

She looked forward and saw something like a cave a few feet away from her. She swam her way towards the drop off of the cave and lifted herself up. She rolled her body onto the cave and laid on her stomach, trying to give her back a break. She sighed and tried to catch her breath. She laid there on the cold cave ground just staring out pass the waterfall that protected her from outside intruders.

Aera looked at the silver Box in front of her eyes. Strange symbols were indented into the Box. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She felt like she knew what they were, but she wasn’t a hundred percent sure. She ran her fingers across the symbols in awe. Were they symbols of the different abilities that were said to be legend?

Feeling her breathing becoming harder, she sat up and brought the Box up onto her lap. She inspected the Box more carefully. Blood was caught in corners of the symbols. Aera’s heart broke. It reminded her of her now dead mother and father. It reminded how hard her mother tried to protect the Box that she even used her life to protect it. If it really was that important to take away her parent’s death, then she was willing to protect it also, but the Box partially angered her. It was because of the Box that her loving parents died.

She sighed and placed the Box beside her. She missed her parents dearly, but she had to push her feelings away. She had to find those twelve people so that her parents wouldn’t have had died in vain. She had to become stronger, physically and mentally.

Aera stood up and made herself stand steadily straight up. The pain in her back wouldn’t leave anytime soon. She stood in that position for a long time, letting the pain set in. She watched the water fall gracefully down. Somehow the scene comforted her. She slowly turned around and immediately took hurried footsteps backwards as she tried to muffle her scream with her right hand. Her wide eyes watched the lifeless figure lay on the ground in the middle of the dark and cold cave.

Notes

Oooh, who did she see?