Unknown waters

Elysia awoke to the sound of terrifying screams, dust filled the air outside the tent but her mother wasn't by her side. Her heart skipped a beat, she quickly jacked up and bolted outside to meet the horror that awaited her.

The camp was being overrun by Yotu, she was confused, distressed, scared, she felt so many emotions that she couldn't keep track of, I thought we still had time? Were the other villagers wrong? A barrage of questions ran through her mind, but in reality, she was betrayed, her whole village had been betrayed by those around them. They had noticed that the horde would be so difficult to avoid as a whole and used them as bait so slow them down while they hurried away. The relayed the informer ion late intentionally and told them they still had time. They were tricked, their trust in those around them would prove to be their peril.

Elysia, still distraught by the things happening around her continued searching for mother amongst the chaos. Villagers turned warriors fought the Yotu with all their strength, trying their best to fight off the threat, but death called for them, the cold embrace of hades sought after them and they couldn't escape. One by one they fell, their souls being taken from them with such violence it felt like death itself came for them. Elysia was shook, her breath caught in her throat as she saw the people she called her friends being slaughtered by the monstrous Yotu. 

“There she is!” Elysia spoke within herself as she spotted her mother amidst the confusion and chaos at the edge of the camp making mesmerising hand movements in the air around her. Elysia was relived for a moment before realising that her mother could be attacked as she was too exposed. 

She dashed towards her, weaving and dodging the thrashing limbs of Yotu and Human. When she reached her mother's side, she could clearly see what her mother was trying to do, her eyes widened as she realised what it was. It was a portal. She saw the strain on her mother's face as she had a look of desperate confusion, almost like she had tried this before. 

“Let's go mother!” she blurted, “Let's run away”. 

Nyx didn't respond, she knew time was of the essence and this was her only way of preserving her daughter's future. With haste and a beating heart, she kept saying the same incantation over and over again, hoping for a different result. When suddenly! It happened, the edges of the portal started to form, the swirl of magic appearing out of thin air began taking shape and revealing a colourless cloudy inner which was the gateway to another world. 

But just as things were starting to look positive for Elysia and Nyx, a heart stopping roar came from amidst the ongoing battle. A Yotu had spotted them and had begun approaching, with each step it took larger and faster than last, it's eyes blazing with malevolent intelligent as if knowing they wanted to escape. 

Nyx and Elysia both noticed this when suddenly Nyx grabbed her daughter by the shoulder and held her in front of the portal. 

She looked at her beloved one last time and told her these words. 

“You have to go without me," her voice shook. "I love you and I always will”. 

Elysia knew what was happening but didn't want to accept it, she fought the thought of her mother leaving her in this accursed world with all her might but to no avail. This was it, her friend, her sister, her mother would no longer be by her side. She tried putting up some resistance but the look in her mother eyes spoke to her soul, begging her to please live, not for her sake but at least for the sake of her mother. 

With a deeply saddened heart and a broken soul, she wanted to concede but No! She couldn't just let her go. 

“Come with me!” she yelled desperately. ”Please, I'm begging you”. 

Nyx shook her head slowly as she knew she couldn't follow her quickly enough into the portal and close it before the Yotu crossed to the other side as well. 

At this point the Yotu was getting dangerously close to them both and finally with a sense of urgency, she pushed Elysia into the portal. “Be happy dear, I love you”. 

Those words were the last thing Elysia heard as the sound of her mother's voice faded out. The last thing she saw was her mom standing firm, facing the Yotu with defiance before everything dissolved into a kaleidoscope of colours. 

Elysia

 What’s happening? Where am I? My Mother! Was I dreaming?! Is my mother actually gone!? Why is the ground soft and hard at the same time? What’s going on? I’m scared. I don’t want to be here. I want my mother. No! I need my mother. 

 I slowly opened my eyes to brown leaves on the ground before me. I was scared, tired, and most of all grieving. My mother was gone, that’s what my reality was right now, but I didn’t want to believe that. I still wanted to hold her in my arms. I still wanted her to tell me I was loved, and that she needed me. What’s my purpose without her? 

I layed there, on the soft hard ground thinking about all these questions, most went unanswered, others answered themselves and some needed no answers as I already knew what they were. I needed to live, not for myself but at least for her just as she said. But I wanted to lay there a little bit longer, I didn’t want to leave that temporary safe space between grieve and peace, peace knowing that I didn’t have to run anymore, peace knowing I couldn’t be threatened by the Yotu any longer. I had longed to be free from the oppression of the monsters but that came at what cost? My mother, that was the heart-wrenching cost. I don’t want to go anywhere, or do anything. I just want to stay here, the closest point to the last moments I had with my mother.

“Are you okay ma’am” a soft muddy voice spoke to me.

I was still out of it, I didn’t know what was going on around me or even if I was in one piece. I was numb all over. I was cold. I was warm. I felt nothing and everything, Is this what grief feels like?

“Madam, are you okay?”

The muddy voice started becoming clearer and started moving closer, when something touched me. 

Suddenly it felt like I came back to life, even though I had been conscious. My body had been dead. My consciousness had been floating in my mind like a canoe drifting at sea. I pushed my upper body off the ground to look at the appraoching figure. It was an animal?, an animal dressed in funny clothing, rather odd than funny. It had on a yellow oily covering that looked like a cone and weird feet that had no toes. I was scared, I didn’t know if this was friend of foe. It spoke like an intelligent being but it looked strange. It didn’t seem like it wanted to hurt me. 

It suddenly took a step forward, and I panicked, I tried getting on my feet as quickly as I could but my body wasn’t at all ready for such a strainous task. My legs gave way and I feel under my own weight, hitting my head against a rock. Everything seemed blurry again for the second time, as I slowly drifted out of consciousness.