Lola Asina—Year 2007 AS
On the very outskirts of a city where rain reigned in the sky, lived a girl. She was living with her father, mama, and little sister inside a very small house, some may even call it a kennel. The girl loved dancing, and she especially loved playing with fire. She would sometimes walk around the city streets, not caring who could do what to her. She loved her city, her little sister, and her mama, but not her father. She disliked her father very much. Her father always hurt her and would say bad things to her, like she was nothing but mere garbage. She was only the age of seven, still, bruises everywhere, marks, and abuse covering her knees, thighs, forehead, elbows, and waist; she had yet to give the world her warm fire as always. Because the fire inside her burned brighter than the fire outside.
She never went to an academy, but she always had an appetite for learning more. Sometimes she would even teach her little sister lessons about aether, even though she herself knew so little. But the girl liked teaching her little sister about the gargantuan world, which she can't yet grasp. And as time passed, soon the father would hurt her more, and her father would harm her mama. Her father would many times force her mama's mouth to crash against his lips, then he would drag her mama into a small room, closing its door and not walking out until the screams stopped coming from the scary room. The girl wondered what it was, what her father was doing to her mama. But the girl only remembers their faces when they step out. The girl would look at her mama's tearful face and cry herself. Sometimes the girl's little sister cried too, so they cried together. The father would sometimes snarl why he was not an Awakened; he would shout that if he were an Awakened, he would even surpass the Dream King. The girl never understood her father's words but one. She wanted to see the Dream King, but she could not. People were running around the city, and she would sometimes hear about a war that raged inside her homerealm. Nonetheless, there was always one more day. Somewhere she could be happy. Sometimes she dreams of it. Sometimes.
There are three hundred and sixty-five days in a year, and one of them was her eighth birthday; the girl danced happily. Her hands moved in the air, trying to catch the floating purple particles around her. She clapped and giggled at the motes of lavender, dancing among them as if they were her companions.
"Lola!" Her little sister's voice whipped. "You said we would go to the city center today!"
The girl sneered at her little sister, then lightly hit her on the head.
"We still can go," the girl gibed. "I am a very busy woman for you to know." She grinned proudly, her hands on her hips.
Her sister, Lea, bit the inside of her cheek and pouted like a cute bolem whelp.
"But today has to be special!" Lea argued, her eyes almost tearing up. "Today is your birthday! I want it to be amazing for you!"
Lola rolled her eyes playfully and then pinched her little sister's puffed cheek. Her little sister. Lea was only six years old. Both had their father's brown hair; Lola had their father's pale gray eyes, while Lea had their mama's amber watch. The big sister's face was much sweeter compared to her little sister's. Lola was much cuter, prettier, and more elegant. But Lea had a nicer voice; it was adorable and bright, a quirk she got from their mama. Two sisters who loved each other deeply, a love which only children could understand, and laugh with.
Lea pushed her big sister's hand away with a grunt, glaring at Lola.
"Lola! Stop teasing me!"
The big sister smiled innocently, then grabbed her dear little sister by the waist and picked her up as if she were still a baby.
"Lola! Put me down!"
Lea whined, squirming in her big sister's grasp. Lola laughed and finally put her sister down, gently, but with that much playfully.
"Haha, you are like a big baby!" Lola mocked, pointing a deliberate finger at her little sister.
Lea crossed her arms, her temper rising.
"LOLA!"
At her dear little sister's annoyance, the small Lola could only laugh more.
"Okay, okay. I am sorry. You happy?"
Lea averted her head, still irritated by her big sister's attitude.
"Perhaps if you were a better sister, maybe."
Lola sulked at her sister's words, dropping her eyes to her feet.
"I am sorry, Lea!"
Lea could not bear to see her big sister sad, so she dropped her hands and opened her arms for Lola to embrace her. At the sudden shift, Lola's ears perked up, and she smiled brightly, accepting her sister's arms, the two of them cuddling as if the other might disappear.
"Lola," Lea mumbled.
"Yeah? What? Are you hungry again?"
Lea shook her head, pulling away slightly and looking down, her fingers fidgeting nervously.
"Lea? What's wrong? Come on, you can tell your strong and beautiful big sister."
Lea's eyes slowly lifted from the ground, her mouth fiddled.
"Will I… I want to be an Awakened too," she eventually whispered. "I want to dance with aether, too."
Lola gave her little sister a long look, not speaking a word. Lea, afraid of her elder sister's intense glare, closed her eyes, hiding behind the darkness covering her eyelids. But fear not, little fool. Lea's eyes opened wide as she felt a warm touch on her forehead. She looked up as her sister's lips grazed the soft skin of her forehead, gently landing a soft kiss there.
"L-Lola?!" she muttered. "What was that for?"
Lola leaned back, smiling at her sister.
"To make you feel safe, of course," she said. "Hmm? Did I make you fluster? Ha! I am AWESOME!"
Lea scowled and yelled at her big sister again, this time, though, her voice was filled with joy. The two little sisters ran around, laughing at each other. Sometimes Lola would tuck down her sister on the floor and tickle her armpits. Poor Lea would always squawk and struggle to push her sister away. Lola loved to wreak havoc on her little sister's life. She never had any other friends besides her. Everyone in the city streets was always so moody to her; Lola only wanted a friend she could dance around with. Their mama would try to spend time with them, but she mostly stayed in her room. Lola never knew why; she never much questioned it. She loved her mama anyway. But when her father came back home, her mama would always be in a panic, trying to find something good enough to eat. And when there was none, father would get angry, he would hit her mama on the head, until she pulled her father to their small bedroom.
"Lola! I am hungry!" Lea shouted, holding her sister's leg.
Lola rubbed her lips, thinking about what she could give to her little sister.
"Okay, little fool, your big sister will find you something pretty delicious." She patted her sister on the head. "Wait here," she guaranteed.
Lola opened the cupboard in their small kitchen, reaching it by placing a small chair under her foot, which she dragged all the way from their father's personal room. Lola's face fell as a headache set in when she wandered around looking for something edible, but found only spiderwebs and dust. It was a joke, honestly. In a hurry to feed her little sister's needy hunger, she opened every closed cabin she could lay her hands upon. And ultimately, her hands finally touched what looked like red water. It was in a very large bottle that looked pretty expensive. She recalled her father having one of these in his hands a couple of times, especially when he would hurt her mama.
"Yes!" Lola cheered; she finally found something for her little sister.
"Lea!" She rushed to her little sister, who was sitting on the dirty, old wooden floor.
Lea watched her sister excitedly, her eyes sparkling happily. Lola sat down opposite her sister and showed her the weird water bottle.
"Lola, isn't this father's? He gets angry when we touch his stuff."
Lola stared down at the bottle in a chill, her fingers moving around its glass surface.
"But you're hungry; I don't want you to starve."
Lea eyed the glass bottle wryly; she almost took it from her big sister's hands. Almost.
"So, how do we open it, then?" Lea asked, scratching her head.
Lola shrugged, her fingers sliding up to the lid.
"Maybe if I can…" She looked around; purple motes danced in a circle around her sister. Lola reached for some of the specks with her free hand and touched the aether with the tip of her fingers. Aether responded to her request for strength. And with a sudden burst of energy, Lola's fingers tightened around the lid, forcing it open. Despite this, she could not keep her balance, spilling a quarter of the red liquid onto the floor.
"Eek! This was not what I intended."
Lea looked into the bottle from the top with a curious grin.
"So, can we drink this? Is it filling?"
Lola nodded her head.
"I guess so; otherwise, father would not drink it so much, right?"
"Hmpmm!" Lea agreed, sneering like a dog.
"We should give some to mama! She hasn't walked out of her room since last night." Lola suggested, her words ringing gently in her mouth when she mentioned her mama.
"I agree! Mama looked very sad! Maybe her two beautiful daughters can surprise her!"
Lola grinned eagerly, softly placing the bottle on her little sister's lap and assuring her that she would be back as fast as a stormbird.
"MAMA!" Lola barked, wanting her dear mama to hear her. "MAMA!"
"I am here, Lola," a faint voice called out.
It was coming from the closed door of her mama and father's bedroom. Lola quickly reached for the doorknob and turned it slowly, fully expecting a warm mama on the other side. But when Lola fully opened it and walked inside, she saw not her warm mama but a sad woman sitting on the messy bed.
"Hey, Lola," her mama welcomed. "Do you need something?"
Lola shook her head, walking closer to the edge of the bed to see her mama better. Her mama, Enya, had long and pretty black hair and beautiful amber eyes. Her voice was always so gentle that Lola would fall asleep every single time her mama hummed a song for her. She was skinnier than what Lola remembered. She worried about her mama's health with each passing day. Lola stared at her mama's eyes, at the dark bags that darkened her mama's pale face.
"Mama," Lola climbed on the bed, crawling towards her mama.
"Come here, you little fool," Enya said, chuckling as she held Lola close to her chest. "What do you need?"
Lola snuggled closer to her mama, wrapping her arms around her neck.
"Mama, Lea and I want to feed you, if that is okay."
Lola pulled away slightly to see her mama's face. Enya arched a brow, staring at her daughter in surprise.
"Food? Where did you even find it?"
Lola did not answer right away; she wasn't sure whether to tell her mama the truth. A truth does not exist in the world of a fool.
"Mama, I got it from a kind old lady," she finally said, "she was kind enough to give me bread and gherkin and tomato and lettuce."
Enya sighed wearily; every breath she took damaged her.
"Lola," she said, stroking her daughter's hair, "if you were not this cute, I would have scolded you."
Lola raised her chin, a knowing smirk curving around her mouth.
"But I am cute!"
Her mama smiled, a smile that did not quite reach her eyes.
"My daughter," she whispered.
Lola tilted her head, wanting to understand what her mama wanted. She reached for her mama's shoulder, but in that very short exchange of love, Enya cupped both of her daughters' cheeks and looked Lola in the eyes. Her mama's gaze was sad, horrible, and painful. Enya's smile faltered three times before it restored itself, her fingers constantly creasing Lola's cheeks, sometimes rough, sometimes soft.
"Lola," Enya uttered, her voice barely audible to the little girl's ears, "I love you so much; that's why I wish you were never born."
The little girl pulled away from her mama, her eyes wide. "Mama?" she mumbled. "Are you okay?"
Enya withdrew herself from Lola, her eyes resisting the burden of crying in front of her daughter. I am sorry for not realizing sooner.
Lola's eyes were drawn down to her mama's belly.
"Mama, why is your belly so round and big?"
No mother could hold their tears in that moment, no one who loved this world. Tears streamed down Enya's face. Lola tried to reach for her mama, but she rejected her. Her mama could not stop; her mama was sad.
"Mama," she uttered. "Mama," again. "Mama…"
The more she saw, the more aether danced around the little girl and the ones she loved. The more Lola watched, the more aether began to crack, taking on a different color. From the endeavors of aether were white. And in that very moment, Lola wanted her mama to know the truth: that she was an Awakened, that she could train and work hard to get stronger, and that she could help her mama and little sister. Lola thought she could become a Hunter and venture into the Death Pits and earn money from the Awakened Beasts that dwelt in those hells. She might even earn money by meeting people's needs, giving them what they want. It did not matter as long as Lola saw her family happy and healthy. But, little fool, life is not that easy; every fire has a trigger.
"What is THIS?! You IDIOT!"
"PLEASE! I am sorry! FATHER!"
Lola's ears echoed the two voices, one belonging to a monster, the other belonging to her dear little sister.
"LEA!" Lola screamed, rushing to protect her sister, leaving her crying mama behind.
The little fool's eyes widened as her gaze met the monster holding her little sister by the hair, pulling it from the roots.
"L-Lola!" Lea yelled, weeping and shrieking.
The monster's eyes burned with a fury Lola cannot understand, yet. The monster let Lea's hair free, causing her to fall onto her bare knees, wounding them.
"YOU DID THIS!" the monster roared, froth gushing from his filthy mouth, his finger pointing angrily at the red-water bottle on the floor, half of it spilled, even more than Lola had left behind.
Lola took her eyes off the monster. She stepped closer, her hands reaching for her sobbing dear little sister on her knees. Lola was so close to holding her little sister, but she was taken away. The monster grabbed Lola by the throat, lifting the girl high in the air with one hand. Lola squirmed, trying to free herself from the monster's grip.
"You WRETCHED child!" the monster bellowed. "You ungrateful child, do you know how MUCH I sacrificed for this family?!"
Lola looked straight into the monster's burning, pale eyes. She shared the same eyes as he. The monster's grip tightened around her neck; air felt almost a gift here when Death takes her and gifts the little fool eternal bliss.
A small movement occurred in her face; it was not tears, it was a small smile, only a fool could have.
But the lonely Fate had a different plan for the little fool. Lea wrapped her tiny arms around the monster's leg, trying to stop him. The monster growled and severely kicked the girl's face with his other leg. Lola's smile faltered in that very moment; she once again struggled and failed to escape his grasp. The monster then stomped on Lea's hand; even from up here, Lola could hear her little sister's hand shatter. The poor girl screamed, holding her hand with the other, her eyes red, tearful, and heartbreaking. Had enough of the little fool's fiddling scrabble, the monster threw the girl at a wall. Lola hit the wall so harshly she could feel her bones cracking from the back to the ribs. But without any rest, the monster wrapped his big hand around Lola's small head, pressing it to the cold wall. The sheer grip of the monster was so intense that Lola's eyes almost rolled back.
"STOP!" an angel suddenly yelled.
The monster's grip loosened as he instead turned to face the voice. Lola could barely see who the angel was; her eyes were blurry, and her head was spinning violently. The monster lunged at the angel, his fangs tearing through the angel's shoulders. The angel tried to defend herself, but the monster was stronger. He wrapped himself around the angel's body like a winterserpent would before it devoured its prey.
The angel screamed with every bit of strength she had left: "Close your eyes, Lola!"
The monster pushed the angel to the floor, trying to eat her. Lola couldn't listen to the angel; her eyes were wide open, a smile on her face. And in that moment, everything went silent. The cries of her little sister were gone, the angel's yells were gone, and the howls of the monster had vanished. What remained was only the dancing of the particles around her.
Aether has a consciousness after all.
The motes of purple shattered into stark white, igniting the dormant fire within her. The monster's scary eyes widened in fear as he dropped the angel from his monstrous claws.
"Aether," he mumbled. "You are an Awakened!? HOW?!"
He tried to thrust at the little fool, but aether did not let him. Aether gives its miracles through the person. It is not magic, but it is salvation.
Fire erupted from Lola, and before the monster could even make contact with the girl, fire leapt from her to him. The monster stumbled back in burning agony, as he screamed at his flaming right hand. Lola watched as fire consumed the monster, burning him to a crisp. But aether was not done yet; when aether jokes, it laughs long.
Lola's hands were burned; it hurt for a time, but not for a long time. She listened to the screams of her little sister and mama. Lea burned and died trying to reach her big sister, and Enya died trying to cover Lea's body to douse the fire. People gathered; they tried to quench the fire with everything they had. Soon the rain of Storm City covered the night sky, and the little fool was under it. Lola crawled towards her mama and Lea, curling up beside their burned bodies and finally closing her eyes and ears to the burning world around her.