Prologue

She was running. The sound of her steps in sync with the fast beat of her heart and the harsh rasps of her breath. She had no idea what she was running from or why, but she just knew. She had to get away.

She ran faster, her panic rising with every step she took. For a while it didn't look like she was going anywhere but in the dark distance was… A door?

With renewed vigor she sprinted for it. She reached for the door, turned the knob, and stepped in. With a sigh of relief, she leaned against the frame and closed the door, as if trying to get back to sleep.

A cry and a blast had brought her eyes open. What she saw made her break out in cold sweat. Smoke and fire engulfed the place surrounding her. Bloodied bodies scattered the area; the smell of blood and death strong and close. She knew it was a long time ago, but it was as if she had come to relive this scene of her childhood. To the finest detail.

"Run, Caiti! I said, run!"

The scream dragged her gaze across the field. She was barely able to make out the figure of a woman, a child and… Something. The creature let out a snarl and growl as it changed towards the woman. As if they had a life of their own, her legs carried her across the blood- matted ground. She just had to save them. At least them.

She slipped and fell with a thud.

She struggled to stand but her body just wouldn't comply. Just like it did before.

Hopelessly, she watched as the woman fought the creature. Streams and beams of light were everywhere with every chant thrown at the beast. As the weakened woman fought off the ugly being, another had crept up behind the child, ready to rip her apart. She struggled to get up, to just cry out a warning, but she never did.

Suddenly, faster than she was able to blink, the monsters suddenly howled in pain. The sounds they emitted were ear-grating and chilling, but what made her blood run cold was the woman caught in between the claws of the creatures.

The poor woman was caught in between the inter-locking claws of those hideous beasts. She coughed up blood and stood there, very limp, as if she was trying to catch her breath.

Suddenly, she smiled.

She couldn't hear what the woman was saying to the young child but she knew.

She remembered.

"Voirus Excariolamas"

Caitrina bolted upright in her bed, drenched in her sweat, as if she had exerted any amount of energy. She felt cold and, surprisingly, gave in to the shudder that climbed up her back. She cursed.

She gritted her teeth against the frustration she felt. She just couldn't tolerate this sign of weakness. She pressed a palm to her face and realized she had tears rolling down her cheeks.

With a groan, she dressed silently in the night. And as she opened the door to her room, she gave her room one last sweeping glance and then she closed the door.

And her past.