Claire wore a pink dress that exposed the scar above her breast. It hugged her body tightly, showing off her curves and exaggerating them. She painted her nails to match the dress. The makeup that she had made her skin shine and sharpened her eyes even more than they already were. She was barely recognizable. Claire had always been pretty, but now she was gorgeous. Like a princess that no man or woman can resist.

There wasn’t a person who didn’t take a double look at her as we walked through the crowded streets of Iseul. The men especially couldn’t avert their gaze. Sometimes she would be stopped and asked for her contact info. Other times the men yelled out compliments. Claire ignored it all, not even annoyed.

I wore girly clothes for the first time. A frilly white and blue dress. It was far different from everything I wore before. The fabric was incredibly soft and light to the point where sometimes I felt I was naked. I liked it on me, it made me feel pretty and cute. Claire even went as far as to brush my hair and braid it into twin tails. She said that this is how girls dress when they go on dates. They always try to look their best.

-

In the eight weeks that it took for my leg to heal, I spent the whole time living at Denzel's orphanage. Claire took the opportunity to do whatever she did when I wasn’t around. She rarely visited so the only one I had to talk to was Denzel. But it was the discovery of television that kept me busy most of the time. Watching cartoons and learning what is considered normal through them made me happy enough to not have Claire around. But I still wanted to go out at fight more of those plague monsters. Yeah, I couldn’t handle the last one but I still wanted to get stronger. I just had to wait for my leg to heal to do that, even if I do get scared again. But that’s not what everyone wanted me to do.

Then my leg healed and as per Dr. June’s order, Claire took me to our mother-daughter date as soon as the doctor gave me the clear.

-

Claire took me out shopping first, where we got the clothes we were wearing. On top of the dress, she also bought me many more things to wear. I wasn’t too interested in what was around. My focus was on how Claire interacted with the regular citizens she talked to. It was fascinating seeing her act like a regular person. But that’s all that it was, an act.

After that, we went to the city park. Filled with the laughter and screams of the children playing, the green was a welcome change from the monotone city. Parents were sitting on benches to the side, either watching over them or lost in conversation with one another. Street performers were playing jazz songs to liven the air. In the playground, there was a group of kids that were playing tag, just like my three dragon friends would back home. I wanted to join in because I could actually play.

Up until this point, everyone I met spoke the first language I learned, the most common one in the world. But the citizens of this country hardly ever spoke it. They all spoke in their own dialect and I never had to interact with them so my little gift hadn’t been exposed yet.

My blessed gift allowed me to innately understand and read any language I came across. It also allowed anyone to understand what I was saying if we didn’t speak the same tongue. In the time it took for my leg to heal, I also found out that my gift also made it very easy to learn any language if I heard it enough. The cartoons I watched helped tremendously. I was now able to speak Sulian well enough to impress Denzel who I practiced with.

But just because I could speak to other people without it being weird didn’t mean it was easy.

“You’re looking at them like you want to join?”

“I don’t how to ask. What if they don’t let me?”

Claire rolled her eyes and then walked up to the group of kids when they took a short break. Their attention all turned to me when she asked them for me. She tells them that I’m a bit shy and don’t talk much. Claire had no need to, but I think she understood that I was still timid about joining the real world.

One of the kids looks over to me and waves his hand, inviting me. The group first gossips about me, wondering why a girl was joining their game of all boys. The boy who invited me introduced himself and his friends then asked for my name.

I take a glance at Claire before responding. I knew not to expect any encouragement from her, but she gave it to me to my surprise.

“Rae.”

“Funny name. Where have I heard it before?” one of the kids asked.

“Does she even know how to play tag?” Another asked.

“It’ll be boring if she can’t catch anyone.”

“I know how to play, I’m not dumb.”

“Don’t cry if you can’t keep up.”

“Don’t go easy on her,” Claire chimed in, “Give it your all.”

The game abruptly starts before I’m ready. I’m tagged as soon as I realize what was going on. The group of boys split in all directions and got some distance before I started running. I picked the kid who decided to climb up the playground and was waiting by the slide down. When I get close and run up the steps, inches away, he slides down. But I already knew that’s what was going to happen and I jumped off from the highest entrance. The long twisting slide was just a trap and I tag the boy when he exists.

I ran away taking advantage of his confusion. The boys laugh at him, mocking him for being slow. He chases his friend, tagging him by the monkey bars. This boy was the tallest and the fastest. His friends yelled at him to go after me because they thought the first tag was a fluke

The tall boy chased me around the playground, slowly gaining the gap. Before he can get too close, I spot a pull-up bar that I could jump and swing onto the playground. I go up and stop at the slide to look behind me. Instead of sliding down, I pull myself above it and jump down straight down before I’m caught.

This amazed the guys because I landed and was still able to run like I didn’t just jump 20 feet down. The game stopped for a moment while they asked how I did that. For me, this wasn’t anything special. I climbed and jumped from trees much higher back home. There was a limit to how high I could jump from, of course, but a playground wasn’t it.

That day I learned that normal kids or even people couldn’t jump down from that high without getting hurt. I got distracted in listening to their confusion that I was tagged when I wasn’t looking.

“Don’t even bother chasing me, I’m the fastest runner at our school!”

The challenge was too enticing. I went after the tall boy and only him while the others watched. I was just barely slower than him. Any distance I could close widened whenever there was a juke.

Claire yelled, “I know you’re faster than that!”

I thought I was running as fast as I could, but hearing her gave me the push to try harder. I was holding back because my leg had just healed up and I didn’t want to hurt it again by putting too much stress on it. I wanted to meet Claire’s expectations now. My speed picked up and it took very few seconds to catch up. Again, the boys were amazed. The rest of the game changed into everyone taking turns racing me. It shortly ended when everyone except me got too tired to run anymore.

“I can’t believe we lost!”

“She’s a freak!”

“Who cares? She’s cute.”

“Don’t make it weird, dude. Rae’s cool.”

“Hey, Rae! I only lost cuz I’ve been running all day and was tired. I want a rematch tomorrow.”

“Um, okay.”

-

Not too far from the park was a zoo where I got to see and meet animals who didn’t live on the island. Animals that I’ve only read about. Out of millions of species that live in the world, only the ones that weren’t native to the country were displayed. Animals such as lions, zebras, giraffes, pandas, and penguins. At first, it was fascinating to see all of them until I started to notice they were nothing more than something to look at. My mood soured a bit, seeing that these animals lived in a cage.

She asked if I could understand any of them with my little power, but I couldn’t.

“Seems like it only works with the animals who come from The Goddess’ realm, blessed by her. I saw a sign for a super rare capture, want to see it?”

“I don’t wanna. I wanna go. This place is making me sad.”

“It’s not all so bad. The animals here are taken well care of. Zoos are also here to help the animals that are endangered. Just this last one, then we’ll go, okay?”

We visited one last exhibit and the most popular one, a new one that was recently added. Behind the glass of the small artificially made habitat cell, an orange fox was resting on top of a boulder. It rose and turned to face the onlooking crowd the moment I was able to touch the glass. Out of everyone there, the fox only paid attention to me. When she jumped down the boulder, I saw she had three tails.

As she approached me, I could understand her short barks. Although I didn’t hear any words, I still knew what the fox wanted. It worked exactly how I could know what Snow would always want.

“Yeah I was. How can you tell?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

The pressure of the air changed, circling me, Claire, and the fox. I looked back at Claire who was holding up her palm. The voices of the crowd were now mute, a spell cast to keep my conversation silent from them.

The fox barked, telling me that I carry the scent of one of The Goddess blessed. She thought that humans couldn’t hold that gift. She then asked why Claire would visit someone as unimportant as her.

“We’re here on a date! But why are you here? Shouldn’t you live in The Garden?”

“Not all creatures agreed to migrate,” Claire answered. “There’s a few species who can hide good enough to stay. A few others stayed because they could live alongside humans peacefully. How did you get captured, fox?”

Although Claire doesn’t have the same power as I do, she can always convey what she wants with her commanding presence. There wasn’t an animal who wasn’t aware of who she was.

“She says she’s the only survivor of her homeland when it got destroyed. Obliterated by the exploding bomb that fell from the sky. She only survived because she was far enough away from the explosion. She was found half dead by the soldiers invading the continent.”

“If it's any solace, there’s peace in Eos for the moment.”

“Do you want us to free you?” I asked.

The mythical fox declined, saying she’s been enjoying learning about human behavior. She was also comfortable there and the zookeepers treated her well. They all think she’s just a regular fox born with a once-in-a-billion chance of a mutation. Her ability to turn invisible won’t ever be discovered.

“Don’t you get lonely?”

For the fox, solitude was the norm. Loneliness was an emotion only the unblessed felt. There was no need as they were all spiritually connected and felt the love of The Goddess. That bond tethers them all together. It’s something Claire has too which is why she’s able to feel the changes in the world.

But I was told I was born inside The Garden, blessed with a gift just like all of her creatures. I could still feel that loneliness. I couldn’t feel that connection.

This blessing was what separated her creatures from the normal animals of the world. Their existence often defied what was thought to be impossible and were sought after because of it.

Besides Claire, I was the only known human who was blessed. That was what bothered Claire so much about me, that my blood proved otherwise. How could I be born from the Goddess and not feel that bond they all have?

The fox thanked us for the holy visit, jumping back on her boulder to rest.

Claire sighed, lifting the invisible soundproof barrier around us. “What did the fox tell you?”

“That she’s fine being here. But will she really be okay?

“From what I remember, those foxes have always been sly enough to be seen by only a few people. Only happens when the foxes become too old and get clumsy. Those sightings of an eight-tail or nine-tail fox have been turned into a folktale where whoever sees one is brought good luck. It’ll take years before this one grows another tail.”

“But won’t they notice then?”

“She has the power to break out on her own before that happens. I wouldn’t worry about it. Are you ready to go?”

“Did you just want to see if I could understand her?”

“Yes.”

-

To close the day, we went out to eat at a red and golden restaurant where all metal shined. It was packed full with women dressed far nicer than Claire; wearing jewelry just to be shown off and high heels that made their legs pop. The men wore stiff suits perfectly tailored to each of them and shoes that shined just as much as everything else. Each tries their hardest to impress their date.

The couple in front of us waiting to be checked in were asked for their reservation. When it was our turn, the hostess led us to our table without that trouble. Our waitress greeted us, thanking Claire for her presence. A glass of water was placed for me and Claire was poured a glass of wine.

“It’s been a few years, but I hope you enjoy the evening as before.”

The idea of buying food to be brought to me was wild to me. All the options presented to me were just too much. I don’t remember what I ordered but I do remember how it just melted in my mouth. I was tasting new foods for the first time. A complex of flavors that I could never have imagined existed. Claire barely touched her food. Her plain expression remained unchanged whenever she took a bite of the same flavors I was tasting. I was experiencing the richest of sweets and spice and Claire ate like it was just plain bread. She observed every bite of mine, every joyful smile I involuntarily made. For all her acting to look like she was always bored and cold, she’s terrible at hiding when she’s envious. I just never noticed that she never took pleasure in eating because we always ate the same bland things.

“Food tastes better when it’s made by professionals, doesn’t it?”

“I could eat this forever!”

“You’re going to give yourself a stomach ache if you eat too fast.”

“I am willing to pay the price.”

“So? What do you think of living in the city? You’ve been living here for a while now. If you decide to stay with Denzel, you can do things like today whenever you want and find even better and more fun stuff to do. You can go to amusement parks and get on rides or play games and win stuff. You can even buy a machine where you can play games that let you play through a bunch of stories instead of watching them or reading them.”

“What if I don’t want to?”

“Did you have fun today?”

“Yeah!”

“If you stick with me, we won’t come back very often. You won’t be able to make and keep friends like the ones you made today. "So what do you want to do? You’re still too young to hunt down the Plague without a proper weapon.”

"I can get stronger!”

“Right now your body is only going to hold you back. I only let you take those two hunts to see if you were going to be a liability for me. You have your whole life to go on your own adventures and become a hero. You’re not ready.”

“Do you not want me anymore?”

Hearing her words hurt. I couldn’t help to feel that I didn’t live up to her expectations and was only a disappointment. All this time she wanted me to prove to her that I was special, that I wasn’t just another girl who just happened to be born on sacred ground. I thought I was special because I had an unnatural power no one else had. That I was born to be a hero. That the nature of my existence and the person who raised and watched over me meant it was my destiny.

But Claire never believed in destiny.

All those childish thoughts and ideas came from the influence of the fantasy worlds I lost myself in because Claire never gave me anything else. All because I thought that if I managed to be strong just like her and save the world, she would give me the love I was so desperately and unconsciously yearning.

I never gave a serious thought about leaving Claire’s side. Then she said, “It’s more like I don’t need to watch over you anymore. You’re not a threat and I haven’t found a single clue from where you came from. There’s no point anymore.”

Threat? I thought

“But I still want to help you fight the plague.”

“I’m not telling you what to do. I’m just telling you that there’s going to be a day when I won’t be able to protect you. I’m having my meeting in a few days. After that, I’ll travel the world to see what I can find and won’t be back for a while. You have until then to make up your mind.”

The fun and fantastic day I was having was ruined after that conversation. I thought Claire was softening up while showing me what the capital city had to offer. There were even times when I thought she was enjoying herself. For that day, she acted closely like the mother I always wanted. That all went away when I got it in my head that she still didn’t see me as her daughter.

We both stayed silent through most of the trip back to Denzel’s. The way back mostly consisted of taking the subway as it was the fastest way to travel through the giant city. Because it was so large, we had to switch trains towards the end. The station is empty when we get off our first stop. Down a narrow hallway, we walked until we reached the hub only to turn to an even longer hallway where we waited for our last train.

Because the station was empty, the voices of two men stuck out through the ambient and eerie sounds of the underground. They were at the furthest end with their backs facing us, one in black, the other shirtless. Laughing, the one in black pushed a woman who only became visible when she fell to the ground.

Claire wasn’t paying any attention to any of this.

Mocking her, the shirtless one held her shoulder down, and prevented her from standing. The other kicked one of her legs open.

“Shouldn’t we help?”

“Hmm?” Claire finally noticed. “That’s not our business.”

“How can you say that?! Aren’t you supposed to protect others?”

“Am I supposed to protect a deer from being hunted by a wolf too?”

I got another glimpse of what Claire thought about humans. I never thought of her to be someone who would let someone else get hurt. She was supposed to be one of the protectors of the world. I saw her as a hero because that’s what they do. But she saw people as nothing more than animals. A single life was inconsequential to her. Their choices and situations they made were just another pebble to the mountain that was nature’s cycle of life. The only thing that grabbed her attention were the threats that disturbed that cycle.

That’s just how distant she felt she was to everyone else.

Disgusted by her words, I ran towards the two men, yelling for them to stop. They shoved the woman down before they faced me. Both of them towered over me, easily being four times my size. Their annoyed and angry scowls on their dirty and rough faces only helped them be more intimidating.

“What’s a brat like you want?”

“I’ll fight you!” I yelled not speaking the right language.

“Wait, did I hear that right?”

“Say that again,” The shirtless man extended his arm down to grab me. “You’ll fetch a good price.” He’s launched against the wall before his fingers could touch me.

Claire was now standing behind me, annoyed that I forced her hand. “Congratulations, It’s an honor to feel my wrath.”

“Wait what? What just happened?”

“I would ask your Goddess for forgiveness before you join your friend.”

“Hey, sunshine, it's her fault, this bitch owes me money. Damn junkies deserved-”

Claire knocks the man in black before he can finish his sentence.

“T-thank you,” The woman on the ground said, shivering in fear.

“Thank the girl,” Claire shook my shoulder. “Maybe pay your debts next time.”

The woman stood, bowing to us. “I will try my best. May the sun shine on you two. If you could excuse me, I still need to catch my train.”

“Don’t you think before you act?” Claire scolded me. “I thought I told you it wasn’t our problem.”

“It’s the right thing to do! Why shouldn’t I help?”

“Even if it gets you killed?”

“Well, you weren’t going to do anything! I thought it was your job to fight the bad guys.”

“You must have some imagination if you think I was anything like the heroes in your books.”

I was wrong to ever think of her as a good person.

She wasn’t a human anymore. Claire was far above that. A God amongst humans.

That was who Claire truly was; indifferent to human morals. She looked human but she couldn’t relate to anyone. Her immortality had twisted her view of this world, of people, and even of herself. There wasn’t a person in the world who could understand her. There wasn’t a person who knew everything that she’d seen and been through. Not even Frierenlus, as old as he was, could fully understand her.

Claire was alone.

A woman frozen in time. A human blessed and cursed by The Goddess to forever be her sword, with no other purpose. To forever live a life where time is meaningless. A weapon who has lived for so long that she has lost and gained her sanity countless times.

A girl fated to lose anything and everything she has.

My mother was human once upon a time. Finding it when she was in love. Remembering that she could have her own purpose, regardless if she could never fulfill her only wish. She was a human for a brief period of time, trying to shape the world to be how she wished it to be before her immortality. She was once a very caring and happy woman.

That was all stripped away when it was taken away from her; creating who she was before then and who she was now.

Claire was convinced she could close her heart from ever feeling that pain again.

But through all the lies she told herself, she always knew deep down what she was doing. She wasn’t raising me to learn who I am and where I came from. She wasn’t watching over me to see if I was a threat, whatever that meant. She didn’t even adopt me to prove to herself that she could raise a child and not get attached. These all ended up being lies.

Her true reason was the most selfish one.

It took her a long time to tell me. Through a violin and the only tears she’s ever shed.

And it made what she said in what I thought was a dream that first night in Isuel make sense.