I don't really know clearly what is going to happen after her blessing ceremony..... I don't know what to write! Is this the so called "Writer's Block?" I'm taking some time to think, so the upload time is slowing. Zana doesn't have a goal in her new life, not really.... Any suggestions for the future? Enjoy!

After everyone left the doors of the church, my father was the first one that began speaking. "Well! Hahaha! It seems that my daughter is amazing, she'll be a genius in the future!!" His tanned face turned towards me and grinned. "Grow up well Zana and don't become like me!"

'........That's kinda sad......' I sighed out loud with a shake of my head.

My mother snorted at him and then stood at my other side. Opening the large white doors, her face was twitching slightly. She seems to be in deep thought. Then, with a sudden smile on her face she said, "Zana! You'll learn a bit of magic!"

'Heeeeeeehh???! She is going to teach me something about magic? That's sudden....' Staring warily at her, she smiled in response.

"It's nothing amazing, it's the first thing anyone who wants to use magic will learn!" She began walking on the loud streets of Nubell. "It's better to start laying your foundations for magic at a young age. Of course, not too of a young age. Magic can destroy your internal veins....." My mother stared backwards toward Heia. She quickly snapped back from her daydreaming and faced ahead. "Anyways! That's tomorrow, let's find a place to spend the night." She speed up from her originally leisure-paced walk.

With steady, quiet steps, Diana and her parents walked slightly behind us. My father, Milas, was talking softly with Lucas. I can hear soft conversations behind me.

"Yes, I know......"

"The king has....."

"Canton......."

I turned my eyes upward to stare at the sky.

'It looks the same, Earth's sky and this one. This one might be more beautiful.......' The blackness of the night sky wasn't frightening. The bright stars twinkled and was spread out generously. 'The object missing is the moon......' With an interest I asked my mother, wondering about the moon.

"The moon? Ah.... We have a moon, but it only appears once every 3 days.' My mother look up at the sky and smiled gently. "And the sight every 3 days is breathtaking." Her face was beautiful with a glow from nearby candles and lanterns. She smiled at me, "You haven't seen the moon with the stars in the night sky have you?" With a sad look in her eyes she pat my head. "You've been confined in the house...."

With a sudden stop she turned to the right of the direction we were walking. Following the ahead figure; we weaved passed a few people who were shopping in the main streets. The place we finally stopped by was a old building.

The building we faced was a 2 story wooden building. It was extremely, what do I say, it's really plain. Or would boring be a more suited word?

There wasn't any paint on the door or walls of the building like most inns and houses. The single sign above the doorway reads, "Daniel's Inn and Tavern." A simple name to suit a simple building. The place exudes a simple homey feeling. It was somehow perfect for a low-key inn.

"This is where we'll stay at." Turning to face us, my mother smiled. "I know the family who owns this place."

Daina, behind me, asked, "We're staying here?" With soft muttering she stood next to me.

Heia patted both of our heads with a laugh. "Victoria, is the inn owned by Daniel and Yomi?"

"Yeah, they left the country's guild a few years ago. Yomi was pregnant then, so it's been 7 years now...." My mother pursed her lips.

Lucas walked up behind us and continued. "Daniel is now a guard for this town." With an emotionless face, he started walking toward the doors of the building.

Entering the inn. I saw a couple of wood chairs and tables with a counter right when we enter. A petite woman, probably 5'4" stood in front of a cash register. She had vibrant red hair and brown eyes, in her arms was a small baby that seem less than a year old.

She lifted her head when she heard a bell ring. Her face showed her shock, but it quickly showed her joy at seeing long time friends. "Victoria?! Well! There's Milas, Lucas and Heia too! Hello, how have you been!" She smiled brightly. Cheerily she walked toward us with a bounce in her steps.

"Yomi, got another child recently?" Pointing to the baby, my mother walked toward Yomi with her arms open.

"Hahaha! This time it's a girl! I named her Shayial, it's my grandmother's name...."

Heia gracefully joined the women. "So cute, a lovely name for a lovely girl."

Cooing at the sleeping child, the 3 women laughed and started to catch up with information on their new lives,

The men stood around awkwardly until a stocky man stepped out from a doorway across the room. The man was a bit shorter than my father. Another difference was that he had a beard.

With heavy steps his short, army styled-like hair was gripped by a small child. A 6-7 year old boy with a wide grin on his face sat on the man's shoulders. The boy also had his red hair in a buzz cut like style.

'That's what you call a buzz cut right? I didn't study up on haircuts......' I stared at the men in interest. The boy on the man's shoulders stared back.

With a deep grumbling tone, the muscled man said, "Yomi? Do we have visitors?" When he got closer he stopped in his tracks. "You! Lucas and Milas, we have met again......" He sighed a deep sigh when he said the last name that was mentioned.

My father frowned, "Why does that sound so depressing....."

Lucas next to him answered in a very uninterested voice. "Because Milas. You were an obnoxious idiot in the local army. For the one year you stayed you practically toutured him."

Answering quickly, my father folded his arms almost proudly. "That was years ago.......I wasn't that annoying."

"You were annoying." Closing his eyes, Lucas attacked him with his blunt words.

"Yes, you were,"

"............................"

The silence stretched between the men. In the background, the women chattered. Finally, in boredom I broke the silence, I stared away from the boy to stare at the adults.

"Hey, when are we going to sleep."

"............Girl, are you Lucas's or Milas's. Lucas's right? I mean, you're not annoying as Milas, no wait. You're Milas's? You look like Victoria." With a strangely serious look in his black eyes, the man bend down on his knees and look me over.

The boy on his shoulders look at me seriously like his father. Both nodded.

Staring back coldly, I said, "My father is Milas. What of it?"

"Nothing, nothing." With the words he turned his back to me. He muttered a few words that I couldn't catch. "Good thing...... She's......Victoria......"

I ignored him in my 4 year old bravery to stare at the room more closely.

It was quite furnished scarely in the inn. There were a few sets of tables and chairs. There was also a large bar that also worked as a counter for the cash register. The large windows next to the entrance flooded the room with light. If it was daytime of course.

I started to get sleepy in my young body. My mother, noticing from her chattering, walked over to me after waving her an arm toward me to her friends. She picked me up and started walking toward the sets of stairs in a secluded corner of the large room. The stairs were hiding between the end of the counter and the doorway that the buzz cut man stepped out of.

Creaking softly, she opened a room that was empty. She layed me down on a soft bed and I slowly drifted off to sleep. In me hazy mind, I could hear a soft click of a door being shut.

The next morning......

I woke up to a new, different looking ceiling. Turning my head, I could see a patch of bright sunlight on the wooden floor.

A random thought flashed through my mind. 'Why is everything here so, so, woodened?'

Sighing, I sat up on the "soft" bed. In actuality, it was not very soft, at least, compared to my old world's bedding. It was a bit stiff and tough to the skin, but it was much softer than cheap old wool in my current life that I'm living.

Once again, I realize how different this world is to the world I was from. 'I didn't appreciate the things like bedding and lighting enough in my old life....'

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Shaking the trivial thoughts from my mind, I stepped from the warm bed into the cold air of the room. The window next to my bed was open a few inches. The aroma of fresh baked bread and flowers drifted through.

Staring out to the Main Street, I can see the crowds naturally parting around horses and carriages. The stone road was heavily packed to the brim. Much more from the day before. No one noticed me because of their own business they needed to tend to.

I hummed to myself peacefully because of the new day. I layed in comfort in the warm morning sunlight by the window and lazily gaze at the people passing by below.

With loud yelling, the peaceful morning was shattered. In the far end of the street, I could see a man wearing blood stained armor and a purely black cloak yelling at a small dark haired boy that was no older than 9 or 10. The tall man was holding the child's hand while the boy was trying to pull away. In the man's other hand, was a long black sword that gleamed in the bright morning sun.

The other black cloaked men that was clearly related to the man was walking away with no interest what so ever.

I couldn't see the yelling man's face very clearly because of the covering cloak, but I caught a flash of his face and saw a long scar than ran from the corner his left eye brow to the corner of his chin. In horror, I saw his face sneering while bring down the sword.

Everyone around the group backed away farther from them and started mummering. I saw the boy was going to cry, his legs were already collapsed on the stone ground in terror.

In outrage, I saw that no one is going to help the child, but before I could even think of an idea to help the child. I heard screaming, and a bloody stump of a hand. The mysterious man started laughing and started walking toward the already far away group of other cloaked men. From the behind, I could see a a blood-red mark on each of the cloaks of the people in the group.

I saw a single bony hand dripping with red blood in a background of 2 black feathered wings.

In blankness, I backed away from the bloody, horrifying sight and turned to my room. I crouched down and slowly began to breathe in and out, trying to calm myself. Closing my eyes, I once again, saw the skeleton hand dyed in red. The realistic sign was chilling.

I frowned in thought from the cruelty in the man's eyes, and fact that nobody really were angry at the treatment of the child. 'Are people so used to this, this...... Craziness?' Sighing, I opened my eyes to the now, strange happy brightness of the morning sun.

Trying to push the experience behind me, I stood up to walk toward the door. I put on my shoes that was somehow removed during the night and opened the door.

Walking down the stairs I stumble upon the red haired boy from yesterday. He was laying on the middle of the stairs with closed eyes.

In silence, I stared down to him. His thick red hair looked vibrant and bright, like freshly spilled blood.

'Red.......' Shuddering from the image the word reveals, I stood on the tops of the stairs, shifting uncomfortably.

A few silent seconds later, tired from the boredom of waiting, I nudged him on his shoulder with my foot slightly.

"........................"

I sighed and began speaking. "Kid, are you awake."

".........I'm older than you by at least 5 years......Kid."

"Oh, you are awake!" In a bright voice, that obviously sounds fake, I kicked his arm, "Can't you move out of my way?" In a sweet voice, I bend down next to his head and poked it.

"............" With a sigh he stood up, his unhappy face was almost funny to look at. He scratched his face and laughed in embarrassment. "My name is Haruin." Shaking his head, he grabbed my arm and dragged me to the bottom of the stairs. "My parents wanted to know you better......."

I started from his closeness despite him knowing me for less than a day. 'He doesn't even know my name.....' Hesitant, I spoke in a soft voice, "My name is Zana."

With a quick nod, he turned to smile at me. He led me to a room adjoining the main room. The room was the kitchen, on the one table in the kitchen was my parents, Diana, her parents and Haruin's. Since it can seat such a large amount of people, the table was large.

Beside the large 6 foot table were chairs. Out of 10 chairs, 7 were filled. Beside my parents were 3 chairs, which I quickly sat upon with the boy, Haruin, next to me.

My mother with her shining complexion, was happy. Anybody could tell. With a bright, sun-like smile, she turned toward me.

"Zana! How are you this morning!"

I replied As sunny like as possible. But, with her keen eye my mother frowned.

"What's wrong?" Spoken in a whisper, only I could hear what she had said.

I shook my head slightly. "Later...." I do not want to spoil the good mood of the table of old friends. My father, next to mother was happily talking with his two friends. Yomi and her husband in front of Haruin were also joyfully talking with everyone. That was no way I am going to ask about the men on the streets and what had happened earlier this morning.

With a glint in her eyes, my mother turned away from the topic and began talking about random peaceful topics. Like the nice weather and the recent lack of rain despite it being mid-spring.

I was also introduced, formally, to Haruin and his family. Yomi's husband was named Daniel. Which I could already guess at, the inn's name is "Daniel's Inn and Tavern."

Haruin was turning 10 next month in the late spring season. He totally does not act like a older brother to me. A younger one would be more accurate.

That night

It was around 8 or 9 at night, in my room, I was lieing in my bed when the door creaked open.

"Zana?"

With a whisper, the feminine voice came in.

"Mother.....?"

In the dark room, her figure walked toward the bed with soft thumps. She sat down on the bed with caution, almost like she didn't want to hurt me.

".....My daughter, what has been troubling you?" With careful slow wording, my mother asked the question that I had not wanted to hear during the morning.

"Hmmm......"

"....................." The silence was comforting.

I began a few minutes later.

"This morning......I saw a group of men."

Confused, my mother said, "And this group of men......?"

"T-they chopped off a kid's hand with a sword."

".......Zana, honey, this is what has been haunting you for the past few hours?" Her voice was sad. Sad in what, I do not know.

"The group of men all wore cloaks, black ones, with a skeleton's hand dripping in red."

With a gasp, she stood up. "T-this..... Had you seen a man with a long scar on his face?"

"M-mother?"

With a serious expression on her face, the moonlight lit up her hair and part of her face. Seeing this, I nodded quickly. "Yes, it was the man who had cut off the child's hand."

Her face grew grimmer. "I was already horrified when I heard a child's hand was cut off, but by the Dark Angel group itself....." Muttering to herself, she shuddered.

"Dark Angel?"

Snapping her face toward me, she began in an extremely serious voice. "Zana, the Dark Angels is a group, an organization filled with the most dangerous people in the continent. They take assignments, whether it is to kill someone, steal something or protect someone or something, they will do it. For a price."

"Are they........ Bad people?"

"That...... I don't know really. I know, that man you saw earlier, he is one of the most dangerous and wanted criminal in the world. But, in the same organization is a known person who is extremely righteous and uptight. Haaaa...... Still, the Dark Angel organization is dangerous. Don't anger the group of people you saw today okay?"

"Yes, mother."

With a shaky smile, my mother patted my head and walked out the room. In the moonlit darkness, I muttered to myself. "Dark Angel, Dark Angel........" Falling asleep, I dreamed hazily.

The next morning, I only remembered a vivid, but somehow indistinct picture in my mind. Of a beautiful figure of a man in black. With terrifying large black wings spanning at least 6 feet, and colorful splash of bright red everywhere.