Being part of a minority that was hunted through years and centuries can be such trouble, now add another personality in your system to make that trouble a double.

As if it wasn't already hard enough, as an only child, without parents. The world isn't a very warm place for the members of the Zanna community, but Zanna isn't exactly friendly with her either. When the Zanna first heard of the prophecy about a cursed child, they all assumed it's about a boy. Sure, that would have been great. They would have someone to protect them and bring peace to them, but when it ended up being a girl, they were disappointed.

Girls weren't considered strong enough or smart enough to neither protect them nor bring peace. Even if you add the curse's strength it's still not enough.

Little did they know, the curse actually doesn't help, at all. It makes hers and other people's lives more complicated. Especially, when the night falls. It is hard to sleep after so many horrible flashbacks. Now, Venos just works or learns for school, until she tires herself out so much, that she falls asleep.

Now, she's walking towards her room in a small orphanage and she's hearing an all familiar voice in her head.

'Venos you are so hopeless.' 

'Don't blame me, it's about life circumstances.' 

'Oh really? Then why are you making it worse?' 

'You're making it worse; after all, I did great on that test.' 

'Keep saying it in your mind and you'll actually start to believe it.' 

'That's kind of my goal. If I end up being the best, I should probably visit Leon.' 

'Yes, this might be the last time you see him before he ends up like others of his kind.' 

'Like what?' 

'You know before he's sold into-' 

'Come to think of it, I don't know why we're still talking.' 

'Because that's how much you're desperate and lonely.'

For a moment they all went silent. Venos felt something at that moment, something she couldn't form into words. The empty void inside of her, grew a little bit. She's sick of trying to get along with people, or voices, who keep pushing her away, but there's no other way out. After a while, she found a way to turn her thoughts into words again.

'Look, nature is so pretty...'

But there was no reply from the voice. 

Instead of making Venos relaxed, it now made her feel even lonelier than before.

Venos reached out to the door of her room and as soon as she came, she collapsed onto her bed. Tonight is going to be a long night. Venos pulled her knees close as if she was in physical pain. She tried to sleep, as the thoughts came, haunting her. They weren't frightening, but creepy enough to keep her awake at night.

After all, there was no person she could run to for comfort. She was all alone. It has been too long since she last cried. So long, that sometimes she wished she remembered how. How to get her pain outside her soul.

---

Venos woke up to the beautiful picture of dawn. That window was the only highlight of her room and thankfully it was near her bed. The rest of it was almost empty. The restroom was outside of the apartment. So, there was only a floor, bed, and table.

Venos went outside; she needed to find a river to wash her mouth and face. She needs to look nice for today's test results. Every little mistake counts, even if it has nothing to do with the test.

'Hey voice, this water feels so nice in touch with skin.' 

There was no reply. 

'Not answering, huh?' 

Still nothing 

'Guess I'll just head to the village, then.'

Venos enjoyed the beauty of the dawn. There was something about it, that comforted her soul.

'It's like you're dead.' 

'How do you know what it's like to be dead?' 

'UH-HUH! Now you're talking. Besides, I don't! I just like to imagine it that way. Like you're in between two worlds. Just like dawn is between day and night.'

She sat on a small bench, she found in the village. It's still not morning. She can wait here until the results are done. Her eyes are closing. Sleep is coming for her smoothly, but she got waken abruptly by the yelling of her peers.

'But test results are still not here.' 

'What if they are, kid? Hurry up!' 

'I'll stick around just a bit longer.'

Venos relaxed once again. She'll catch up. After all, the feeling of wind brushing her hair was so nice. Even nicer when something is gently touching your head. Venos wondered, about the flower petals all over the bench. Then Venos heard soft giggling.

She looked up and saw Leon, her old friend. He was holding a branch with flowers on it. Venos has always been thankful to have at least someone her age not making fun of her.

His light brown hair and blue eyes were revealing his hybrid lineage. Every other Zanna member had dark brown eyes and black hair, including Venos.

It was clear that Leon wasn't a pure Zanna. It didn't matter either. He was nice to her, unlike the other guys.

"Greetings, Venos! It has been a while." "I agree. It's nice to have you here." "How do you feel about going to the academy?" "What makes you so sure I will be the one to go?" "Because you're dedicated. Dedication pays off."

"I hope, but then again, I have no idea how's it out there. Academy is in a city. I was never in a city before. Everything there is unknown to me." "Don't worry you'll get used to it." He assured her with a smile.

"Well, maybe I can teach you some tricks when I get back." "How can you get back? What if you don't?" "Then I'll send you letters."

They smiled at each other. For a moment, Venos allowed herself to forget about the test, the loneliness, the voice, well, about everything. His smile has always been something special and comforting. As the thoughts rushed in, Venos snapped.

"Sorry Leon, I have to see the results. I'll come to visit you when I'm done. Wish me luck!" "I don't have to!"

Venos waved back to Leon and hurried to the school. The school was more crowded than usual. There weren't just students, but their parents too. They all waited for the big news. Venos waited, while every student was called after another. They came back, somewhat pleased. Venos started to lose hope. She was the only one not called up. After a while, she heard those words.

"Venos Zanna!" 

'Why are they saying last names, when everyone has the same one?' 

'Not now voice!'

She walked fast inside; "Good morning, teacher." She tried her best not to look stressed. Except, there was no greeting for her. "Get packed, you're leaving today." He was very calm and direct. It took some time for Venos to figure out what's going on, "I'm sorry why?" "There's no need for an explanation."

Venos was trying to put pieces together, while she was leaving, slowly. "Venos, come here!" She turned around to see her uncle. He was standing alone in the school hallway. "Don't you understand? Your test was the best." Is that excitement she sees on her uncle's face?

"You need to get packed and go to the academy. You will introduce yourself as a boy, but don't worry the instructor is a reliable friend of mine and he knows the truth. I will give you everything you'll need when I get to your apartment room, by then make sure you do everything you need to." He was now whispering to her, his serious expression back on his face.

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Venos nodded and headed back to her apartment room. On her way home, she decided to find Leon. His house is near. Here it is! She would always recognize him. Sitting there and knitting, his hair tied, his fingers so skillful, yet gentle.

She knocked on his house a bit, she knew he would hear it, even if it's just a bit. He turned around, opened a window, ever so slowly, and jumped, trying his best to be quiet.

"Well, look who decided to visit. To what do I owe this pleasure?" Leon questioned teasingly." I am going to the academy." Venos grinned at him. "I did not doubt it." After this, they both laughed, knowing that something funny is about to be said. "So Leon, how was your day?" Venos likes his daily reports.

"It was almost like any other. In the morning I told my dad, I'm going to head out and he looked at me like he was about to have a heart attack. Then my mom came in to assure him that everything is gonna be just fine. In the end, my mom had to go out with me to make 'sure' everything's alright. Of course, she kept her distance. It was still pretty embarrassing. When I got back, he started to scold me for not wearing woolen socks and it's summer!

After all that I made sure to do my daily chores, together with my mom, while he told me for the 100th time, why I should not go out so often. And here I am, knitting clothes and socks."

Venos waited for a while. "That's wicked! It must be so amusing to have parents." Leon looked at her, confused. "You know, it depends, but you usually get used to them, so they're not that fun. I'd rather not be reminded of my hybrid ancestry every single day, I'm limited enough as it is." For a moment, he looked so sad.

"No one will ever take me seriously and it's just because I was born. I don't even get a chance for someone to teach me. To the world, I'll always be a lesser being."

This shook her a bit. She did not know what to say, but Leon looked like he was not yet finished. "Venos, this might be our last time to see each other, so I wanna make sure I say it all to you." Leon's eyes went puffy.

"It's just... You are my only friend, after this, I'm on my own. Maybe it's selfish to say this, but I want you to stay the same. When you get back, that you still don't mind my lineage and treat me like a person, like a..." he gulped, "like a friend. That you still have the same humor and don't 'fly' too high. That maybe you get to change things and influence other people's views about us, about me."

This confession left her emotional, but she showed it with a little pat on Leon's back. Leon on the other hand is quietly crying.

Venos felt like she needed to warm up the situation."It's not like this is our last day together." Leon turned to her. Venos continued, "I'll write you letters. Come on, why don't I tell you about my day...." she started explaining and added some humor to it.

Not long after, Leon apologized, "You know how my dad is, he'll freak out if he finds me here.....Thank you for everything." With that, he climbed up the window and closed it. Venos took one last glance at him and went home.

She packed her clothes, some food for a day or two. Some papers and feathers to write some letters. Her uncle will soon be here and guide her to the academy. She waited for a while, sorting her thoughts. She should bring flowers to her parents' graves.

---

Venos brought her things and picked up flowers for her parents. Eiren and Alex. Their names were the only things she knew about them. Everything else is unfamiliar. She felt a hand on her shoulder. It was her uncle. He would come here sometimes since that was his last family.

Rumors say that he lost three, but he never talked about them. No one likes to be reminded of their loss. Venos' uncle, Eiden, broke the silence."I really don't know who you took after. Some days you make me smile and others you make me question my entire existence. Here are your things." He handed her a few books and a uniform. "Sorry for the wait."

"No problem." She took them and stuffed them into her bag pack. "So, how do you plan I get there?" Eiden answered casually, "Well, with a horse, of course." Venos didn't like where this was going."What about you? And where do I get a horse? Plus, how do I find the academy?" Before she had a chance to ask another question, Eiden took a map out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Follow the instructions and you won't get lost. As for the horse, I already found you one, I'll take you there. Don't worry about me. I will find a way." Venos was, kind of, disappointed. She has to go ride a horse to the academy...... alone. She never did this before, but she knows her uncle, 'Everything is a new chance for independence'.

Venos stood still for a moment. "Venos, are you coming or what?" Hearing this, she ran off to Eiden and started walking when she reached him. There was a weird feeling in her stomach. Her life is about to change, isn't it? She needs to put up an act. Others expect her to be a guy. Meanwhile, Eiden brought a horse along. "Here, off you go and remember what I taught you, you're gonna need it." Venos climbed a horse and opened her map.

'Well, I'm screwed.' 

'Now it's just you and me, kiddo.' 

'Great.' 

'You just have to be pessimistic now, don't you?' 

'What do you expect? I have to go all alone to this unknown place and pretend to be happy. How?' 

'Come on, you don't even know if it's gonna be bad.' 

'I can't even ride a horse that well. I'm an amateur.' 

'Get a grip, Venos.'

The wind didn't feel so good anymore. It's like there was something cold stabbing her. What if she gets lost? The road was barely defined. There was a map, yes, but she wasn't used to being so far from the village. At least, for now, it's simple. There's only forward. The more she moved, the foggier it got. It was hard to see anything. The voice and Venos had some conflicts to calm their nerves.

The map was unreadable, in fact, you couldn't see the finger in front of you. Venos had to rely on her memory. She found food, which she packed. Those were some small berries. She started chewing on them more violently than needed. It was one of her coping mechanisms, apparently. 

A river could be heard. This was another sign that she's not completely lost. The horse was behaving, at least. Venos started to dose off. They were traveling for a long time now.

Soon, it all became so quiet, making the sleep much more desirable. It was like there's no sound and no picture. Just fog and silence. Even the horse started to slow down. They traveled like that for a while, suddenly a light sound could be heard. A sound similar to the crack of two stones.

The horse got up on his two legs, which didn't help in avoiding the invisible hit. Venos took some time to figure out what was going on. Instinctively, she pulled on her horse's mane and got dragged away. She tried to focus despite her mind being a bit fuzzy.

First, it was the noise of rocks cracking, then the horse went crazy and there was no one. Sure, if there was someone at least the fog would change its color and it didn't. So, that has to be some kind of a weapon. More likely, an arrow. As if to confirm this, the situation brought another arrow against Venos' arm, causing her to fall off a horse. She used her functional hand to discover her surroundings.

There was a giant rock near. She used it as a hiding place. Her heart was racing; she was covered in sweat and her arm in blood. She tried to make as least sound as possible. She hid her map and carefully opened her bag pack to find an undershirt and closed it, just as carefully.

Then, she placed her undershirt near the arrow on her arm. The cut wasn't too deep. She quickly plugged out the arrow and even more quickly wrapped the cut. She tightened the wrap and heard a voice, actually, she heard multiple voices, and those were not her voices.

"Anthrax, come here and help me with this horse!" It was a female voice and the steps, probably of this Anthrax, could be heard. "I'm coming, mistress!" He sounded... exhausted. "Here, these are for the injuries, mistress." What is going on? "Master will come soon with the things, do you wish for me to help him, mistress?" Mistress exhaled, her voice shakey. "Please do." With that, Anthrax left the scene.

Venos was waiting for the air to get clear, it is better if they take the horse than her life. She heard the woman mumbling something, "It is always easy to catch a horse when the academy is opening..." So that was the point. They needed something to carry their things.

Now, she could hear two more voices. "Anthrax, you lead the horse while we ride." "Yes, master." With that, their steps got quieter and quieter until they disappeared.

Venos was relieved. What an odd experience. She opened a map and followed. For some reason, it was easier than before, maybe, because of the lack of fog or because after such experience everything felt easier. She didn't know.

The world was... such a different place after all. The Zanna village is such a small place in it, that it almost seemed like it's separated.

Finally, after all the walking and stopping for the rest, she could see it, the city. On its entrance, it contained a big piece of tree and there were letters on it.

It was written 'ARKELOS' on it, just like the map says. Slowly, she entered the city.

Everything in the city is much bigger than in the village, she noticed. She can see a specific building, rumors say that armies in it are more unique than anywhere else in the world. She wouldn't know.

She is getting closer and closer to the crowd around that building. The crowd is forming a line and soon, she'll be a part of it.

She found a place behind the last student in the line. He turned around; "Hi!" She waited awkwardly. "Umm...hi, my name's Venos." "Venos, nice name. I'm Karlo."

'Thankfully, it is a unisex name.' She thought. Their conversation got cut up by one loud, "Welcome to the academy." Here, everyone is going to wear the same uniform, do the same exercise, and study the same.

Something she wasn't allowed in her old school and children here seem friendly, there's no fear of the cursed girl, she is one of them now. With that, in Venos formed a glimpse of hope.

'Maybe this is not so bad after all.' 

'Now we're talking!'