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Arita
Chapter One
He stood at the corner of the street, just under the shadows, waiting...almost invisible, but She could see him as clear as day, all thanks to her ability which she gained after crossing over to this dimension, along with a few other abilities which she was discovering one at a time; some sort of side effect of crossing over.
She reached down to her side and touched her dark dagger, a dark coloured magic weapon that pulsed with apprehension of violence, a weapon with intelligence imbued into it through the application of arcane magic. The weapon felt cold…as if smiling at the thought of delivering death to anyone who her lover commanded her to. She felt calm from the reassurance the dagger provided her.
Then she became a shadow herself and moved with the grace of a butterfly, gliding in the shadows, approaching her target with the agility that was unmatched across universes. Within moments she was standing behind the boy who was oblivious of her presence.
She stood behind him for a few moments, then she reached out and touched the nape of his neck with her dagger that had slithered out of its sheath and into her hand at her lover's mere thought.
"Don't move"! She whispered…"Don't make any sound".
He was already standing still, but her cold whisper froze him further.
"Arita"? He whispered back to her.
"Why are you looking for me"? She asked in a low…sharp voice.
"I heard about you at the tavern". He replied.
"What did you hear"? She didn't need to ask about who he heard about her from, she was already aware of her reputation that was spreading far and wide.
She was considered the most deadly assassin to have ever lived- and feared by all. No one had ever seen her face, but what no one except her knew was that even her victims didn't know her face, they didn't even know that they were dead till their hearts stopped beating and they departed their still warm bodies.
"I heard that you are the most dangerous assassin to have ever lived…the only kind capable of helping me".
"You didn't need to hear that in a tavern, it's already well known everywhere. But what kind of help are you looking for and what makes you think that I will be willing to help you"?
"Because I am not from this universe either". He whispered with a sigh.
***
The two moons of Ushru were out, shining their violet light on the city. The moons were always at an angle that made them appear like they were touching the land- and created long shadows that criss-crossed each other.
This was a bustling city of Mashant on the planet Ushru. Ushru didn't have any concept of country and consisted entirely of cities and villages. Cities were ruled by Goddesses who were thought to have been alive since the beginning of time, just like the cities they ruled. They didn't speak to anyone and showed themselves only during festivals. As for festivals, there wasn't any set date or time for those- and were celebrated at the whims of the Goddesses. Most people on this planet lived either in houses built on massive trees, underground- and there were some who lived underwater and could breathe without the need of fish-like gills with the help of magic.
Ushru was about twice the size of Earth. A day on Ushru was 32 Earth hours and shrouded in perpetual night as it was so far from its Sun that the light from the Sun was barely enough to show that the Sun existed. Most of the light came from its moons which were three in number, two of the moons shining for about 20 hours and another very large moon shining for the rest of the time for five days, then there were eight days without any moon- only stars were present in the sky. Moons of Ushru didn't reflect the light of the Sun, but had their own light which came from whatever material they were made up of.
Even though the Sun's heat barely touched the surface of Ushru, it wasn't needed. Ushru had weather generated by some kind of magical force and had the right temperature, right environment to support life on most of its surface. Strange and beautiful trees and plants grew on Ushru, crops grew well without the need of sunlight. All the vegetation on Ushru grew in the dark- drinking in the meagre light provided by its moons.
Gravity also didn't seem to follow the rules of physics known to the universe Earth existed in; in fact, laws of physics were quite different here. Everything in this universe seemed to be affected by magic- and laws of physics that existed in the universe where Earth was, could be manipulated here.
Arita could manipulate gravity at will and had a few other talents- developing new ones with the passing of her time here on Ushru.
She stood behind the boy now, alert and a bit intrigued at the boy's revelation.
"Explain"! She whispered in a commanding tone.
"I arrived here about two hundred years ago. At first, I was utterly confused, shocked…I didn't know where I was, I didn't know what to do. I thought that I had somehow entered an unknown, remote part of planet Earth, then I thought that maybe I had ended up on another planet in another solar system or an entirely different galaxy, but later on I learned that I am not even in the same dimension".
He paused and took a deep breath, then continued…
" Once I got over my shock, I started to learn more about this universe, about this planet, people and magic. Sadly…I can only do basic things using magic, like most others who are native to this world. I don't age, and am still the same age physically as the day I arrived here. I haven't made a permanent home for myself; I travel, spend a few days in whatever city I come across, and move on to the next one".
He paused again and was silent for a few moments, like in some deep thought. Finally, when he started to speak again, he sounded a bit more anxious…fearful.
"About six months ago I visited a city called Vaarsha, that's where I learned that someone from this dimension is trying to enter the dimension where Earth is, I learned that this person wants to consume everything that exists in that dimension to gain more power".
"How did you learn that"? Arita asked.
"From a Goddess I fell in love with".
"You've seen one of the Goddesses"?
"I lived with one for a few days".
"But these Goddesses never meet anyone personally, they never show their faces to anyone or entertain anyone. How did you manage to live with one"? Arita asked, a bit intrigued now.
"Before I continue…can we go somewhere, where we can sit down and talk"? He asked in an almost pleading tone. "I haven't rested, or have had anything to eat for days. I wanted to find you as quickly as possible, and in my quest to find you, I have been neglecting any rest and have almost forgotten to even eat".
"Fine with me…you can turn around, but don't try anything funny, I don't trust you".
"I don't expect you to trust me right away, but you will, once I tell you everything". He said.
Arita moved away from him a bit and the boy turned around slowly to find the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life, in this universe, or in the one he had come from.
She had a slender build, a well formed body, both her eyes were of different colour; left was the colour of a sparkling, white star- and right eye was entirely black, with rainbow flecks floating inside. She had long, dark hair that went below her waist, tied into a braid. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, something that obviously wasn't from this universe and she had either arrived in this universe wearing those, or she got them specifically made here.
"Follow me"! She said and started walking into the night, towards the busy part of the city.
***
© havoc
#fantasy #fantasyfiction #Novel #Books #story #thriller #sciencefiction
He stood at the corner of the street, just under the shadows, waiting...almost invisible, but She could see him as clear as day, all thanks to her ability which she gained after crossing over to this dimension, along with a few other abilities which she was discovering one at a time; some sort of side effect of crossing over.
She reached down to her side and touched her dark dagger, a dark coloured magic weapon that pulsed with apprehension of violence, a weapon with intelligence imbued into it through the application of arcane magic. The weapon felt cold…as if smiling at the thought of delivering death to anyone who her lover commanded her to. She felt calm from the reassurance the dagger provided her.
Then she became a shadow herself and moved with the grace of a butterfly, gliding in the shadows, approaching her target with the agility that was unmatched across universes. Within moments she was standing behind the boy who was oblivious of her presence.
She stood behind him for a few moments, then she reached out and touched the nape of his neck with her dagger that had slithered out of its sheath and into her hand at her lover's mere thought.
"Don't move"! She whispered…"Don't make any sound".
He was already standing still, but her cold whisper froze him further.
"Arita"? He whispered back to her.
"Why are you looking for me"? She asked in a low…sharp voice.
"I heard about you at the tavern". He replied.
"What did you hear"? She didn't need to ask about who he heard about her from, she was already aware of her reputation that was spreading far and wide.
She was considered the most deadly assassin to have ever lived- and feared by all. No one had ever seen her face, but what no one except her knew was that even her victims didn't know her face, they didn't even know that they were dead till their hearts stopped beating and they departed their still warm bodies.
"I heard that you are the most dangerous assassin to have ever lived…the only kind capable of helping me".
"You didn't need to hear that in a tavern, it's already well known everywhere. But what kind of help are you looking for and what makes you think that I will be willing to help you"?
"Because I am not from this universe either". He whispered with a sigh.
***
The two moons of Ushru were out, shining their violet light on the city. The moons were always at an angle that made them appear like they were touching the land- and created long shadows that criss-crossed each other.
This was a bustling city of Mashant on the planet Ushru. Ushru didn't have any concept of country and consisted entirely of cities and villages. Cities were ruled by Goddesses who were thought to have been alive since the beginning of time, just like the cities they ruled. They didn't speak to anyone and showed themselves only during festivals. As for festivals, there wasn't any set date or time for those- and were celebrated at the whims of the Goddesses. Most people on this planet lived either in houses built on massive trees, underground- and there were some who lived underwater and could breathe without the need of fish-like gills with the help of magic.
Ushru was about twice the size of Earth. A day on Ushru was 32 Earth hours and shrouded in perpetual night as it was so far from its Sun that the light from the Sun was barely enough to show that the Sun existed. Most of the light came from its moons which were three in number, two of the moons shining for about 20 hours and another very large moon shining for the rest of the time for five days, then there were eight days without any moon- only stars were present in the sky. Moons of Ushru didn't reflect the light of the Sun, but had their own light which came from whatever material they were made up of.
Even though the Sun's heat barely touched the surface of Ushru, it wasn't needed. Ushru had weather generated by some kind of magical force and had the right temperature, right environment to support life on most of its surface. Strange and beautiful trees and plants grew on Ushru, crops grew well without the need of sunlight. All the vegetation on Ushru grew in the dark- drinking in the meagre light provided by its moons.
Gravity also didn't seem to follow the rules of physics known to the universe Earth existed in; in fact, laws of physics were quite different here. Everything in this universe seemed to be affected by magic- and laws of physics that existed in the universe where Earth was, could be manipulated here.
Arita could manipulate gravity at will and had a few other talents- developing new ones with the passing of her time here on Ushru.
She stood behind the boy now, alert and a bit intrigued at the boy's revelation.
"Explain"! She whispered in a commanding tone.
"I arrived here about two hundred years ago. At first, I was utterly confused, shocked…I didn't know where I was, I didn't know what to do. I thought that I had somehow entered an unknown, remote part of planet Earth, then I thought that maybe I had ended up on another planet in another solar system or an entirely different galaxy, but later on I learned that I am not even in the same dimension".
He paused and took a deep breath, then continued…
" Once I got over my shock, I started to learn more about this universe, about this planet, people and magic. Sadly…I can only do basic things using magic, like most others who are native to this world. I don't age, and am still the same age physically as the day I arrived here. I haven't made a permanent home for myself; I travel, spend a few days in whatever city I come across, and move on to the next one".
He paused again and was silent for a few moments, like in some deep thought. Finally, when he started to speak again, he sounded a bit more anxious…fearful.
"About six months ago I visited a city called Vaarsha, that's where I learned that someone from this dimension is trying to enter the dimension where Earth is, I learned that this person wants to consume everything that exists in that dimension to gain more power".
"How did you learn that"? Arita asked.
"From a Goddess I fell in love with".
"You've seen one of the Goddesses"?
"I lived with one for a few days".
"But these Goddesses never meet anyone personally, they never show their faces to anyone or entertain anyone. How did you manage to live with one"? Arita asked, a bit intrigued now.
"Before I continue…can we go somewhere, where we can sit down and talk"? He asked in an almost pleading tone. "I haven't rested, or have had anything to eat for days. I wanted to find you as quickly as possible, and in my quest to find you, I have been neglecting any rest and have almost forgotten to even eat".
"Fine with me…you can turn around, but don't try anything funny, I don't trust you".
"I don't expect you to trust me right away, but you will, once I tell you everything". He said.
Arita moved away from him a bit and the boy turned around slowly to find the most beautiful girl he had ever seen in his entire life, in this universe, or in the one he had come from.
She had a slender build, a well formed body, both her eyes were of different colour; left was the colour of a sparkling, white star- and right eye was entirely black, with rainbow flecks floating inside. She had long, dark hair that went below her waist, tied into a braid. She was wearing jeans and a t-shirt, something that obviously wasn't from this universe and she had either arrived in this universe wearing those, or she got them specifically made here.
"Follow me"! She said and started walking into the night, towards the busy part of the city.
***
© havoc
#fantasy #fantasyfiction #Novel #Books #story #thriller #sciencefiction
