Death is immortality.
Death is your second chance.
Velian Terrashine belongs to a classless society of equality, art and democracy; a land full of creativity and mindfulness. It is in that perfect political system that one wrong movement, one carele...
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USING THE HOOD of my purple coat to cover my face, I started walking down the congested streets of Lantra's capital. In the City of Dreams the days always started before the sun had fully risen, even before the moon had faded. So when the darkness finally parted, everyone was already prepared for their day ahead, not procrastinating, not laying in their beds half-asleep and half-awake, consumed by sleepiness and the unwanted sense of laziness.
The streets were teeming.
In the Gap World, only drunkards were walking around the streets so early in the morning, swaying, staggering and laughing at the wild memories of their night. Here, everything was different; everything seemed to be better.
A cool breeze touched my cheeks, and I willed my heart to beat steadily.
Even though we were in the beginning of winter, borders of flowers still decorated the streets—daisies, tulips, roses and sunflowers. Garlands of orchids and asters with scattered splashes of glitter had been placed around the doors of the bookshops, the cafés and the art galleries, as if there wasn't another season in this universe but spring.
I wanted to believe that the ground trembled at my presence, simply because I was dramatic like that. They would kill me because of my magic, but I could kill them with my magic. I wouldn't do that. But still, it felt good to know my powers, my limits and my abilities; to use them in my advantage and for a greater cause. I wasn't adept at doing so, I knew that. I'd only recently learned how to control the few elements of nature that boiled in my veins. I couldn't fight armies with them, butcher, deceive. To control my fears was to control my magic, that was what I knew. In a world full of experienced magic-wielders I would have no chance of survival. But here I could last longer, thrive even. For now, I was just heading to my parents' house.
Men on horses kept passing next to me, going to the ocean, going to fish. A few traveling merchants had just arrived at their usual spots and had started preparing their selling products for the day. Their calculating eyes were on me as I padded across the pavement. I didn't want to think of the rumors that would have been spread around the city about my unjustified disappearance. The streets must have been filled with cruel whispers about the woman with magic who had also magically disappeared. I wouldn't deal with them now. My reputation had never been the greatest anyway.
As for my parents, they would be angry and mad at me for going away without leaving a note to soothe their fears. But I hoped agony had overpowered their fury and they would be happy to see me again. As for Josh, he would be melancholic, even devasted for losing his muse. I didn't care about him, though.
Faster. I needed to go home faster. Before someone recognized me, before someone noticed my green eyes.
With wavering breaths but unfaltering steps, I was about to stride toward the tree-lined path that would get me sooner to my destination, when I felt a hand on my shoulder, urging me to halt.
