The woman slowly opened her eyes, visions from her past had been replaying in her head from the moment the vines touched her forehead.

Her vision was still blurry, all that was clear to her was the carnage, the vicious bloodshed, the tears and wails of the innocent that had died in the bloody war between the Zoltha clan and the Dragons.

_ _ _

*Xenia’s flashback*

Fifty years ago, in the year of the dragon reign. The Zoltan clan was a formidable clan of warriors, the name ’Zoltha’ sparked fear and commanded respect from all human cultivators alike.

A little girl ran up the stairs of the Zoltha castle, her tiny legs carrying her as fast as they could.

She had long red hair that flowed all the way to her waist, her crimson colored eyes sharp and unwavering but still soft and inviting.

She screamed. "Mother! mother!"

The queen of the castle had just given birth to a bouncing baby boy, an heir that would finally take over the Patriarch’s place as the ruler of the clan.

The Patriarch, Kellan, was an old man, having spent more than five hundred years on earth, his time was nearing its end.

The little girl scurried over to the chamber where her beautiful red haired mother lay with a little baby in her arms.

"Mother! I came as fast as I could!" She spoke loudly, struggling to catch her breath.

"It’s okay Xenia, and ooh, I want you to meet your baby brother Criston. Criston Zoltha." Her mother, Charleen said, as soon as those words left her mouth, Xenia’s eyes widened, she looked at the baby.

A tiny little thing, pure and innocent. She immediately felt compassion for the little human, the urge to protect him as much as she could, for as long as she could.

"Now, you take care of him, you understand? Can you do that, my girl?" 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Xenia nodded frantically, her eyes as wide as possible and a wide smile on her face.

A man suddenly burst in, his dark black hair and dark beard did not do much to hide his apparent old age.

He wore a robe of silk and held a golden cane, adorned with tiny sapphire stones.

"Where is my son!?" He shouted, looking around until he saw his wife on the bed, holding the baby boy. His daughter sat by her mother’s side.

He nonchalantly pushed Xenia aside as grabbed his son, lifting him up.

"My child, my heir, I thank the heavens for giving me longevity. I am proud to witness this moment, grow and be strong boy!" He planted a kiss on the cheek of the little baby before passing him back to his mother. A gesture he had never done for his daughter.

"Patriarch! Patriarch!" A guard came running in, gasping for air. His entire armor was stained in blood and ashes.

"What is it Meryn? Speak?" Kellan commanded.

"The gate... The gate has been breached. The dragons—dragons are descending... upon the city, they are burning everything. Everyone. We are powerless!" Meryn couldn’t hide the horror on his face as he spoke.

The Patriarch, his Matriarch and their daughter all listened to him, their eyes widening at the appalling news.

"Please..." Meryn begged, falling to his knees.

"Mary! Take my wife and child... children to the containment chamber! Meryn, come with me!" Kellan commanded.

"No! I can fight—I’ve been training, I can hold my o—" Xenia protested.

"Shut up child!" Kellan cut her off, turning his back and walking out of the room.

Before her mind could register everything that was happening, Xenia, her mother and her brother were dragged down to a sealed underground chamber, made entirely of steel. All the women and children were packed in like sardines.

Nobody even dared utter a word.

Battle cries, screams, shouts. All could be heard from the containment chamber, none of the women were aware of the sheer horror unfolding above their heads.

Hours passed, they all waited in fear, sweating profusely as they held their loved ones closely.

"Xenia, listen to me, come here." Charleen whispered, pulling Xenia aside. Every other person was facing the door, completely engulfed with unbridled fear.

Charleen had a pool of tears running down her cheeks. Her hair was a mess, and so were her clothes, still bloody from childbirth.

She writhed in pain, but she bent over and pulled and pulled carpet back, revealing an entrapment, small enough to fit a child.

Charleen rubbed Xenia’s face as they both cried relentlessly. "My... girl, my beautiful girl," she whispered between sobs, "My... son. Listen to me Xenia, you take your brother and go down there, and you don’t come up until I scream your name and tell you it’s okay to come up, do you understand?"

Xenia nodded frantically as she held the little boy in her hands. Trying as hard as she could to stop herself from bawling her eyes out.

"Go! go!" Charleen said, immediately guiding Xenia into the hole in the ground.

It was a dark and small enclosement, completely filled with ash. She coughed as her mother closed the latch, holding the baby in her small hands.

She waited and waited, she knew not how long she was there for. Hours, maybe days.

She heard screams, she felt an overwhelming heat, and then there were no sounds, only complete silence.

Her brother had stopped making any sounds by now.

"Mother!! Mother!!" She screamed for her mother, but all she got in response was silence.

Eventually she began to push, she pushed and pushed with all her might until the latch swung open.

She climbed out and immediately was met by a horrifying sight. All the people, dead. The women, the children, her mother. All burnt to a crisp.

She walked slowly amongst the burnt corpses, unable to even recognize which one was her mother.

Her eyes were wide with terror, her body trembled, she was unable to breathe.

She walked and walked until she was out of the castle. All she met in the town was more death, more horror.

She finally broke down and fell to her knees, her face and clothes covered in soot. She tried to wake Criston up, but he wouldn’t budge.

Placing her fingers over his nose, she discovered that the baby was no longer breathing.

She wailed, and wailed uncontrollably, until there were no tears left to cry.

_ _ _

"Xenia! Xenia!" The voice echoed like a distant memory in her mind, she slowly opened her eyes, the familiar faces of two men staring at her.

"Ah! great. Thank the heavens, you’re back."