Strena Powerless Part One

 The Small Tribe

Strena sat in the corner quietly writing down her adventures in the Archipelago that they had to pass through in the past couple of months. She remembered how she and Chashathrophogh had their faces yellow and the symbol that was painted on their foreheads. She wondered why Cerpheres never explained the meaning behind the yellow face paint. Yet, part of her, did not want him to. No, with Kitsuné Ryu inside her, she did not want to have the hope within her.

They came to a small island where they all got up and, wanting to spread their legs, they docked. Cerpheres dropped the anchor. They all got into a small boat and rowed themselves to the shore. They soon rowed to the small island. She looked up to see the little treehouses. None had walls but they did have roofs. Made of wood and bamboo. There were also small buildings on the ground which were beautiful green combs with brown walls. Then she saw the crops and the fruit trees. She saw children running to and fro screaming in some game of chance as the adults toiled away in their fields and trees. Some women were cooking and others were gutting fish that the men had caught.

“What a lovely village!”

Yes. Yes it is.

“It would be a shame if something bad would happen to it!”

As her head erupted with laughter, suddenly she felt fear strike her heart as she realized why he had said that. It spread throughout her body like a ripple. Yet she felt dread spread throughout her body as they came closer and closer to the island. 

“Cerpheres, do you know the native language?” Chashathrophogh asked.

“Yes, why?” He purred slowly.

“Then I will leave the talking to you. Don’t make me regret it!”

At this he licked his lips.

“I won’t!”

Strena went to open her mouth to speak and warn them but it seemed as if her lips had a will of their own as they did not move!

“Alright. But we could get some food from them. After all, we still have a long way to go.”

Bash narrowed her eyes on her.

“Yes. However, we need to keep in mind that if we did that then, they may not have enough later.”

She shrugged.

“Oh, right. Sorry I didn’t. Think about that.”

“Then do better next time!”

“I will!”

Stop it! Restrain me. Don’t let me get into that land! Don’t you even dare! Please don’t do this! Strana cried as they came to the beach. 

Please! He's going to kill them all! He’s going to kill them all!

“Come along Strena!”

“Coming!” Kitsuné Ryu sang.

So he used her body to chase after them. That was when Zaryb looked at her with a frown. Yet he spoke nothing as they arrived. Cerpheres walked up to them and spoke to them in their native tongue his greetings.

The elders looked at him with surprise. Yet they all relaxed as they continued to talk. Soon he turned back.

“He told me that he could help Strena and Zaryb.”

What!

“Shh! Don’t get your hopes up.”

“How?”

The man spoke and waited for Cerpheres to translate.

“There is a drink that we have that can help.”

“R-”

That was when Strena felt the surge of her magic and soon the man fell down, dead! Strena looked down at him in shock. She was taken back to her first kill and yet this was worse. She could not even let out her scream. 

That was when the children swarmed the dead body, crying. As they did she felt her face twist into a painfully wide and sadistic smile.

“Why cry? You’re soon going to follow!”

“Kistuné!”

Her hand went out and her eyes dropped to the cuff. 

“Shhh, you can just take a quick nap!”

Soon Chashathrophogh fell into a light sleep and soon Zaryb fell asleep along with Bash.

Then her eyes moved to the children.

No, no, no, please! No! Not them! Not the chil-

She felt the surge and they too fell.

She felt tears falling.

Stop it! Please! Just stop it!

That was when the women charged at her. Then she felt the surge.

No! No! No! Please, I’m begging you! Stop it! Don’t! Don’t do this! Please, don’t do this! Please, don’t do this! No! Plea-

They all fell before they could ever get near her as she could hear his laugh echo throughout her head. As she could do nothing but scream and scream in her head incapable of letting out a single syllable. She could not help but feel worse as she saw more coming at her.

She tried to repress the surge of magic but the demon king’s will was just too powerful and the magic was too powerful and the rest of the tribe exploded.

Then she felt it let go and she screamed and screamed as she wept and wept hitting the sand with trembling arms. Then she curled up in a ball as the nausea sank in and she just threw up. Then she collapsed in a trauma sleep still hearing Kistuné Ryu laughing in her head.