Prologue III

AVA

Not exactly.

Still, I watched as the man I had called my father for all the ten years of my life turned into a different creature...

Golden scales appeared all over his body, nearly ripping what was left of his clothes into pieces.

His arms... his legs… His neck…

Even his usual grey eyes, which were home to me, weren't left out. They glowed a strange purple just as a mark that looked suspiciously like a dragon appeared on the side of his neck. 

The pain I was feeling suddenly wasn't important anymore.

What in the world…

Transformation done, he swept my captor off his feet in one breath.

"I've had enough of you rogues." My father seethed. "If you want to die by my hands, then so be it."

Still hanging in the air, I hadn't even gotten the time to process his change when the blue shimmer, which I had become accustomed to, enveloped my mother. 

By the time it disappeared, she had changed, too.

Unlike my father, she had a cloak on, and her previously black hair had turned pure white.

I used to think the colour of her eyes was unusual, but it was nothing compared to the total darkness I now saw in them.

It was my first time seeing such a sight, but for some reason, it all felt awfully familiar.

Their appearances fitted the creatures from my mother's...

Impossible.

Side by side, my parents stood in a tense stance, two against the nine monsters.

"What do I expect from a f*cking witch and puny dragon?" The leader sneered. "Have it your way then." With an overhead wave, he called.

"Guys...

His followers howled in reply

—feast."

That was the thing I saw as chaos broke out.

The scene below me became a blur of blood and patches of torn skin... I could hear the snarls, the growls, the painful cries, but I had no idea whose it was. 

Whatever was happening was serious. My heart was in my throat, still reeling from my parents' identity reveal.

Dragon symbols... Black cloak and white hair—

I recalled the tales I'd been told daily for the past seven days. Each day, each description,  the desperation in my mother's eyes...

God, my mother's stories weren't just... stories.

Was this what she meant by "my powers"?

I couldn't believe it.

If my parents were... these, what did that make me? 

Whatever the answer was, I didn't get the chance to conclude. Because at that exact moment, a sorrowful cry echoed into the night.

And when I looked down—

My world stopped.

The fight had halted. Five of the creatures were lying dead on the ground, guts open, and two others were barely alive, lying in pools of their own blood.

Two plus five equals seven, which means only two were left.

My parents have fought well. They were winning this. I should be relieved.

But the sight below me said another thing.

In between my mother and the leader of the mutts was my father, and in his stomach the fist of the monster.

His mouth was open, dripping with blood, eyes wide, and hands spread out like it was a split-second decision.

The kind you make to protect a loved one.

With a malicious grin, the monster pushed his arm in deeper, earning a painful groan from my father.

“Please… please stop.” Mum cried,

Her pleas fell on deaf ears. Throwing me a quick, victorious glance, he yanked his arm out.

I screamed. My mother screamed, yet the bastard chuckled like it was a show.

"You should've handed her over when you had the chance. Too late! You lost. And now, I'm going to kill you and your brave mate. Then take your daughter as a mate for myself." He spat,

Apparently, that was the last push I needed.

A searing pain erupted from my chest as the fire surged. It turned red, blue, black, and finally, a golden hue.

And then-

I lost control.

Everything around me burned. Wolves screamed. Trees caught fire as the ground split into two.

I couldn't think. This wasn't the time to...

But if I could... I'd wonder if it was really me. If I truly was the one lifting over a hundred trees into the air. 

If I were truly the one controlling the haywire lightning.

Somewhere in the chaos, I heard the soft call of my name, but I was too far gone to understand.

I just wanted them all dead.

They started this. They attacked us first. They were going to pay.

"Ava..." I heard the soft call again.

It sounded like my mother, but could I be sure? 

If there was one thing this night had taught me, it was that there was more to what a person sees.

My whole life was a lie. What if the call was too?

"It isn't." Another voice rasped, 

I paused.

"Dad? Dad, is that you?"

He heaved,

"Yes, it is. Follow the voice of your mother. Let her help you."

I frowned, lost in the empty world that burned purple until I saw the blue shimmer again.

This time, I grasped it, letting it lead me till I found myself back in the familiar warmth of my mother's arms.

I blinked through the smoke.

The hunters were gone, and there wasn't a single body around. All that was left were ash and char...

"It's alright." She comforted, placing one hand on my heart. "Just close your eyes.”

“Mum?”

“Let me help you. You won't have to go through this ever again. I promise."

Her blue shimmer enveloped us both.

"I'm sorry, baby," she whispered, "It's the only way to save you."

To save me?

"Mum?"

"Ava, you're loved. Mummy loves you. Daddy loves you."

She was crying.

I didn't understand why, yet my heart broke from the immense level of sorrow I could feel coming from her.

"Remember, Ava, we love you so much. Your dad and I. And though things may be tough for a while, you'd always have help.”

A bitter smile crossed her face.

“You're more powerful than you think. With time, you'll get to know."

The more the warmth tightened, the more light left her eyes.

I grew lighter... fainter... and just before it came to an end,

My father's last words reached me,

"Remember who you are, Avalyn Drakara.” Remember who you are…"