~Carnire~ Year: 1376~ (Procul Universe) Age: 16

Gracia knew that Mark never saw her the same after what happened in their training session. After he had helped her down safely on the platform, he just sat there, staring at her as if she were... alien. No smile, no anger shown on his face. Just an intense and somewhat cold stare.

"Took you long enough to help me dummy! I was tired of just being floating around. Do you have any idea how- Mark?" Gracia asked, seeming to just notice the somber look in her friend's face.

She reached a hand out to set it on his shoulder, only to be surprised as he slapped it away from him, standing up and taking steps back.

Gracia immediately retreated her hand, a hurt expression on her face as she stood up after him, taking a step forwards to him. "Mark.... What's wrong?" She asked him hesitantly, her tone that of curiosness yet it was serious. The air around them had turned tense all of the sudden.

Mark kept staring at her, his eyes boring on hers as he shook his head and turned around. "You... How did you do that?" He asked her, avoiding her question as he started picking up his things.

Gracia shook her head, shrugging as she watched him starting to collect his things. "I have no idea Mark, but isn't it amazing? I can fly now! Of course, I need a bit of practice, but I am sure I can master it in no time! Think about the things we can do with my new abili-"

"Shut up!" Gracia jumped startled, her words getting stuck in her mouth as she looked at Mark. "Just... shut up, I don't want to hear anything about your stupid abilities Gracia." He continued, facing her with such hate that made Gracia's heart shrink.

"Mark... what are you talking about?" She spoke calmly, a hint of fear in it as she remianed frozen in spot. "I knew there was something about you." He started again after a moment of tense silence. His jaw was clenched and his hands were balled in a fist.

"There was something about you that wasn't normal at all. And now... I knew I was right." Gracia's expression turned into that of confusion as she took another step forward, stopping as she saw Mark's menacing glare. "Mark... I don't know wh-"

"Just shut up and listen you freak!" He spat back, Gracia's heart shrinking more as she now took a step back, tears gathering up at the corners of her eyes. Why was Mark treating her like that? Why was he being so cold towards her all of the sudden? Was it because of her powers? Was it because she could do things that humans only dreamed off?

Was it because she was... a freak? She thought he was her friend now matter what happened, but now she knew she was totally wrong.

"I don't know what you are or why you are here." Mark proceeded with the same cold and hating tone. "But the thing I know is I don't want you near me again." He finished off, walking off without any more words spoken towards Gracia.

As he left, he not only took with him many years of great friendship and recently love, he took the little happiness that she had left in her life. Her family had passed away in an accident, and she was all alone. But Mark was always there for her, helping her through dark times by spending time with her and even making her smile once again. And yet... it seemed everything was just a lie. If Mark was truly her friend, he would have never seen her differently, no matter what.

Gracia fell to her knees, her gaze fixed on the floor as she tried to process what just happened. She stayed sitting on the floor, the weather seeming to be in the same mood as she was in as it started raining.

She looked up at the sky, tears running down her cheeks and washed away by the rain. She let out a scream out loud to the rain, her anger, fear and sadness all being shout out to the gray sky above her.

Gracia was never the same.

~Carnire~ Year: 1380~ (Procul Universe) Age: 20

The night was young, stars decorated the sky and the moon shone a bright white. The village was quiet, only a few lights were on here and there, and there was not a single person walking through the streets at that hour.

Except Gracia of course.

If you were any person walking through the streets at that hour and saw her, you would think she was a thief or some sort of assassin. Her looks could be deceiving, her face covered by an old cloth she had found at the corner of her house, her red cloak trailing behind her as the cold air of winter went through the village.

"Almost there" She told herself, spotting her house coming closer on each step she took. She kept looking around, knowing that if a royal guard saw her she would be in big problems.

As her house came up closer, her pace became more fast, her footsteps resonating around the street as she reached a hand out to open the door to her humble house.

It was too late.

Someone yanked her back by the hem of her cloak, making her stumble back as she trashed around, a strong arm wrapping around her neck and preventing her from moving forward.

"Is this the girl you solicited?" The guard questioned to someone, who seemed to be hiding in the shadows. Her suspicions were correct as she saw the person she least wanted to see right now.

Mark.

"Yes, she is the one we were looking for." He spoke with venom as he moved towards her, his darkened gaze looking her up and down. "What are your next orders general?" The guard spoke up again, Gracia's movements becoming weaker as oxygen stopped coming in and out her lungs.

Her eyes were slightly wide as she heard Mark's new title. She thought Mark hated the royal guards, but he might as well changed it after what had happened years ago in between them.

Mark stopped in front of her, his hands clenching into a fist as he pulled his arm back and punched Gracia across the jaw hard enough to knock the little amount of air she had left. She coughed to the floor, blood trickling down her lip as she glared at Mark.

"Take her to the dungeons, Lord Henry will definitely want to see her." He spoke up with a cold tone as he turned around the guard nodding and pulling Gracia to stand, pushing her towards the carriage parked up not far away from were they where.

She was thrown in harshly, her head hitting against the hard wooden seat, knocking her out cold. The door slammed closed and in the matter of minutes the carriage started moving, both men taking Gracia to what would be her new 'home'.

*****

She woke up with a start, her eyes darting around the small cell she was in, her hands chained to the floor, her red cloak and possessions gone. She groaned as she slowly started sitting up, trying to rub the black bruise that had formed on her forehead, only to being received by the chains that orevented her from moving freely.

She cursed under her breath, moving up so she was sitting back against the wall, her throat as dry as sandpaper, her body aching as if she had run for a thousand kilometers and her stomach grumbling from an intense hunger, which made her wonder how long she was out.

Her attention snapped towards the figure standing outside the cell, her eyes looking over to the small pile on the corner with her bag and cloak on top of it. "You woke up finally. You've been out three days." The voice spoke up, catching her attention as she didn't recognize who it was.

The jingle of keys sounded for a moment, the man unlocking the door and walking in with heavy footsteps towards her. Gracia closed her eyes tightly, scared of what that man might do to her.

The man crouched down in front of her, or so she sensed from the movement he made. She stayed still, waiting to be punched only to be received by a cold and wet cloth being gently pressed against her aching forehead.

Her eyes fluttered open as she looked at the man in front of him. He wasn't at all what she imagined. He actually looked... kind. The man seemed around forty, a beard decorating half of his face. He had chocolate brown eyes and his skin was slightly tanned, maling him look menacing. But she knew from his actions he wasn't at all.

The man offered her an assuring smile, cleaning off the dry blood that was left from the hit she received. "You surely received a heavy beating, no wonder why you slept for a long time." He spoke with a hushed voice, setting the cloth down as he poured a glass of watter from a jug that was in a table aside, motioning for her to open her mouth as he started to slowly pour the refreshing drink on her mouth.

Gracia closed her eyes, her body acting on instinct as she drank the water quickly, her dry throat being refreshened from the the much needed water. After she finished with all the glass, she opened her eyes as she stared at the man in front of him.

"Thank you, I really appreciate it sir" She said with a small smile, her first smile in four years.

Another chapter! I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. Thanks for reading and until the next chapter! Again, sorry for misspelling, it is kinda difficult to do it in my phone.