LAURA

With each step I take closer to the Temple, I notice the people standing on the massive stone steps that lead inside go down on their knees as they see me. Even with a cloak covering my entire body. They know it is me. They sense my presence. 

I lead the five female Dihipians that I've specifically chosen for this ritual. It's a perfect day for The Dran. I've been looking forward to this day for a hundred years. The need to release has left me anxious, relentless and unstable. 

I enter the temple, and see people surrounding The Golden Fountain, praying no doubt. My footsteps direct attention to me and all murmuring stops. As one, I watch each of them move away from the fountain, turn in my direction and get on their knees, bowing to me, just like the people outside. I ignore them and move my hand to remove the hood of the cloak covering my face. I raise my eyes to meet those of The High Priestess, Gaea, the one person who isn't bowing. She's standing at the other end of the temple. She knows why I have come. She knows what must be done.

She nods and raises her hand with her palm facing the crowd. "Fidi." She tells the crowd. Without raising their heads to look at me, they stand up and march out. I don't miss the way each and every one of them shakes with fear.

After clearing everyone out, The High Priestess approaches. She appears different from me and the five Dihipians standing behind, perhaps it's the difference in colour, where me and the five wear black cloaks. The High Priestess is all white from the colour of her hair to the skin hiding beneath her cloak.

"El-Sah-El." She bows when she reaches my front in a polite gesture. "Cewolme oh fil a pewor fertarn, ekat venet pulce ork la Drané," She speaks her words in the native Dihipians tone. She welcomes me to the temple and tells me to take my place inside The Golden Water for the power release to take place.

I acknowledge what she says by spreading my arms out. Two of my five Dihipians come to stand at my side. The High Priestess gently unclasps the bind holding my cloak together as they proceed to slip it off, leaving me with nothing but the markings of my life force covering my body.

Following the High Priestess instructions, I begin to walk towards The Golden Water, a never ending pond that the water in The Golden Fountain comes from. The water begins to glow as I near it. It senses my presence. My soul is connected to the water just as the water is connected to my soul.

The Dran is a very painful process but I am not afraid, this isn't my first time doing it and it certainly won't be my last. I drop my hands on the edge of the tub, bracing myself. I move and place my legs inside, one after the other. The moment I feel the water beneath my feet, I watch as the clear water turns black. I continue submerging myself, not stopping until the rest of my body is inside the water. I shift and lay underneath the water, ensuring my head is covered as well. My fingers intertwine on my stomach with my eyes wide open.

Let The Dran begin.

I can see through  the water covering me that The five have taken their places around me. Two are standing on each side while the fifth is standing behind with The High Priestess opposite her. The High Priestess draws her hands out, prompting the five to do the same, and they begin to chant.

"Yas tihw em, da Llac thorf di pewor oh Lurytendra, El-Sah-El El Di Hipsodat."

The Dran doesn't have a specific time frame, sometimes it’s a long process, while other times it can be quick, it depends on how I'm feeling... It all depends on me. Today, I know my body is feeling up to it, but my mind is clouded and without focus making it possible that this process may take days to complete. I want nothing more than to rid myself of these powers, but I can't stop thinking about the rogue general.

"Yas tihw em, da Llac thorf di pewor oh Lurytendra, El-Sah-El El Di Hipsodat."

The Golden water begins to boil, growing darker under the chants. It's working… I can feel it… I can feel my body changing, my powers growing. I can feel them fighting for release. I feel them preparing to leave my body, until I hear the familiar, yet strange voice in my head, calling my name.

"Lurytendra!" I recognize my father's voice and his tone makes it known that it's urgent. This concerns me, causing a shift in my emotions, making the powers that were ready to leave flow back in.

I shut my eyes and ponder on possible reasons why father is summoning me. I can't think of anything except that he needs me and I need to answer him.

"Lurytendra." He calls once more, this time with a warning. I need to be with him right away. One thing is for sure, I can't complete The Dran today, and not doing it today means I will have to wait for another hundred years. I have no choice, The King calls and I answer.

I open my eyes to see The High Priestess and The five still chanting. It pains me to do this. I know how hard it was for The five to do it, what they went through to get selected. How hard they've been preparing for this their whole lives. The High Priestess had been looking forward to this day just as I was, but now I need to leave.

As I bring my head out of the water, The High Priestess stops chanting and opens her mouth to speak. I stand up and get out of the tub, not missing the confusing look on their faces. I don't have any explanation for them, but they should know I'm doing this for a reason.

"Kaya mula ak de sifundi ala Drané El-Sah-El." The High Priestess reminds me of what I already know, it's dangerous for me to just leave in the middle of The Dran but I'll take my chances.

I pick my cloak up off the ground and put it on before opening the door. There is no one outside, they know what's happening inside or rather what was supposed to happen. It's a good thing there's no one here because I do not know what will happen if I'm around anyone. Stopping right in the middle of The Dran is something I have never done and I know nothing of the ramifications.

All that matters now is going to see my father. I elevate and fly to El Dih, The Upper Lands, where only royals live.

I pay no attention to The Darians, the non royal citizens, the lesser beings of Dihip as I fly across the streets of Hipsodat, The Lower Lands. 

I land outside the palace and head straight towards my father's chambers. The guards bow as I walk past them but I don't acknowledge them. Without stopping, I burst into my father's private study. I stop when I see him, my father, The El of Di Hipsodat. Ruler of the realm. He is standing with his back to me, his attention is outside on The Lower Lands. 

El Dih is the tallest and most secure place on Di Hipsodat. Father has always said that he learns the most about his subjects by simply gazing at them from his private study.

"El." I sink on my knees, bending until my forehead is touching the ground. Announcing my presence. Even though my father is El, he doesn't treat me like his daughter. I am his subject, nothing more, and he gives me no special treatment.

"Lurytendra." He acknowledges me, he undoubtedly knows it’s me,  I'm the only one who dares to barge into his private study. My actions are punishable by death but I'm getting a pardon because he summoned me urgently.

I raise my head and rise on my feet. "El." I bow. 

"El-Gar-El nes Riga, yac vet pouh lavo shal." My father tells me. The royal gatekeeper and seer of all have found the rogue general. He wants me to go find him and kill him.

"Di yak la venze elo oh ork Drané." I am my father's executioner, and I do everything he asks of me. Today, I let him know what it cost me to be here. He knows how important The Dran is to me.
          
"Lurytendra." He warns, clearly not appreciating the cost I’ve paid by not completing the Dran and how long I must wait before I get the chance again. 

I nod, not talking further. "Zek ful ank so El." It will be my honour to bring my father the betrayer's head.

I turn away and walk out of the room. I fly to The El gates, the door that leads to everywhere in the universe. El-Gar-El is already waiting for me, it's no surprise since he told my father about the whereabouts of the betrayer.

"El-Gar-El." I call his name after seeing him nod.

"El-Sah-El, Ereh to?" He asks where I'm going.

"Riga."

He nods and turns away from me to open the portal to Riga. The cloak burns away from my feet to my hair, revealing my combat uniform.

"Sege." El-Gar-El tells me when the portal opens. With no words I walk closer and step inside the portal that will lead me to where Riga is.
          
The portal takes me to a desolated realm and vanishes. I'll call on El-Gar-El when I'm finished. Something about this place feels familiar. I want to call on El-Gar-El to make sure this is where he found Riga because I remember this place. I've been here before. The last time I was here, it was to fight a war. A war I won with General Riga by my side. We wiped the entire race and destroyed the realm. The bones and broken buildings are all that’s left after the war. 

Why would Riga be here?

I take a step to look around for Riga but I don't get far as he and his soldiers begin to appear one after the other using some kind of portaling device. Riga didn't possess any powers the last I saw him but he must’ve acquired some, because it takes a lot to create a stable portal that can allow the passage of hundreds of soldiers.

After all these years, I finally found him. I will not make the same mistake I made the last time. Riga will die today.

"Losta faltu di du gad nent fi sul." I ask him to surrender peacefully and his death will be quick. 

"Acklam, Lurytendra, v–" He begins but doesn't finish as I toss a dagger at him, it hits him right on his forehead. Riga doesn't flinch or show any reaction. It's like the dagger didn't even touch him but I'm looking at him now, I see the blade impaled on his forehead.

"Laura-El." I correct him. It is a grave sin to call me by my given name, Lurytendra. The only people allowed to call me that are my father, The High Priestess and Gar-El. Most refer to me as El-Sah-El, Princess while others call me Laura-El, it's another form of calling me by my birth name but with respect. Riga knows this.

He removes the dagger stuck in his forehead and drops it on the ground. I watch as the wound closes. That is another thing that’s different about him. He never used to be able to heal so quickly.   

       
"Du calombo vetnit no ah Lurytendra." He says I shouldn't have done that, calling me by my birth name again. Riga wants me to get angry and he just succeeded. The anger I've been holding on to since he slipped through my grasp during his execution. He made a fool out of me and now I will make him pay for everything he's done.

I open my palms and call forth the Elsword. He healed from my dagger but no one can survive the Elsword's cut. I begin to run towards him, but before I can cut off his head, he smirks and mouths 'yaklam'. He says goodbye and then vanishes. Not just him either, every one of them is gone.

No. No, no, no, no, no. This can't be happening. Not again. Not again!

I put the Elsword away and call for Gar-El. Riga played me for a fool again. But why would he have let himself be found just to vanish? Why go through all the trouble?

Gar-El and I have been trying to find him for years but even the seer of all couldn't find him. Today, we found him. The day of The Dran. Riga must have let himself be seen. He must have planned all of this because he knows what today is. He has everything orchestrated. He is smart and I know whatever he's planning is big.

"Gar!" I call on the gatekeeper again. What's taking him so long? He never used to keep me waiting. I call on him and he answers, but now it's like he's not listening at all.

"Gar!" I shout his name and I’m met with nothing.

I close my eyes to connect with him internally but a strange feeling arises. The feeling of home isn't there. I can't feel Gar-El. I can't feel my father. I can't feel Di Hipsodat. Something strange is happening. Something I cannot explain.

I take a step forward and begin to walk but stop when flashes of Di Hipsodat appears in my head. I can't make out what I'm seeing but I know my home is under attack and I'm not there to defend it, perhaps it is part of Riga's plan.

"El-Gar-El!" I scream and the portal appears.

What took him so long?

I jog towards the portal and jump in. The portal opens and drops me on my back, I land on the ground at the same time a surge of dark energy leaves my body, not sure what that means. I know at that moment that the portal wasn't created by Gar-El. I open my eyes and it connects with something bright, I have never seen anything as bright as that. It's not just about the brightness. The noise I'm hearing. The smell that hit my nose is like no other. I stand on my feet and notice the strange place I am.

My eyes fall on the ground where I’ve landed. The surface is different, nothing like I've seen before and my landing damaged it.

"Umm..." I look around for anything familiar but I find nothing. Everything is strange. I turn around and bump into someone in the process, making him stagger back.

I see him look me in the eyes. How dare he? And the look on his face is not pleasant. 

"Watch where you're going bitch!" He glares at me and walks away.

His use of a foreign language tells me that I'm no longer in Di Hipsodat. I don't know where I am. 

I make a move but don't get far as soldiers begin to appear around me. I recognize their uniforms. These are Riga's men.

Riga, what did you do?

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