It was dark. And something - someone - was screaming. In pain. In agony.

At first, that was the only thing Delilah could sense. Unconsciously, she found herself following the noises.

The source of the noise was a lady. Delilah couldn't see her but her cries were saddening. Agonizing, even. Her small petite figure was surrounded by creatures. Unknown ones.

Some predators chased down their prey. Some ambushed from above in trees. Some simply charged towards their prey and overpowered it. These creatures would definitely fall in the third category. Delilah had seen first hand allot of predator/prey incidents while going in the deep woods for many years. It was best to be precautious at all times while in the woods and be aware of surroundings.

And that being said, if you don’t have a weapon to neutralize the threat then be able to fight for everything you have if attacked, then it's best to not spectate it at all. But she couldn't move. Her feet were rooted.

"Estas maldita." The words jolted her out of the trance and the dream she was experiencing on the night of her 18th birthday.
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"Are dreams real?" Delilah couldn't stop herself from asking as her family sat down to dine the next day.

"Depends." Aleksander, her elder brother said with a frown.

"No. Dreams really don’t have any meaning at all. They are not prophetic, they are not life altering and they are not epiphanic manifestations." Vincent, her second elder brother answered absently.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Estella's voice held concern as she asked her daughter.

Delilah wanted to do it on her own but the dream had held her up all night. She didn't want to hide something that harsh. So, she told them about her dreams.

"Was it the first time?" Elijah, her father asked.
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The dreams became more frequent and she got to realise that the human appearing in her dreams was none other than herself. The same grey eyes looked at her everyday when the demonic beasts devoured her.

One day, while walking in the palace gardens, she saw something similar to the creatures from her dreams. It was staring intently at her.

"Estas maldita." It muttered before disappearing in the shadows.

Scared, she stumbled backwards. In a moment of haze, she lifted her hands and wished that the creature would just burn. As soon as she thought that, yellowish flames started covering the entire area, burning everything in view. Stunned, she wished that the wind would extinguish it. No sooner than this thought left her mind, strong winds started blowing away the fire. Not extinguishing but, enlarging then. She rushed towards the garden fountain in hopes to collect the water and let the liquid do it's work. Before she could reach the fountain, tiny droplets started forming on her fingertips. And the fire was cooled down instantly. The ground damp from all the water.

In the kingdom of Kulungaz, mages could use only one out of all four elements. Hers being Earth, it was threatening to know that Delilah Yvaine Seren, the adopted daughter of the King, could use all four elements at her free will.

She stumbled backwards in an attempt to run and collided into Aleksander. His concerned eyes asked Delilah if she was okay. All she could do was show the devastation in front of him.
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"Try remembering something. Anything. There has got to be something common from your birthday to this day." Aleksander paced around the damp garden soil.

"It doesn't need to be something great. Any cloth or jewellery would do." Vincent pressed.

"I've heard that the demonic beasts need human sacrifice for granting something powerful. Could you possibly be part of something like that?" Estella asked again. All Delilah could do was shake her head.
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The next day while trying to fix the garden, she saw someone standing in front of herself. An old man. Somehow he felt familiar.

"Return me the powers you borrowed." He said hoarsely.

"I've nothing to return you." She maintained her stance.

"You have. Your powers, along with your life." He raises his hand towards her.

A wave of memories flashes in front of Delilah' eyes as she remembers walking in the very garden on her birthday night with the same man beside her. He gave her a bracelet in the disguise of a protective charm. Could it be some sort of artefact?

"You..." Delilah looks at the man with a knowing gaze. Seeing her totally unaffected with the revelation, the man gets confused.

"Why aren't you afraid? The beasts will come and get you!" He shouts angrily.

"They won't." Aleksander' voice came from behind.

"She already has a contract with them." Vincent added.

Delilah remembers trying to talk to the demonic beasts in both the garden and her dreams. They didn't want to interfere in the realm of humans and thus were bothered when someone tried to make a pact with their powers. That's when she decided to make a contract with them. She would readily give away all her powers and never interfere with their world.

But that wouldn't be enough. They were promised a life so they had to take one. That's when Delilah promised herself that it won't be hers. It would be his, who made her feel miserable all these days. This old man.

Delilah steps back and sees how the ground beneath the man turns pitch black. Some predators chased down their prey. Some ambushed from above in trees. Some simply charged towards their prey and overpowered it. These creatures definitely fell in the third category. After all, she, along with her brothers, were witnesses.
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Number of words :- 1000
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