[not sure if this fits the prompt but oh well]

If only they knew. Maybe then they wouldn’t point me out and mock my differences. Perhaps I would be respected, saluted even! But explanation leads to questions. I don’t like questions. I would much rather show them all who I am. Because then everyone would believe it and be too afraid to ask questions.

“Ever heard of a book? Maybe you should get one. You know, to help you think,” someone laughed, throwing an empty glass milk container at my head that I dodged. I didn’t have to look at it. Infact, not only did I dodge it, but I caught it too. My eyes hadn’t left the horizon while it flew straight to the side of my head. I have no patience for these people. They could all burn in hell for all I care.

“Yo, did you see that?!” Another whispered not so quietly. These children are silly. What could they possibly do for the future of man kind?

“Mhm! She caught it with easy!” The one from before shouted back.

“How about you pick up a book? It would be said as, ‘mhm! She caught it with ease’ my voice is cool and has zero emotion. Why should I care about them? With a single snap of my finger, they could all be gone.

~ “WHO ARE YOU, JUNO,” Horis shouts, bracing his hands against the stone wall behind him. It towers upward, straight into the heavens where the children of the gods use it as a jungle gym. I should know. I was among them before I was sent down to this miserable world.

“Your worst night mare,” I whisper. He had made his final mistake today. He had dared to question me and my decisions. All I was trying to do was help the army advance, but apparently Horis thought I wasn’t to be trusted. That I wasn’t skilled enough or educated enough to be making such a decision. Stupid on his part.

“Who are you,” Horis said, trying to match my cool, emotionless voice.

“You know me as Juno down here, but above, I am Sayhanah, goddess of war, power, and death. You and the rest of these mortals have been testing me all these years and it ends now. You all will be punished. Mortals will first experience years of war, then many more poisoned with plagues. You will all fall one by one until a new generation, a respectful one, emerges,” I say softly. Despite the tone I use, my voice echos as I call upon the immortal powers I had long since buried inside myself.

“Oh gods…” Horis breathes, watching me with a frightened stare.

“I place this curse upon the continent of Tohana from now until I see you have evolved. Do not make the same mistakes you have made in the past. Hear my words, mortals of Tohana, for I am Sayhanah. The goddess who holds your lives in her hands. You are doomed to a life time of suffering,” my voice grows louder, and echos more and more as I ascend upwards, my appearance changing in the process. The whole continent can hear me now. Good. They will feel my wrath.

Wind exploded through the tree line, tossing many old pines into the sky like toothpicks. Uzugi watched in horror, the group of men stood frozen by fear. The one closest to Mogi had started to run, dropping his blade as the first burst of power erupted through the dense forest.

Mogi was floating in mid air, her body taken over by swirling red waves that looked like tattoos made of flowing lava. A hand raised pointing it towards the group of stupid men trying to rob them on the road.

“Mogi don’t !” Uzugi quickly jumped over a tree that had fallen, running over to her young friend.

“Get out of my way!” Her voice was harsh and demonic sounding, as Uzugi stopped just short of her outstretched hand.

“They can’t hurt you”

“They wanted to do more then hurt us…. I could hear their thoughts!” She looked over at the men, some praying, others starting to plead for their lives or mercy.

“You know they can’t….” Uzugi’s voice was calm as she reached out to touch Mogi.

Her tan skin met with Mogi’s pale skin, the flaming tattoos were cool to the touch. Mogi’s eyes met hers, the red starting to fade. Mogi fell into Uzugi’s outstretched arms. Out cold.

“She’s a demon!” One of the men shouted, Uzugi glared at him.

“She’s a monster!” Another added in.

“She’s a girl! And if anyone speaks a word of this to anyone. I’ll hunt you down and end your life.” Uzugi watched them all start to run. “It’s ok little one, I’ll protect you”

Uzugi carried her young friend for miles. Finally reaching a town when the sun started to rise. Thankfully Mogi’s small frame made her very easy to carry. Stepping into a small inn at the edge of the town, a small old woman behind the counter.

“You revealed in the ways of the light” Uzugi spoke without looking away from a large painting that hung just above the right of the counter.

“Light rises and falls but darkness may only be cast away for a time.” The old lady smiled at her , a few teeth missing from both the top and bottom rows. “Right this way dear, I have a room for you two”

Walking down the long hallway , red and black decor littered the walls. The woman stopped at a door made of steel, a well known symbol etched into it.

“Weary travelers be warned, Darkness is always watching” Uzugi said out loud and the doors tumblers started to fall away.

“You two are so young…. Have a nice stay” The old woman retreated from them without another word. Just the shuffling of her feet.

The room was much bigger then it looked on the outside. Smack dab in the center of the room stood a pool filled with a black liquid. Like water except instead of being still it was rippling as if someone was standing above it letting drops fall into the center.

“Rest little one” Uzugi kissed Mogi’s forehead quickly as she started to lower her into the pool.

Slowly her body started to sink, until her eyes flashed red for a second. And it all turned solid red, Mogi was moved by the liquid. Floating on her back, hair flowing in the ripples.

Two days went by without Mogi moving in the red pool. Uzugi watched over her like a hawk, running to fetch food for herself only twice a day.

Laying at the edge of the red pool Uzugi looked down on Mogi’s pale face. It had been two days, the last time it had only taken a few hours in the recovery pool.

“Run girls!!” The old woman’s voice gurgled from the other side of the door. As blood started to flow through the small bottom crevices.

“Mogi wake up!” Uzugi yelled, reaching for the girls arm in the pool.

As she stretched over the pool of red the steel door exploded of its frame. Flying just out of range of Uzugi. Looking at the door she gasped. In the doorway stood a boy, short white hair, a black bandanna wrapped around his face and neck, yet his bare chest was full of the red tattoos Mogi had.

“Isn’t she cute sleeping peacefully?” The boy took a step forward wiping his bloody blade on the brown cargo style shorts he wore.

“Who are you!” Uzugi pulled her blade and pointed its sharp tip at him, half challenging/ half threatening.

“Your new? I wouldn’t fall into the red. Even touching it the slightest bit could make you one of us….. it’s extremely painful…. So I’d advise against it “ The boy chuckled taking two more steps, each step coming closer to the pool.

“Not another step!” She shouted, sword in hand ready to swing.

“I dare you to swing it at me” He laughed a bit more, then licked his lips deviously. “Get ready!”

In one failed attempt she quickly unsheathed the blade and swiped. Only for him to catch the blade in his bare hand. Laughing as he pulled it without hesitation or a single cut. She let it go without a fight, dropping to the red edge.

“Please Mogi” She started to sob, reaching out for the girls hand.

“I could use another sister” With a swift kick, Uzugi was falling forward.

For as long as the kingdom of Aros has stood the mages have been in power. Our society is entirely reliant on magic in-fact, most of the citizens owe their lives to the mages of the Council. I once knew the mages well though I was ostracised the moment they realised what I was capable of. I lost the trust of all the people of Aros that day.

Instead of wallowing in pity and regret I decided to do something worthwhile. When the city of Aros was constructed by the powers of us mages a deal was made. The four of us made a vow to each other that the true purpose of the city would never be revealed, that was about to change. However I would need a solution to the city’s secret and it wasn’t going to be easy to obtain.

Far into the mountains that surrounded Aros there was said to be a relic of great power. No one would dare tread into those lands out of fear for the stories that permeated the city. Stories of monsters, giants made of stone and dragons who swallow you as soon as they catch a glimpse of you. I however know of secret paths to take and tunnels built by the ancient races that no longer exist in this world.

I began my journey into the mountains not long after my exile. It was a trip no one else had made and I knew that my abilities would be integral to my survival. My first obstacle would be the stone giants that roamed the mountains. On rare occasion I would catch an unnatural movement of stone in the corner of my eye, at this moment I would remain still. I waited until I saw the creature move away, I knew stone giants only took interest in movement due to their lacking senses. You see the one thing that would get me through this was my knowledge, something that I valued above my magical abilities.

As I passed the giants I came to the base of a great mountain, this was where a tunnel was hidden. I felt the stones around me until one stood out to me. One of the stones was slightly warmer then the rest I knew this was the answer to the puzzle. By pressing my weight into the stone it began to shift and with a click a passage was revealed. I felt glad that I valued the books in the great library more then my colleagues who when all that they wanted was theirs felt no need to pursue further studies.

As I travelled through the tunnel darkness engulfed me I cast a spell that granted me night vision. The tunnel felt endless but after hours of walking I saw light ahead of me. As I got closer I saw that the light was emanating from a large crystal. This was what I was searching for, this is the solution I was after.