Imogen's escape

  ‘Two years since Imogen was adopted by Yuna

Azure.

Imogen wasn’t sure she had seen the skies clearer than this before. Some egrets flew above past where her gaze was fixed, looking like soldier birds in their W-formation. A warm breeze swept across the land under the moderate sun.

Imogen lay flat atop a raised part of the low-grass plane. Her arms cushioned her head like a pillow as she lost herself in her thoughts. She had only recently turned seven, but her physique looked more like a ten year old’s.

She wore light brown long sleeved blouse alongside a long deep-brown skirt that almost touched her ankle in her current posture.

“There you are, guess you’ve seen enough of the skies in this era, it’s time, Imogen.”

Yuna had approached Imogen from her right side while she was in dreamland. She sprang back to reality and turned her gaze to Yuna, who was holding a wooden box.

“Guess I like it here after all, father didn’t need to go through all that stress of procuring the ring.”

“I’m not gonna talk about that again, I’ve kept you safe this two years to send you wherever in the future. There’s nothing for you in this timeline anymore.”

Imogen sighed and sat up. “What if it sends me like…tomorrow?”

“The three rings are specific in what they do and are well synchronized, you’ll be sent far into the future, and continue in the timeline the other two have been sent to, this time with a two year leap from the one Accel used and four from the prior one.”

“Well what’s the point of running now eh, our quiet peasant life wasn’t threatened in this two years, I could just grow old and die here…”

“Except that won’t happen, we weren’t disturbed cus no one knows where you’re hidden, and they all think I’m dead. Another war’s also coming, and it’ll be worse cus it’ll happen quietly, and last a really long time. I just hope the ring sends you beyond it, it’s also why I can’t risk you staying, also learn to show some gratitude will ya!” Yuna’s face looked tense. She had been talking with her wrists resting on her waist, persuading her stubborn ward.

Imogen got up, and looked ahead at the mild forest ahead. The forest was still lush in this mid-spring season. She stretched her body, letting out relieved groans. She touched Yuna’s left shoulder.

“So, what do you suppose I should do when I get there?”

Yuna sighed. “Well…I guess your reasoning’s really profound for your age, but you’re still only seven, I wouldn’t advise you to live on your own for now, especially in an environment you wouldn’t know. I’d advise you find some couple people…good people to live with, perhaps a family if you can, maybe a gullible one, and blend in properly without showing off.”

Imogen removed her hand from Yuna’s shoulder.

“Wow, that’s…that’s strict, and wicked!”

Yuna opened the wooden box she was holding and brought out a ring. She then gave the box to Imogen. “Here, you know the contents of that box, it’s your father’s gift to you. Can never say what demons the future has. Keep it secret from everyone else and safe!”

Imogen received the box from Yuna. She went through its content and hummed. “Could have given me himself you know.”

“And one more thing, don’t hate your father will ya, you’ll just grow into a sad depressed child.” Yuna’s face had concern written all over it.

“Well it’s already been depressed a long time now, couldn’t get any worse could it?” Imogen looked at Yuna.

“Let’s get going!”

Yuna and Imogen headed for the forest ahead, which was about five hundred meters away from where they initially were. They took a clearing through it that was covered with dried leaves along the path, which crackled as they walked over it, and thick brush on either sides of the path.

After walking for a few moments inside the dense growth, they reached a clearing. The clearing’s floor was also covered with dried leaves, and trees surrounding the area. Yuna looked up at the sun, arching her right hand over her face as she did.

She made random movements with her left hand, with her thumb and pointing finger at right angles, pointing down on the ground. The ring she removed from the box was worn around her left pointing finger. It felt like she was trying to measure something with the help of the sun’s rays.

“Ya, this would do,” she said. She stopped the frequent movement of her left hand with her pointing finger directed towards a spot on the floor.

“What’s the point of that aunt?” Imogen asked, looking at Yuna with a slight frown.

“Nothing dearie, just showing off infront of you, hehe”

Imogen looked at her guardian with annoyance, and wondered how she could be fooling around now.

“And you ask me why I feel depressed most of the times…I guess this is one more major reason,” she said to Yuna with an eyebrow raised.

“I hear you. Just don’t be a goofball wherever you’ll find yourself.” “Ya!”

Yuna knelt on the floor, and began clearing leaves from a patch of the land with Imogen watching her. She then began drawing magical circles on the clearing. When she finished drawing, she started saying some incantations, with her eyes closed.

Not long after she started saying the incantations, she felt something which made her open her eyes suddenly.

“They’re here!” She shouted. She then looked at Imogen.

“Who’s here aunt?” Imogen asked with a worried stare on her face seeing the panic on Yuna’s.

“Yuna closed her eyes again and continued with the incantations, this time faster.

Imogen seemed to have picked up on what made Yuna panic, as she became more alert, listening for any sudden sounds or movements.

Soon, the magical circles started shining blue, and the ring around Yuna’s finger disappeared.

Imogen notices a shine from the brush infront of her and immediately stretches her hands forward. A weapon, shaped like a kunai blade drops infront of her.

“They’re coming closer aunt, hurry!” Imogen stopped two more similar attacks before it armed either of the two of them. Yuna looked up at her.

“Told you people would come for the ring, jump in. It’s ready!”

Imogen turns around and picks up the wooden box she had dropped on the floor. She looks at Yuna for a long time, for the last time.

“Go on, go on now. Don’t worry, well see in the afterlife, if there’s one, with your parents…I’ll even be watching you in the future you’re going to now cus I’ll most likely be dead by then. Now shoo!”

Imogen stepped over the blue circles. Her eyes were now tearing up. “Bye,” she said to Yuna, while carrying her box, waving with her other hand as she disappeared. She barely made out Yuna mouth goodbye, as well as tears rolling down her face too, and then, all she saw were lines of blue light, which made her dizzy until she eventually passed out.

*****************************************************************************

PRESENT TIMELINE

The sun above made the environment around scorching hot. The desert’s dry winds didn’t help either, as everything here was designed to drain life, yet, about five kilometers from the sand stone arch in this canyon desert was a sea, a vast one.

Under the arch were four people in brown clothing, two males and two females. The arch was raised about fifty meters above the ground.

One of the girls sat on the edge of the arch, with her right hand resting on her raised right leg, while the three others were standing behind her. The girl sitting wore an emerald ring around her right index finger. All four of them had their heads covered with black scarves to protect against the desert’s dusts, revealing only their eyes.

“So, how do we intend to enter Askander, Imogen?” The girl standing asked.

The other girl sitting looked ahead towards the sea, and replied; “We’ll be taken there Cheryl, we just have to bid our time.”

“Sigh, just how much time do we still have to wait for them to start?”

The girl sitting replied; “Patience!”

She then smiled, one that was visible through her eyes, eyes that had seen alot.