� � � "Ava! Ava, honey! You need to come down!" Eva called out to her daughter in a panic. Ava, just five years old had already started to exhibit her gifts. At the moment she was floating above the mansion she and her family were living in, happily chasing a hummingbird that had landed on their roof as she flapped her little golden wings. Ava came from a long line of gifted people, the Donatus, who had extraordinary gifts and abilities that defied nature. It was said they came from the union of powerful Gods and Goddesses. In Ava's case, the deities were Lucjan and Lucia. Eva and her daughter Ava were direct descendants of the two deities. Eva's midwife, Angelina, who was a seer and a high priestess in their home town, Ortus, had foretold that Ava would start to exhibit her gifts early and that she was special. Eva, however, was not prepared for the experience of how that would show up. She found herself constantly worried about her daughter hurting herself, especially at an age where she had yet to learn how to control her abilities.

� � � Ava giggled as she glided in the air, her red curly hair whipping around in the wind and her caramel skin glowing in the sunlight as she chased the hummingbird that flew and perched on different spots on the roof and the branches of the willow trees around the mansion. Eva's stomach turned as she watched her daughter glide after the bird, occasionally slipping as she tried to sit next to the hummingbird just to float before she could fall. "Ava, honey! I need you to focus and come down slowly!" She called out to her daughter hoping she would listen. "Bird! Bird!" Ava giggled, her focus solely on the hummingbird that seemed to tease her. "You're going to fall ill if you worry any harder dear," Angelina said with a chuckle walking up to Eva.� ��

� � � "What if she gets hurt! Or flies away and gets lost! She's too young and untrained, at least I had some training when my abilities started showing up!" Eva rambled fidgeting her hands with her gaze firmly on Ava. She didn't want to miss a single beat just in case there was an accident. Right at that moment, Janan appeared from the barn to see what all the ruckus was about. "That's my girl!" He laughed as he watched Ava, his silver eyes that matched his curly hair glowing with pride. Eva nudged his side with her elbow sharply, her ocean blue eyes starting to water, "Don't encourage her! This is dangerous!" "It's okay, my love, I can get her down," Janan responded calmly trying to keep a straight face. He whistled and held out his arm and the hummingbird flew down and perched onto his shoulder. Ava followed suit and Janan caught her before she could set herself on his other shoulder.

"Good girl," he cooed as he held her in his arms while she reached for the hummingbird. The bird allowed her to get a few pets in before flying away. "Oh honey!" Eva sighed, rushing to her husband's side and wrapping one arm around her daughter and the other around Janan. "Thank you," she whispered into his ear. "I suppose Ava needs to start her training sooner rather than later, before you kill yourself with worry," Angelina joked with a lopsided smile. Eva threw a glare her way, a warm glint in her golden eyes, her long red curls dancing as the wind blew around her, a smile tugging at her lips. Angelina was a dear friend to her and Ava's godmother, Eva trusted her with her life. Her skin was a glowing olive tone with tattoos that ran from her forehead down to her chin and neck and several others covering her arms and shins, her kind eyes were forest green with specks of silver, her silky curls a dark purple and her tall lean stature was intimidating to those who didn't know her. She had many decades under her belt but she looked young and radiant. She was a free spirit, stern when she needed to be and warm to those she loved. Angelina spent most of her time with Eva and her daughter, helping her train Ava and most importantly, keeping Eva calm during Ava's practice sessions.

5 Years Later

� � � Ava was ten years old when Angelina and her mother first took her through the tunnels under the mansion to the River Lumen that flowed beneath the Fanum, the biggest sacred temple in Ortus. Ava was already taller than most kids her age, taking after both her mother and father in height. Her golden eyes twinkled with excitement and the silver specks in them glowed as they entered a cave and approached the glowing rainbow-colored river. "This is the River Lumen, one of the best kept secrets between only a few families. Lumen is said to have streams all over the world underground just like this, running through the most powerful lay lines which is where most Donatus civilizations are located. The honor of being the head guardians of the river has been passed down our family for generations and when you go through your initiation that honor will be passed down to you," Eva explained. "Whoa! Why does it glow like that?" Ava asked completely entranced by the river. "It's said to be a portal that allows those who jump in to travel anywhere instantly. The waters are also used for healing, sometimes bringing back the newly dead whose time isn't up yet and connecting to the ancestors," Angelina explained. At this point Ava was bouncing on her heels, she wanted to jump in but didn't want to unintentionally travel to a strange land and get lost. "Don't worry, working with Lumen will be part of your training, which is why we brought you here today," Eva said with a chuckle as if reading her mind.

� � �� "For your first lesson, we're going to be connecting to our ancestors," Eva said sitting next to the river and patting the ground beside her for Ava to join her. "I want you to close your eyes and focus on your blood that connects you to those who came before you and call out to them," Angelina said, gently grabbing Ava's hand and dipping her fingers into the water. Ava felt a rush as she followed the instructions. "Hello, my child," a woman's voice echoed through the cave. Ava jumped to her feet in surprise as she opened her eyes. Before her was a crowd of her predecessors floating above the river and a woman stepped forward. She had purple eyes with glowing golden specks, beautiful caramel skin that glowed with golden tattoos and long red curls with streaks of gold. She was so beautiful that all Ava could do was stare in awe, her jaw slack. "Close your mouth dear," the woman chuckled, placing her fingers under Ava's chin. "I'm Lucia, this is my husband Lucjan," the woman said pointing to a man who stepped forward to stand beside her. Lucjan was equally awe-inspiring with his short golden curls, golden skin and kind blue eyes that glowed with golden specks. He was tall and well built. Lucjan smiled warmly at Ava as she stared at him with wide eyes. "We are the first of the Lucian family and these are our descendants," Lucia gestured to the rest of the ancestors who stood behind her, all smiling and nodding at Ava in greeting. Clearly their family had the height thing going, Ava thought to herself and Lucia laughed out loud as if hearing her thoughts while the others behind her chuckled. "Yes darling, we can all hear your thoughts," Lucia said in between her giggles.

� � � Ava could hardly believe her eyes, she wanted to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Eva and Angelina were still seated, their eyes on Ava. For a moment Ava had completely forgotten about them. She never thought she'd meet the great Goddess Lucia and the great God Lucjan. Lucjan bent down, leveling his eyes with Ava as he placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke, "Always remember we are all with you, all our strength runs in your veins and you can call on us whenever you need us." His voice was deep and rich with warmth and love. "And always remember that you are capable of achieving whatever you set your mind to, you come from greatness and shall do great things for your people," Lucia spoke and bent down to embrace Ava. "We will meet again in the land of the living," Lucia whispered into her ear and pulled back with a wink and a knowing smile as she and the others faded into a golden mist, waving their goodbyes. Ava wondered what Lucia had meant but shook her head and turned to her mother and godmother, eager to learn more.

Ava was a fast learner and the more she practiced, the more abilities she discovered. She could fly and manipulate the wind, she was a great healer, she was a gifted medium and was great at working with the nature spirits and the elements. Her father, Janan taught her how to fight and hunt. He had insisted that she learn to defend herself in case she ever got into trouble. "People in the world out there fear what they don't understand and what they fear, they attack and seek to eradicate," he'd told her often. In Ortus, having magical abilities was natural and normal, but as she grew and interacted with those in her town who came in from other places, she quickly learned that there was a whole world out there where people didn't have abilities and persecuted those who did. The Execratus, the mundanes called them. Her mother Eva reminded her constantly that they were gifted, not cursed as the mundanes thought. It wasn't so hard for Ava to understand, she lived in a town where everyone had different gifts and did wonderful things with their abilities, always helping each other.��

� � � Theirs was a peaceful community where they took care of each other and lived in harmony with the nature around them.

Ava began to understand just how dangerous the world outside was when she turned thirteen. She'd wandered into Fanum one afternoon looking for Angelina when she saw them. Refugees who'd undoubtedly come looking for safe haven. A few of them were laid out on the ground as Angelina and other priestesses hovered over them, pouring water from the River Lumen and muttering under their breaths in their ancient language. Some of them had horrible burns, some had stab wounds and some of them were covered in cuts and marks from ropes. Ava stood in the corner, watching as the priestesses worked to heal the injured while their loved ones hurdled together, sorrowfully watching and waiting to see of their loved ones would be saved. Ava couldn't understand how people could be so cruel and brutal. When Angelina finally looked up and spotted her, she motioned for her to join and instructed her to mix some of the healing elixirs that Ava was already familiar with. Once the injured were healed, Ava followed Angelina and the other priestesses as they lead them and the other refugees out to a mansion next to the Fanum where they housed new refugees and the healing who needed extra care while they recovered. As Angelina helped the others, Ava walked up to a boy who trailed behind them. He seemed alone, like he had no family or friends in the group.

"Hi, I'm Ava. What's your name?" She introduced herself with a warm smile, holding her hand out to him. The boy stopped and watched her warily before reluctantly shook her hand. "I'm Ries," he muttered and then turned to continue following the others. "Maybe I can show you to an empty room? There's enough room for everyone," Ava said gently grabbing his hand and walking ahead of him. Ries nodded and followed Ava as she lead him down one of the corridors to an empty room at the end. The room was bigger than Ries had expected, bigger and more beautiful than the room he had back at home. His sorrow came rushing back, overtaking his relief as he remembered his home and he let go of Ava's hand, wrapping his arms around himself. Ava quickly rushed around the room, retrieving a change of clothes and a towel for him from the closet and laying them on the large bed. "The room is self contained, the bathroom's right here in case you want to get cleaned up immediately and there are more clothes in the closet, I'm sure there are more in your size in there," she rambled as she opened the door to the bathroom to reveal a toilet and a sizeable bathtub further in the bathroom. "You're safe here, feel free to clean up and rest. I'll come find you when it's time for dinner," Ava added and backed out of the room, closing the door behind her as she went to find Angelina. She felt sorry for the boy and the other refugees, she could only imagine what they'd went through.

� � � Ava found Angelina outside heading back into the Fanum to clean up. "Godmother, what happened to those people?" She asked as they walked. "The Venator," was all Angelina said, her voice stained with sadness and anger. Ava had heard about the Venator Order, a group of humans who hunted and killed the Donatus. She couldn't help the rage she felt just imagining what those people had gone through. With a heavy heart, she helped Angelina clean up and left to go back home briefly with a promise to be back with food for dinner. Angelina was proud of the woman Ava was growing into, strong, kind and compassionate. She hoped Ava would never have to deal with the kind of tragedy the Venator inflicted on their kind.

"Mom!" Ava called out as she walked into her home. "In here!" Eva called out from the kitchen. Ava ran and fell into her mother's arms in tears. "Oh honey, what happened?" Eva asked worriedly. "I saw it, mom! I saw what happened to them! How can people be so cruel?!" Ava cried into her mother's shoulder. Eva didn't need an explanation to know what Ava was referring to. She rubbed her daughter's back, whispering words of comfort to her. Janan walked in just then and Eva looked up at him, holding his gaze as they conversed telepathically. Janan closed the short distance in quick strides and embraced both his wife and daughter. His heart broke as he listened to Ava's heart wrenching sobs. He knew the pain all too well. After a while, Ava gently pulled away and stood next to her parents, her eyes swollen. "I promised Angelina that I'd be back for dinner with food for the refugees. Will you help me?" She asked, her voice now raspy. "Of course honey," both Eva and Janan replied in unison. Once they were done and the food was ready and packed, Ava made her way to the Fanum with both her parents to help serve the food. Angelina met them outside and lead them to the mansion's dining hall, taking some of the bowls and organizing them. Ava and her parents were not the only ones who'd come to help, there were others who came behind them with baskets of food and fruits while others brought additional clothes.

� � � Ava excused herself and went to find Ries, knocking softly on his door. Ries opened the door, a surprised look on his face as if he didn't expect Ava to come back. "Hi," Ava greeted with a soft smile. "Hi," Ries replied, smiling back ever so slightly. His dark blue eyes were puffy and red as if he'd been crying. Ava looked him over as if seeing him for the first time. He was taller than her, his silky dark curls a stark contrast to his golden skin, he had long lashes and perfectly shaped eyebrows. He was lean and well built, Ava could tell even through his clothes. Ries observed her as she did him and when she noticed her cheeks flushed. "Sorry," she mumbled and cleared her throat. "I came to fetch you for dinner, are you ready?" She asked, her voice now steady. "Let me grab my coat," Ries muttered dashing back into the room and out, closing the door behind him as they walked to the dining hall. Ries was caught off guard by just how many people there were in the dining hall, especially the townspeople who'd come to help. Ava gently grabbed his hand and pulled him towards where her parents stood. "Ries, meet my parents. Mom, dad, this is Ries, one of the refugees," Ava introduced them to each other, telepathically adding to her parents that he'd come in without any friends or family. Eva couldn't help herself, she pulled the boy into a warm embrace and Janan gave him a warm but firm handshake. Ava grabbed a tray and scooped up some fried vegetable rice and chicken stew into two bowls and a couple of apples onto the tray then gestured to Ries to follow her to an empty table at the far end of the hall. She could tell Ries was a bit overwhelmed. "Thank you, Ava," Ries said holding her gaze as they sat down. "My pleasure, it's really no trouble," she said her gaze drifting down to her bowl as her cheeks flushed. They ate quietly, occasionally stealing glances at each other. Ava really didn't want to overwhelm him. Once they were done, she placed the empty bowls and bones on the tray and took them to the table that was set aside for dishes before returning to Ries who looked a bit lost, glancing around him at the people around him who sat together, eating and conversing. "Come on, I'll walk you back to your room," she said as she waited for him to follow her. When they arrived and Ries opened the door, Ava spoke behind him, "I'll come see you tomorrow, if that's okay?" "I'd appreciate that, thank you," Ries replied softly. "My pleasure. See you tomorrow," Ava said and walked to the dining room. Ries watched her only closing his door after she'd turned the corner.

� � � That night, Ries couldn't sleep as the events of the attack that led him to loose his family and home replayed in his mind over and over again. He also couldn't stop thinking about Ava, she was kinder than he'd experienced back in his home town. Maybe this place was different, he thought to himself. Ava on the other hand tossed and turned in her bed that night, afflicted by nightmares of the Venator. When she awoke it was a little past midnight, her mind was too restless to allow her to go back to sleep so she opened her window, spread her wings and floated out into the dark night. She was fond of the night sky and she always found peace flying around by herself whenever she needed to clear her mind. She flew around the town, noticing just how beautiful it was with the glowing lamps lining the streets. She finally flew back and settled on the strongest branch she could find in one of the willow trees that towered over her home, tucking her wings back in. She watched the stars and her mind drifted off to Ries. Her heart ached for him, for what he must have gone through. Suddenly her mind was flooded with what she assumed were Ries's thoughts, she saw his memories of the life he'd lived, the tragedy he'd suffered, she felt his grief and his rage, her tears flowed freely down her face. Then she saw it, her face floating around in his mind, he thought she was beautiful and kind. She immediately placed her guard back up blocking it all out, heat creeping up her neck and flooding her face. She hadn't expected to see into his mind, her emotional connection must've disrupted the guard she normally had up in her mind to keep from being flooded with everyone's thoughts and feelings. He thought she was beautiful, she thought to herself blushing and then quickly reprimanding herself with a shake of her head as if to shake away the thought. He'd gone through a lot, this was not the time to develop a crush, she thought to herself, wiping her face with her sleeve.

� � � "Hello, Ava," a soft airy voice broke her stream of thoughts. She looked up to see a beautiful sylph, her turquoise hair, eyes and wings glowing in the night. Angelina had taught her about the nature spirits although she hadn't met them like this. "I'm Lyra, I see this is your first time meeting a sylph," the sylph, Lyra, spoke with a soft smile, her head tilted as she looked Ava over before joining her on the branch. "Nice to meet you, Lyra," Ava said as she too looked Lyra over. "Wow, you're so pretty!" She exclaimed, careful to keep her voice down as she regarded Lyra. "Thank you, so are you," Lyra giggled. "What are you doing out here at this time?" She asked. "Nightmares. I couldn't go back to sleep after the day I had," Ava answered staring out into the distance. Sylphs were said to always be around and they were telepathic, so Ava knew Lyra most probably knew what had happened. "I'm sorry, it really is quite daunting, the cruelty in the world," Lyra said, one of her wings wrapping around Ava. "Wanna fly around?" Lyra asked. "I think I still have a few rounds in me, let's go," Ava said, spreading her golden wings and jumping off the branch. Lyra quickly followed, her silvery skin glowing in the moonlight as they glided around each other and played in the skies. Soon, they noticed the sun rays peaking from the horizon. "Come on, I'll see you off," Lyra said as she flew down towards Ava's bedroom window with Ava closely behind her. "Will I see you again?" Ava asked as she climbed into her room. "Of course, just call my name and I'll be there. I'll pop up to check on you though so you'll see me plenty," Lyra said with a smile. "Great, I'll see you soon," Ava cheerfully replied, leaving her window open and heading into her bathroom to prepare for the day.

"Momma!" Ava called out as she headed down the stairs. "In here!" Eva called from the kitchen. Ava found her mother and father in the kitchen making breakfast together as was their morning tradition. She hugged them both and walked around them to help. "What will you be working on today?" Eva asked her daughter.� �

� � � "Godmother said we'd be doing more practice on telekinesis and materialization," Ava mumbled in between bites. "I'm sure you'll perform wonderfully, show me some of it when you're back home, ey?" Janan said standing up to clean his bowl, kissing both his daughter's forehead and his wife. "See you later my loves," he added as he left for the barn to tend to the horses. "Will you be visiting Ries today?" Eva asked wiggling her eyebrows with a sly grin. Ava flushed and looked down at her empty bowl. Her mother simply laughed and took the empty bowls, kissing her daughter's cheek. "I'll come by the Fanum in the afternoon to check on your practice sessions. Now off you pop!"

� � �� Ava gingerly walked into the Fanum greeting her godmother who stood by the entrance waiting for her. "Hello my child," Angelina greeted her with a kiss on the forehead. "Hello godmother, where will we be practicing from today?" Ava asked looking around. "Actually, I was hoping you'd help me serve breakfast in the safehouse before we start," Angelina said with a grin, taking Ava's hand as they walked into the safehouse. "I'll be right with you godmother," Ava said as she went to find Ries. Ries opened his door just as she raised her hand to knock. "Hi, I was just coming to fetch you for breakfast," Ava said with a shy grin. "How was your night?" Ries asked innocently as they walked down the corridor. He'd felt Ava's presence in his mind the night before but his demeanor didn't give it away. "A bit restless but alright nonetheless," Ava replied as they walked into the dining hall. "I have to help my godmother serve breakfast, I'll be with you shortly," she added. "Let me help, please, I need something to do," Ries said fidgeting with the hem of his shirt as he followed her. Honestly crowds made him nervous and he couldn't fathom just sitting around all those people by himself. Once breakfast was served Ava sat with Ries. "Aren't you having some?" He asked as he noticed that Ava hadn't served any for herself. "Oh, I already had breakfast, I just thought I'd sit with you before I go for my training," she said, her fingers fiddling awkwardly with the hem of her sweater. "So, w-where did you come from? I-if you don't mind my asking," Ava stuttered. "It's no problem at all. I grew up in Vallis," Ries answered. "I've never heard of it, I don't really travel much. What was it like?" Ava asked. "It was a town of mostly mundanes, the only Donatus there besides my family was my best friend's family," he mumbled between bites. "It must have been hard having to fit in with mundanes," Ava said softly. "Not too much, it was sort of the norm for us. My best friend and I always stole moments here and there to practice in the woods when nobody was around," Ries said with a wistful glint in his eyes. "I'm sorry about your family and your friend," Ava answered placing her hand on his. "You saw it, didn't you? Last night," Ries asked, his eyes searching hers, wondering just how much she'd seen. "I didn't mean to, it just sort of happened," Ava flushed. "Would you like to join me for training?" She asked. "Sure, it's not like I have anything else to do," Ries replied with a low chuckle.

� � �� Training was going great, Ava was having fun with her practice and so was Ries, he'd never imagined using his gifts publicly without hiding. He wished his family and his best friend would have had the pleasure of living in a place like this, without fear of being found out. Angelina couldn't help but beam with pride as she watched her goddaughter. Soon enough it was afternoon and neither of them noticed until Eva came along carrying a basket of food. "I come bearing gifts," she smiled as she walked up to them. "Okay, young ones, time for lunch, I have to go serve in the safe house, I'll see you in a short while," Angelina said with a clap of her hands, hugging Eva as she walked off. Ries was grateful to eat the backyard where they'd be training, it was a lot less daunting for his nerves. The three had their lunch, chatting gleefully as they enjoyed the afternoon sun.