generated with Leonardo.ai
“The barrier is breaking again. Get Leti and summon the men immediately.” A strong voice competed with the storm
The sound of rumbling thunder and gripping chaos roused Leti from a haunting dream. Ignoring the pangs in her head, Leti dived out of bed and into the storm.
“Leti, the bolts are back again.” A sturdy man with a very defined facial expression raced to Leti.
“Let's go already Nahyo. Let's go.” Leti yelled.
Together, with other men moving in disarray, they bolted through tents and shelters with people peeking out in fear. They got to the sanctuary’s gate in time. The ten-foot-tall gate made of steel and iron rods shook aggressively as bolts of lightning struck and bounced off it. Dozens of men stood holding the bars in place.
Leti charged with stretched-out arms. She focused intently on the gates and her eyes turned colorless like glass. “Hold it down a little longer and stay away from the lightning bolts.” Leti roared between clenched jaws and nerves. She was barely holding on much longer and it was going to take another thirty seconds for the attack to cease. She felt a strong pull toward the energy emanating from the gates but she fought the power within her.
Leti bit her lower lip when the lightning bolts and the thunderstorm stopped. The men succumbed to the wet ground struggling to catch their breaths. Silence ensued as a hawk came flying across the pitch-black sky.
“Leti, the attacks are getting stronger. The men can barely hold it down much longer. We need to do something. We need to act fast.” Nayho squatted beside Leti who was now kneeling on the ground, her eyes fixated on the sky.
Leti nurtured a feeling of anger and disappointment in herself. She'd had the timings and predictions of the attack under control for the past five years since she started guarding the barrier. She knew when the attacks would come and how long they were going to last but lately, her predictions had become unreliable. Leti was starting to feel like she was losing control of her powers. When Leti turned fifteen, exactly when the attacks began, she developed unexplainable strength and abilities that she could not explain. Ever since then, she had used her powers to protect the sanctuary.
The sanctuary was built decades ago when external forces, realms from beyond, and humanity started a war. The world was in an era where magic and technology had intertwined beyond distinction. Humans and otherworldly creatures interacted freely. A time came when a star nestled in the cosmos became the ultimate source of power. Humans and nonhumans battled for this power. Realms were broken and lives lost.
The surviving humans built a safe place for themselves and called it a sanctuary. They then charmed the gates with magic for protection from outsiders. History had it that the Amatekays- a species of humanoids managed to get the star but a group of human diviners stole it again two decades ago.
However, no human alive knew the location of the star. Five years ago, the Amatekays started to attack the human realm. Everyone believed they had come for the lost star and they were going to destroy what was left of the humans.
“I am going to see Oneke. She must have something to say.” Leti tapped Nahyo’s shoulder and dashed away. She came to a tent dimly illuminated from the inside. The air around it oozed burning sage. She stopped in her tracks when she recognized the voices emanating from the tent. It was strange that her mother was visiting the diviner of the sanctuary.
Although Oneke had grown to become the seer whose predictions the sanctuary aligned with, Leti knew her mother to also be a clairvoyant who relied on her abilities.
“What else can we do? There is no time and their powers are getting stronger. The barrier needs to stay up for the sanctuary to remain protected. We've come a long way from the war.” Her mother whispered in a hushed tone.
“No Latika. It is her true self coming to light. She is as strong and naturally, there will be an attraction. Who really needs protecting? You or the sanctuary? You are right about one thing though, there isn't much time left before the walls all come down. That box should never have returned with us.” Oneke replied.
Leti became perplexed about the conversation. She had always known her mother to be reserved but now she wondered what she could be hiding. She crept beside the tent when she heard her mother leaving.
Leti watched her go before she let herself into Oneke’s tent. Glowing crystals and burning candles blurred her vision for a second.
“There is nothing more that you can do. Stop fighting the battle within you and let things unfold.” Oneke sat facing a white crystal. She spoke with her back turned to Leti. Her black-locked hair sprawled on the floor of her tent.
“I feel like my spirit doesn't want to fight to protect the barrier. I feel a great pull towards it. If I don't fight, the sanctuary will be destroyed.” Leti was now ranting. She always felt vulnerable around Oneke.
“No Leti. Things are not always what they seem. It isn't a battle. It is a rescue.” Oneke whispered.
“What does my mother have to do with all of these? She was just here wasn't she?”
“Hmmh! Allow your dreams to guide you. Go now girl, go!” Oneke Chanted.
Leti reluctantly left the tent. On her way home, she began to think about her haunting dreams. She'd always see a hooded woman holding a box and fleeing with a group from a sort of fiery force. Her dreams never lasted long enough to reveal the woman or the contents of the box.
Leti, very drained from the late hours of the night, decided to catch some sleep before dawn. She drifted as soon as her body hit the bed. Leti began dreaming again. This time, her dream was even more vivid and real. She could smell the stiffness in the air and the sound of thunder rumbled. She saw the same hooded woman fleeing from what looked like an enchanted invisible barrier that flickered streaks of white light.
This time, the woman halted with the box in her hand when the flickering stopped. Leti could see a sinister smile through her hooded face. She then opened the box and her smile quickly vanished into disappointment before turning into adoration. She took off her hood and retrieved a newborn baby from the box shrouded in a cloth.
“Mother!” Leti yelled in shock as she roused. Her mother ran to her tent. The look in Leti’s eyes needed no further explanation.
Latika began weeping profusely. “I was among the humans who went to Amatekay for the star. I thought I had it that night but when I opened the box, it was a baby. I was disappointed at first but then I fell in love with her. With you. You were that baby and I just couldn't let you go. I know I've been selfish and I am so sorry Leti. They've been coming for you all this time.” she held Leti’s hands.
Leti pulled away and stormed out of the tent. Tears welled up in her eyes and she fell to the ground. A thunderous sound filled the air. The Ametekays were attacking again. Leti wiped her tears and headed for the gates. She knew what to do to save the sanctuary. She wasn't going to fight anymore. She was going to let herself go. It was the only way.
Leti braced herself as she stood in front of the gates. The bars began to crumble and a mass of white light consumed her.
