Chapter 14

ALGOPHOBIA: Fear of pain.

"Are you sure you want to hear this now?" Lux asked, slowly taking a seat on the bed beside me.

After he had carried me home earlier, I took a hot shower after Axel helped in cleaning some of my wounds. They weren't as deep as I thought, just little cuts but Ignis insisted on covering them up. Apparently, he hated the sight of blood and he couldn't stand seeing open cuts.

I took some pills to help reduce the aches I had around my body and dressed in something as simple as black leggings and an oversized sweater. Ignis assisted to help clean up the mess we made by cleaning me up while Lux offered to tell me the history of Anel.

Most importantly, how I was involved.

I knew some parts of the story but they didn't make much sense to me because he didn't explain it properly while we were at the asylum.

"Long time ago, after the creation of the human race, some of them were found with certain characteristics that differentiated them from normal human beings. Though they had the same physical structure but they had some capabilities that made them better and stronger than normal people. They were extremely rare and found interest in one another which later caused the increment in their population. This later led to fear of domination and they decided to eliminate our kind."

"That's cruel" I said, imagining how painful it would've been for their forefathers to have experienced that. I didn't spend much time with people but I knew how wicked they could be.

"At first, they did it in secret because there was no law against it. As time passed, however, both races weren't compatible and it led to misunderstandings, quarreling and violence between them. Our population weren't up to 5% of theirs so we had to leave." He paused "Our founders created Anel for our kind only. Therefore, a normal human being would find it impossible to stay here"

"Cause you'll kill them right?"

"No, we're not violent. They can't breathe our air, they'll suffocate and die"

"Oh"

"Moving on, after moving here, we couldn't live together in peace and harmony because we were different from each other. Therefore, our founders created seven tribes, each with a certain responsibility. Anel, Tandem, Bellum, Vide, Vita, Pax and Veritas. Bellum, which is the tribe that river leads to, are the violent ones"

"Figured out. Ignis said they're psychos there"

"Something like that" He chuckled "They're bigger in size and stronger. The bigger the size, the more confidence and ego they got. It's more of a competition there."

"I can imagine. That is definitely not somewhere I would like to be"

"They're not as bad as you think. They also have some advantages. For instance, they protect us and they're cooperative."

"If you put it that way"

"Tandem value children as much as they value their life. They're kind and sweet to kids and no child is an exception. Including he hybrids"

"Hybrids?"

"Yeah, they're the mixture of our kind and normal humans and yes, they breed our hair. Most of the time, they're always discriminated because the blood of those who killed us runs through their veins. You know them from their faded birthmarks or no birthmarks at times and they're partially as good as us. They're existence is not appreciated at times so the kids take shelter at Tandem till they're independent and later move to Pax. I guess."

"What is Pax all about?"

"They're peaceful and kind. They coexist in love without discrimination of any kind so yeah, some hybrids stay here." He paused "Veritas are the truthful and trustworthy people. They're all about law and honesty. Vita is the tribe of life. They consider life an gift that should be valued. Vide is the tribe of the seers"

"In every sixteen generations, a seer is gifted"

"How do you possibly know that?"

"I don't mean to sound creepy but it looks like I've heard this before. Almost like someone once told me this but please go on, I must've forgotten it"

"They practice witchcraft. They can be a little creepy at times but they're of good help. They see into the future at times and can tell of something bad is going to happen. The mark you have in your hand is the mark of the seer. With that mark on your hand, she's protecting you but that's only to a limit. It's protection against physical attack so yeah, that's why the pressure of the water didn't pull you away. She's technically a witch that is a million times more powerful than her kind. They come once in every sixteen generations and leave when they want to. However, they're powers can be stolen if not taken with proper care."

"Which do you belong to?"

"Anel" He said "The tribe of rings. We're technically a mixture of all the seven tribes combined and that explains why we're in leadership. We're stronger, more powerful and most importantly, we home all queens and gods"

"What are those for?"

"A queen is basically the leader. She leads all seven tribes combined while gods are those with certain capabilities. They're the closest to the queen in terms of power and strength"

"I wonder how they'd look like."

"You don't need to wonder. There's one right here in front of you"

"You're a god?"

"Of light. I'm the god of light. I can control anything related to light or that produces light. Ignis is the god of fire_"

"And that explains why I'm hot!" Ignis yelled from behind the door. He peeked his head through the door and flashed me a bright smile before coming in and closing the door behind him. "What I meant to say was, that's why i'm hotter than the rest of them. It really doesn't take Einstein to see that." He wiggled his eyebrows and plopped down on the bed right next to me.

"You're still stupid"

"Not as stupid as you are"

"Please" I said before they started their argument. "It's story time and you won't ruin that for me."

"Whatever" Ignis said and rolled his eyes.

"Moving on" Lux continued "Axel is the god of fate. He knows everything about the future but he doesn't talk about it till it's a minute to it or after."

"Are there any other gods?"

"That, I don't know of but we are the known gods of Anel"

"So how am I involved?"

"Oh! I'll tell you about that! Please! Please! Please!" Ignis begged, holding unto my legs and pulling the cute face look on me. I wasn't the one to fall for something like it but on the other hand, he was so cute, I had to pinch via cheeks.

"Fine Ignis, you can tell me that story."

"Thanks!" He squealed and cleared his throat "Years after Anel was created, I was born. The people we're amazed about my handsomeness and amazing body structure, they almost worshipped me_"

"And that's enough" I cut him off "Go on Lux."

"That's unfair" He whined "I wanted to tell you from the top."

"Too bad, you're too dumb to say a story" Lux laughed "But it's okay, I'm here to save your butt again"

"You mean my beautiful butt. Have you seen those cheeks?_"

"What did I say about argument?" I cut him off "Just complete the damn story"

"Geez lady, calm down" Ignis murmured and looked away when I glared at him.

"Years after, two sisters were born. Lyanna, goddess of time and Xelexia, goddess of darkness. They were the daughters of the queen and according to customs and tradition, Lyanna was the next queen because she was older. After the queen died, Lyanna emerged as the queen. She was the best queen in the history of Anel and the people cherished her." He paused "Xelexia was the total opposite, no one knew what her powers we're and according to rumors, she didn't have any. She never showed her face to the public or played her role.

"Years later, Lyanna conceived and gave birth to a daughter. They say she was a million times stronger than an average royal child at that young age and certainly couldn't be compared to the normal gods. Three years later, she gave birth to another daughter but we didn't get to know much about her after the rebellion."

"What rebellion?"

"Xelexia grew jealous of her sister and plotted a rebellion against her. According to Axel, it was always going to happen and was delayed for three years." He paused "It was our hell. She ruined everything."

"Why didn't Lyanna fight back?"

"She's almost like Axel, she could also tell what would happen in the future so she knew it was her fate. However, she only died after she ensured the safety of her children. Only a Royal can challenge a royal so only a child of the queen can restore the peace of Anel and that child is you."

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