"What happened?" Keshiema asked. The fog in her head made thinking difficult. Her entire body ached worse than before, and she was still thirsty, but at least her throat no longer felt like it was lined with a thousand rusty razor blades.

  "Here, have some water." Someone handed her an unopened glass bottle.

  With blurry eyes, she fumbled to twist the cap. "Your Highness?"

  He massaged the bridge of his nose. "Can you please just call me Alex?"

  "Is that appropriate?" Draining the bottle of water, she took a second from him.

  "Please. You should not have to call me by any title." With her vision cleared, she gave him a questioning gaze. "We share a mother, Keshiema. You're my sister."

  "What?! How the hell am I the Crown Prince's sister?" her mind raced. The police station, fifteen years prior, came to mind. "I'm an orphan." Her hair and eyes went crimson. Red was fine; it was better than black, better than the dark pits of despair. "You let me become an orphan!" She shouted.

  "Keshiema, please listen." he tried to quiet her by keeping his voice calm and steady.

  "No! You mean I had family this whole time? And you left me alone!"

  "Enough!" The power in his voice frightened her. His red aura sizzled in the air around him. "Listen," his aura dispersed as he lowered his voice. "I lost track of you when Shadow Lake sent you away. As soon as I found you again, I had you brought here." He fell back into his chair and rubbed his temples.

  "How do you know I'm really your sister then?" part of her wanted to accept the prince's words. Accepting them meant she finally had what she always wanted. Another part of her wanted to run away, too frightened to open up to more potential heartache.

  He pointed at her forehead. "You emit a very unique aura. It was locked away at the time. But the more you used your powers, the closer I got to finding you."

  She wanted to yell at him, but managed to keep her voice calm and steady. "Locked away?"

  "She never told me the reason, but our mother feared for your life, so she gave you to a human family. A spell was cast to mask your demon blood until you awaken."

  "But I've looked like a demon since my first night at the orphanage." she breathed slowly, trying to take everything in.

  "I imagine the spell started dissolving early due to the traumas that have plagued you. But things will still change drastically within the next year. Every half-demon must go through an awakening. It's like a rite of passage. It happens sometime within five years of their coming of age. You became an adult at sixteen, so your awakening should happen within the year."

  "Well damn." The pair sat in silence, thinking about the two assassination attempts and wondering who wanted her dead. Eventually, their eyes became too heavy, and sleep took over.

  ***

  1008 D.E.

  Looking behind her, Keshiema felt nothing as she left her only two friends behind forever. Tobias dusted himself off and took his sister's hand as they turned their backs to her and walked away.

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  "From here we need to get through the city on foot. We are in the Western Outskirt and we need to get to the center where a carriage will pick us up to take us to the Eastern Outskirt. There might be a lot of danger on the way there, so stay close to me. Do you think you can handle that?"

  Keshiema nodded, not trusting her emotions to stay put if she spoke. They walked for nearly an hour without saying a word. She kept glancing at Hiro's sword, noticing the intricate carvings on the handle: A silver dragon breathing a ferocious fire, with eyes made of rubies. Microscopic sapphires formed the glittering flame. She wanted to learn how to use a sword and hoped hers might be as beautiful.

  Unable to handle the silence, she pulled on his sleeve to get his attention. "Hiro, what's the academy like?"

  "I can't really explain it." He looked down at her with a smile but quickly returned his attention to their surroundings. "There isn't anything else like it. The campus is huge and everyone there is a demon. It's not like this place, where demons mix themselves with human scum." Keshiema quieted. her hair turned red with black streaks, showing her mixed emotions, as plain to the world as the color of her eyes. Looking down to see her shifting hair color, Hiro panicked slightly. "Hey! I didn't mean all humans are scum. Just most of the ones in this city! Please don't be upset by what I said!"

  "Don't, I'll be fine." Guilt racked him. he wanted to comfort her, but no words came to mind to soothe her. Thinking about her file reminded him of his older brother. The pain-filled screams as he watched humans torture the young man.

  "Hiro! Help!" Keshiema screamed, snapping him back to the present. He looked down at the girl to find her bleeding from her shoulder. She cried in pain as her colors changed to gray. A filth-covered human man yelled as he ran towards them.

  "Damn gangs!" Hiro hissed, tightening his grip on his sword. Three other armed men followed closely behind the grimy man. Hiro charged, drawing his sword and staying low to the ground. He made easy work of the assailants, swiftly striking down all four. He looked back to Keshiema to see a cloaked human standing above her.

  "Get away from her!" Hiro shouted.

  "Put your sword away, young assassin!" The cloaked man picked Keshiema up by her forearm. She screamed in pain, and her wounded shoulder bled more under the strain.

  "Stop hurting her!" Hiro started to charge, but he stopped mid-step when the man twisted Keshiema's arm behind her back, causing her to scream again. "Fine! I will sheathe my sword just let her go." He wiped the blood from his sword and slid it into its sheath. 'It's just like those humans to get a child mixed up in this. And they call us monsters!'

  "No, I think I'll hold on to her for a while." he twisted her arm, and she screamed again.

  "Stop it, Hiro!" Keshiema yelled. "I'm still bleeding!"

  'What the hell does she mean by that? Wait, can she heal herself?' Gritting his teeth, he relaxed his posture to feign compliance. "What is it you want? Food? Supplies?"

  "This is a war, demon," the man laughed. "We want blood!" he twisted Keshiema's arm again, but frowned when silence met his action. Looking down at her limp body, he sneered. "It looks like your friend has passed out!" He dropped her to the cement carelessly.

  Hiro winced internally but managed to keep his composure. "Blood, huh? Well, are you going to take it?" Keshiema opened one eye, looking at him with a small smile. Drawing his sword, Hiro charged.

  Keshiema grabbed the man's leg. He let out a shrill scream as she bit the back of his ankle, drawing blood with her small but sharp fangs. "You wretched beast!"

  Pulling Keshiema behind him, Hiro put his sword to the man's throat. "You dare to draw the blood of a child? You're not fighting a war; you're just another piece of shit who deserves death."

  As Hiro lectured the man, Keshiema noticed the blood-soaked throwing knife on the wall behind him. Stepping over the man, she pulled it from the wall. "Let me do it."

  "I should have ended you when I had the chance!" The man screamed out before Keshiema slammed the knife into his neck, slicing his throat. The sharpened blade made the task simple. Blood sprinkled onto her cheek, adding a wickedness to her smile.

  She spat in his face before walking away. "Let's go, Hiro."

  "With the right training, you're going to make a great assassin, kid." Hiro smiled with a hint of sadness. A few steps ahead of him, Keshiema passed out, weak from stress and healing her wound. Lifting the girl onto his back, he continued through the wrecked city.