Crystal Shade Episodes 01

her mind; a real Aserian she had seen, a blurry memory from when she was very young. Maybe one of the first memories of her life, the memory was so joyful and nurturing. She didn’t know the winged woman’s name and she couldn’t remember her face but from that moment, Grace knew she was safe, and she will be guided and guarded for the rest of her life. A bright glowing orange aura surrounded the woman and blinded Grace in that blurry memory before her guardian vanished from her eyes.
    “I hope you know the color always betrays you, my guardian. You can’t deny your nature,” she whispered victoriously. “You’re here and watching over me as you always do. But where?” Grace asked as she looked around in the hope that her guardian would reveal herself, but she was alone. The sweet scent of the flower lingered.
    “Please show yourself. I,” she hesitated and looked at her scrolls in her hand, then at the large winged statue that stood without flowers or foliage in the middle of the garden. Her grandfather had sculpted the beautiful winged female Aserian Sentinel, Nara to honor her after she revealed herself and saved him to from falling into the nearby canyon. “I would make a beautiful drawing of you to show my respect. Just as Grandpa had shown his respect to Sentinel Nara,” Grace continued with the most honest tone in her voice, while she stepped closer to the statue. Her hand gently stroked the lowered elegantly carved bony Sentinel wings, which had sharp feather tips, just like the real Aserian Sentinels have. “See? Beautiful statue, isn’t it?” She waited again, but no response came.
    “Why don’t you ever show yourself?” she asked disappointed. “I know you can tell what I think, what I feel, what my deepest secret is from a touch. All Aserian can. You see what humans cannot; the true nature of the soul. Then why don’t you trust me?” she paused for a moment. “Am I a bad soul? Did I scare you or hurt you when you revealed yourself once?”
    In her devious little mind, she had hoped that her disappointed tone would breed guilt in her brave protector. Sometimes she felt that her guardian enjoyed playing this game with her and eagerly watched to see what devious ploy Grace would try next. Since Grace swore that one-day, she would trick her guardian into showing herself. However, it never happened and this day was no different.
    “I would never tell anyone. You know that,” she whispered with real honesty to give bravery to the unseen Guardian. “Please,” she added with her kindest smile. She waited patiently, but the kind woman who gave her protection did not show herself.
    “Maybe tomorrow. Maybe you will reveal yourself.” Grace sighed as she looked at the orange Jasnaia, which became the new inhabitant among the Flowers of Gracius. She treasured the fragile flower in her heart. “But thank you for your gift,” she added gratefully, almost silent.
    You’re welcome, my child, whispered a kind, motherly voice in her mind, the voice of her Guardian who always watched over her. Then the windy silence of Deciduous surrounded the proud, wildly smiling little girl.

    * * *

    The arven pencil swiftly and precisely stroked the papyrus paper. The dark lines slowly filled out the shape of the vision that Grace had seen in her dream. She felt this picture was going to be the perfect way to start a new scroll. This was the first scroll in her new papyrus pamphlet and the third scroll pamphlet of her life. Her father traded for it in the tenth province, Hijaz five sunrises ago, but she had just now gotten the chance to draw in it, but foremost the reason.
    Her hand had worked fast like the hand of a true master; the lines slowly revealed the desired shape. She was only seven but she was already considered a professional sketch artist. No one knew where she learned this skill, not even her parents. Except for Grace, there was nothing special in this. She simply drew because she liked it. Her hand was led by her instincts and imagination. She never let herself make a single mistake in her drawings – mostly because she still remembered her father’s advice when he gave Grace her first papyrus scroll; they’re rare in their province. Her soul always reminded her hand of this. That’s why her drawings became better and better; that was her little secret. Now, for the first time, she promised herself that she would try to make all of her drawings perfect, and to not rip any pages out as