It was a beautiful start to a new day. The yellow sun shone from up above, warming up everything it touched with its shining rays of light. It was such a peaceful morning that all the previous atrocities seemed to have been completely forgotten by the land it happened upon. Birds were swooping up and down from the foliage of trees, some animals were taking a rest at a nearby stream frolicking and re-hydrating, and insects were happily chirping about their normal day to day lives. Everything was so peaceful. A new wind was blowing across the mountain. Nature was alive.

Also immersed in nature, lying atop on a soft bed of fallen leaves under an ancient, yet strong looking tree, a young girl was sleeping. It is unknown how long the girl had been sleeping there, but when the sun shifted into a higher position in the sky, it reached the perfect angle for creating foliage lighting, allowing the warm sun to reach the slumbering girl. The sun’s rays danced along with the swaying tree, and through this, light was cast upon her eyes.

Thanks to her reflexes towards the harsh light, she brought up her hands almost immediately to block the light shining on her eyes. With her sleep being disturbed, she gave a long and loud yawn, and sat up, rubbing her eyes while she was at it. Now wide awake, she took a good look at her surroundings. The tree which provided her some shade, the plants swaying in the wind, the animals dancing in the daytime sun. These were all a sight she had never seen before, and yet she also couldn’t help but feel like she had experienced these sights before.

“Where am I?” She questioned no one in particular, speaking out loud to herself. Just then, as if cued by her question, a large gust of wind blew past the girl, shaking the tree branches from above, and a voice began to speak to her.

“I see you have awoken,” the voice began.

“Wh--, who are you?” The black haired girl stuttered as she quickly turned to see who was speaking to her.

“You won’t be able to find me like that,” the voice continued again, “for I am speaking from within you.”

The girl held her breath, slightly from fear, slightly from disbelief.

“Nire. That is your name.”

“Nire,” the girl softly whispered to herself. “Who are you?”

Just then, the voice boomed with much authority and the world seemed to shift through Nire’s eyes. “I am none other than you, yourself,” the voice replied. “Go on, take a look,” the mysterious voice said as it guided Nire down to the stream where she could take a look at herself. Nire slowly peered over and looked at her reflection in the stream.

“My eyes…” she said in a voice barely above a whisper. She then lifted her fingers towards her eyes and then stopped. Taking a closer look, Nire could see that there was a little black emblem that resembled the shape of a diamond slowly revolving around the pitch black pupil that was pitted against a deep shade of red that looked sickening and familiar, yet also unknown to her. A scene of fresh blood painting the world and the eternal feeling of anger flashed through Nire’s mind. After seeing that image, Nire quickly reeled back from peering over into the stream and leaned back, resting on her hands. She took a deep breath before speaking again. “Is this you?” she asked the voice, motioning towards the red eye that was now her left.

“Yes,” the voice replied. “I am here to warn you.”

“Warn me? Of what?”

“You did something you should not have done, and as a result, you are in terrible danger. You must run away from here before they find you.”

“Run? But to where?” Nire asked almost in a panic, but the voice no longer responded to her. Nire tried to collect herself as soon as she could, for the voice sounded urgent when it last spoke to her.

“Run.” In this moment, Nire no longer knew what exactly that word entailed, but she could feel that something was off from the moment she awakened. She could also feel from the depths of her heart that running away from uncertainty and danger was something that she had gotten better at lately. Like the word “run” was some sort of wish that was wished upon her by many, and that it was something that must be carried out by her. Carrying this feeling deep in her heart, she got up and started running. There is much that Nire did not know and much that is missing from her. However, she could feel that she knew one thing with absolute certainty, and that is that her name is indeed “Nire”.