Diary Entry: Hazleflar Gelliar — Ascension
(An Excerpt from The Kalabra Series)
The Eve of My Appointment
Tonight, as I sit in the quiet of my room within the Sey Order’s barracks, I find myself compelled to document the whirlwind of emotions that courses through me.
It’s the eve of my confirmation as a Sey Emissary, a moment that marks both an end and a beginning—the culmination of years of training and the dawn of a new chapter in my life. Yet, my heart aches for a home that exists now only in memory, for Banonthrep, the town of my childhood, was razed to the ground by the Drakkian horde.
The attack came swiftly, a nightmare unfolding in broad daylight. Buildings that had stood for generations were consumed by flames, and the laughter that once filled the streets was silenced. My family, my world, was torn apart that day. Both my beloved parents, perished under the cruelty of the horde. Morte and I survived, narrowly escaping into the great forest that bordered our town.
Our flight was desperate, fueled by fear and the instinct to survive. Hidden by the dense canopy and guided by the faintest sliver of moonlight, we evaded capture, but not loss.
In the forest, we found a semblance of refuge, a fleeting sanctuary among the ancient trees. Jonaii, my dear friend, was with us, her spirit undimmed despite the horrors we had fled. But fate, it seems, had yet more cruelty in store. A wound she suffered during a hunt, a mere scratch it seemed, became her undoing. Infection claimed her life, leaving Morte and me to navigate our grief alone.
My regret is a shadow that accompanies me always, whispering of moments when I could have done more, could have saved more. I am haunted by the memory of my mother’s warning to keep my powers hidden, for fear of being ostracized. Yet, in hiding them, did I fail those I loved?
Syborn, a beacon of hope in our darkest hour, found us wandering, lost and bereft. He saw potential in our grief-stricken faces, in the raw power that grief had honed. Under his guidance, we were invited into the Sey Order, Morte to the Shadow Ward and I to the Kailisus Ward. My ability to command fire earned me the nickname Ember, a moniker that speaks both to my strength and the destruction I fear it can bring.
Now, dressed in my most flamboyant attire—a silent rebellion against a world that demands conformity—I await the knock that will usher in my new role.
This diary, these pages, are a testament to all I have lost and all I hope to gain. As I step forward to embrace my destiny, I carry with me the memories of Banonthrep, the lessons of the forest, and the love of those who walked beside me.
There is a knock at the door. My heart races, not with fear, but with resolve. The time has come to face the world, not as the girl who fled the ashes of her home, but as Ember, a Sey Emissary determined to protect, to serve, and to remember.
May the flames I command light the way for others, just as the stars once guided a frightened girl through the darkness of the forest. And may I never forget the cost of survival, nor the price of power.Here, at the precipice of tomorrow, I stand ready.Hazleflar Gelliar, Ember of the Sey
