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As Za'Fia approached Vicki, her gaze was fixated on Vicki's face. She knew she remembered those eyes when they first met in Tymon's house that night. Suppressed memories from her past suddenly came rushing forward to the surface.
Za'Fia was reborn into this life on May 16th, 2862. She wasn't fortunate enough to have been found by anyone, so she was self-raised in the wild for the first thirteen years of her life. She called a forest somewhere in central Canada home. That is, until her powers manifested. She caused a significant fire one night that lured dozens of firefighters to her in the forest. Once they finally managed to put the flames out, she was found naked.
Back then, she was still highly tempered but more afraid than anything, so she ran. However, eventually, the fighters were able to calm her down with food she'd never had before and would then cover her up before taking her to a city where she was placed into a shelter of some sort with other people her age.
While the metal world made her uneasy, being surrounded by others who looked like her put her at ease, but she couldn't communicate with them at first. The only thing she knew was her name, but that changed quickly. It didn't take long before Za'Fia could understand everything that was said to her. Being able to comprehend the human language around her, she became aware that her unorthodox behaviors and destructive tendencies were against the rules of civilization, resulting in her constantly getting into trouble.
Then, in the year 2877, a young woman showed up. She introduced herself as Marlyn and arranged for Za'Fia to be adopted by a wealthy couple in Montreal. Za'Fia remembered being ecstatic about finding a home.
For the three years to follow, Za'Fia lived with the couple. During this time, the Marlyn individual revealed herself to be a Watcher and taught Za'Fia what spirit manipulation was and how to control her power. She also told Za'Fia about the Primordials, where Za'Fia was placed among them, and how the world was in chaos at the time due to the Supreme Primordial Death having not reincarnated yet. Then, she was informed of her natural aggression from her past lives, and Marlyn taught Za'Fia how to control her emotions so that she wouldn't get so angry at little annoyances or be a danger to society.
Throughout those three years, Za'Fia remembered looking up to Marlyn and cherishing her as a friend and mentor. Then everything changed in the year 2880. Despite her incredible improvements, when Za'Fia's adoptive father told her of Marlyn's cremation, she lost all control and spiraled into a rage unlike anything she'd felt up to that moment. That was the night she triggered her hybrid form.
The searing heat from her transformation burned everything in the house and incinerated her father. It could never be proven if those incinerated remained alive still, but it was the only sure way to end a life back then. The following morning, Za'Fia found herself far from home and couldn't remember what happened. She'd even suppressed her memories of Marlyn. When she made her way home, she found it in ruins and couldn't contact either of her parents, so she assumed both died in a fire accident. She mourned them, and she spent the next nine years making a living in America before finding out the truth and learning her adoptive mother had not died but had chosen to disown her...
Za'Fia's mind returned to the present as Vicki's body went limp and started to fall. Za'Fia quickly blurred over to catch her as they sunk awkwardly to the floor with Vicki clutched in Za'Fia's good arm.
Teary-eyed, Za'Fia could barely speak.
"Why didn't you tell me?" she croaked. "Why did you let me believe you died?"
"I'd fallen in with Verin. She figured I was more useful to her if people thought I was cremated," Marlyn struggled to say with a forced smile and a tear rolling down the corner of her eye. She looked Za'Fia in the eyes before continuing. "I'm not the same person I was back then. I kept tabs on you but couldn't bring myself to look you in the eye after all the atrocities I committed for Verin."
She smiled and raised a trembling hand to touch Za'Fia's face as she said, "But I'm glad I got to talk to you as the real me before the end..."
Za'Fia watched painfully as Marlyn's eyes drifted to a spot near her head, and the flicker of life within them faded. She felt her energy start to rise in response to her emotions, but then she felt Tymon's firm hand rest on her shoulder.
"You okay," he asked somberly, his tone unidentifiable.
"Yeah, it's under control," she retorted, thinking he was implying her power.
"That's not what I meant."
When she looked up at him, she saw his expression, which was understanding and compassionate, which only made her want to cry even more.
She hung her head and wiped her tears away before gently closing Marlyn's eyes. She'd have time to think about all of this later.
"I'll be okay. For now, we have a bigger issue at hand," Za'Fia said, pointing at Michael's paling body.
"Guys, I can't stop the bleeding!" Naomi looked up at them with desperation.
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Fun fact: In year 2859, Marlyn Sadio (later was given the name Vicki by her oppressor, Verin) and her mother was kidnapped and held for ransom, but her father, Custov Sadio, refused to pay. This resulted in both of them being held in captivity for months until Avarice and Verin saved them. Unfortunately, while Marlyn lucked out, her mother had not gone those months avoiding the attention of their captives. The only reason why she was still alive was due to death being an unobtainable state at the time. When Marlyn was offered the power to survive and get revenge she eagerly accepted it. Though she regretted it later.
Extra Fun fact: During the two centuries that Tymon hadn't reincarnated yet, anyone sentenced to death, whose bodies were mutilated during SVVL tournaments, or that governments or private organizations didn't use to harvest organs from were incinerated/cremated in an attempt to create a balance for the absence of deaths yet the ever-increasing rates of births.
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