The Lost & Cursed

by Rina S Mamoon

  Despite knowing what became of her friends, another thing bothered her. Karl, or Commander White, remained the same. If thirty years had truly passed, he should have aged with the rest of them. But he stayed the same, just like Mara. There was no mistake. Many thoughts ran through her head. She remembered Morgan mentioning the blood of the God-King and the possibility that he was a demigod. There was also that thing Dr. Moen mentioned—that a human could become a god. If he were so powerful, he should have been able to resist Kallisto, which led to another thing.

  Mara had to find a way to save him. After seeing what happened to Karl, she couldn’t leave him like that. She needed to find a way to defeat Kallisto. It seemed crazy taking on a god, but Kallisto was the reason why Mara became an undying. If the Faith did this to her, could they be responsible for the others? Kallisto and her followers had to pay, but for now she needed to find her family.

  It would be difficult explaining to her parents what happened. Not only was she no longer human, she became an enemy of the Faith. But she could no longer hold this secret another day. Mara wondered if she should have contacted them sooner. Would it even make a difference? Either way, she needed to reach Mirahyll.

  Mara looked around. Being on the trail was a bad idea. She shouldn’t be near that village and tarried long enough. Getting off the road, Mara disappeared into the forest. Her cape fluttered as she dashed past the trees. Delving deeper into the woods, Mara wondered about her current state. She could’ve given up, stay trapped in the coffin, and rot away until the end of time. Instead, she broke free and fled from her oppressors. She planned to find her family and friends, who cared for her deeply. Mom and Dad never gave up on her, so why should she? Now that she thought about it, Mara was more human than monster. And no longer was she the lost and cursed, as long as hope remained.

  The End

  Acknowledgements

  I give thanks to my family and friends for their love and support. Especially Michael—I keep my ears open whenever you want to talk. Thanks for letting me share my 4+ year old secret, aka this project.

  Thank you, Bret, for your advice and understanding. I apologize that we couldn’t continue working together on this. And I also give my thanks to the anonymous editor for their great advice. If not for you, this project wouldn’t be where it is today.

  And thank you, dear reader, for taking the time to read this book. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  About the Author

  Rina S. Mamoon started writing ever since she could pick up a pencil. Currently living in the City of Edmonton, Alberta, she got into fiction writing at the age of fifteen. Among her favourite stories were Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, and H. Rider Haggard’s She. Also a fan of fantasy movies like Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and The Mummy, and video games such as Demon’s Souls, Baten Kaitos, and Bloodborne. In addition to writing, she’s also a digital artist.