Centra Book One;
PROLOGUE
CampfireThe fire whispered and spat as it chewed through the dry logs. Its glow etched long shadows across the clearing and painted Mia’s face in a soft gold, her green eyes deep and still, like moss-covered water.“She tortured me,” I said.The words dropped like stones. Heavy. True.Mia’s gaze sank into the flames, her silence deeper than grief—it was understanding.“If I couldn’t die then,” I muttered, trying to ease the weight between us, “I’m not sure I ever will.”“Besides, it’s not that"“How old were you?” she asked, cutting through my deflection with the gentlest knife.The crackle of burning wood was the only reply for a long breath.“Three.”Another pause.“When they found me.”Truth is, the memories blur before that moment. All I know is what they told me. That I was left there by the Devil himself. That’s what they liked to say. Like a joke. Or a curse.“The Devil?” she echoed. “And why’s that?”
I glanced up. “Well... look at my eyes.”
We locked eyes. Hers—green, calm, deep-rooted in something ancient and kind.“Red,” she said, without flinching.“Correct.” I smiled faintly, then dropped my gaze back to the flames.“They found me in the middle of the night. No guardian. Just me, collapsed on the orphanage steps. I woke up, and my vision… it scared them.”I looked back at her, letting a flicker of that devilish glint show.She didn’t blink. She just looked.“That’s…”“Terrible. I know.” I finished it for her.“There’s never been anyone, really. I was thrown into Nightwatch training at twelve.”“And now?” I gestured vaguely to the woods, to her. “Now I’m here.”She studied me. “So… they just forced the orphans into that life so young?”I gave a small shrug. “It’s more complicated.”“I could’ve stayed until I was fourteen. But that just meant two more years of being beaten down—wasted years—before being thrown to the wolves anyway.”I smirked faintly. “Apparently, if we live that long, we’re ready to face the world.”
It wasn’t all bad… if you stayed quiet. Stayed in line.But I didn’t. Couldn’t.I was different. And they made sure I felt it. The red eyes. The white hair. The pain tolerance that made them go harder.They said there was a demon in me. Tried to beat it out.“And besides,” I added, a crooked grin on my lips, “everyone knows how much the Guard loves children.”She gave a small, almost sad smile. “I suppose that makes sense…”Then she shifted the air, like she could sense how the weight was building again.“So. You’re seventeen now?”I nodded.“What have you done with those five years?”“Trained. Hard.” That was all I had. All I knew. As hard as one could.“But it’s better than the streets, right?” she asked, her tone genuinely curious.“Always.”“This might not be ideal,” I said, “but I figured it was the best shot I had. To survive. Defend. Discover who the hell I really am.”“Or maybe I could help,” she said softly.“You?” I looked at her, half-challenging, half-hoping.“I mean… I know the Gems have power. But not like this.”“What are you talking about?”“You,” she said, gently. “You are… you. Every day. That’s what matters.”I hesitated. “I get that. But where am I from? Who are my parents?”She let out a slow breath and leaned back, closing her eyes.“Nothing you ever find will undo who you’ve become,” she said. “And that matters more than blood or name.”
Her voice shifted, growing more distant, more tuned to something unseen.“You carry the presence of something old. Wild. Animal, maybe. I don’t know which. It’s rare, but not impossible. A sign of an untamed future. Adventurous, dangerous, beautiful. Though... it depends on the animal.”Her head tilted slightly. Her voice dropped.“There’s more, though. You’re burning for answers. That alone usually reveals something. A glimpse. A clue.”She paused, brows furrowing.“All I can see is a red rock. That’s all that comes to me. Just... a glowing red stone. But that means something. It has to.”She opened her eyes and looked at me.“Think on that. The smallest sign may be the loudest truth, trying so hard to break through.”A soft smile.“That’s always half the battle.”She leaned forward. “The Gems? They’re only the beginning. A whisper. A door, not the destination.”Her voice dropped to almost nothing.“But don’t let that discourage you. I see something in you. Truly.”A beat passed.“And besides,” she added, “the Gems don’t lie.”