Angels and Destroyers have been at war for centuries and show no signs in stopping. Vella the Seeker was given a mission to search and kill Destroyers and to aid Angels in protecting Humans. Where will her loyalties lie when she befriends, maybe falls, for someone who is supposed to be her enemy?

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Aura

          Almost every human has an aura. It’s blue and gives off a cool feeling when in times of safety. It turns red and gives off a burning feeling at times of danger. Humans can’t see their aura, they can’t touch it, and most are not aware they posses one. However, there’s a special group of humans that are said to be Angels sent from God, though they only believe in astrology. The Angels are known for their healing powers and possess a white aura. While these beings can’t see auras, they can sense them.  Angels are considered to be purely good because they cannot kill. They offer support to other humans and help in any way they can. But of course, if there are beings with good auras then there must bad ones too. These creatures are known as Destroyers. They have black auras and they love to kill. Because most of them are from bad families or from gangs, they hate other humans and would rather destroy them. Just like Angels, Destroyers can sense auras too. After many generations Angels and Destroyers live undetected and forgotten among Humans, one side healing, and the other killing. Eventually a new breed appeared in the world. These beings have the power to protect or destroy. They are neither good nor evil. Possessing no auras of their own, they can actually see as well as sense auras. Some help the Angels protect humans and destroy Destroyers others protect the Destroyers and help destroy the humans. Because of these people with no auras, a war between the Angels and Destroyers arose. These special Humans became known as Seekers. When the Seekers turn ten, they are trained to hunt either Angels or Destroyers. The Seekers have to be careful, because they now live in the modern world of technology and the humans had long since given up the belief of magic…

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          Ever since she was three, she had always seen a blue light surrounding her parents and friends. When she asked her parents about this light, they laughed it off and said she had a vivid imagination. When she asked her friends, they thought she was a freak. She began to believe she was because when she looked in the mirror, she didn’t see any light surrounding herself. The only thing she could do was try to ignore the light and withdraw from the world.

          Now she was 8 and her parents were taking her to church. They dressed her in a beautiful green dress that matched her eyes and put a small silver cross around her neck. They boarded the subway that would take them to the church. She saw more people surrounded by blue light, but she just ignored it like always. 10 minutes into the trip, she noticed that everyone was surrounded by a red light, even her parents. Only the people in the back still had a blue light, but what surprised her the most was a teenage boy with a black light. He grinned wickedly as the people around him developed a red light too. She slowly walked towards him, entranced by his different light. His cold blue eyes met hers before he grabbed her wrist and jumped out of a broken window. There was a loud crash, then an explosion as another train headed down the same tunnel. There were no survivors except for her and the boy with the dark light. She cried out to her parents in hopes they were still alive.

“Miss Petrenko.” His voice made her shrink away in fear.

“Wh-who are you?”

“Can’t you tell by my black aura? I’m a Destroyer.” He took a step closer and she backed away.

“Aura? You mean that light?”

He chuckled at her.

“Yes, that’s what they are. You do not have one which is why you can see them. Your kind is called Seeker and can be very useful. I want you to join me and together we can destroy these ignorant Humans.” He held out his hand to her.

“You killed my parents and all those people! I will never join you!” she slapped his hand away.

“You don’t seem to understand. Humans don’t deserve to live, they discriminate, they steal, and they don’t appreciate anything you do for them. It’s better to kill them off and start over. So don’t waste your tears on these beasts. Just come with me.”

“I believe the lady had told you no.” An eleven year old boy with short silver hair stepped out of the shadows. The girl’s eyes widened as she realized he didn’t have an aura.

“You again!” The Destroyer snarled. The boy put on a smug grin.

“I’ve been searching for you my mean spirited friend. It’s time for you to go.”

          The Seeker raised his hand and sent a flaming metal piece from the wreckage to hit the Destroyer as he tried to grab the girl. She ran away as the Seeker pulled out a long dagger and charged at the Destroyer.

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          Today was a sorrowful day. After the news about the subway accident got out, everyone in the church went to the scene of the tragedy to pray for the Petrenko family and all the others who died in it. The cathedral was empty as the girl opened the large doors and went inside. Her dress was torn and dirty and her light brown hair was in tangles. She touched her cross with her right hand as she approached the altar. On the right side of the stairway in front of the altar was a tall pedestal that had an icon of Jesus placed on it. The girl climbed on the footstool and kissed the icon before she kneeled on the ground. She crossed herself and began praying.

“Lord, I would be asking why my parents had to die, but I already know why. They were murdered by a man who thinks people should die. Something sad must have happened to him to make him think in such a way.” She clasped her hand together and looked up to the icon, “Please Lord, send one of your Angels to protect me, because I am too young to take care of myself.” Tears slid down her cheeks, bringing some dirt down with them as she cried for her parents, the Destroyer, and herself. The girl was so focused in her prayers, she didn’t hear the door open.

“You’re that Petrenko girl right? So that’s where you went. You had Tanjiro worried when you disappeared like that.” A woman with wavy blonde hair and dark blue eyes walked towards her. She was different from all the people she had met today. This woman had a white aura.

“Tanjiro?” the girl asked in a confused voice.

“He’s the boy with the silver hair. I’m his adviser, Lyra Rain of the Angles.”

“Angel…” the girl whispered. The woman pulled out a cloth and wiped the girl’s face.

“I have already taught Tanjiro everything he needs to know so now I can concentrate on training you. Although I can’t teach you to kill, I can still train you to be one of the best Destroyer hunters. So how bout it? You can live with Tanjiro and can enroll in a great school.” Lyra stood up and offered her hand. The girl just stared at it. Her hand was different from the Destroyer’s, you could sense the gentle goodness emitting from the white light of her aura. There wasn’t much of a choice as the girl had no where to go. She looked back at the altar and at the icons and decided that her prayers had been answered and placed her hand in Lyra’s.

“I accept, Miss Rain.” She replied in a quiet voice.

“Great! Let’s go …, um. What is your name?”

“Nobody. I no longer have a name.” The woman thought for a while before smiling.

“Well this month is March and Vela is best seen at night, but since you are not an Angel or Destroyer, I’ll call you Vella. Constellation names are only for Angel and Destroyers.”

Vella Petrenko. She didn’t care what her parent’s used to call her anymore, she was now Vella. She smiled meekly at the woman who was leading her out of the church and glanced one last time at the cathedral before starting her new life as a Seeker.