Every Little Memory

An Introduction

Before you read, I suggest listening to the songs in the Youtube videos with each chapter as you read. They will add to the experience if you do!

Also, MAKE SURE you check out the history if you need anything clarified at ANY point in the story. That's what it's there for. Thanks and enjoy!

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To whom it may concern,

Another year has come and gone, and still I feel empty. It's been three full years now since mother and father's passing. I have overcome the grief and now I feel as though I can finally write about it. I must write, as things in my world have been getting worse as the days pass. If something were to happen to me, I wish the truth to be known.

Allow me to explain my situation. I am of a race known as the "Seers".  Such an interesting title for mere humans; we're not different than anyone else, we simply have a gift. We can see. Now you may say, "Yes, well, most humans can see." Not in that sense; we can see, as in we can see the world beyond. We can interact with spirits, access their memories, and view the nether world beyond our living realm.

My parents were just like me, as were the majority of people living in our clan. We were a proud group of people, living in the plains outside town. Our clan had no official name or title; we were simply known as a group, mainly Seers, that lived with nature. Many spirits inhabit the land, and to live outside was to live with them.

For all twenty years of my life, I lived in this fashion. I would venture the woodlands outside my home, go hunting with my brother, father, and my other clanmates. My mother and I would visit the grand city of Alifen, running errands and playing music for the passersby. Others of my kind provided services such as exorcisms or served as spirtual mediums for communication with the deceased. We were accepted by society and lived in peace for years.

There exists a church, titled the Church of Fennarie. They worship the goddess from which the church gets its name. She is said to have created our world and all beings within it, save the demons. For this reason she is revered all over the country, by everyone except the Prologus. The church is known for preaching mercy, pacifism, generosity, and above all, preserving life.

So, what happened those three years ago was the most unexpected, shocking event in my life.  The Church of Fennarie deemed Seers a danger to society and arrested my kin for "the practice of unholy magicks that defy the goddess." We were imprisoned, and my kind was cruelly executed, one by one. No one saw it coming, considering the church's beliefs and their peaceful manner of containing criminals.  

My brother, Rory, managed to escape when a church guard made a critical error on his part. Rory is not a Seer like our parents and me, so he was meant to sit in that prison for a long while. Not everyone in our clan was a Seer. In fact, the ability is not always passed down in all children. Along with other members of our clan, he freed me and the others, and then we fled.

So, as far as I know, I am the only one left. My clan mates and I began living in the village, Tayri, far away from our old home, for fear we will be persecuted again. Rory does an excellent job hiding me and one cannot tell I am a Seeress by just looking at me. I cannot stop using my gift, however, as it comes as naturally as breathing. I do so discreetly, with no witnesses, but I fear that my brother will be arrested for protecting me should someone discover our secrets.

I also begin to fear that the church is operating differently than before, and it is a frightening change. My home country of Fen has a monarchy, with a king sitting on the throne in the capital city of Alifen. Tensions have been rising between his court and the church; tensions that were non-existent before the tragedy that befell my people. What happened caused serious backlash and people began deserting the goddess. The church became more violent, lashing out at those who turned their backs on Fennarie and ex-communicating any who sympathized with my people.

The king was angered by this, and to this day he is under much pressure by the church. They are beginning to take control of his kingdom, slowly undermining his power. I know that he is a wise and just ruler, one that has kept our country stable for as long as I can remember. He should not be pushed by the church and I would help the cause if I could. Now all I can do is silently observe.

But I must push my worries aside for now. I wish to tell you of the resolution I created last year. It was my goal to view as many memories as I could of various souls who had not yet reached the netherworld. Since I am the last remaining Seer, it is my duty to help souls in need. Sometimes, showing them sympathy and understanding is the best way to assist.

 When I viewed all of these memories, they were like visions of the past. I could see everything that happened as if I was actually there, but the people in the vision couldn't see me. I found them all to be intriguing, filled with many interesting people and events. I feel like I can truly understand the past now and the effect it has on the present. Believe it or not, these past events shed some light on truths that the church has been hiding and the horrors they have committed. Not just to my people, but to those who lived hundreds of years ago. Take this as proof of their crimes.

 I left this journal documenting everything I experienced. I pray someone finds this in case the issues of the present are not resolved, with hopes that they will know the struggles of the past, and learn from them. After all, history has a way of repeating itself.  I can't promise that they are answers to age old mysteries, or the final testament of a loved one. But I truly hope you read them. I'm sure it will be a thrilling ride.

-Anima

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A/N: This is an experiment of mine. Each of Anima's journal entries will corrospond with a theme from a 100 Themes list I found on Deviantart. They will each be a memory she collected from her encounters with spirits.  An interesting tidbit: Her name is derived from the latin word "Animus", which, as far as I know, translates to "soul" or "spirit".

For those of you who don't know, 100 Themes lists are used by writers to invent stories and cure writer's block. It's a challenge where you must come up with a story based on each theme on the list. This one just happens to be Crayola Colors. Credit for the themes on this list goes to ShadowpawMFur (on DA).