Chapter Text
PART ONE
it's small mistake that changed the history
FALSE NEGATIVE
During the crossing, Alina and her family stood far from the Inferni - at first. But she felt funny ever since the skiff entered the Fold, and watching Grisha in their element made her forget it, so even before the monsters attacked, she came closer and her worried parents followed. It’s beautiful, she thinks despite the screams, the way the air changes and the fire comes, burning volcra and hypnotizing little Alina. Their light tears through the Fold, at least this close, and she can’t help being drawn in. She misses the moment when one of the soldiers with a lantern bumps into Inferni... and the chain reaction begins. Fire - of Grisha and of otkazat’sya – swallows everything.
A miracle, they said. The Saints saved her, they said.
Alina is the only child among survivors and it seems to fascinate everyone. Every miracle comes with a price - she emerged from the Fold with burns on her face, but what’s worse – an orphan. Not that she remembered it. Everything hurt, and the rest was a blur until Alina was placed in the Keramzin orphanage. After amazingly fast (in their opinion) recovery she could finally leave the infirmary and meet other children.
Having no intention to further socialize with those cruel beasts that pointed at her scars, kicked her shins and whispered behind her back, Alina was frowned upon by her oblivious caretakers. Especially once they’ve noticed the girl's habit of sketching some truly terrifying – not just because of her yet mediocre skill - shapes, based on Alina’s memory of volcra . Her dreadful hobby wouldn’t help her make any friends had she wanted any.
She missed her family desperately, she hated being in Keramzin, she hated other orphans.
The worst of them was Mal.
He never left Alina alone: he pulled her braids, mocked her little drawings, called her names... But the worst thing was when he tried to make her an unwilling participant - and title victim - of a Grisha Hunting. It was one of the silliest games the children of Keramzin could have come up with, in Alina’s humble opinion: everybody knew that some Grisha would come eventually to the orphanage to test the children, and the village itself could be visited by the Second Army riding through Ravka anytime. Why would they invent a game that mirrored the known horrors that happened outside their country?
Secretly, Alina still loved stories about Grisha. Her memory of a journey through the Fold and particularly of Inferni was strong despite what happened next. Sometimes, other than monsters, she would sketch sticky people with flames coming from their hands. During lessons on history of Ravka, she was the only one who dared to ask questions about the Second Army, although not about what interested her most – the Darklings. The mythical Sun Summoners were always something she associated with Ravkan church and the Saints, for whom she had no love ever since the Fold.
The first and only time Mal tried to make Alina take part in Grisha Hunting, she broke.
Alina turned on her heel and did something she saw some of the older kids do – she grabed Mal’s arm for balance and then punched him in the face. Nobody really wondered how such a little skinny girl could have found strength to hit so hard that it knocked someone’s tooth out, the adults were simply focused on disciplining the rogue and taking care of the victim, while the kids just couldn’t stop laughing.
In the meantime, Alina picked up the bloody teeth from the ground, wiped it carelessly with her dress and then hid in her pocket. At this moment keeping her enemy’s tooth was something absolutely logical. It was her trophy, won in the battle.
Ever since Alina’s victory in the meadow, Mal stayed away - even if he tried to insult the girl by calling her Grisha. She didn’t mind, and nobody knew Alina always kept the tooth with her. Sometimes she would rub it, for good luck, as this mere memory of success made her feel stronger and more confident, every single time.
(Only many years later would she begin to wonder.)
The Grisha examiners came, and Alina watched them with poorly hidden awe. A beautiful woman in red robes - kefta , it was called kefta - smiled at her from behind her companion, and the girl almost laughed out loud when she felt her excited heartbeat slow down to normal.
She straightened, made sure her hair was covering her scars and her dress was (mostly) spotless. With her hands folded in prayer - for the first time since she came to the orphanage – she chanted in her head.
Let me be Grisha. Please, let me be Grisha...
The main examinator, the oldest of the group (also clad in red kefta but with grey additions), held out his hand to every child, but even as close as she stood, Alina couldn’t see what exactly he was doing. Finally, it was her time to shine. She came up to the man, he took her hand and...
Something did shine: a blade.
It stinged terribly. In a blink of an eye, Alina remembered monsters, teeth and fire. She pushed towards the man in red, and he hissed, surprised.
The examinator held out his palm for other Grisha to see - there was a burn mark where his skin touched Alina’s.
"Inferni?" asked the young man in blue kefta immediately. He smirked triumphantly at the beautiful woman and came up to Alina to carefully put a possessive hand on her shoulder.
"Inferni," the examinator sighed and his burned skin suddenly looked perfect again.
Ana Kuya’s eyes flashed with fear and relief, the remaining orphans stared, Grisha in blue pulled her lightly towards them and Alina...
Alina smiled.