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Chasm
Nov 26, 2012 20:31:24 GMT -5
Post by Jisui on Nov 26, 2012 20:31:24 GMT -5
Chasm
Ch. 1 – Kali
There was supposed to be a celebration. There should have been one. After all that Max had been through, he deserved one.
There was supposed to have been one. But there wasn’t.
We had finally managed to exorcise Inner away. He left into the afterlife content that Max was going to live, and be okay. He left on a lie. But none of us knew, and none of us could know. So instead, we cheered, clapped Max on the back, and even Veronica couldn’t hide a smile. Max was smiling. Why wouldn’t he be? It was supposed to be the end. It was the happy ending that everyone wanted. Veronica had finally killed Verkrag, after a long, long battle with him and Vincent. Vydunas had managed to break Metus’ curse. Selesterge was long dead. Everything was finally ending.
What should have happened was that we would have gone into town, and joked about our futures without a single thought of battles on our minds. We would have strolled into a tavern, and ordered a seven-large table, just as we always did. We would have laughed, and asked where each of us would go. What we would do in the future, besides fight. We would laugh as Max choked on his food, unused to being to eat so much without throwing up, while Grant silently attempted the Heimlich on him. We would have bathed in the moment silently, then take a last drink together. Then we would all go on our ways, promising to meet up with each other again. Vydunas would go back to his tribes, and Veronica would probably go somewhere far away from the memories of Verkrag that she had once been obsessed with. Priscilla would probably go with her. Grant would probably wander the lands by himself, but with a much lighter load on his shoulders than before, knowing that there were people he could trust. And I would have asked if I could go wherever Max went, no matter where he went, even if it was with Elaina instead of me.
But none of it happened. And I’ll tell you why.
One week earlier – Landiel Outskirts/Forest: 12:05 AM
“Are you sure you’re alright, Max?” I asked worriedly, watching the frail priest stumble around as if suddenly developing legs. Beside him was Elaina, who had a similar expression of worry on her face watching him move. I figured that he’d have less trouble walking AFTER Inner was gone, but it almost looked the same as before. Suddenly, Max’s knees buckled a bit, and his eyes widened as his body fell forward. I started to move forward to catch him, but was just a second short, as Elaina’s form swooped in and caught him gracefully with both arms.
“...I told you that I could carry you back.” Elaina muttered in slight annoyance, although the smile on her face contradicted it. Truth be told, it was kinda hard not to be happy at the moment. Even Grant seemed to be a good mood, or at the very least, his eyes weren’t shifting around so much as they usually did. Finding all of Inner’s missing memories took well over five months, and for a second, I didn’t even think that we were going to make it with just me, Max and Elaina. But once Vydunas, Veronica and the rest of them came back from their personal journeys, we just barely managed to find the last piece of his memories, and exorcise him. It was kinda weird without Inner truth be told, but hey, if Max was alive, then that was enough for me. Inner didn’t look all that bitter leaving anyway, he actually looked somewhat... relieved?
“Thanks, Elaina.” Max smiled at the angel warmly, and I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealously run through me as she returned it. I’m not really the jealous type, but...
Hell, he gives that smile to everyone! It was like getting jealous at a dog for barking.
...Did that even make sense? Whatever, the point was, this was the wrong time for that. I wasn’t going to rain on Max’s day with thoughts like those.
“I’m fine though, really. I’m just... tired.” He muttered with a sigh, wincing as his foot caught the root of a tree by mistake. Elaina had been watching him stumble around in the dark for like an hour now, and I guess she finally got tired of it. She suddenly took him up with both arms easily, cradling him in her arms. Despite how embarrassed Max looked (he distinctly resembled a tomato at the moment), he didn’t protest, sighing in defeat. “...Thanks. To be honest though... this is the best I’ve felt in a few years.” Max admitted, trying hard to ignore the pair of incredulous emerald green eyes behind him.
“This is the best you have felt in a few years, priest?” Veronica questioned, skeptically looking at the priest in Elaina’s arms. I couldn’t really blame her, if this was the best he felt in a few years, then I’d hate to see his worst.
“Man, I’d hate to see you at your worst, Maxipad.” Priscilla cheerfully repeated my inner thoughts, sliding over a fallen branch with an ease that caused several envious looks to be shot in her direction. It probably wasn’t the best idea to move while it was completely dark outside, in a friggen forest, but after what we went to exorcise Inner, I don’t think even Grant wanted to argue that we all needed a hotel, badly. Ahead of us, I could see Grant giving the faintest shake of the head, his unusual form obscured by the blackness of the night.
“Unlikely. He could barely move a few weeks ago. The odds of him relapsing into that kind of condition are slim to none.”
“...Slim? You mean it could happen again?” Elaina questioned hesitantly, and I felt my own gaze follow to Grant, who paused, before nodding.
“The original problem was that the condition for maintaining the seal containing the spirit (I resisted the urge to correct him with ‘Inner’) was for Max to feed him his own life energy. It is similar to that of two people living in one body. If there are two people, and one piece of meat, then it’s obvious that if the food was divided to one person, that one person will have a higher chance of surviving than if they shared.”
“But there’s only one person now, right? Shouldn’t it be fine then?” I asked with a worried expression on my face, and by now everyone’s attention was focused on Grant, Max included.
“Even if the food isn’t shared, food does not come back, does it?” With these words, Max’s eyes widened, and I felt a sudden pang of fear run through me with it. Did that mean that everything we had done was...
“...He should be fine though, if he’s careful. You won’t die anytime soon, if you don’t overexert yourself.” With that, a wave of relief seemed to go through everyone, and Max’s expression seemed to ease up a bit. Thank goodness... but for some reason, I couldn’t help but think that Grant was holding something back from us. Maybe he was just rubbing off on me too much, and I was getting paranoid.
“Hey, hey... we just got done saving our priest’s life, right? Y’all can’t talk about something a little more cheerful?” Behind us, our unofficial wolfen leader, who had previously stayed out of the discussion, spoke with a raised eyebrow, and as if it were a cue, the group quickly split up into numerous mini-conversations.
“Hey, Grant... you know how you lock that cabinet with all your fancy chemicals inside of it? Wellllll... I might have opened it yesterday. Is that stuff called Arcanium Alchicide dangerous?”
“...”
“So, Veronica, you got anything planned for the future dude?”
“Hmm... I do not believe so. Preferably, it is away from Landiel.”
“Haha, agreed. You know, if you want, you can head over to my tribe. I can convince them to let you stay for a while, just to relax a bit, y’know?”
“Hmm... perhaps. It would certainly be a breath of fresh air.”
While they were talking, I realized with a start, that this was probably the best chance I was going to get. I’ve been working up the nerve to ask Max this for a long time, and each and every time, something always seemed to interrupt me. But not this time!
Veronica and Vydunas’ conversation was something that I had been thinking of for a long time now. It was a series of “what ifs” that turned into reality. What if Veronica killed Verkrag? What if Vydunas got rid of the curse on Metus? What if, what if... things that used to be dreams turned into reality, and what was left, was the cold hard truth. We were all going separate ways. And the number of days I had left with Max, were decreasing one by one.
I realized that I didn’t want that. These days, stressful as they were, were probably the best days of my life. So I wanted to ask Max, if I could go with him. Because I didn’t want these days to end, no matter how selfish it sounded. Max was a nice guy, and I was pretty sure that he wouldn’t say no. Then what was stopping me?
Behind me, I heard Elaina giggling, and I couldn’t help but turn my head slightly, looking at the sight of Max and Elaina happily engaged in a conversation about something in their past, something that I wasn’t a part of. Oh. Yeah, that was stopping me.
Who was I kidding? Max would much rather travel with Elaina instead of me. She was prettier, knew him longer, and was probably easier to talk to. But somehow, someway, I hoped that if I were to just tell him how I felt, it wouldn’t matter.
Oh, wait. I did that once. He ran out of the room in like three seconds.
...Ah well. Even if it was just as friends... somehow I couldn’t see myself travelling alone, like I did before I met them. It was just too... lonely, compared to what I had gotten used to. Screw it all! I’m going to do it! What’s the worst that could happen?!
“Kali? Is something wrong?” Max asked with a worried expression on his face, and I saw Elaina shoot me an unusual smile, as if she knew what I was thinking. Silently, she gave a nod of approval, as if encouraging me to keep going. I felt some confidence go through me with that simple gesture, and I steeled myself, seeing some of the others turn around to see what the problem was.
“Uhh... actually, I was wondering-“
“Quiet!” I cursed at my bad luck before looking at the culprit of the noise, inadvertently bumping into Grant, who had stopped moving. He had stopped moving, and gave a sign to the rest of us to stop as well. Vydunas, who had spoken up, had a regular katana drawn in place of Metus, his eyes and ears actively darting about the vicinity for something we couldn’t see in the darkness of the night.
“...What’s wro-“
Before I could finish my sentence, Grant tackled me down to the ground, and a brilliant flash of violet light erupted where I once was. What’s that smell...?
Burning... wood?
Staring silently at the spot where I once was, I silently stared at the incinerated tree which had taken the brunt of the assault for me, a ruined mass of ash and charred bark. Vydunas’ eyes widened behind us, and he barely had time to yell “Ambush!” before a blurry mass of silver-white spears and blades converged all over us.
Grant quickly got up, darting away from a spear thrust to the head, drawing his trusted desert eagle in response to the assault. Without hesitating, he smoothly deposited three or four rounds into the chest of his target, who sank quickly. Silently, we both stared at the victim for a split second, as long as the battle would allow us to. The face was unrecognizable, a stranger, but they even though it was ruined by Grant’s corrosive bullets, it was clear that the man was wearing pearl white monk robes, adorned with a simple white cross pattern on the back.
That’s all the time we had to think anything like “Who the hell are these people,” before we were dragged back into the fray. I saw Grant engage a group of 6-7 of the guys, and further away, the rest of them were getting attacked as well. Vydunas elegantly began cleaving his way through the group of monks, Metus or no Metus, and behind him, Priscilla was holding back a few with her crystal constructs. Veronica... well, judging from how many bodies were around her, I don’t think she needed any help.
Around me, four monks had gathered, each with long, oddly shaped cross spears. They charged at the same time, and I barely registered their assault before grabbing each spear with my tentacles before they touched, and wrestling them free from their grasp. In the same motion, while grabbing them away, I twisted each spear around, flinging them back at their owners and hearing four solid ‘thud’s in response to my efforts. But I didn’t hear them. I couldn’t. Because all I could think about at the moment, was where Max and Elaina were.
My tentacles began to rip through the forest with reckless abandon. All I cared about was if Max and Elaina were safe. I didn’t even register the loud ‘bang’ behind me that I knew was Grant’s Alchemical Cannon, I just needed to find them...!
“Fata, voluntatem, futurum...”
Huh? Why was I thinking of that now...?
"The Fool. The Fool always symbolizes a new journey, a new beginning and experience..."
This was stupid... of all the times to think about this, why now? I needed to find Max...!
"The Seven of Wands. Together with The Fool, it can represent a journey or experience that will take tremendous skill, courage and nerve... but success will be at the end of this hard work, if done."
I spotted a clearing ahead of me, but couldn’t see how many people were in it.
"You must be destined for a great fortune in life, miss. This represents Strength. Strength does not necessarily refer to physical strength, it can also refer to mental strength, emotional strength, or strength of character, or beliefs. As long as you have this strength with you, you need not falter in your tasks."
No, there were three people in there, and Max was one of them. I started tearing through the trees at breakneck speed, spotting Elaina a few meters away from him. And in front of them, was a priestess garbed In violet robes, her bandaged eyes giving me a sickening bout of nostalgia.
"That... is Judgment."
Purple energy began forming on both of her arms, aimed at Max and Elaina-
"It usually symbolizes an important decision to make, one that will change your life."
I could make it, they were right in front of me now-
“The card however is... reversed. That may mean that choice may not turn out as you expected it to...”
They were too far apart, but I had tentacles, I could save both-
“...but it also does not mean it will be the wrong choice...”
Can only save one-
“...or a bad one."
A wave of violet energy erupted through her hands at them-
"Fate... is something that should not be taken lightly miss."
No, I can save both-
"Le Morte. Death, which symbolizes the 'end'.”
My body moved on its own-
“With such close proximity to 'Judgment', it means that your most important choice...”
I tackled ___to the ground. The blast grazed past us, causing a conflagration of violet flames to erupt around the area. The hiss of violent energy and burning wood filled the area, and I pressed ___ to my chest, trying not to breathe in the smoke.
“...will certainly give an end to something...”
The flames began to die down, and the violet-robed maiden was nowhere to be seen. Instead, four meters away from us, was a still body, chest rising slowly.
I looked at Max, who looked shell-shocked in my embrace, not sure what had just happened.
And I looked at the smoldering body in front of us, and only the body. I could not look at the face, because I was afraid to look at the accusing light blue eyes that would surely greet me.
“... or someone."
Time seemed to stop. We couldn’t react, or speak, because it seemed fake. We couldn’t react, because we hadn’t registered it as reality. Because this had to be a dream.
“...”
I couldn’t stop Max from wriggling out from my grasp, because I was still staring at the smoldering body in front of me. She... she should have been able to throw a shield. Why didn’t she throw up a shield...?!
Max was crawling, like a wounded dog, to Elaina. She was still breathing, but no one could say any words like “it’ll be okay” or “we can heal you”. Because she wasn’t going to die. She was going to live, and travel with Max. They were going to go to a lot of places, places that Max had never seen before. He’d childishly point them out, and she would do that quiet laugh and smile that was so like her. That’s why it was impossible for Elaina to die here, in this forest clearing in the middle of nowhere. Because she had a future that was set already, this wasn’t supposed to happen...!
Then, I saw her mouth move ever so slightly.
And at that moment, I knew I couldn’t forgive her.
Because if she were to just die normally, a smile on her face, without saying a word, then Max would have been able to get over it. It would have hurt, and stung, but eventually, one day, Max would get over it.
But she didn’t. Because she clung to life so hard, and wanted to go without any regrets, I couldn’t forgive her. She should have just died normally.
But instead, she told him that she loved him.
And instead, she brought his head close to hers, and with her last breath, softly pressed her lips against his.
The blood seemed to stick to his lips like lipstick; I thought absent-mindedly, my body feeling more and more numb by the minute. Behind me, I heard the voices of the rest of our group, who were no doubt rushing over to see what was going on.
Slowly, dazedly, I walked over to Max, almost afraid to touch him because he seemed as fragile as glass. Softly, I touched his shoulder, unsure of what to say, of what to do. He turned his gaze around slowly, and I felt myself take a step back at what I saw.
In the dim, dark light of the midnight moon, his eyes were like a sapphire chasm. More than how fragile they looked, what stood out the most was how beautifully empty they were. It was like looking into an endless gorge, there was no life or depth in them, no spark in what usually made them so brilliant.
That was when I realized that I couldn’t forgive Elaina, for dying like that.
And I couldn’t forgive myself, for letting her die.
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Chasm
Mar 11, 2013 17:49:21 GMT -5
Post by Jisui on Mar 11, 2013 17:49:21 GMT -5
Ch. 1.5 – Our Promise
Lia knew that cicadas seldom sang at night, except under a few conditions that her mother had told her. But she could hardly ignore the high-pitched chorus of the night that was keeping her up, and thus, the small blind girl mentally ran through the checklist in her head, determined to find out the reason for the whirring symphony which had so cruelly deprived her of her sleep. One, it was hot outside. Because of her unusually high senses in contrast to her eyesight, Lia could feel a cold draft pass through the flimsy windows of the mansion room, and she repressed a shiver that ran down her spine. That could be safely crossed off the list then. Two, the cicadas were agitated. The night seemed eerily calm besides the cicada’s cry, so she doubted that was the reason either. Three, an artificial light, or a full moon was out.
Since she’d crossed everything else out, that had to be the reason. But, then again, she thought wistfully, how would she know? It’s not like she had ever seen the moon before. Even so, she imagined it to be a great ball of light in the sky, something rivaling the sun in magnificence. It was all she could do. Associating things with other objects, imagining them, creating them, was less of a game to her than a way of life. If you couldn’t see it with your own eyes, then the only thing left to do was to make it yourself.
Well, even if she had solved the mystery, it didn’t solve anything else. The moon would be full for as long as it wanted, and the cicadas would sing regardless of her revelations. Sighing, Lia pulled her body up from the crimson silk sheets of the bed, which seemed entirely too large for her. She was careful not to ruffle the black wings that were spread right next to her, or wake up the small little girl that was entrenched in a deep sleep. The girl was around Lia’s age, with startling light blue eyes and raven black hair styled into two bangs. She was wearing a white shift that was comically too large for her, completely enveloping her leg and arms, even going a few more feet past them. Lia had heard Max often note that they would have to trim her clothing, although apparently, in Max’s own words, it looked quite cute on her.
Getting off the bed was like avoiding a minefield. Because of the large black wings on the raven-haired girl’s black, she took up most of the bed, and Lia had to move painstakingly carefully to avoid waking her up. This, of course, was compounded with that fact that Lia was blind, and this was almost completely impossible if not for the slender hand that grasped one of her probing arms. Recognizing the feel of the hand easily, she let herself be gently pulled off the bed, not once hearing the sleeping angel’s steady breathing pattern change. As Lia’s foot hit the ground, the aged wood of the floor protested desperately, creating a painful creak that seemed to reverberate in the small, dusty bedroom. She and the young boy visibly winced, turning their eyes on Lia’s bed and glancing at the black-winged little girl. A sigh of relief came, though neither knew who it came from. Still asleep.
“Couldn’t sleep?” A young boy’s voice whispered to her, Lia frowning as she turned to the sound of her best friend’s voice. Although she couldn’t see it, a pair of sapphire blue orbs stared out of the darkness of the night, belonging to a rather scrawny looking young boy around the same age as her. He had scraggly brown hair, and a rather thin build for an 8 year old that was concealed in a pair of black pajama pants and a plain blue shirt. The young boy stood quietly near the bed, shifting his gaze to the sleeping young angel near them as a small smile came to his lips, before turning his attention back to Lia. Pouting in response to the young boy’s question, Lia pointed out of the window as the sound of the crying cicadas continued to pour into the night. Chirp, chirp chirp.
“Max. Make them stop.” The blind girl issued a ridiculous command without skipping a beat, a pout still prevalent on her face as she stared at the young boy. As if a physical blow was dealt to him, Max’s eyebrow twitched upon receiving the full brunt of the stare, forcing himself to look away before a brain cell burst. He never was any good at resisting that pout and stare combo. It was seriously unfair, he wanted to complain. With the quivering lips and forlorn expression on the blind girl’s face, it truly looked like she was going to cry if he didn’t do what she wanted.
“...I...don’t think I can do that. How about a glass of water instead?” He offered, Lia puffing her cheeks slightly in irritation before nodding and turning back to the window with a glare. Chirp. Chirp. Chirp.
To be honest, Max had woken up earlier for the exact same reasons. The cry of the cicadas in the night was just too loud to ignore. Glancing back to the black winged-angel on the bed, he wondered how she was even able to sleep, before his mind inevitably mind began to wander to that day, almost a year ago. The chirping of the cicadas that drowned out all noise, in the shimmering haze of the summer heat... even if it was all completely different, the cicadas would always remain a constant. Just as always, the song sounded desperate, as if trying to warn him about something.
“...Hey, you alright?” Max heard Lia’s voice near him, her soft face contorted into a concerned frown. Despite not being able to see his expression, Lia was unusually perceptive on these matters, and could tell if something was wrong with her friends. But the small young boy just hesitated, before giving her a kind smile in return, shaking his head.
"It's not a big deal." Max assured her quietly, and upon seeing the skeptical frown that followed his words, he sighed, glancing out of the bedroom door to the dimly lit hallway outside. He promptly decided to change the subject. "Guess I'll go get your water now..." He muttered reluctantly, scratching the back of his head as Lia giggled lightly.
"You don't have to get it you know. I know you don't like the dark..." Lia leaned forward teasingly as she spoke, folding her hands behind her back. "You scaredy-cat."
The boy flushed slightly in embarrassment, glaring at her before shouting the best comeback that came to his young mind.
"Am not!"
"You are too!"
"...Mmm..." A combination of a murmur and whimper came in the direction of the little girl on the bed, freezing both of them. A long minute past, the angel seeming to toss and turn before finally gripping the large cotton pillow that Lia had slept on, and snuggling against it contently. As the sound of her breathing again filled the room, Max and Lia breathed a sigh of relief before the blind girl turned to Max, pointing a figure at him while whispering in an accusing tone.
"You almost woke Elaina up!"
"Wha- you were the one who yelled..." Max's voice trailed off as he realized that he had been the first to raise his voice, and he tried hard to avoid looking at the smug expression firmly on Lia's face. He quickly decided to change the subject.
"W-Whatever... you aren't scared, right? Then why don't you come with me?" The smirk on the blind girl's face faded away at his words, replaced with a nervous grimace that seemed to answer Max's question for him. Being afraid of the dark... it wasn't as if such a thing was possible for her, who couldn't see. But because of that, the creaking of the aged floorboards always seemed louder, and the rustling of the window curtains against the wind always sounded like a vengeful ghost ready to strike. She wasn't about to go venturing out into the night any sooner than Max was. But the young boy did not let up, a similar smirk developing on his face.
"What's wrong... you scaredy-cat?" At those words, Lia's face furrowed up into a fierce glower. She began to take a step towards the young boy, before suddenly stopping as she sensed a displacement in the air in front of her. She looked confusedly at the object, before hesitantly gripping it with one of her hands and feeling the familiar soft contours of Max's hand.
"Just kidding. It's no big deal, right? We're both scared, so if we go together, it'll be fine." Although Lia couldn't see his face, she could clearly make out the kindness in his tone. She smiled, gripping the hand slightly tighter than before as her cheeks took a rosy hue. "...Dummy .I would have gone with you even if you didn't ask." She muttered to herself, Max tilting his head curiously and leaning closer to her.
"Did you say something Lia?" He questioned, Lia looking up ,seeming somewhat alarmed, before shaking her head quickly. "N-Nothing... anyway, let's hurry up and go. It's freezing in here."
A pair of sapphire blue eyes seemed to examine her for a short moment, before shrugging, and gripping her hand tightly with a light smile. The pair began to walk out of the bedroom, carefully stepping over the board near the door which always creaked loudly, and gently closed the door behind them to avoid waking up Elaina. The hallway that they stepped into seemed to stretch on for an eternity, with dimly lit lights casting flickering shadows onto aged mahogany wood floors. The room that they had just left was the master bedroom, with several other doors in the hallway leading to other guest rooms, bedrooms and bathrooms that had not been in use for several, several years. At the very end of the hallway, next to the stairwell that led to the kitchen downstairs, was a small window that was letting in a small amount of soft moonlight onto the hallway, helping to illuminate the rather worn-down floor. It was currently open, the bolts long rusted and unable to close, so it was also letting in a cool drift that sent a noticeable shiver down Max's spine.
Left. Right. Over. Together, they glided over the hallway panels as if underneath were landmines. Not a single board creaked under their weight as they moved, as they made to the hallway before descending to the kitchen. Being the most important area of the house, they had obviously worked the hardest on keeping it sanitary, and the results showed. The marble floors and counters had been cleaned as much as a trio of eight and nine year olds could handle, and the previously fairly rusted sink had been scrubbed so that a faint gleam of its former silver managed to gleam out once again. Aside from a small beam of moonlight that came from a window above the sink, it was pitch black, forcing Max to follow the moonbeam like a lost ship following a lighthouse. With Lia's hand still in his, Max walked over to the counter, grimacing as he pushed a small step-ladder near the sink so that he could reach it . Opening a cabinet above the sink with outstretched arms, he gently plucked one of the few, precious glass cups they had, and held it under the sink faucet before turning the knob. Although neither of them really thought about it very much, it was a miracle that they had working water at all. What mattered however, was that it was clean, and since they had been living off of it for a year, didn't seem to have any contaminants in it. Gently, Max lowered the cup filled with water to Lia, whose fingers brushed against the glass surface as if trying to get a feel for it, before she gripped it gratefully with both hands and brought it to her lips.
Gulp, gulp. For some reason, as she drank the water, fingers cradling the glass gently, he couldn't help but think that she looked elegant in some way. Max stared for a few more seconds, before shaking his head free of his thoughts and pouring a glass of water for himself.
Soon afterwards, glasses in hand, the pair slumped to the floor of the marble floors, their backs leaning against the wooden counter. The small beam of moonlight seeping through the window hit the distance in between them, as if trying to draw them together, and the only noise of the night was the steady screeching of the cicadas that had first brought them there.
Lia took another swig of water, glancing nearby to the young boy near her. Although she couldn't see him, because of her enhanced hearing, and of how close the two were next to each other, she could hear the sounds of his breathing. In. Out. In, out. Finding it strangely comforting to hear the steady rhythm of his breaths, she quietly leaned her head against Max's shoulder, which garnered a surprised glance from him.
"Hey, Max. You ever think of that day that I found you?" She suddenly questioned in a inquisitive tone, cutting off his complaint that she was too close to him. The day that a little blind girl had found a quivering boy, huddled against the street walls. The day that she took his hand, and led him away, into her own personal world. Did he ever think of that day? It was a silly question.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Hmm..." Lia placed a finger on one of her lips as if contemplating something, a small smile coming to her lips. "I was just thinking that you've really changed, you know? A year ago, you wouldn't have even been able to come downstairs with me."
"...Did I? I didn't really notice." He admitted, taking another gulp of water before turning his gaze out to the window, where the full moon was softly glowing in the night sky.
"Yup. I like it too. The new you is pretty cool." The blind girl said cheerfully, lowering her half-empty cup of water down on the floor, as Max worked to fight off a slight blush in response to her words. He wasn't used to praise, especially from her, so to hear it so frankly made him somewhat embarrassed. All this talk of that day however, brought something to mind that he hadn't thought of before for some reason.
"...Hey, Lia. How did you find me anyway? I wasn't making any noise."
Lia regretfully lifted up her head slightly from her place on Max's shoulder, turning to face him. She silently placed a finger on the back of the white ribbon covering her eyes, pulling it apart and unraveling it gently. Although he had seen them before, Max couldn't help but stare into the light violet orbs that greeted him. They weren't normal, there was no talking around it. Her eyes were glowing a light violet, and even in the dark, they were illuminated beautifully.
"You know I can see a little, right? It's not the same thing you see, but... hmm, it's hard to explain. And it kinda hurts my eyes, so..." Lia shrugged slightly, beginning to wrap her eyes back up. "I can't see things like rocks and dirt, but I can see people and things like that. You weren't making a sound, but I guess you just got lucky, since my ribbon was untied." A beam came to the blind girl's face, as if pleased of her decision to leave off the ribbon that day, and she continued without skipping a beat or showing one sign of embarrassment.
"Actually, that might have been why I was interested in you. Everything makes a sound, even if they're asleep, even if it's the trees or the wind. But you were invisible. I couldn't hear anything from you." She mused, playing with a strand of her brown locks.
"..." There was nothing he could really say to that, so Max remained silent, carefully gathering the two glasses of water they had drank. He stood up, preparing to put them into the sink and rinse them. Was that why she had taken his hand and pulled him away that day? On some random whim she had that day?
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea though." Lia suddenly continued, frowning as if somehow sensing what the young boy was thinking. "I took you with me, because I said I liked you. That wasn't a lie."
His face began to color again, darker than before. Seriously, she was so blunt all the time, that he couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "H-Hey... seriously, what are you saying?" Max muttered, trying to avert his eyes from the blind girl. Despite this, he couldn't help but smile slightly in response to her words.
Across from him on the floor, Lia responded by sticking her tongue out playfully, suddenly freezing as she heard a faint sniffling sound, followed by a solid 'thud'. She and Max looked at each other for a brief second, hesitating, before nodding and rushing off to the stairs where they had heard the noise.
________________________________________
"It's just a small scratch." Max muttered, breathing a sigh of relief as he looked over the small line of blood smeared on the young angel’s knee. Elaina, who was still sniffling a bit, winced as Max cleaned the cut with a wet napkin, and tightened a small bit of cloth over the wound. Beside her, Lia was apologetically holding her hand, frowning. The trio was assembled near the beginning steps of the staircase, where Elaina had apparently tripped over her oversized shift and fallen down in the dark.
“...Sorry Elaina. You woke up and didn’t see us, so you went to go find us, didn’t you?” The blind girl muttered apologetically, as Elaina nodded her head quietly. Feeling rather guilty about the whole matter, Lia childishly attempted to shift part of the blame towards her partner-in-crime.
“Max! I told you to trim Elaina’s dress a long time ago!” She accused, not seeing Max’s eyes narrow slightly.
“Me?! You’re the one who took me here because you couldn’t sleep!”
“W-Well...”
Elaina frowned, looking between the two as they began bickering. She never liked seeing her two only friends argue obviously, but the fact that they were arguing about her, made it even worse.
“...Please, stop fighting.” She muttered quietly, her gaze downcast as she felt the gaze of two pairs of eyes. There was a brief silence, and another guilty exchange of glances, before she heard Lia sigh beside her.
“...Well, I guess it was it was both of our faults, wasn’t it?”
“That’s true.” Max agreed, leaning back on a step of the staircase. For a short while, a short silence enveloped the three, with only the sounds of the night interwoven. Max steeled himself to trudge back upstairs to their room, and go back to sleep, before Lia broke the silence.
“Well, there’s no helping it. Since we’re all up, let’s play a game!” Lia cheerfully chimed, not seeing the rather skeptical looks her two friends gave her in response to her idea.
“...Do you know how late it is? I can barely see you right now. What would we even play?” Max questioned with a doubtful expression. Lia’s face scrunched up slightly, frowning as if thinking it over, before a radiant beam settled back on her face. “Oh, I know! How about hide and seek?”
“...” Max looked at his best friend in disbelief, not knowing quite what to say in response. Beside him, Elaina frowned slightly, as if not entirely enthused about the idea, but certain that since Lia had thought of it, there was a very likely chance she would follow through. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time.
“So... you want to play hide and seek... in the dark... in this huge house... with only three people?” The small boy asked slowly, keeping his gaze focused on the blind girl for any sign that she was just joking. The response he got was less than encouraging.
“Yep! Who’s going to be it?” She cheerfully responded, as Max and Elaina exchanged a grim frown. Well, that was that. They might have just been kids, but even Max knew that playing hide and seek in the dark with two little girls, a person that was afraid of the dark, an angel, and a blind girl in a mansion was the worst idea he had ever heard in his life. But Lia had said that she wanted to do it, so they were going to do it. Thinking on it further, Max wasn’t sure if Lia had thought it through entirely (of course she hadn’t), but there was no way that she would be able to be “it”. So that left her off the list. Elaina had almost cried once she saw that they weren’t in the room with her, so there was no way they could make her “it” either. So that left...
“...I’ll be it.” Max volunteered reluctantly, watching as Elaina shot him a worried look, and Lia’s smile turned even wider. “Watch her, okay?” He asked Elaina, who nodded quietly. “Watch her” basically meant to make sure she didn’t do anything stupid or dangerous. Nevertheless, he got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, for whatever reason.
“Cool! Then we’ll go hide somewhere, and you count to... umm...” The blind girl ticked off her fingers, trying to think of a number high enough, “Fifty! Then you can come and find us.”
"...Don't go too far, okay? And don't go in the old rooms either, they're about to fall apart."
If Lia's eyes were visible underneath the white bandage, Max thought he'd see her rolling her eyes at him. "Yeah, okay Mom... just count to fifty, okay?"
Max sighed as he turned towards the wall, and hesitantly, let the darkness of the night fall over his vision. As he heard the steady pitter-patter of light footsteps, he began his slow countdown in a loud, yet cautious voice.
"One... two... three..." ________________________________________
"...Fifty. Here I come." As Max opened his eyes, eyes adjusting to the swathing darkness that encompassed the house, a pang of fear and uncertainty ran through him as he wondered how in the world he'd be able to find two people in the dark, in a mansion. No, wait... would he really have to find two people? Lia couldn't see, so she had to be hiding with Elaina... and that meant, that this wasn't really finding two people, it was just one. And it couldn't possibly be somewhere like a small closet, because Elaina's wings wouldn't be able to fit there completely. So, it might not have been as hard as it first sounded. Lia might be an unexpectedly difficult foe though, he thought. No matter how he approached, if she was there, they were going to hear him coming.
...Maybe he was just thinking of it too much? After all, how hard could it be to find a black winged angel and a blind girl? With a sigh, the young boy timidly began stepping through the hallways, flinching from any flickering shadow in his way. With Lia next to him, it was okay... but with the sound of the creaking floorboards and encroaching darkness around him, the mansion seemed terrifying. Why was it, that her hand seemed to make all of those negative feelings, those scary emotions fade away...?
It was all the more reason to find her and Elaina as soon as possible. No doubt Elaina was scared too, but Lia wouldn't end the stupid game until she was satisfied. In other words, until either of them won. Hmm... no doubt Elaina would rather listen to Lia, rather than pick a spot herself. That means that he had to think of what spot Lia would possibly pick out of the whole mansion. And knowing her, that meant...
"...Please... don't tell me you're that simple." A sweat drop rolled down Max's head, as he got a sinking suspicion about the location of the two girls. With a sigh, he prepared himself to move up the stairs, before the sound of chatter cut off his thoughts.
"...this it? The condition of this place is pretty shitty."
"Heh, it's a mansion, a mansion! Come on, there has to be something valuable here."
"Sure as hell hope so... tired of eating stale bread every day."
He couldn't breathe. Not because the voices were male, and not female, like he had become accustomed to. Not because of the greedy intent that was mixed in with their words. He couldn't breathe...
Because... those voices came from upstairs.
His feet began sprinting up the stairs, fighting the urge to scream by biting his tongue. No, no no...!
________________________________________
Lia was a genius.
In a huge mansion, the most natural reaction for anyone would be to hide in one of the many, many rooms that it had to offer. But not her! The best strategy, would be to hide in the place that was most obvious. Max would never guess that she and Elaina were merely hiding to the side of their bed, in their bedroom. It was perfect! Ingenious! Victory was theirs!
...Well, it was partly because both she and Elaina were too scared to go anywhere else, and merely went back to their rooms. But that was just a detail! Resisting the urge to let out a giggle at her ingenuity, she clasped Elaina's hand next to her, and the two waited silently near the bed.
Step, step, step. The sound of creaking wood enveloped her world.
"..." Something was coming. And something was wrong. If it was Max, then there was no way he wouldn't be able to avoid the floorboards that made noises. What's more, she heard voices... and their voices were too deep to be Max's. By the trembling in Elaina's hand, it was clear that she had heard it too. Lia tightened her grip on Elaina's hand to reassure her, then whispered something in the angel's ear. Elaina nodded quietly, still shaking somewhat, and gently dragged both of their bodies under the bed, just as the door of their room opened. From underneath the bed, where they both tried not to breathe in the dust and give an unfortunate cough or sneeze, Elaina saw two sets of boots stomp into their room with reckless abandon.
"Alright, check it. Has to be something here."
"Yeah, got it. Hey... these beds look like someone just used them, don't they?"
"Eh, probably some bum who needed a place to sleep for the night."
"Yeah, I guess..."
Elaina tried to hold in her sinking terror as the two thieves began rampaging about their room, flipping bed sheets, roughly handling the dresser's and flipping about everything they could see. Just stay quiet... as long as they didn't make any noise, they'd leave.
"Tch... useless piece of-"
"Hey, check under the beds. Might be something stashed there."
Check under the beds. Elaina felt Lia's hand squeeze her own tighter.
It looked as though they were checking Max's bed first. Please, please, don't check the other bed. Don't-
"Hmm...? What do we have here?" A thin, sallow face suddenly appeared in front of them, smiling eerily. This time, neither Lia nor Elaina could hold in their screams as they were roughly pulled out from under the beds, where they were dumped onto the floor and forced to confront their aggressors. They both were garbed in simple thieves attire, a black shirt and pants with a small belt that was filled with lockpicks, a dagger, and a variety of tools that a thief needed. The one that had pulled them out was a thin and lanky man, with greasy long black hair and piercing black eyes that made Elaina shiver slightly. The one behind them was slightly more portly, with a cherubic face and scraggly brown hair. Although he looked less intimidating than his partner, there was a certain greed in his expression that didn't reassure Elaina.
"Oh...? There were actually people living in this dump? Just little kids too. What should we do with them, partner?" The thin one remarked, eying the two young girls with an eerie smile.
"Hmm... hey, is that one an... angel? She has black wings too. Bet people would pay big for an angel like that." His partner responded, licking his lips in anticipation for the money they'd get for their troubles. The mansion might have been a bust, but unexpectedly, it had been worth it after all.
"Hehe... what about the other one though? Looks like she can't see. Blind girls don't fetch a good price, do they?"
"Nope... guess she's going to the orphanage. Look at us, helping little kids in need..." The two shared a laugh, as the larger of the two grabbed a shrieking Lia, and slung her over his shoulder. She unsuccessfully attempted to beat her tiny arms against his frame, at which he raised his eyebrow at.
"Hey, hey, we're just going to send you to a better place... no need to be a brat about it."
"Let... go of me...!"
Elaina watched the proceeding events with a combination of horror and helplessness welling up in her, what should she do? The angel slowly began to back away as the other thief started towards her, arms outstretched as to grab her.
"L-Let her go!" All eyes darted to the doorway, where Max stood with a broom in his hand. Although it was clear that there was fear in his body language by the way he was shaking, there was also a hard glint in his eye, as he looked at the thief carrying Lia. With a cry, he charged at him with the broom, only to be swatted away as if he were an annoying insect. The small boy crashed against the backing of his bed painfully, where he collapsed to the floor and was still.
"Max!" Lia cried, hearing the sound of his body hitting the floor. Behind her, Elaina gave a similar cry of despair, seeing the last member of their group hit the ground hard.
"Tch... another one? Damn brats... we're doing you a favor. Who wants to live in a damn dump like this anyway?"The larger thief grumbled, turning to his partner. "Hey, hurry up and grab her so we can get out of here already."
The other thief nodded, starting back towards Elaina, who was still quivering. Who wanted to live in a place like this...? Elaina had to agree, to some extent. It was true that this place was falling apart... it was old, dusty and at times, scary at night. There were far more bad things about the mansion than good. But the three of them were here, together. That was why it was worth living in. There was no way that they could be separated, by these people who insulted the place that they called "home"...!
As the thief tried to grab her, Elaina slipped out of his grasp, darting away from him and turning towards the man who had Lia in his arms. This man... had her friend, in his arms. If she didn't do anything, then she'd never see her again.
"...Let go of her..." Although the words were quiet, they were strangely audible in the small room. And without Elaina knowing it, a small black orb formed behind her, aimed straight at the large man with Lia in his arms. A small beam of energy fired outwards from the small orb as it dissipated, connecting solidly with his right shoulder. Although it didn't pierce him, it had enough force to knock him backwards onto the ground, giving Lia the perfect chance to slip free from his grasp. As the thief groaned, stunned by the unexpected blow, his partner growled, heading over to Elaina. Unfortunately, whatever she did seemed to drain most of her energy, and beads of sweat ran down the angel's face as she helplessly looked towards him.
"Why you..." His attention was suddenly diverted by Lia, who stood next to the windowsill. "Hey, greasy! Over here!"
As soon as his eyes darted over to her, he knew something was wrong. But he couldn't tell why. Because his vision, was encased by the startling light violet eyes that were glowing in the moonlight. Why couldn't he stop staring at them? Why couldn't he move...?! A chill of fear ran down his spine. It was just a little girl, so why was he so afraid of those eyes?
"W-What the hell did you..." He muttered, eyes wide open as he stared back into her eyes. On fire. He was on fire. His blood, his hair, his skin, it was all on fire. It wasn't just a trick, he was really on fire, and he really felt it. The thief began screaming, trying to put out the flames that suddenly engulfed him, as his partner looked on in confusion. What was he doing...? There was nothing wrong with him, so why was he acting like that?
The thief who thought he was on fire stared at Lia with hateful eyes, it was her fault, somehow she had done this to him! If he grabbed her, than this pain, these flames would surely dissipate.
"H-Hey, partner, watch out-" The screaming thief, who was thrashing about, made a lunge for Lia, but instead hit the window with full force. The glass gave way, and the screams of the anguished thief stopped with a sickening thud below. For a while, the room was eerily silent, with only the heavy breathing of Elaina and Lia, who also seemed to have been exhausted, filling the room. Finally, the remaining thief stood up, beginning to walk over to the slumped form of Lia. With a clean 'shick', the dagger came free from its place on his belt.
"...You're gonna regret that, brat. I'm gonna teach you a little lesson, see?" He muttered, Lia wincing as she tried to move away from him. As he brought the knife down, his knees buckled, giving a swear as pain erupted in his left ankle. The thief turned around, seeing Max's small frame behind him. In the young boy's hand was the same broom he first used against him, which he apparently swung against his legs. Dropping the broom, he ran as the irritated thief began stumbling after him in pain, holding his sore ankle delicately. They had come here for treasure, and ended up with more annoyances than they had started with... at this point, just teaching one of these brats a lesson, would be enough for him. The angel would still be here when he got back. He didn't know if his partner was alive or not, but in that case, that just meant the money didn't need to be divided.
As the brown-haired thief walked out of the door, he caught a leg disappearing into one of the side rooms frantically. He smirked, slowly walking after him. Trying to hide...? Out of the three of the brats, the boy seemed to be the most cowardly of the bunch. As he opened the door, he spotted the young boy slumped near a windowsill in the darkroom, with only the light of the moon to illuminate his figure. Oddly enough, rather than looking panicked, he looked calm, silently staring back at the thief with startling sapphire blue eyes. Disregarding it as merely having given up, the thief's smirk grew larger, walking towards him and stopping in the center of the room.
"Got any last words, brat?"
"...Yes." He responded quietly, a small smile emerging on his lips to the thief's confusion. "Sorry. You should watch where you step in this place."
And with that, the floor underneath the thief gave way, and he was only able to give a startled cry before crashing several feet to the floor below with an audible thump. Max winced as he heard the sound of his body hit the floor underneath, but couldn't help but feel relieved upon hearing the silence that followed. Shaking his head, he quietly stood up, beginning to walk back towards their room. They had some cleaning up to do.
________________________________________
It turned out that both of the thieves were okay, just unconscious and rather banged up. It was hard work, but with the three of them, they managed to drag their bodies out of the mansions, and deep into the forest that surrounded it. Lia didn't think that they would come back, not after that. The mansion was in rather bad shape, but cleanup would start the next day, and everything would turn back to normal, just as it should be.
But they were still rather shaken up by the whole ordeal, so Lia had proposed that they all go outside to the front porch, and get some air. The full moon, shining down on three children. The restless song of the cicadas, which had first brought them there. And the crumbling, yet familiar mansion behind them, which they called "home". All of these things quelled down the fear, the insecurities and worries that they might have had, and turned it all into a comfortable silence.
"Sorry I took so long." Max apologized, appearing behind the two girls with a large bundle in his arms. Taking his spot between Elaina and Lia, he unfolded it, revealing a large blanket which he used to drape over the three and protect them from the chilly winds of the night. They all snuggled against it comfortably, staring up at the night sky which seemed to draw all of their attention.
It was in the night, so it was scary. The dark was scary. But the moonlight wasn't. The warmth that they felt by being next to each other, wasn't. It was scary, but it was okay. As long as they were next to each other, it was okay, and it'd always be okay. The darkness, the fear of it all, vanished like the ephemeral moonlight.
"Hey... let's make a promise, okay?" She muttered quietly, attracting the gaze of her two friends near her.
"What kind of promise?" Max questioned curiously, Elaina's quiet stare asking the same question.
"How about we stay together, forever?"
Max's eyes widened slightly, as Elaina gave a quiet smile near him. "W-What's with that embarrassing promise..." He muttered, trying to avert his eyes from the smiling blind girl. Although he tried not to show it, it was clear that he was smiling too, not because of the idea of it, of how sincere it was. "And besides, isn't forever a long time?"
Lia frowned at that, pouting slightly as if trying to figure something out. Suddenly, her face brightened up again, and she bounced back up next to the young boy. "Oh, I know! Then how about until we're old?"
"...Doesn't that mean when we're old, we have to split up?" Lia's face fell yet again at this newfound revelation, but instead of trying to think of a new idea, she turned her disappointment into anger. "Well, I don't see you thinking of anything!"
Seeing another argument imminent as Max began to open his mouth, Elaina hastily interjected between the two. "Umm..." As if a switch was pulled, both of them turned their attention towards Elaina, waiting for whatever she had to say.
"Umm... can't we just make a new promise then, when we're old?"
It was probably the most words Elaina had ever spoken in one go, since they had met her. As the astonishment faded from Max and Lia's facs, the latter quietly mulled over her friend's words.
"Hmm... yeah, I guess so. Alright! We can swear by this ribbon then!" Lia enthusiastically tore off her ribbon, closing her eyes as it to not strain them, before turning to Max. "Since you're a boy, you have to go first!"
Until they were old, huh? What an embarrassing promise... but it made him happy, that they'd want to do it. It was cold in the night, but also warm. The warmth came from the smiles of the two people that turned towards him, waiting for his response. And if they were next to him, then it would always be warm.
"I promise."
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