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reserved spot, i was writing, but i have to stop for now. i will continue it though.


Looking out at the darkened night I sighed heavily as I reached out towards the stars for someone who wasn't there. I could still picture his face, but not as vivid as i used to. His features were slowly being erased from my mind and his voice was slowly fading. I brought my hand to my face and wiped away the cold tears that were streaming my face. "Why is it so easy to fall in love, but so hard to stay with them?" I cried to myself. In my pocket I could feel the vibration of my cell phone. For a second my heart began to flutter hoping for the best, then as suddenly as it came it went and in its place was pain knowing the worse. I swallowed back my fear and reached into my pocket. My eyes closed tightly as I brought the phone closer to my face. I slowly opened my eyes to his name. Anthony. He finally text me, but is it filled with good news or bad. Gripping the phone tightly I opened the text. "Im so sorry, but I can't have anything to do with you or the baby. I want to trust me I do, but since I'm still in school I have to listen to my mom and she tells me that she needs a dna test before anything can be done." My eyes filled to the brim. I had to reply. "So whats going to happen?" I stared at the phone hopeful for a quick reply. I got my answer. "I still want to be with you, but its going to be harder to see you. Plus I'm going to be missing out on all of the pregnancy." I felt like a huge chuck was ripped out of my heart. Because of my painful past his mom decided to pass judgment on me telling my dear Anthony that I was unfaithful to him. That this baby that is our world isn't his. I felt so much anger build up inside, but I knew there was nothing I could do or say to change anything that has happened. I gripped the phone tighter trying to feel something. Anything. My one true love is being kept from me because of something I had done years ago. I stormed inside my house past all my family and into the bathroom where I slammed the door. I went to the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. "Why me?" I asked over and over again.

Why did he ask if I trusted him?

“Yes why?” He was warm, and I hugged him back, my arms around him. Ow! Did he just bite me!? I felt myself back away, my hand on my pulsing neck. This isn’t Michael, he wouldn’t be doing this. I felt the cool brick wall of the alley on my arms and legs, the soft material of my shirt let the cold hit my back. But it’s the middle of summer!

“Please, don’t…” He was so close now. I trusted him, and even loved him. This isn’t him, I slid down on the wall, and my legs wouldn’t support me anymore. I felt his hot breath on my neck, and tasted the salt of tears. They were mine, but why was I crying? This was it; I was going to die by the one I trusted. I couldn’t say a word, just a small yelp of pain before the darkness took over.

(Five minutes later.) I’m alive!? He didn’t kill me? I could hear him, wished that I could say I was alright. A tear hit my face, his. Was he crying because he thought I was dead? Now I need to move, say something, anything. Footsteps and I could hear my brothers, then Luna. Hands moved me, guess he was holding me. I need to move! Why is it so quiet? Everyone sounds distant. Move body, respond to them! Alec, why doesn’t he sound upset like Aton? Is there something I missed? Wait! Michael’s eyes weren’t the usual chocolate brown, but silver! Why didn’t I run, avoid this!? More footsteps, softer. Someone is walking away. Who? I can hear Luna, Aton, Alec . . . where’s Michael? Probably blaming himself for what happened. That wasn’t him. I blinked, the dim alley catching me off guard.

“What happened?” No answer, guess they didn’t hear me. “What happened?” I felt like I had the flu, but ten times worse. I heard Luna’s answer, but didn’t believe her.

“No. . . That wasn’t him.” The salt of tears was tasted again, and I tried to stand up. A hand met half way, pushing me gently down again. I need to go, they don’t understand!

“No!” I wanted to leave, let everything out in my bedroom. Another set of arms around me, Aton. I would know him anywhere. I buried my face in his shoulder, knowing for now things were alright. How long the four of us were in that alley, I don’t know. Sleep tugged at my thoughts, pulling me closer. I felt so drained of energy, like just all my movements I made had used up all I had. Family is a great thing to have, even if it is just me, Alec, and Aton for now. Mom, dad come home soon, we have a lot to say to you guys. That darkness came back, and I let myself fall into it.

xxxxxxxEver so quietly, the sun had begun to peek out over the hillside. Rays of pale yellow filled the sky as the darkness of the night began to melt away. I could feel the warmth beside me in the cool and damp grass. Your quiet breathing is inaudible, but I could still feel it. My arms around you, just as they had been. My eyes slowly open; my sight clouded by blue. A smile upon my lips; Such a beautiful colour, your hair is. I look down, to see you tenderly laying in my breast, your hands clasped together between us. With my gloved hand, I push away a few strands of your florescent hair obscuring your innocent face. Your eyelashes begin to flutter, like voluminous black butterflies. Those clear and grey eyes, then, look up to me without you moving. I only smiled to you, knowing you will never return the gesture. Such beauty was perfect; no smile or frown will ever need to grace or curse those blue lips of yours, but I can see it in your eyes… Your eyes smile back at me, glistening as the day softly graced us with a lukewarm touch. The sky was not blue, only white as it was covered in so many feathery clouds. It made the air feel cool. I touch your cheek and you lean into it, placing your own gloved hand on top of mine. Caressing your face, my hand then slides up to your hair, where those flowers that I had placed were. They were in full bloom, but I could feel their jealousy of you for you are so much more beautiful and fragile...

xxxxxxxI gaze out of my balcony, towards our garden. I can't help but smile as I see you there in radiant splendour. Oh, how you love flowers… Leaving my chamber, I step outside, to find you where I had seen you. Searching among the flora, I find the perfect one…

xxxxxxxAs you walk down the path, you stop and turn to me. Your keen eyes study the flower curiously in my hands as I come towards you. Gracefully you reach out as I hand you the flower. You hold it to your chest, and I swear I saw the hint of a smile upon those lips so blue. As if to try to match your beauty, it blooms in your hands. Looking back to me, I gaze deep into your eyes; so innocent and bright, like those of a cherub. In your eyes, I see all that is dear to me. I will take you away, to some place beautiful, exotic, and new. A place worthy of your beauty. I draw you in my arms, your head resting in my chest. I can feel your warmth on this cool morning. We will always be this way, together. Never will I let you go.

xxxxxxxI hold your hand as I then take you with me. This dream continues, like the day before. I keep you close to me as we begin to run along the path. I glance back to see you, your blue trail flying behind like that of a gorgeous star falling from the sky, blessing me with a wish I always wanted to wish. We come to the forest, as if in a new world. I turn back to you with a smile, and the flower in your hand grows, so dearly touched by your beauty. You look upon our new world, leaving my hand behind for just a moment. You look up and around before to me. Your lips are parted, your hands folded in your bosom. I come towards you and you immediately come to me. I hold you before lifting your gentle face. In those angelic eyes I see everything I love; everything I hold close to me. Here, in this place, it doesn't seem to matter any more. I hold you close, I hold you tight. You wrap your arms around me this time, and lean into my shoulder. Enfolded so dearly, I will never let go. My lips beside your ear; you shiver under my breath. Affectionately, I whispered to you.

"I love you, my darling gardenia…"

I woke up in an alley, clothes drenched and freezing.
My whole body was sore it felt like I was hit by a bus or some other large vehicle.
In the distance I saw the glow of neon signs and street lights but the city was quiet exept for the occasional truck passing by.
Silence was a nother reminder that no one was looking for me and no one was worried.
I grab a hold of the garbage can next to me and tried to stand.
To my right are the neon sighs to my left a gas station.

The bell jingled as I opened the door to the gas station.
The only one inside was the lone employee and the look she gave me as I came in was priceless.I'd say it was a medley of consern and worry that I might rob her."Do you have a bathroom?", I said. "Down that hallway, first door on the right," then she paused and said,"Are you ok?" "Yeah", I nodded and gave her a weak smile. I rang out my hair in the sink and got most of the moister out of my clothes. When I stepped out of the door the girl was there holding steaming cup of hot coffee and a bag of chips. "I thought you would want something so here and don't worry I'll pay for it", She held out her generous offerings. "I don't know what to say" I told her still surprized. "Say that you'll come with me to the back and get on some dry clothes" I followed her to a small break room and she grabbed a cardboard box that read "LOST AND FOUND" in permanet marker on the side then put it on the only table in the room. "You should be able to find something to wear and they've been cleaned. Holler when your done", she steped out and closed the door. I dumped the contents of the box on the ground and found sweatpants, a very large T-shirt and a plain black hoodie. There was also cellphones and a few empty wallets. When I got the dry clothes on it felt like Chirstmas even though they weren't even close to my size. I wondered why she wanted to help me. I felt to embarrassed to "holler" so I walk out and she was waiting outside the door again. She ushered me back inside and we sat at the table. She look at me with interest and I sipped the coffee and nibbled the chips. I didn't want her to think I was starving but this was the first thing I'd ate or drank in three days. "Hi. I'm Claire by the way. What's your name?" I looked at her and said, "Amber." After that it seems I told her my whole life story about how my parent's death and how I ran away from the foster home. "I'd been living on the street since I was 15 years old.", I said watch her face for a reaction. "How old are you now?", She asked."What's today?", then she told me it was July 1st, "Well as of today I'm 18." In my mind I was finally free they could touch me now, not that they are looking for me.

The next morning I woke up in a warm bed with my best friend and roommate, Claire. We've been best friends to this day and every July 1st we go to the same gas station and buy coffe and a bag of chips.

OBLIVION FAN FICTION: PROLOGUE

((VERY MORBID, NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART.))

“Aki, dear, one moment.”
Mother handed a mug of brandy to a traveler cloaked in black. He nodded his thanks, turned away from her, and took a few sips. Mother returned her attention to the little girl tugging at the hem of her skirt. Mother had a tired smile, and brushed her hands across the front of her apron, as if there was some pollutant there. She cooed, “What is it, sweetie?”
“I wanna play,” slurred the little girl. She was six, perhaps, and she removed her hands from her mother’s dress and transferred them to her mid-length, curly locks of light bronze hair. She finger-combed them nervously, and tapped her toe in anxiety. This was an old habit of hers; when in doubt, her hands would move to her hair. She had gotten that color from her father – her mom had blonde hair.
Mother sighed, glancing desperately at the customers of the inn. “I – I can’t play with you now – “
“Aww, why not?” the girl whined, stomping her foot and balling her tiny fists. Her voice was shrill against the din of the tavern dwellers – drinking boisterously, exchanging travel stories, laughing at simple jokes – and Mother didn’t need the extra noise. Daily that racket assaulted her ears, and finding relief for more than a moment from the cacophony required supernatural abilities.
“I have to – “ Mom began, but a woman who requested a glass of wine immediately distracted her. Mother fulfilled that order and gratefully pocketed the 8 gold she received in exchange. The daughter watched with arms crossed impatiently and aqua blue eyes probing, examining, and picking apart her mother’s actions. Mother said, “Please, honey, Mommy’s very busy right now. How about this? Go outside and play, just don’t wander off too far.”
The girl continued pouting, hoping that if she continued acting up, her mom would grant her some other freedom next. Her childhood manipulative technique was successful, and Mom added, “You can do whatever you want out there. Play with the horses…whatever. Just please don’t wander off into the forest.”
“Yay!” the girl squeaked, with a questionable amount of enthusiasm. She herself wasn’t even sure if it was genuine – not that her underdeveloped, childhood mind would consider such things, that is. Her mother turned away, deciding that she had done enough to shake her attention-seeking daughter away from her, and tended to another customer’s desire for a serving of roasted boar. The girl skipped out of the inn, absentmindedly playing with the frilly flower print of her dress.
Outside in the summer sunshine, an Imperial Legion forester lounged on a wood bench against the front wall of the Roxey Inn. The girl stopped to observe, seeing as she rarely received the pleasure of meeting with an Imperial guard. Whenever one happened to be around, he would usually chat with her mother about business round the inn, and occasionally ask if she’d seen a wanted criminal or two that had passed by recently. The girl didn’t understand these exchanges, and usually distracted herself with some girlish pastime if they occurred. Being independent from her parents, if only for this one outing, gave the girl a newfound confidence. She could go up and talk with the Imperial, no problem.
“Hello,” she said softly.
The Imperial glanced around for the source of the voice, and when he found it, a friendly grin lit up his face. He gazed up at the white-hot sun high in the sky with squinted green eyes, and adjusted the iron helm that imprisoned most of his head. He replied in a warm tone, “Hello, child. What is your name?”
“Akianamen,” the girl declared, with effortless pronunciation. Her voice was clear and smooth for someone so young and with such undeveloped speech, and the Imperial didn’t ask for her to repeat herself. He wouldn’t have time to, because the girl quickly continued, “What’s yours, sir?”
The Imperial laughed mirthfully. “Gianni Aurrus.” He offered his hand to the girl, probably assuming that she would have no idea what the gesture meant. He was proven wrong: the girl took her tiny palm into his and shook it in a businesslike manner. Gianni was more than impressed, and so he said, “You’re a big girl, aren’t you now?”
She rolled her eyes, folding her arms and popping her hip; one of her first displays of childhood sass. She agreed in a somewhat bratty tone, “Of course I’m a big girl. I’m six and three-quarters.” She held up six of her fingers and three-fourths of a seventh to prove it.
“Well, really?” Gianni said, as if the idea was difficult to believe. “I would never have guessed, miss.”
The girl giggled, adoring the attention and blushing. She picked up the hem of her dress and held it out as though curtsying, but instead twirled around in circles. She looked like a flower petal, and Gianni watched in admiration. What a pretty little maiden the girl would become. But he did not stay upon that path of thought – it was not an Imperial guard’s place to daydream about such things.
“My mommy thinks I’m a big girl, too,” she said, not realizing how far she was stretching the truth. “She’s letting me play outside all by myself.”
“Really?” Gianni asked. The girl nodded in confirmation, and her locks of brown hair bounced and shined in the sunlight. Gianni inquired, “Does your mommy run this inn?”
“Yep,” she squeaked.
“Do you have any friends that you play with outside?”
The girl was momentarily vexed, and she knotted her eyebrows together, almost as if pondering the meaning of the term friend. But then she shrugged and replied, “No, it’s just me. There aren’t any others to play with. It’s just me.”
Gianni sympathized with the girl’s plight. He had grown up in a family in the Imperial City, surrounded almost entirely by other adults, every minute of his life. He wasn’t schooled – his family wasn’t wealthy enough – and so he only rarely met other children his age. This was part of the reason why he was a Forester – being a guard or watchmen in the City would require cooperation with his peers, and he wouldn’t survive that very well. He was not a hermit or an antisocial – he just preferred to be alone at times.
“Be careful,” he thought suddenly, and reminded her aloud. “Don’t wander too far into the forest.”
“My mommy said that I could,” she lied. “She thinks I’m a big girl, remember?”
Gianni stifled the urge to shrug. It was not his place to interfere with the parenting methods of citizens, let alone to deny the girl’s right to something that her mom had granted her. But then, if he didn’t do anything, what if the girl got hurt?
He dismissed the idea. It was a bright summer day, and no predators would be lurking about in the woods. There hadn’t been reports of any dangerous beasts or bands of criminals in the area for months now. If there were any day for the little girl to take a walk in the woods and return home unharmed, then that day would be today. Besides, she seemed simple enough, and Gianni had enough common sense to know that girls her age are easily distracted and never remain on one path for too long. If anything, she’d walk into the fringe of the woodlands, find a pretty wildflower or two, and be so enthralled by their beauty that she’d come running back to the Roxey Inn to give them to her mother as a present. Nothing would happen.
“Well, it was nice meeting you, Akianamen,” Gianni said warmly. That’s when he remembered – his “break” was over anyway; he had promised himself that he’d only rest here for an hour before continuing on his way to Bruma, and then to Chorrol from there. Though a Legion Forester’s schedule wasn’t as precise and strict as a watchman’s, he liked to keep a good work ethic. He smiled, squinting up at the sun again, and stood up from the bench. The heat was sweltering – how he wished he could run about wearing thin commoner clothes, like all the citizens eagerly did. But no, he had to remain in uniform, and an Imperial guard’s uniform was a full suit of ridiculously heavy and battle-forged armor that offered no relief from the temperature. Ah, well, he supposed. Beggars can’t be choosers.
“It was nice meeting you, too,” she said, and added, “Give the Emperor my regards.”
Gianni laughed out loud. What a smart little devil she was…too smart to get herself into any trouble. “I shall,” he replied, though he knew that this was impossible. He’d never even met the Emperor before, and likely never would. “Farewell.”
He mounted his horse – a steadfast, chestnut mare, whom he’d owned from about three years now – and rode off along the Red Ring Road, desiring to get to Bruma as quickly as possible, where there might be colder weather. The girl watched him until he disappeared, and then she skipped out across the meadow and into the lofty green forest.
There was something so enchanting about that summer forest. Everything was bright green and teeming with life. As the Imperial had predicted, the girl stopped to observe a patch of blue and yellow wildflowers. She lost interest in this almost instantly, and continued skipping through the dappled woods, falling away from the footpath and frolicking in the lush undergrowth. Her tiny feet made dead leaves crackle, but not in pain. She imagined herself as a fairy princess, and picked a pink rose from a nearby bush and placed it in her curls just so. She twirled around, extending her arms like wings. The more she twirled with childish grace, the further she strayed from the path, and her homestead. The light of the sun made her bright and alive, and the heat revived her spirit.
Without knowing quite how she managed it, she climbed up the steep hill that backed the Roxey Inn. She could see the Imperial City from here, with its splendorous white marble towers! She was a princess. Where was her castle?
She found it in the form of a cave. A dark, foreboding cave carved of rock from some distant underground river. A crude door to its entrance was made up of a few planks of rotting wood tied together. Normally, a child would be revolted and even terrified of the cave, but the girl was convinced that this was the adventure she had been waiting for. The place drew her in like a magnet. Without any degree of hesitance, she gripped onto the rope handle of the cave door and yanked it open, panting with effort.
A yawning blackness inside beckoned for her presence. She obliged.
Ah, how her mom would scold her for doing this. She recognized that she was doing something very wrong and very dangerous, but she wanted to, and she did it anyway. More than half of her life she had been cooped up in that warm little roadside tavern, and the log walls seemed to restrict her imagination from blooming to its full potential. Now she was free at last – free to do whatever she wanted and go wherever she wanted. She had never felt that sort of freedom before, and though she now stumbled her way into the dark recesses of an ominous cavern, she felt triumphant in the fact that she was even here.
The seeds of rebellion were planted in that moment, but the girl couldn’t recognize that yet. All she felt was soaring happiness.
She couldn’t see anything, really. The cave had this deep, echoing pulse that rolled through it, and the air was several degrees colder and drier than the air outside. Goosebumps blossomed on the girl’s bare arms. She stumbled over rocks, through a long and narrow tunnel, and then out into a larger room. She looked up hopefully and saw a few cracks in the ceiling that allowed a few tendrils of sunlight to stream through. The cavern was empty, and most was still in shadow. It reminded her of –
“Well, well. What do we have here?”
The voice resonated within the lightless chamber, and the girl nearly jumped out of her skin in surprise. She whipped left and right, trying to locate the source of the noise, but she couldn’t see anyone or anything that could have produced the words. Just shadows…lingering shadows clinging to the corners of the cave…
She panicked, and was suddenly very repentant. She shouldn’t have gone in here in the first place. Her mom had told her not to stray to far into the woods, and now look what she’d done? And, oh, Gods, she shouldn’t have lied to that Imperial guard. The girl had never been more frightened in her life, and she froze as still as a statue as the cold emptiness of the cave pressed into her on all sides. Her legs begged for purchase, but she was glued in place. She would run; she would get herself out of here and go back to her mom – the exit wasn’t that far off anyway. Finally she regained control over her stick-thin limbs, and she made a desperate break for the door out.
And then she screamed as she ran right into an unyielding arm that prevented her escape. She kicked and struggled, but the arms enclosed around her like fetters, and then another set of hands, restraining her. She could not see the faces or even the figures of her captors, but she could hear their amused laughter echoing all around her. She screamed a second time, shouting incoherent pleas such as “Let me go!” and “Stop! STOP!”
A hand clamped onto her mouth, silencing her outcries. It smelt of nightshade flowers, but felt like a normal, if soft, hand on her skin. She kicked some more, rejoicing whenever her feet met someone’s leg or stomach, and then sobbing when it did no good. Finally, exhausted, her writhes became less desperate, and her screams subdued. Her eyes flicked around rapidly, searching for something that would give her evidence of what was happening – and hopefully make her less scared. Only darkness.
“That’s better,” cooed a soothing woman’s voice. “Quiet, you precious child. Quiet.” The woman’s hands combed through the girl’s curly hair, and a shiver rushed up her spine. “What a beautiful little flower we’ve found.”
“Let’s take her to Raelynn!” suggested another voice. Multiple vocals from all sides of the room mumbled enthusiasm for this idea. The girl’s heart pumped raw adrenaline and mingled fear all through her veins, and her breathing quickened in preparation to do something – anything – to save her from these unknown foes.
“Now, let’s not be hasty,” said the woman holding the girl with that cold, eerie voice. Suddenly the girl found her opportunity as her captor loosened her arms ever so slightly. With every fiber of strength existing in the six-year-old, she leapt away from the woman’s arms like a rabbit jumping free of a hunter’s trap. Just as she began to flee, a sudden force knocked her onto the ground, and she fell face down onto the rocky cave floor. Her ankle was twisted unnaturally, and she sobbed in pain as she was lifted back onto her feet. A shadowy figure gripped her at the shoulders, and even in the darkness the girl could see his anguished sneer as he slapped her hard across her face. She stumbled and spiraled, held in place by his angry fists, and stars appeared on the edges of her vision. The man pulled her close then, almost in a hug, but it was more to keep her from trying anything else. She buried her stinging cheek into the fabric of his dark robe and bawled hysterically.
“To Raelynn, then,” concluded the man, and his voice was frosty and spiteful. The others – wherever they were – whoever they were – grumbled their approval, and the girl was dragged away into further darkness.
Gradually she realized that there were many of them, all wearing dark robes and hoods. She couldn’t see any of their faces, and they filed orderly down the dim subterranean tunnels. They were more a single mass, a single organism, than a group of individuals. They were a pack of wolves, or a swarm of insects, and they were all dark and unsettlingly calm and indifferent about her capture. She got a sickening feeling in her stomach that these people had done this before. The girl wanted to think about what would happen next; she wanted to ponder the future, to guess what her fate would be at the hands of these anonymous fiends; but she found her mind inactive and paralyzed with fear, just as her body was.
The further they walked, light revealed the scene around her. Torches lined the passageways, but their fire was a ghostly and unnatural blue. Scattered about the cavern were objects that froze the girl’s veins into ice: human skeletons, incomplete with shattered bones, with decaying flesh still attached and being picked clean by swarms of flies; half-built coffins with rotting limbs hanging haphazardly from their lids ajar; crude stone desks and slabs littered with bizarre alchemical apparatuses, boiling with poisonous liquids; and several tapestries, posted proudly on the cave walls, bearing a gruesome symbol of a gaping human skull being held aloft by a set of skeletal arms. At one point, when the group passed a smaller alcove in the cavern, the door to it was hanging open and inside the girl glimpsed a bloodied, recently deceased, and scantily clad man hanging from chains attached to the ceiling. The necromancers led her on to an unknown destination, paying no heed to the macabre scenes around them. It was normal for them.
The girl didn’t know what she was seeing, but she did know that all of it was incomprehensibly horrible. She didn’t notice how hard she was crying until her face was soaked with saltwater and her eyes were swollen and red.
Eventually – it had actually only been a three minute walk, but to the girl it seemed like hours – the cave widened, and a theater-sized chamber opened up before her. An ethereal fog drifted about, and the place was littered with corpses that were discarded and abandoned like waste objects. The torches here had normal-colored flames. The girl’s captors separated from their tightly packed formation, and opened out into a semicircle. The girl was pushed forward and onto the dusty floor, surrounded by the shadowy villains. She scrambled to her knees; rubbing at her skinned wrists, and looked up with a jolt.
There was a woman standing behind a stone pedestal. She was ancient, Breton, and wearing plain brown monk robes. Her hair was a brittle dusty gray, combed neatly, her nose was hooked and wrinkled, and her small mouth taut and frowning with malice. Upon the stone slab she stood before were several decomposed human limbs, cluttered about amongst tools like calipers, tongs, scissors, and knives. Blood soaked everything. The witch – yes, that was instantly what the girl thought of her as, and with more accuracy than she could know – held a blood-soaked scythe in one hand, and was sharpening its razor edge with a butchering knife in the other.
One man behind the girl said cordially, “We found her at the entrance. Lost and confused, we assume, or just painfully stupid. We figured you could do the honors of dealing with her.”
The witch looked up once from her work, directly into the girl’s eyes, and then looked back, without any hint of a change in her expression. She sighed as though exhausted, and said in a wispy tone, “What is the girl’s name?” It didn’t sound like a question – more like a command.
“What’s your name?” repeated the man behind her, as though translating.
The girl whimpered, but did not speak.
“Answer her, you little b***h!” he hissed. Within seconds he was there, yanking her up to her feet by the chin, and she winced in pain. He was a Dark Elf, and his red eyes stared angrily into hers. “Answer!”
“Akianamen,” the girl gasped, barely coherent. The man instantly dropped her, and she crumpled back to the ground.
He said in a suddenly calm voice, “Raelynn, the girl’s name is Akianamen.”
The girl glanced up to view the witch. A drastic change had occurred in her countenance. Suddenly she was smiling wickedly, and she set down the scythe and the butcher knife carelessly. “Akianamen. Do you know, dearie, where your name comes from?”
The girl didn’t answer, just shivered with fear.
“It is Akaviri,” continued the witch. She could’ve been seventy, but her voice was comparatively youthful and strong. “Ancient Akaviri, to be precise. It is the language of the Ka’ Po Tun. Do you know what your name means in that tongue?”
The girl managed to shake her head no.
“It means, angel of death.”
The girl’s eyes widened, and she looked pleadingly up at the witch, Raelynn. Suddenly, the words just came spilling from her mouth. “Please, miss, don’t hurt me, please, I’m sorry if I’m not supposed to be here, I didn’t know, I’m sorry, please let me go, I promise to never bother you again, I won’t tell anyone – “
“SILENCE!” yowled the witch, suddenly in rage. She aimed her index finger at the girl, and a green light flashed across the cave. The spell bound the girl’s lips shut as if they were stitched together. Raelynn lowered her arm, her eyes hard and steely like two silver marbles. “Akianamen, angel of death…I bet your parents didn’t even realize what they named you. Had they, then you’d be just another Beth or Belle right now,” she chuckled darkly. The witch stepped around the stone desk and stood not two feet from the girl’s small form on the ground.
Then the witch was in rage again. “More, they don’t know what you will become because of it.”
Suddenly the girl gasped and writhed in pain, caterwauling in absolute agony, but unable to fully vocalize because her mouth was sewn shut. Her dress was filthy and soiled with the grit from the cave floor. She cringed like a dying beast, seeing red before her eyes, but realizing that nothing was directly causing this sudden agony. No weapon was piercing her flesh, and no angry hand or foot was beating her. Every cell in her body felt like it would split apart, and then, just as suddenly, it all stopped, and she lay there panting and crying.
The witch stood above her with her hand outstretched, having caused that spell. A smirk twitched on her lips as she witnessed the broken, bruised little girl. The only remorse existing in the room belonged to the little girl, and not to the witch, or her necromancer followers.
“Do you know what you are to become, my princess?” Raelynn inquired, all too calm.
The girl panicked again, and without judging the consequences, she scrambled to her feet and sprinted away. She didn’t get far before one of the dark necromancers restrained her. She struggled; scratching and kicking again, and the first dark-robed woman stepped forward with a dagger in hand. She sliced right below the girl’s collarbone. Instantly defeated, and manic with pain, the girl stumbled backwards and ended up back on the floor before the witch’s feet. Her own blood began to ooze over her chest, soaking through the lovely flower print of that summer dress.
“Do you know what you are to become?” the witch repeated, as if nothing had happened.
The girl squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head no.
“You are going to be a murderer.”
The girl’s eyes flew open.
“You,” seethed the witch, picking up the child by the throat, and holding her before her so that she would get the full impact of her words, “are going to be a killer. Do you know what that means? You are going to destroy souls and end lives. You are going to be a dark hunter in the night, killing innocents for your own selfish reasons. Do you know why?”
The girl choked, slowly losing her breath, gazing pleadingly into Raelynn’s cold, cold eyes.
“Because your heart is as colorless, hollow, and breakable as any bone in your body!” With one hand, the witch flicked her wrist, and then the girl screamed. Raelynn’s dark magic had snapped her thigh in half. The girl hyperventilated in agony, begging for mercy, but none of her prayers were heard through her magically bound lips.
The witch dropped the girl to the floor.
This is it; the girl thought as the witch’s shadow loomed over her. She’s not going to let me go. And then she erupted into a fresh fit of pained sobs, clutching helplessly at her broken leg. Oh, she should have never disobeyed her mother. She should have never lied to that Imperial Legion guardsman. She shouldn’t have even gone outside. What if she never saw her family again? All of this was her fault, all of it. This broken leg, this bleeding cut on her chest – that was all her fault.
“How do I know this, you ask?” the witch mused, though the girl obviously hadn’t spoken. “How would I, Raelynn the Gravefinder, be able to see your future?” She cackled. “A witch sees many things, my pretty. I have seen you for a long time now, charted your destiny within the plane of my infinite wisdom, and I knew that you’d stumble into my humble abode today. Oh yes. I am more powerful than you can begin to imagine.”
She leaned over and spoke softly to the child on the floor.
“I will spare you your miserable life, girl,” the witch growled, “because there is no escaping the hideous monster you will grow up to be. And that itself will be the end of you. From this moment on, your fate is stitched into the webbing of the stars themselves. You will never be free from it, no matter what you do.” The witch smiled, and rolled up her sleeves. “You will be marked, and reminded forever of your cruel destiny. Everyone will look at you and know that you shall bring doom and misery upon mankind. Your colorless, chalk-white soul will be reflected upon the surface, Akianamen, angel of death. You will be cursed.”
Then she uttered an indiscernible incantation, shot her palms out at the wounded girl, and there was a blinding white light, as though the sun itself were contained within the cave. The girl was blinded for several moments, and when she regained her sight a little, the rest of the necromancers had not. The witch had disappeared entirely. The girl was surprised that she was not deeply in pain, but wouldn’t dwell on it now – she was mobile, she was unchained, and she must escape.
If she was truly cursed, she didn’t realize it yet.
The whole time she had been smart enough to try to find an exit, using only her eyes. There was a tiny break in the rocks on the edge of one cave wall, with light streaming through, and it may lead to a gap to the outside. However fast the girl’s legs could carry her, she rushed past the semicircle of sentient necromancers, and towards the crack. She could barely run with her broken leg, but with a considerable amount of pain and effort, she managed miraculously.
Just as she heaved herself onto the floor to push herself through the gap, outraged voices rang out behind her. The necromancers had detected her escape at last. Her heart leapt out of her throat in fear, and she desperately plunged between the rocks, covering her face with dirt and dust, but not caring. They were getting closer; she needed to get out now. She clawed her way through the earth, scratching at the rocks to find purchase, and then suddenly the noise from the cave was gone and she was blinded by sunlight. Real sunlight.
But then she was falling. Her eyes squeezed shut as she somersaulted down a hill, through the whipping stalks of undergrowths, down a ravine and at last thumping to a halt at the base of an oak tree. Summer air rushed into her lungs, and she found with great relief that the witch’s silencing spell had worn off, and she could open her mouth to speak again.
But she couldn’t find any words to say as she lay on her back, bleeding and soiled with earth, gazing up at the blue sky that expanded before her.
Two hours later, desperately searching through the woods, heedless of her torn-up apron, Mother called her daughter’s name again and again but to no avail. Despite her usually calm, unshakable persona, Mother’s face was wet with tears, fearing that her daughter had been lost to some bandits in the woods or drowned in a river. Dad had gone to round up some Imperials to aid in the search. She ran past a ravine, and had her head been tilted just a little more to the right as she did, Mother would not have noticed her daughter lying there unconscious. All that was visible was the unmistakable floral print of the girl’s dress.
“Oh!” Mother gasped, wheeling around and rushing over. “Aki, Aki dear, Mother’s here now, it’s alright – “
No.
This could not be her daughter.
When the girl had left, she was healthy and strong and beautiful, with those blue eyes she had got from Mom and those bronze curls she had got from Dad. Before her now was a crumpled ragdoll, with a broken leg that jutted out from the hem of her skirts, and a bloody wound that crusted over the neckline of her dress. Every bit of her was cut up and bruised and covered with dust and dirt.
That’s not what shocked Mother, though.
The girl’s skin, so pink and baby-soft before, was now stark, colorless, and white. The girl’s hair, so curly and angelic and richly brunette before, was now straight, waveless, and stark, colorless, chalk-white. The blood and the flowers on her dress was the only color left in the girl’s fragile, shattered body.
Mother struggled to recover herself. It was still Aki. It had to be Aki. That face, that angelic face, however pale and translucent, was still Aki’s. Mother bent down before the girl, cradling her limp body in her arms, mumbling soothing but nonsensical words to her. Upon lifting open the girl’s eyelids, another shock jolted Mother to a depth of fear she had never experienced.
Bretons didn’t have red eyes; that was simple fact. Dark Elves did, and that was creepy enough anyway. But this girl’s irises were the most vivid and bright shade of red – brighter than blood, brighter than the setting sun, brighter than the Amulet of Kings – and they were staring blankly up at the sky, unmoving. Mother buried her head into the shoulder of her unconscious daughter, and wept quietly there in the middle of the forest.
Her beautiful angel had been corrupt forever, by some horrible unknown curse. What had she done wrong? Why were the Gods so unkind? What kind of tragedies had befallen her daughter in this forest? Mother still wept, scolding herself for having ever let Aki leave the house. It was all her fault. It was all her fault.
The next day the girl and her parents sold the Roxey Inn to a young Nord named Malene, and they didn’t tell her about the necromancers residing in Moss Rock Cavern, otherwise they’d never be able to sell it. They traveled to the Imperial City and bought a house on the Waterfront, hoping that they’d be able to afford something better soon. Aside from the colorlessness of the girl’s skin and hair, and the scarlet eyes, she recovered from all her wounds. No matter how much her parents pressed her, she wouldn’t tell them what exactly happened that day in the cave.
She didn’t quite remember herself, and she wouldn’t remember for a long time yet.