Greenery crackled in thick smog.
Cliome rushed forward passing Levi with fear drumming his heartbeat in his ears as he neared the gate to Katadika, their home. Cliome stumbled forward upon entering the village, and dropped to his knees; he looked up at the great flames, their reflection burned into Cliome's eyes. The smell of burnt skin and hair stung the air, burning their lungs.
Levi slowly drug himself beside Cliome, plopping himself down slowly. They both sat, watching the great flames that warmed their bodies.
"Is anyone even alive?" Cliome croaked, his throat dry and aching. He looked down at the dirt, tears welling at the corners pits of jade and onyx.
Levi looked up at the great flames-- silence, no noise as he breathed.
"Papa!" A young girl's voice was barely heard as she desperately called through the flames.
Cliome looked up, "Somebody's still alive." He rolled his eyes over to where the voice came from. A young girl with hair that glowed golden like flames themselves walked forward out of the blaze. Her clothes were smoldered, and her body was bruised and scarred; her eyes were raw, red streaks carved into her pale cheeks.
Cliome stared silently, his pupils widening as the girl walked towards them, the word 'Amyth' gently shaped in his lips.
Levi lifted his head upwards, looking towards the girl, hope sparkling in each eye coalescent with the bonfire fueled by their homes and brethren.
"Cliome… Levi," Amyth rubbed her eyes as she stared at the two across the field, joy washing away at the tears welling in her eyes as she ran towards them,"I can't find Papa!"
"What happened here?" Amyth staggered forward as she slowed to a stop.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," Amyth's face showed her horror as she reminisced on what happened.
Cliome draped his arm over his knee as he crouched down into a squat, "Please tell me."
Amyth looked at Cliome's eyes, a contemplated look plastered on her face, "You promise you won't make fun of me?"
"How could I?" Cliome forced an awkward chuckle.
Amyth walked forward a few inches closer to them and quietly began, "The creature from our stories came down from its home in the mountains."
Levi's face went pale, and sweat began to profusely crawl down his face, and splatter into his palms laying in his lap.
"It entered our village quietly, and was taller than everyone. It was a wraith with cold blue eyes."
Cliome and Levi both looked at the hard ground; a swirl of emotions seemed to rage in each one's head.
"The guys who guarded the gate tried to fight him… " Amyth's voice trailed off shakily, the raw pits of her eyes tearing up more, "They were flung aside and killed! More and more men began to pick up weapons and fight, but they were all tossed aside like sacks of wheat."
Looking around, there were multiple weapons dug into the ground from pitchforks to broadswords, each smeared in soot and dulled along their edges, "How did the fire start though?"
Amyth looked down at the ground in guilt, "I-I was only trying to help--"
"Help?" Levi angled his eyes towards her, "Burning down the village was your way of helping?"
Amyth stepped back, consternation and the heat of the flames biting at her heels and nipping her side.
Cliome sat dumbfounded. He wanted to get angry at Amyth, but couldn't bring himself to; he had no ounce of motivation, "Was this because of us?"
Levi faced him with pique eyes that pierced Cliome's side like arrows, "What'd'ya mean?"
He continued to face the ground and was unwilling to look up, "Did the wraith try to hunt us down?"
The sun reared higher around the earth, spreading light across the already bright bonfire before them. The sound of birds circling above rung throughout the air.
Sudden vexation in the shape of a thorn pierced into Cliome's side, and his thoughts began to get muddled as rage clouded his mind. Images of Peth flew through his mind, his burly figure clawing at his mind; the smile of his late-father, Manthei, scourged into his eyes, "Did the wraith want revenge?"
Levi laid his back down onto the cold, bare earth, a bemused and anxious complection painted his body. He stared at the gray clouds floating in the sky far above him, "No way a wraith is that smart, there's no way it'd do that."
"You entered its home!" Cliome turned onto Levi, his mind boiling, "If only you and Peth were the least bit aware of what you were doing maybe this could have all been prevented."
Levi slowly rolled over onto his side, his voice raspy and quiet, "Yeah."
Cliome scoffed, choler riding his calves towards the pillars of weapons scattered around the village. He stopped next to a bundle of three worn swords, analyzing the blade for its effectiveness. After looking at each blade, he raised his palm around the handles of a small, celtic sword, and proceeded to wrap his fingers roughly around its tattered swathe.
Amyth stared in dismay, horror and confusion shaking her brain, "Where are you going?" She stood there, watching as Cliome raised the blade just a few inches off the ground, its tip gently scraping the loose ash that lay on the ground.
"To the mountains."
The morning sky rang strong, light clouds leaving an overcast in the indigo atmosphere. Ravens and black birds of sorts flew through the sky, their wings outstretched as they flew towards the sun.
Cliome drug his feet through the earth, the glossed metal blade of the sword scraping against the gravel path. His body was exhausted, but his rage fueled him forward.
Cliome reached the mountain, he stared down at the pairs of footsteps from their prior expedition slowly getting engulfed by more snow. He looked back up and continued up the thin slope.
Infinite lines of dead trees frosted in snow stood upright towering over the bare middle path. Cliome powered upwards, dragging his body through the thick snow despite the overwhelming cold. He continued forward passing by the same reflection of trees repeating endlessly ahead of him.
The top of the mountain loomed near, the sun gently peering over the edge of the ridge. Cliome pulled his sore feet onto the peak, his legs abdomen screaming in agony.
Cliome found it, blue eyes seemingly rummaging through a bush of succulent red berries swaying on the edge of an expansive lake near the peak.
If he were to fight it, it'd be now before he lost a single ounce more of his strength. The flames of revenge burned in his heart upon the sight of the wraith, they would keep him moving even if the cold tried to turn his blood to ice.
His desire to slay the beast was all his mind was fixated on; that, and the temptation of the juicy, hearty berries before it. The same berries were farmed all the time in the village, they grew on slopes that were often out of reach from the sheer mountain sides, but they grew in abundance.
Cliome's heart pounded, blood rushing to his fingertips, and his palms sweating despite the bitter cold. He drew his sword, the clatter of steel waning in the snow.
The wraith spun around in a smooth, gliding motion, its blue eyes fixating on Cliome. They were empty, a lack of empathy and humanity apparent in its gaze. They just glowed, a hollow, discomforting glare. Its eyes were locked in a narrow, short and flat skull, black and crusted. A skull similar to that of a man with minimal facial features. From the skull grew a spine of large bones, big as a fist, slowly trailing off into smaller pieces before flattening into two flat feet pressed into the snow. Just below its head, two arms sat at each shoulder, dangling down past its waist. Fixed, giant claws, sat thin and curved around a black stone sword matte in the shining light. There was no noticeable flesh or muscle, instead thick, black fog with shards of sapphire wafted from its body.
The wraith approached, it's gaze bore into Cliome, It moved slowly, cautious, heavy footsteps dragging in the snow as it edged forwards. Cliome gripped his sword with both hands, his hands growing raw as he held it as steady as he could.
The wraith stopped, staring deep into Cliome's swampy eyes. It turned around, the black stone sword carving into the ice and snow as it swerved around to follow the creature. Cliome stood motionless like he was frozen; he was not cold, he was in pure disbelief.
Irritation surged inside Cliome's veins, blood boiling in rage, "You think I'll let you get away?" His voice echoed against the sheer walls of ice around him.
The wraith seemed to ignore him, walking from berry bush to berry bush, analyzing each berry before walking off.
Cliome couldn't stand it anymore; he pressed his feet into the ground and launched himself towards the wraith, pure hatred driving his aching body. He lifted each leg high out of the snow, springing forward upwards out of the snow towards his target. The wraith paid no attention.
Cliome raised up his sword, his thoughts swirling madly in his head, I'm going to kill it. I'm going to get my revenge… vengeance for my village. For the blacksmith. For Amyth and Manthei. For Peth, "I'll take vengeance!"
Cliome leaped, his heels kicking snow into the air behind him. The wraith stood below him, leaning over, peering at the rotted berries of the berry bush. He pulled his sword back, a glare refracting off the shiny blade as it sat held above his head. He swung the sword down with immense force.
A sound like bone cracking burst from between the two, and Cliome's sword went flying behind him, skittering across a patch of ice. Cliome's face flushed red in pain and his stomach went inwards as the black fist of the creature bore into his body. Cliome launched backwards and rolled, face down, in the snow; his strength evaporating on the moment of impact. The wraith's arm was still outstretched in the sky.
Cliome's body was battered and achy, the bitter cold cutting into his body like knives. The immense pain in his body reared as he rolled his body slowly to face the sky, and he could hardly lift his body. He laid there, his resolve and diction seeping out of his skin.
He stared upwards, the blue staring back, not that of the soft blue of a pure sky. It was deeper, a wavy blue that glimmered in the sunlight. The wraith peered down over him, the blood dried on to its arms matte in the rays of the sun. Cliome didn't budge, in fact he seemed accepting of what was to come. The wraith leaned in closely, inspecting my face. After a few moments, it turned around, dragging its large feet in the snow towards a berry bush.
Cliome hauled himself to his feet, grasping at the sword covered in snow beside him. He dug it into the ice and used it to prop himself upwards. Once upright, he leaned over the sword in the ice panting as he watched the wraith inspect another berry bush. Cliome stood confused.
The wraith finally plucked a berry off, rolling it in the palm of its hand. The scene that unfolded before Cliome was nothing like he expected. It was relaxing and peaceful. The flames of his burning hatred, the anguish caused by revenge, were dwindling.
The cold began to creep inside of his body, taking every crevice of his body. His breathing was slowing and getting shallower with every breath; his heart seemed still. The emotion that once drove him there was no longer existing, he had no reason to continue. His legs relaxed and went numb, the rest of his body quickly following suit.
Ice seemed to spread through his veins, striking at his heart. His eyelids went heavy, and the last sight he saw was the wraith, rolling a berry in his palm as snow slowly drifted down around him.
Cliome's hand slipped off the hilt that propped his body up, and back onto the ground. The snow that once chilled his bones seemed like a gentle, velvet blanket as it enveloped his body and caressed his rosey cheeks. His muscles relaxed and laid outstretched on the snow top; his eyelids drooped downwards. His mind went dark.