A lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black darkness was all around me.
The darkness felt heavy, oppressive, almost supernatural. It was darker than Vantablack if that's even possible.
Destitute of light; obscure, that true definition is what I could feel. I found myself swallowed up into the nothingness, not able to see my own two hands in front of my face.
I moved my eyes around, but it was impossible for me to comprehend if I was even moving them since everywhere it followed, there was nothing.
I didn't know how long has it been. I blanked out for a moment, after I slipped on the ice ground of the hall, and fell through the broken cell.
'What a stupid and silly way to fall down.' I thought, condoning myself, 'I really am unlucky huh?'
The message where the Nubecula 'Who like Cigar and Candy' commented that I am an unlucky Bast-
'Yes, that asshole called me a bastard, didn't he?' I felt my cheeks going limp and my expression cold. 'Now that I think about it why am I not getting any messages?'
I could almost imagine some of the nubeculas like, Guhimo and Whose heart bleeds for heartbroken, commenting and being overly concerned. But I didn't get any, Where am I now?
Once again, I tried to look around, but... nothing, I tried to move my head but I couldn't. I tried to push around... but I can't move?
'Ah-' Something transpires at this. I tried to feel, and the surroundings felt heavy.
I have felt this feeling before. It was just before, I opened my eyes in this world for the first time. 'My eyes are closed.' I concluded.
Arthur: "Whhhhhfp."
Wheezing a deep breath, I forced my mind to focus, and pushed through the sensation, trying to open my eyes, and I did.
Looking through my own obsidian-like eyes, what lay before me was not that different from what I had before. Before I opened my eyes.
The absence of light and darkness was on the face of the depth. So How did I know that my eyes had finally opened up?
Because the darkness was not blinding but partially black. Through the corner of my eyes, I could feel white-bluish light basking on the side of my face, from behind me. The feeling on my back was also hard and not heavy.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments "Oh, he wake up." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments "Finally.!" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' comments "So glad." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Who Like Cigars And Candy' comments "Back to the living. Aye?" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' comments "It must be the fatigue after fighting." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments "Certainly." ]
+
'Yes, I am awake now.' seeing the messages appear I was sure of it.
Arthur: "mhmm."
I lifted my body, pushing through my elbow, weighing my body on it. Inside this pitch-black world, my body glowed light blue. Well not exactly.
Looking around I saw that I had snow around me, only just around me, which glowed. Whether I fell over the snow or the snow fell over me, who knows?
I pulled my legs up to my knees and pushing through it, I took the support of my hand, like a stick, and stood up. I dusted some of the snow from my pants, shirt, and hair. I also shook my shoes to get off some of the snow over them.
As I did that, I noticed blood splotches on my shirt and then I looked at my hand which was covered in dried blood. I also must have some stains on my cheeks.
Sifting my eyes from my blood-stained hands, I looked around. Black, it was pitch black, only light that was there was illuminating from the snow beneath me.
Arthur: "Well this looks scary."
+
[ The Nubecula 'Who Like Cigars And Candy' comments "No shit." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments "If it weren't for the glowing snow, it would be hard to spot you." ]
+
Even though it was scary to look at the complete nothingness, I was at least sure I had a firm solid beneath my feet.
I crouched down, touching the snow, that was forming a border of human body, my body. I brushed my fingers on it, picking up some of the frost snow, and rubbed it between my fingers.
As I did that, due to the warmth of my body the snow slowly melted, converting into water. The dried blood washed from that spot, cleaned off by the melted snow.
I picked up a handful of snow, and rubbed my hand with it in between. Some of the snow slipped off my hand but most of it turned into water. I cleaned my bloody hand, and red water dripped through my fingers.
I picked some more of it to clean them completely, then as I picked some snow the third time, something was bruised by my pinky finger.
Slight confusion grew inside me. More than a meter away, I scooted and put my hand over the snow, something hard and big was gripped by my hand. I gently brushed the snow aside, and the sharp edge of a blue crystal-like thing came into view.
I dug it with a hard brush of my hand and a solid ice was lying there, but inside the solid there was something. It looked like a long stick with engravings on it, but the weird thing about it was that there was a fire at its thicker end.
Arthur: "What is it exactly?"
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments "It looks like an old torch." ]
+
The fire was still, motionless, frozen inside the ice. At this one of my eyebrows raised a little, as I was beginning to frown.
I picked up some snow from my left hand, scooping it, and I picked up the solid ice, with the torch inside, with another. With the looks of it, it was pretty obvious that the object inside was a medieval-style torch as Hwang Jini pointed out.
I stood up, brushing the snow in my left hand over my cheeks to get the dried blood off them, and looked at the frozen ice.
It was cold. I moved my hand over it, to simulate the cold sensation. And maybe because of my body heat or some reason, the ice started to melt slowly.
Just at the same moment, when the snow on my left hand that I was using to clean my face melted, the ice that had frozen torch also melted away.
Just as it was about to melt completely. I moved my hand in such a way, that my palm was over its handle and I gripped it tightly.
+
[ Item: Torch of Goddess presiding over magic and spells.
Description: One-time use guiding item. During Demeter's search for her daughter Persephone, Hecate helped by using her torches to light the goddess' journey through the night. ]
+
'Woah. I would love to show it to Persephone.' I thought, smirking, since I wanted to see her reaction to this item.
+
[ The rewards for the Miscellaneous script 'Flame of the Abandoned Soul' have been processed. ]
+
[ Rewards: '4000 points' and 'Torch of Goddess presiding over magic and spells.' ]
+
So it is my reward. Both Lisa and I, were concluded as the major participants in the earlier miscellaneous script. She should have gotten the points as well, and this... this must be inside the flame beast, it must have also fallen through after me.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Who Like Cigars And Candy' comments "Happy you got a good item?" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments "It is a pretty good item. It was a very old and interesting story." ]
+
Ah, right Dionysus and Persephone both are from Olympus. Isn't he according to some story her child? I pondered. But in the other story, they would be considered siblings, in which his mother died.
I shouldn't ask Persephone about it though. I am sure she will leave me devoid of air, again. Remembering what she did on the island, on the first day we met, although almost more than two months ago, the thought sent a slight shiver down my spine.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' comments "It is really good. It would be helpful to you right now." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments "Such an item. It is a pity it has to be used now." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments "That's true." ]
+
Arthur: "True. It is a pity, but there is no other way to get out of this nothingness."
It was not that I was using this as the only option. I think if I searched my storage ring I would find some guiding item, but in this particular situation, this is the only thing that will take effect.
'This script, the hidden one at least hasn't been cleared yet.' Holding a deep breath in my lungs, I thought that.
The previous script was a miscellaneous one, not the hidden one. With the back of my left hand, I wiped my cheek and used the item in my hand.
+
[ Item 'Torch of Goddess presiding over magic and spells' has been activated.]
+
With the message the small flame flared at its thicker end, getting bigger. Its orange, red, and yellow light, mixed with some of the snow's blue light basked on me, and the fire color overshadowed the white light. But Nothing around me even took the hint of it, nothing reflected any light, not even the solid I could feel under my heels. My surroundings remained black.
The flared flame gently swayed on the torch. I held it with my hand stretched out, letting it sway with the mystical invisible wind that was moving it, though I couldn't feel it.
Flames moved, and tilted to one side, between my left side and front, like a wind was blowing on it. I moved the torch in different directions but the flames moved pointing in one direction only.
Without thinking much of it, I moved, lifting my step and putting it in the dark beneath me. It certainly had no promise that the step would land firmly, but it did.
Believing that I certainly had a ground beneath me, I marched ahead. The flames of the torch remained tilted in one direction, and trusting the item I walked as I got relaxed by time.
Arthur: "Walking through the darkness like this, makes me almost feel like a blind person."
A blind person certainly experiences something akin to this every day in their life. I got a glimpse into that through this, it is quite uncomfortable, and scary.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments "Being blind is scary." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' comments "That is why it is one of the primary senses." ]
+
I agree, for those who have never seen the world it must be a wish to see. But it would not be scary for them, certainly because they don't know what they are missing. They didn't have the luxury of sight and those who could see, only they could envision how scary it would be to lose it.
Once you have something you take it for granted-
Arthur: "Only when you lose, you understand its worth."
I completed my thoughts out loud.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' is nodding. ]
+
My words died at nothingness, without even echoing. Shifting my eyes from the message, I took another step ahead, when-
Fushhhhhhh.
Arthur: "Ah-"
It happened unexpectedly for me as I just shifted my vision. The flames on the torch flared high, and feeling its warmth on me, I put my free hand over my closing frowned eyes, trying to shield myself from it.
It was just one second blink, then I tried to look at the torch, opening one of my eyes, and looking through the side of my arm.
Arthur: "What-"
One half-closed eye soon opened full, and another one slightly as well, but what perplexed me was my surroundings.
Royal blue shade, walls of the same color on my sides with dark blue tiles on its bottom, separated by white engravings on it.
With my arm halted infront of my face, I raised my head to look over it.
The blue polished tile with white diamond shapes tile making patterns on it, which was hidden under a carpet also of dark blue color.
Awestruck by the sudden beautiful sight of the hallway, I almost forgot that I was taken off-guard by the sudden flare of the torch, but its warmth pulled me back.
The flame dimmed down, seemingly allowing the mystical beauty of the place to take over.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments "Beautiful.!" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments "Certainly." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Who Like Cigars And Candy' comments "Indeed, very beautiful." ]
+
It really is, the sight also took my breath away.
+
[ You have made contact with Hekate's Palace.]
+
With the message, I recalled the paintings that were in the hallway, when I entered through the door on the sixth floor. The bright room in that painting was the one that one would hope to find in a palace like this.
'It makes sense since the woman in the painting was the human form of Hekate, and this place is her palace.' I concluded.
Then a single whistle sound came and struck my ears. Perplexed, lowering my half-raised arm, my head moved around.
A second whistle sound came, carrying wind with it. A whiff of wind was blown over the torch, my attention shifted to it. Flame swayed in one hard direction, and was plucked out of existence.
Looking at it with uncertainty, I put the extinguished torch over the desk that was on my side, stuck to the wall. It was unneeded now, the whole hallway was lit with blue light particles that were on the top, shining like crystals, mingled with the arch roof, that seemed to stretch towards the sky.
whistle. whistle.
Whistling sounds came again, and moving my head around I tried to follow the voice, looking for its source.
whistle... whistle...
Soon I realized-
Arthur: "The wind is making the whistling noise."
The wind gently swayed my hair and I felt it on my body like it was pushing me to move forward.
Whistle. Whistle.
It came a little harder this time like it was directing me. I took steps gently forward, looking around.
+
[ Some handful of Nubeculas are looking at you]
+
The place held a mysterious feel, and the hallway was big and long. After walking through it, soon a door to my side a meter or two ahead was approaching.
Walking closer to it, I eyed it curiously. It had a beautiful lever handle, and the door was made up of glass, with a thick border to it, like the glass was placed inside a hollow tree cut from between.
Looking through it, I saw a majestic room, with a bed, shelves, tables, and tall mirrors, inside the room. I got a craving to go inside but-
Whistle.
The whistling wind pushed me forward yet again. I gave the room a glance as I stepped further. Many other doors leading to other rooms came to me, but the wind kept pushing me whenever I tried to go inside.
Walking and walking, after a while, as I tried to take in the beauty of the palace, an end to the hallway was infront of me. I could see it from far, it looked like a window, but only from afar.
Reaching closer, I realized it was also a door, with a thicker border making patterns, like it was clutching the glass. It had a mystical aura, and I felt sad looking at it.
Looking through it, another room, with a Queen size bed, polished wood tables, shelves filled with statues and books, a floor covered with carpet, and a chandelier at the roof.
It was definitely, more majestic than other rooms, but what caught my eye was a big window, shut, which showed a starry night sky. Also, it had a cushion attached to it, so that one could sit on it and enjoy the scene, and it was occupied.
?: "You can come in."
The voice resounded from inside, tired, lonely, devoid of any interest or hope. Looking at the person, intently, I gripped the lever handle and pushing it I walked inside.
treeak. click. tuk.
With a soft sound, it opened.
Swooshhhh. Whistle.. Whooshhhh. Whistle..
Despite the closed window, the sound of wind blowing came harder and harder with the whistle. The sound of the wind was strong, but it felt light on my skin.
'Looks like I found the source.' With that thought in my mind, I went inside.
The door was shut on its own, ten or twelve steps inside the room, but I was still far from reaching the middle of the room, and the person was even farther.
Gazing through the window, it was a woman. Through the side of her face, I could see her deep blue eyes, with pure white hair, and white eyelashes.
She had one piece of white cloth draped over her body with no hold. Through the light transparent cloth, I could see she wore nothing underneath, completely bare, and her pale skin was apparent. She looked in complete contrast to me.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Dionysus' is sipping his wine. ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Who Like Cigars And Candy' comments "Hehe. You lucky Heroboy, looks like your good deeds are being compensated." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' comments "Can you shut it?" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' is looking in your direction. ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' is looking at you. ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' is looking at you.]
+
Looks like there aren't any other Nubecula, they must have left while I was unconscious.
Ignoring the message, I didn't let my gaze leave her.
Arthur: "You must be-"
?: "Abandoned soul."
Her voice cut through mine, answering me. It was tried like she was sighing.
Abandoned soul: "That name must be easier for you to understand me."
So she says, her tired eyes didn't leave the starry night sky. Taking her beautiful appearance as a whole in one intense gaze I spoke.
Arthur: "You-"
Abandoned soul: "-look hopeless, despairing, forlorn, lost, forsaken-"
Her gaze didn't leave the sky, but after saying so many words, she took a slight breath and her eyes left the sky for the first time, moving to me.
Abandoned soul: "-abandoned?"
Her eyes were as deep blue as the clear sea. They reminded me of Hekate's cat eyes, which are always filled with curiosity, but hers felt devoid of focus.
Arthur: "-are not what I was expecting, is what I was going to say."
Her eyebrows showed a hint of rising but her eyes were the same, they were lost, even though they were looking at me.
A sigh left her mouth which felt like a hollow chuckle.
Abandoned soul: "Acceptable. Fighting through the flames, you would expect a furious soul, not someone looking as hopeless as me."
Well, that was rational reasoning, but that's not all. I saw in my Dreams, a soul, certainly furious, blowing high flames everywhere, berating the whole world, cursing it, killing everyone in sight or not.
Abandoned soul: "Abandoned."
She pushed her white bare legs, from underneath the light cloth, towards the floor.
She moved her hands under the cloth to clutch it from inside, wrapping a little around her. She moved towards me, soon sitting facing me, and she pushed upwards to stand.
She crossed her arms infront, the cloth sheet, hanging on her shoulder, made a cross shape. Leaving her neck, half of her breast, and half of her stomach exposed, closing at her belly button, the cloth covered her intimate part till her thighs and fanned out again, falling on the ground.
I focused on her moves. Even though she looked fully defenseless in every sense, she was the one who generated miscellaneous script earlier which was a tough fight for me. And she was the one who brought chaos to this school in my dreams, so I couldn't help but be vigilant.
Abandoned soul: "Cautious. Wise. But I have expended myself to the limit. Pity."
She said, her eyes still not changing, just lost. But her words surfaced a thought in me. 'Did she use all the power of alteration?'
It was possible. She generated a miscellaneous script, without the help of a higher existence, and the grade of it was also B, also the flame beast was very strong.
Abandoned soul, oblivious to my thought, took a step towards me. It pulled my attention but I was not as on guard as before. Keeping the feeling underneath my stoic expression with an intent gaze, I observed her curiously.
Abandoned soul: "Abandoned-"
She picked up again from before where she sensed my caution, maybe this time I masked it well or maybe she didn't care.
Abandoned soul: "-or rejected. What do you think would hurt more?"
I didn't speak, just stared. She didn't continue either just stood defenseless, like a beautiful homeless person, seemingly waiting for my response. After a while, when silence was starting to become awkward, I spoke.
Arthur: "Being abandoned."
Inspite of becoming content, or taking my response just as an answer, she lifted her tired eyes, with a hint of a pitting smile.
Abandoned soul: "Are you saying that to make me feel better? Towards the Abandoned soul."
I didn't show much reaction, and stood still, back straight, head tilted up, eyes on her, observing.
Abandoned soul: "There is a little pity, in your slightly frowned gaze."
It is because I understand. I thought, and didn't say it out loud. She took light steps towards me, and my eyes just followed.
Abandoned soul: "Regardless, being abandoned hurt at first, maybe now I have become numb to it, if that is possible."
Arthur: "If it was, why would you gather so many people?"
A small curve formed on her lips, as she walked, dragging the sheet behind her.
Abandoned soul: "Undeniable. Maybe. I have been here for a long time. Accumulating enough power, I used fire inside my heart, to lead people to me, but they longed for people outside. So I tried harder, and gathered more."
She walked up to my side and looked at me, lifting her head, which reached just above my shoulder, her deep blue eyes met mine.
Abandoned soul: "But they had someone else outside. But the ones they considered special to someone, that someone considered someone other their special."
Her lost eyes seemed even more lost, they stared into mine asking 'What should be done then?' But the answer was that nothing could be done. That's how the heart is. That is why love is rare, because that is when someone you care, cares for you the same.
Abandoned soul: "I lured them here. I was alone for so long. I lured more so that they won't leave. I even locked them, thinking they might accept it, and stop resisting."
She admitted without leaving my gaze, only desperation grew more and more in her eyes. She was asking 'What more could I have done?'
whistle.
Abandoned soul: "Just like I did."
She spoke in a whisper at the end that I couldn't hear, it was damped by the whistling wind.
+
[ The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments "Doesn't that story seem familiar?" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' comments "It does. Where have I heard it before?" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' comments "It seems similar to an old Yokai tale." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments "Oh, Yeah, I know that story. That old school story." ]
+
Yes, her story sounded similar to an old tale from Japan. There was a rumor of a yokai cat, inside an old school, and naturally, it was famous among students, they talk about how if at night you roam at the highest, most darkest, part of the school, you will hear a cat's meow, and if you chase that sound, an Onibi, they are known as ghost lights, would appear, and it will lead you to a mirror, in which your reflection would talk to you, but no matter how tempted you feel, you shouldn't talk to your reflection, because the moment you do, it swaps places with you, leaving you trapped inside the mirror, for all eternity.
Anyway, that is what the story says, and it does one way or the other, kind of align with the present situation.
The hold of her hand around the cloth sheet, that was covering her bare flesh, tightness, covering her stomach more. But her eyes were searching for an answer in mine.
The one who stood in front of her, the only one who she could ask, the person to whom she stood just an arm away in so long. I opened my mouth as a sigh left my mouth.
Arthur: "I understand."
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' is confused. ].
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' comments "How such action, holding against ones will, is understandable?" ]
+
I ignored his message, a half-told story can viewed in many ways. As her mouth opened slightly, I felt like she would say 'How could you understand?' so I spoke before she could.
Arthur: "I understand your extreme actions. I understand your desperation."
Her mouth went up, listening to me, paying attention to my words. Her jaw tightened a little, she seemed to want to roar her desperation at me, but she held, like she did all this time.
Arthur: "But you are on your own fault. The desperation, the sense of loss, the sorrow, you brought all that on your own self."
Abandoned soul: "I brought on my own self?"
Her eyes didn't change but became more hopeless, her voice broke from tired to husky.
Abandoned soul: "You say I wanted to feel this, like someone clutching my heart?"
Her eyes showed betrayal, like I betrayed her expectations. Her voice was not of shouting but it was louder than before.
Abandoned soul: "Longing, searching without knowing, for all this time?"
Arthur: "What are you searching?"
I spoke, remaining calm, and stoic. I felt bad, obviously, it was like seeing a kid crying.
Abandoned soul: "I-"
She was stuck, unable to answer, this time I really looked at her with pity.
Arthur: "Hasn't it been the third time for you now?"
She looked at me confused.
Arthur: "Third time, you feeling this, clutching feeling, lost, abandoned."
Her eyes shook a little, and widened for the first time. The color flared a little in those lost eyes.
Arthur: "Haven't you learned anything, Gale?"
Her eyes widened, her mouth hung a little, and disbelief was all over her face. Now it is time to indulge in the real story.
***
+
[ The Nubecula 'Dionysus' comments "I think I have heard that name before." ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Gumiho' comments "I have as well. But where?" ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Hwang Jini' is looking at you. ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Who Like Cigars And Candy' is snorting. ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Whose Heart Bleeds For Heartbroken' is sighing. ]
+
[ The Nubecula 'Raziel' is looking at you. ]
+