" It doesn't matter."
Amon reassures, nodding toward her, silently telling her to lead the way. Philomel's unsure expression, now lit up as relief washed over her. Amon is willing to help her despite the obstacles. She truly didn't have to face this alone. With a small satchel over her shoulder and Amon by her side. They slowly made their way through the desert.
A desert form now tame, harrowing shrieks, now nothing more, than low gurgling rumbles throughout its sandy peaks. Sunlight shrinks beyond the horizon, painting the hues of red upon its canvas sky. The breeze was ever so soft that the sand shifted as it glistened against the last sunlight like flakes of gold. Shadows shifted, like hungry predators lurking close to their prey, waiting to pounce.
Philomel every now and then stopped, her gaze kept returning toward the path she left. A path that lead to her home where she was now banned. A place she knew since young, now harboring her death if she ever showed face there again. Watching it slowly disappear within the shadow of night. Her mind brought back lingering memories.
All her life, her only dream was to leave her catacomb home and travel somewhere. Somewhere, where she could feel the soft grass under her feet, clear skies above her, a place where they didn't have to steal to feed themselves. A place where it could be a safe little haven, tucked away in some corner of the world. Where they could live in peace.
But never once has she pictured that beautiful little dream of hers, just with her lonesome self. She always pictures it with her mother's smile as she picks a bright red apple from their apple tree, in front of their new home. Her father fixing a fence that runs around their little home. A yipping puppy, zooming about as it explores its new home, causing a little mischief here and there to brighten her day. Philomel finds herself smiling at that beautiful dream but now looking at her home disappearing in the distance where her family is...
Knowing that she will be killed upon return without completing her mission, made her heart tingle as she smiles in a bittersweet way. Softy laughs at her terrible fate as tears once again sting her eyes. Asking the gods, what wrong has she done to ever deserve this.
"Restituzione à nous."
Philomel heard the soft whispers of the wind carrying these words or was it just her memory? Her gaze drifted toward the sunset, tints of purple and dark blue pulled over the sky.
"Restituzione à nous, the light elves all yelled together as one. One heart, one mind, one city. Calling upon the heavens wanting to welcome their newest member.
Philomel, the dark elves all yelled together as one. One fear, one thought, one tribe. Calling upon the Chief wanting to push a death sentence to one of their own people... just to save their own skins.
Is this the only wrong I have done? Being born a dark elf? *Scoffs* Guess that more than warrants my death to any god... Just breathing, just being, just living...
No...
The gods may want me dead for being a dark elf but not my own people! No! They accept me! The only reason I'm out here is because of that ******* Asclepius! I swear, Asclepius! I swear it upon my soul! If it's the last thing I ever do! I swear I'll kill you!"
Philomel swore to the setting sun and the heavens. That she would get her revenge, one way or another. Amon noticed Philomel was falling behind, even though she was supposed to be leading the way. He turns just to see her gazing longingly at home as she stands there like a statue.
"It's just for a while, I promise you. We will survive the mission, we will return."
Amon reassuringly says with a determined tone, even though he didn't even know what the mission was and currently, he didn't care. As long as it reminded Philomel that she isn't alone, then he was alright with it. Amon reaches out to her, silently wanting to help her over the tip of the sand hill. Philomel turns to him, with a small smile. She finds herself believing in Amon's words. Not because it was logical but because she must, for if she didn't, she wouldn't know how to go on.
She takes his hand and Amon helps her up the sand hill. Through the darkness with only the stars to light their path, signs the start of their maddening quest.
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Under the dim light of the stars, two dark figure made their way up a cliff. Amon reaches the top of the cliff with ease just to notice the eerie silence. The sudden lack of the rumbling, shifting sand, and the disappearance of the mumbling echoes from the catacombs. The air lack of sand and he could take in deep breaths without sneezing from it. It was so fresh that he could smell the soft fragrance of flowers in the breeze. Trees, grass, bushes everything so green and bursting with life.
"Oh, gods! Look! An actual bush that has leaves!! Not just twigs sticking out of the ground! "
Amon exclaimed in his mind. He couldn't help but awe as he reaches out for the leaf before him. It was smooth on one side but rough on the other! There were groves and reaches out to the tip of the leave like an invisible branch! Amon could feel the dampness on the leaf and he was in awe at the fact the leaf was slightly wet, bursting with life.
"Have I died and gone to heaven? Is this heaven?"
Amon questioned in his mind as he turns looking for Philomel. He immediately finds her, right behind him, pulling herself up, just to lie down at the edge of the cliff. Her heavy breaths let out white puffs against the cold air. Amon stared at her breaths, fearing that it was her soul coming out of her body. With just that, he was convinced that they were dead and that this was heaven. It must be heaven, his whole life he has never seen anything this beautiful, this full of life, there's no doubt about it.
Amon turns to Philomel, his mouth open wanting to ask her how they died but then he fears what might come if he breaks the silence. The land of the dead should have its own dangers, and the unknown was what scares Amon the most.
" Why are you looking at me like that?"
Her sudden words caused Amon to jolt from his thoughts and he immediately panicked. His gaze, quickly swept the whole area, holding his breath in fear of what might appear. One second... two seconds...
A breeze picks up, bending all the grass and branches along with it. Then silence again, is there something hiding in the shadows?
" Among?"
" Ah."
Amon jolted at his own name, yelping which cause Philomel's heart to skip a beat from his jolt.
" Why are you so jumpy all of a sudden?? Don't jolt like that, you shocked me. Relax will you?"
Philomel lectured as she slightly shoves him, slightly annoyed at him for shocking her.
" Come on, we still have a long way more until we reach Luxtorious."
She urged as she takes the lead and headed into the lush green forest or should I say the garden of Eden... Well in Amon's eyes anyway.
" Luxtorious?"
He whispers to himself like it was an unbelievable thing.
" Hurry up will you? We're losing moonlight."
Philomel yelled, pulling Amon back to reality as he quickly chases after her.
" This place, is it truly a place on earth?"
He questioned as soon as he reached her side.
" Of course, it is. We haven't left the planet. We just left the desert."
" So if we head back the way we came, we'll go back to the desert?"
" Duh... Wait a minute... don't tell me... *Laughs* Don't tell me this is your first time outside the desert!"
Philomel mocked, unaware of how disheartening her words were. Amon blushed, feeling dumb that he thought that they had died and this place was heaven.
" How could it, not be? I never went to the organization when I was of age. I was never assigned a duty. I self-assigned myself the duty of standing guard by the entrance and never left the entrance since."
" For 3 years?!"
" Yeah."
Amon nodded.
" Not even to go home?"
" There's nothing for me at home, so why should I?"
Amon muttered as he glanced down at his feet. Philomel dashed 6 steps in front of him, spun around to face him, and started walking backward. She lean closer to him, peering into his face, trying to determine if he was truly telling her the truth.
" What about your mother?"
" Died when I was 6, she was a scavenger like you but got caught... so she..."
Amon trails off, losing the will to say anything more as he frowns at the memory. The memory of waiting and waiting by the door, full of eagerness to hug his mother when she came home with wonderful food to eat and a loving smile. The door opens and he leaps at the towering figure with a warm hug, just to look up, in utter confusion when, he realized that wasn't his mother. It was Commander Julius with a shocked expression, that crumbled into a grim solemn gaze when he realized that, he had to break the terrible news to Amon.
"Where's mommy?"
He remembered asking the Commander but the chubby elf did nothing to answer. Giving him a pat on the head as he ushers the young boy deeper into his home. The Commander sat young Amon down at the dinner table. Pulling out the delicious food that his mother normally brought back home but in a smaller sack. The Commander urged the boy to eat his fill, saying that his mother left a message for Amon. But the Commander was very hungry and would tell him only after dinner. Even though the Commander said he was starving, he didn't touch a single drop of food.
The Commander kept asking Amon to try this and that until the boy couldn't eat another bite. When Amon rejected the Commander's offer of food, only then did the Commander leans back in his chair with a huge sigh.
" The truth is kid, your mother... your mother... was the best scavenger I have ever seen. With just her on one mission, she's able to bring back enough food to feed the whole tribe for 2 months in just one night. That woman might as well have been Santa Claus if he was slim, a woman, and 5times faster. Unfortunately... because of this... she has become a huge target in the light elves' city and other kingdoms...
All of them had it out for her, putting traps and other schemes. It was dangerous but your mother was a cunning woman, no trap ever caught her... until... now..."
That was all the Commander would say, he patted Amon on the lap with a small smile and left, without another word. Amon never figured it out, he couldn't figure it out as he cried himself to sleep wondering 'why mummy hasn't come home?'
The world only stopped, cracked, and came crashing down upon him when he heard it from his father the next day. That was the day his father swore to always come home to him. A promise he broke as well.
" Among?"
His gaze finally meets her soft sky blue eyes, her head slightly tilted, her long hair tied in a high ponytail, flutters behind her against the wind, her lips slightly parted as she wore a puzzled gaze.
"Will this be the promise that I break?"
He questioned himself in his heart as he gazed deep into her eyes.
"Can I truly protect her? I don't know but I sure as hell won't stand by and do nothing."
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