With the cackling of the brittle ground, the harsh winds with scents mixed like ashes and peppers. Nothing but a singular coat Himmel gave me, tattered clothes— bare feet we travelled south hoping to exit our desolate village. Laid ruins by the thousand stars descending from the crimson moon, plagued by seas of rubies and flames. Looking back—
"How beautiful it was."
I stood lonesome, frozen, eyes laid only on the trail of stars over the velvet horizon. Himmel took my hand.
"Arthur?"
Himmel's eyes seemed worried, looking at my expression. I was bewildered.
"I'm sorry"...
"I dreamt of it again."
I looked down, trying to start conversations, his hand and mine intertwined, guiding me.
He stayed silent. I mean, who would talk about their dreams at a time like this?
Even so...
"A world where everything was okay... It felt so real— I woke up to a beautiful ceiling. Vivid, but it felt like home. I went downstairs and I dined in a long dinner table for morning and—"
"A world without us right?" He added. Softly so his grip tightened "You keep dreaming the same dream, maybe it came true today, me being an exception."
"No... I'm sure, we would've met somewhere, because there. We're all actually... alive"
With a broken voice, I added— followed by a curved lips with a deafening silence, my grip and legs slowly weakening as the words were uttered out of my mouth.
Himmel's grip tightened even more, without looking back he picked up the conversation.
"What were they like?" He added
"Your real parents, I mean."
"They had the same white hair as me, I have my father's golden brown skin, it was my mom who had pale white hair."
I said slowly. My parents— I never met them.
"How about your eyes? Who was it from?" ...
"I don't know, maybe its from my grandparents?"
I replied a little dumbfounded.
"If only we could travel to your dream then..." He added "I would've met your parents."
With time passes slowly as an hour flies, avoiding ruby meteorites they find along the way. Uphill they traveled, up to the outer skirts of the circular village. The scenery of the once prosperous houses— now nothing more than memories.
The village was previously a safe haven for people from many origins. For those without a journey, misfits, and unsuited. Now? As if prophecy had been fulfilled, the village— built around a meteorite crater, was destroyed by its very own origin.
On their way, they collected rubbles of goods. Broken knives, coins kept in pouches, little trinkets that may come useful for later journeys.
Himmel collected most of the broken scraps, Arthur stood by to keep a look out— carrying the items found. However, in a daze-like state Himmel knew Arthur still couldn't focus. Like his head keeps floating up the clouds.
However, that's how he has always dealt with intense emotions. He mourns in silence. But they both knew going forward was the only choice.
They both took a break inside an old cave. A fire camp lit. Embers flies. A poke on the fire, and the spirit engulfed—dies. Arthur looked at Himmel's eyes. It was 'deepened', and dark. Like the moon disappeared in the night sky. The campfire provided heat. Comfort like no other for a long time. His worries dissipated.
Shortly after Arthur fell asleep. In his dreams he was walking a long hallway. His footsteps loud, elegant and pristine. A long hall way— glass interior on the walls, lied pictures of many. Vague in interest, he walked near one picture in particular.
A picture of a class of children. In the picture, 6 children stood out in particular. It was the children he used to take care of. For a moment of misty sorrow, unknown to his body. His eyes became watery.
"Huh..?"
"Why am I crying?"
I asked myself—shifting my focus from the picture frame to the glass of my reflection— then everything turned black.
...
"Thur... wake up!" he said, shaking Arthur awake. "Food is ready" he added.
Scraps of meat in a stick— they cooked around the camp fire. The smell felt alluring, like a cuisine made by a loving mother. Having not eaten for a while dulled their sense of hunger, it was only now they felt hungry. And only now, that they realized they have to cook on their own. They ate in silence.
Himmel looked at Arthur's eyes. It was looking down— watery, made known by the reflections of embers shining on his eyes. His own way of exercising his vulnerability and control. It must be new for him, having no one to feed. His bites are small— hesitant, hands shaking ever so slightly then gripping the next with strength.
" 'Thur, eat some more. It's all yours."
Himmel gave more of his share, a gulp in the throat, his emotions evoked.
"Thanks..."
He took the food yet avoided eye contact. Seemingly looking down to the ground he
couldn't help but let out small whimpers.
"I'm sorry..."
He said In a shaken voice.
"I dreamt of them again..."
Arthur shed tears. Small, little tears. As his mouth curved in sorrow. Food in his mouth, the folds in his eyes. His tears overflown fell to the ground— and turned into paint.
"huh?"
"Arthur—"
Solid colors of purple and blue spread through the ground, clashing and mixing, spreading through the exteriors of the cave.
His hand shaken, food at hand— the sticks grew branches of leaves, outgrowing the food— golden sparkles flew around Arthur like a strong gust of wind, as the hue of purple and blue glittered amongst the wall like stars.
Suddenly the gust of sparkles breathed— erected crystals unto the ground. Breaking, and crystal water overflown, along with numerous luminara emerging from the crystals circling around the cave turning from sapphire blue to ruby red in color— a luminous fly with crystal-like bodice and wings..
For a brief second it felt like a galaxy was being born out of Arthur's tears as he mourned even more.
With the campfire light—gone, overflooding the cave. Arthur shined alone in a desolate land.
Himmel breathed in. Breathed out. Took Arthur's hand by force and hugged him.
"I miss them too... I miss all of them. Miss Marielle, Charlotte, Finn, Wendy... Welt, Eisen, and Adam. I miss all of them, but we need to walk forward 'thur. Maybe, just maybe, we can know why the stars fell on our village..."
Himmel said, hugging Arthur as the sparkles flew, burnt, and froze around him.
"Please..."
He begged, as his hug grew tighter slowly he embraced back
"I understand"
Arthur said in a broken manner, sniffing, and— "huh?"
An explosion occurred, a huge noise followed by a screech of a thousand voices
"What is that?"
"Arthur, we need to go!"
Walls shaken on its volume, cracks formed along the cave. Looking around, Himmel, ankles deep in water— grabbed Arthur's hands and headed for the exit.
On the way, the Luminarae followed them. Himmel quickly collected them to his bag, snatching them from the air. And just as the entrance was about to close due to the shaking, they managed to get out— greeted by a sight of what looks like a shadow, manifesting without the need of light.
It wasn't humanoid in shape, no it was six-legged shadow with a narrow body, and a mask for a face.
Himmel pushed Arthur to the back, and took a dulled out knife from his leather bag. Gripping it by the right hand it seemingly ready to rush out. His left hand on his bag— and so he threw away the luminarae to the shadow's direction. Hoping to distract or diminish the shadow's strength.
For a brief second the shadowy beast was distracted by the numerous luminarae surrounding it flashing different colors of blue and red— he rushed out and tried to slash the shadowy beast but his knife only went through it. He looked up in confusion, however something felt like crawled up to his skin.
"Huh?"
It was Charlotte's pale face, an eccentric smile, and a brunette curl. Suddenly flashing to Welt's kind demeanor— to Wendy's long and blonde hair then to Adam's golden brown eyes then to the rest. Each person flashing to the next— with unimaginable speed. He backed away as his breathing becomes short, inconsistent, and heavier. As 'it' looked directly at him, twisting its head, slashing all the luminarae flying around. Their wings fell to the ground as Himmel's pupils contracted in horror.
The faces became distorted— tearing the 'skin' of each face to to fit the smile their bodies could not. It grinned from ear to ear. 'It' was interested.
It attacked with its giant needle-like leg, slicing Himmel— however he managed to dodge it. He dashed backwards in instinct and slammed into a rock. He desperately tried to pick himself up from the pain and run— failing and slipped. His right arm was slashed open.
Blood gushed out in an alarming rate, he stood distance with it. Breathing in. Breathing out. Trying to remain a composure as his mouth curves in pain, biting his lips to subdue it.
Gathering his strength, in his mind—"recall" he thought "I can do it." "Just like the fairy tales..."
"Arthur can't fight right now, his emotions are a wreck and he just recovered from a 'breakout'. "... He thought for a minute— hand in his wounded arm.
"If I can delude myself with my delusions, then so be it. I can't die here just yet."
He gripped his dagger tighter, backtracking in his footsteps— "Then remember, just like those fairy tales..."
He gathered strength in his legs and rush in head on.
He slashed it horizontally, after that— vertically, using every momentum in his body he twisted and turned with each passing slash becoming more powerful than the next.
The moment shadow claws strikes, his momentum keeps him balanced, dodging and twisting more, slashing vertically, diagonally— each passing moment his mouth bled more— every slash bled blood to the ground and the caved in rocks.
The scene looked nothing more than a blood bath.
However his efforts were to no avail. He was tired, eye to eye with the beast he ran out of strength. And as he tried to take a moment to breath— "A luminarae?"
"I thought all luminarae died?" For a brief second. I saw a glint of hope in this fight. It's shine of blue reflected unto my eye and I realized—
"... I can't do this alone— Arthur needs to finish this!"
He dashed backwards— in a close call with it's claws inches away from his eye. He managed to set distance and took the dagger, covered in his blood and threw it to over the beast— distracted, it landed next Arthur.
He took it from the ground however the alarming amount of blood coming from his arm, and a painful look on his face worried Arthur
"What ever you do Arthur, Do not look at it's face!"
Himmel shouted— for a brief second he felt alarmed and lowered his head in confusion
As the beast's focus suddenly shifted to Arthur. Arthur's eyes still looking down, slowly backtracking his steps. His hands still shaking from fear but—
"Arthur! Get ready!"
Himmel shouted again
Arthur gripped it hard. and on his signal— "Go!"
Himmel gathered blood an alarming amount of blood with his palm and splashed all of it towards the shadowy beast.
Arthur was confused. His vision could only see half of the beast— till he saw Himmel pointed at something, before nearly collapsing on his knees from the blood loss, and then Arthur saw it.
It glowed like a red star.
It was covered in his blood— a crystal. The beast's origin.
Dagger in hand, he gripped it as hard as he could as his hands couldn't help but shake. Having your friends blood be on your hands, who would not?
He dashed— curved to the right and slashed the red jewel in the middle of the beast, but was more durable than i thought. His slash collided with the crystal with a shrieking noise— it just went through it barely scratching it.
The beast's eyes dimmed and glimmered as it noticed. I panicked, I panicked I panicked I panicked. I can't look at his face, I can't die, I can't-
Arthur slashed it again and again and again and again.
"Just one clean slash Arthur!"
He tried to shout— puking blood as he crawled on the floor. In a blink of an eye the world turned slow.
"Just one clean slash... Arthur"
I said to myself.
With all his might Arthur collided, with a dull knife, almost broken— a one clean slash. With the shadow's claws near inching away from slashing his stomach— the red jewel broke.
The shadowy beast dimmed and flickered. And eventually disappeared.
Arthur stood tall, weak, showered in the blood, mixed in his tears.
Arthur took the finishing blow as the shadowy beast dissipated into nothingness.