"When Ciel the Hero, laid on the ground"
"The Demon king dissipated, unbound."
"The part ran— to his dying corpse"
"The death of the Demon King is meaningless without Ciel!"
"The mage screamed"
"And so, the mage— with her immense mana, cast a powerful healing spell"
"Saraqael's serenity."
"And so."
"Ciel the Hero lived, barely alive."
"However, that did not take away that Ciel the Hero still fought for humanity"
"Even if Ciel the Hero didn't believe in himself, It was okay. Because humanity already did— in his stead"
"The end..."
And so, Arthur closed the book. And teardrops fell. One by one. He looked down, not at his dying best friend— but towards the storybook. His mouth shriveled, fingers agitated, twitching in anxiety as tears continuously fell.
As his eyes fell on the book. He could not help but hate himself. As his realization hit, a mixture of repulsion, and annoyance. Despair, and resentment— were etched on his face. He hit himself with the book. Again and again and again and again...
Strength was seemingly sapped out by the tears in his eyes as his vision blurred by the resentment he felt upon himself. "Tell me, in what world would telling that story save anyone?" he said under his breath.
But amidst the cold tears, and the dry wind, a blazing air. A single touch overflowed his senses. Himmel grabbed Arthur by his thigh. A weak grip, but a grip nonetheless.
"This one. I guess." Himmel said, coughing blood—slowly but surely. He was recovering.
"But how," Arthur asked.
"It's true, the cut on my arm hit a major blood vessel. It was painful, it went up towards the rest of my arm. Fortunately, you managed to cover it so tight it stopped the bleeding."
"But—" He paused, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, before looking at Arthur in the eye "That storybook you just read right now. It felt— it felt like a warm flame to me."
"So, what do we do now?"
Himmel chuckled "You were so smart earlier, why don't you figure it out?"
"I guess throwing you off the cliff is an option," Arthur said bluntly
"After all that crying, so it's all out the window now?" He smiled, cheekily.
"I... I can't even say something mean about that one you know."
"I know..."
"Let me recover to the point I can somewhat walk. Then we'll go."
"Okay."
...
After about 30 minutes of resting, the shadow beasts went on a rampage— killing things left and right. In fear, they finally set off. Exiting the village, as they looked over the broken sign— finally exiting Morgana Village. This time, no longer looking back. This time, they journeyed the path beyond. Himmel's left hand over Arthur's shoulder, carefully lifted— with a limp leg, he walked with his help. Footsteps left behind, a drip of blood and a smell of iron.
Stepping beyond the confines of their childhood. They were greeted by a sea of snow. Harsh winter cold, that ever so slightly, grows colder by the minute. They were baffled. The center of the village felt like a hellscape broken loose. But, on the outer ring of the village lay cold winter snow? What the hell?! Himmel thought.
Arthur backtracked in his steps— But Himmel did not. Himmel's eyes looked far beyond the distant fog and said
"If there is refuge there, maybe a village similar to ours." He paused. "We can't reach it unless we go forth. Right?"
For once, Himmel felt a little hopeless. But he did not move an inch backwards. His eyebrows met in defeat. Even more so for Arthur.
"So what... If we go there, we'll freeze, or stay and eventually get caught by these blood-hungry machines." He said.
"We will have to go into the snow," Himmel said with conviction. Arthur could do nothing more than stare.
Himmel tried to walk, however being limp, his left arm around Arthur's shoulder for support.
"Hey... let's go!" He said
Signalling Arthur— but he instead became worried. His eyebrows too met— but not in defeat but perplexion.
"Himmel, why are you so determined on surviving?" He asked.
He was dumbfounded by his question. He looked at him in disbelief, as if his eyes felt no affection and said.
"Honestly, what the f*ck do you actually mean by that"
And so, nothing but thin cloths, and a coat wrapped around Himmel. And a bag. They marched forth into what felt like a death trap laid unto them.
The wind howled like a banshee. Its icy claws— clawing through their flesh at every exposed skin. Every gust felt like shards of glass, slicing through him as they embraced the monstrous blizzard. Reducing the world to a swirling chaos of pure white and frost, as they traveled forth, blood dripping. Red footsteps.
As their skin, lethally touched by the freezing wind. Having been previously exposed to tremendous heat caused them to burn. The coat did not help. As his fingers began to freeze— thousands of needles piercing his skin. His face felt numb from the icy fingers clawing through their cheeks as their vision dissipated with every ice-crystal forming from their eye lashes, struggling to keep their eyes open against the gnawing wind.
As he lift Himmel by his shoulder. Taking a step nearly became impossible. Knee-deep. into snow, with ravaging winds of winter night— the coat was nothing more than rags. Their breaths became shallow, each puff formed a fleeting cloud. The warmth of their heart, caged by their ribs, as their lungs slowly surrendered to the biting frost.
Their fingers, feet, numbed in coldness as the biting frost slowly invaded their core. Seemingly freezing, ice crystals formed amongst Himmel's wound, encasing his blood in eternal winter. His consciousness sipped out— like a winter kiss.
Arthur struggled to see, where the fleeting cloud from his breath constantly fogged. He fought his mind, his confusion and emotions against the world. Thinking back, whatever did he do to deserve this. He didn't want to die. He doesn't want to die. "I don't wanna die". His thoughts echo with every near-impossible step. His breathing uncoordinated, shallow puffs of emotion.
In a moment, he felt as though the world has abandoned him. He closed his eyes in fleeting anger as his body reacted to his emotions. A burst of blue energy came from his body, like time froze, the echo of his emotions turned the ravaging snow on his feet to water, like melting everything on its path as it expanded throughout his surroundings. However, fleeting as his anger was, so was his energy.
His nose bled, and as a moment has not yet passed, the echo dissipated into nothingness. Like nothing happened, the ferocious snow engulfed him again as he stumbled at its weight, he fell— snow cushioning his fall with deceptive softness. Himmel already fell unconscious, like an animal hibernating in winter.
Arthur struggled. The snow became soft. It was soft. It had always been soft. The cold seemed almost gentle, numbing him into a dangerous calm. It was peaceful.
He thought of the very things that hindered their survival. The meteorites, the burning air, the shadow beasts that almost took his only best friend. Like an ironic rhythm of survival, his final hindrance to survival was peace. It was peaceful.
Amidst the tranquility— the beating of his heart became in sync with his breath. Amidst the tranquility, he became one with his heart. Is there such peace, like no other? And so, there he laid.
He closed his eyes. And this time, he did not dream. He only dreamt of survival. He wanted to survive. His body gathered seemingly immaterial strength and got up, eyes closed as the frost blinded him. He struggled, but he fought through the peaceful blanket that enveloped his entire body. He yearned to take one final step before giving up.
And he did.
He then fell forward, not an ounce of his strength remained on his body, but only the strength to keep his heart beating. He thought. "The cold had won."
...
He dreamt for a long time. Maybe to the point he had forgotten that he was ever alive at all.
In his dream, he was more refined.
Different from where he last left off. He awoke in a sea of stars? He thought. His body, resonating with tranquility, followed by a melodic piece. Lingering notes, going slow—then crescendo.
He felt at peace. Seemingly stuck in time, he smiled.
...
Maybe against his wish, he felt a sensation after what felt like a thousand-long dreams. It was once again warmth. It wasn't anything like the usual 'warmth", but rather it was comfort.
Taking his first long breath. And opening his eyes. It was his tears that fell, that felt so comforting. He finally woke up.
He was greeted by a strange bed. A strange, wooden ceiling, not like anything he's familiar with. Rather, it was like many sticks, arranged in a circular pattern. Looking around, the place looked like it was made of circular wood, tucked together by thin, but many ropes, with the walls— clearly wooden in material, however its woven in intricate patters. Maybe it's of tribal origin?
The ceiling was tainted red, and had beautiful ornaments. All ranging from red, orange, yellow to blue. Pots of different intricate, yet foreign designs. The walls, designed with different seashells connected together by string. Windows tinted in glass that shed light with different colors.
I looked around to find Himmel— still asleep on my side. Checking his wound, the first-aid treatment I did was gone. Instead, it was clearly stitched by by someone. Who could it be? Did they save us? Did we find refuge?
When Arthur walked out the door, noticing his hand— it was covered by a thin piece of cloth. Looking down, its covered most of his body.
Stepping out, the sun greeted his eyes. Almost blinding him in a confused manner. Covering with his hands, he focused on a woman, diligently watering plants using her hand near a running river.
"That's a beautiful flower, miss" Arthur said, trying to make his presence known
"It is" the woman said "It's breathtaking, isn't it? Its one of my favorites" she added
"Its name, is Gumamela." Her eyes made it onto Arthur "Are you okay now?"
"Yeah..." Arthur replied, seemingly stunned by the beauty of the woman.
"You've been asleep for nearly 3 years, I assess, do you remember anything?"
"Huh? 3 years?"
"This place is near the shores, its a wondrous place" She said as she looked at her right, it was not the shores she mentioned, instead it was a breathtaking waterfalls. Forming a lake and a river, he presumed is connected to the sea.
"Woah..." Arthur gasped
"That's where you and your friends fell, encased in ice for about 3 years ago" she added "It was so pure, I could not manage to free both of you till 5 months ago"
"So... we survived..." Arthur said under his breath
"However, I do question. Where is this place?" He added, finally stepping on the ground barefoot.
"This place, is but a remnant of my tribe" she said, Arthur just noticing now, her attire felt rather ethereal. Dressed in white, and blue, braids across her hair in intricate style.
She approached Arthur. She looked down on him, hands in her knees and asked "what happened?" looking directly at his forehead seemingly trying to look directly inside his mind?
Arthur made distance— taken aback by her approach and weird line of sight. He replied hesitantly "We, we narrowly escaped with our lives" seemingly trying to evoke pity out of the woman.
"Is that so..." she said, finally looking away from Arthur's forehead. Her eyes laid gaze on another. "Your friend finally woke up." "Huh?"
Arthur went to Himmel, getting down to his knees to see Himmel struggling to sit upright.
"Arthur? We're alive..." He said, opening a hug with his left hand, and soon Arthur followed with the hug. They finally hugged tight in comfortable situations. Noticing his right hand, Arthur questioned
"Is your right hand still not okay? It's been stitched up."
"That hand will probably not be able to be used for a while. The damage on that hand was outrageous, luckily I know how to weave." The woman said, sitting behind them on a comfortable chair.
"Who are you?" Himmel asked in alarm, ignorant to her aid, his voice aggressive in tone.
"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you." She said. "I merely saved you out of pity."
"So you don't want anything in return?" Himmel asked, looking around seemingly confused of the place.
"No, children these days are so aggressive. Maybe grab yourselves some food outside to eat, some fruits?" She suggested "Unfortunately for you I don't have any food here, I don't need to eat."
"Himmel, calm down... She saved us" Arthur said "Really? How did we end up here in the first place"
"You two were incased in pure Ice, I've had to melt you for a long time but it was very difficult."
"But, with that aggressive tone mister, I am sorry to cut to the chase but— now that you have awakened, what will be your next move?"
She paused, as she leaned her body forward, an enigmatic smile and a curl of her fingertips on her chin as it rests on her fingers— a piercing eye laid before them. Finishing her statement, "Morgana?" she questioned.
"What?"
"We want to find out why our village was destroyed. I'm sure of it. It was made by someone." Himmel added
"So you mean to find out what trapped you in that pure ice? And why?"
"No..." He paused "Why the stars fell unto our village."
"Stars?" her eyebrow piqued "However one piece of information I can tell you was that ice. It was definitely caused by the Perceiver of Fables."
"Perceiver of Fables?"
"Yes, I had to melt that pure ice using my arcanum and it was very difficult. And I know a perceiver of fables' story when I see one." She paused
"Let me show you"
She pulled out a card. It glowed in white, almost blinding to the eye. Then she opens her mouth "It is powered, by belief."
Then, a burst of light engulfed the room in vermillion color. Arthur's eyes were blinded for a brief second, covering his eyes yet Himmel paid no mind to the light. His eyes focused, at the glowing light as it grew wings. It was a fiery majesty, as its wings expanded, a gust of wind followed in its trails, its tail elongated with feathers seemingly filled with all imaginable colors. The light diminished— replaced by a fiery blaze unconstraint by hues of reds and oranges, and expanded beyond its normal horizons. It was bountiful in its hues. Himmel was mesmerized.
A bird figure. Like an illusion, fire echoed throughout its wings, feathers seamlessly colored with different colors as it made itself known to the two outsiders. "careful to not fall asleep" she said, followed by an eccentric smile, "You might turn into stone."