Chapter Text
Chapter 0 – Silence.
It was quiet. The full moon hung in the starry sky, basking the rolling hills and lush forests with an otherworldly azure glow. The long shadows cast by the jagged trees and rough cliffsides contrasted sharply with the blanket of moonlight, dotting the land with pools of abject darkness.
A damp, chilly breeze gusted through the land, rustling foliage and scattering leaves in the darkness. Somewhere, an owl hooted, punctuating the soft rush of the wind as it danced among the leaves overhead. A small stream flowed nearby, its chuckling accompanying the chirping of crickets occupying the patches of grass on the forest floor.
The sudden snap of a branch rang out loudly in the tranquil forest, accompanied by the gratuitous rustling of foliage. In the dim, murky moonlight obscured by clouds and the canopy above, a wild animal padded out from the shadowed brush, halting soundlessly in the middle of the dirt path. Its ears were perked and alert, its eyes seeming to glow eerily in the darkness as it surveyed both directions up and down the road.
The warm glow of a distant city vaguely shone through the tree trunks and branches on the left side of the path, silhouetting the figure of the wolf as it cautiously sniffed the air. Its eyes suddenly widened in alarm, its hackles rising.
"Now, guys!"
All pretenses of tranquility were shattered as blinding flashes of vibrant colors erupted from out of nowhere, accompanied by deafening roars of power as mana flew through the air towards the wolf. Fire and water sizzled loudly as both artes impacted right on target, sending the animal tumbling backwards with a yelp of agony.
Despite the force of the initial attack, the wolf quickly found the ground with its paws and zeroed on its attackers. A grating snarl resounded from its belly as it found two human figures descending upon it with drawn weapons gleaming in the moonlight. The young man wielding a ceremonial sword was the first to let out a wordless yell as his weapon fell in a slicing curve down towards it.
With deft movements, the animal leapt to the side, cleanly dodging the attack. Not missing a beat, his companion jerked her metal lance forward, landing a grazing slice on the wolf's hide. Snarling heavily, the furious animal dodged the young woman's follow-up slash before lunging to get inside the reach of her weapon.
The other attacker was ready for it. Right as the wolf charged forward, the young man latched onto the grip of his sword with both hands, holding it horizontally in front of his companion.
"Begone!" he demanded, slashing forward.
A brilliant, otherworldly silver glow blasted out from his blade, illuminating the surrounding forest in stark contrast to the underlying moonlight. The harsh lighting framed his boyish features alongside his stark white ceremonial cloak that billowed behind him with the force of the mana charging through his body. With a roar of effort, the Shepherd slashed his blazing sword forwards, towards his enemy.
Blade and fang met in a brilliant clash of flame and malevolence.
A much higher-pitched yip of agony rang out as a completely transformed animal tumbled backwards into the mud away from the two humans. Residual embers of silver flame still clung onto its fur, evidence of its successful purification. Gasping for breath, the small fox glanced around, staring in evident confusion. It froze when it saw the two humans standing across the road from it, watching it. In a flash, it had sprinted off into the bush, vanishing into the night.
Sorey slowly untensed, catching his breath and willing the adrenaline to stop pumping through his veins. "…Whew!" he breathed, flipping the short sword around in his hand and sheathing it at his right hip. "Nice job, everyone!" he exclaimed, turning to the other three travelers walking up to him.
"Indeed it was!" Lailah agreed brightly with a happy smile and a dainty clap of her hands. "The both of you did a great job at fending the hellion off at close range."
"Not bad." Mikleo allowed as he strolled up to his childhood friend, holding up his forearm with a closed fist. "You've been getting better at purification ever since we left Ladylake." he observed.
Sorey grinned as he reciprocated, bumping his own arm on the water seraph's. "Your artes have been nothing to sneeze at either. I don't think we could've taken that hellion down so easily if you and Lailah hadn't weakened it first."
His friend let out a hmph. "But of course. What else could you expect from the Shepherd's Sub Lord?"
"Uh, a little modesty, maybe?" Sorey shot back grinningly, scratching his cheek.
Mikleo rolled his eyes humorously in response.
At his side, Alisha let out a light laugh as she delicately sheathed her spear. Her eyes wandered contemplatively towards where the hellionized fox they'd fought had disappeared. "Still. To think that so many of the local wildlife have become hellions." The princess shifted on her feet, her armor clinking as she rested her head on her palm. "We must've encountered over a dozen such hellions just in the past few days. I shudder to think what sight awaits us in Marlind."
Lailah gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "You shouldn't worry so much about what's yet to come." She smiled softly. "It's better to worry about the more pressing stuff."
"Like… what?" Alisha asked for elaboration.
As if delighted she'd asked, Lailah's face lit up. "Why, what's for dinner, of course!" she chirped, tilting her head daintily to the side.
Mikleo deadpanned. "Lailah, your priorities are questionable at best." he muttered.
"At best?!" Lailah gasped in horror. "Oh, no!"
Sorey laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Still," he conceded, "she does bring up a good point." He turned to Mikleo, all business-like. "Whatisfor dinner, anyways?" It was Sorey's turn to be at the receiving end of Mikleo's deadpan.
Alisha gave a shudder. "Whatever the case, I do hope it isn't whatever we had last night." she remarked.
Lailah giggled, holding a few casting cards up to her face to cover her smile. "I agree, that would be quite theprickle." she chirped.
Mikleo, at the height of irritation, exhaled a ponderous groan. "Itoldyou guys," he stressed, "last night was myfirst timetrying to make prickleboar stew on my own! You can't expect me to be a perfect cook on my first try!"
"From what it looks like," Sorey pointed out wryly, "they can, and do."
Mikleo glared at him. "Back me up here, Sorey! You know how good Gramps is at cooking. Me trying to copy all of his recipes by myself is bound to result in a few mistakes here and there." he defended heatedly. "Perfection is the result of a ton of trial and error!"
"Sorry, Mikleo. I can't." Sorey replied apologetically, giving a helpless shrug. "I guess I just thought I could've expected more from the Shepherd's Sub Lord." He shook his head disapprovingly as he began walking once more down the path, his boots crunching on the gravel. "Guess not."
"Sorey…" Mikleo grumbled as he followed.
Lailah and Alisha shared muffled giggles, following grinningly behind the two boys as they continued to exchange verbal blows with no malice.
High up above, the moon continued to watch in silence. Its body was reflected in the nearby waters of Lake Perniya, warping with the shifting of the windswept waters. In the distance, tall, imposing mountains surrounded the lake, their peaks meshing seamlessly with the increasingly cluttered night sky. Large clumps of dark grey clouds migrated through the heavens, casting dark, ominous shadows that travelled through the land of Lakehaven Heights in a silent, foreboding procession.
A gust of damp breeze blew down the path of the group, rustling leaves and disturbing their clothing and hair. All around them, trees began to groan and waver under the weight of the powerful wind. Sticks and stray leaves blew through the forest, clacking noisily on the ground. They exchanged serious glances as they travelled down the path, their clothing flapping in the breeze.
"…Looks to me like there's a storm coming." Mikleo observed seriously, glancing up at the increasingly overcast night sky.
"Yes." Lailah agreed with a nod, considering the group's options. "If we're not careful, we might be stuck out in the open with no shelter."
Alisha pushed some hair out of her eyes. "It would do us no good to arrive at a plague town being sick ourselves."
"Right." Sorey's eyebrows were furrowed. "Then we'd better start looking for somewhere to hole up for the night."
As one, the group picked up their pace, walking faster through the empty forest. The chirping of the crickets had ceased. The distant owl had stopped hooting. The chuckling of the nearby stream had been drowned out by the howl of the wind and the groaning of the trees. The lights of Ladylake had suddenly begun to seem much, much farther away than they had earlier. All around the group, the world continued to darken. What little illumination that had been provided by the moon had been cut off by the rapidly encroaching storm clouds overhead. Their steps quickened still; the animal instinct to run and cower from the forces of nature driving them urgently forward.
The narrow path they were following abruptly entered into a small clearing nestled in the heart of the forest. Sorey blinked, slowing his steps and glancing around the unfamiliar space. High up in the sky, a brief break in the cloud cover overhead occurred, letting in a startlingly bright ray of moonlight to bask the clearing in otherworldly light.
The group abruptly registered that the floor of the open area was in reality covered in brilliant pure white flowers that shimmered brightly in the moonlight. The whole area was sheltered by the surrounding trees from the wind and was therefore almost jarringly silent and peaceful compared to the forest outside. It was almost as if it were a different world entirely.
"A meadow!" Mikleo remarked in amazement. "In the middle of the forest!"
Lailah's eyes were wide. "How pretty!"
Alisha glanced around in awe. "A meadow in the middle of a forest…" she glanced at the seraphim of the group with a wry smile. "Like a place straight out of the fairy tales."
"Quite!" Lailah agreed brightly. Mikleo shared her sentiment.
Sorey had a bright smile on his face as he gazed upon the natural beauty presented. "These flowers… they look familiar." His brow furrowed in consternation. "What were they called again…?" His hand began to reach habitually for his copy of the Celestial Record in his pack. And then he froze.
A cloaked figure stood motionlessly amidst the flowers, facing them.
Overhead, the gap in the clouds letting the moonlight in began to close. Darkness once again began to overtake the shining meadow, obscuring the brilliant flowers from view. The motionless silhouette of the figure became nearly indistinguishable as the shadows engulfed the opposite side of the clearing. Yet from out of the darkness, two blood red eyes stared directly at him, burning inhumanly bright in the shadow.
"Hellion!"
Weapons were drawn in an instant as the group registered the threat awaiting them. Alisha's lance was held in a tight, well-practiced grip. Mikleo's staff was secured in his right hand and supported by his left. Lailah's casting cards were fanned out in her palm, ready for use. Sorey's sword sang as it left its sheath. His jaw was set as he fell into ready stance, angling his body against the threat presented by the pair of eyes watching the group unerringly.
They waited, poised to defend themselves from the inevitable first attack. The shadows had nearly covered the entire field, leaving only the Shepherd's group in a small, isolated patch of moonlight. And yet, no attack came.
"…Lailah?" Mikleo whispered, keeping his eyes on the hellion watching them. "What's going on? Why isn't it attacking?"
Lailah shook her head wordlessly, confusion evident in her expression.
"What should we do, Sorey?" Alisha prompted urgently, keeping her stance low and ready.
Sorey's eyes were fixed on the hellion's eyes, his brow furrowed. He didn't answer, trying in vain to observe anything about their opponent.
A distant thrum of thunder erupted, making the ground under their feet rumble. Ever so slowly, the clouds above drifted in the wind, closing off the last of the moonlight and cutting off the land below from the heavens and condemning it to darkness. The group blinked in the abrupt change in lighting as the meadow disappeared from their eyes.
And in the darkness, it charged. Inhumanly quickly.
Sorey's blood ran cold as he belatedly registered a massive monstrousclawextending from out of the black and descending upon his body. Disbelief and shock flashed through his mind in a single instant. He could only stare uncomprehendingly as the hand of a giant fell towards his head; razor-sharp serrations poised to rend his flesh apart in an instant.
"SOREY!" Mikleo shoved himself between his human friend and the attacking hellion, defensively raising his staff.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as the hellion's claw impacted against Mikleo's hastily casted shield arte, the clash illuminating surrounding meadow with flashes of azure blue and blood red.
"Damn!" Mikleo swore, staggering back from the sheer force that had run through his staff from the attack. He scrambled for solid footing, his boots scratching noisily on the gravel underfoot. His opponent, on the other hand, had followed swiftly through with its initial slash, spinning smoothly around and pressing forward for a successive attack.
Lailah and Alisha reacted immediately, flanking Mikleo and attacking the hellion with flame and spear.
It abruptly vanished, rendering both attacks useless. Alisha stumbled forward, recovering from her missed spear stab. Lailah's flame arte shot off into the distance, puttering out among a patch of flowers in the distance. The group glanced around wildly in momentary confusion, casting about left and right in disbelief.
"…Above us!" Alisha cried in alarm, jerking everyone's heads up.
Right at that moment, a blinding flash of lightning lit up the sky; the first of many to come. And in the harsh illumination, Sorey got his first clear look at his opponent.
A mask of steel covered its face, brightly reflecting the flare of lightning.
Brilliant, demonic red eyes glared out of small slits in the mask. A tattered dark-brown cloak covered its mostly humanoid body from head to toe, billowing in the wind. Mostly humanoid, save for its left arm that extruded out from underneath the cloak and into a huge pulsating claw patterned with vicious-looking serrations. Its entire body was wreathed in sickening malevolence that trailed its every move.
And it was targeting him.
Sorey barely managed to get his sword up in time as the hellion slashed down.
CRASH!
A crash of thunder broke at the same time as the meeting of sword to claw, deafening Sorey's ears as he was thrown bodily backwards by the sheer force of the descending hellion.
"Aaagh!"
He let out an involuntary grunt as he landed hard in the flowers, tumbling over himself amidst a plume of dirt and dislocated petals. The world spun around him as he tried in vain to get his bearings, grasping the crushed flowers underneath his body with his hands. A rumble of distant thunder further disoriented him as he struggled to find the ground underneath him. With a jerk of his head, he forced his eyes to focus on the battle raging between his friends and the invading hellion in the center of the clearing.
Alisha faced off against the monster. The two of them circled around each other, Alisha's unwavering spear keeping her opponent at bay. Meanwhile, her opponent's movements were almost casual; mere steps in the dirt as it seemed to size the woman up.
With a cry, Alisha abruptly lunged, thrusting her spear forward to sink into its torso.
The masked hellion jerked its claw up, swiftly intercepting the path of the spear. Alisha cursed as steel slid right off the appendage as if it were made of metal, leaving her without stable footing. Silently, without uttering a single noise, the hellion whipped its claw around and bashed the off-kilter princess of Hyland off to the side. Alisha grunted in agony as she was thrown to the side of the clearing opposite to Sorey, her armor clanking noisily as she tumbled to the side.
Alisha having been dealt with, the hellion targeted Lailah next.
With a frightening burst of energy, it charged forward towards the casting seraph. Yelling fiercely, Lailah flicked her wrist forwards, finalizing her arte. An otherworldly hum rang out as the ground beneath their opponent grew molten orange.
BANG!
The hellion slammed its claw into the dirt and used the leverage to launch itself into the air as the arte detonated. Its cloaked figure was framed in the night sky by the brilliant orange hue that followed.
Flying through the air, the hellion attacked with all the grace of a predator pouncing on prey. Lailah could only watch in horror as the claw descended upon her defenseless form. "No-!" She gasped.
"Aaaagh!"
Her cry of agony grated on Sorey's ears as he finally managed to find his feet, sword in hand. He watched helplessly as Lailah was slammed violently onto the ground and crushed by the hellion's claw. Instantly, the fire seraph's body vanished in a flash of green, leaving nothing in the hellion's grasp.
The familiar sensation of a seraph returning into his body was an afterthought to Sorey as the hellion stood back up, turning its head to glare directly at him.
A shiver of pure terror ran down his spine.
He shook himself furiously, readjusting the grip on his sword and forcing himself to focus. "Mikleo!" He yelled urgently. His friend snapped his gaze towards him. They nodded simultaneously.
"Luzrov Rulay!"
Their voices rung out in tandem into the night, preceding the flash of brilliant azure blue as they armatized together, with Sorey's body as a vessel. Divine artefact in hand, Sorey opened his now glowing golden eyes and set his sights on the hellion charging heedlessly at their merged form.
"Take this!" Both Sorey and Mikleo roared, drawing the bow back and releasing in one smooth motion.
The night was lit up by flashes of brilliant azure as a large charge of water mana blasted across the meadow, tearing through the air with a howl directly towards their enemy.
Yet the hellion wasn't fazed at all.
Seemingly instinctively, the monster fell into a roll and let the arrow of mana blast harmlessly over its body. Without delay, it found its feet again and burst seamlessly back into its charge towards Sorey.
"This one's tough!" Mikleo's voice rang out urgently. "Don't slack on defense!"
"I know!" Sorey responded, gritting his teeth and drawing the bow back once more, aiming at the hellion getting increasingly closer to their position. "Aim and fire!" He yelled.
Multiple streams exploded out of the weapon, flying at varying angles in a blanket area attack. In retaliation, the hellion simply lifted its claw to shield its body from the assault.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Both Mikleo and Sorey watched in shock and dismay as the hellion's claw deflected the might of theArmatus itself. Various strings of azure mana pinged off the claw, driving rough gouges on the surface of the claw before ricocheting off into the night.
And then it was on them.
"AAGH!" Sorey screamed as the massive blood-red claw slammed onto him, its wickedly razor-sharp fingers tearing into his clothing and drawing gouges of blood from the skin underneath. He watched with wide eyes as the monster stilled, its emotionless mask seeming toconsiderhim as it stayed there, grasping his entire body with its huge claw.
And then something started happening that felt whollywrong.
The entire arm itself began to pulse, siphoning the power of the Armatus away from him like a leech. Sorey's flickering eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he registered what was happening.
This can't-!
With a fierce tug, the monster jerked its arm out of Sorey. With it came Mikleo's body in its grasp, forcibly disconnected from the Armatus.
"Wh-What?!" Mikleo gasped, wriggling helplessly in the monster's grasp as it held him up high in the air, leaving his legs kicking uselessly in the air. His staff was held ineffectively at his side, his arms pinned by the massive fist engulfing body. "How?!" He let out a cry of agony as the huge fist tightened abruptly. His staff fell into the flowers below, dropped by his limp hands.
Sorey hacked out blood as he stumbled to his feet. "W-Wait!" He cried, beseeching the emotionless hellion holding his friend captive, watching him silently. He fell into a coughing fit, struggling to catch his breath. His blood splattered upon the white flowers between him and his emotionless opponent. Sorey's eyes roamed the battlefield in dismay as he tried to catch his breath.
Alisha laid on the opposite end of the meadow, clutching her broken right arm in agony. Lailah's consciousness inside of him was dim and dull like a meek flame. Mikleo dangled from the hellion's left claw, clearly exhausted and beaten.
And yet… they were all still alive. Sorey's eyes widened in surprise at the realization.
The hellion still stood there, quietly, as if it werewaitingfor him to make his next move. It was watching him, keenly.Intelligently. There was now no doubt in Sorey's mind that if the hellion had wanted to kill them all in the first place, they would already be dead. So that begged the question…
He dropped his sword onto the flowers.
"What are you-?!" Mikleo grunted in worry, his lungs constricted by the hellion's grasp.
"Sorey!" Alisha yelled urgently from her position on the ground cradling her injury. "Just what do you think you're doing?!"
Ignoring his companions, Sorey took a step forward towards the hellion holding his friend captive, unarmed. "You want something from me, don't you?" He asked openly, meeting the hellion's blood red eyes peeking through the oblique mask.
A distant boom of thunder punctuated the silence that followed.
He put a hand on his chest. "They call me the Shepherd." He proclaimed. "I have the power to purify hellions like you," he gestured towards the hellion, "and turn them back into regular humans. I swear, this doesn't have to be like this!" He pleaded. "I can help you! I canhealyou of all your malevolence, I promise!"
He took another impassioned step forward. "Please!"
Mikleo let out a scream as the hellion's fist tightened in warning.
Quickly, hurriedly, Sorey stumbled backwards, holding his palms out placatingly. Frustrated, he yelled, "What do you want?!" His eyes pleading the hellion holding his dear friend hostage.
"Alright, listen!" He shook his head frantically, patting his chest. "Whatever you want from him, take me instead!"
"W-What?!" Mikleo choked out furiously. "Sorey! Don't youdare!"
"Sorey!" Alisha yelled in horror. "You're theShepherd! This world needs you, now more than ever!" Her eyes turned to Mikleo's suffering form, her expression filled with clear indecision. "Th-there has to be some other way!" She cried uselessly.
Sorey's eyes never left the hellion's piercing red eyes.
"…Please." He pleaded earnestly. "Take me instead." He took a step forward, freely offering his body in return for his friend's. Flowers crunched underneath his boot; stained by his own blood.
The hellion just stared back at him motionlessly, its brilliant red eyes underneath the mask piercing straight through his soul.
Silence.
Then all of a sudden, it dropped Mikleo and leapt off into the night, vanishing without a trace.
Sorey sprinted forward as Mikleo crashed onto the flowers, coughing and heaving. Alisha had managed to get to her feet and began stumbling over to the two of them, fumbling in her pack with her non-dominant arm for some healing gels and bandages. All three of them had wide eyes, warily glancing around in the shadows in case their frightening adversary returned.
SMACK!
"Ow! The heck was that for?!" Sorey groaned, rubbing his cheek.
Mikleo's eyes were positively livid as he picked up his fist from the ground, having slammed it into his friend's face the moment he'd regained enough energy to do so.
"What the HELL, Sorey?!" He screamed, turning his head and coughing up some blood onto the ground. "Just what were you thinking?!" He exclaimed, clutching Sorey's shoulder with a death grip. "Offering your life up to ahellion?! You're an even bigger idiot than I ever thought possible!"
Sorey winced at his friend's fury. "Sorry, Mikleo. I… I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you." He admitted shakily. "Besides," he reasoned, "that hellion seemed intelligent."
"Intelligent?!" Mikleo seemed on the verge of hysterics. "Sorey! Has living with Gramps and the others not taught youanything?!" He shook his head in disbelief. "Hellions aremonsters, nothing more, nothing less!" He swiped a decisive hand through the air. "Don't you remember that fox hellion?!" Mikleo yelled. "ItateMason! How can you call the same kind of monster that would do such a thingintelligent?!"
"But-!" Sorey began.
"Sorey." He turned to Alisha's serious expression. "Like I said, you are the Shepherd." She shook her head decisively. "If you fall, the world falls as well." Her eyes were firm. "There is no doubt in my mind of that fact. Youmusttreasure your life more than this!" She implored.
"Even if it means sacrificing Mikleo?!" Sorey's temper began to rise as well. "Alisha, are you telling me that given the opportunity to save myself or Mikleo, I should just leave him to die?!"
"Yes, Sorey."
It was Mikleo who spoke. "You're more important that all of us combined." He stated simply. "That's just how it is."
Sorey was lost for words for a second, flitting his gaze between the two people in front of him as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
The silence was abruptly broken by a flash of green and a familiar hum. Lailah appeared from out of Sorey's body, stumbling onto the meadow and coughing laboriously.
"Lailah!" Everyone exclaimed at once, forgetting their previous conversation and moving to help the injured seraph.
"I'm… I'm just fine!" Lailah chirped unconvincingly.
"Hey, take it easy." Mikleo ordered worriedly, cradling the other seraph's head and beginning some healing artes. "You took the hardest blow out of all of us."
Sorey's eyes were deeply disturbed as they roamed over Lailah's bruised and bleeding body. She'd been injured by blunt trauma, whereas no attempts had been made to specifically target her more vital organs. It clearly had been trying not to kill, only to disable. "…Just what did that hellion want from us?" he mumbled under his breath.
"You… you sensed it too, didn't you?" Lailah coughed again, forcing herself to her feet against Mikleo's worried complaints. "That hellion…" The rest of the injured group got to their feet alongside her, staring off to where the hellion had first appeared. "There was… something very wrong about it." she murmured, her breathing steadying. "Something especially unnatural."
Sorey furrowed his brow.
Alisha shook her head in disbelief. "To think that there are that powerful hellions out there in the world!"
"We need to get stronger." Mikleo spoke seriously, reaching down and picking up his dropped staff with severe disillusionment in his eyes. "Muchstronger, if we should ever hope to take something as powerful asthaton."
"Yeah." Sorey nodded soberly. "…If anything, this is just a reminder of how we need to work harder if we want to help the world." He abruptly blinked, having felt a drop of water land on his forehead. As one, the group turned their heads skyward towards the fully covered heavens as the storm began to break.
"…Am I the only one who thinks our journey just got a whole heck of a lot tougher?" Mikleo asked sardonically as he stared idly up at the clouds as the rain began to pour down upon them.
Lailah glanced at the rest of the group. "Come, now." She urged softly. "Let's find shelter from the rain and heal up before tomorrow." She shook her head, forcibly injecting false cheeriness into her voice and exclaiming, "Things always look better in the morning!"
"Right." Sorey agreed absently, following in the footsteps of his group as they made their way through the soiled meadow. His thoughts kept running over the hellion's mysterious actions.
None of it made any sense.
Above the group, the rain began to fall with vigor, clattering noisily upon the crumpled flowers, washing the blood away.
Velvet Crowe leant back quietly on her solitary perch on an oak tree, watching as the group of humans and seraphim left the flooding meadow far below. All around her, the leaves pattered noisily as they caught large drops of rain, shielding her from the worst of the downpour as the storm broke with a vengeance. A rumble of thunder boomed in the distance, accompanying the howling gusts of wind furiously battering the tree itself.
She had bundled up her disguising cloak and mask and had shoved them in her travel pack, allowing her cascading hair to fall freely once more. Her daemon arm had been dispelled, covered by the ever-present bandages that masked her true nature. Her eyes had returned to their normal shade of brown with the absence of her artes.
The therion shifted slightly in her perch, letting her right leg dangle in the wind while resting her left arm on her left knee. The chains on her well-worn ragged clothing clinked softly amidst the cacophony of the storm. Her eyes were hard as she contemplated the yellowed, frayed bandages loosely wrapped around her seemingly human left hand. A flash of lightning framed her curled-up form in stark shadows.
"…Shepherd." She whispered the word indistinctly into the wind, contemplatively.
Memories from long ago erupted all at once. Faces, once blurry from misuse, suddenly materialized in her mind as clear as day. Fragments of a time long past, indistinct in form yet sharp in hue, made up a mosaic of emotion that tinted her every thought.
She glanced over to her left, surveying the view through the drenched leaves and the downfall. The surrounding mountains of Lakehaven Heights had become obscured in the quickly accumulating fog. The sea of trees surrounding her perch moved in contrasting waves, billowing in the whistling winds. The air was damp and crisp. The storm was battering the uncovered meadows below without mercy, wrenching petals helplessly away into the air. The entire area was quickly becoming thoroughly waterlogged underneath the torrential rainfall.
Velvet watched as the formerly gorgeous blanket of white flowers drowned underneath a rapidly growing layer of water flooding the meadow. Her lips were set in a firm line.
"I'm impressed, Eizen." Someone remarked. "You know a lot about everything."
"Not at all." Came the dismissive reply. "There's so much I don't know. For example, the name of these flowers. That's why I travel. To learn."
She opened her mouth.
"Aldina Alabastergrass."
"That's the name of the name of this flower?" He inquired.
She nodded slowly. "Yes… A long time ago, my brother showed me a picture of it in one of his books. They're fragile flowers. They die quickly on their own."
A pause.
"But if enough of them gather together, they can survive. Fields of them form beautiful white carpets of flowers…" She explained, glancing around at her surroundings. "In some cultures, they symbolize kinship—the bonds between people."
"Kinship… huh."
Laphicet's bright voice rang out sharply in the memory, as clear as if he were there right beside her.
A boom of thunder broke through Velvet's reverie, sending her into the far, far future. Or rather, she reminded herself, the present.
An indescribable mix of bittersweet emotion swirled in her eyes as she brought her hand to massage her temples tiredly. She stayed motionless on her perch for a long while; unfeeling towards the frigid raindrops battering her body.
Suddenly, she clenched her fists. Her eyes opened, once more hardened with determination and drive. She shook her head and took one last glance back down at the meadows below. Floating petals drifted in batches throughout the swampy waters; evidence that a meadow had even existed in the first place being quietly swept away by the wind. There would be no flowers left when the torrential waters finally drained in time. That was just how things worked.
Letting out a huff, her breath misting in the cold air, the therion shifted agilely onto her feet, her steel boots digging deep into the bark of the branch as she transitioned into a crouch. Poised like a hunting bird of prey, she slipped her soaking wet pack onto her back, seated firmly atop her black coat. Ever so steadily, the daemon tensed her stiff limbs, standing up on the branch blowing in the gusting winds. Her jaw was set firmly as she forced herself to look towards the present, not the past.
She had her work cut out for her. And it was time to get started.
With a fire burning in her eyes completely unrelated to her powers, Velvet Crowe pushed herself forwards off the branch, leaping through the leaves of the tree and into the dark night. Down below, the downpour continued to batter what was left of the meadow, rendering what was left of the field of flowers formerly known as Aldina Alabastergrass into nothing but a featureless quagmire of muck and grime. The once-bright world had now been fully enveloped in unadulterated darkness.
Amidst the booming of thunder and the wailing of the wind, the silence of the night was no more.
Author's Note: Hi! Thanks for clicking.
This story is a sequel to the Wanderer of Worlds in the Berseria Fandom. You don't need to have read it to enjoy this story. If you end up liking this fic, I urge you to consider reading the Wanderer of Worlds in between my (likely sporadic) updates! Enjoy!
Oh, and have a Happy New Year, everyone!
- CloudFry, January 1 st , 2019
Addendum: I realize I never mentioned this, however for this story (and all my works for that matter) criticism is very enthusiastically solicited. Please, if you would like, leave a review and tell me how I'm doing, regardless of how scathing it is. I'm always happy to improve my writing and to hear from readers!
Cheers.
(Edited October 23 rd , 2019)
