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Breathe Anew

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:41 pm
by Locke
Have you ever looked back on events and wondered “Why me?” Have you stared your past in the face and wondered what you could have done differently, or what mistakes you may not have made? We all do; the past is a chain that binds us. For some, that chain draws so tightly as to crush us, while for others it’s as light as a feather. The past can be a fond memory or a bitter haunting; what we make of it is really on us.

For me, the past is the heaviest thing on my mind; and that’s saying a lot—there are a lot of things going on, both now and soon to come. But the past is predominant. The choices I’ve made that led me up to where I am, the mistakes I’ve suffered for, and the things I’ve done all echo in my head. “You could have done this better, or differently.” “You were wrong here.” “Why did you do this? What possessed you to believe this was right?” All of these thoughts continue to haunt me, and at times I stumble, I halt in my walk. At times I want to quit, to just let myself sink to the ground and finally submit to hopelessness.

But I can’t do that, as easy as it would be. Quitting is the easiest thing to do, while enduring the pressure and hardships of life is the hardest. But the latter has its rewards; people await there, to help share your burdens, to lighten your life. There are good memories among the bad; memories of triumph, of hope, of joy. These are the keys that loosen the chains of your past. All it takes is one person to break the first link, to help you to your feet when you’ve fallen. For most, that is why they walk through life without bowing down under its weight.

But what happens when you’re alone?

I am alone. Despite the people I’ve met, and the allies I’ve made, I am alone. I’m just a teen, dragged from the real world into this world of data, a realm of fantasy and adventure. But this isn’t a storybook adventure; it’s much more deadly and dangerous. Dragged into a realm of hackers and powerful rulers known as the Elites, I’m forced to suddenly adapt and cope to a situation where, comparatively, I’m helping fight gods. I mean that literally too; pulled into my character body, I’m bound by its limitations while the enemy uses powerful hacking abilities to defy the system parameters. How do you win against that sort of thing? Yet somehow I’m expected to do it.

But I digress. I am alone; I’ve made allies to support me throughout all of this, both in the Freedom fighters and before, but at the same time, I am by myself in this world. We each have our duties, our roles, our responsibilities, but I lack one thing that the others have: connections. Each of them is connected to another, whereas my connections are brief, temporary, unstable. It’s not a wonder that people continue to move on while I get dragged down in the path, watching their backs draw further away; they have someone to help them to their feet, to ease their burdens.

I don’t have that. Oh sure, I’m aware that there are those that would help me, should I ask for it, should I fall too far. But I won’t let myself fall that far. Though they pull away, still I walk behind them, bearing my own chains, my own duties, my own troubles. I won’t put my burdens on anyone else. And slowly, surely, I make my way into the future on my own two feet, dragging my past with me.

But some days, it is just hard to—

Re: Breathe Anew

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:42 pm
by Locke
Breathe…

Eyelids flickered. For a moment it seemed as if they would open, to let light pass through those sullen, glazed orbs. Then the movement faded; then the silence began anew. A struggle to break into the light was crushed, and another. Each time that flicker came, it was pushed away just as easily by weakness, atrophy, and decay. Slowly the will to fight began to ebb away, and darkness began to sink in. Silence became overbearing, and soon sleep rose again. Sleep, sinking into that comforting blanket of darkness…

Breathe…

Strength flared anew. The eyes fluttered again, but this time, they opened just the barest crack. Light, pain and ecstasy all in one flooded into that open vision, and immediately the lids slammed shut, recoiling. Life, life was too much. It was too strong. But the will to stay was too strong, and once more those eyes wrestled open. A gentle groan broke two lips apart, the sound feeble, as weak as the boy who lay buried beneath the sterilized white hospital sheets that warmed him. That was it; it was the barest breath, the slightest quiver of the lips, but it was enough. For a moment, he was alive. That sound was the indication of life, the embodiment of his whole spirit trying with as much desperation as it could muster to reach the realm of life once more.

Then the breath was gone. Lips closed, sealed in comatose silence. The body fell, even as a cry went up. The dead had awoken from sleep, only to be drawn back into silent darkness.

---

Silver eyes widened as Baron’s head lifted from the pillow, jerking up in a sudden movement. His breath came in gasps, and his hands instinctively went to his throat. He was choking, he had been unable to breathe; no, no, that was the dream, it was only the dream. Slowly the Twin Blade lowered his hands, still shaking, trembling with the fear. It had been like what his imagination painted as death. No, it wasn’t just imagination; he had felt himself slipping from his body, feel his weight vanishing. It had been so real, so vivid. The trembling wouldn’t stop; he had died. He had felt it. He had.

The worst part about remembering the dream was where the scene had been set. Though it could have been a nightmare rooted in his own memories, Baron recognized the place. It was one of the rooms in the hospital near his house. His mother had volunteered there for a while, bringing him into the job as well, and he had seen the inside of several such rooms. That was the hospital he would be lying in right now, at least in the real world. His comatose body, without the mind attached, would be in that sterile, still room. And beyond that, Baron knew. He knew that it wasn’t just a dream. That had been the real world, his real body…

Then he blinked. The Twin Blade looked around, finding himself in unfamiliar surroundings. He wasn’t in a bed, like he had first thought upon awakening. Instead, he lay on a cold stone floor, a thin mat of grasses beneath him. No, it wasn’t even a mat; it was more of a pile of grass haphazardly thrown together beneath him. The blanket was at least real, though it was coarse, made of some unknown type of hair or fiber. It was warm though, and Baron found himself wrapping it around his shoulders as he sat up. The air was chill, not quite freezing but cool enough to be very uncomfortable. The damp cold sank through even his jacket, and the blanket was a sweet relief from it.

Looking around, Baron realized he was in some kind of stone cave. The walls, floor, and ceiling were all made of stone. Stalactites hung in clusters from the ceiling, some so long as to appear decades old. The room he was in was vaguely circular, with a tunnel at the far end for an exit. In the center of the circle was a small fire pit of sorts, the charred logs ringed around by small stones to prevent it from spreading should it get out of hand. The wood was only smoldering, a few chips of it glowing red; it hadn’t been out for very long. Frowning, the Twin Blade stood up from the mat he was resting on, looking around.

Where am I…? Libra, you there?

Dead silence greeted his inquiry. Biting his lip, Baron tried the Gemini, but with no more success. All he knew was the silence that had gripped him as he had slipped out of his dream, that emptiness that had represented his departure from the real world. Assuming it was the actual real world and not a dream, of course; the virus that had all of the Freedom Fighters trapped in The World wouldn’t just let the comatose players go. As far as Baron knew, no one had actually escaped the coma. The first victims as well as the most recent ones were all doomed to this virtual existence, unless they could stop the Elites and… and what? The Twin Blade didn’t know what was supposed to happen after that. Maybe there was an antidote they had, or the basic information on the virus so the cure could be made. Or maybe they’d find out that they really were trapped forever…

Baron shook his head. Though it couldn’t have been the real world, logically, it hadn’t felt like a dream either. He remembered it too clearly, every last bit of it. But if it wasn’t the real world, and it wasn’t a dream… what was it?

“I prefer to call it a Window.”

Baron whirled around, blades jumping to his hands as he looked around for the source of the voice. With the echoing of the cave walls, it was impossible to get a direct line to whoever had spoken. The Twin Blade backed up to a wall warily, making sure not to leave his back exposed. If he was attacked, then he wouldn’t be surprised, at least; he could be ready to defend himself. The boy continued to cast his gaze around, but the cave he was in seemed empty. Yet the voice had spoken… it couldn’t be empty.

“Show yourself!”

“…Very well.”

Slow, deliberate steps echoed through the cave, and Baron finally caught a glimpse of movement. It came from the tunnel that left the cavern he was in, and as he focused, the shape of a man became evident. He was dressed in what seemed to literally be shadows; including his black cloak and wide-brimmed hat, the man seemed to be covered by writhing darkness. In fact, even his face was half-black, with a golden pupil shining brightly through it all. The other eye was a calm yellow as well, but it didn’t seem to hold the metallic gleam that the first did. No weapons were visible to mark the man to a game-specific class, but Baron had learned from experience that not everything could be attributed to the game’s mechanics. He decided to just remain wary for now.

The man stared at him, a calm, level gaze that didn’t seem to hold even the slightest bit of tension. He was completely relaxed, in control of the situation. “You are afraid… Hm.” For a moment he seemed thoughtful before continuing. “I am Higure.”

Baron waited, expecting something more beyond the man’s name, like an explanation, but he was sorely disappointed. He didn’t relax in the least as he replied. “I’m Baron. Now wh-”

“I know.” The Twin Blade paused, interrupted by the shadowed man. “I brought you here, I’d imagine I know who you are… boy.”

There had been a pause before the last word, as if Higure had planned to say something else, but he continued without letting Baron speak. His tone was crisp, patient yet refusing to be challenged. “And you’re about to ask why I brought you here. Yes, I know, it’s strange, and out of nowhere. Get over it. What’s important is that you are here.”

A hand was raised, and the room dissolved into pure darkness. Baron’s eyes widened, and reflexively he stepped back. The Twin Blade found his back pressed against the wall immediately, and he flinched as he actually felt the shadows shifting beneath him. Leaping forward suddenly, he felt the floor moving too. Every inch of the room was shrouded in writhing darkness. Baron turned, trying to find a safe spot despite the darkness that was threatening to engulf him. Higure wasn’t fazed in the least; if anything, the shadows were of his own doing, so he felt comfortable in them.

Just who was this guy? Baron had never heard the name, nor did he recognize this figure from anywhere. Hell, he didn’t even remember how he had ended up getting here; everything before his dream and waking up was a complete blank. Oh, he remembered bits and pieces, like how he was trapped in The World and comatose, but he had no idea where he had been. He could have been on any of the normal servers, or in a prison fashioned by the Elite that had captured him, or lying somewhere in a field unconscious before waking up here. But there was nothing else. There were no names in the void of his memory, no faces, no locations. It was all empty, until he came into this cave.

The hand that Higure had raised suddenly began to glow with a dark aura, visible even against the stark black gloves that he wore. The shadows shrouding the room began to twist, pulling from the walls, the floor, the ceiling in tendrils of pure darkness as they moved towards that glowing hand. As they faded, there weren’t even shadows left. There was… well, it wasn’t exactly darkness. It was like an empty nothingness. Baron’s eyes couldn’t even comprehend it without his whole body lurching in fear. Instead, he kept his gaze focused on Higure as the room was absorbed completely, forming into a shape in the man’s hand. Once the room had completely dissolved, he motioned once, and the shape vanished. In its place was an old-fashioned pipe.

Baron stared even as Higure produced a small match from a pocket, seemingly unconcerned that the two of them were standing in literal nothingness. He used it to light his pipe, for a moment acting as though he had forgotten Baron was there. The Twin Blade gave him an incredulous look, but waited while the man took a few puffs from the pipestem and breathed the thin white smoke into the air.

After a moment, Higure spoke again. “Alright. You’ve been patient… kid. Ask, I’m sure you’ve got questions, and I suppose I’ve got time to answer them. We’re not leaving here for a bit anyway.”

There was a still pause in the air. Both males stared at each other, golden gaze meeting silver, but it was no surprise that Baron’s gaze dropped first. There was something about the other’s eyes that made the Twin Blade edgy, uncomfortable. Instead of meeting them, he looked down… only to see the nothingness still beneath him. Shuddering, be brought his eyes back up, focusing instead on Higure’s torso. At least there he wasn’t caught between that discomforting golden stare and the nothingness; those two images made him feel dizzy and disoriented. He knew Higure had control of the situation, and there was no way he could turn it about on its head. So for now he accepted it; he would do what he could when he could.

The shadow-cloaked man gave a small gesture, as if motioning for Baron to sit. The Twin Blade didn’t see anything solid amidst the nothingness, and gave the man a questioning look. Higure didn’t seem to notice, and swept his cloak out behind him as if he were sitting on a stool. Beneath his cloak, he wore a simple long-sleeved black shirt and pants down to his ankles, both a black, almost fur-like material. Kneeling down, he motioned as if to sit, and was actually supported by something unseen. His cloak floated behind him; stirred by nothing but the gravity Baron doubted existed in this nothingness. Thinking too hard on it made his head swim again, so the Twin Blade tried to put his attention elsewhere.

“Sit already.” Higure gave him a look of minor irritation.

Baron looked around, but once more he didn’t see anything to sit on. He glanced at the man sitting opposite him, who gave him an annoyed glare. Hastily the Twin Blade made to sit down, and found that there was something there supporting him. For a moment, he wanted to reach and see what it was he was sitting on, but then he stopped; what happened if he found nothing there? That would really throw him, and Baron’s belief was already being strained as it was. Instead he simply focused on the man in front of him; even covered in shadows like he was, Higure was the most solid thing right then, and Baron was in desperate need of something to focus on in all of the nothingness.

Once the Twin Blade was seated, his companion (Baron wasn’t sure if he could call the man his captor; he wasn’t forcibly trying to keep him here) continued puffing on his pipe, seemingly at peace. Every few moments he’d look up at Baron, those glittering yellow eyes seeming to stare right through him, before dropping back down to his pipe. It was as if he was waiting for something… and Baron wouldn’t be too terribly surprised if he was. The silence stretched over a few minutes, with the Twin Blade unsure of what to say, before Higure finally spoke with something of a sigh.

“I did say you could ask questions, you know. And I’ll answer them. Honestly, of course, though odds are you don’t really believe me.”

Higure wasn’t wrong; Baron didn’t really plan on trusting what the man said at face value. However, there was still the chance he could tell the truth, so the Twin Blade figured he could keep an open mind. Leaning back—and immediately regretting it, as he found something solid where there had been nothing there a moment ago—he tried to sort out his thoughts. There were actually a lot of things he wanted to ask, but the question was where to start. Finally, he took a breath, having decided on his first question.

“…Okay. You mentioned a Window, right? What did you mean by that?”

Higure smiled softly, his lips curling very slightly. “An interesting first question. I expected you to ask me where you were or something. I suppose that clichés don’t apply to all humans.”

With a thoughtful look, the man leaned back, as if trying to figure out how to answer that. Baron felt uneasy; he had made a simple inquiry, since Higure had mentioned it before, and now he shifted back and forth, trying to figure out why the man was having a hard time framing his answer. There was nothing to do but wait as the man decided how to word his answer; fortunately, it wasn’t long before he leaned forward, taking a deep breath as if after making a hard decision.

“A… Window, as I call it, is but a brief glimpse of the world outside of The World. It’s connected to the one that the Window is opened to, though… it’s hard to explain. Few have the ability to open these glimpses. I’m one of those who can, but as I said, the views are brief, maybe seconds in duration, and very random. Um… there’s… not much else I’m able to say about it. There’s no reason to what the Windows show aside from that they are connected to the person viewing through them.”

Baron was a bit surprised, but he digested the information readily enough. So the thing that he had seen before waking up hadn’t been a dream, but a vision of the real world. That really was the hospital bed be had been staying in, and for a moment it had almost been like he was back in his real body. Almost… the Twin Blade found himself clenching his fist. It was like holding salvation in front of him before ripping it away to reveal the damnation that he was trapped in. If this was Higure’s idea of a cruel joke, to show him what he wanted more than anything else, to dangle it in front of him like a string…

“It’s not.”

Baron blinked in surprise. He hadn’t voiced his thoughts, yet Higure spoke as easily as if they had been his own. What was going on here?

“I can see your every thought, Baron… I don’t think you realize where you are. Let me… enlighten you.” Higure’s golden eyes glittered ominously. “This place is somewhere you should know very well. After all, it is your own mind.”

“I… don’t understand.” The Twin Blade’s voice was a bit hesitant, wavering between disbelief and uncertainty. He did the best he could to keep the shivering feeling he had in his body from echoing in his words, but he was only barely managing it. Baron didn’t believe in things like being within your own mind or such; that was for the realm of fantasy only! Of course, he was in a world that was complete fantasy, trapped by a virus that made said illusion into a reality. That was where his disbelief was partially suspended; in The World, anything could happen. But it wasn’t so easy to just accept.

“You know… your mind? The metaphorical manifestation of the gray matter you humans are supposed to have stuffed between your ears? Not literally here, of course, because being inside your mind would require it removed from you in the first place and then we wouldn’t be talking, now would we?”

Baron gave a glare at the less-than-subtle undertone of sarcasm in Higure’s voice. However, he did pick up on the phrase “you humans.” Though it could simply be that Higure was another AI, there was the way he had said it, the bare emphasis that separated him from the words he used, that suggested something more. The Twin Blade’s eyes narrowed momentarily as he considered, but his captor’s own gaze matched it, and the eyes that were only moments ago thoughtful and curious suddenly became dangerous. Baron felt like he was suddenly he was in the middle of a game of chess, and he was on the defensive. Those cold, golden eyes were the stare of one who had recognized a true opponent, and suddenly their “talk” had devolved into something much more serious.

“An apt metaphor, the chess game. Though rather than recognizing a true opponent, it’s more that I’ve hit a defense I have to consider carefully, lest I lose the foothold I’ve gained.” Higure scratched at his chin softly, looking thoughtful again. “Y’know, with a little focus you could hide your thoughts from me, but as-is… well, it’s like hearing your voice echo in a cave, and quite loudly.”

Baron’s eye twitched at that last bit. He was starting to get annoyed with how easily Higure was reading him. “Fine… since you know what I’m thinking anyway, let me ask you straight out what I want to know. First off, who are you really, or what are you? You’re no human, and though I suspect in some ways you’re an AI, you’re a bit off. Second, how do you have so much power in my mind? Shouldn’t I be the one in control? And last, what do you want, and why are you doing this?”

If Higure was fazed in the least, he didn’t show it, and instead let out a soft laugh. He held up fingers as he spoke, as if counting; it was almost mocking. “Let’s see… one, two, three, four, five… six questions. My, my, quite a bit to answer. Hm… where to begin?”

Baron prevented himself from grinding his teeth together; Higure was treating him almost like a teacher explaining to a slow child, and it was starting to really wear at him. “I think I’d like to know who and what you are first, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“I suppose so… though I was getting quite used to this form. You humans tend to relate better to your own kind, or at least images of such.” With that, there was a flicker, and Baron blinked in surprise. Where a man had been sitting a moment ago—Baron still referred to it as sitting despite no apparent supporting surface—a charcoal-black wolf sat on its haunches, watching him calmly. One of its golden eyes was missing, a black patch over it with a metallic-gold inlay of an eye printed on it. Both eyes had Ani wavemarks visible beneath them in a bright, crimson red color. A pipe was held between pointed teeth, an almost amusing contrast to the serious appearance. Baron almost burst out laughing right there.

“…It’s not that amusing…” Higure’s one good eye half-narrowed in annoyance, the first such expression Baron had seen him give after his whole show of calmness. Even so, it was more reason for the Twin Blade to contain his laughter. “…Do you want your answers or not? Because if you want to go laugh I’ll leave and wait until you’re done.”

Baron choked back another grin, trying to calm down. Higure was right about one thing; laughter wasn’t going to help him here, not when he needed to figure out what was going on. The best way to gather information would be to remain focused and try to sort through what he was told. He motioned for Higure to continue, and the wolf nodded before shifting to the human image he had shown before. Seeming to compose himself, the man—or rather, the wolf disguised as a man—took a short breath and began again.

“As I said before, my name is Higure. Despite what you know as my real appearance now, that much hasn’t changed. And as you saw, I am not a humanoid of any sort; I am a wolf. An AI, yes, but a wolf nonetheless. Well… not quite an AI either, but it’s the closest I can get with a limited vocabulary. Anyway, continuing with your questions… why I’m here and in control of your mind is simple. I needed to contact you, so I—what would you humans say?—tapped into your mind? Something like that. It’s how I created that den for you to wake up in, though that was more my own shadow powers than anything else. It’s a temporary control that you can easily override, and—”

“Woah, woah… slow down again… let’s take this one step at a time. You’re a wolf-thing, but you’re not really an AI exactly. I got that much, strange as it is. But you said you entered my mind to contact me; why? What do I have to do with you?”

Higure blinked, looking almost indignant at being interrupted, but he quickly calmed again and cleared his throat. “That… isn’t important right now. It involves the data you’re trying to collect. I’d fill you in more, but I’d say escaping this server is a bit more important at the moment, wouldn’t you? We can talk about my purpose being here once you’ve escaped; that’s not as pressing of a point right now.”[/color]

The data he was trying to collect? Baron could only assume that Higure meant the Zodiac data. No one was supposed to know about that, aside from a few people, so that immediately raised another alarm for him. He jumped when the wolf glared at him again, remembering that his companion had no trouble reading his thoughts. He hadn’t figured out how he was supposed to hide his thoughts—Higure had made it sounds so easy—so it was better to divert them elsewhere. Swallowing softly, he instead tried to focus on something else. Besides the fact that becoming increasingly uncomfortable with how easily the wolf could read him, Baron had to admit that the AI was right. He had to focus on getting out of the Yamiyo server before the Zodiac was really of any concern to him.

He didn’t even bother to ask his next question, wondering what Higure meant by “shadow powers”. It was obvious that the wolf had control over darkness to some extent, as shown by the den he had drawn into himself, made purely out of shadows. He wondered if that was Higure’s way of conforming to the system parameters, aligning himself with Ani, which was the darkness element of The World.

Baron’s eyes narrowed as he prepared to speak next, his words carefully planned out. He wasn’t sure exactly how he was going to ask if Higure had meant the Zodiac when he had mentioned is purpose for being in the boy’s mind. He quickly shifted the focus of his thoughts, conscious that the wolf could be scanning over them right that second. No, he would avoid that topic; Higure had said that he would fully explain his purpose later, after Baron was free of the Yamiyo server. He would simply have to trust his new companion, hard as that was. After all, the AI had a strange amount of control over the Twin Blade’s mind despite not being there long. Who knew what else Higure had planned?

Rather than find out, Baron switched questions quickly. “As curious as I am to your being here, Higure, you’re right in that I need to get out of this server before I can do anything. After all, if you end up malicious I’m toast either way, so I might as well just continue as I have been.”

The wolf’s human guise smiled softly; it was a deceptive smile, the kind that hid a laugh. “Hard as it is for you to believe me, I can assure you I’m not malicious. You stand to lose nothing by trusting me.”

I’m not so sure of that…

“Then answer me this: how are we—” He specifically spoke in the plural to imply that they would be working together, “—going to get out of the server? I’m sticking with the Freedom Fighters and hoping that they can find a solution, but is there anything you can contribute, like information? If you’re going to be occupying my head, then you can pull your own weight too.”

“Well, at least you’re direct.” Higure’s smile didn’t so much as twitch. “As for assistance, I am not familiar with this server, so my information is limited. However, I can be a scout of sorts, implementing my natural shadow abilities as well as the skills and senses this form provides for me.”

A scout? Baron supposed that could be useful, in certain situations. Higure would be good at sniffing out enemies with his lupine form. However, a problem quickly presented itself. “…And how do you plan on doing that, seeing as you’re in my head and not physic—er, digital?”

Higure’s face shifted to shocked insult; it was better than the mocking smile at least. “But of course I can materialize, how do you think I got around before this? Or do you simply think that I formed within your mind? How arrogant. The shadows lurking within a person’s mind are simply the most comfortable for me. The dark secrets that they hide from themselves, the repressed emotions… all of it hidden in shadow, which is pushed out of the conscious mind. That is the perfect resting—and hiding—place for me.”

Baron realized that his question had been a stupid one, but he had gotten an interesting bit of information from Higure’s indignation. The wolf had the ability to slip into another’s mind, at least into the shadowed areas. His ability as a scout had just become all the more useful, if he could read another person’s mind as easily as Baron’s. The Twin Blade realized just how much value the wolf had now; even if he couldn’t be fully trusted yet he could still be relied on.

“So… how do I get you to materialize then? I doubt there’s some kind of summoning spell and you probably won’t be watching all the time…”

Higure suppressed another laugh; it was evident in his face. “Just ‘talk’ to me like you do with the others in your head; I’ll hear you and be there in a moment.”

Baron nodded, though thoughts of the Zodiac crossed his mind again. Quickly he banished them once more, though the curiosity lingered; were they here, somewhere? He had absorbed their data, so realistically they wouldn’t be in this metaphorical illusion that was meant to represent his mind. But he wondered: if Higure could be here and communicate with Baron in the same way that the Twin Blade spoke with the Zodiac he had absorbed, then wouldn’t they be here as well? There wasn’t anything to indicate that the two situations were connected, but it was an offhand curiosity.

So now he had gotten all of the information that he could from Higure, Baron had to decide what he had to do now. He had been away from the rest of the Freedom Fighters long enough on his little venture, and he had to get back to them so that they could actually work on getting out of the Yamiyo server. Problem was, he wasn’t sure just how to do that; the Twin Blade didn’t even know how he had gotten there in the first place, and there wasn’t exactly a door for him to walk out of. A glance was directed towards Higure, a questioning look that asked just what to do. Surprisingly, though, the wolf was gone. Baron was alone in the void again, to just stand there and wonder what he was supposed to—

Breathe…

Re: Breathe Anew

Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:42 pm
by Locke
I walk alone. Though I have allies, I am alone. Though I have ‘friends,’ I am alone. I walk forward, into the future, on my own two feet. And though it hurts, though duty may be as heavy as a mountain and courage fleeting, I push forward nonetheless. The path behind me fades into darkness as it is left behind, threatening to swallow me yet just out of sight. Purpose is the snaking path beneath my feet, leading me onwards into the future; duty, the light that guides my steps.

Life is hard, there is no doubt to that statement. I don’t think I could disagree if I wanted to. It is cruel, dark, and crushing sometimes, but at the same time, that’s only one side of the coin. Where there is pain and darkness, there is light. My light hangs before me, the tasks I know I must accomplish. Defeat gods? We may be human, but David felled Goliath; maybe we can do something similar. In the end, we can but try. Nothing ventured is nothing gained, and for us, we have nothing to lose. We’re at rock bottom, ripped away from our bodies, hopeless to those who have this near-infinite power.

I may be alone, without connections, without order in my mind, but I have allies. I have those I can rely on in this fight, those who can combat these gods until I can do so as well. I was told that I would develop such abilities eventually; maybe then I can start to feel like I walk with the others. Until then, though, I will trail behind, following, watching, and hoping for the day that I can one day join them. Maybe it will come soon, maybe the days are far too many to count, but one day it will happen.

All I need is to—


A breath stirred in the boy’s still chest as he lay in the field of flowers, eyes closed. A body that may as well have been dead until this moment, cold of skin and devoid of motion, slowly began to awaken. The first breath was followed by another, and another, his chest slowly beginning to move. Slowly, silver eyes opened, looking up at the gray skies above. Finally he sat up, his head hurt, and the darkness slowly started to retreat from his consciousness. The boy looked around from his seat on the ground, his mind blank. A moment ago he had… what had happened…?

All he would remember of that time was a pair of golden eyes, silently watching over him.

Re: Breathe Anew

Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 12:17 am
by Nighthand
Alright, you can have your pet. Also one The Fool scroll, for giggles.