《The PictoStory Short Stories》 Scribble PictoStory Night 1 TWO3DELTA I sat there within the confines of the forest, wondering where I had come. I had run when I saw the men in the village, they weren''t nice. I watched them kill Mom and Dad. The men of North were said to be brutal, savage men. Stories were told of how they fought amongst themselves, their entire lives surround by death. I never believed anyone could be so cruel to take another''s life, until they came to the village. I tried to call out to them, but all was lost within the roars of bloodthirsty men and the cackling of flames. The flames were pretty, as pretty as a sunflower''s growth. Now I sat here within the forest, looking at the tall trees that climbed into the sky like big, silvery spires. The gentle wind blowing my red, silk scarf, making it shuffle and dance amongst the stars.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. I sat there and cried, fearing the loss of my family, and of being alone. I wondered if Azuriel was still alive, she was away from the village. "Why do you cry child?" I peeked between the curtain of tears that dotted my face, the droplets shining like miniature stars in moon''s light. I looked to the sky, and what hovered there was a drake of white origin, scales the color of snow, it''s eyes bearing the intelligence mere men could only dream of. I looked at him cautiously, "Who are you?" I croaked out. The drake eyed me, his masculine voice and features burning into my brain. "You may call me Xyro, others of my kind call me Xy." I stared back with newfound hope. "I cry because my family was taken. The evil men in the North invaded, they''ve burned my village and killed everyone." I tried to stop the tears from falling again, the saltiness of them reaching my nose and making me cough. "Yes, I hear them now. They call for blood, and they won''t stop it seems." I noticed the drake turn his head thoughtfully towards the sky, as if hearing something only he could percieve. Looking back, I shivered and let out a small scream, shadows dancing in between the trees. I tried to control the nervousness that ached my heart. I watched the shadows approach, the roaring becoming louder. I fell over in fear, my forehead and back becoming coated in cold sweat. I screamed as the shadows came close, the bloodlust hanging in the air like mist. I turned to the drake for help, hoping the snow white beast would protect me, but as I looked to the spot it occupied, only moonlight remained. Scribble PictoStory Night 2 TWO3DELTA Sitting amongst a battlefield, a lone soldier sat. She was made of human blood and flesh. She hated the sounds of the fire as they crackled, the mountainous flames rising to ever grander heights than before. She looked around as the flames continued to raze the land, watching as it burned the home she had just come back too, only to find it destroyed. The people who attacked, she knew not their names, nor their faces. She had come back to find what remained of her family, but all she uncovered were ashes of those who were unfortunate enough to be in the village. The forest that had once sat here now coated the ground, ashes upon ashes, burned wood upon burned wood. The wind howled as she held her umbrella, it hanging uselessly by her side as it no longer rained. The smoke hung in the air, choking the life out of what little remained. She held her breath, the smell of charred corpses was making her gag. She had seen death before, the memories of her past drawing her back to her days of fighting. Now, she only yearned for the peace and quiet of the country life, not the war and roars of fighting. Even now, as she stood there among the gray powder that littered the ground, she could hear the screams of the dead, the fire snuffing out what little was left. She tried not to cry as she looked upon her family home, the only thing remaining was the outmost shell of the house, allowing her to look through the house, watching as the flames ate everything. She cried, the floodgates having opened, her tears running rapid, forming streams that flowed down her face. The saltiness of her tears and the smoke having been inhaled, she started to have a coughing fit, the gruff sounds coming out of her mouth at an frantically fast pace. Crying and coughing, the two intermixed, the morose melody reveraberating within the valley, the mountaintops being the only witness to such a terrible situation. Try as she might, the mix didn''t end until she heard what was coming. The silent symphony of voices gradually growing louder and louder, chanting words that radiate bloodlust. The sounds of chain boots scraping against the dusty ground, the miniscule clangs as swords bounced in sheathes, the heavy pounding of the beasts bred for war, their riders howling for blood.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Shakily, the woman stood, her rough breathing mixed in with the blood that rushed to her ears. She sighed as she rubbed her ears absentmindedly, the chanting growing longer and louder. She thought about when she was a fighter, and shuddered at the thoughts. She wanted to escape the life of killing, she had wanted to stop taking away the lives of men who fought only for what thet believed was right. She fought on only because she demonized the enemy, because it was easier than facing the truth that what they did was wrong. She demonized them only because if you believe that the enemy is evil, then killing them is no longer as bad a burden. But she knew, deep down within her, she was meant to be a warrior. She picked up her umbrella, and called out the name of it, "Spera." The umbrella growed brightly, changing into a blade of the darkest black, the blade shining in the flames of war. She had never used it before, the blade having been given to her by her father, moving from generation to generation. The calls of blood grew louder, and she felt herself changing along with it. She felt the emotions leave her, the only thing remaining was a emotionless face of neutrality, one that showed that she had no problems with the task that lay before her. The bloodthirsty mongrels had approached her, and eyed her cautiously.Good, they should be.She chuckled cruelly at her own thoughts. She looked past the grunts of the army, towards where the leader sat, upon his beast of war. She locked her eyes with him, his cold demeanor replaced with the fear of the unknown. He feared her, and she hadn''t even done anything. He eyed her, the sword in her hands, and the flames that razed the land behind her. Then the wind blew into the area, knocking everyone aside like chess pieces. He looked back to where he last saw her, finding nothing but flame. He shivered as he felt cold, even as flames roared around him. He cried out hysterically as he felt the coldness of a blade press against his neck. He turned, and blackness enveloped him. She sighed heavily, and chanted a mantra too herself as she walked away, "There is war in peace, as there is peace in war." Scribble PictoStory Night 3 TWO3DELTA I stood there, looking amongst the stars, a smile plastered across my face. I watched the mesmerizing lights, dancing to the silent sounds of the world around me. They glowed and reflected in my eyes, the shades switching from turquoise to violet, from green to pink. I watched as the colors shifted, my telescope beside me, unused for there was no need. I shivered in awe, and the slight cold the rain that came from the sky above. I laughed wholeheartedly, the pain of my past unrecognized as I stood there, my being there only fueled by the happiness that these stars gave me. I thought about my little girl, how she would brighten at everything around her, the minuscule things exciting her, those pearlescent eyes widening in astonishment. My wife and I had named her after these lights. Her name was Serendipity. My gaze wandered amongst the congregation of such majestic sight, playing the backdrop to my most cherished memories. I smiled unknowingly, as the bag that sat unused by my feet that made ripples in the puddle I stood in, held the physical forms of such memories. Pictures would never compare to the memories, but they still held a place in my heart. I missed the two most important women in my life, more so than anything I had ever missed before. They had brought me joy, and a responsibility I had cherished deeply. I had never regretted it for any moment in my life, and the unyielding starlight that hung above me only further proved such points.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. My smile only continued to grow larger, as my eyes became glazed with tears. The rain and tears dotting my face, turning into streams as they ran down my cheeks, to drip into the puddle that had formed at my feet, rippling miniture waves in the radius that the puddle withheld. I could only sigh, even as the rainwater flowed down my rosey cheeks, the streams glistening in the myriad of colors, turning into the forms of pebble-sized rainbows. The amount of happiness couldn''t stop the rainbows from appearing, but I felt accomplished looking at the sight that witnessed my sorrow that I held within me. I stood there, holding my hands within the confines of my pockets, the rain pouring as the sky above me cried like I did, our emotions becoming synchronized in the midst of such beauty. I lifted my head higher, my hair covering my eyes shifting as rain pattered against my forehead, dripping and dampening my eyebrows as I watched contently. My eyebrows furrowed in slight coldness, the rain feeling like ice as it ran down my face. I dreamed again, the heavenly bodies playing the screen to such things. I dreamed of Serendipity, and her hand that held tightly to mine, as we danced in the midst of a storm, our fears nonapparent as we gave in to the excitement of the ungodly waves of wind, and the serene jolts of lightning. I cried intensely, as my dream-self mirrored the same action, my gaze softening as I heard my little girl laugh happily. I sat down, the sorrow and happiness coming to balance inside my weathered soul, my unbounded tears and laughter growing in size as the gleaming starlight above me faded away, my dreams having disappeared along with it. Scribble PictoStory Night 4 TWO3DELTA "What am I doing out here John?" I asked my comm, trying to figure out the reason I was in the middle of Nylas Desert. I held my cloak tighter against my body as the sand drifted across the ground and sky, the grains flying into my eyes. I stood still and coughed, although it was rather pointless as more sand flew in. "Mute your comm if you''re going to cough man! It sounds gross!" I rolled my eyes in annoyance at John''s tone. I''ve known John longer than I''ve known myself, if that says anything. We''ve had each other''s backs since Day 1, the day we left the United World Front and decided to become lone explorers. We had found many different places, and if you looked hard enough, you would probably find our names at the root of all of it. John had heard from his sources that there were cites that had been built onto the eight different legendary creatures on one of humanity''s world''s, Lyran. It was a planet mostly desert, and mountains, and yet somehow these creatures survived. We had found most of these creatures, all except two. John and I had personally found six of them, and we were looking for the last two, but they had proved to be elusive. We had found pieces of history at each city, and we needed the last two to figure out who made such majestic sites. It had been harder than we thought, and time wasn''t getting any longer. "You know why we''re here David. I''ve heard rumors of another hidden creature." I sighed unknowingly; this job was getting increasingly tiring every second. It wasn''t even that the job was hard; it was the travel time and danger of such travel. The year was 2133, and even now bandits existed. I was ex-military for the United World Front, so I knew my way around firearms, as was John, though he had been an intelligence officer in the UWF. We had left after there were signs that the high-ups had some shady dealings with other governments focused on ulterior motives that led to more war than peace. Namely, it was the Siken Dictatorship, who focused more on ruling with an iron grip, and the Werben, who were trying to rule in the Pre-Space Era version of communism.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "...David! Come in David!" I shook my head, my thoughts dispersing as I heard John''s voice. "Yea, I''m here, just was zoning out as I keep walking..." I looked forward, keeping my eyes open for any signs of this creature that John had heard about. "Were you thinking about your family again?" I squinted my eyes in annoyance again, as if I could see John in front of me. "They''ll be alright David, you got them to safety. Trust me, they''ll be fine. You''ll see your son Sammy, and your wife Verah. Don''t worry man." I silently thanked John for his reassurance as I thought about my wife and son, who were on the planet Yrm. Recently, there had been some hotshot group of raiders that had started a multitude of riots across the planet. Storing my negative thoughts away, I returned my attention to watching cautiously for any raiders while I explored. I had long since started to feel hot, my entire body soaked in sweat, while I rubbed at my eyes repeatedly from the sand entering, my mask not covering my eyes as best as it could. I checked my wrist computer to see the map, seeing how close I was. "What do you think we should name it once we find it?" John''s voice resounded in my eardrums, as I pondered the thought. "I guess it depends on what it looks like, we''ll see when we get there." I continued walking, my ears finding a deep sounding drum-like beat as I took step after step. I looked around, wondering what the sound was. Turning, I saw nothing but desert, and a giant mountain of a boulder, sitting amongst the waves upon waves of tan sand. I thought I saw it move, but figured it was the heat and sun messing with my vision. Although it wasn''t what we were looking for, I decided to drink some more water before running towards it, my cloak bouncing and becoming stuck to my body, the sweat making it so. I could only widen my eyes in amazement as it continued to grow larger and larger. I thought about how if I moved any closer then it would cover my entire line of vision. I looked at the tip of the mountain, where instead of being pointed, it was roundish. Almost like a turtle''s shell...then it moved. I stepped back in shock and awe, watching the sight before me in complete disarray, my hand reaching for my comm. "Hey John?" I waited for a few minutes before John answered. "Hey man, I see you got closer too it, I wonder where it is." I stared at the giant turtle that bore a city at the apex of its body. "That''s because it''s in front of me, right now." I wiped away the sweat that had formed on my forehead as I stared. I heard John gulp at the new information as I spoke one again. "Oasis." Scribble PictoStory Night 5 TWO3DELTA I held in my breath as we arrived at our destination, a horrid beauty that had descended upon our land. In it''s own way, I could see the horridness in it, the way the land looked as if it had been uprooted from it''s spot, as if a child would have pulled a single blade of grass from the ground. Distorted would be the correct word to use, as it soared into the sky above us, twisted and bent as if it was elastic. I held on to the reins of my trusted mountC?l?torie. We had been together since I was a child, and we have still been holding on to each other. I dreaded the day he would pass on, and I cried salty tears knowing that one day he would just be gone, a world where I didn''t have him just seemed to be nothing but begging of sorrow, and pain. Shaking my head, I rubbed his head softly, as we continued to canter towards the almagamation before us. I looked back into the eyes of the woman behind me, she was of the quiet nature, and rarely showed anything. I looked at the battleaxe that hung limply to her back, it''s silver finish gleaming in the dispersed rays of sunlight. Clouds spiraled around the distortion before us, looking like the gods above had tried to experiment and had failed miserably, as the grey clouds blocked out what little sunlight remained. The land tremored, as if it was struggling to hold the weight of the twisted creation that slumbered there. I watched intrigued as waterfalls rained down onto the grass below, slithering water making it''s way to the river that bent around us. The wind continued to increase in speed, the clouds funneling around the coiled earth. Rivers flowed freely down the earth, curving an inner ring of water along with it. The sound ofC?l?torie huffing for breath drew me out of my concentrated look of the land. My eyebrows furrowed as I thought to myself,Who could have done this? Many had been witness to what had happened, but none had seen who or what had done this. I shivered at the thought of a mortal man doing this. My mind became inharminous as I continued to wonder, my thoughts recoiling around inside my skull. I massaged my temples as my had began to hurt, while I let out a weary breath of oxygen. I looked back to the woman behind me, her eyes focused onto the misshapen land that beckoned to us with a silent calling.I wonder what she thinks about all this. I looked over her steel armor, the way the plating stuck to her tightly as if it was her skin, her helmet covering everything but her murky blue eyes. I shuffled uncomfortably onC?l?torie, my breathing becoming slightly slower as I started to become sleepy, the warm body of my horse increasing my drowsiness tenfold. I closed my eyes, then darkness came.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. I sat up, my body having been laying limp against my steed''s back. I looked around, my eyes looking for any sign of how much time had passed. I gazed up towards the sky, the clouds had become darker, the wind still howling it''s melody of dissonance. I touched my ears tenderly, as they had been slightly tempered in the coldness of the air. I shuffled around, my legs having long since lost feeling as I looked for the woman who had been with me. Turning, I saw her as she bathed in the river, my mind becoming addled.I forgot the Wiborn have no qualms in public nudity. I looked on as she bathed, her tautt muscular form stretching and releasing as she washed her body. I looked away as she continued, my eyes finding the crooked land that we had been traveling to. I sighed in deference, the distortion looking like art, even in it''s distorted way. I gazed over every body of water, and every apex, as I noticed something. I looked back once more at the woman as she bathed, before turning back and trotting forward withC?l?torie, my mind becoming clearer, and able to think.Is that a city?I stared in shock, as I recalled what I had been told by the people of Tyrus, the town from which we had last left."It is devoid of life, the clouds funnel around it, the eye which has been ripped up and deformed at the center of it." Sighing in disappointment from the lack of factual information, I trotted back towards the woman, my gaze unwavering as she leasurely bathed. I climbed down from my steed, my steps quick and confident, the air around me feeling like ice. I stepped up to where she reclined, my eyes meeting hers. "I did some more looking, the land seems to harbor a city." Her face sat blankly, her emotions hid under walls of stone. "Yes, I''m aware. Whileyou slept, I went and looked myself." I winced at her words, my face becoming slack and slightly hot as her words rang true. I tried to hide my discomfort as her honeyed voice resounded in my ears, my mind picking up the implication of my own failure of staying concious to see this through. I glanced over her body, my eyes finding her delicate but hardy features. Rosy lips sat upon pale cheeks, as slender eyebrows hung above emotionless eyes. Thin eyelashes sat upon thin skin, as her delicate nose pointed high. She looked around blankly, yet the air around her spoke of confidence and strong willpower to continue moving forward. She stood up, her body becoming clearer than when it was in the water, her skin shining even under the clouds, where sunlight once shone. I tried to hide my increasingly warmer face as she walked past me and started to dry herself off with a cloth. She proceeded to clothe herself before turning to me, her expression that once was blankless, now becoming one of excitement and joy. "Let''s go to the city and find us a tavern. You''re buying." Scribble PictoStory Night 6 TWO3DELTA I stood there looking at the seagulls as they flew by, feathers raining down upon me. I couldn''t exactly describe how I felt, for many emotions ran through me then. Happiness, sadness, love, hate, they all ran through me in furious torrents. I gazed upon the orange-blue sky that played the backdrop to the leisurely downfall before me. Looking at the seagulls flying in the air, I thought about the freedom they possessed. How they flew unhindered and free, with no one telling them where to go. With such thoughts, I could only recall my family, the way they had looked at me with hope, the same hope I had in these birds that they would take me where I needed to go. Looking at them fly around, I could only sigh in amazement. I wondered what life would be like if I could fly as high as they could, soar over mountains, glide through immense jungles, and so much more.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The vast lands that sat unhindered by the rest of humanity, allowed to grow freely, oh what majestic sights! They were beautiful, as much as the show before me. It was magnificent, the way the colors blended so well. I could only feel hope, for myself, for my family, for the world as we knew it looking at the spectacle before me. I cried tears of joy as I watched, cascading down my freckled face, onto the ground below me. The thoughts inside my mind beckoned me, my soul reaching out to connect with them. They seemed to be telling me that I would go on, to prove that the hope that my family had in me was well founded. I would show them that they were correct, because when I looked at these birds, I felt hopeful. Hopeful that I could do what I needed to do. Hopeful that I would save everyone who needed me. Hopeful that the future would hold great fortune, and peace. I was hopeful for everything to go well.