《Imagine Dragons》


 Prologue : The Person Behind The Violet Eyes

    [I wonder...will we ever meet again? ]


    [...In another lifetime? Where you''re not you and I''m not me?]


    [Yes! I promise! I''ll find you! I will find you, no matter what.]


    [I see. So then...I''ll go ahead. I''ll wait for you.]


    ###


    Sunlight.


    Warmth.


    Laughter.


    Those were the things that assaulted my senses. Soft light gently burned my eyes as I opened them. I blinked a few times before I could see anything besides the blinding light. When my eyes finally adjusted, my brain had finally freed itself from the holds of my dreams and reality settled around me.


    I looked around and I remembered where I am.


    I was on the university grounds together with my friends. After hours of wandering around, we had finally settled on one of the tables scattered all over the campus and proceeded to debate where to spend our weekend. I remembered that Evans and Icy was in a heated argument trying to prove that going to the beach and having a bonfire was much better than going hiking and vice versa before I fell asleep.


    Now, Looking around me, the two fiery duo had settled down and everyone was either having small chats or just unwinding. I looked to my left and saw that Kleine was reading something before he closed the book and looked at me.


    "How was your sleep? Good one? You know, I really envy you Xerxes. You can just sleep anytime you want. If I''m like that I wouldn''t have to suffer from all the fights Evans and Icy have every five minutes or so." Kleine said, exasperation clear in his voice.


    I snorted and brushed my bangs away. "Well, it was okay. Thanks for asking."


    "....Another dream?"


    Yes.


    Dreams.


    Dreams of someone I think I knew long ago. Dreams of tears, of smoke, of fire and of violet eyes. I started having these dreams about a year ago when I started college. The first dream was just an image of someone I couldn''t quite see because the sun was rising behind that person and it was blinding my eyes but somehow, even though I couldn''t see it, I knew that she had violet eyes.


    After that, I kept on dreaming of her again and again, just the same one, where she''s standing before me, smiling, and the sun was in my eyes and no matter what I do, I could never reach her, I could never took a step forward. The dreams consumed me and for weeks I kept on painting violet yes. On canvas, sketch pads, scratch papers, on my palms. Then my dreams changed and the fire and smoke and screams of horror came. I would wake up drenched in sweat and a scream clawing at the back of my throat begging to be released.


    I was a wreck those first few months until my friends couldn''t take it anymore and confronted me and demanded to know what was happening with me. So I told them everything. All the dreams that I had. Some said it was only because of the stress in school and some of them said that maybe, just maybe, it was my memories from my past life.


    But that couldn''t be true right? I mean, those enormous winged creatures aren''t real...right?


    But...some part of me is starting to think that it might be true...


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    I stopped whatever I was about to do and faced Kleine. He was looking at me seriously and there was worry behind his eyes. I sighed.


    "Yeah. Another one. But this time, that person was dying and I was saying a promise or something. I''m not sure."


    "Hmm.I see." Kleine said and continued to read his book. Maybe he had sensed that I didn''t want to talk about it. And for that, I am thankful.


    Death was not new to me. My dreams are filled with dying people but her death, this person''s death had shaken me more than all the past deaths I had seen. It hurt me too much and I think that If I would touch my chest right now, my hand would be covered in blood.


    Well, whatever.


    I stood up, telling Kleine that I''ll just go buy juice from the vending machine and left with orders to also buy him canned coffee.


    While I was walking along the familiar path that would lead me to the vending machines, I looked around. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom and every time the wind blows, the pink petals would ride on the wind, looking like it was snowing in pink.


    Without thinking about it, I started singing the song "Hello, I''m in Delaware" by City and Colour. I don''t know why but the first time I heard this song, I felt like it was something that was meant for me. Well, it might just be me being stupid.


    So I continued walking and singing, looking up towards the trees and when I was singing the chorus of the song, I bumped into someone.


    The world went askew and when I came to I was sitting on my butt in front of a girl who was picking up her books.


    Maybe I was walking too fast or she was walking too fast but our collision sent her books flying everywhere and now she was frantically picking up every single one of them.


    And the idiot that I am, I stood there staring at her while my mind took time responding.


    1...


    2...


    3...


    And then it kicked in.


    "Oh damn! I''m so sorry! Here let me-"


    As I was about to hand her one of her books, she looked up and our eyes met.


    Violet eyes.


    Achingly familiar eyes. Eyes that I have gazed at thousand of times before.


    "Ha-have we....have we met somewhere before?"


    An amused glint in her twinkling eyes.


    "Yeah. I think so, Xerxes."


    She smiled and the memories rushing in drowned me.


    ####


    Hi! Hello! Hi! My name''s Yomi and actually this is my first day in Royal Road. A friend of mine introduced me to this site yesterday and they said that since I write a lot and it''ll just be a waste if I just let it collect dust at the back of my wardrobe, they suggested to why not post it here that way people can read it and you''ll get a lot of reviews and improve your writing. And this story was actually something that I wrote for our readers theater in my final year of high school.


    So uh...just a warning. English is not my first language so if there''s any spelling mistake or wrong grammar please tell me so I can correct it.


    So uh yeah XD Please go easy on me and I hope that you''ll like it.

 Chapter 1 : Hiding From Danger

    Run-down.


    Abandoned.


    No people.


    Safe.


    Those were my thought process as I ran as fast as I can towards the house at the edge of the forest and away from the soldiers chasing me. I thanked whoever set it that it was dark at the edge of the forest and I was wearing all black, making me hard to see for all those idiots chasing me.


    Covering my head, I jumped through the window at the back of the house, breaking the glass in the process. As soon as I got in, I jumped to my feet and looked for something to cover the window and luckily I found a board on the floor so I picked it up and used it to cover the broken glass.


    After I had placed the board, I let out the breath I didn''t knew I was holding in.


    Like, what the fuck was their problem?? I was only in the market buying some food and they just started chasing me around and swinging swords at my direction.


    So rude.


    Well, yeah, I am a thief and a murderer but hey, I was in hiatus. I was unwinding. I haven''t stolen anything or killed anyone for a month now. Seriously, so rude. Everyone deserves a vacation.


    "Lucky I found this house, if not, I would''ve been caught." I said as I looked around the old house.


    Well, I wasn''t really worried if I got captured. I have mastered the skills of getting out of prisons and dungeons  and whatnot but if I did get captured again, it would really be a hassle. As I said, I was having a vacation. I don''t want to do anything tiring until I''ve had enough of my break and got bored out of my mind.


    I was about to continue in talking with myself when I saw something glinting on the corner of my eye.


    Something yellow.


    And naturally, as a thief, I was drawn into it.


    If I''m right, I was currently in the kitchen of the house and the door that was about a dozen steps in front of me was the one that leads to the living room or whatever room. I don''t care. What I care about is that the door is slightly open and  there was a yellow thing inside that room.


    I took out my knife and cautiously opened the door.


    Fuck.


    Gold.


    Heaps and heaps of gold.


    Coins, tiaras, necklaces, rings, goblets and other things made out of gold that you can think of.


    I picked up a necklace and examined it.


    Pure gold.


    I grinned. The gold in this house is more than enough for me to last a lifetime. I won''t have to do anything again.


    "Heh...whoever owned these will be crying, because I''m taking all of it. Sorry mate. No hard feelings. Whoever you are, you were just too stupid to hide it here."


    I was about pocket the necklace when someone suddenly spoke behind me.


    "Put that back, thief."


    I whirled around and I saw an old man. He was wearing a black hooded cape and I couldn''t see anything besides his lips. He was standing a few feet away from me on the corner of the room. It was like he didn''t want to be hit with the glow of the gold. He stayed there, in the darkness of the corner.


    "Who are you?" I asked.


    "I am the owner of this house. And the owner of that necklace you placed inside your pocket. And you? Who are you? How dare you enter my house."


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience."Oh. So you own this house. So it means you own this gold. Well, sorry mate. From now on, it''s mine. And since you''re an old man, I''ll spare you. That is, if you shut up and leave me alone."


    "Put it back you filthy thief or your death will be painful."


    I laughed at what he said. He, an old sickly man will kill me. Me, who have killed more than a thousand people. Me who was feared by all, will be killed by the likes of him?


    "You think you can kill me? That''s funny. Don''t you know who I am? My name is Cerise."


    At that, the man grinned.


    "Ah, the elusive thief and murderer. The one they call "The Red Death." I''m just shaking in fear."


    My eyes narrowed at that.


    "Are you mocking me? Come at me, and I will kill you." I pointed my knife at him and beckoned him.


    He growled. And before I could take another step, he had vanished in front of me and the next second, he was in front of me, his hand holding my wrist tight enough to make me let go of my knife and his other hand was encircling my throat.


    "No. You''re the one who''s going to end up dead, thief. Stealing another person''s treasure. I will crush your windpipe. "


    I was caught off-guard. He was just too fast. But there was another reason.


    This person, whom I thought was old, was actually a young man. Possibly the same age as me. His hood had fallen back, revealing wild midnight blue hair. But what caught my attention were his eyes.


    They were a startling blue and his eyes had a crazed light in them.


    I couldn''t help but think that his eyes were beautiful


    He was about to say something again when an angry roar rang outside.


    His eyes widened and before I knew it, he was already dragging me by the wrist towards the front door.


    "H-hey! What the fuck?! What the hell are you doing?! Let me go! Hey you fucker, I said, let me go, you shit!"


    I was about to punch him with my free hand but then there was another roar. Then I realized that we were already outside and when I looked up, I didn''t want to believe my eyes but I knew that my eyes have never lied to me.


    In the sky, there were three enormous winged creatures that were currently breathing fire at each other.


    And I think...I think I''ve seen them before. On illustration books and seals.


    Something that was not supposed to exist.


    "Dragons...?"


    I was about to ask the man beside me if he was seeing what I was seeing but there was no man.


    Nothing.


    But something else was.


    It was the same as those creatures flying and spitting fire in the air. But there was something different.


    It was different from the three.


    And was much, much more intimidating.


    "A dragon with glass scales..."


    ####


    Hello~! I''m here again! My name''s Yomi by the way. So uh, here''s chapter 1 and well, I hope you''ll like it hahaha...haha..ha...


    *awkwardly waltz away*

 Chapter 2 : Ignis Venator

    They say than when you''re about to die, your whole life flashes before you.


    So...I wonder why I''m not having those flashes they''re talking about?


    I mean, I am about 99% sure that I''m gonna die.


    Why?


    Because there is a dragon in front of me.


    Yes. I''m not joking.


    A dragon.


    Creatures that were supposed to be just a myth. But there certainly is one in front of me.


    A big ass dragon with glass scales. And it certainly is looking at me. Yes it is. Because it''s huge head is turned towards me and it''s blue eyes is staring right at my soul.


    My fight or flight response is definitely giving me choices and is practically screaming at me to fucking decide already. But, if I fight, well, I would surely die. Because how the hell would I fight a freaking dragon? And, if I ran, I am very confident that it can outrun me and even if it didn''t bother to chase me, it can just breath fire and roast my ass.


    So either way, I''m dead meat.


    Ha.


    So now, I''m wondering why I''m not having flashes about my life when I am sure that I''m gonna die. And I''m just standing here outside the house, having a staring contest with a dragon.


    Hell yeah.


    I know I''m gonna die in the end so at least I''ll win this staring contest.


    So, about a minute and a half passed and then the dragon blinked. I was about to grin because of my victory when it started to move towards me.


    Oh shit.


    I''m going to die.


    It opened it''s mouth and then...


    "You''re going with me, thief."


    It was the voice of the guy with the blue hair. So, he''s a dragon shifter...?


    "Wait what?! What do you mean ''go with you''?" I asked incredulously.


    You might think I''m crazy. Me, a mere human, is refusing a Dragon Shifter. A Dragon Shifter that is currently in his dragon form and can kill me without exerting real effort.


    But I''m not. Really. Sometimes, I just forget the task of keeping  myself alive. Like now.


    The dragon growled.


    "I have to protect my people but I am not letting you go until you return what''s mine!"


    "Huh? What are you-"


    Before I could finish my sentence, something cold and wide wrapped around me and when I looked down,  it was the dragons tail that was wrapped around my torso and before I could say anything else, I was being lifted off the ground and was tossed on top of the dragons back and the dragon started flapping it''s wings and in seconds we were off the ground.


    I wanted to demand to him to put me down but I was busy holding on his scales so that I wont fall and die, obviously.


    But surprisingly, I settled fairly well on his back though I do need to hold tight unless I wanted to die of course.


    Then I realized that we were headed towards the three dragons. Shit


    "Hey hey hey! Are you headed towards those three dragons?! If you''re gonna go and join their party well I''m wont so let me down!"


    "Jump down if you so desire to go back to the ground. But I will never let you go until you return what''s mine!" He growled.


    Then he suddenly dived down and I felt heat on top of my head. I looked up and it was like there was a wall of fire on top of me. I could feel the heat and I was sweating.


    Fuck.


    That was real.


    I almost died.


    I almost died by fire.


    Shit.


    I opened my mouth to say something again when the dragon that I''m riding on growled again.


    "Get lost! This is my land! My people!"


    "No! They are mine! They belong to me!" The dragon with violet scales shrieked out.


    "I own them! Mine!" The second dragon with green scales shouted in fury.


    "The humans belong to me! Only to me! Those who steal things that don''t belong to them should die! Die!" The third dragon with red scales declared and suddenly she opened her mouth and started breathing fire on us.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Then it went to shit.


    The three of them started roaring at each other and tried to roast each other. Then I felt his scales move, like something was rolling inside his body and then he was breathing fire as well. But his was a different from the rest. His fire was clear. No color. Transparent. It wasn''t orange or red like the other three. His was clear and the only indication that it was there was the rippling movements of the fire and the heat that I felt. It was just clear.


    So strange.


    There was another roar and I was almost burned alive again then I found my voice.


    "Hey you stupid dragon! Let me down! I will surely die with the four of you constantly spitting at each other and I''m not a fan of being on fire! Hey listen to me! You-whoa! Where the fuck did that arrow came from?!"


    I looked down and fucking shit, it''s the military. And not just the military. The special squad that was made because of a paranoid king fearing the possible existence of dragons. Wearing red armor suits with a dragon emblem on their chests.


    Ignis Venator.


    "Hey Dragon Shifter! See those? Those are elites! They''re dragon hunters! They''ve been trained since they were kids on how to eliminate a dragon! And they are coming to kill all of you! You''re gonna be overwhelmed! You have to run away!"


    "No! I will fight!"


    The dragons continued fighting among themselves, ignoring the soldiers below ad burning the town in the process. Then suddenly, the green dragon just disappeared and what replaced it was an unconscious man who was quickly falling onto the ground. Something was off and I didn''t like it.


    I looked down and there was this one soldier among the elites. She was wearing a violet cloak and she was facing her palm on us and around her was some giant floating symbols on the air and it looked like they were glowing. Then her mouth moved and I realized she was chanting something then a pale violet sphere-like thing shot out from one of the symbol surrounding her and hit the red dragon and it howled in pain.


    Then I realized, it must be magic.


    She''s a Dragon Rider.


    The last one.


    And from what I remembered, a  Dragon Rider is the only one who can use magic that can completely stop a dragon without the use of the metal mortem and can make them change back to a human.


    And if I''m right, that Dragon Rider below is using magic that can change the Shifters back into a human. And if she hits this Shifter that I''m currently riding on, he''s gonna change back into his human form and we''ll both fall to the ground and at this height, I am sure that I''m gonna die.


    Shit.


    "Hey Shifter! Stop being stupid! Take the chance to run away now while they''re attacking the other dragons! If you stay, you''ll get knocked down too like that green dragon!"


    "Oh? Are you concerned of me?"


    That made my eye twitch in annoyance.


    "In your fucking dreams! I''m only concerned that if you turn into a human again and we both fall I''m gonna fall too and I''m gonna die! And I have no intentions of dying today, you dumb shit!"


    He chuckled but then there was a pained shriek coming from him and then the glass scales that I was holding on was breaking and then all I could see was broken glass then it all vanished and I saw him again.


    The guy with the blue hair.


    In his human form.


    Covered in wounds.


    And he was unconscious.


    And we were falling.


    Fast.


    Godammit.


    ####


    Hi~! It''s me again Yomi~! XD I finaly finished chapter 2 hahaha XD I hope you''ll like it :D


    *jazz hands*

 Chapter 3 : The Knight With The Broken Heart

    When you''re in love, everything seems brighter. Everything seems easier. Everything feels so happy. Everything is lighter. You feel like you can do anything. Like you can be anything.


    But that''s only at the start.


    Because after that, you will start to crave for something more. Start to want for other things. The things before wont be enough anymore. You''ll want more. More time. More smiles. More touches.


    More.


    More.


    More.


    And most of all, you''ll want them to return your feelings.


    You will become greedy.


    You will try to hold it off. To keep all of it from spilling. You''ll keep to hold on to your remaining sanity. But all it takes is one more smile and it''s over.


    You will tell them.


    Confess your hidden desires.


    Everything.


    But let me tell you something.


    You will regret it.


    Just like I did.


    Just like I do now.


    My name is Kleine Militis.


    And right now, I am preparing to go to battle with a broken heart.


    But no matter how much I am in pain, I am first a soldier. Duty first before anything.


    "Moses..."


    "Ria. Don''t worry. I''ll protect you. I wont let you die."


    The sight of these two, Moses and Ria, embracing each other while looking at each others eyes clenches my heart in pain. All of us in here, since we were kids were trained on how to kill a dragon. Since we started to walk, we were taught on how to be fearless on how to fight until our last breath. Along the way,  we became cold and heartless. Expert killers. Feared by all.


    I thought that we would always be like this. To be heartless. To be nothing  but killing machines. I thought nothing would change us.


    But then love came.


    It happened to me.


    To Moses and Ria.


    And we changed.


    Before, Moses and Ria were the most fearless ones in our squad. But now, they''re so afraid. So, so afraid. So afraid of death. Not for their selves but for the other one. For the other one to die and leave them broken beyond repair.


    They''ve become cowards.


    And I...have become someone filled with nothing but pain.


    "Hahahahaha! Yes! Today I''ll be hunting for dragons! They''re dead meat once I''m out there!" Evans declared while laughing like a mad man.


    "Shut up, you moron! If you want to die so bad, just tell me, I''ll personally kill you!" Icy shouted at him.


    "Oh come on! I''m just having fun!" Evans argued but Icy would not have any of his nonsense so they quickly descend into one of their heated arguments.


    I turned to another side of the room and saw Brent asking Alexandria a question.


    "Hey Alexandria, you''re a Dragon Rider, right?"


    "Not really me. I mean, I''ve never rode one but I came from a family of Dragon Riders. But almost all of us has died. I''m the last."


    "Say, Alexandria, why did the Riders betray the Shifters? It was never really explained why they sided with the humans." Brent asked again.


    At that Alexandria looked like she was thinking about something.


    "I don''t really know the full details but my ancestors used to say that Dragon Shifters are highly territorial and possessive. Because of that, they fight each other and most of them dies resulting to the decreasing of their numbers. My grandmother said that the Riders sided with the humans because the Shifters were just cruel and dangerous. After they sided with the human, the Dragon Hunts started and then the dragons went extinct.  Or so we thought. I really thought that all the Shifters have been killed from all those Dragon Hunts but I guess I''m wrong."


    "I wonder, after hundreds of years of hiding, why did they appear now?" Seth wondered out loud.


    At the corner of my eyes, I saw another soldier signaled that it was time.


    "Soldiers! Enough chatter! Let''s go!"


    "Yes sir!"


    Before we stepped outside, I saw Moses squeeze Ria''s hand briefly before marching on.


    That made my chest hurt more.


    As we were marching forwards the outside of the castle, I saw the person that I love.


    And together with the pain, I remembered my rejection just hours earlier today.


    ###


    I stood before him. Head lowered down, eyes closed and my whole body shaking.


    I had confessed to him. To my commander. The one who saved me when I was just a dying kid in an alley. He picked me up and raised me and taught me how to fight. I looked up to him but along the way I fell for him. I found out my feelings for him when one night, I was taking care of my "problem" and it was like I was stabbed in the chest when after I finished, I realized that I had been fantasizing about him, about his broad shoulders, his silver hair and his rough hands instead of breasts and a soft body of a girl.


    The realization that I was in love with my commander shook my whole world. For years I tried to keep it to myself. I tried to stop myself from wanting more. From wanting anything.


    But all it took was one praise from and a smile and before I knew what I was doing, I had blurted out my feelings for him. Alone. In his office. Right now.


    I couldn''t open my eyes. I can''t and I don''t want to.


    The silence stretched on between us but I knew that I will never talk unless he does it first.


    "Yes, Kleine. I understand you. But I can''t do what you want. I hope you understand."


    My head snapped up to look at him. He was looking outside his window, his back towards me.


    I heard him. I clearly heard him. But my mind refuses to accept his words. I can''t.


    God I can''t.


    "No sir. Y-You don''t...you don''t understand. Why can''t you-"


    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The the door suddenly burst open and Seth rushed in, out of breath and eyes wide.


    Commander! Drakuls! I-I mean Dragons! Outside! Four of them!"


    My heart was still breaking and I was experiencing the most painful thing I have ever felt in my life but I have a responsibility and the fact that anytime I might just drop down on my knees and cry is irrelevant.


    "What are your comands, sir?" I asked him, my face blank and devoid of emotion.


    I saw something pass in his eyes and the stubborn part of me tried to get my hopes up again but I stomped on it before it can even flourish.


    I should never expect.


    I don''t have the right.


    "Gather the elite troops, tell them to gear up and grab their mounts. We''re not bringing anyone without combat experience. Seth, go get Alexandria. We will need her to fight those dragons."


    "Yes sir!"


    And I left, leaving my broken heart behind.


    ###


    The moment the castle gates opened, the sound of roaring and screams greeted us. Not so far away, there were four dragons fighting each other and in the process, burning the town beneath them at the same time.


    When we finally reached the town, the scene of burning houses, crying children and people running away with terror in their faces greeted us. The other soldiers were immediately ordered to evacuate the civilians while we, the Ignis Venator, stayed behind and awaited orders.


    Then he spoke in a booming voice.


    "Strike at their soft spots! Use the arrow mortem! The enemy is right in front of you! Charge!"


    The wind and ashes whipped on my face as we rode towards the dragons.


    "Bloody hell! Dragons! They really are dragons!" Brent shouted in amazement.


    "The whole town is burning! They''re breathing fire everywhere!"


    "Avoid the flames! Find an opportunity to attack!" I ordered and they all shouted in unison.


    "Evans! Look out, you stupid!"


    I heard Icy shout and I turned in time to see Evans get devoured by the flames while he shouted in agony.


    They weren''t even paying attention to us. This was our chance. I turned to Alexandria.


    "Alexandria, use your magic now."


    She nodded and started chanting while raising her hand and facing her palms towards the dragons.


    "Katash Wei Vorki."


    "Aim for their backs! It''s their weakest spot!"


    And we descended into hell.


    No matter how good we were it was hard trying to hit the back of the dragons. They were all moving too much and even if we managed to get our arrows close to them, it would  just be melted with their fire.


    And then finally, Alexandria finished preparing her magic and was raining on the dragons with her magic. Sphere-like thing in a glowing pale violet hit them but their scales deflected it but there was a loud scream and the green dragon disappeared and a an outline of a man could be seen in its place, falling onto the ground.


    I ordered them to keep on attacking while I headed towards the direction of he fallen dragon in order to capture him.


    He had fallen through the roof of one of the houses that wasn''t burning so I had no choice but to get off my horse and enter the house.


    It was so quiet inside the house, like the moment that I closed the door it had also sealed of this space away from the chaos that was happening outside. I took out my sword and proceeded to explore the house.


    I ended up on the second floor of the house in front of a door that most likely leads to a bedroom.


    When I opened the door, light greeted my eyes.


    It was a bedroom but there was no bed. Instead, there was a pile of cloth made of different fabrics on the middle of the room, and on top of it, laid a man.


    I gripped my sword tighter and stepped closer.


    The light that shined through from the hole on the ceiling landed directly on the man making it look like he was glowing.


    The man that was lying on the pile of clothes was young. Maybe the same age as me. He had chocolate brown hair and wore tattered clothes. But despite the appearance of being poor, he wasn''t thin like he was starving.


    I didn''t know what I was thinking but I laid down my sword on the side and slowly stepped towards him.


    When I was in front of him, I knelt down beside him and reached out my hand.


    When my fingers was just inches away from his face, his eyes opened, revealing amber eyes, and his hand shot up and had my hand in a tight grip and he looked at me. I was gonna pull away my hand and reach out for my sword when his eyes widened and his mouth slightly opened like he couldn''t believe what he was seeing. He looked like he was shocked and confused and relieved at the same time.


    And me, I didn''t do anything. I stared back. And the longer I stared, the more I noticed. His right eye was slowly turning into color green while his left eye remained the same amber. When his right eye has completely turned into green, he tugged me closer and kissed me.


    I froze.


    Before I could do anything else, he pulled back and smiled at me.


    "Finally, I found you." He whispered and closed his eyes again.


    He went back to sleep and I just knelt there, frozen in shock.


    But my mind kept on replaying the sensation of his lips on mine.


    What''s happening to me?


    ####


    Here is chapter 3~! :3


    And yes, Kleine is hella gay.


    He''s as straight as a limp noodle.


    ta!ta! bye bee~!


    *runs away at the speed of light*

 Chapter 4 : Somno Sicut Mortem

    It''s noisy.


    So noisy.


    So goddamn, fucking noisy.


    Didn''t people said that death was supposed to be peaceful in your last moments? That no matter how noisy it really is in reality, it would be muted for you and all you''ll have is peace and quiet? Well, why the fuck is mine so fucking noisy then?


    The wind is howling in my ears, the sun is burning my eyes and my hair tie broke and now my hair is blowing every way and it''s whipping on my face and it fucking stings.


    And why?


    That''s because I''m on the air, falling very fucking fast.


    And there''s absolutely nothing that you can call peaceful in this fucking situation.


    Even in my last moments I can''t have any fucking peace even just for a fucking second.


    Fuck.


    I couldn''t help myself from glaring at the guy who''s falling together with me.


    The guys who''s now unconscious and is unaware of his surroundings.


    This guy who''s actually a Dragon Shifter.


    This shitty dumb lizard that wont listen to me and now we''re falling and I''m going to fucking die because of his idiocy.


    God, I would really love to slap the stupid out of him.


    If I wasn''t about to die that is.


    We were falling head first so I looked up and from how fast we''re falling, I guess it''ll take at least another ten minutes until we hit the ground and become nothing but bloody lumps of flesh.


    No matter how I think of another way, of any way to get out of this alive, I just don''t see any.  All I see below us were either roofs or streets. All hard. We were right in the middle of the town so there isn''t any tree nearby that could maybe break my fall without killing me. And even if I tried to maneuver my body towards the forest, it''s still too far away and I would have already died before I can even reach the edge of the woods. And If I try to be an idiot and try to land with my feet, I would still die from the impact.


    Fuck.


    So this is how my everything will end.


    I''m not someone who easily gives up, after all, I survived living on my own since I was eight years old. If cornered, I would look for any way to survive, any way to keep on going, any way to avoid death for another day. But this one is impossible to avoid. Death is certainly coming for me. Actually, I''m the one headed towards death.


    Just thinking about how I ended up in this situation gets my blood boiling.


    "HOLLY MOTHER FATHER FRIGGIN CRAP!" I shouted as I spread wide my arms.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    I was going to close my eyes, so that I wont have to see the ground as I hit it but before I could, the Shifters eyes suddenly opened. But instead of startling blue, his eyes were glass. Glass like his scales. It was like his eyes were taken and was replaced with glass orbs.


    Weird.


    Then I noticed that glass scales were growing on his cheeks. And then he suddenly reached out for me and he encircled his arms around me. Too shocked, I wasn''t able to move. I just stayed there, in his arms, my face hidden on his chest. Then there was this scraping noise like when you scratch a glass.


    Then gradually, I started feeling cold. Starting from the center of my back then gradually spreading all over me. I looked at my shoulder as the cold spread and my eyes widened. Scales. Glass scales was slowly covering my body. It continued on until I my whole body was covered in glass scales except for my eyes, nose and mouth.


    I wasn''t panicking. I didn''t feel trapped or restricted. For some reason I was very relaxed with it. It was just like my own skin. Just a part of me.


    I wonder why.


    Seconds later, I started feeling sleepy. I knew this was not natural. This must be caused by the Shifter. I''m pretty sure it is because it''s impossible for me to just suddenly feel sleepy when adrenaline is still pumping in my veins.


    But even though I know that this was not natural, that what I''m feeling now was not entirely my body''s decision, I didn''t feel threatened. I didn''t feel any danger. Instead, I find myself releasing the tension from my body. Adrenaline stopped flowing in my veins and quickly dissolved.


    The last thing I heard was a warm, gentle voice.


    And I closed my eyes, submerging myself into the ocean of darkness called sleep.


    "Sleep, Cerise."


    ####


    Hi! Hahaha XD it''s been a while but before you get your knives I have a valid reason. First is that I lost the usb where I saved this chapter, the second is that I got sick and the third is I started violin again so I got a bit more busy.


    Anyways, I''m really sorry if this is such a short ass chapter. I will really try to make the next one longer. Yes. I really will.


    So..uh...bye :D


    See you next chapter~!


    *crawls away*

 Chapter 5 : Praeteritum [Part 1]

    There are times when everything seems to head into the good direction. That the path that your life is taking is just a straight road. There might be bumps ahead but not so big to shake your whole life. You don''t really do anything. It''s just how it''s laid out for you. How things are supposed to go for you.


    They tell you a lot of things. People tell you to cherish everything you have and be good always. They tell you a lot of things. They give you a lot of advice.


    But there''s one thing they haven''t told you.


    It''s that no matter how good you are, how careful you are, there are just times when the gods will get bored and pick on a human on random. It''s like they have this big roulette where they spin it and it just so happens that you''re the one that gets picked.


    And the road where it only used to have a few bumps are now downright dangerous.


    Just one slip and everything is over.


    You don''t believe me?


    Or you just don''t want to believe me?


    Well, want it or not, it''s true.


    It happened to others.


    And it happened to me.


    ###


    It was a warm night. Warm enough that you wont shiver while sleeping or wont sweat buckets. Just warm enough to sleep comfortably that you''re journey to the land of dreams will be a pleasant one.


    It''s a pleasant evening. But it feels like the night is mocking me.


    I was hiding, peeking in the crack left by the unclosed door. Inside the kitchen was my godmother and godfather. The only people I consider my family except for my father and mother. They were sitting side by side on the kitchen chairs and they were talking in whispers. They both had sadness and worry in their faces. My godmother''s eyes were red and a bit swollen like she had been crying recently. Despair emanated from their forms.


    In my six year old mind, I knew something had happened.


    It was just the three of us in the house. My parents had left earlier to go to the market and buy some groceries and my godparents had volunteered to look after me and the house while they were away. My parents had said that they would be back by lunch but the sun had already fallen and the moon had risen but I have never even seen their shadows.


    Earlier, while we were having lunch, someone had frantically pounded on the door. The three of us had stopped midway in eating and looked at each other. A second later, my godfather got up and went outside the kitchen to answer the door. When my godfather took a bit longer, my godmother told me to stay and continue eating as she stood up and went outside. So, I continued eating. I was about to bite into my chicken when I heard a distraught shout from my godmother and then sobbing seconds later.


    Curios, I placed down my spoon and fork and got up and went outside. I was in the hallway and on the front door, there were three people. My godmother was on the floor on her knees and she was crying while my godfather was hugging her. And there was another man, and if I remember correctly, he was the owner of that pub or something in the market. He was also a good friend of my parents and he was always good to me too. I once tried to go to his pub but he said that kids weren''t allowed in there. He said that while laughing and he was smiling but I felt like he was hiding something from me.


    I just stood there, looking at them. Even though I understand a lot of things for a six year old kid, I could not comprehend this one. Why was my godmother who was always smiling and cheerful crying sorrowfully? Why does my godfather looks like he''s holding his tears? Why is the other man''s face painted in despair?


    Why...why do I feel so uneasy?


    A few second later, my godfather raised his head and saw me. His eyes widened, worry and pity pooling in his eyes.


    I just stood there and stared at him, trying to understand what was the meaning of the situation in front of me. My godfather stood up and went towards me. I maintained eye contact with my godfather until he was standing in front of me. I was going to speak up and ask him when he picked me up and hugged me. I closed my mouth and tried again to process what was happening. His breathing hitched then he pulled me back a bit to look at me.


    We just stared at each other. Normally, I would have laughed and tried to make funny faces with him like we always do but right now, I knew this was something serious even though I don''t understand what''s happening. A few minutes passed like that between us then he started walking towards the living room while carrying me.


    He placed me on the sofa and knelt in front of me. We stared at each other for a few seconds and then he smiled. But not his usual gentle smiles. His smile was forced and there was hesitation in it. Instead of a smile, it looked more like a grimace.


    "Cerise...your...your parents....your parents are gonna be l-late going home today. So, uh...after you finish eating why don''t you go outside and play?" He said.


    I suspected that he was hiding something from me and the part about my parents sounded like a lie. But I didn''t felt like he was lying to me to hurt me so I nodded and went straight to the kitchen and finished my food while  he went back and continued whatever they were doing there.


    I didn''t know how much time it will take when people said that they''ll be late but I think its just for a few minutes so instead of playing outside, I stayed in my room and read books, trying to calm down the panic that was struggling to burst out of my system.


    I have always been good at tricking myself and making the treacherous feeling of panic sleep but this time my system refused to be tricked and insisted that something was really, really wrong. I couldn''t calm down. My hands refused to stop shaking. The irrational part of me kept on screaming that something was wrong. Something was wrong. SOMETHING WAS WRONG.


    I was barely able to hang on to my rational part of mind. I was able to reason out with myself before I could start screaming my head off. I appeared to be calm but my heart was pounding, my mind creating hundreds of scenarios and situations per second.


    But I still forced myself to stay in my room and just be rational. The house stayed quite and I never made a sound, afraid to destroy whatever was keeping the peace together that was barely holding on. And during the times that I waited, I kept on praying. I kept on praying, begging to the gods that I believed in to please keep my parents safe. To please don''t hurt them. To please please please just keep them alive and well I promise I will never do anything bad I will never do anything wrong so please this will be the only thing that I will ever ask so please please please please.


    I stayed on my knees with my hands clasped together until my godmother came and knocked on my door to say that dinner was ready. And again, it was the same strained smiles ans despair hanging over us. They said that my parents were gonna be a bit more late and when I heard the hitch in my godmother''s breath and I saw the red around my godfather''s eyes, I knew I had to know. They were keeping it from me for reasons I don''t know but I knew it was for my own good but still, I needed to know. If I stayed floating in the dark any longer, I was going to go insane.


    So I did.


    And that''s how I ended up in this situation. Peeking behind a door, breathing softly, and trying to stop myself from shivering not because it was cold, because it wasn''t, but because of the fear. Because of the insanity that was almost bursting out of my system.


    "How...how are we going to tell Cerise...about her parents...?"


    "I worry about that too. But we can''t tell her yet. She''s only a child. We can''t just tell her that her parents are...that they''re dead."


    My head felt light and swollen at the same time. It was like cold air was filling my head and making my emotions numb. And it seems like during that time, an important part in my lungs combusted and made my lungs malfunction and made it impossible to pump oxygen in my body. I was taking in fast and shallow breaths, trying to compensate for the lack of oxygen in my body but it wasn''t working. I felt my chest tighten, my consciousness starting to leave my body and dark spots started to appear at the edge of my sight.


    Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    When the dark spots cleared out seconds later, I was laying on the cold floor of the hallway and my godparents were crouching beside me. They were calling out my name and lightly shaking me at the same time.


    I stood up suddenly, knocking them back but I didn''t helped them and just stood there, looking at them. My godfather was about to ask me why I suddenly did that when he saw the look on my face and knew.


    "...How long were you standing outside the door?" My godmother asked.


    "Long enough." I answered, no emotion in my voice and numbness surrounding my heart.


    They stared at me while I stared at nothing. A few seconds later, they both hugged me. My godfather rubbed my back while my godmother hugged me tighter and silently cried. But I remained staring into nothing. I didn''t felt any sadness or despair. I felt nothing but emptiness.


    Something important was stolen from the center of my being and now, without it, I was starting to malfunction.


    I was broken.


    What happened for the next few days was melded together in a jumble of mess. They said that my parents were murdered on their way home and were dragged behind some crates resulting to them dying even though there was a chance that they could have lived. A lot of people who were good friends with my parents came and gave their respects and words of comfort. My godparents took care of everything. Days later, they were buried. Two months had passed and my godmother was able to slightly smile again and my godfather could somehow joke around again.


    But the emptiness still stayed with me.


    I was still numb.


    I lived for the past two months like that. Silent, emotionless, broken. I thought I would continue living with the numbness surrounding my heart. I thought I would live on and die with the numbness as my companion. And to be honest, it wasn''t such a bad companion. So I became friendly with the numbness inside me, preparing myself for the path that I was headed to.


    That''s what I thought until a certain day came. I was inside my room, folding my clothes. I was having trouble on how to fold the sleeves when I remembered a method on how to do it. As I was in the middle of the process, I suddenly remembered who taught it to me. The memory sucker punched me and I had trouble breathing as the memories flowed in agonizingly slow. Burning my mind as it flowed through.


    It was a day after I turned six, and me, claiming that I was old enough to fold my own clothes, stubbornly refused help on how to do it even though everything I did was clearly wrong. I kept on repeating it until I surrendered and my mother came into the rescue. She sat down beside me and showed me how, all the while smiling gently at me. After I did it right myself, I proudly showed it to her and she smiled at me again. Then my father came in and I both showed them the perfectly folded shirt, proudly smiling at them. The three of us smiled and laughed together.


    It was afternoon, the light was streaming through my window and dust particles floated in the air and sparkled as the light hit them, making everything look like it was covered in gold. Burning the image in my mind, forever branded as one of the memories that I love so much.


    As the memory stopped repeating, I came again to reality only to realize that my cheeks were wet. My eyes widened. I...I was...crying. Slowly, pain blossomed in my chest. I wasn''t injured but the pain steadily spread until it covered my whole heart. It hurts so much that my hands were shaking. Tears steadily flowed and sobs wracked my body as I struggled to open the buttons on my shirt and touched my chest. I looked at my hand again but there as no blood on it and my chest looked fine. No bruises, no cuts, no nothing. It hurt so much but I couldn''t see any wounds.


    I didn''t understand what was happening. The pain was much more worse than all the pain that I have felt before. Falling off a tree or cutting yourself with a knife couldn''t hold a candle to it. Invisible knives hacked my chest as I doubled over because of the pain.


    I laid there, clutching my chest as I cried out every time the pain attacked me.


    My godmother found me like that, curled up on the floor, clothes scattered around me as I desperately clutched my chest, hoping that somehow, the pain would lessen if I squeezed it enough.


    "Cerise! What happened?!" My godmother asked as she frantically looked over me, looking for wounds.


    "It-it hurts!" I cried out desperately.


    "What? Where? Where does it hurt?!"


    "H-here! It hurts here!" I answered and clutched my chest tighter.


    She looked at my chest and then suddenly, sadness filled her eyes and without warning, she hugged me.


    "Cerise, it''s okay to cry. Losing the people you love hurts. You don''t have to act  like you don''t feel anything. I know that you know what I mean. Don''t worry. We will still love you no matter what."


    My tears flowed faster as the truth displayed itself in front of me in painful clarity. I knew that they would not change just because I cried. But I tricked myself into not feeling anything. I had realized then when the numbness started to disappear that the pain would come and I would be forced to feel it. So, trying to protect myself from the inevitable pain, I made myself believe that I could not understand what was happening and I forced it into my mind that I was numb, that I didn''t feel anything. I think along the way, I had believed my lie and had forgotten the truth.


    And that day, for the first time in my life, I screamed.


    After that, I slowly came back to my old self. Though some part of me never did function the way it did before, it still continued to work and I had returned to my old self. Slightly cracked but still the same. Within two weeks I could smile and laugh again. I was back.


    We had to sell my old house and I came to live with my godparents. And since they did not have a child, I became one. It hurt at first, slipping and accidentally speaking out my parents names felt like I had dipped my hand in a bowl of acid thinking it was water. But slowly, I got past choking on my tears after every time I spoke their name until I was able to fondly speak of their name with warm nostalgia in my voice.


    I was happy again with my new family.


    But as always, I was stupid thinking that It would last.


    Two years after my parents death, my godparents followed them.


    It was just like the night I learned that my parents died. It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining up in the sky but it wasn''t hot, a breeze would pass by every few seconds or so, making us feel pretty cool, we were at the market, everything around us was bustling with life and everyone was friendly. It was a very, very beautiful day.


    I should''ve known that it was the calm before the storm.


    ####


    Annnnnddddd I''ll be ending it there!!! haha XD


    So uh, before you throw your hate at me, I really apologize for this chapter taking so long. My first reason is that we went to boracay for a vacation and I thought that I''ll finish this chapter there but then I struggled there because I couldn''t find any decent wifi there. Seriously, almost all of the wifi there was as slow as snails and it truns on and then off. Second is that as soon as we got back, life threw its shit at me and I had a hard time emerging from the shit. And third is that I got lazy. Yeah sorry. (don''t kill me)


    And uh, I''m really sorry if this chapter is very short. But I really think this is long enough haha XD peace!!!


    Then, see you next chapter :3


    *crab walks away*

 Chapter 6 : Praeteritum [Part 2]

    It was a very beautiful day. The sun was hiding behind the clouds, just giving off heat enough that we wont shiver with the cold, making the sky blue. A soft breeze would pass by every few minutes, preventing the heat from building up and sweat from breaking out.


    Me and my godparents were in the market, buying some ingredients. Earlier, my godmother had asked me if I want to learn how to make a blueberry pie. And me, being the kid who loved sweets, especially anything with blueberries in them, had agreed, jumping up and down like a puppy. She had laughed at me and patted my head and then called on to my godfather and so the three of us went to the market.


    And so, it was how we came to this, the three of us walking side by side together with me in the middle while I both held their hands, my godmother on my right and my godfather on my left, both holding my hand while my godfather held our purchases on the other hand.


    Since we lived on the edge of the town, we had to walk a lot and use roads where its usually deserted. But since no one had ever been reported to have been attacked in those roads, it never crossed our minds that today it might all change.


    That today might not be like the rest.


    We were currently walking in a road where it both sides were surrounded with huge trees, making it look like you were in a green tunnel. I have always liked walking under them. Every time I did, it felt magical. Like if I somehow forget where I was supposed to go and just continued walking through the tunnel of leaves, I would end up in another world. In another dimension. In a place where no one has ever been.


    So while we were walking, I did what I usually do when I pass there, I looked up on the trees while walking, confident that I wont trip because my godparents were holding each of my hands. The both of them were chuckling while they discussed what we would be cooking for lunch when I tore my gaze away from the leaves and followed the thin branches to its base. That¡¯s when I saw a shadow just beside the tree. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t have paid it any mind. People had said that this place was magical and sometimes beings not from our place would sometimes end up here in the forest. They had said that when you take this path, you would usually see some shadows but that it was normal so you shouldn¡¯t freak out and be polite and just ignore it. So normally, I would have just done exactly the same but the shadow was shaped like a person and I know that it wasn¡¯t enough reason to be freaking out but still, that shadow was giving me the feeling that we should not be here. That something bad would definitely happen if we didn¡¯t hurry up and left.


    And the unusual loud crying of the insects also set off the alarm in my head. I have used this road a lot and the insects have never been this loud before. It was like this was done deliberately. It was like the crying of the insects was used to cover other sounds.


    To cover people.


    I didn¡¯t had a proof but my realization made my eyes wide and my heart race with panic. I might just be too paranoid but my gut instinct has never been wrong and I doubt that it would fail me now.


    So without saying anything, I had started walking faster, tugging on my godparents hands while staring straight ahead, refusing to look on the sides.


    My sudden movement had slightly surprised my godparents. My godmother asked me what was wrong while my godfather joked that I was just really excited to get started on the pie to which my godmother laughed. Every seconds that passed the alarm in my head got more loud and the panic screamed louder and louder so I turned to look at my godfather, not slowing my fast pace of walking.


    I think he was about so say another joke but then he saw the look in my eyes and he had understood right away. Living together for the past two years had made them trust me and my gut instinct and just one look was needed to convey what I felt. And all the times the alarm in my head had gone off in the past two years, I had always been right so they trusted me and I learned not to keep things in and tell them when I felt wrong.


    As my godfather was about to turn to my godmother and tell her, I had seen something behind my godfather. Or more like someone.


    It was a man. He was wearing a cloak and he looked like he was a traveler. He was about a couple of dozen steps away and he was following us. I know. I know because he was looking at us and his steps was perfectly synchronized with us.


    Perfectly timed so that he wont fall behind while keeping the same distance. But what really scared me was the grin on his lips. A manic grin. Like he was insane.


    I shivered at the thought.


    My godfather had noticed me shiver and followed my line of sight. As soon as he saw the man, he immediately carried me in his arms, dropping the bag filled with the ingredients we bought from the market and started walking faster.


    With each step that my godfather took, the vice like grip  that was constricting my heart was slowly loosening until I could breath normally again. But then my godfather halted in his steps so I turned around and looked in front of us.


    It was another man and like the one before, he was also wearing a cloak but this one was holding a dagger in his hand, making sure that we see it.


    After that, I¡¯m not sure what really happened next. I was sure that I saw everything that happened but when I try to remember what happened that time, I always come up with broken memories and a throbbing head. Maybe my mind, tryng to protect its own sanity, sealed the memories away. All I remember is the sensation of falling and seeing a blueberry not so far away from me on the ground and seconds later, a boot crushing it while a scream filled with pain


    accompanied me as my visions turned black.


    ###


    The squeaking of rats woke me up.


    I opened my eyes and I realized that I was laying on the floor. In my sleep induced brain, I questioned myself why I was sleeping on the floor when I had a perfectly good  bed. I was thinking that my godmother would surely freak out when she learns that I slept on the floor and then I realized that our house never had rats so why did I heard rats?


    Why...?


    Then I remembered a blueberry getting crushed by a boot as I heard my godmother scream in pain.


    My eyes widened and I scrambled to stand up only for my head to hit something hard. That¡¯s when I realized that there were metal bars around me. I looked around and I realized that I was inside a box or something. Like those boxes in the market where chickens were imprisoned. But it was slightly bigger, big enough that I could sit but not stand up. I looked around me, thankful that there were lit torches around, providing light. As I looked around, I realized that I wasn¡¯t alone.


    Cages like the one I was in was all around me, and girls like my age was inside them.


    Some girls were sleeping in a fetal position while the others were staring into space. On my left was a girl with short golden  blonde hair and she was sleeping while on my right was a girl with long silver hair and blood red eyes, and she was staring at me like she was studying me. As I looked around, I realized that all of us had some kind of feature that was not common to some people. Like rare eyes or hair color or skin. The word ¡°exotic¡± came into my mind. I don¡¯t know why but I shuddered at the word.


    All of us were different from each other but at the same time, we had something in common. It took me a while to realize what it was but when I did, I wanted to cry.


    Despair.


    All of us emitted an air of despair.


    ###


    I don¡¯t know how long we all stayed in that dark room. I couldn¡¯t guess base on the light because I couldn¡¯t find any crack on the walls, the room was perfectly covered. I couldn¡¯t even guess base on the time the  food was given to us because it was random. It was like they sometimes forget to bring us food.


    In the beginning, a girl with red hair demanded to one of the men that was delivering the food to let her go and kept on protesting until one of them took her out of her cage and started beating her up in front of us.


    She tried to fight but the men quickly overpowered her until she lay on the floor,whimpering as kicks and punches were delivered on her small body.


    I wanted to protest and beg them to stop but I knew that if I did it, I would also be subjected to the same fate so I shut my mouth. I watched on mutely as bile and guilt rose up in my throat.


    I thought that after she was covered in bruises and was puking blood they would stop, but they didn¡¯t. Instead, they kept on doing it. They kept on beating her until the sounds of snapping could be heard and a small pool of blood was forming around her.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    The red haired girls eyes met mine and she was begging me with her eyes to help her. I wanted to but I was afraid for myself. As I avoided my gaze, I saw the pleading in her eyes turn into despair and I felt more sick in my stomach.


    I tried closing my eyes but seeing nothing while hearing the horrible sounds that was echoing in the room made it more terrifying so I kept my head turned on the right. I stared at nothing while I tried to tune out the sounds when I noticed that the girl with the silver hair was still staring at me. She was still staring at me like she was studying me, so to distract myself, I stared back at her. Her eyes slightly widened, like she was surprised that I was meeting her gaze head on. I took comfort in her gaze and without noticing it, I had tuned out the sounds and all that remained was me and the silver haired girl as we stared at each other.


    ###


    After I don¡¯t know how long, we were moved to another place again.  Just suddenly, the only door in the room suddenly opened and rough looking men flooded in. The memory of the beating of the red headed girl never faded from everyone¡¯s mind so some of us whimpered at the sight of them, fearing that the same fate would befall us all but that didn''t happen.


    Instead, we were placed on the back of a big wooden cart. The moment that my cage passed the door, cold air wrapped around me. It was a bit hard to see because it was night but I saw that a lot of trees surrounded us. There were no houses nearby and the road were full with weeds. Like the road was not used often.


    Before I could see anything else, I was roughly placed on the cart. The cart was big but there was a lot of us so we were stacked on top of each other. I was placed on the second from the top and I was about to continue looking at the surroundings but then the girl with the silver hair was placed right beside me. I stared at her and she stared right back at me. We stayed like that until all the men finished loading all the girls on the cart. And then we were covered with a big piece of thick cloth. I don¡¯t know what it was called. It was like those travelers used to cover whatever they were carrying on the back of their cart.


    As we were about to be covered in darkness, the silver haired girl suddenly went rigid and her breath sped up. Beads of sweat started to form on her forehead as she broke our eye contact and stared on the wood beneath her.


    Then it occurred to me that she might be scared. My parents used to say before that people are sometimes scared of the dark though I don¡¯t really understand why. And I don¡¯t know why I did it but I reached out and touched her hand. At the contact, she whipped her head and stared at me with wide eyes. She looked at me like she sees me and then the next she doesn¡¯t. Like she was fighting with something inside her. I don¡¯t know her or anything about her or even her name but I wanted to help her. Maybe it was out of my selfish reason to not lose her and the comforting stares that we gave each other or maybe I just really wanted to help, but whatever the reason was, that made me gave the courage I needed and squeezed her hand, trying to wordlessly tell her that I was there.


    Her eyes gazed in and out of focus for a while till she squeezed my hand back and closed her eyes. When her eyes opened again, they were clear again. She was looking at me and there was a small smile on her lips, like she was thanking me. We stared at each other till we were covered in darkness again. I couldn¡¯t see anything but her eyes shined in the dark so I continued staring right in her eyes and somehow, I felt that she did too.


    ###


    For how long we travelled, I didn¡¯t know. I had already lost my sense of time. I also couldn¡¯t tell if it was day or night because the cloth that covered us was very thick that not even the light could pass through it. Sometimes, a voice of someone could be heard. Like we were passing through a market or a house but the thought of shouting out for help never crossed our minds. Maybe some of us did thought about it but the fear was there. Fear of having the same fate as the red haired girl if we tried and made any noise.  Maybe we could¡¯ve been saved but there was a bigger chance that we would not be and none of us were brave enough to risk it.


    Fear was our major motivator.


    The journey went on and on and so did our suffering. The cart never stopped and we were never given any food or water. I could hear the low growling of stomachs and tiny soft whimpers of the girls around me. I was not faring well myself either. I¡¯ve become more weak than before, I could barely lift my hand or move even just a bit. My lower lip constantly bled because of how I would bite it every time the hunger pains wracked my body. I had started to drink the blood that was seeping out from my bleeding lip in order to relieve myself from the thirst. I didn¡¯t know if I was making things worse for myself but I didn¡¯t care. The thirst was there and there was my blood, and if it could relieve me of my thirst I would take it. No matter what it was.


    The smell of urine and feces suffocated me, sometimes knocking me off. And I welcomed it. The bottomless black sea of sleep was comforting for me. It relieved me of my hunger, my thirst and the smells that surrounded us.


    And the silver haired girl beside me was also the same. I couldn¡¯t see her but her hand that I constantly held was getting thinner as time passed. Sometimes I would muster my strength and squeeze her hand and after a while, she would squeeze back. I was afraid that she would die and her squeezing back my hand was comforting. I still didn¡¯t know if it was because I cared for her or because of my own selfishness of not wanting to be alone. All I knew is that I didn¡¯t wanted her to die.


    ###


    After a long time of suffering in the darkness, our journey finally came to an end.


    I could still remember how my eyes felt like they were burning by the sudden assault of light on my vision when the cloth that was covering us was roughly pulled aside. I yelped in pain as I closed my eyes and curled into myself, hoping that the burning in my eyes would end. As I tried to block out the pain, I could hear the other girls whimpering in pain like me.


    Minutes later, I was able to see again although the edges of my vision faded into white. It was like I was staring directly into the sun. Everything was very bright and looking was very painful for my eyes but for some reason, I wanted to see what was happening around me.


    The moment everything got clearer, I wished that I didn¡¯t tried to look at all.


    A lot of the girls had died. Some of them were in a fetal position while the others were slumped on the bars of their cages. Their mouths hung open while their dead eyes stared into nothing.


    Dry and wet feces were scattered all around us while the strong smell of urine clung to us.


    As I tried to look around more, I realized that something was dangling in front of me. It took a while for my eyes to focus but when it did, I saw that it was a hand. It was very thin, like the hand didn¡¯t contain any flesh, only bones and skin. Then I realized that the state of my body was also the same.


    As the hand became clearer, I noticed that the owner of it, probably the girl in the cage who was on top of mine, never moved. Not even a single twitch. At that moment, I came to recognize the other smell that I could not name before. It was the pungent smell of decay.


    I turned to my side as fast as my tired body could and stared hard to look at her, at the silver haired girl. My visions took a while to get clear and it frustrated me but I waited patiently. When it finally became clearer I tried to reach out to touch her hand but I stopped midway. She wasn¡¯t moving. She was slumped on the bars of her cage and her eyes were closed.


    Her mouth was open slightly.


    She didn¡¯t move.


    My head was starting to go numb again like when I realize that something was wrong. My breath was starting to pick up but I tried to hold on and kept myself still to look at her, to look for the subtle rise and fall of her chest, to see if she was still breathing.


    But she wasn¡¯t.


    I blacked out.


    ###


    Yes. I''m still alive. Ha! XD Anyway, my life is so shitty right now. I''ve wanted to upload this chapter for so long but life is a fucking dick and he hates me. I''m also very sick right now. Anyway, I''ll try to update as often as I can.