Post by Luna Blade on Oct 26, 2016 6:34:24 GMT
"Big Sister! Look at what I made in class today." The little boy in front of her smiled brightly. His raven hair cut just long enough to frame his chubby face. He held up a small bird house, colored a dark blue with a sloppy yellow crescent moon painted on the front, over the entrance. "Did you make that for me?" She asked with a giggle. "Yeah! You're my hero Big Sister!" He ran to her and wrapped tiny arms around her waist.Then it all changed.
The arms tightened and the bird house crashed to the ground that was suddenly dyed red. "But you didn't save me. You weren't there." She grabbed his shoulders and held him away from her body, dropping to her knee's so she could peer into his suddenly glassy eyes. "Alex? What are you talking about? Alex?" A slow soft smile stretched across his face. "You let them hurt me. You weren't there." The front of his white shirt blossomed red. "I called for you." She frantically watched horrified as crimson began to drip from the corner of his mouth. "You did this."
She jerked back and looked up as three dark shapes appeared behind her precious brother. "You brought death to Crystalia." The oldest of the men, the one in the center, pointed one long finger at her. "What High Priest, Sir, please help. Alex is hurt. Please help him." The old man didn't move and instead his two companions seamed to glide forward. "There has never been a Priestess for this reason alone. You have doomed this land. Leave here and never return." She shook her head.
"What? No! This is my home, what about Alex? Father is too busy to see to him, he's only seven!" She grabbed the boy, who had fallen silent and still. His eyes hidden by his hair. "Last child of the noble family of Blade. You are never to return to this land. I pray you find peace before you meet your dear brother in the death." The men pried her arms from around her brother and began dragging her away. "Stop! Stop! Alex, please stop! Alex!" The High Priest lay a single hand on the boy's shoulder just as darkness crept around them. He lifted his head, the blood stain now covering his entire left side and his eyes set in a dead stare straight ahead, straight at her. "I called for you Big Sister."
Luna jerked up, the black sky suddenly a bright blue that melted almost seeming to the constantly moving sea beneath her. Her blue eyes scanning the endless horizon with half panicked eyes only to see the same thing she had seen for the last six days. Nothing but blue. As her heart slowly stopped its frantic beating she wrapped her arms around herself. "A nightmare, just a nightmare." She tried to tell herself but even a deaf man would know that her words where false. Memories slammed into her head one after another.
Tears gathered at the edge of her vision. "I'm sorry Alex. I'm so sorry." She whimpered to herself, ignoring the gust of wind that made the tiny sail on her dingy give a small snap. She'd lost everything simply because she'd been too late. With a deep breath she got up, only years of harsh training keeping her from falling over as the boat rocked on choppy waves. Moving to check the ropes that held tight the sail she didn't bother to check the small box that was supposed to hold food, there was only a bit left and no land in sight. "Guide me Little Brother, help me to save all I can, as I seek redemption for having failed you." She whispered into the clear day.
It was hours later when a tiny spot of green appeared in the distance. For the second time that day her heart raced. "Thank you Little Brother." She half laughed as she pulled the ropes. It took four hours but finally she set one foot on the shifting white sand of the beach. She wrestled the dingy to the edge of the woods and climbed high into the tree's. From the top she could see the mountains and the forest but no smoke or suddenly startled birds. "No one. Why would you send me here Alex?" She asked quietly as she jumped from the tree.
She built a small lean-to, tho boat acting as the roof. A small fire cast shadows over the edge of her makeshift camp. However Luna was not inside her shelter, instead if one wanted to see her they would have to look up. Half hidden in the crook of a tree was her sleeping form. The sail wrapped around her in a sad attempt to keep the chill of the night away but every so often a shiver would rock her pale form. The moon, only a quarter full, shined down on her for only a few moments before the thick black clouds overtook it, a role of thunder so faint in the distance that it didn't reach her in the darkness of her dreams.
When morning came Luna wandered farther into the forests around her. Farther and farther she went until she had to resort to the tree's in an attempt to avoid the gnarled ivy that seemed to reach for her. Then in the distance something strange caught her eye. A wall of stone, decrepid and falling apart but obviously man-made. "So someone was here." She whispered to herself as she leapt from limb to limb. the wall was only the start of the old building and Luna couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. This place can't be less than a hundred years old...but its been visited within the last few months..." the leaves that should have laid scattered where disturbed and in one of the more stable of huts was a modern lantern that had been over turned.
She searched every building, careful of the sunken roofs and crumbling walls, finding nothing but an eerie emptiness. Then as she passed the last of the houses, one that had long ago given into an oak tree that twisted its was into the window and out the roof on the other side, her breath caught in her throat. A massive grave yard. The strong gray stones where worse off then the crumbling town, a labyrinth of weeds and grass. "This is horrible." She gasped as she dropped to sit in front of a headstone just to her left. One pale hand wiped the dirt from the surface and the carved words came to the surface and Luna stressed her eyes just a bit to see the faded letters. "Monalisa Rosa, our brave little girl. Aqualana lay you to rest."
shakily she stood. "No. That saying... what where Crystalians doing here?" she began looking frantically and though most of the graves where either to damaged or held a different prayer Luna knew the scripts of Crystalia very well. The dead were buried with a lotus flower so that they may fall into favor with the goddess of the sea, the priest lit a candle atop a bowl of sea water to encourage the spirit to search for the sea, and lastly the name of the Goddess herself was carved beneath your name in a simple prayer. There where at least eighteen Crystalians buried here and none of them where being respected.
"Is this why you led me here Little Brother?" She asked before she began to clear the graves. She was a disgraced Priestess, but she was still a Priestess and so she could not allow the departed to be left in such a way. Thorns sliced into her palms like razors but even as blood dripped down her hands she ignored it. She worked through the day until the last of the graves where finally free from there green confines. "This is still wrong." She sighed, her heart heavy. She made her way to shore and relit her small fire only to wade into the icy waters until the current licked at her waist. She sent a single small flame out on the waves using a small piece of driftwood.
"Goddess I pray you hear my call. The passed are calling to you. Guild them into your arms and shield them from the darkness that has kept them trapped for so very long. Forgive those who do not bear with them gifts for they not of our temple." she watched the flame drift farther and farther away until finally the sea swallowed the flickering light and the last of the smoke disappeared into the air. "And forgive me for all I have done against you, but seeing this horror, I cannot face him as I am. I swear to you Great Lady Aqualana, I will guard your children with all my power and one day I will stand before you proudly."
Luna didn't bother to dry herself off after her dip into the sea, there was no point anyway. The temperature was dropping lower by the minute and soon the frost would set in. She would need to lay as close to the fire to stay warm and with no other clothes it would be warmer with them than without. She gathered the few fruits that where within the moonlight and sat down only to jump when the cawing of a seagull startled her. "You startled me." she jokingly scolded the bird. "What are you doing here?" she asked offering the gentil creature a small chunk of mango that he happily took. Then the satchel attached to his side, previously hidden by his wing until he went to wipe the sweet mango juice from his beak, caught her eye.
"The Marines? You must be a messenger gull. Maybe you can help me." She reached up and grabbed the papers from his pouch. The gull swiped at her and she leapt back before making sure the envelopes where in sight. She tossed the sealed papers to the ground in front of it. "I just want to write a note. WIll you allow me that?" The seagull eyed her before it began repacking his bag and made a show of eating the rest of her mango. "haha thank you." she giggled before crushing some blue berries into ink and using the tip of her finger as a make shift pen.
"Dear Marine,
Forgive me for my rude behavior, I fear I have no other choice but to write you in this fashion. My name is Blade Luna, former guard of Crystalia and Priestess of the Temple of Aqualana. I wish to ask you for a position within your ranks. If you wish to speak I beg of you to find the deserted Island six days journey from Crystalia. I am un aware of the name but the ruins here speak of a century that no one has laid claim to this land. I await you reply.
Blade Luna"
She waved the paper in the air to dry the homemade ink then folded it and held it out to the seagull who eyed it with suspicion. With a caw he spread his wings, and Luna's soft smile fell. She turned her gaze to the sand and let her arm drop until it lay in front of her on the sand. "Nevermind, I guess it was too much to ask of you." She sighed. Then the soft tug of the paper being pulled from her hand had her snapping her head, only to see the bird in front of her stick the paper into its bag and fly away, the blue stained parchment hanging over the edge.
The arms tightened and the bird house crashed to the ground that was suddenly dyed red. "But you didn't save me. You weren't there." She grabbed his shoulders and held him away from her body, dropping to her knee's so she could peer into his suddenly glassy eyes. "Alex? What are you talking about? Alex?" A slow soft smile stretched across his face. "You let them hurt me. You weren't there." The front of his white shirt blossomed red. "I called for you." She frantically watched horrified as crimson began to drip from the corner of his mouth. "You did this."
She jerked back and looked up as three dark shapes appeared behind her precious brother. "You brought death to Crystalia." The oldest of the men, the one in the center, pointed one long finger at her. "What High Priest, Sir, please help. Alex is hurt. Please help him." The old man didn't move and instead his two companions seamed to glide forward. "There has never been a Priestess for this reason alone. You have doomed this land. Leave here and never return." She shook her head.
"What? No! This is my home, what about Alex? Father is too busy to see to him, he's only seven!" She grabbed the boy, who had fallen silent and still. His eyes hidden by his hair. "Last child of the noble family of Blade. You are never to return to this land. I pray you find peace before you meet your dear brother in the death." The men pried her arms from around her brother and began dragging her away. "Stop! Stop! Alex, please stop! Alex!" The High Priest lay a single hand on the boy's shoulder just as darkness crept around them. He lifted his head, the blood stain now covering his entire left side and his eyes set in a dead stare straight ahead, straight at her. "I called for you Big Sister."
Luna jerked up, the black sky suddenly a bright blue that melted almost seeming to the constantly moving sea beneath her. Her blue eyes scanning the endless horizon with half panicked eyes only to see the same thing she had seen for the last six days. Nothing but blue. As her heart slowly stopped its frantic beating she wrapped her arms around herself. "A nightmare, just a nightmare." She tried to tell herself but even a deaf man would know that her words where false. Memories slammed into her head one after another.
Tears gathered at the edge of her vision. "I'm sorry Alex. I'm so sorry." She whimpered to herself, ignoring the gust of wind that made the tiny sail on her dingy give a small snap. She'd lost everything simply because she'd been too late. With a deep breath she got up, only years of harsh training keeping her from falling over as the boat rocked on choppy waves. Moving to check the ropes that held tight the sail she didn't bother to check the small box that was supposed to hold food, there was only a bit left and no land in sight. "Guide me Little Brother, help me to save all I can, as I seek redemption for having failed you." She whispered into the clear day.
It was hours later when a tiny spot of green appeared in the distance. For the second time that day her heart raced. "Thank you Little Brother." She half laughed as she pulled the ropes. It took four hours but finally she set one foot on the shifting white sand of the beach. She wrestled the dingy to the edge of the woods and climbed high into the tree's. From the top she could see the mountains and the forest but no smoke or suddenly startled birds. "No one. Why would you send me here Alex?" She asked quietly as she jumped from the tree.
She built a small lean-to, tho boat acting as the roof. A small fire cast shadows over the edge of her makeshift camp. However Luna was not inside her shelter, instead if one wanted to see her they would have to look up. Half hidden in the crook of a tree was her sleeping form. The sail wrapped around her in a sad attempt to keep the chill of the night away but every so often a shiver would rock her pale form. The moon, only a quarter full, shined down on her for only a few moments before the thick black clouds overtook it, a role of thunder so faint in the distance that it didn't reach her in the darkness of her dreams.
When morning came Luna wandered farther into the forests around her. Farther and farther she went until she had to resort to the tree's in an attempt to avoid the gnarled ivy that seemed to reach for her. Then in the distance something strange caught her eye. A wall of stone, decrepid and falling apart but obviously man-made. "So someone was here." She whispered to herself as she leapt from limb to limb. the wall was only the start of the old building and Luna couldn't help the smile that spread across her face. This place can't be less than a hundred years old...but its been visited within the last few months..." the leaves that should have laid scattered where disturbed and in one of the more stable of huts was a modern lantern that had been over turned.
She searched every building, careful of the sunken roofs and crumbling walls, finding nothing but an eerie emptiness. Then as she passed the last of the houses, one that had long ago given into an oak tree that twisted its was into the window and out the roof on the other side, her breath caught in her throat. A massive grave yard. The strong gray stones where worse off then the crumbling town, a labyrinth of weeds and grass. "This is horrible." She gasped as she dropped to sit in front of a headstone just to her left. One pale hand wiped the dirt from the surface and the carved words came to the surface and Luna stressed her eyes just a bit to see the faded letters. "Monalisa Rosa, our brave little girl. Aqualana lay you to rest."
shakily she stood. "No. That saying... what where Crystalians doing here?" she began looking frantically and though most of the graves where either to damaged or held a different prayer Luna knew the scripts of Crystalia very well. The dead were buried with a lotus flower so that they may fall into favor with the goddess of the sea, the priest lit a candle atop a bowl of sea water to encourage the spirit to search for the sea, and lastly the name of the Goddess herself was carved beneath your name in a simple prayer. There where at least eighteen Crystalians buried here and none of them where being respected.
"Is this why you led me here Little Brother?" She asked before she began to clear the graves. She was a disgraced Priestess, but she was still a Priestess and so she could not allow the departed to be left in such a way. Thorns sliced into her palms like razors but even as blood dripped down her hands she ignored it. She worked through the day until the last of the graves where finally free from there green confines. "This is still wrong." She sighed, her heart heavy. She made her way to shore and relit her small fire only to wade into the icy waters until the current licked at her waist. She sent a single small flame out on the waves using a small piece of driftwood.
"Goddess I pray you hear my call. The passed are calling to you. Guild them into your arms and shield them from the darkness that has kept them trapped for so very long. Forgive those who do not bear with them gifts for they not of our temple." she watched the flame drift farther and farther away until finally the sea swallowed the flickering light and the last of the smoke disappeared into the air. "And forgive me for all I have done against you, but seeing this horror, I cannot face him as I am. I swear to you Great Lady Aqualana, I will guard your children with all my power and one day I will stand before you proudly."
Luna didn't bother to dry herself off after her dip into the sea, there was no point anyway. The temperature was dropping lower by the minute and soon the frost would set in. She would need to lay as close to the fire to stay warm and with no other clothes it would be warmer with them than without. She gathered the few fruits that where within the moonlight and sat down only to jump when the cawing of a seagull startled her. "You startled me." she jokingly scolded the bird. "What are you doing here?" she asked offering the gentil creature a small chunk of mango that he happily took. Then the satchel attached to his side, previously hidden by his wing until he went to wipe the sweet mango juice from his beak, caught her eye.
"The Marines? You must be a messenger gull. Maybe you can help me." She reached up and grabbed the papers from his pouch. The gull swiped at her and she leapt back before making sure the envelopes where in sight. She tossed the sealed papers to the ground in front of it. "I just want to write a note. WIll you allow me that?" The seagull eyed her before it began repacking his bag and made a show of eating the rest of her mango. "haha thank you." she giggled before crushing some blue berries into ink and using the tip of her finger as a make shift pen.
"Dear Marine,
Forgive me for my rude behavior, I fear I have no other choice but to write you in this fashion. My name is Blade Luna, former guard of Crystalia and Priestess of the Temple of Aqualana. I wish to ask you for a position within your ranks. If you wish to speak I beg of you to find the deserted Island six days journey from Crystalia. I am un aware of the name but the ruins here speak of a century that no one has laid claim to this land. I await you reply.
Blade Luna"
She waved the paper in the air to dry the homemade ink then folded it and held it out to the seagull who eyed it with suspicion. With a caw he spread his wings, and Luna's soft smile fell. She turned her gaze to the sand and let her arm drop until it lay in front of her on the sand. "Nevermind, I guess it was too much to ask of you." She sighed. Then the soft tug of the paper being pulled from her hand had her snapping her head, only to see the bird in front of her stick the paper into its bag and fly away, the blue stained parchment hanging over the edge.
