Prologue
“This soul of mine feels… Heavy,”-
The moon hovered brightly above us. Bathing the grassy meadow in a majestic ray of light that gleamed off her chestnut brown skin and golden accessories. Warm wind brushed past my ears as I knelt, stunned by the thick atmosphere of aura radiating from her.
“My dear”, she murmured, caressing my face with her velvet palm. “To explain an answer that can satisfy your comprehension would cause you to crumble into yourself.”
Her soft, tired voice had an ominously commanding tone.
“W-what,” I replied, my body grew uncomfortably tight.
Her cold maroon eyes sparkled more than the night sky, trapping me in her enchantment.
I took a dry gulp, straining my neck to pull the muscles.
“How flattering! In absence of your truth, I assume your guide is my will,” she tiredly murmured, curving her plump lips into a smile.
I reached for her hand, failing to touch before she pulled away.
She giggled, “Careful weak fool of night, if one touch should fall before I claim you worthy, your journey may shatter upon you.” Her innocent expression gave me a sense of safety.
I sprang to my feet, towering over her 5-foot 4 frame. “Why are you talking like that.” My body felt heavier than my armor.
In a swift motion she grabbed my wrist and snatched it in the air, prompting me to pull back.
“Still,” she commanded. Her words cut through the air, making a translucent stream that dispersed around my body.
My heart skipped, sending a chill down my spine and knotting my stomach as the word echoed in my head.
“What’s*Still*, wrong with me *Still*!?”
Levitating 7 inches to match my height, she continued raising my arm. The pauldron fastened to my shoulders burst into a flurry of embers, falling to the ground in a cloud of ash and exposing my torso.
“Why can’t*Still*, I move!?”
She gazed at me, blatantly unimpressed. The air around us vibrated as she leaned closer, finally releasing my arm.
My chest tightly twitched, only allowing small and unsatisfying breaths.
“You... may be a twist of favor in my fortune,” she murmured, scanning me whilst dragging her hand across my chest.
Her soft skin sent an overwhelming heat through my body that subsided into a deep chill.
“However, mortals do prove to be... Precarious.” Swaying to the side, she slowly circled, occasionally squeezing as she crept out of my sight.
“What’s this feeling?”
“Conflicting indeed...”
I took a slight step back, stopping as the muscles in my legs tightened. “*Still!*”
“Unrestrained already?!” Regaining her smile, she fell to the ground. A dim light emitted from the small, octagon shaped gem embedded in her forehead.
“Who is she,” I thought, captivated by its glow.
“Such a shallow peak shouldn’t exhaust,” she murmured, leaning closer to me. She propped her feet up to increase her height, placing the tips of her warm fingers on my chest to balance.
“Wasn’t she just flying…”
The center of my forehead felt as if it spread open, somehow giving me a sense of total peace. Brushing my fingers across its smooth, maroon surface, I circled the borders. The skin around it slightly sank as I gently pushed down.
“It’s real!?” “I was sure this was for decoration.”
Her body quivered. “Indecorous,” she screamed, covering her blushed face.
Pulling my hand away, I gingerly reached for her soft hair. “She’s just a...”
In an instant she grabbed my wrist, squeezing until the bones cracked against each other.
My eyes widened, welling as I clinched my teeth together. Impulsively cocking back, I punched her forehead. She stared, unmoved as the warm, numb feeling of impact set in.
Her eyes squinted into a scowl and her jaw tightened.
“Wait,” I yelled, unsuccessfully pulling my arm away.
“Tragic less, this mishap may serve a grander purpose in wake of my own,” she said. Her tired voice elevated to a sinister tone.
“I need to run!”
She balled her fist, striking me into a daze before letting me go.
My left eye swelled completely shut. Turning around, I stumbled to my knee. “Did she hit me...”
“Trial or death,” she asked, sliding her hands from my neck to my waist, embracing me.
“Is this a dream?”
“Your thoughts plague you of mis-telling.” Her skin vigorously vibrated, harshly rattling everything she touched.
My breathing got heavier. “What is she talking about!?”
Breaking free, I ran into the dark forest of trees, following the moon lit path along it. My hand doubled in size.
“What is this,” I thought, overwhelmed by the sickening heat spreading from my head to my chest. “I can’t fight back!”
“Respond,” she shrieked.
“How did I get here,” I thought, looking back.
Her long, dark brown curly hair flowed like a cape behind her as she pursued me.
The sight of her made my chest hollow. “She’s faster than me?!”
Trees covered the moonlight above, occasionally allowing rays to leak through along the path. Wildlife surrounding the area scattered as I maneuvered through a cluster of shrubs.
I slowed down. “Wait… where?”
“Stop,” she calmly exhaled.
Taking another step, my foot planted to the ground refusing to pull up. “*Stop!* This again?!”
Her leg firmly connected with my rib cage, letting off a dry snap before launching me into the surrounding void of shadows.
“Why did I stop?!”
I looked back, maneuvering my hips, and quickly following with my arms to face her direction. The soles of my shoes frayed as I slid, carried by the momentum. Muted snaps from my ribs shifting accompanied the pain as I tried to stand.
Quickly striding across the space between us, she looked down on me. “Grovel… and I may reach pity,” she demanded, elegantly pointing her index finger to the ground.
“Grovel? *Grovel!*”
*Sitting on my knees and placing my forehead to the ground, I eagerly anticipated her foot to press me further down.*
In an instant, I was returned to my normal position. “What just…”
“Or die as you are,” she announced impatiently, insistently keeping her finger pointed.
“Do I do it…” My heart jumped out of my chest, blurring my vision with its tempo. “What if she still decides to kill me…”
“Farewell, may trial be your undoing, though I hoped your salvation, this will serve as punishment,” she said, her cold eyes stared into mine.
”Is this real!?”
“Yes,” she answered in a smug tone.
Dropping to my knees, I put my forehead to the ground, instantly returning to my original position as I completed the process.
She squared her stance and lined her knuckles with my sternum. Sliding her right leg back, she smiled.
“What happened! I just did it!” I repeated the process, instantly being brought back to my original stance with each completion. “Is she doing this?!”
“Choice is truly a terrible option itself, one wrong and consequence won’t spare even the weakest… or strongest among us.”
“How did I get here!?”
“Pity memory slips, or only my face can haunt you for the misdeed,” she continued, bringing her arm back.
“If I can touch that gem again, I can run,” I thought, gritting my teeth.
My chest welled with pressure, pushing the remaining oxygen from my lungs.
“Oh my, such fragile discipline,” she snickered, struggling to pull her hand from my chest.
“When did she move?!” I could feel her hand slowly moving, shifting the fragments. “What can I do!?”
Blood filled my throat, shooting out my mouth and nose.
“One more,” a thought screamed. I forced as much energy as I could into my fist, creating a thick blue film around it. “This is everything I have left!”
I weakly swung my hand towards the gem on her head, hopelessly missing her as she leaned away.
She quickly ripped her hand away, curiously watching my heartbeat in her palm.
“There has to be something I can do…”
“Persistent but unchanging of fate, once something is decided we fall through either side the same-,” she ranted, carefully placing it back.
The blue energy dissipated as my arm dropped.
“-physically nothing can save us,” she continued, dragging her bloody thumb across her bottom lip, and using her tongue to clean it.
The blood from my chest warmed my cold body as it poured down my leg. I collapsed as darkness swallowed my vision, taking me in its space and allowing me to float.
#
A small tremor shook the abyss I lay in.
“Hey,” a faint female voice called out, echoing to the back of my head.
My senses were flustered and overwhelmed with sensitivity.
Another tremor rocked me.
“Hey,” she called again.
Her alto voice was lively and confident with a cool relaxed tone.
“Hmm,” I grunted, inhaling the thick humid air.
“Can you move?”
My body was tightly locked to the ground only leaving my left arm and leg free. I opened my eyes.
