Death's Mask Doesn't Cry
Prologue
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Hi, people! This story was based off a dream I had... I originally just wrote this to write something... but I have an idea for an actual story that could -gasp- go somewhere! xD Yes... more FE characters will eventually show up. n.n Well... hope you like it! Read and review, please! Love for you! nn
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It was midnight. Deep and heavy like velvet. It was suffocating almost. There was no light for the thick clouds smothered out her only light source, the moon. It left the night darker then any she could remember. Rain poured down on her in heavy sheets and the wind howled all around her, whipping her hair around her face. She was soaked through and her hair was plastered to her face, covering her eyes. She felt like he was trying to walk underwater, slowly and blindly. But she wasn't afraid for she knew the way to the witch's home well. She visited often enough to find her way there even in the worst of weathers and during the darkest nights.
A bony hand wrapped around her wrist and pulled her foreword through the night. The girl felt the suffocating grip of night slowly drop off as she entered a small cave. The hand led her over to a worn stool and sat her down.
The girl sat slumped over on the stool shivering while her eyes adjusted to the light. Her lids felt heavy like weights and her eyes were aching from straining them in the darkness. A skinny finger tapped her shoulder. The girl slowly uncurled and squinted behind her. An older woman stood beside her, holding out a clean set of clothes and a towel.
A warm voice gurgled around the girl's ears. It was thick, warm like honey. "Here you are, my dear. Go dry yourself off before you catch something." A crooked smile beamed down on the girl, an amiable almost laughing smile.
The girl's fuzzed mind was clearing and she looked at the friendly witch. She smiled back and took the clothes. Thanking the old woman, she quickly undressed, wrapped herself in the towel, and hung her dripping clothes over a chair. She dried off and slid into the soft, silk garb the witch had given her.
"You always did look pretty in blue, Oki." The honey thick voice mused. The witch curled her fingers around Oki's hair and combed her wiry fingers through it. The wet brown hair fell in clumps down her back, but as the witch's fingers worked through it it was soon dry and beautiful again. Her fingers worked fast and Oki's hair was quickly fashioned into a lovely bob of soft brown hair, a glimmering blue comb holding it in place.
When the witch finished, Oki turned around to thank her.
"Hanna, why do you spend such time making me pretty tonight? You know as soon as I return tomorrow they will steal the silk and rip out of beads and comb to sell and make profit. I don't want them to use your precious treasures for drinks and gambling!" Her eyes lowered and she began wringing her hands around the hem of the dress.
Hanna smiled and laughed, "Do not worry. For I have many treasures from back home. Oki needn't worry about them. But tell me, my darling, what dreams plague you tonight? What evils frighten thee?"
Oki stopped wringing her hands and looked up at the witch. She examined the older woman's thick amber hair and matching, glittering eyes. Her hair was in one long, fat braid down her back with jewels and pins sprinkled in it. Her face shone brightly and light seemed to seep out of every crease in her braid and garb. The jewels in her hair bounced and twinkled whenever she walked. The witch seemed unreal in her ever-flowing garments and always shining trinkets. It was this air of enchantment that had brought her the name witch. Hanna was for the most part ignored by the village. They were a superstitious bunch and had shunned her to a small cave out by a far off lake. But Oki wasn't afraid of her and often came to visit her. Usually she came on nights when her dreams haunted her and she wanted the old woman's comfort.
Oki' eyes misted over as she began to speak. Her voice dropped all emotion and she slumped over like a rag doll. She was in a trance-like state as her mind relived her dream.
"There was a man… with pitch-black hair… he sat me down at a table and told me to draw some cards…"
Hanna nodded, listening intently.
"There were several different piles. There were pictures on the cards… some were monsters and some were human-like… I picked some from every pile… like he told me… There were three that I remember. One was a girl with red armor. There was also a man who was very much like the girl. He had blue armor, but he had a cape and reminded me of a wolf. The third I drew-"
Oki's body suddenly shuddered violently and her hands gripped the chair harder.
"-was a phantom… like the grim reaper almost… The man told me to put two back because I had drawn too many… I put the man and the girl back because those were the ones that I drew last. The phantom card was mine now. Then the man… he told me… with those dark… endlessly dark eyes… to… to drain this person of their blood… and I did… I put my index and middle finger on their forehead and traced a line down their body... I could see the blood draining out of them… and I could feel their fear... they were terrified of me…"
Oki broke off and swayed in her seat. Hanna's brow furrowed. She kept her hands still in her lap but was biting her lower lip in concentration. She was trying to remember something…
"The blood was inside me now… I killed that person… the man… he gave me a mask and told me to put it on. The first part was a blue beak that I placed over my nose. It was small… as small as my nail… then I put the black mask over my face… it went no farther than the bridge of my nose… It was soft like fabric, but as soon as I put it on it hardened into a mask… the dream… it was death… I had become the phantom in the card I drew… I knew that the cards had chosen my path… and that it would be a lonely and miserable one… and that I could never cry… I was… death…"
Oki's body suddenly lurched violently in her chair. She hit the ground and her eyes rolled back into her head. Her hand went to her face, nails biting into her skin, and she screamed. Her body convulsed one last time, and then she was still.
Hanna bit into her knuckles trying to stifle a terrified scream. She stared at Oki with widened eyes, ears unbelieving. She shook he head. Once… twice… then she bolted from her chair and rushed into the back of the cave, scarves flapping behind her.
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End of prologue! n.n The more reviews I get - the faster ch.1 will appear. oO So review! w