The Forgotten Prayers

There exists good endings, such as that familiar story of Cinderella that you loved to hear when you were a child, where she finds her Prince Charming and lives 'happily ever after', becoming a loved princess and having her wishes come true. As for the step-sisters, either they found their own princes and their role in Cinderella's life is over, or they meet an unfortunate ever after.

But this has nothing to do with Cinderella and her picture-perfect story. This is where sadness and sorrow prevails. Where there are no hints of happiness, or the cliché 'happily ever after'.

May there be tears, may there be smiles, may there be confusion.

Perhaps someone can find an end to the never-ending misfortune. Perhaps, one day...

Inside a small bottle, maybe you'll find a message from the future, past or the present. Inside someone's heart, maybe you'll find love and honour.

Everything begins small, but overtime, everything will grow old, and wither away. Just like a human, just like a flower.

Every soul is reborn into something new, but something from the past is carried on. The soul, for one. There is always a story to tell, but no one is left to recount the great adventures.

It's a shame, really. There is nothing to laugh about, cry about or think about if you had no memories. Nothing.

You see, memories and emotions make up part of who you are, and even if you believe you have none, you do. But acknowledging your emotions is like opening Pandora's Box. One day, you'll understand...

The Forgotten Prayers of all those who wishes for a new future.


Segment 1: My Proof of Life-You

"The unspoken words are the most important."

He pranced around the ring, ebony hair fluttering as he jumped, and a number of laughs, cheers and claps echoed throughout the room. The jester bowed lowly, his amber eyes secretly glowering hatred at them.

Standing up straight again, he scuttled off the stage and immediately shook himself out of his colourful jester's outfit. Throwing it onto a crate at the side, he looked down at the floor, his broad jaw moving as he chewed on his lip.

"Raven." A toneless voice called, and the man turned towards the woman.

"Ara Haan." Raven said quietly.

"Have I not told you not to speak to me with my name? It is already disgraceful enough for me to be removed from my clan, and for it to be spoken by a man like you... heh." Her black hair swung over her shoulder as she leaned against a wall.

Raven chuckled, and Ara shot him a glare. "You are in no position to be finding this amusing. Do you not understand that under my command, your head can be severed at any given moment?" A sadistic smile grew on her face.

"I give no care for my life. I feel it is better for me to be dead, than to act as your tool."

Ara, having grown used to his comments, simply laughed.

"I see, then why don't you end your life, right here and now? Or are you afraid? You know, I am always here to kill you as well."

"Please. Suicide is a coward's way out." He turned his back to the woman, signalling the end of the conversation.

"Do you not remember our deal?" Ara took steps closer to the man, her candlelight eyes flashing with suppressed sadistic thoughts.

"..." Raven began to walk away, leaving the woman to shrug her shoulders and play with her blood-stained spear.

That sick woman...

Raven was now in the open, and Ara's words flooded his head.

'This is a curse, where your arm becomes a metallic and demonic being. Left untreated and you'll soon succumb to it... Well? If you work for me, perhaps I can lift that curse off of you...'

What was even worse about her, was the evil stare that burned through his eyes and into his heart. She saw what he wanted; to free himself from the curse.

However, with no leads as to how, he had no choice but to make the deal.

Sighing, he made his way round the the castle walls.

All that the nobles can do nowadays is just sit on their fat asses and eat away all their money. He thought bitterly, and sat himself down on the bench of the public garden.

There were hardly anybody around, only servants and maids tending to the flowers and cutting the grass.

The sky had cleared slightly, and sunlight managed to pick their way through the masses of clouds. It kissed his cheeks lightly, then everything else that surrounded him.

Raven, warmed by the sun, laid back against the chair and listened to the quiet songs of the birds.


"Oh Princess Rena, Princess Rena!" Said a confident girl. "Please, show us how you made your ears so long!" The girl began to laugh aloud, and Rena could simply stare in disgrace at her.

How rude... but... then again, it's always been like this.
"Hey, at least show little reaction rather than just stare at us like a creep." The girl continued, and her friends began snickering louder.

Rena simply stood there, feigning loss of interest.

"Tch, you're no fun. Oh well, see you later, long ears!"

The elf let out a sigh as the girls disappeared round a corner, probably to catch a few guys they call 'hot' and start having fun with them. She reached a hand to the back of her head, gently grabbed half a section of her hair and brought it over her shoulder, stroking it.

Even the maids made fun of her ears.

She was used to it though. She got this kind of treatment since she became adopted into the royal family, and was told to be treated like a princess. Oh, yeah, like that was how you treat a princess.

She didn't care though.

"Ah, Princess Rena." A deep voice said, and Rena turned her head round, smiling at the man.

"Penensio, good morning. What can I help you with?"

"There is a performance in the audience room, and the King and Queen wishes for you to watch it alongside them. That is, only if you can."

"I will make an exception today, as I don't often spend time with father and mother. Is it now?"

"Yes, please come this way." Penensio held out a hand, and Rena took it as they went down the hallway, passing elaborate, marbled doors. She was used to wearing heels, and had no trouble in walking at the same pace as the man.

They entered through door similar to the others, except this door had more intricate decorations, such as gold linings and flowers carefully outlined.

A room in the shape of a circle greeted them, and Penensio let go of her delicate hand.

"You are seated in the left wing, mi'lady. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a session to attend to. Please enjoy the show."

"Thank you, I shall."

Rena quietly made her way to the left-wing, where a few people had already seated themselves. Her feathered dress gently swayed as she sat herself down in a secluded area, and waited patiently.

"Move." A man glared down at her, and looked as though he was about to spit on her. On his forehead were crease lines, and to add with it, he had his eyebrows furrowed. His lips were curled in and his hair was left messy.

"Pardon me sir..." Rena said quietly, immediately giving up her seat and moving towards a different one. Murmurs and whispers occurred behind her, but she ignored them and sat herself down in another secluded area, closer to the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman!" A man dressed in an odd outfit walked onto the stage, bowing low. He wore a hat, consisting of three horns lazily draping off his head and each side of his outfit were dyed in different colours. She also noted the shoe he wore; curving upwards at the toe. Smudged on his face was red painting, and his eyes were wide with excitement. "I present to you, the best show you have ever seen! Please, keep your eyes peeled and look forward to our spectacular performance!"

Waving his arms, a cloud of smoke blew up, and a number of jesters entered, performing a series of black flips, brown eyes flashing with amusement and smiles wider than needed. A few people laughed at their moronic expression, and Rena's shoulders twitched upwards slightly as laughter began to fill the room.

Jesters were picking up small sack balls and tossed them in the air, creating impossible airborne patterns and catching them. A few applauded, and more sack balls were juggled into the air. A few began to sing in unison, their voices screeching as they attempted to reach high notes. More laughter.

Rena's voice was hushed, and she couldn't even manage a smile. She just simply stared at the jesters and ignored the whispers of old women as they passed gossip amongst themselves, or any handsome men that they had spotted in the audience.

A few more jesters tumbled their way onto the stage of chaotic humour. Suddenly, something caught Rena's interest. Among the black, dull eyes of many jesters, something flashed golden, with long, beautiful eyelashes curving upwards elegantly.

She squinted slightly, and a man with sun-kissed skin flew across the stage, performing cartwheels and front flips followed by back flips. His tall figure stood out from the rest of the jesters, and despite his silly outfit, he gave out a strange aura which Rena found intimidating but also rather...

Gentle.

At that moment, she swore that his gaze had shifted towards her. Bold and challenging, but beautiful and flickering fire. That was how she would describe his eyes.

Looking away for a brief two seconds, she peered at him from the corner of her eye, and saw that he had turned his head away, walking off after giving a deep bow, barely out of breath despite having practically flown through the air just a minute ago.

Only when the amber-eyed man had left the stage that Rena realised she had been captivated by him... by his mysterious aura.


Rena sat under the protection of the forest. She felt close attachments to nature, and would always come here whenever she couldn't handle it anymore.

Wiping a few tears that some how made their way down her cheeks, she found herself overflowing with tears again. Her beautiful hair cascaded down her back and along her dress, decorated with feathers and ornaments.

Laughter was something she could never tolerate.

It is something that would flash her mind back to those teases and snickers of humans.

How cruel they could be. Their minds were clear of any innocent thoughts. Instead of thinking of freshly baked bread and sweets, they think of tasty meat, something Rena never liked to eat. Instead of running to their mothers for cuddles, they are running around either naked or drinking alcohol.

She gave out a quiet sob, and held a hand over her cherry lips, trying to hold it in.

Perhaps humans have given her nothing but tears. Perhaps humans have given her nothing but insults. But she should be much stronger than this.

Her mind wandered to the jester from the circus. He probably was no better than any other human she had ever encountered, save for her stepmother, stepfather and Penensio.

As her tears subsided, she brushed away any tear stains and attempted a smile.

No good. She tried again.

Instead of smiling, her lips would waver and something wet would tap at her cheeks again.

In the past, she was always able to smile without difficulty, feigning her happiness, when, as a matter of fact, her soul was about to break down from the effort.

Suddenly, the crunches of grass came from behind and Rena stiffened. She quickly whipped at the hot liquid and turned around, deep emerald eyes meeting sharp buttercup orbs.

Recognising the man, she jumped back slightly, surprised by his sudden appearance.

The jester before her looked much more handsome now that he had changed out of his outfit.

Rather than his multi-coloured hat, his head was clad in ebony hair, spiking gracefully and his eyes shrouded mysteriously by the dark wisps, with a patch of snowy hair sweeping across the right side of his face.

"You... are you crying?" The man crouched down, keeping a fair distance from her.

"Of course not. How did you find me?" Rena said slowly, and managed a smile.

"I was merely taking a walk through these woods, until I found you. What are you doing here?" She lowered her head, her chartreuse hair falling above her red-rimmed eyes with her smile still intact and readying for the worst.

"This forest calms my heart when I am in a state of confusion. Plus, it gives me some time alone, since this forest is so dense. But somehow, I can always find my way back..." She stopped abruptly, and the jester tilted his head. "Home."

She placed emphasis in the word 'home' unconsciously. The man shuffled off his kneeling position and sat down next to the elf, who hid her ears.

"Um..."

"What is it?" He sensed her hesitation.

"Do you not find me odd? I mean... these ears, don't they seem strange to you?"

"No. Why would I think that?"

Rena hesitated again, bringing her knees up to her abundant chest.

"You see, everyone makes fun of me because of my ears. Oh, that reminds me... you were really amazing on the stage. It was just amazing watching you do those acrobats."

"Thanks... Does that mean you are a princess?"

"Yes."

"I see... why did you think I would tease you as well?"

"My stepsisters have always pointed out my flaws, saying I was ugly, especially with these ears. They even spread rumours about me, and now even my maids have a fun time laughing at me."

"Is that so..." He said carefully, keeping his voice low. "You know, you and I are not so different." Rena looked up at him, and found his eyes staring straight into hers.

"W-what makes you say that?" She turned her head away quickly.

"I cannot tell you much, and I apologise for that."

"Ah, it is fine, I shouldn't dig too deep into your life story."

"Not that I mind. The only obstacle is a pact that I am bound to. "

Rena stood up suddenly, and the jester jerked his head up to look at her.

"I'm sorry, I have to leave." She said, hints of panic in her voice, and she took steps to leave.

"Wait." A warm hand closed around her petite wrist, and she turned around, tints of pink flashing on her cheeks. Her eyes kept wondering to a certain tree, and she attempted to loosen the grip the jester had on her wrist. "You haven't told me your name yet. My name is Raven, and be sure to remember it."

"I am...-" Suddenly, she was grabbed from behind and pulled out of the reach of Raven.

"Mister, this is the man! He was about to harass the Princess!" A girl clad in an over sized amethyst coat jumped up and down, acting innocent, her finger pointed rudely at Raven. She held a wand in her hand, and her pigtails whipped around the back of her head. The jester glared at the man who had a smirk across his face, knowing Rena couldn't catch sight of it.

"No one touches the Princess... especially not someone of low-class like you."

"So, you were hiding behind that tree, were you? How pitiful, not even knowing how to perform a correct ambush."

"You wouldn't attack me, not while I have the Princess." The stranger saw straight through the jester, who gritted his teeth. The young girl, around thirteen-years-old, waved her staff expertly, and couldn't help but grin as she binded the Princess to the ground.

"Hehe~ Stay still for a while, 'kay?" She giggled and sat next to the stilled princess.

The man who had pulled the Princess away readied his fist, and smirked at the jester.

"Prepare to die."

"Wait mister! You shouldn't kill him! He'll be a wonderful tool to me." The girl called, and went to giggling again.

"Pfft, how important is he?"

"Teehee~ You'll see! Soon enough..." The girl in pigtails' giggle turned into a low chuckle, which Raven found disturbing.

"Whatever..." The man lowered his fist, and snapped his finger instead.

"Got it. Time to send you to sleep, Mister Jester!" The girl jumped up and waved her wand in a crescent shape above her head, and clusters of glitter emerged from it.

Suddenly, Raven felt weak, and his legs began to buckle underneath him. His eyes began to close slowly but he still fought to stay conscious. Reaching out a hand to the Princess, who had fell unconscious due to the strong spell, he finally slumped down on the floor.

The man threw the chartreuse-haired girl on to his shoulder, and the girl trotted after him, giving no glances to the jester on the ground.

A silhouette emerged from behind a tree, a dark aura surrounding it menacingly. In its hand was a orb of condensed energy, with an image of Raven upon it. It mirrored the movements of the jester, and suddenly whips of darkness materialised from the foreboding, orange orb. The silhouette moved forward towards the man.

"Pitiful."


Jade green eyes snapped open, and followed it was a great deal of rustling.

Where am I?! All she could remember was a girl with her staff, a man's arm dragging her away, and...

Raven.

How did she end up here? Where was Raven? What exactly happened?

"It seems you are awake. You have been asleep for almost a week." A voice sent her back to reality, and she peered around the fuzzy room, searching for the voice. She spotted Penensio sitting on a chair on the other end of the room, a thick book in hand.

"Penensio? What happened to me?" Rena asked quickly, and Penensio closed his book shut, looking meaningfully at the elf.

"You were brought in by two travelers who found you on the ground, unconscious."

Rena knew this wasn't all, but she could simply fit the puzzles together. Swinging herself out of bed, Penensio set the book back to its original place on the bookshelf and left the room.

Go to the lake.


"Seems like you were saved by me once again." A womanly voice said.

"Shut up. I didn't need you to save me..." Raven snapped back, growling lowly.

"If I didn't you would've been eaten by some kind of monster, and nobody would want that, right?"

"Nobody even cares if I'm still alive or not. Now, leave me alone." The jester picked himself off the makeshift bed, his eyes glancing down at his left arm.

"But you still want that curse gone." Ara hummed, reading his mind which earned her a scowl. She ignored it.

Raven hurriedly left the room Ara placed him in during his coma.

That girl sure has some scary magic. I still can't believe she managed to knock me out for a whole week.

As he paced around the castle halls, a voice suddenly rung in his head. It ran a sharp pain through his skull, and he had to lean against a wall for support while clutching his head.

Go to the lake. She awaits you.

The voice was soon stilled, and he managed to regain his balance.

The lake?

Ruffling his hair, he swiftly left the castle behind him and felt as though a hand led him towards the lake. What was so important about the person who awaits him?

Crossing paths with people and finally reaching the forest, he spotted something was different. What was this mist?

The sky was completely completely covered in clouds, as they it was about to cry.

Now running, he dodged sharp tree branches, jumped over any tree roots and dashed through every bush that was in sight. Obtaining a few scratches here and there, he was nearing the lake. He could feel it.

The mist dissipated. The path he followed was now clear, and he felt as though nothing would stop him. Running through one last bush of leaves, he stood there, breathless.

There stood an elegant figure, with her back facing Raven. Her chartreuse ran down her back in a sheen of perfection, and it would always fall back in place when the wind danced with it.

Her winged dress, with no hints of wrinkles or creases, gave her the figure of a fallen angel.

The figure turned away from the lake, staring her emerald eyes into him.

Her porcelain skin, pale but tinted a shade of strawberry while her cherry lips curved into a bright and gentle smile.

"Raven." Her sweet voice said.

The sky above was now devoid of clouds.

Cautiously, he took large steps to the elf. The lake was now a mirror for the sun to look into, and it was enough to blind him slightly from the beauty before him.

"Will I be able to see you again, just like now?" She said quietly.

"...Yeah." He answered, equally quiet.

They were now silent, their eyes staring into the lake. Raven could suddenly feel Rena's stare on him, and his heart skipped a beat.

"Please, tell me about yourself."

"Me? Well, my name is... Rena."


A dark spirit orb floated in the hands of Ara. She has watched Raven and Rena via this menacing ball of energy for the last two weeks. They two seem to have caught her interest, and now she has done nothing else but watch what they do.

I wonder how this will end? I'm intrigued to know... But I must be patient... Ara itched to see the result of the curse as well, but it was hard suppressing those sadistic thoughts.

Rena and Raven, on the other hand, grew to know each other further, always meeting at the same lake.

"That's your wish?" Rena asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah. D'you think it's weird?"

"No, just... unique."

"Personally, I think having unique wishes aren't too bad."

"If you say so~" She said playfully, and played with a piece of his white hair. "Your hair is growing a bit long."

"It's fine, if I cut it, it won't be good for my performances."

"Well, you are the expert on that. But you wouldn't want to end up looking like a girl, right?"

"Never." Raven said firmly, and Rena chuckled lightly.

"I have to go back now, before Penensio shouts at me again." Raven suddenly winced, and Rena blinked. "Are you alright?"

"Ung... Huh? Yeah, I'm fine. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yes. See you tomorrow." Leaving the jester alone, Rena glanced back once, her face written with worry.

Raven clutched his cursed arm, and gritted his teeth.

It didn't usually hurt this much. His head began to pulse with pain as well as his arm, and the lake before him grew blurry, until it became a mist of the unknown.

W-what is... this pain...?

"Penensio, I have returned." Rena spoke up to the man who stood in front of her door.

"Welcome back Princess Rena. I see you have returned safely." His voice contained relief, and the elf couldn't help but smile.

"I am sorry for making you worry. I will be resting for tonight." Nodding, Penensio left her.


"Are you sure it's time?" A man asked.

"Yep~ The curse I placed upon that jester and play tool of mine is working just fine, and it's almost complete~"

"Heh, you haven't changed have you Aisha?" Ara smirked, the spirit orb in her hand reflecting the events between Raven and Rena.

"And I never will! Wow, I can't believe that you actually agreed to help me with this though Ara~ Well, anyways, I've managed to speak to their minds to get them together the best I can! So, not all the credit goes to you Ara~! Man, you don't know how much magic it takes just to put my voices into them!"

"Well I never said it was, but I am looking forward to what's going to happen next." The two laughed, with the man frowning ever so slightly.

In the next world, perhaps... they'll lead a fortunate life.


By the time Rena had arrived at the lake, Raven had already sat there, waiting for her. Sneaking up behind him, she noticed he had his head in his hands and a pained expression on his face.

"Raven? Are you alright?!" She immediately ran up to him, and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Rena... W-w-what a-are you doing h-here...?" He said slowly, as though getting the words out was difficult.

"Don't you remember? We agreed to see each other today..." Rena trailed off when the glow in his beautiful eyes were gone, and his face had grown malicious.

"I-I..." He closed his darkened eyes, and buried his sun kissed face into his right hand. "What is wrong with me?"

The Princess sat down next to him, just like she usually does, hand still on his shoulder and looking into his face worriedly. She daren't speak, and instead waited for him to speak.

"Who... am I?" Raven said, staring dully into his hand.

Rena's eyes widened at this, and all she could do was stare. She never expected these words.

"Raven... you-"

"Who are you?" His voice became flat, and his glare was intense.

All she could do was cover her mouth with her hand, and let tears trail down her cheeks. He was no longer the Raven she knew. What had happened to him over the night? She removed her hand from his broad shoulders, and closed her eyes.

Run wild!

Raven's lips twitched upon hearing the insane voice ring in his head. He smirked at the elf beside him, and brandished a sword that she hadn't noticed was at his side.

He stood up, swaying from left and right, his smirk widening as his crazed eyes darted from place to place. Anywhere but the figure of Rena. She stood up as well, tears staining her red cheeks. She wiped them away quickly before continuously calling out his name, but he wouldn't wake up.

Raven raised his blade, and stared at it amusingly. In his eyes were only blood, corpses and limbs spread throughout his feet.

The elf began to shake his strong body, but he would only start to swing his weapon at the air. His movements grew wild, and Rena pulled him into her gentle arms to suppress him. He struggled, and let out an enraged roar attempting to punch away the 'chains' that restrained him.

The tears could no longer be held in. But she no longer cared.

Suddenly, something cold ran through her body, and only numbness. Her arms didn't fail her though, and she continued to hold the jester in her arms. The man who acted like a child, throwing a tantrum.

He unexpectedly stopped.

"Rena...?" Raven drawl was against her ear, and his warm breath brushed against her neck.

"...Yes?" She said weakly, the power in her being drained. A hot liquid touched her skin and stained her green dress an hideous colour of blood.

"Did I... do this to you?" He looked down at the blade that was embedded into Rena's abdomen.

"It's alright." She breathed, mustering all the strength she had to pull the blade out with one hand. Latching onto Raven's strong shoulder, she felt light-headed, and felt air rush through her exposed back as she fell.

Arms enclosed her waist, and she felt herself, though faintly, being placed against a warm chest. She could hear a heartbeat, pulsating quickly.

The world around her began to fade into a bright light, and all she that she could see now was Raven.

"Goodbye... Raven..."

No answer came. Rena smiled, and the image of Raven began to smile as well.

Bdmp. Bdmp.. Bdmp... ...

Raven took a sharp intake of breath, and let out a yell, filled with sorrow and pain.

He embraced her tighter, trying to find the warmth he had never been able to hold onto, trying to find her sweet voice against his ear. Burying his face into her soft threads of hair, he sobbed into it, trying to ignore the pain in his head and arm, as well as the stinging agony in his heart.

Letting her limp body go slightly so he could see her peaceful, smiling face. He caressed her soft cheek, and pinched it a few times. If only she would react, with her pouting face and honey-sweet laugh.

"It's too late now. I can't tell you now..."

Picking her up into his arms, he held her dearly, scared that she'll break easily. Scared that she'll die again.

He walked towards the lake, and stared into Rena's face one more time, before sinking into the bottom of the sea of their memories.


Sometimes, if you follow a kind voice through the forest, you'll find a place similar to what you would call 'heaven'. There, you will find the bodies of two, who, despite their wishes, are torn apart. The cruelty of humanity acted as the threshold of their cursed fate.

The prayers of the jester reached the ears of destiny, and now their bodies rest in their world, where the flowers represent his every prayer.

Her head, rested against his motionless chest, his strong arms wrapped around as a serene smile remains on her features. For eternity.

"I wish... for the world to smile upon you, Rena."

"I love you."