Authors note: I'm kind of nervous about writing this, because I'm not sure if it will be any good or not. It's kind of AU, with more of a darker feel to it I guess.
Tears Of ForeverChapter One
For my dreams I hold my lifeFor my wishes I behold my night
The truth at the end of time
Losing faith makes a crime
Nightwish – Sleeping Sun
Clouds in the distance were beginning to gather, as the young woman looked to the skies. The once warm day had quickly changed as a cold wind blew throughout the small town. The cool temperatures gust through the lone woman's hair, and prickled her skin, yet she seemed to stand unfazed by the temperature.
Pushing the long strands of auburn hair behind her shoulder, she continued to gaze out into the horizon at the emerald waters, rippling as it collided with the wind. She loved to watch the sea; it was one of those things that seemed to calm her mind whenever she felt troubled. The sea was the only comfort to her at the moment. Sometimes she wondered if when the time came for her to leave this world, her spirit would be carried away by the gentle waves of the water. Sometimes, she believed that thought, and it gave her a feeling of tranquillity inside.
This morning she had celebrated her eighteenth birthday. She had not been able to sleep the previous night, so instead she had watched the sun rise in the sky as the night had been replaced with the light of day. The day seemed to have passed by very slowly, she was not sure if she was happy or sad at that fact. A burning anxiety had been building up inside of her over the last few weeks, and today it would soon be over. It would all be over.
From behind her, she could hear footsteps approaching. The sounds stopped as she felt a presence behind her, and a hand rested on her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. She glanced over her shoulder briefly, to be faced with her father. He smiled down at her, trying to be brave, but even she could see the sadness within his eyes. Placing her hand on top of his, she forced a smile back. Stay brave, she told herself silently, trying to pull back the urges to hold him tightly while she cried. Don't let them worry.
"You should come inside now, Eve," he spoke with his eyes fixed on his daughter. "I wouldn't want you to catch a cold."
Eve smiled at hearing her fathers concern, and then turned back to watched the emerald sea beneath the darkening sky for a moment. "You shouldn't worry about me, Dad," she said softly, holding on tighter to his hand as she spoke. Releasing a sigh, she turned on her heels and followed her father inside their small home.
A small fire was lit by the walls, filling the room with a dim glow. In front of the fire sat a woman in an armchair, sowing some material. As Eve stepped closer, she could see that this was a dress. Her mother looked up at her with a smile, mirroring the same sadness she had seen in her father.
Eve watched as her mother turned back down to stitching the dress together, as she sat down on the floor near the fire, letting the heat emanating from it warm her skin. She had always loved to watch her mother hard at work, ever since she was a child. In a way, she felt kind of sad that she would never get to watch her again.
"It's almost done," her mother said, her gaze still concentrating on the dress as she made the last few stitches. Once the dress was done, she stood from her seat and motioned for Eve to stand next to her. Placing the dress against her body, her mother looked at her daughter, taking in every feature of this tranquil moment they were having together. The last.
"How does it look?" Eve said, observing her mothers features.
Her mothers eyes trailed up from the pale white material, and up to her daughter, "Maybe you should try it on," she spoke, a reluctant tone present in her voice "I want you to look your best for when the Mayor and priests come."
Eve nodded her head slightly, taking hold of the dress and feeling the soft textures on her fingertips. "Okay," she said quietly, before looking up at her mother. "When will they be coming?"
"In about half an hour," spoke up a male voice. Her father had been silently present at the back of the room. Watching his daughter and wife together. "Maybe sooner, I'm not entirely sure."
She watched her father shift around the room, playing with his hands like he did whenever he felt uncomfortable. "You should try on your dress. I'd love to see it on you," he quietly said after a moment of silence. He remained silent until she had left the room to put on the garment.
Upon her leaving, he turned to his wife seeing her seeming to collapse into the armchair. Walking towards his her, he placed an arm around her. "She's still here, Vallery," he said trying to comfort her, yet he knew that what he said wouldn't make any difference to the situation they were in.
"I know," she said releasing a sigh, "I just wish they didn't have to do this. She's never hurt anyone. Ever."
Vallery looked up at her husband, desperate for him to say something to put an end to all of this. Instead, the two stayed in silence, finding a little comfort in each other for the time being, until Eve approached back in the room wearing the dress. It was a long white garment that flowed to the ground, almost making it look like she was floating as she walked. Eve looked towards the mirror, seeing her reflection gazing back at her.
"You look beautiful," she heard her mother say from behind her.
She turned around away from the mirror to face her parents, both stood together with a smile on their faces. A forced smile, she thought to herself. "Thank you for making it for me," she said quietly whilst feeling awkward at the present time. After a short moment of silence, she looked down to the floor, a realisation growing inside of her. This is happening today. She played with her hands nervously, feeling unable to look her parents in the eye. "I'm a little scared," she spoke, almost feeling ashamed of admitting her fears.
Since she was six, she had known that it was her fate for her to leave them now. There was nothing that anyone could do about it. The last year seemed to have travelled so fast, she was not sure she was ready for all of this at the present time. She wasn't sure if she would ever be ready for this.
In the distance, she heard a loud knock on the door, not giving her parents a chance to make her feel better. For she already knew who it would be.
Looking up, she saw her parents glance at each other, both with a sad knowing look on their features, before her father went to answer the door. Upon seeing him do this, Eve took the opportunity to embrace her mother, as the tears began to well up in her eyes. Still, she tried to hold them back, for she didn't want to make this any worse for her parents than it already was.
A small feeling of security enveloped inside of her, as she felt her mother stroke her cheek tenderly. "It'll be alright," she repeatedly whispered "Don't be afraid." Hearing these words, Eve just felt worse. Although she would never want her parents to witness what was going to happen to her, in a way, she wanted her parents to be there to guide her. To make her feel at ease just before she left them. She knew that would never happen.
In the distance, she could hear her fathers voice speaking to another male. Leaving her mothers grasp, she looked over to see a man with dark hair stood by the door. Behind him, there were two other male figures, dressed in black robes with shaved heads. The black haired man studied Eve for a moment, before turning to her mother.
"I know this must be emotional for you all, but it's almost time," the man spoke. Eve recognised this man to be the Mayor of this small town. He had only been Mayor for two years, taking the job from his father after his retirement. His dark eyes studied the family for a moment before he spoke again. "I'll wait outside," he said turning towards the door to leave. "Come out when you're ready."
The sound of the door closing signalled a sudden rush of emotions through her, as she looked at both her parents. Her mother was the first to step towards her, the brave façade she had been wearing all day, had begin to fade as the tears began to well up in her eyes. She embraced her mother tightly one last time, as she heard the whimpers coming from the usually strong woman, which she had grown to look up to. This time it was her turn to try and comfort her, by telling her meaningless words in an attempt to make everything easier.
Vallery pulled away suddenly, feeling the need to take in every inch of her daughter's porcelain face. The last chance she would ever get to be with her daughter ever again. "Be brave," she said to her only daughter, kissing her on the cheek before letting her go to her father. She watched as he embraced her, cupping her chin gently like he used to do to her when she was a child.
Smiling up at her father, Eve wrapped her arms around him tightly, and then looked at both of her parents. "I love you both," she said, feeling a lump form in the back of her throat. "Take care."
Walking out of the door, she felt her parents follow her outside and into the darkening night. She stepped towards the Mayor who was looking at her expectantly. "I'm ready," she said quietly.
Upon hearing her speak, the Mayor gave a small nod and turned to his two companions. "Lets go," he called from over his shoulder. Watching the three begin to walk, Eve took one last glance at her parents. She saw the glittering tears reflecting off her mothers face in the moonlight, and it felt like it tore a part of her inside. She knew she shouldn't have looked back, standing between her parents and the Mayor with the two priests. She was stuck. Not sure whether to run back to her parents and beg for them not to take her away, or accept her fate and leave. Both possibilities would lead to the same ending. There was no choice in the situation, only a deep pain within her as she turned away and began following the priests. Never to look back at her family again.
Making her way out of the small town, many other families were stood outside their doors, watching her leave. Some of them bowed their heads as she walked past them in respect. She felt a little embarrassed, but diverted her attention, taking in the surroundings of her home. Eventually they exited the town, walking through the surroundings of the large grassy horizon. The journey was quiet, as she walked silently with the other three men. She guessed that there was nothing that could be said in this situation. A lighthearted conversation didn't really seem appropriate at this moment in time, she mused to herself. The current mood was serious; she was not sure how to act. So instead she stayed mute, not trying to draw any attention to herself.
Eventually, she saw a stone entrance to a shrine. Just the sight of it made her feel nauseous, and she could feel herself shaking, not really sure if it was from nerves or fear. Both feelings seemed evident inside her at the moment, and she had a feeling that they would only grow greater as they ventured further away from home.
The stone entranced had patterns carved into it, and as she approached it, she couldn't help noticing how beautiful it looked. Stepping through the entrance, she made her way down a cobble path, towards what seemed like an entrance to a cavern. Once inside, she felt overwhelmed by the sudden heat that blew in her face. The small path, which they walked on, was surrounded by hot crimson lava. Eve looked towards the stonewalls, seeing what seemed to be calligraphy written in a different language, engraved throughout the cavern.
She came to a sudden halt, as the priests ahead of her stopped abruptly, and turned to the Mayor who stood by her side. His eyes were fixed on many other priests that were already stood inside the cave. Waiting for her. The priests made a gap for her to walk through, and the Mayor gestured for her to go. Taking a few slow steps forward, they priests bowed down as she made her way past them and up a stair of rocky steps. Once at the top, she was faced with another priest. His elderly face observed her for a moment, and her eyes widened slightly as she saw a sword within his grasp.
He moved the sword from his side, placing the tip of the blade within the ground and bowed in front of her. "Hyne's descendant," his hoarse voice spoke as he bowed.
The Mayor could just see her form at the top of the high steps, a strange feeling within him. He had watched his father do this as a child, wanting to grow up like him. Now this was his job as Mayor, and he was no longer so certain if he could handle it. Seeing the girls figure disappearing beyond the steps, the Mayor had to turn away. The townspeople had accepted this as part of life now. Most of them had grown up with this tradition, deep down knowing that it was not right. He realised that the girl had only turned eighteen today. She should be enjoying her birthday with family and friends, what right did he have to take her away from all of that? What right did he have to do any of this?
Running a hand through his hair, he turned back to the priests singing a hymn as the ceremony took place. It was a holy ceremony, to show respect to the girl, but it was a torture. A torture for the girl whom would be next, as well as the girl taking part in the ceremony today. Hearing the voices rising, he suddenly felt ill. With haste, he made his way out of the building, not wanting to stay in there for a moment longer. The heat inside was becoming too much for him, along with the emotional stress. This isn't fair, he repeated to himself as he stood outside the shrine.
He let out a sigh as he looked up towards the night sky. Observing the stars, glowing above him. There was no point punishing himself for something he had grown up with. She wasn't the first, and he defiantly knew that she wouldn't be the last. It was a part of the town's history that was kept secret. It was the soul reason why they tried not to have any connections with other communities outside the town. This was Balamb. A small town, with the curse that should not be a burden to anyone else.
The Mayor shivered slightly within the cold night. In the distance, he could see lights laminating from the small town, and it seemed of little comfort to him. Just a little longer, he thought to himself, and then I can go back home. Even the simple thought sent shivers down his spine. What would that girl have been thinking for a comfort? She could not think of returning to her home with her parents.
His thoughts were distracted as the two priests stepped out of the cavern. Without the girl. He looked at them briefly, in silent admiration at how they did this as if it were nothing. He guessed that their faith was a lot stronger than his. Stopping his track of thoughts, he tried to focus back to a more formal manner. He nodded towards the two priests, stood patiently beside him, then made his way back into the small town.
Entering Balamb, a few of the townspeople were still stood outside, awaiting his return. He nodded towards them as he passed, trying not to make eye contact for too long as he saw the girl's parents stood in the cold. The Mayor felt he had to look away, as he heard the girl's mother crying. Her whimpers seeming to torture his senses.
Making his way through the town, he led the priests back to a small church where they departed and he was finally alone. Standing still for a minute, he realised he needed someone else beside him at this moment in time. There was nothing worse than being left alone at such a time, just like the girl. She had been pulled away from her parents, without getting much chance to say goodbye. How cold was it of him to barge in their home and take their daughter away?
Taking a brisk walk to his home, he saw his wife stood outside with a distant look on her face. Her empty gaze looked up towards him, as she heard his heavy footsteps approaching. "How did it go?" she asked.
The Mayor looked at her for a moment, unsure of how to answer. "It was a success," he said sadly, and became silent as he thought back to the last few moments with her. "It was horrible..." he whispered.
Feeling a hand touch his arm, he looked back up to his wife. "It's the way this town works," she spoke, sounding strangely emotionless. "Do you know who is next?"
He studied her eyes for a moment. She was usually so passionate and emotive; it seemed oddly strange that she was even asking such things. Before this night, they hadn't even spoken about the ceremony. They both knew what he needed to do, but he never brought up the subject because he knew she hated talking about such things. It just made him feel uneasy seeing her speak so emotionless about the topic.
"No," he replied, "We'll find out tomorrow, like what usually happens. We need to have the rest of this night in peace, to show respects to the girl."
He watched as his wife nodded slowly "You say respect the girl, but you don't even know her name," she said quietly, turning her back to him.
He stared at the back of her rigid position, wondering why she was acting so unusual. "What's wrong?" he asked, feeling worried about what had happened to her while she was away.
"I just want to know she's safe," the brown haired women spoke "I know it's selfish, but I want to make sure it's not her."
This time she turned back to him, with a desperate look on her features. "What do you mean?" he asked, ignoring the bad feeling that was rising within him. She stayed silent, her eyes fixed on the ground. "Please tell me," he said with a serious tone.
The Mayor watched as her eyes trailed back up towards him briefly, "You better look inside," she said slowly. Then her eyes rested back on the ground again, she closed them tightly hearing his footsteps making their way inside his home. Close them shut tightly, as if that would block her fears.
With curiosity, the man made his way inside his home. Then he stopped. His eyes looked back to his wife with fear. "No," he said sharply. "This can't happen," he shouted, looking back to the young child lying on the ground.
Authors note: It sucks, I know, but I'm hoping it will get better as the story continues and I will use FF8 characters next time. Please review, and flame me if you really must.
