Thank you readers for taking an interest in reading T-M-T-E-T-S. Remember to Read and Review :3
THE MOON THAT EMBRACES THE SUN
Prologue
The Night the Moon was Conceived
"Eva," A deep, baritone voice called out within the recesses of her waking consciousness. "Mater Carissima, Eva."
Morganite eyes blinked once.
Twice.
Distant hums, like those of Gregorian hymns, reverberated within the ancient Gothic Cathedral. Glancing at her surroundings, the blonde attempted to restore her blurred vision within the opaque light of the building. However, she found it difficult when there was hardly anything to see - her eyes having been blinded by the dark environment for too long. After a few more attempts, she finally succeeded and realized that she was indeed in a Monastery of sorts - as she had first presumed by the chants echoing through the hallowed halls - long abandoned by any who had once affiliated themselves with the sacred edifice.
Paying close attention to detail, she found herself entranced by the unearthly beauty of the hallow palace.
Stone columns, chiseled to perfection, held years of archaic architecture through their large frames as they raised hundreds of marbled pillars, heavenward. Stained glass windows - colored by vibrant hues of red, blue, white, green, purple, and black - narrated tales of Biblical times (many of whom she could still recite), as their grand images lay overshadowed by the clouded night. The marbled floor, in which she lay, reflected the flickering candlelight of the glims surrounding her - like jewels beneath the earth.
However, it was strange that within such vast space, she could only see six glims - all of which surrounded her outstretched body:
Two on the right.
Two on the left.
One above her head.
One beneath her feet.
Perplexed by the unfamiliar surroundings, and even more so, by the sensation of fear washing over her, the blonde tried to recollect the last memory she had before waking:
Standing outside the balcony of her Victorian-styled bedroom, she faced the large, iridescent crescent floating amidst a sea of stars. Her white, silky, nightgown billowed against the cold, night breeze, as she stood there - contemplating - on the way her life had take such a turn, when suddenly...
From that point onward, there was a large, vague, gap in her memory. It was as if she had forgotten everything that had occurred in the context of her falling asleep that night, and waking to this.
Out of nowhere, a jolting pain seized control of her body, causing her muscles to spasm uncontrollably, as she arched her back against the ground - allowing her to sense, for the first time since awakening, the frigid marble beneath her semi-covered skin.
Attempting to stand from her peculiar position, the morganite-eyed female was blatantly surprised when she heard the distinct sound of metal dragging against gelid stone. No sooner did the sound echo against the stone walls of the vast edifice, did she feel her ascent abruptly stopped by an unexpected yank against her wrists. Falling backward, unceremoniously, she felt the heavy metal 'clank' against the marbled ground.
The blonde blanched.
This couldn't be!
Metal chains bound her legs and arms in solid cuffs - spreading her body in a star-like position. The metal continuously 'clanked' against the frigid ground as she flailed her body in growing alarm.
Where was she? How had she gotten here? Why was she here; and bound like an animal, no less?
More importantly...
'Where are they?'
"Eva"
The chanting voices in the background stopped; silencing all at once in perfect synchrony as the last of the sopranos' voice died down in a distant echo. She watched in fear as the small flame of the surrounding candles blew toward her before returning to their upright, coruscating, position.
"Eva," The same voice as that of her dream spoke closer than ever; its deep, rich, velvet tone rumbled against all corners of the medieval structure - like thunder over a cloudless sky. He, once again, repeated the name, before the echo finally died off against the antiquated stone. "Vos habet excitatus, Mater in primo genere."
The blonde jumped away, as far as the chains allowed her to, as a man - as beautiful as Michelangelo's"David" - stared at her with intense, silver eyes. His hair, a shade of black rivaling the sable night, was slanted slightly over his shoulder in a clean and consistent braid.
An air of ancient nobility hung about him, demanding attention to all who saw.
"Mulier Divinae, Progenitor de gente, vobis autem salutis nostrae!"
She felt a burning sensation at the center of her chest as his hand abruptly reached out to touch her.
"No..." She squirmed, attempting to move further away from his touch.
"Eva," he chastised, as if speaking to a misbehaving child, "Pretiosa quae Dei filia, Eva." His hand grasped a strand of flaxen blonde hair, and placed a gentle kiss upon it, much to the female's chagrin. "Expectavimus progeniem caeli, et vos venit habet - tandem!"
Six figures, cloaked in garnet-red robes - chanting the hymns of prayer - appeared from the darkness of the building, like shadows off the wall.
The musical sound of their voices echoed like a crescendo rumble across every corner of the large edifice. However, something about the prayers sounded different from what she remembered them to originally be.
These hymns were darker, in both tone and lyric. It felt like she was listening to a song of lament rather than praise; and if it was of praise, it was in no way meant for the God she believed in.
She audibly gulped when the words rung against her eardrum.
It wasn't a song of worship, but of sacrificial tribute.
One of the figures, robed in pure white - a crown of golden thorns atop his mantle-cloaked head - approached the man. The patrician male excused himself from the bound girl, with a genteel bow, and retreated alongside the oddly dressed figure into the shadowed darkness of the cathedral.
Mentally and physically exhausted, the morganite-eyed blonde stared at the flickering candles to her side. At this moment, the soft glow of the candlelight provided little to no comfort at all, as the flickering light cast a somber shadow over her sprawled form. Somehow, she had the strangest suspicion that they weren't exactly placed there for her own benefit.
A single ray of moonlight reached her outstretched hand, briefly, before dimly lit darkness prevailed once more. Her mind reeled over the situation she found herself in.
Whatever had occurred between the allotted time, must have gone unnoticed by the brothers. In fact, it seemed to her like these people - though possibly of the same kind as they - had no connection with the boys she lived with; and if they did...
It could not be, in any way, a favorable relationship.
But if that were the case, why had they not bothered to come looking for her?
"How can they? I was only ever considered their food...yet, I-..." Moonlight fully invaded the inside of the grand monastery, alighting the darkness surrounding her.
Curious to see what the building was like - somewhat seeking comfort within the hallowed palace she grew up worshiping in as a child - she looked up at the crystalline orb shining through a rounded hole above a hexagonal-shaped dome; spreading a blue light amidst every darkened corner, painted wall, and multi-colored window.
The blonde released a horrified gasp upon sight.
What had been formed on walls and windows were stories of Biblical times, that much was true, however, they were in no way the Biblical tales she had thought them to be.
The stained glass portrayed in sequence, from left to right, blasphemous ideals and sacrilegious unions. Things that were heavily abnegated, to remotely fathom - let alone attempt, by the Church.
What was painted on the six pointed dome, above her, was even worse. She vaguely recalled the image, or at least the original piece (within the History Books and Art Appreciation Binders of the School Library) as that of Renaissance quality. The image had always been something she longed to see; and which, at one point, wished to visit after graduating high school.
However, this altered version of Michelangelo's "The Last Judgement" portrayed a profane view of God, Man, and Demons in one singular, rounded form. The latter, standing above mankind like sanguinary Gods with no mercy toward the mortals.
"Eva," the man returned, followed by the white-robed figure pushing a wooden cart with 6 liquid-filled syringes, labeled with antique markings of a language unknown to her kind. "Pro salute nostra, et ex genere nostro, incipit Nocte Fecundationis!"
He reached out behind him to grab the first syringe.
"W-What are you going to do to me?!" she questioned, her cries echoing in a raucous symphony alongside the repetitive chants.
"Eva, vos eritis mater autem unus genus...vos dabo nostris heredem caeli, inferno, et terrae!"
She watched, terrified, as the male moved away from her side, and toward the end of her bound legs. He lifted a single hand and the chanting increased in volume. Crying out in pain, she felt herself get pulled apart by the metallic mechanism binding her ankles, before it abruptly stopped. Horrified, she craned her neck toward her feet, only to discover her legs propped up, her feet firmly planted on the ground, restraining her from any and all movement.
Morganite eyes reflected the moon above her - dyeing itself in a crimson hue as the reddened light covered her porcelain skin in a ruby veil. She focused her gaze upward, tears dripping from the corners of her eyes.
Painted in bold letters beside an image of a demon with outstretched hands, sitting on top of a throne made by human flesh, were the words: Sumus et Deus.
"No...No..." she repeated over and over again, but her voice was merely a hoarse whisper against the elevated singing of the cloaked figures.
"Nos Incipere"
Screams bounced off the walls as she felt the searing liquid injected into her body - desecrating the last strand hope she had that someone would come and save her from this infernal torture.
'Shu-san...Reiji-san...Ayato-kun...Laito-kun...Kanato-kun...Subaru-kun...Save me!'
Curving her back against the ground, from the sheer pain ransacking every part of her body, morganite eyes stared up at the ceiling, where broken faith was carved onto granite stone; revealing its nihilistic judgement, beneath the moon's crimson light.
The cruel words escaped her lips as the last ounce of hope within her disappeared.
"Ibi est Nihil Deus..."
There is no God.
Terms and Definition
Eva - meaning, "Eve", in Latin.
Mater Carissima - "Dearest Mother", in Latin
Vos habet excitatus, Mater in primo genere - "You have awakened, Mother of the First kind", in Latin
Mulier Divinae, Progenitor de gente, vobis autem salutis nostrae - "Divine woman, Progenitor of the nation, You are our salvation", in Latin.
Pretiosa quae Dei filia - "Precious daughter of God", in Latin.
Expectavimus progeniem caeli - "We waited for the child of Heaven," in Latin
Et vos venit habet - "You have come", in Latin.
Tandem - "At last", in Latin.
Pro salute nostra, et ex genere nostro, incipit Nocte Fecundationis - "For our salvation, and of our race, the Night of Fertilization will commence", in Latin.
Vos eritim mater autem unus genus - "You will be the mother of one race", in Latin.
Vos dabo nostris heredem caeli, inferno, et terrae - "You will give us an heir of heaven, hell, and earth", in Latin.
Sumus et Deus - "We are God", in Latin.
Nos incipere - "We begin", in Latin.