The Tomoeda Maiden


Chapter IV: She runs


I was trying to find the source of the voice that I heard. Further along the visible ruins you could see from the front, there was a destroyed but small entrance along the side. I heard the noise get slightly louder as I followed this route. After what seemed like endless piles of rubble, I found myself in a more open area.

The buildings from this view weren't all destroyed, but some were showing obvious signs of decay. The buildings and statues had moss on them and the grass was getting noticeably long. Under the grass was some cobblestone paths that were crumbling down, but were still useable.

The noise died down a bit as I walked further along this cobblestone path. From here I could see more of the ruins and the architecture of this place. It was peaceful yet sad at the same time. These buildings that stood proudly once upon a time – was now decaying. Nature was taking back the land that once belonged to it. Some houses and buildings were covered with ivy. The doors on the buildings were completely destroyed, as if someone tried to forcefully barge into the homes.

What amazed me the most was these buildings seemed so surreal. They weren't like the ones in Tomoeda at all. It was as if a different place had drifted along the sea and clung onto this area – a whole new land attached to this one.

As I was admiring the depressing scenery, I suddenly smelled a faint scent of flowers. I knew what that scent was. Back home, there were endless amounts of cherry blossom trees. In the spring time it was a delight; all you could see was pink, the petals would float through the air and you got this whiff that smelled of springtime.

However, this lingering scent became overwhelming. I started to cough. It was like someone spilled their bottle of perfume and didn't clean it up. I looked around frantically to see if there were any flowers in sight – but there wasn't. Only trees: dead or alive. There was only patches of long grass – but no flowers in sight.

Suddenly, there was a breeze that cooled down the summer air. Since there were so many buildings and trees surrounding Tomoeda, wind was barely an issue. This breeze was not bothersome to say the least, but it was peculiar.

There was no sign of life here. I could not for the life of me understand why it was just there. This place – all these abandoned buildings. All the history and effort put into the place. It was completely dead. There was some beauty in this place, despite all the crumbled stone and broken up pieces of wood and stone.

I kept walking. The scent became really strong as I kept walking up ahead. I saw an old rickety bridge. I don't know why I thought it'd be a smart idea to cross the bridge, but I did anyway. It was beat up, that's for sure. The wood was no longer as strong as it used to be, as it creaked when I stepped on it. I am not a heavy person but I felt like I could have broken this bridge due to my weight.

The pond underneath the bridge was covered in lily pads and lotuses. This pond did not look like it was tended to, and there was no sign of life or fish in the pond at all. It seemed bizarre only plants seemed to thrive in this dead place.

On the other side of the bridge, I saw a figure. I took a piece of wood laying on the bridge and cast a fire spell to make a torch. It took a few tries but it was a success. This part of the ruined area was becoming dark – even if the night sky was as bright as it was today.

I squinted to make sure what I saw was real. I blinked a few times to make sure it wasn't just a shadow of a tree or something. Sure enough, what I saw was real. It was a figure in the distance. A figure of a person. I saw the figure wearing a white dress that flowed with the breeze.

"Hello?" I called out. I slowly walked towards the figure and then I stopped. The person was looking out at the pond longingly, but she spoke no words.

I took a few more steps towards her. "Hello? Miss? What are you doing here?"

She suddenly jumped up as if I startled her. She looked over to me with a scared expression as her eyes widened. I saw her eyes – which was the scary part. They were an impressive green colour I had never seen around before. Her skin was glowing, but it may have been the moon's rays shining on her.

She took a few steps back. The breeze suddenly got stronger, developing into a small wind. Fireflies seemed to gather around this person, which gave her a nice glow. The floral scent got stronger, but not as unbearable as before.

Was this the maiden… no, the ghost everyone was talking about in their silly little fables? The Tomoeda Maiden? It couldn't be because ghosts did not exist. She was just some girl who hung around here and scared people. I'm sure of it. The buildings here look like someone could live here – it couldn't be totally abandoned. Perhaps she was a witch?

"Are you… that Tomoeda Maiden that everyone has been talking about?" I approached her. She stepped back again. Suddenly, she ran. Of course I ran after her. It felt like a tedious game of cat and mouse. I was not tired in the least, but perhaps I could tire her out.

"You know… you should stop scaring the people of Tomoeda!" I yelled. I know it wasn't my affair as Tomoeda was not even my kingdom, but heck, she was causing unnecessary fear towards the citizens. She was just some girl in a white dress!

She ran faster and faster away from me. I was surprised she could sprint this fast. Suddenly, the wind became a violent gale. It was hindering me a bit, but not enough for me to catch up to her. She ran into what seemed to be a destroyed temple. I followed her in.

She seemed to have escaped my field of vision. I could no longer see her, and it was pitch black. I had thrown out my torch after I started running after her. There was no wood in this building at all. There was only rubble and big pieces of stone. There weren't even any fireflies to help me out. It was a pitch dark place and I only had my hearing and senses to guide me through.

She was nowhere to be found.

I ran to the back of the temple, but I guess I didn't see it coming. I fell into the moat which surrounded the temple. Surprisingly enough the moat was really deep. I felt myself sinking as my body tensed up and froze.

This can't he happening. I tried to move my arms around but to no avail. I was struggling – I was like one of the rocks which sunk hopelessly to the bottom. I tried to catch my breath but I started to sink. Not even my magic could save me.

Death seemed inevitable.

I was gonna die over this stupid assignment, and I didn't even have a chance to reign as a king.


Authors Note:

Ooooh. Their first encounter! Haha. Not totally how you imagined it, right? :P

I mean, wouldn't you run away if some guy started chasing you? Hmm. I know, I know, it's going slow. This story I planned out to be long, so for the amount of time "this" is long, it'll make up later on, I promise!

I've written some chapters already but when I run out, I would like more reviews. I want to know people are reading. :(

Anyway, that's my bit on this chapter. R&R! :D