Chapter 7
Rin's P.O.V.
I sat on the bench for a good 30 minutes just thinking. The bench was a smooth bench. Actually quite comfortable. Perfect for thinking. Diving into my soul, scouring my very being. Releasing inside of me the animals that had been trapped in their steel cages, their master showing no pity, now watching as the things he captured were escaping. What a lovely day for soul searching it was, with beautiful skies and perfect lighting.
I felt like something was missing, like my soul wasn't complete. A chasm was inside of me. I couldn't finish my walk down the happiness road with a chasm in me. But what could fill a chasm so large? What was it though? Was it because my true self couldn't be shown at the castle? No, this went further down than just my hidden self, this chasm was too large for such a futile matter, which would only be a crack my road.
Something else from a different cage had to be released, the master of this cage kept a red blanket over the cage, was the creature there going to hurt us if we helped us? The master will give no hints, I must find out what it is on my own. Finding out what it was would take a lot of time and diving deeper into my never ending soul. Questions burned me like boiling water has been poured on me. This inside pain was far worse than any physical pain. Curiosity and concern ruled me wearing a crown and sitting on a beautiful throne. I will find what is missing and fix it. I will finally let out the animal from its cage, whether good or bad, I didn't care. For once I will fill this chasm and walk down the road.
For now, I had more pressing matters to deal with.
Time to go explore town.
I hop up and walk past familiar stores. The wind is slightly blowing and the darkness was getting thicker.
The wind sent the smell of Teto's bread right into my nose as I walked by.
My feet carried me aimlessly towards an unknown destination. Moonlight began to shine down from between the clouds. A slight wind blew my hair. The night air was crisp.
Soon, I passed shops with signs I hadn't seen before. Magic shops and craft stores. All of them had bright lights to attract attention. This must be the hustling part of town. Bookstores. All things I could explore tomorrow. For now my feet pulled me in a different direction. A direction whose name kept changing.
I followed the tug that pulled me to a new location.
My feet finally slowed and my relentless pace slowed down. I had ended up under a torch in an alley between two shops. Bugs were going to the light, curious of what it was, unaware that the beauty was evil, that it meant their destruction.
A thud could be heard on my left as a thin, a gray cat landed on a garbage can. The cat came up to me and rubbed against my leg purring.
"Ahh..." I said as I reached down and began petting the cat. The cat's fur was soft, like the rugs at the castle.
But, a new noise made my hair stand on end and I froze. That was not a cat. I turned and saw three thin, dirty, boys with ripped clothes coming up.
The one in the middle was the tallest and wore the best clothes out of all of them. The one on his left was a short boy with short hair. The one on the middles one's right was muscular, the brawn in the group.
"Now little miss. If you give us your watch, we'll leave peacefully. If not, we will harm you." The one in the middle, probably the leader, said.
He flicked open a knife and I was caught. The knife was short yet it was a color that gave it great beauty. It shone and an aura of intelligence could be felt from it, but this beauty meant my potential death. The watch was a gold watch that my mother had given me before her illness took her. It was one of the few things I had from her.
I stared wide-eyed at the knife. Then, the knife was on the ground. The leader had been tackled and another person was on top, restraining the leader.
I grabbed the knife and held it, showing the other two gang boys I would hurt them. I also wanted they magical knife, with its beauty, it reminded me of a rose, beautifully but the thorns hurt. They backed off and ran, scared of both a girl with a knife and the boy who was beating up their leader. The leader was able to push off the attacker and he ran.
The boy who had saved me was groaning now. He had hit the wall and his head was bleeding. I ripped off a bit of my dress and pressed it on his wound. Now that he was not fighting I could see him clearly.
He had silver hair and one blue and one green eye. The blue reminded me of the ocean, bringing promises of a new cycle to begin, a sign of renewal, with the way its waves get rid of the old sand and bring in new sand. "Hi, my name is Piko, nice to meet you." He said, holding out his hand.
"Hi, my name is Neru." I said, using my made up name. I grabbed his hand and shook it. His hand was silly and not at all rough like his strength suggested.
"You shouldn't be wondering the streets so late." He said with a frown. The frown did nothing to decrease his beauty. His smooth skin didn't even bunch up that much. "You need to get home."
"Oh yeah. Well it was nice to meet you. Thank you for saving me." I said, bowing my head, secretly hiding the knife in my dress's sash. I began to leave, but he grabbed my arm.
"Hey do you want to meet tomorrow at the bookstore?"
"Yes. I would love that." I said. I waved my hand and goodbye and ran down the street toward the palace. The night had begun to become cold. My feet hit the ground with large thumps and moonlight was shining down on me.
I felt something flutter inside me. What was this feeling? Was this what I was missing. It felt good whatever it was. A smile crossed my face and I was excited for tomorrow, even if I may get a scolding today for my dress and my lateness.
