Hello guys! I'm back! Happy Late Valentines Day and a Happy Birthday to me! *Confetti flies about*
Happy Birthday to Allora, Happy birthday.. to me..
Boris: You sound awfully depressed for it being your birthday.
Julius: *cough* Actually, her birthday was on February 27th, which was a couple days ago.
Boris: But it was her birthday! And it's March! *Considers carefully for a second* Wait, I don't like March. It's the only month in the year that has no festivities!
Ace: But-
Boris: And no, Ace, St. Patrick's Day doesn't count.
Allora: *snickers* I don't own J/C/HnKnA. Readers, thank you for your continued support. I'm feeling oddly better now.
The Land of Spades
Part 1
Chapter 24
Numbness
Lucian was taking a nice stroll through the courtyard of the palace, silent and thoughtful.
She passed several beautiful ponds decorated with stones in a way to produce a calming and meditative effect, and some colorful koi swimming through the clear waters. Trees of different types and colors, some that she could not name and some that could not even be called trees at all were randomly placed around the garden, providing a moment's amusement.
She too, like Mythia, was wearing old traveler's clothing, brown and not especially comfortable but suited for the journey ahead. Passing her hand through the water of a pond, she watched as the ripples spread out through the water breaking the subtle calm but also strangely peaceful at the same time.
The ripples faded to a barely noticeable movement that smoothed itself out nearly instantly, like a soft satin blanket that was translucent soft blue, something no man could copy and could only be found in water's natural elegance.
Her golden brown hair trailed into the silk to ruin the beautiful illusion. Lucian stood back up and continued walking down the path, contemplative of the future ahead.
"-you should be resting-"
Glossy amber looked up at the murmurings of what seemed to be the familiar voice of Mythia. She glanced over towards the lake, and saw Mythia and Allora talking to each other.
The Spader paused in her wandering, and watched as the two exchanged conversation before Ace quickly came to wisk away the weak ravenette, both exiting the scene, and Allora offering little to no resistance.
Lucian walked on. One foot in front of the other, she chanted in her head, one foot in front of the other. Her golden amber blazed holes into her feet as she just walked forward, one foot in front of the other, one foot in front of the other.
Finally, she stopped, and looked up.
A gale of wind blew her long, wavy hair past her tanned, solemn face as she gazed out at her surroundings. A meadow, grassy and clear, shifted before her, a work of art in the playing of winds.
The castle looked far away, the city even farther, the meadow fanning out from a rocky outcropping near the sea, the smell of foam and fish reaching her nose just slightly before wavering and breaking, almost like the waves coming in and out.
Lucian wondered how this had all occurred. The pain, the guilt, the sorrow; it all came crashing over her as she now realized that she was alone. A scream ripped out of her throat, dying swiftly as the wind picked up once again, and the waves rammed against the cliffs of the island, the noise overpowering her cry.
Salt water dripping down her cheeks and face contorted in wretched misery, amber gold cried out for help underneath the tears that drowned it. Falling to her knees, weeping like the world was ending, Lucian cried and cried and cried.
The city continued it's normal hustle and bustle. The castle stayed an authoritative figure, gleaming and polished, and the waves did not pause, unperturbed by the girl who was wrenching out every last tear that she could possibly cry in her entire lifetime out, no one to see her and no one to console her.
The wind was her only companion, and softened slightly as water droplets fell to the ground. Lucian beat her fists into the ground, shouted profanity after profanity, gripped her fingers so hard that red, bloody crescent moons carved themselves into her fists, and cried.
The tears wouldn't stop. She fisted her hair with her bloody palms and tried to calm herself to no avail, all she could do was wail and cry.
"STOP IT, STOP!"
Allora was waving goodbye to her. Her smile was half-hearted, not true, not overbearingly bright and warm. Her skin was pale, her vibrant violet eyes reduced to dull pools of grey-purple.
She wasn't happy. She wasn't in agreement. She didn't like this. SO WHY WAS SHE SMILING!?
"NO! STOP! STOP SMILING! YOU DON'T WANT TO SMILE, SO WHY ARE YOU SMILING!?"
Ace, handsome features smug in victory, appeared behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and taking her with him, the last of the ravenette's figure disappearing in white light.
A tear fell from the last piece of joyful purple, and then it shattered back into a grey-lilac.
"DON'T LEAVE! PLEASE! DON'T LEAVE ME! DON'T LEAVE US!"
Lucian yelled frantically, throwing her hands out, trying to catch the last of Allora's shadows. She realized she was grasping at thin air. The smell of the sea came back into the air, and the grass tickled her legs.
Something in her broke.
She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand, the red rims around her eyes disappearing, and pupils steadily changing from their warm dark gold to a frozen amber. Lips in a thin, straight line, and expression slightly cold, the Lucian who missed Allora and wished desperately to free her vanished.
In her place was a girl who understood that they had to leave Allora, and felt nearly nothing at all.
Allora's P.O.V.
The burning pain in my lungs calmed as I inhaled Ace's deep, woody, scent and buried my head into his chest. The soothing rhythm of his footsteps and the way I rocked slightly in his arms was comforting and warm.
My body still hurt all over, but it dulled into an ache where Ace touched, and I started to feel slightly drowsy. In all honesty, this felt silly, almost like a shoujo manga moment where the main character's crush carries her to the infirmary or something.
But this wasn't a manga. I was being kept at the Fire Ring against my will because I had lost a duel and my friends and partners were going to have to leave me behind. Reality was a harsh thing, and I couldn't stay stuck in this fantasy world forever.
The rhythmic rocking halted as I heard the sound of a door opening, and we entered my room.
Gently setting me down on the futon, Ace quietly covered me with a thin blanket, and then left as fast as he had come, leaving the faint scent of spice and cinnamon, a twinge of sadness and regret.
Is this what it felt like to be left behind?
I stared at the ceiling again, unable to fall asleep. I had told Mia and Sia all that so hopefully they'd be able to leave without any regrets, and I did believe all of what I had said, but..
Something in me felt kind of hollow. The events of the past few days felt like a dream. My wounds were the only thing that convinced me otherwise, and even then, I kind of wanted to forget.
But I stubbornly cling on to the reality. I feel the sharp stab of guilt at my own helplessness, and I feel the memories fading away, my brain shutting them out to make me sane enough to live.
Humans adapt too quickly, throw away things too fast. I had felt numerous times in my life about how I wondered why I could be so cold, so ruthless, so unfeeling of such sad events. How could I stay sane?
Adapting. Something I excelled at. Ha. Bitterly, I remember numerous incidents where my grandfather had died, when my cousin had died, when my brother had broken his arm, and I remembered how I didn't feel anything.
As everyone else hysterically sobbed around me, I stayed level-headed and thought coolly and logically. Now, my heart felt no pain, regret, or sorrow.
Lucian and Mythia needed to go and get back home, and let everyone get back home. I wasn't needed. That was all.
Ah.. I still can't fall asleep.
The wind chime tinkled lightly as a breeze blew by and I breathed in a good gulp of air. Exhaling, I closed my eyes, and prayed I'd be able to go to sleep, in the arms of Morpheus, a place where this wasn't a reality.
Well. That was done awfully fast.
I actually finished this on February 22nd.
But because I'm mean, it actually got published a while later.
Next chapter.. April. Second week of April.
See you!
Allora