76. Lullaby: Unknown World
77. Melody: Rekourt
78. Echo
He crawled up the never ending tower, numb, frozen fingers struggling to find purchase in the scraggly cracks in the rocks as he climbed and climbed and climbed. His nail caught in a crack and ripped off his hand as his foot slipped and gravity pulled him back and then he was falling and falling and falling. He could feel the wind whispering in his ear even as his dirt-matted locks whipped about his face till he collided with the ground, his entire body jarred from the impact and it took him a few minute before he could even make enough sense to force himself into a sitting position, ignoring the blood that trickled down the side of his face. Weakly pushing himself to his knees he looked up with hopelessness threatening to crush him completely.
It would only be the softest of words floating down from the barred window atop the tower that would give him the strength to try again. And again. And again. His own lips echoing the promise that would float up on the air to reach his brother when he could not.
He slipped on the ice and landed roughly on his knees, the cloth of his robes tearing and slowly beginning to stain red. Ashura-ou, who had been discussing matters of the kingdom with some dignitaries nearby, hurriedly excused himself from their presence even as Yuui- no Fai, his name was Fai now- sat where he was, staring at the crimson blossoming out against his pale flesh with a morbid fascination. He had seen so much of it spilled during the time he had spent in the valley but he was no longer there and… Ashura-ou was picking him up, pulling him into his lap as he seat himself on the castle steps and asked one of the guards to send for the head healer because his knee looked really bad. Fai looked back down at the crimson soaked clothes and the torn off skin and flesh in confusion before look back up at the sovereign. Why was the king acting so worried over such an insignificant wound? It was just a scratch, wasn't it?