Iea

VI : Air

Slowly Nia's eyes slid open, her head heavily hanging off to the left. Slowly moving her head upright, she glanced down at the head within her lap, gazing upon her brother's covered features. She hadn't seen his face since the night he was punished, and really had no idea as to why the bandages were there.

"Maybe he can... see if they're off. Hey, you awake?"

Ain didn't respond, still heavily clung to by dreams.

Reaching her hand around to the side of his head, she undid the knot to the bandages around his face. Slowly unwrapping it in a careful fashion as to not wake him, she suddenly gasped when she could see skin.

Uneasily continuing, she pulled the bandages off entirely, gazing upon red-and-white scars that ran across the top half of his face. Staring in horror, Nia suddenly took her brother into a hug, "Oh, brother... they burned you bad..."

"H...huh?" Waking up, he could barely feel a few wet tears fall onto his scarred skin. "Sis? Are you... crying?"

"I'm so sorry they did that..." Heavy, wet tears rolled off the girl's face and hit the boy's face, "I should've done better..."

"...It...wasn't your fault." A wave of guilt flooded the boy's mind, "...I shouldn't have smiled at her."

"You had the right to smile at anyone!" Feelings of agony quickly turned to pure rage, the girl yelling, "We have the right to live, damn it all, just like anything else Fate put on this earth!"

"...Sis..."

"They had no right to do what they did- a smile is not a weapon, but a gift!"

"...don't be angry with them."

"And why the hell not?" Nia's hands went into fists against her brother's back.

"Because then you'll be just the same as them."

"..." Realization hit like a sharp blow. "...O...okay."

"Plus if you're angry... then... you can't get us out of here, huh?" Ain gave a weary grin, still wishing he could've done more, "If you don't cheer up, I may have to start singing."

"Oh no..." Nia put him upright, with a bit of a laugh, wiping stray tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry I took your bandages off. Can you see at all?"

"...No."

"Oh." Nia frowned, then wrapped his face back up, "Is this too tight?"

"Not at all."

"There we go, all secured." Rising, Nia helped her brother up, "Now. Let's find a way out."

Looking down at the stone pattern, Nia noticed it looked like several pathways making up a huge mural. It depicted two kneeling figures before a sun, all of the lines never touching another. The center of the sun, between the couches, started the whole lines.

"...Hey, will you stand somewhere for me?"

"Sure?"

Leading him to the sun, Nia thought she saw the picture light up. Taking a second look, she found it to all be the same, dusty image it was before.

"Don't move. I'm going to look around."

Walking to a corner, she immediately began searching the walls and the floors for a shadow. In the left, rear corner of the room, she found what she was looking for- dark mists came drifting from the shadow on the floor.

Stepping into it, Nia quickly spun herself around so she landed upright. Looking up, she grinned to see the pathway Ain was standing upon was all lit up with a soft, white glow, causing the miasma to fade.

"Great!" Looking down, however, she suddenly fell onto her rear end. Struck by vertigo, she found herself to be resting on the underside of the middle bridge. "Everything is upside down... How am I going to get..."

Looking off to the corner, she suddenly saw a chain, entirely inverted.

"...woah."

Standing up uneasily, she began running across the bridge, carefully sliding around the base of the wooden beam, which held it aloft. Running under the balcony, she stopped at the chain and carefully touched it.

The body of the chain moved slightly, but remained 'upright'.

Slowly grabbing ahold, she began to climb up (or was it down?) to the glowing path. The miasma was thicker the higher up, the path being the only clear air available. Reaching the end of the chain, she suddenly leapt off and caught the glowing path.

"Weird..." Hanging on it, she looked around. She began hauling herself across the glowing beam, following the seemingly unending path. As she did, she tried to keep an eye on her brother, who had sat down. Carefully rounding a corner, she came to a halt to take a breath.

"You know, it's perilous to hang from such a lofty height."

Nearly loosing her grip in surprise, she found herself staring at the woman from the hall, who was standing 'upside down' on the mural ahead. Her foot was an inch away from the beginning of the path, just waiting to slide over.

"What do you want?" Nia regained her grip, staring with a cold glare.

"I told you this before. Do we really need to go over it again?"

"You want something from us- what the heck is it?"

"Blunt and to the point, hm?" The woman slowly walked over the path, and as she did, the path momentarily stopped glowing. Reaching the other side, the light turned back on, scaring off the miasma once more. "I don't want you. I could care less about you."

"What's that suppose to mean??"

"I want the other one, child. You, on the other hand, will do good work of wandering yourself to a mere shadow. You're already dead. You hold no options for me."

"You leave my brother alone, or I'll stick you like a pin cushion!" Nia felt her hands slide slightly, sweat rolling down her face.

"Stick me?" The woman let out a laugh, "With what?"

"...."

"Well, it's relatively easy to get rid of you, you know."

"You wouldn't dare!"

"I wouldn't?" The woman rested a foot against the path, causing the light to suddenly shut off.

Nia started coughing as the dark mist immediately swarmed up around her. Trying to stare at the figure, she began crawling forward. Lungs growing weary from old air, the girl struggled to continue, but finally fell from the path.

Staring down (or up from her perspective) the woman smirked. With a burst of dark energy, she moved herself to the light side of the castle.

Pausing behind the child, the woman stared at him through cold eyes for a moment. He didn't even notice her presence, with nothing but his sister on his mind. Slowly sashaying her way behind the boy, she stared down at him.

Ain did nothing, only noticing a ring in his ear.

The Queen gave a bit of a smirk. Silently, she thought, "I'll let him stay here until he realizes she's gone. When that child cries out, who knows what will answer?"

Disappearing quickly, Ain was none the wiser.

"Huh. She's sure taking a long time."

Having sat by himself for a long time, Ain had begun to slowly rock back and forth, mostly out of boredom. "Maybe... maybe she left? No. She's my Big Sis- she wouldn't do that. ...what if she... Hey, Nia?"
His voice echoed across the hall. Slowly, he heard a faint splash and the sound of flapping.

"W...What the?" Standing up, he suddenly stumbled back off the path. He came to a halt when he felt something land beside him. Turning around, he stumbled backwards, falling over. "L-leave me alone!"

Ecoule hobbled over, gazing over the boy for a moment. Suddenly fanning her wings out, she rushed him back to the center of the room, then firmly planted a foot against his body.

Frightened out of his mind, he did nothing but lie there.

"Destrass." The sound of wings took back off, disappearing entirely.

"..."

Re-entering the dark world, Nia suddenly fell out of the portal with a spurt. Landing on the cold floors, she slowly opened her eyes, only remembering haven fallen. "Back... down here?"

Rising, she wearily continued her climb back up to the path, and began climbing her way back around the maze. Above, she saw her brother lying across the floor, and with a sense of urgency, she upped the ante and quickly made it to the end of the maze. Ahead of her, an odd switch hung from the ceiling. Launching onto it, she suddenly heard several chains snap, as the switch gave way, allowing her to freefall through the air.

Outside, the room began to shake violently, Ain in the middle of it all. Just as he was about to get up, the floor caved in, the child falling through into black. Letting out a scream, he was suddenly caught in midair by firm claws.

Choking in the dark mists, he was glad to be quickly flown to a door. Being pushed in, he fell onto his face, finding himself to be in clear air. "S...Sis?"

Ecoule landed ahead of the boy, suddenly collapsing into a dark pool. It all reformed, becoming Nia, who silently lied across the stone floor, breathing shallowly.

"N...Nia?" Having heard the noise, Ain began crawling across the floor, feeling the ground. Coming in contact with her arm, he pulled her head into his lap. "Nia?"

Two blue eyes slid open, wearily staring at the ceiling. "I'm here."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes..." The response came in a breathless whisper.

"Are you okay, Sis?"

"I told you yes, you goof..." Sitting upright, Nia shook her head, careful not to hit Ain. "I'm okay now. Did anybody bother you while I was gone?"

"No...not... really. That shadow did help me again..."

"Ah. Okay." Getting up, Nia pulled her brother upright. Quickly dusting him off, she looked about the room, the walls seemingly scaring the miasma away. Water was rushing past, ahead in a channel, chuckling evilly in the stone hall. "Huh."

"What?"

"Water."

"Well, I could hear that."

Walking to the edge, Nia bent down and dipped her bare foot into the cold wetness. "Woah, cold!"

"The water?"

"Yeah, of course the water." Nia slowly moved further, trying to reach the bottom with her foot. Letting out a shriek, she suddenly fell in, bringing a startled Ain along. Quickly swept downstream, the girl pulled Ain up to the surface, trying her best to keep him above the water.

Heading around a quick bend, through total darkness, the two clung to each other, shivering up a storm in the clear liquid. Rushing around corners, they finally reached light- quickly, Nia jammed her frying pan's handle into a crack in the wall, the two coming to a halt. Climbing out, and pulling Ain out, Nia sat on the crispy grass on the artificial banks of the river.

"What happened?" Ain spoke after spitting out some water.

"I fell in!"

"You didn't have to do that to me, either."

"Oh, shut up."