Originally, this chapter was supposed to be longer but I thought the end was too good to miss so here you go. For once a shorter chapter :D
The parts that didn't make it into today's update will occur in the next one of course, so I hope you will be looking forward to it 😁
I appreciate the response I'm getting from all of you. it's amazing to see that people enjoy the ideas I've come up with :)
Now then, I think that's enough of me for the moment. Happy reading ❤️
"Mommy..." the small girl muttered, barely above a whisper. The person it was directed at heard the low mumble nevertheless and turned around in furious anger, her hand already raised high above her head.
"How often must I tell you to not call me this anymore, you stupid girl?!" The resonating slap, that followed afterwards, echoed countless times from the large, ornately decorated walls, accompanied by the traumatized sops of the small girl lying on the ground. Their union formed a musical of disturbing noises, each tune a morbid cacophony.
Due to the force of the slap, the little, blond girl had been tutted on the ground, hot tears fuelled by physical and emotional hurt forming in her puffy and swollen eyes as they ran down her reddened cheeks and dripped down from her chin. Her whole body shook from the pain as she laid on the noble carpet refurbishing the floor of the castle they were in, both of her hands covering her head in an attempt to shield her from any further slaps.
The side of her lips had ripped open from the relentless smack. Droplets of blood collected at the damaged skin, closing up the wound as soon as possible but unable to prevent it from invading her mouth. The nasty taste of iron filled up her sense of taste, rolling across her tongue, teasing it with bitter agony.
The girl's mother, however, responsible for the alarming state of her daughter, was unbothered by her cries. Instead, she raised her foot and began to stomp her own flesh and blood into the ground as she continued her tirade.
"You are the same as them! You are the same kind of monster! I should have never given birth to you in the first place, you worthless piece of shit!" she screamed while never ceasing her gruesome footwork. The fragile body of the small girl had nothing to offer in order to defend herself so she could only cry and endure the onslaught. Each kick hurt so much, like a lightning running through her fragile frame. One of them hit her stomach so badly, forcing her to barf out what little food she was allowed as a slave. She gurgled bile, saliva and blood at the same time and with her thin arms weak as they were, she collapsed right into the puddle she had vomited.
Her mother stopped her brutal assault finally, probably too afraid to defile herself with the still hot soup of fluidly human emissions and left her where she was. But not before spitting on her, throwing yet another painful insult at her. "Why don't you just die already? It would be for the best!"
Hearing this phrase from a stranger? Hurtful. Hearing this phrase from a dear friend? A heavy blow to the gut. Hearing this phrase from your own mother? It's hell incarnated, the worst of worst. Just how had it turned into this? She still wonders to this day even though this is nothing but a distant memory by now.
The same girl, now aged up to sixteen years of living, watched the scene unfold once more and when that run was finished she started anew. She has never figured out what caused her mother to act like this. Once she was the kindest person one could find in the whole world and that even though she was a slave, like almost every Dahnan. Not that she could do anything about it anymore. It's just... she wants to know the reason for this drastic change in behaviour. She can't change the past since she lives in the here and now and can create the future to her liking. Still...
"What a shitty day," she uttered to herself, a sigh of defeat leaving her mouth as she crossed her arms over her chest. Not only that day back then but also the one today. As if it wasn't enough to get run through with a sword by some sort of creepy maniac already, life shat her into the face again and threatened to kill her one and only friend. And maybe it might even succeed this time and at the moment there was little to nothing she could do about that. What a shitty day indeed.
Somehow she was aware that she must have fallen unconscious during the fall after the earth had cracked open and swallowed both her and the boy, who must be around the same age as her. She recalls how he was hit by a stone in the back of his head, how his body immediately fell limp after the impact, how two large boulders threatened to crush him like an infant and how her body moved on its own accord and prevented him from dying in the last second. Then she got struck by debris on her own and everything went black after that.
Ever since then she floats in her own unconsciousness, rewatching her past over and over again and waiting for her body to pull her out of this shithole. It's impossible to tell how much time has passed provided it even exists here in the first place anyway. But even so, it feels like she has waited several eternities so far and nothing did happen.
A bad sign in her opinion. Considering her condition before the fall this might as well be the afterlife. Having lived for years in the unforgiving wilderness of this land of snow and everlasting night she had stood face to face with death more than once but never did it come this far. To her defence, it was pretty uncommon for anyone to come this deep into the snowy forests of Cyslodia, the roaming Zeugles and the freezing temperatures more than enough to fend most of them off. Not that she cares much for either of them.
So it was a big surprise for her when she not only encountered the cloaked swordsman but the group of four plus the small, fluffy, Dahnan owl. Encounters with other humans were a rare occasion, given the place she lived at and honestly, she didn't mind much. She enjoyed the peace and quiet, nobody who bother her, nobody who told her what she's supposed to do and what not. The only downside was the fact she had to deal with a cocky albino ice wolf all the time but given the fact of what they have gone through together, she could live with that.
Yet, fate decided it was time to turn into a new direction and threw a curveball at her, one that she didn't see coming and therefore hit utterly unprepared. Thus her current condition but now even that faded away into nothingness. The blackness surrounding her turned a few shades brighter, indicating that the end was drawing closer. Whether it's the end of her life or the end of her unconsciousness she doesn't know so the only option left is to allow herself to get surprised at what it will be. With that thought lingering in her mind black became white and she disappeared from her inner world.
Her eyes blinked open only to close immediately again. The blackness from earlier had stretched out to the place she was currently in but it was still too bright for her mushy brain to process. From the fierce throb in her left side and the overall ache she felt in her whole body she could tell this was neither heaven nor hell. It was Dahna, meaning she was still alive and kicking.
It must have been a miracle that she came out in one piece from the cave-in... probably even more than one miracle. Her thoughts wander to her friend. She hopes he's okay and managed to get away during all the commotion. It calmed her worries that the other enemies were all out cold. Only the spiky-haired boy was still up, fighting her but both of them ended up falling into the ravenous caverns of the earth. It's not much but there is hope that they will see each other again but for that to happen she must get out of wherever she is.
She tried to channel some force into her arms, trying to lift herself up but she didn't even have the strength to raise her head. She groaned deep from within her throat. Its voice was raspy and strained and sounded more like the grumble of a beast than her normal delicate tune. At least the floor was surprisingly warm and soft. A bit more and she would even go so far as to say it was comfy. She could sense a steady beat on her right cheek, its rhythm like a lullaby lulling her back into sleep. It was enticing, the prospect of more rest in this comforting embrace. She almost gave in to the temptation but forced herself not to, as cruel as it may be and as much as her body protested. There are more important matters she has to deal with at the moment.
She opened her eyes again. It was still a hassle to deal with but it was not as worse as the first time. She kept them wide, allowing them to grow accustomed to the environment. Even though, she must be somewhere deep underground it was brighter than she anticipated. Ice covers the walls around her, mirroring some distant light source. Otherwise, this place would be fully encased in darkness and even with her improved hawk sight, she would see little to nothing. She made a mental note that she has yet to develop a night sight feature.
But with even the small amount of light existing in this place, she could perceive something unusual. It seemed like the walls were moving up and down in a steady motion. Firstly they rose before they started to fall. Then they did the same process over and over again. She narrowed her eyes in confusion, her eyebrows rising in disbelief as she continued to observe this strange phenomenon. Without a doubt, not something she can remember having seen beforehand. It made one thing clear.
Something – whatever it might be – is off. That's obvious. The important question is what causes this weird occurrence. Either she has gone mad or this is simply normal for sturdy walls to move up and down in this place. And that's simply ridiculous. She tried lifting her upper body again and this time around she was at least able to regain some control over her arms but that was everything she could manage. She was simply too tired and too weak at the moment. The peaceful drowsiness emitting from the warmth surrounding her took its toll at last and her eyes fluttered close again. The blond girl released a long breath and when it had fully left her lungs she was fast asleep, embraced by a gentle repose.
The sound of drumming machines echoed every passing second in his ears, so much that it hurt and he had to fear they would start bleeding any moment. The clicking cogs were simply too loud. He had tried to cover them with his dirty hands but it was pointless – aside from smearing dirt all over his face. Not that it mattered anyway because he was already looking like a filthy rag. After his failed attempt he pulled his knees closer to his body, his bare feet rubbing against each other, as he let his head fall. For a moment, regret flickered inside his crystal teal eyes, like a lightning flashing across the heaven before it disappeared again, unnoticed and unimportant, from the world.
Mulling about this picture he could only chuckle. What a befitting phrase, since it suits him so well. That's how he's going to end sooner or later and it will be better for everyone. His mother had died while his father was away, fighting for his dream of liberation to become true. Many admired the man known as Zephyr for this. He was strong, wise, open-minded and warm. He was like a father to everyone he knew and loved by them in response.
However, this doesn't include Law. He hates him for what he has done or rather what he didn't. Law could somehow accept the fact that Zephyr neglected his family for the greater cause – at least to a certain extent. The older he grew, the more he despite his father for this but he still suppressed these forbidden thoughts in the deepest and most hidden parts of his heart, afraid of releasing them alongside the actions he would take. He suffered in silence and simply endured.
Until his mom fell ill. One day she just collapsed in the middle of the street without warning. Law was training at that moment and Zephyr was waging his war. As soon as Law got the message about his Mother's sickness he left everything behind and hurried to her side. And what did Zephyr do? He came back only once at the beginning and then simply returned to what he was doing beforehand.
He left Law with his mother alone, abandoned them and Law could never forgive him for that. His mother suffered for months and only when the one year mark was almost there, did she finally find her peace and leave this horrible world. He cried for days and when his tears had died down, dry coughs replaced them. His father never showed up and abhorrence turned into hatred.
There were too many bad memories he had lived through in Calaglia and he couldn't stand it anymore. So he ran away from all of it. His dead mother, his home, his father whom he despites more than anything else. He ended up, sneaking into a train transporting goods for the Renans. Agile and flexible as he was, he managed to hide between the crates and was off to his journey with an unknown destination. That's how he ended up in this particular situation and ultimately in Cyslodia.
An older version of him revisiting these memories stood at the sidelines, simply looking as his shitty story unfolded in front of his eyes once more. It was not the first time and probably not the last time.
He still has nightmares about the ordeal of crossing the borders the way he did. Helpless and alone as he was he couldn't say whether he was lucky to be still alive or too stupid to die. And now thinking about it, as he watched this scene from several years ago in this dream world he was currently in, it marked the start where he always came out alive in the end no matter how dire the situation was. Others always paid the price for his survival, not him.
So even with everything black around him, he still had the feeling that life has not dropped him yet, still attached with thin threads keeping him in the realm of the living. Whether this was a gift or a curse depends on the viewer. He himself had found the answer to that question. He did so when his father he hated so much died in front of him, in a similar fashion his mother did before.
Somehow he wished he could simply stay in this unreachable place for the rest of his life. It would make things so far easier. But his body disagreed and Law could feel how his connection to this place grew weaker and weaker until his presence had vanished from this realm, leaving behind memories he doesn't want to recall but always does in his dreams nonetheless.
Slowly his eyes parted and opened the path for his bluish eyes. He saw nothing. Maybe he did die after all? The steady pulse at the back of his head said otherwise. He must be alive. Only so could Law explain the pain coursing through his body, punching his every fibre without a sense of mercy. Being used as a punching bag drained what little strength he had left in his muscles. He was even too weak at the moment, that his belly couldn't grumble, normally an unambiguous order transferred by his nerves. Just thinking about it and his mouth was watering.
Meat! A whole plate full of piled up, juicy meat steaming from heat. That would be awesome right now. Never before has he been so exhausted and in response has he never been this famished. He could devour two cows right now, probably not even caring whether they were raw or cooked. Honestly, as long as it's meat he doesn't care about the rest. Unfortunately, this was merely a fleeting thought. Law doesn't know where he is and this applies to those who know him as well.
Fragments of prior events from this day resurfaced and Law remembered the blond girl, the girl who once saved him and then tried to take his life. Such irony! His fists still recall the sensation when his and hers met countless times during their combatant duet, the intensity that overcame him when their spirits and souls touched in this one intimate moment, like a flower and honey bee kissing each other for the first time, the first touch that becomes a promise for more in the future. Just thinking about this short yet significant fragment of a second and his body shakes from an emotion he has never felt before.
Never before, not even once did Law feel anything comparable. Despite the circumstances, it felt so... peaceful, a feeling he knows solely from descriptions Zephyr has given him several years ago. He always spoke of peace when the topic of whatever lesson about self-defence switched to Law's mother. It's foggy but if he remembers this right, Zephyr's face lit up ever so slightly when they talked about her. Back then he couldn't make any sense out of it. How was he supposed to without any experience in this regard? But now, after having the first taste of this sugary sweetness, the smallest fraction of his soul, well hidden inside the deepest part of his heart, yearns for more of this drug.
Yet, he can't allow himself to obtain this. He does not deserve such happiness. Too great are his sins for robbing the world of the man who could have saved it from its suffering. And the sole person able to grant him this bliss will most likely rip out his throat instead, should they ever see each other again alive after the fall into earth's awaiting mouth.
Slowly but surely, in a slow but steady flow, his vision becomes clearer and clearer. It doesn't improve much but at least he's able to identify his most basic surroundings. He's enclosed by walls of ice on each side and it seems that he ended up in some sort of underground cavern. Cyslodia is streaked by many caves but this is the first time that he heard from tunnels deep inside the earth.
How is he supposed to get back to the others? Does he even want to return? Do they worry about him? Or are they happy to finally be freed of his presence? He can't say for certain and honestly doesn't have the will to do so in his current situation anyway. Before he can follow this train of thoughts he needs to get out of the imprisoning cavern. Also, he does need to question himself whether he actually wants to leave or not. Whatever it will be – he's not sure what yet – he won't do it now because he's so very tired right now. He couldn't have been awake for long but simply participating in the events of the world by laying somewhere on the ground was already too much for the spiky-haired boy to endure.
His eyelids became heavy, softly forming a barrier in front of his crystal teal coloured eyes, and before long the young fist-fighter had fallen back into the world of his own dreams. He stood amidst a field of sunflowers kissed by the sun, the sky above as blue and clear as possible. Immediately he understood where he was. Only in this specific dream did he cast away all of his worries and darkest concerns and relish in the happiness residing in this scenery.
But one thing was different from all the times he had this dream before. Never has it been so clean and vividly as it was this time. Normally, it was foggy and obscure but now it was like he lived this dream, almost as if his imaginary thought had become a part of reality. It is... nice, he supposes. Really nice, actually. He can even feel the warm rays of the sunlight touching his skin and smell the sunflowers.
And more than anything he feels calm and at peace, a sensation that has been denied to him so far and one he doesn't know how to handle. All of these new perceptions matter nothing though when he suddenly hears rustling behind him. Of course, this couldn't be a happy dream. It was a fake that was about to take off its sheep cloak. But to the brown-haired boy's surprise nothing bad happened. As long as he doesn't consider someone jumping on his back, embracing him with strong yet warm arms and legs, silently demanding a piggyback ride which he has to inevitably give if he doesn't want to kiss the ground, as something bad.
"Hey! What the hell do you think you are doing you, dummy?! You almost gave me a heart attack, Laurana!" he complains aggravated but his voice is not laced with any form of anger. It's a simple and honest surprise. That he speaks her name as if he has known her startles him but not longer than for a second.
And even if he would be enraged by the person' actions he calls Laurana, the angelic voice laughing in a tune he couldn't describe differently than the gentle and soft singing of a goddess made him forget everything. The hues filling his ears were addicting and he wanted to hear it more often. But when he turned around there was nothing, nothing but obscure fog. As unusual as this dream has been, it wouldn't allow him any more for the moment. He must be satisfied with the laughter alone and in all honesty, he was.
He slipped into complete unconsciousness, accompanied by the ongoing musical of happiness solely performed for him. He grinned like a goofball, all wide and all toothy, not only in his dream world but also in reality, where his arms and hands began to wander, embracing the body, belonging to the blond girl laying on top of his, in a gentle yet firm hug, preventing her from leaving him alone and instead pulled her closer. She was also smiling in her sleep, his happiness too overwhelming, radiant and contagious. So in response, her arms found his neck and hugged him as well and both teenagers unintentionally relished in each other's presence in this otherwise cold and dark place. They continued to sleep peacefully in each other's arms, not caring and unbothered by any events occurring outside of their ray of felicity.
However, Dahna is not a realm that grants peace and happiness too easily to anyone, especially not when they are Dahnans. The sound of the cave-in travelled far in the seemingly endless tunnels and narrow passageways, all the way to the heart of the underground complex, a vast cavern bordering a bottomless chasm. Waterfalls flowed into the seemingly endless ravine, large and old pines hemmed the wide-open space and few shimmers from the aurora light emitting from cracks in the ceiling brightened the canvas of beauty.
It was a place untouched and unstained from pollution, maybe the last of its kind. That was until the rumble from the avalanche echoed everywhere.
The peace was broken by an orange eye opening. Glancing from side to side one more opened in assistance and when that was not enough the next followed until countless visual orbs roamed the territory in search of the disturbance. Finding nothing the owner of the eyes finally stood up, its pointy, spear-like legs supporting the agile body. It shook its body from side to side, getting rid of all the snow covering its majestic frame. Its antlers picked up the vibrations from the cave in and the creature sniffed the air, aware that something was amiss. And when it got the smallest whiff of the intruders' smell the creature became furious.
Ganabelt Valkyris may be called the Lord of Cyslodia but there's in fact someone, who stands higher than him. Said someone is seldom seen on the surface since she's normally fast asleep in this ancient castle. But now she has awoken and will hunt down the intruders daring to breach into her home.
She screeched and at her enraged command, her antlers spread wide. Fire raged, lightning crackled and ice cracked around her body in wild storms. Nothing but blood could stall her wrath anymore, the blood of the two young teenagers, who broke unintentionally into her turf. The home of none other than the true Queen of Cyslodia!
Laurana
Finally, I was able to introduce her name to you guys! I hope you like it 😇
When I was searching for a suitable name for her this one popped in out of nowhere and when I looked up its possible meaning I had to take it. There was no other option left for me! The coincidence was simply too great because the meaning perfectly fits with her background story. If you think around seven corners as we Germans like to say, you might figure out one or two things about her.
I'm excited as I'm afraid for the next instalment. Law and Laurana will need to get along somehow and I'm looking forward to writing that out but on the other, they will have to deal with a monster among monsters afterwards. I'm slightly worried about this 😅
By the way, all of you, who have finished the game, have probably figured out the threat awaiting the two fist-fighters right? I was really struggling with whether I should choose her or someone else. I had another idea roaming through my head but that would be like to drop the final boss already. So I ultimately choose her. (not sure whether it's actually he or she or it or whatever but I call her "My Queen" since she kicked my ass so bad it still hurts from all the beatings so I decided it would be she ^^)
Anyway, I hope this was to your liking. Don't be afraid to leave responses in form of Likes and comments. It's always a huge encouragement for an author to hear the readers thoughts and opinions ️
And if you enjoy the introduction of new characters to an existing story, you might want to check out my other two stories :) Check out my profile. There you will find the link to them :D