Speech = ``…..´´
Thoughts = …..…
Inner voices = "…...…."
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-/Somewhere unknown/-
Dreams were like the wind; ethereal.., wild...and free of any restriction that the mortal world could impose.
She did not dream…., or at least not any more in the same way others would she believed.
Whatever joyful visions she had once possessed in her youth were instead stripped away, replaced with a seemingles transition from night to day.
At first glance, such thing did not sound that bad….., and after everything that had happened it would be true, but such moments were rather scarce and short compared with what usually tended to happen most of the time.
Her lips started to take the slightest of down strokes.
She had not been lucky this time as she found herself once again lost in a pitch black world. The horizon, the very ground she stood and everything around her….. nothing more but an endless black stain that extended to infinity in every direction. Refusing to give out the smallest inch of colour over its surface, no matter how hard she tried or wished.
It disgusted her….
She had once tried to traverse this emptiness, to march in one direction until her legs gave out…, only to find herself back in her seat. She had then given up any sort of attempt to break out...
She knew that there would have been a time she would feel appalled to find herself in this sort of incomplete purgatory…
She sighed deeply…., the only oddities that seemed to shatter this endless chromatic monotony were herself, the chair she was sitting on and the table right next to it. No matter how many times she found herself there, the complete lack of noise still disturbed her as much as if she was in one of her more violent nightmares.
At least there she could do something else than nothing….
Like many times before, her eyes remained tightly closed for there was nothing to observe here in the first place. Trying to cut herself out from her senses as she remained still in place, it wasn't the most comfortable thing to do, but it mitigated the possibility of things spawning around her.
She had once made the mistake not to do so...
That did not mean that it would not happen anyway…., she was not that foolish.
Not any more….
And so, she was left to think…., to ponder about what had transpired…, what was about to take place. The gears of her mind slowly rotating as they slowly exposed one by one the matters of her frigid soul.
Schemes, plans… projects among other things. So many faces, so many scenes playing before her like a collected parade, stopping and advancing at her own leisure.
There was so much to do.., and so little time.…
A sigh left her lips. She felt tired, so tired...but she would manage…, she always did.
And yet her tongue clicks with some no small amount of annoyance as the hours passed, why? It was simple really, no matter how many times she tried to focus on something there was something that vexed her….
It had started as a mere tingling, but had already grown into a full sting...
Tonight there was something stuck in her mind, no...she shook her head, perhaps it would be far more accurate to say that there was something that she had remembered, something that had gone unnoticed through the years until now, or at least she thought as much.
Refusing to leave no matter how much she tried to pry those thoughts from her mind, she was left with no choice but to acknowledge that there was a problem if she even wanted to fix it in the first place. And so she leaned against the chair, raising her head towards the endless pit of a mockery of sky as she started to delve deeper and deeper into the origin of that memory.
Even when she knew it could only go wrong...
"I am yours..."
"And I am yours, forever..."
"Forever..."
Forever…..
The words still echoed fresh in her mind with the same clarity and precision as if they had not been said a moment later, the uncaring nature of time forgotten and tossed aside as they lived on inside her, never at the centre of her thoughts, yet always ever present in the darkest corners of her mind.
Like the faint touch of the winds brushing softly, almost playfully against her pale regal skin when their presence was nothing more but idle sound in the best of days, but growing into a bestial, horrific howling the longer she stood close to the objects of her woes.
The origin of the thorns stuck in her heart; the memories of a better, kinder past….
"How things had turned like this?"
"Why were you not there"
"Monster…."
She slowly started chewing her lips, hearing things moving around her. At first low, but quickly picking up the pace in intensity. The faint sound of the wind howling around her, peoples voices speaking in hushed tones with one another or the simple yet guttering sound of flesh been torn apart like wet paper...
Her fingers started tapping the table with clear unease…., feeling the way the ground started to move on its own, like a thick layer of honey that someone was pushing from the other side. Quickly the sound of bubbles popping out started to reach her from all directions, replaced by the sound of footsteps moving in her direction, slowly…..
It seemed that this time it was beginning far sooner than anticipated…. Her musings were cut when she winced as a known screeching sound rang in her ears.
Sometimes she could hear it with grim clarity, the grimace that formed in her face as she recalled the sound of claws scratching the thin walls of her mind. Poking at her, demanding to be heard above all things while in other times the voices mixed with one another in a chaotic mess, turning into a torrent of barely intelligible gibberish, no different than the growls of monsters as they feasted upon the fallen….., but if there was one thing they seemed to agree on was on passing judgement on her.
Their hatred laid bare in their dead eyes, mouths closed tightly in a rictus of pain when death took them, yet this was unable to stop the haunting voices of their owners from echoing freely in her head.
Strangers, acquaintances, friends….
A strange peculiarity that she would have taken notice had reality not crumble both her resolve and spirit so utterly for she had never been there to hear them curse her name for fate had taken them away long before she was even aware.
But it was not the waking world that worried her, but rather the one beyond it. After all this time, reality could not hold a candle to the horrors that her own mind could brew in silence. The strength and power she had gained after numerous challenges and perils rendered null in a heart beat, leaving her expose to what rot within….
How simple it was to turn the calm landscape of Monsdadt in a fiery hell. How the green emerald fields of old burned to ash, the solemn skies bleeding out as the large columns of fire seemed to mix with the horizon. How the thick smoke clogged her throat with every step she took while her sight remained locked in place over the eviscerated bodies littering the streets like pebbles...
She took a deep breath….
It had been so long since that dreadful day that she had thought herself above such petty things, yet her body betrayed her resolve, trembling at the memory alone. Keeping her awake at night until the sun rose and dispelled them...
Only to happen again the next following night.
Forever….
She grinded her teeth as the words echoed once again, she could feel the bitter taste of iron spread through her mouth as she did, but she did not stop, instead doubling down on it as she savoured it. It allowed her to push aside those damning thoughts, if only for a brief moment.
A bitter laugh escaped from her lips, looking back she had been such a fool. For all that she bragged to have accomplished, to know….., she should have known the wicked truth of this world…., but blinded by youthful recklessness and fiery passion she did not until it was too late.
Nothing was meant to last forever…..
Not the idolized ideals of the so called gods that presumed to watch over them, not the peace and tranquillity of the land that saw her been born, not even….him.
The affirmation only made the stung in her heart grow, cold sharp vines spreading over it like a festering wound before they started to crushed it into a bloody pulp. Ragged breaths became further and further in between as she could barely breath…, the windpipes closing in one by one as if under the grip of a terrible invisible hand.
The image of her darling that had slowly been forming in her retina vanished with ease like the fog of morning, or more like being swat away by a monstrous force...
It shook her more than she would have thought possible, a coldness quickly chilling her to the bone.
She tried to embrace herself, the silky texture of her gloved hands closing tightly around her waist as if it could shield her from passing out as her body started to freeze, but it did little to ease her ailment as feelings of regret and grief condensed into one packet ball of ice in her guts.
The way they clung to them…lips trembling against her will, it was unbearable, but she refused to give in….
What she needed was something that she could no longer have…, a radiant flower of summer ripped out by the roots and discarded when it was no longer useful. His name and deeds forgotten by all in a whim, because of him…
"You have turned yourself into a monster..."
Grief soon gave way to anger as the words echoed endlessly in her head with malicious intent.
A muffled scream was all that she could utter when the shade of glowing green eyes passed before her, slamming down her arms against whatever laid before her, over and over again. Hearing the loud cracks of wood giving away under such relentless assault from where her limbs had strike yet she felt no pain. Her hands clasping into two tight fists as blood started to slip past her lips and slide down her mouth, leaving a humid trail behind.
She paid it little heed, rather focusing on the power that started to build up inside her like an old furnace finding joy in the recently added lumber, melting away the icy weights that had been holding her down like chains. She could feel the energy wanting to be let free, to roam around the edges of her fingers to consume…
She still remembered vividly her last encounter with the abomination, how the green bastard dared to smirk down on her as she died in the snow, her body crumbling onto itself. Away from all that she had once known and loved.
Alone….
"Was it worth it? To betray everything you ever stood for this mad crusade? Is there no ounce of loyalty to his memory? To his ideals?"
She could hear her teeth crack as the pressure started to built up, blood flooding her mouth and staining the ground with a fresh shade of crimson as she heard the way the droplets started to fall down. It hurt…, like biting a burning coal and trying to swallow it whole, but at least they kept her from screaming her lungs out in outrage.
Speaking of which….
What would he know about loyalty? Of loss? He, a being so arrogant an uncaring that would rather wait eternity away from his duty's drunk only to slip down the rug whatever blame could be directed at him and point someone else.
Rostam would have known the truth if he had lived to see it, he would have known what to do, freeing them from such uncaring despot and given the people what they needed.
Hope...
But alas, that was not meant to be…., the tales of heroes and damsels living a happy ever after were just that, tales. The real world had no cavity for such delusions.
Delusions…..
All because of that thing.
Forever
Before she could do anything drastic the words halted her just in the nick of time, giving her time to recollect what little thoughts remained in order. She sighed in frustration as the energy started to die out, leaving a scorching tingling in her hands.
Awaiting to be used...
No…, this was not the right place to blow up in a tide of ice and fire….she would have to postpone it, to quell it down into the deepest depths of her soul. But she dreaded that the wait would eat her out at this point…, she could still feel the hooks of anger try to claw their way out again.
The smirk of That damned bard good for nothing did not help things either…
With great reluctance it was then that she hung her head low, not deterred by the presence of splinters gracing her skin as she leaned her forehead against the cool surface of the table. Her golden hair wailing around to the sides as she did, hiding the spiteful scorn from her face as a series of flashes continued to play out before her.
As if taunting her for her attempt….
Perhaps that was why she was not expecting something else to happen, especially not dispelling its foul touch from her.
"Is this what you have become, dear?"
``W-what?´´ She sputtered out in surprise at the sudden intrusion. It sounded far more real than the archons voice. More clear too…., a small feeling of deja vu settling in as she tried to decipher it.
"I am still waiting for you…."
This time the voice was different, older...yet kinder, like a blow of fresh in a heated room. So why did it hurt so much?
Her heart skipped a beat as she felt a hand over her back, slowly rubbing back and forth to not cause any sort of discomfort as warm fingers brushed against her back. Like a mother patting her children's before bed.
Her mouth opened yet no words left her lips when she felt a pair of strong arms, embrace her and carefully pull her towards her left. This should not be happening, in the slightest. She should be wailing her limbs to free herself, moving away from this..thing, to escape.
Instead she leaned voluntarily to the touch…., placing her head over where its shoulders should be. Slowly rocking back and forth as if she had found a long lost friend and refused to part ways.
She felt…
Home…...
"Your heart was in the right place….., my dear. But please...come back, is still not too late´´
This time the words shone like gems upon silver threads above the shadows of her head, not for their lack of animosity towards her which eased her….., but because this time she managed to recognise its owner.
After all these years…, could it be?
``Rostam….?´´ She felt the wind tug her golden locks, as if humming in appreciation of her assessment.
She did not need any more prove than that...
To think that he would join the chorus was a bittersweet thought, but one that somewhere deep inside she was grateful for….a light in the darkness, no matter how small was more than she ever desired to accompany her in this wretched world.
Was that selfishness? Perhaps…
Was it evil for her to want that? She did not know…
She heard him sit right next to her, and though she wished she could she refused to open her eyes to meet him in fear that he would disappear and leave her alone.
Again….
She did not know if she could maintain her composure if that were to happen. She slowly rose her head and turned to meet where she thought he was, hoping to gather the strength needed to speak up.
To understand….
Especially regarding what he had said. Come back? Where? He was no longer part of this world, her world. He had been taken…., and too late? It felt like she was picking up the straws of something larger.
It bothered her….
``I-I don't understand, w-what are you talking about? Please, I need to know...´´ Her words traversed through the empty void without resistance, yet she was met with silence...
A minute passed, then another…waiting for an answer, but nothing came. She chewed her lips, trying to push away the idea that she believed had imagined it all…., that it was all in her head.
Yet whether she believed it or not, the dread was already sinking its teeth in.
``Rostam…, don't leave me´´ She begged, lost was the decorum and pride that she usually wielded as her voice cracked, unable to bear the thought of him been taken away. She would rather suffer anything than that as she extended her arm towards him, but felt nothing there.
Just empty air...
"You must forgive them…., and most importantly….. yourself"
Her head picked up at the sound now reaching her from the other side, a bright smile drawing out in her features while her heart soared with gratitude…..he had not left her, he was still there.
But to her disappointment it would be short lived as her happiness turned sour as she started to realize what he had asked of her. What she was expected to do…
A deep frown taking over face.
``Forgive...them?´´ She parroted the demand slowly, her lips trembling as if uncertain of the meaning behind those words. Each second that the word ranged in her head left a bitter taste in her mouth.
"Creature!" The way they glared at her with hatred and fear in their eyes.
"Witch!" The way they lied of their own wickedness and laid their sins bare for her to take.
"Maddened woman…..." The way she was seen by the one that should have been by her side.
Her lips curled into a wrathful expression as she slammed her right hand against the table. This time the affected area could not withstand it, breaking under the pressure.
``Forgive them!?´´
Her voice shook the darkness to its core, ripples coursing through the void like massive tides waves yet it could not be compared with the star that had been born at the centre of this wasteland. Bright flames that would probably tower over buildings like nothing, scorching the very ground she stood into a molten rubble that pulsated beneath her feet like a wounded heart. The air grew thick and heavy, the endless trail of embers tainting the skies with a deep shade of crimson.
Cracks starting to spread above her head where light started to slip by….
She was grateful she had her eyes closed, for she knew she would have been blinded by the sheer brightness as she stood at the epicentre of it all.
"Rosalyne…., don't-" He tried to speak out, his voice barely audible under the storm but even if it had not, it would have mattered little, she would not have it.
``Do You have the slightest idea of what they did! To you!? To me!?´´ She snarled with barely held contempt, stomping her feet in the ground. In a split second she had stood out from her seat, a wave of magic erupted from her, blasting away both the table and chair into the nothingness...
"Is it so wrong to let go…?"
The voice asked, pain drawing out from every word, but she could not hear it. Once the flames in her chest had finally ignited, they had scorched her heart to the point of no return leaving no place for the calmness she had beared. And now that that very same flames had started to envelop her arms with the same burning vindication, it really did not matter.
She chewed her lips, refusing to answer such pointless question.
``Why is it than when we sin we have to repent, but when others do they receive no punishment!? I will not stand down or kneel before those maggots who trampled everything I did for their selfish wishes!? No... I will not forgive them´´ She took a step forward, then another until she felt she was standing barely a few centimetres from him.
Her lips taking the shape before the first word had been uttered out….
``Never...´´
"You have changed….."
She snorted, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance at the sheer absurdity her ears were witness off.
``No, the world have….´´ She replied scathingly, each word oozing venom to the point that it would have started to drip into the ground.
For a reason she did not understand she imagined him looking at her with sorrow in his eyes.
There is an eerie moment of silence between them before she could hear anything else.
"I see, I am powerless to aid you…, but I can do this much. Forgive me my dear, for what I am about to do"
``What are you-´´
She would not finish the sentence. A pained gasp left her lips as a cold shudder ran through her spine, her hands graving tightly into what they could find while sweat started sliding down her forehead. Vivid flashes of the past started to pass before her eyes, uncaring whether she was willing to gaze at them or not.
The first touch of true freedom, not granted...but earned after she was able to discern what she really wanted to do with her existence.
The feeling of warmth of two beings who could not have been more different finding solace in each others embrace. The difference in their views and the way they would change the world only cementing their union.
The sound promises been said and promised to be upheld been carried away by the wind.
The feeling of pain tearing her insides out as the world she knew had come to an end and she had never had the chance to even say goodbye. How their eyes shone with anger and pointed accusatory undeserved glares at her.
The death of a bright soul, frozen in ice as its body started to melt by the very same power that coursed through it. Leaving nothing but embers behind that the wind pettily throw back at her like a slap.
Only when the flux of memories started to became to much for her to handle that she tried to escape from their ethereal touch. A futile effort in her part, for she knew that she would not find an escape to her misery
And so she opened up her eyes…
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Even before the first beams of light could pierce through the thin skin of her eyelids the scent of salt and a bright, colourful sky had already greeted her..., piercing through the taste of burnt out coal and ashes still stuck in her throat from such vivid visions, leaving a strange taste to remain behind.
Murky…and distasteful, eerily similar with the emotions that laid bare barely skin deep within her.
When her eye grew accustomed to the light she was not surprise to find herself standing over what could only be described as the broken remnants of what once was a house. Standing around her what little remained like the bones protruding of what little flesh had yet to rot and wither away from a half buried corpse...
She realized that part of the dream had some touch in the waking world as she soon took notice of a circle of scorched, almost melted cobble stones surrounding her…burning cinders, floating through the air as they were carried away aimlessly like moths shrouded in darkness…..dying out once their forms touch the cold ground.
The frown on her face deepened as she glared around her, her eyes trailing every nook and cranny they could find in their quest. Counting the cracks that spread through the few broken walls that still stood tall like spider webs, her eyes gazing at the silver shaded clouds lazily hanging over her head through a now non existent roof, the windows had been busted long ago, glass shards littering the ground, creaking with a screeching sound every time she stepped over them
No….this was not just a mere ruin…., the ache in her heart that threatened to strangle her was too much to ignore at this point. This was different.
This had been her home…..
"This is ours..." The voices bittersweetly reminded her.
Forever
Her hands clasped tightly into fists as she felt the burning ache of a bile rise through her throat, like tendrils of steaming metal moving up by unseen gears. She fought down the urge to kneel and throw up what little contents remained in her stomach with all the strength she could muster, yet even in victory she could only grimace at the lingering bitter taste in her mouth.
A reminder of her weakness….., of her failure.
What could she do to take such annoying thoughts from her mind?
She tried to take a step forward, yet the numbness in her legs only allowed for an awkward stumble, like a petty drunk….., struggling to stand up instead of someone who could burn half of Mondstat in a heartbeat.
It was demeaning…
It was…..
A silent curse left through her lips, silencing whatever thought would have come next as she was forced to lean against one of the walls that seemed sturdy enough not to fall under her as she tried to move towards the exit, one weak stumble at a time.
She endured the cool touch of the stone against the naked skin on her back as she dragged herself forward, the way the expensive cloth that wrapped her gloved fingers became stained with both the dust and mold covering its surface after centuries of abandonment...
Anger and frustration flared through her heart like beams of light over a cloudless sky. Bright and unquenchable….
Soon cracks started to spread were her fingers laid their hold over the wall.
She was the eight harbinger! She was the Tsaritsas favourite chosen! She was the one drawing the new era closer to them, one scheme at a time…!
Her hands clenched into tight fists, a mixture of frost and flames dancing around the edges of her fingers as she did.
So why!? Why did she feel so weak standing here!? What power did this place hold over her!?
Forever
Her chest grew tighter with each step, legs trembling with each huffed breath while lips quivered into a feral scorn…., but she continued on. She could hear the whispers grow louder, some begging her to return while others condemning her for her cowardice, she did not care for he was silent. She could sense the way her body demanded her to stop, limbs aching in protest as she pushed on.
She had to...
Whatever foolish sentimentalism had drove her here in the first place was now biting her in the ass…, chewing her battered soul while its claws remained locked around her neck.
In her mind it mattered little what she would have to go through for what she felt now would pale in comparison with what would happen if she lingered here any longer…, like a beast cornered between the hungering flames consuming its home and the cold touch from the blades of its hunters that awaited outside.
She briefly closed her eyes as she prepared to take another breath, a droplet of sweat sliding down from her chiselled skin into the ground below. Their swift fall and eventual splash leaving echoes in her mind….
Like rain…
Or blood….
A grimace formed in her mouth as the bitter taste of iron brought forth the burning taste of biles raising up her throat. Her mind was hazy from, but it was quickly waking up… and with it the voices of those whose footsteps had long been vanish.
She grabbed her head with one hand, her fingers holding in a tight grip a handful of her golden hair between them, as if it could push the images from scratching any further the walls of her psyche. Uncaring if the act alone would ruin the hours of work
A grunt of annoyance came from her once she reached the busted door, the wood all but rotten after the passing of centuries yet still hanging stubbornly from one of its hinges as it refused to fail its now unimportant task. Yet before her fingers could even grasp the handle they stopped in mid air... no, they refused to move any further.
A gasp ran through the room, dispelling what little silence that there was if only for a brief moment. Her body taking a step back, then another..the ground below her creaking under her weight as she unconsciously tried to put as much distance as possible from it.…
It hurt..
It would always hurt her...
The reason been what stood before her eyes and the end of this nightmare turn reality.
She chewed her lips in frustration, blood slowly dripping down the bruised flesh once again as wounds started to reopen in earnest, envy burning through her eyes while her body shook in silent outrage.
Like a puppet which strings had been cut off and laid down on the ground, unable to voice out its displeasure...
Though transparent as they were, her eyes could do little but follow the silhouettes in their embrace. The way their forms intertwined with each other in the rows of passion to the point that it seemed they had become one.
How her lips moved into a playful sneer even though there was a slight feeling of hesitation yet no sound emanated from them, wrinkles appearing on his tanned skin as he smiled at her in return, leaning their heads towards one another, slowly...almost as if frightful of their touch before they held each other in silence.
Their fingers wrapping around their soft silk like hair, marvelling at the touch as if it would be their last. The rough taste of sweat and steel mixing with the more soft like scents of roses and the arcane as their lips pressed sweetly with one another….
The day before she had to leave back to Sumeru she realized.
The gods were truly spiteful creatures to continue to torment her in such form, but knowing already the cruelty of one, why should she be surprised?
"Stay with me….."
"Its our duty, only for another year..ok?"
"Don't go…."
"Come with me"
"You can change…."
"I believe in you, Rosalyne..."
Forever
She felt something cold started to slid down her cheeks, her fingers clumsily gracing the heated skin as if they were made of ice that would soon melt. A soft thud reached her ears, then again..and again, her fingers failing to reach the origin of her nuisance. It couldn't have been more than a few second, but it felt like an eternity as she realized that they had been brushing against the elegant mask covering half of her face all this time.
"You have become a shadow of your former self...and as such you must disappear"
The archons voice broke her out of her stupor, with bloodshot eyes and a gruelling snarl she ripped away the mask from her face and threw it away. Revealing the gruesome disparity of dead tissue and skinless scars carved into her flesh by fire that had hid below under layer upon layer of silk and grace.
Furiously brushing off the tears sliding down her eyes she tore through their ethereal bodies as if it was a mere fog.…, ignoring their muted gasp of surprise and horror as their bodies vanished into the air as her hand grasped the handle of that dreadful door. Pushing onwards into the blinding light of day…..forcing her eyes shut.
Its touch reawakening the embers of a deep searing pain trapped between the melted skin on her face.
The way the fire had shone brighter than she should have thought possible, leaving nothing but a dark trail in her wake
The way it consumed their foul forms, drowning their shrieks...so quickly, so violently.
The way it started to consume her….with such treasonous desire.
She grinded her teeth, fighting down the desire to scream as her skin started to heat up outside of her control, as if the flames were peeling down inch by inch of useless flesh in their blistering hunger.
Perhaps it was for this reason that overlooked a crucial detail as she moved forward.
Precognitive powers or not, she should have known than stumbling forward with her eyes closed was not a good idea..., by the time she realized that it was too late. A grunt of pain ran through her lips as she felt her body colliding with an obstacle that laid in her path, causing her to fall on her back with a loud thud.
It was nothing…
She had felt worse….
It took a bit more effort than she thought, but in the end she managed to raise her head from the dry yet persistent flowers that had been placed with great care at the base of the lump of dirt she was standing on. It was not long before her eye caught a good glimpse of the single cross resting solemnly before her...
Melted iron encased in layer upon layer of ice…, grotesque and cold, its very presence disturbed the natural landscape that surrounded her like a thorn stuck in her thumb.
Her heart started to beat faster, as if its mere closeness held power over her body even though she knew it was empty. There had not been even a body to bury within….
One last gift that Rosalyne ever gave her true love before she too passed away...
Trembling and with her breathings growing ragged, she could only claw a handful of dirt from the ground and threw it over her head with rage, a wounded scream echoing through the calm plateau as the specks of ground landed not far away from her.
She rose her soiled, stained hands…., seeing the grime latch onto the fabric like dried blood…., she tried to rip it away but only smearing it over her delicate skin much to her chagrin.
``For fucks sake...this is not my day, isn't it?´´ She spoke out into the nothingness with a sharp breath, growling out like a wounded beast as if awaiting a reply…, but receiving none.
How long had it been since everything went to shit and life tasted of ashes in her mouth?
Too long….
Too fucking long...
She shook her head with dejection, the weight of those thoughts crushing the rage that still burned within, like a bucket of water over the dying embers of a bonfire. Though her legs quivered at first by the strain, she stood up from the muddy ground after a few seconds...giving the empty tomb of Rostam one was last glance before her neck flung backwards.
Her eyes wandered lost over the gentle skies hanging over her head, watching with disinterest the way the clouds moulded and morphed into different forms with the way the wind push them from different directions.
``Was this how you felt too when fate took you away?´´ She asked out loud, her voice ending in a sorrowful note.
"Did in your wayward task, find it? Peace...?"
She sighed, and with it...she suddenly felt...so heavy. For the first time in her life she could feel the weight of her bones trying to pull her down, the frigid and callous touch of the very energies woven through her flesh like circuits in a machine. The empty throbbing sound of a heart that kept her in this world time and time again against her deepest and darkest wishes.
She was a testament of what she had found….
She was forced to lean against the cross when the strength of her legs failed her momentarily. A pang of shame spreading through her face as she cursed under her breath this eventuality while she tried to regain her balance.
Fuck…., she felt so tired…
The only silver lining to this whole mess was the fact that she had previously commanded her bodyguards to not follow her here, to wait for her at the centre of their operations in that lowly hotel until the need arose to move out...
A sigh left her lips at the memory, they had not been very happy about that…., even though they should have known by now that each time she reached Mondast she would make a detour as she went to deal with something in private they had still protested.
She understood where their reticence came from though. It was after all their duty to stay close to her like a shadow…, accompany her, fight and die if needed be for her safety. Their mask not hiding well the emotions coursing through them as she made her request, seconds earlier before they begged her not to.
Old habits die hard, she guessed….
It made it the more difficult for her to detest them for their dedication.
She moved away from the ruined home, slowly walking down the staircase that led to the beach.
Her movements were far more rigid than they should have been as she mechanically tried to mirror down the steps she took that day. The sound of those expensive heels lost by the wind howling above her head and the constant tide waves crashing ashore.
Parts of it had been lost to time, some of the steps had even been ripped away from the foundations.., but it did little to impede her arrival to the shore. The sand creaking under her feet while the wind brushed against her face, its humid touch leaving a few droplets of water slid down her cheeks alongside with the ones that had already been there before as a silent greetmeant.
How curious, after all this time…., this place had not changed at all….
The peace and tranquillity that this place exuded was…., her lips turned into a scowl as the very thought started to craw out.
Disgusting….
Her eyes started to feel heavy as she remained still, . She extended her arm forward, opening her gloved hand...allowing for a small yet bright flame to rise from her palm.
Why had never told her that flames looked like tears….?
``Are you ok….?´´ A voice spoke out, it was soft...young even but definitely male if its tone had anything to say about it. In fact, she could tell that it possessed some sort of….accent, though it wasn't that great to catch someone's attention on the spot.
She decided to ignore it, considering it as nothing more than the voices in her head…., clawing for undeserved attention.
She closed her hand, barely catching the sound of the flames dying out before her limb fell limp to the side.
No matter how treacherous the Archon had been, the hypocrisy of her fellow kin or even the bestial rage of those monsters that came to raze the world into a dark age…, this was her fault…wasn't it?
Tears started to trail down her eyes. She should have never left, never allow him to go out into danger with cowards like Arundolyn. If nothing else be there to shield him…..
He was too perfect for his own good.
Too honourable….
``Miss…? Are you ok? Do you need help?´´ The same voice appeared again, a slight note of distress at the end of it, and though she was tempted to pushed it away once more she felt something tug her cape.
That had to be her imagination, right...?
She would not have much time to ponder as soon she felt it again, this time a little stronger before a completely different voice joined the other, and to make matters worse it was even more childish than the last.
``Eoh! Paymon to strange lady! Can you hear us!?Rise your legs if you do..I-I mean rise your hands!´´
The high pitch tone broke her out of her stupor and forced her to turn around if only to pinpoint where it was coming from, she would not have to look far. Soon her eyes settle over the strangest little child she had ever seen, the fact that she had wings keeping her afloat been the lesser of strange facts around her.
But that was not what caught her attention, partially perhaps…, but it did not compare with its companion.
Those precious golden orbs that were glaring at her with a mix of apprehension and fondness. Glowing like the rising sun in the morning, dispelling the darkness of the night with beams of pure light. Their warmth reflecting back on her like a soft blanket that she had missed for so long...
Her heart skipped a beat as she recalled the only being that managed to draw such raw emotions out of her. A person that now seemed to stand before her in flesh and bone rather than shadows and echoes…
"I am still waiting for you…."
Could it be….?
``Rostam….?´´
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-The idea was a two shot, but with more than 10k in the chapter I saw necessary to cut it down to size, so three it shall be.
-This one was more about the actual timeline where the events of the game take place, with a more bitter and colder Rosalyne. 500 hundred years with only resentment and a desire to spite Venti no matter what do tend to take away much of ones humour if you think about it...
-Though the Signora stands proud, the Rosalyne of old still remains within, even though if only in fragments. In a sense, she was re-born as everything that had given life to Rosalyne was dead or had turn her back on her. Holding to an existence that would only bring her pain does not seem very practical, even though her goals are driven by very irrational desires (spite/hatred).
-The idea to combine the meaning of dreams with the wind of Monsdadt seemed like a good idea; Both elements are things that mankind has no control over, they are boundless and ethereal no matter what you want or wish..., a stark contrast with her actual state.
Fallen into a thrall of obsession in her search for vengeance she is no longer free to look for a path of her own choosing as she has surrendered herself to grief and rage….and the machinations of another uncaring god if what is known about the Tsaritsa is true, a reflection of this appears in the dark, unchanging depths she finds herself at each time she "dreams"
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``Signora…, do you know what happens after a blind man walks into a bar?´´
``I suppose you are going to tell me regardless if I want or not…, right?´´
``You got it right...´´
``Go on…., indulge me before I change my mind and freeze you into a blond ice cube...though I have the feeling that I will soon regret this...´´
``He walks into a table...´´
``Yes..…..?´´
``Then a chair...´´
``…...´´
``Then a wall….´´
``…...´´
``Then a counter….´´
``I hate you...´´
``I love you too...´´
``Paymon doesn't think relationships work this way traveller….´´
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``Rosalyne, this has to end…., your poor vision has led you to a dark path, cant you see it!?´´
Flames threaten to erupt from her eyes before the first snarl escapes through her lips. ``Shut up! You don't know what you are talking about, what I had to endure, you know nothing…!´´
The traveller shook his head in disappointment. ``I had the feeling that things would not be easy but I believe that you don't see my point…´´
She scoffed, a small hint of amusement in her tone as she towered over him..``And why would I even listen to the likes of you, meddler? For all I know you could be making time to pull out another cheap trick….´´
``Such rage..., you don't see a problem with your behaviour right? By the gods, this almost drags me to tears…´´
A frown settles in her features, something was not right. ``And why would I-wait a second...´´
``Do you know that Targalia didn't saw coming his defeat´´
``No...´´
``I know..´´
``What?´´
``I once cut down a tree with out my hands, I saw it with my own eyes….´´
``What are you-...´´ She halts, her tongue growing heavier as a dark realization dawns before her eyes. The smirk the blond rapscallion was giving her sealing out the suspicions in her mind.
``Oh…..., oh! You little shit! Y-You dare!? You dare mock the eight Harbinger!? If another joke about eyes comes out from your mouth...I swear you, I will not rest until-...´´
The travellers rose his hands in a placating manner, halting her before she continued. ``Alright…., alright, I wont do such thing´´
``Really?´´ Something told her that she should not bring her hopes up.
He nodded his head, yet that playful grin in his face betrayed him. ``Indeed, I was just trying to lit up the mood, it seems that someone has a lack of depth perception...´´
A few veins popped out in her face before the room blows up in a maelstrom of fire and ice, tearing huge chunks of the building in the process.
``That's it! Your rent free trial of existence is FUCKING over….!´´