(Nine years ago)
It was a dark and scary night, wind howled through the primeval woods threatening to blow out the frail campfire. A lone boy softly sat by the flame unafraid of the darkness surrounding him, he had long since gotten used to the atmosphere, didn't mean he wasn't wary just mostly focused on keeping his eyes open and the flame alive in the wake of his disaster of a day. The spirits demanded their would-be shamans go through certain tests before they would even think of contracting with a human, however it was apparently different for everyone, and for him well he could extrapolate that it hadn't gone well. He completed the tasks alright (as well as trying to not have your mind crushed by the weight of an antediluvian being that cares nothing for you can go) but not a single spirit agreed to make a contract, so here he was in the middle of the night cold, alone, exhausted and hungry.
It had been a very long and very tiring day.
"So how have you been lately Alvi?"
He jumped back yelping as his butt slammed into a rock, a musical laugh cut through the wind, it was a very familiar laugh that turned his panic to annoyance. He reluctantly opened his eyes to the woman he knew would be sitting across from him with a stupid smirk on her face.
"I thought I told you to stop calling me that" He brushed the leaves off his butt and stared at her in irritation.
"Aww but Alvi-"
"No" He sat back down on the log
"But-"
"I will feed you to the woods"
"Ahh! How can you be so cruel to such a beautiful woman" She flipped her hair dramatically getting him to roll his eyes at her antics
"Go away Nemo, I'm in no mood for your games" The jerk never told him her name, so he came up with a replacement so he wouldn't just be calling her that annoying woman, Nemo Latin; apparently, she took it as a sign of endearment. Blasted woman.
'Stupid vigil, stupid Father'
His hand quickly caught a flying object, a granola bar. He looked at her and awkwardly nodded his thanks. She was an annoyingly perceptive woman.
'(Sigh) I guess I could humor her'
He bit off a chunk. "Why did you come today Nemo?" He didn't like looking at her, there was a certain pull to her that felt more than simple beauty and if there is anything, he had learned through his father's lessons was that the subtle things are often more dangerous than the upfront ones. Still-
"To play with your brain" -Besides being an annoyance she had never done anything to hurt or harm him and so she stuck around, kind of, he had no idea where she lived or came from which was strange since he was pretty certain she was a mage of some sorts and mages like to stick around in one place (Mostly).
"But I can see you're pretty spent so I'll spare you the mental gymnastics for now." She flicked an acorn into the fire blowing air out the side of her mouth, softly pouting.
'Did she have to sound so disappointed?' He put the wrapping in his pocket, the spirits here would probably shove any litter he left down his throat.
"... Thanks" He took a swig of water staring into the flame, there was a hypnotic beauty about it the way it danced and burned. Calming. He let the tension that had built throughout the day go, the only things that could hurt him were the spirit's and while unpredictable it just wasn-
WHOOSH!
"OOF" A massive gust of wind knocked him off his perch on the log and almost killed the fire. He ignored the sparkling laughter from Nemo instead choosing to scratch the back of his head in confusion
'What the-?' He swore that he could hear angry mutterings in that incomprehensible language of theirs.
'Bloody Spirits' A stick nailed him right in the middle of his skull and of course, she laughed as he hit the ground groaning.
"Well, that was entertaining!" She glanced at the direction stick came from and she gave a more genuine smile, somehow, he felt like that was worse. A flick of her hand and the fire lived once more.
"..." He lifted his head just to hit it on the ground in frustration. Well, that and he really just didn't have the energy to get up, it had been a really long day.
'This is a lot comfier than one would think'
"Are really you just going to lie there for the rest of the night Alva?" He grunted staring into the starry sky, his gratitude had worn off and he just wanted her gone. She sighed from her spot on the log and flopped down right next to him
"You ever think about the stars, have you ever wondered why you do that?"
She caught a moth in her fingers and then let it go watching it fly away into the starry night, the crackling campfire giving her a certain glow.
"Not like there's a big secret behind it or anything like some magical compulsion but why do people have the curiosity in the first place? Why do we find ourselves drawn to something so foreign and distant, what makes the poets dream and the painters imagine?"
"I'm tired witch. Leave me alone" She turned to him and poked him in the cheek. He could feel her soft smile
"Yeah, you definitely think about it" He grumbled and turned on his side. Annoying woman.
"I like it"
"Hmm?"
"The stars"
"Hmm"
"Do you?"
"I… don't know"
"Why's that?"
"(Sigh) They are so fascinating and yet…"
He turned on his side with a huff
"Yet what Alva?"
"Nemo, can we please save your stupid question for tomorrow? I just want to sleep"
"But you got me all curious!"
"(Groan) Nemo!"
"I just want to understand you"
"Why?"
"Because I want to, does it really need a greater reason?"
"I don't want to share my deeper thoughts to some person I barely know"
"Oh, come on you- "
"Know only what I can theorize from our dumb meetings. You tell me nothing about yourself except you're a storyteller, that's it. This is the entire extent of our relationship you come out of nowhere and annoy me until I play along with your dumb games. Tell me, why should I tell you anything?"
She was silent for a moment before she looked him from the side of her eye "Okay"
"What?"
"I'll leave you alone for the night"
"I- "
"But only if you can tell me why"
"Why what?" Stupid curiosity
"Why you think people are drawn to the stars, you've definitely thought about it so tell me"
"You're a jerk you know that"
"So are you my little morose munchkin"
"I'm not a munchkin" He grumbled under his breath
(Sigh)
"It's just called human nature Nemo(sigh). They are unknown yet familiar, ever distant yet always there, shining little lights surrounded by inky darkness, scary and pretty in equal measure. Yet they don't have any real meaning for us so as humans do, we create meaning, we create purpose, we create dreams" he gave a sleepy look to her
"Happy?"
"Yes" She closed her eyes seemingly satisfied.
"I'm going to sleep" He turned on his side and hugged himself trying to hold onto whatever warmth he could
"Harker"
"(Sigh) What"
"You have a bug crawling near your face"
He opened his eyes.
'Huh, didn't think a locust could survive out here'
He shrugged and pulled it to his chest. It didn't try to leave instead choosing to let it happen
"What are you doing?"
"It'll die in the cold"
"It's a bug"
"I like bugs"
She grinned and slid over pulling him over into a hug.
"What the-!" His face fully flushed he jerked back causing the locust to fly away
"Hush now, you'll die in the cold"
"I'm not a bug!"
"Quiet little spoon you'll never fall asleep if you're yelling" She held him from behind, it was admittedly warm, and the night was so bitterly cold
"I'm not cutlery…" His voice trailed away as he instinctively curled up in a tight ball. Mother always found that particular habit of his funny
'So... tired'
Nemo listened to his slowly calming breath as she stroked his hair.
"Oh, little frozen leaf why do you lack ambition? You have the potential to be so much more if you just went out and reached for it" He didn't hear, he was busy flying far above the river, flying with the winds happy and free.
(Back to the Present)
"That energy... Mash it's-" She knew, she could feel the energy being released which compounded with that they had nowhere to go but an ocean of flame behind them made it feel worse.
"A servant" The bloody woman on the ground finished the thought, she pushed herself up the demeanor of calm and pride at odds with her beaten and bloody state. "Romani, once this is done, I want a sitrep on the situation back at Chaldea'' She sighs as she brushes off the blood on Aldain's face (Nobody really wished to address that it was hers from when she slammed her fist on his forehead after they arrived) Mash's face tightened at the sight of him.
"Director! Oh jeez, you've been beaten up badly, hold on checking vitals-" Roman's apparently had just realized she was here (Despite guiding the servants to the mages in the first place) his hologram appeared for a moment before she waved him off. "I'll live Romani, we have more pressing matters like why and how the servant finally catalyzed within Ms. Kyrielight"
'How did she- oh right, this isn't exactly subtle'
"Hate to break the reunion but could we save the questions for after, Rider isn't going to wait forever after all" The blue cloaked man thumped his staff against the ground drawing their attention, the Director nodded and looked at him.
"Can we trust you Servant?" He smirked and opened his mouth but she decided to interject to cut down on the questions.
"You can trust him, director, if not for Caster then I would have died soon after my arrival" The image of Assassin and her near quick execution at the forefront of her mind. The blue-themed man smiled at her.
"Name's Cu Chulainn and I'm the last pure servant of the Holy Grail War, now hold onto your ass cause this is going to get rough" A rune came to life between his fingers, she stepped forward and slammed her shield down in agreement.
"Secure mister Aldain Director, Mash Kyrielight is joining the battle!"
(Linebreak)
"So… Been quite some time Medusa" Caster skidded across the ice firing another Isaz creating an ice wall to protect the two mages. Neatly leaning back the nail aiming for his head slightly missed. He twirled, grinning as the pressurized water of laguz knocked her away.
'Even before she fell, she'd been great fun in a fight' Yet despite the ever-present joy of conflict Cu Chulainn found it pretty damned sad to see her reduced to this state, he never wanted her twisted by that blasted mud. Still, despite that sadness, there was no reason to cut the banter, he had fought Fergus despite their friendship, he had killed Cui Roi who had honored him, he had killed Ferdiad who had been his brother in all but blood, he had even killed his own- He wouldn't let the face of a friend stop him.
Running forward he batted aside another nail and let loose an Ur, the force of the mighty ox rune sending her flying giving the kid the perfect chance to slam her straight into a wall.
"How've you been?" Launching himself into the air with a blast of fire he cracked the staff across her face slamming her into the ground. The flash of light from her eyes almost hit him but he dodged it or at least mostly. Medusa took advantage of this pause to kick the demi-servant right in her face knocking her away. She didn't seem to hurt considering the number of snowflakes around her
'Damn tip of the staff is petrified' The balance was off, so he needed to move quickly before she could capitalize on it. 'Rider and the Wildfire' The runes formed a chain and then their power was his
Kaen and Raido together, he burst forward with as much speed as his lancer form breaking off the stone edge on her arm and shoving a flaming fist in the stomach. "I think the last time we properly talked was right before the battle at the major grail" They had won that battle, they had come so close to peace, just a single strike more but then… A many-eyed pillar of flesh and its dread summon of a Dark Knight had arrived, the pillar had pushed the battered group to the brink and the knight had slaughtered them wholesale. It wasn't the happiest memory but the night before that? Well…
"Nice drinks, nice laughs hell even that stupid Archer cracked a smile!" A portal appeared and the rotating chains 'What did Sakura decide to call it? Ah yes, Gorgon locks' forced him back making him create a runic shield. Mash was running to help but he waved her off.
A trail of flame appeared forward from his staff lashing like a whip easing the pressure for a bit. Once again, he cursed his luck, if it had been someplace other than this flame cursed city then he'd be able to call on the wilds around them but thanks to the damn grail the world around them was good as dead. So, he'd have to make do.
"You and that kid Shirou looked so happy together, I'm almost surprised you didn't go in the back to celebrate or something" Tiwaz formed a spear in his hands and he thrust right for the heart narrowly missing. Her chains wrapped around it and the runespear faded away as soon as it left his hands
"Shut up!". She rushed to send a fist through his head but the thunder of Thurisaz forced her to jump back as a veritable Lightning storm came falling from above. Movement flickered in the corner of his eye.
'Shit!'
"Kid! Skeletons coming from the north!" She sprinted toward them without any hesitation. 'Good Instincts'. He jumped back looking upon the thrashing mess Rider was becoming.
'Someone's having a tantrum'
"Just shut up you stupid Caster!" A stray chain shattered the ice wall causing the director to cry out.
"Fine let's finish this then Medusa, kid do your snowflake thing" He rushed forward, his path cleared by a skeleton or stray attack by the snowflakes swirling about him. Jumping over her leg he managed to nail a good hagalaz across her chin the destructive yet unstable force of the Rune shattering it in its entirety. The lass followed up with a shield strike to the back
'You were a good fighter' protection from arrows protected him from a thrown Boulder from one of her chains
'But in truth'
She slit her throat and wordlessly spoke the words of her phantasm and yet-
"Kaen!" He wasn't even going to give her the chance.
She screamed in agony as the flaming rune incinerated her from the inside out. If she still had magic resistance it would have merely scorched her throat for a moment but like so many other things the mud had taken that as well.
'You've been dead for a long time' He put her out of her misery by smashing her head in with his staff and at long last she faded away. He sighed; one down five more to go.
"Is it over?" 'Right the two mages' he smirked as he remembered the boy display, while rather pathetic in actual accomplishment as one of the stubborn morons who called themselves an Irishman, he had to respect the sheer amounts of balls it took to take a swing at blood-drinking monster with nothing more than a broken ankle and random piece of metal; oh, and him punching her in the ass was just funny. He was a simple man.
"Yes, director the servant is neutralized" The kid sighed and leaned on her shield; he couldn't blame her for being exhausted, this was after all quite literally throwing someone into the fire with no experience at all. Unfortunately, they really didn't have time for her to adjust or wait.
"We need to get moving before the others come" He originally managed escaped with Archer and Berserker's masters but soon after that...
"Could they have sensed us?"
"Of course, that blasted mud is everywhere and with exception of the knight at the grail, they are all under its control. So, we need to move because let me tell ya if the berserker finds us we are screwed six ways from Sunday" The hologram seemed to be considering something
"... Does the grail upload modern idioms?" Ah so he's the village idiot.
"It does; we mostly ignore it"
"Roman. Focus" The woman wiped her brow wearily. "You've had more than enough time analyze Aldain, tell me what's wrong with him"
"This is really not the-" She interrupted him with a deadpan expression.
"I am missing a leg and he is currently unconscious after getting his head slammed into the pavement. We are not in any condition to be moving fast Cu Chulainn" She turned back to the hologram next to Mash. "Roman?"
"Okay… Multiple lacerations, a broken ankle, slight bruising in most places-"
"Any signs of cranial trauma?"
"Surprisingly no! Must have a tough skull" She smiled slightly
"So, we are in the clear?"
"I didn't say that it seems like there is a lot of internal ruptures and splintering of the bones in… this is really odd-"
"What's happening"
"This damage is focused solely around his circuits; they aren't damaged but the area around them are, I don't know how to explain this, something to do with them perhaps?"
"Unimportant. Prognosis?"
"He seems to be healing but he might be out of the count for the rest of the singularity"
"Unacceptable, he's the only available master we have" So she was incompatible 'Damn that's going to limit our options' "Caster can you heal him?"
"I'm damn near empty-"
"Then forge a contract with him, you as well Mash"
"I feel like that goes against some ethical standards" Most servants didn't want to form a contract with a person who was unconscious and didn't summon them, tying a random unconscious bystander to their fate was unfair for many reasons least of all their inability to give their opinion
"I'm not taking morality lessons from the man who killed his own son. Do It"
'...Bitch'
"Fine"
"Yes director"
"You sure about this director, we still don't know what's wrong with his circuits?"
"Do we have a choice?" She raised a good point out of the two humans here she didn't have the aptitude to be a master so he reached out and felt the bond wondering if there would be enough to keep them going and well… his worries were for naught.
"Overflow…" Energy rushed to his limbs packed with more energy than likely should have been, it was like a river overflowing its banks suddenly given a reservoir. Strange.
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing need to figure out the configuration for the chain" Runes were a lot more complicated than one might think, instead of just prana-powered words, it is more akin to ingots of pure energy shaped by the experience those words have. Kaen has a different inflection of power than sowilo despite both being about fire, one is light and shining protection, that of the sun and hope; the other is a mercurial trickster's flame more akin to a wildfire than a hearth.
Two runes may accomplish the same goal but the way they did so was different enough to be a problem, especially concerning healing, this was why rune chains were used because they adapt those ingots into something more easily usable. When he asked his mentor, she said "Just as the placement of a single word can change the sentence, a single rune can change the world" though rather stabby the old bat was rarely wrong.
'Fehu to fill the body with energy, Mannaz to give shape, Uruz to give strength to heal, Wynn to alleviate pain and Naudiz to bind it all together'
And his will be done.
"It's working! Damage is being repaired, if we're lucky he should wake in an hour"
"Then let's move"
"Right-o missy grab the director will ya kid she should be more than light enough for you; I got the boy" The director huffed but allowed herself to be carried as for the boy he simply groaned as the caster lifted him up consciousness still alluding him.
Then servants started to run across the city, leaping from roof to roof. The girl was doing surprisingly well in keeping pace with considering her lack of experience and lower agility.
"Where will we be heading?"
"The tower in the middle of the city. Should give us an uninterrupted view plus it's far from the mud and the smoke"
"Is it safe?"
"Should be"
"That doesn't fill me with confidence Caster"
"Lancer, Rider, and Assassin were the only ones that roam the city and all of them are dead. You saw Rider die, me and Mash killed the Assassin when she first got here, and I killed Lancer before you all got caught up in this mess"
"And the others?"
"Berserker stays to the south and the Sabers and Archer remain near the grail" Roman interjected.
"Sabers? Multiple?"
"I'll tell you at the tower, it's not exactly a fond memory"
The silence continued until The director remembered she needed more information
"What's the situation back at Chaldea Roman"
"It- (Sigh) it isn't good" Roman seemed less than happy to approach the director with the news.
"Explain" Her voice took a note of steel as she narrowed her eyes at the following hologram who suddenly summed even more stressed.
"Director, Roman has been running himself ragged don't be so harsh" He chuckled at the Startled expression on prim and proper's face
'The little shielder has a spine!'
"I- alright I'll try" She nodded at the hologram to continue
"Thanks Mash. Director Marie frankly it's all gone to shit, for one I'm somehow the chief of staff" A hollow bark of self-deprecating laughter accented exactly what that last statement meant.
"All but one of the mercenaries are dead and there's only nineteen staff members still alive and that's including me"
"And... Lev?"
"I'm sorry director but he was at the center of the blast in the control room. No chance in hell he survived frankly I'm amazed you two made it at all. Mash had a servant within her but you and (what did he want himself to be called, Harker? I think that's right) Harker didn't have any of that"
"Lev… (Sigh)Harker said something about spiritual intuition, in truth, it is plausible but likely not the full story. It is not of immediate importance. Did the other masters make it?"
"Why would it- um we almost lost them but Menuire managed to remember the cryo function, it went against the ethical codes but-"
"The other option was to let them die. Good man"
"I'll tell him you said that. Anyways we're down to 20% functionality, most of that twenty is focused on keeping Sheba and Chaldeas' up"
"Any information on how to get out?"
"Yes…"
"It's dealing with the singularity isn't it"
"Yes" Nothing else to be said.
"Well... piss"
"It'd probably best if you could summon a servant soon"
"We can think of our next move at the tower, come back with any urgent reports"
"I- alright, Godspeed director"
As the call shut off, she teared up for but a moment before wiping the stray tears away.
"How much longer?"
"Just need to make a quick stop, the young lady carrying you looks like she could use a quick break" The shielder in question flushed at being called out.
"Oh- I'm fine I swear I can deal with it"
"Eh we should be fine besides we can grab some alcohol!"
"They still have food and drinks here?"
"They do Kyrielight, Harker and I were able to find some water bottles and small amenities in a department store"
"Oh alright"
They landed on the roof a small liquor store remarkably touched little by the raging fires, in the distance they could see the towers a short while from here; all were damaged, some were missing entire sides but amidst all the destruction and flame stood a tower standing like a memorial of what this city once was. It was there where he'd had hidden out with the few survivors that remained as they tried to stop the destruction that mud was unleashing but one by one, they all died until it was just him. Such stupid luck he had.
"Help me put some water down his throat…" He looked back at the three of them, the young Shielder standing at attention and the one-legged lady resting Harker upon her lap. He smiled, they didn't look like much but honestly for the first time in a long while he felt hope, these past few- 'Weeks? Months? How long had it been since… everything' He'd only been fighting out of stubbornness and nothing else, he knew that he had no chance of victory against that Saber, either of them. But now… now there was a chance, now there was a slim possibility to actually win this and put an end to this nightmare.
"Got the rest you need?" He subconsciously shuddered as he put the last bottle in the bag
"Yes, Caster I think we did"
"Heh" His head snapped towards the soft laughter. Nothing but ash and flame
'Shirou? No couldn't have been'
"Caster is there something-?"
"Nah must be my nerves, let's-" An earth-shattering roar interrupted him as Roman appeared with a look of sheer panic on his face.
"We got a mana reading moving towards you from the south!"
"No. No.. No... No…."
"It's big, it's really big-"
"NO!"
"Caster-"
A giant came crashing down before them an image of horror and madness. It was a hairless skinless monstrosity standing 8ft three with mud pouring from every orifice, he held a sword ax hewn from stone, yet cracks ran all across its length. Flames crawled across his body as eyes that were empty of that slightest trace of humanity stared back into his own with a sole desire to destroy.
"Damn it!"
He remembered the hero covering the desperate retreat all on his own, unyielding and unafraid.
"The only person this could be-"
He knew there was nothing of that hero left, only the parasite within his corpse.
"Heracles"
The grip on his staff tightened
"His name was Heracles"
(Nine years ago)
Sleep is strange, despite the grogginess that comes with waking up there's always this point where you're just awake even if you don't really notice it. That's what Harker was going through that freezing morning as frost nipped at his nose and he was unconsciously trying to pull the cloak around him in tighter. He grumbled about the cold for a moment and then reality snapped into place
'Shoot! I fell asleep in the open!'
He opened his eyes in a rush only to see a winter wonderland, apparently, it snowed last night which confused him more. The wind was still howling, and the sun was barely over the horizon yet, morning and barely so. How was he alive? Exposure should have killed him by now especially with the fallen snow. He unconsciously let go of the pale white cloak he'd been using as a blanket, Nemo's. He proceeded to remember what happened the previous night.
'A heck'
"Oh, you're awake" Nemo was sitting by the campfire roasting a boar over the crackling fire. He froze there for a moment at the sight of it.
"Where'd you get the boar?" He was quite sure they didn't live around these parts especially not in the secluded area of the Manor.
"Eh, found it" She shrugged as she slowly twirled the meat above the fire. He sighed in frustration.
'What was I thinking getting an actual answer out of her'
He brushed off a nearby log and sat down near the fire.
"Thanks" She looked at him quizzically.
"For not leaving me to freeze to death" She smiled and nodded.
"You mind turning it while I tend to the flames?"
"Not at all"
"Thanks"
The silence continued for a bit as night slowly turned to dawn, the very woods seemingly settling in the sunlight, unfortunately, the winds were not content to rest instead choosing to howl and whip through the forest like a horde of ghosts. He didn't mind too much in fact he always found it kind of endearing, it still made things difficult though.
"You're quite the hugger you know?" He froze in shock his face blooming red, there was only one other person who knew that, and he was sworn to secrecy(blackmail) how could she-
'Oh. Right. We slept next to each other. Crud' She gave a shit-eating grin.
"It was adorable," He whimpered.
"Just- shut- (sigh)This is never going to go away is it?" His voice grew shaky and awkward causing her to snicker at his embarrassment.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" He huffed and threw a snowball at her.
Laughter filled the air for a brief time before they settled into a nice routine. Eventually, the boar was fully roasted, and they consumed it quickly, Harker hadn't eaten anything for an entire day (Aside from that bar from the previous night) and as long as he had known Nemo she had been a bottomless pit hiding behind a demeanor of daintiness.
'A bit bland but not too bad' he warily looked toward her she was going to ask something he just knew it and yet-
"So, what happened yesterday?" He was still alive because of her so hadn't she earned the right for an answer?
'No point hiding it now'
"Was going through the trials to contract a spirit" He picked at the fire with a bone as he began his tale.
"Shamanism isn't like other magecraft; our magic circuits aren't actually used that often, instead, they're more like a backup battery. Means we can go on longer than most and do far more complicated stuff but-"
"You need an elemental to come over from the far side" That was startling accurate.
"Yeah, they don't like coming over here though, so we have to go over there. Kinda not sure it really is possible to actually go there. We go where there's certain places where they overlap slightly and astrally project ourselves(Father calls it spirit quest but it's pretty much just projecting ourselves there)" He gestures to the woods around them "And then we try to prove that we're worth their time, that this world is worth their time" You could still do plenty of spells without them, the primal stuff was still a lot easier to shape than the few basic spells(Ignoring the problems concerning his element) Goredolf taught him but to use one of his sisters' phrases 'A bow at half will hit something just like a bow at full draw but one is going to hit a lot harder' that and he'd never be seen as a true shaman without one.
He glared at the fire as his grip on the bone tightens. "It's frustratingly difficult. Each and every one can tear me apart like I'm paper and they are barely capable of thinking like me in the first place! So, I have to know each one I approach's quirks and hatreds just to not die immediately and then I have to go through all sorts of trials"
"Puzzles, riddles, meditation, a Gaian damned labyrinth!" He tossed the bone into the distance before slumping back "And they can still say no"
"(Sigh) It's stupid and childish to get mad at them for having free will, I know it is, but I just can't help but be angry that after all that work and effort, pain and exhaustion, sweat and blood! it all just goes to waste and I'm left with nothing" He looked up into the morning sky, grey clouds rolling across firmament to block out the light and the winds howling still, and he can't help but remember a different sky above a beautiful land, the prettiest he had ever seen full of wonders and horrors he'd never have imagined and…
And it didn't want him.
"It's a child's tantrum nothing more" Giggles drew him out of his brooding, Nemo sat there looking incredibly amused.
"What's so funny?"
"Alva you're eight years old you should be worried about whether the power rangers can beat the thunder cats or something, not berating yourself about being upset over the failure of your hard work!" Her laughter rang warmly sparking embarrassment within the young boy.
"Hey! Eight years old is plenty mature!"
"I been all across the world Alva and kids your age don't think or talk like this"
"Well, I'm a Shaman in training, we are supposed to not be like other kids"
"You should still be allowed to be children though"
"Not in this society" The demands of the moonlight world were so different from the few glimpses he got of the mundane side and while afraid to admit it he desperately wanted to see more of the mundane.
"A society that forces its children to berate themselves endlessly about their failure and feeling bad about feeling bad is a bad one" Hey now it may be frustrating, but this was still his world that he was a part of, to insult it just seemed wrong. And why did she give a damn in the first place, he had seen how she had acted around most people those few times he'd seen her about in the mundane world, walking past beggars and drunks, unhappy children and arrogant preachers without a care and yet she gives a damn about this of all things! It was damn right infuriating. What was it about this topic hell what was it about him that kept her around!
"Well, why do you care! I've seen how you act around others; I know how apathetic you really are" His voice dropped to a whisper as he looked down. "So why do you care about me…"
She didn't answer but honestly, he never expected her too. She was Nemo, an irritating enchantress that had popped into his life forcing him to think without ever giving a reason why or even an answer to… anything really. So, there they sat, stewing in silence until she drew a flute from her bag and started to speak
"Would you like to hear a story, Alva?" The woman in white robes blew softly on the flute, the haunting note piercing through the howling winds as if they were never there. The young boy glared at the woman shortly before shaking his head.
"I hate your stories. Never have any meaning" She scratched her head awkwardly and laughed, her white hair floating in the wind, he ignored the admittedly charming sight instead choosing to focus on the campfire
"It means what you want it to mean, A good story doesn't tell you how to think but rather gives you questions to think on" She smiled sweetly as if she said something wise, and perhaps, she did but Alva was tired from this emotion loaded morning and had little patience for "Nemo" even in the best of times.
"Then I suggest you learn how to tell one," She laughed sweetly.
"Should an eight-year-old be this snarky?"
"Should a grown woman flirt with one"
"It was a joke Alva besides you are apparently quite the romantic" Her lilting tone sang with humor; it didn't help the blush on his face as he remembered their first meeting.
"I still say what you did was weird" She shrugged at his protest.
"Now then, how should we begin"
She twirled the flute between her fingers before an almost visible lightbulb appeared above her head.
"How about the old classic" The flute softly sang as her lips danced across it.
"Once upon a time…" The flute picked up the pace as a melancholy melody danced about the fire, beautiful and flowing as gently as a calm river. Enchanting.
"... in a deep dark woods long since lost to time there lived just another bat hunting within the darkness of his home" She paused to speak yet the music echoed on the beauty unabated. It brought to mind a great and old wood never touched by the hands of man.
"The sun and the moon could not reach past the canopy yet somehow life endured and indeed thrived" He could see it within, not literally of course just his imagination yet still he could see it, a deep black canopy with little lights speckling the bottom like a lake of stars
"Despite being a mammal, he swooped and flew across the woods passing glowing plants that dotted the forest floor and the great beasts that ruled there" He could see the little bat playfully swirling through the woods unafraid of the great and mighty animals that lumbered and stalked within the darkness.
"He was happy like that, community, food, adventure! Life was filled with those things" He saw games played between the many bats and the little journeys each day brought.
"Yet he remained unsatisfied for like all other bats he heard myths about a world beyond his forest home, one with balls of fire decorating the sky and in them flew other creatures bigger than the insects he often hunted, birds" Snow slowly began to fall yet he paid it no mind
"This world beyond the darkness was said to be fresh and beautiful and so like so many before him the young bat looked for way into what his people called the sky"
"His journey was long and fraught with peril and yet he eventually found his way to a ring of trees and the most beautiful thing he had seen above him. Stars and a great bright moon" The flute played into a crescendo, and the fire bloomed sending sparks and embers into the sky clashing with the falling snow
"So enraptured was he by the sight he did not notice the court of owls above him looking at him with exasperation and boredom" How many Bats had come this way and how many had turned back?
-Who are thee? they said imperious and strange to the bat's eye
Shocked to hear words he looked above at the court and softly replied- I am just a foolish little bat looking for the sky
They crooed in amusement-Well you have found it little one, now what shall you do? What shall you do?"
"The bat flew up to the head owl and asked-Will you let me pass?
-Why should we child, the sky was never meant for you and yours. Stay to the trees little one you'll be happier there.
-How can I be happy when I know that there is a world beyond my forest yet never be able to go, curiosity is who I am, and If I deny who I am then what else can I be?" Embers highlighted the bats form in his eye and his desperate plea
"The owls stared deep into the bats' soul and relented knowing he could not be dissuaded -Follow- And so he did, and he flew high into the skies exulting the fierce winds and the freedom of the open skies. The owls flew above him gliding gently compared to his awkward falling, yet he felt neither embarrassment nor fear.
From that height he could see his forest home, the thick canopies from above seemed to be akin to a verdant wall of leaves blocking all sight beyond it. It was amazing for the little bat yet still he soared across the sky seeing many a strange sight like a great wide river, salty as could be a towering stone tree that loomed above the heavens he now flew"
"Still, he was not satisfied so he flew further, further than his owl guides were willing to go, far enough he could not hear their calls and shaking heads of disappointment. He saw great rolling hills where no tree lay, a radiant ball of warmth shining where the moon had been some time before. He ventured onward and onward feasting on fruits and insects he had never before seen, some tasted better and some way worse, yet he basked within the wonder of every day" he could see it all and yet…
"Eventually he thought to himself, - I should tell my friends about these wonderful things so that they could enjoy them too-And so he resolved to go back home to tell his loved ones yet suddenly he realized he had no idea where he was or which way he had come. The unease kept growing.
The poor little bat had wandered aimlessly for so long that he was now lost, lost beyond words. He asked around to any animal he could find yet not a single thing could understand him so far from home was he, so he flew further searching and searching for someone who could pinpoint a direction for him but for all his struggles there was no one who could help him. He thought -I know I'll just pick a direction and fly! I'm bound to get there eventually besides I'll get to see more thing along the way- And so he flew on, yet it wasn't the same anymore for everything just reminded him how far away from home he was and just how alone he had truly been this entire time"
"He flew and he flew for days at a time looking and searching for his lost home. He remembered flying through the woods with his siblings, his first hunt, his first discovery, his first adventure, the wonders of the forest he had left behind. The tiny little things that made him happy now lost, he wanted them back, all of them back. And so, he keeps flying, searching endlessly through the skies illuminated by the moon, his face covered in tears"
The music stopped and the images faded away. He looked to her expectant face and… threw a snowball right between her eyes
"Your stories are a pile of garbage!"
"Huh!"
"What kind of story was that! You just- UGH!" He threw another snowball at her.
"What the hell kind of meaning am I supposed to draw from that you jerk!"
"My stories don't have any meaning! Isn't that what you said earlier" Her voice took on an annoying matter-of-fact tone
"Oh, shove off!" he threw another snowball though this one missed as her white cloak helped hide her amidst the falling snow.
"I don't get why you're so upset; this is the only logical way the story could have gone. He wandered aimlessly so he ended up lost with no clear way back, besides this never really happened!"
"But it was such a heartbreaking fate for the bat, doesn't he deserve a happy ending?"
"Why?"
"What do you mean why?"
"Why does he deserve a happy ending?" He threw a stick that she easily knocked away, he grabbed another, and she sent him a look that made him drop it. Confronted now with the fact that he really had nothing he could throw that'd work made him just plummet onto a log scowling at the woman
"I- (Sigh) Nemo what was the point of this story? Why did you bother telling it?"
She shrugged. "Never told anyone this story, don't plan on telling it again in fact. It's yours Alva, yours and yours alone"
"But I don't want it…" The heck did he want with a story this depressing
"Well, why not? The story only lived because you imagined it in your mind therefore it's yours, the meaning is now yours to decide" She got up from her seat on the ground and brushed off the snow "or you could up and change the ending entirely
"Honestly, I can't think of a more open-ended story than a bat simply flying through the sky looking for home, from there anything could happen! He could return and the woods were wiped out by a great fire or he could die of exhaustion and fall into the sea. Maybe he comes back, and no time has passed at all or that everyone has long since moved on. The possibilities are endless Alva and because this story is yours you can choose whatever end you wish
"But I'm not the storyteller"
"You could be. You just have to reach out and make it yours" She walked over and kneeled down in front of him. "So, what will it be Alva, how does it end, what will it mean?"
What did it mean? that chasing a dream is pointless? That there are no happy endings? Was it that throwing everything to the wind is dangerous and unacceptable or was it that the story isn't done? but if that is true then maybe it was pointless to assign meaning to it at all. Was she even talking about the story at this point or was this some hidden message about his struggles? And in the end, did it matter at all?
He didn't want to think of these things, he never liked to play her games, but this was worse than the rest because he had no answer to give her. And so that was all he could say.
"I-i don't know, I don't know" She softly smiled and patted him on the cheek "It's okay you're still young plenty of time to figure it all out. Just… think about it okay?" He nodded, and she got up and walked away her game seemingly at an end, yet just before she exited sight, she looked back at him her face obscured by the falling snow.
"It's okay to not know Alva, it's okay to mess up, it's okay to cry so long as you get up and keep trying, it's hard" She looked down seemingly lost in whatever past she had. "It's always going to be hard but in the end that's simply life. Maybe you'll figure it all out one day, maybe not but promise me that even when the flames are high, you'll keep moving" The snow was growing heavier, he would have to go before all paths were blocked. Yet still, he sat there staring at the strange woman waiting for an answer.
"I promise" She smiled faintly and then walked off into the distance hidden by a flurry of falling snow. He sat there watching until at last he turned the direction the manor the was in and started running, home such as it was, was waiting.
She'd visit for a few times through the next year but once Ophelia was forced into his company she was gone and there was never a trace that she ever existed. he soon forgot all about her and even that promise until the world was consumed by flame and he remembered her old words