Chapter 1: Children of the Night
I'm going to tell you a story. Even though I know you're sick and tired of seeing stories start like this, it is far too easy for me to get ahead of myself and tell you the ending before you understand how we even got in such an unawesome state. Well, here it goes.
Once upon a time, in a land far away from our own, there was a great battle that decided the fate of the distant land. The king of that land was finally overthrown, and the pair of sisters who struck the final blow shared the throne as equals. They ruled over their kingdom with wisdom, kindness, generosity, and all that. Though, no matter how hard they tried, or how many years had passed, the kingdom was still horribly damaged from the evil, cruel king's actions. And so, the younger of the two sisters proposed that they colonize the land to make it grow strong and happy. Out of fear of the kingdom only getting more broken and weak, the older sister forbade the colonization.
Little did the sister know what the proposal truly meant.
That's where the awesome me and less awesome friends come in.
It was in the dead of night, when I was in deep sleep in my bed, when I heard the most soothing singing I've ever heard.
"Come little children, I'll take thee away~
Into a land of enchantment~
Come little children, the time's come to play~
Here in my garden of shadows~"
Out of curiosity, I left the warmth and comfort of my bed and looked out my window. Flying over the town through the starry sky was a woman. She had dark skin and long flowing hair that blended into the night sky. Her long dark blue dress flowed beneath her as her glowing blue eyes scanned the land, in search of something as she continued her aria.
"Follow sweet children, I'll show thee the way~
Through all the pain and the sorrows~
Weep not poor children, for life is this way~
Murdering beauty and passions~"
"...Am I still dreaming?" I asked myself. I then saw a trail behind her, flying through the sky. Alfred, Matthew, and Lovino were all in her train, all in their nightgowns. "...West! Wake up bruder! You have to see this!"
"Hush now dear children, it must be this way~
To weary of life and deceptions~
Rest now my children, for soon we'll away~
Into the calm and the quiet~"
The woman continued singing. It was then when I saw a figure walk out my front door. I had to look closer because of the darkness of the night, but it was unmistakably my brother. "WEST!" I called as he started to levitate and follow behind Lovino. Next door, I saw my brother's little girlfriend walking out of Roderich's house. "ITA!" I called out my window, though it seemed like she couldn't hear me as she raised up in the sky and joined the train beside my baby brother. The woman sang as she flew right over the town, passing me by.
"Come little children, I'll take thee away~
Into a land of enchantment~
Come little children, the time's come to play~
Here in my garden of shadows~"
"ELIZABETA!" I called. "RODERICH!" I screamed as I bolted out of my house and pounded on their door. I looked again as the line lead by the flying woman was growing distant and eventually disappeared in the western horizon she came from, the moon following her as the dawn started to rise. "FOR FUCKS SAKE! GET OUT HERE!" I screamed.
"What is it Gilbert?!" Roderich huffed as he opened the door, securing his morning robe. "If this is another prank, I swear, I'll tell Elizabeta to grab her frying pan again!"
"It's West!" I exclaimed as I tried to explain. "There was a woman, and she was flying, and she was all-'Come little children~ lalala~'-and I thought it was weird and laughed, but then she was all-'Rest now my children~ lalala~'-and West walked right out the door and flew up to her and now he's GONE!"
The Austrian stared at me with wide violet eyes. "...Seriously?" he asked after a minute. "...You woke me up at LITERALLY the crack of dawn to tell me about your dream?"
"IT WASN'T A DREAM!" I exclaimed, shaking his shoulders hard enough to give him whip-lash. "WEST IS GONE! I SAW IT! HIS LITTLE GIRLFRIEND'S GONE TOO!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY BABY GIRL?!" he shouted.
I could only raise a brow at him. "I'm not the one who was flying over town with Al, Matt, and Lovi, taking West and Ita too..."
"...What's going on?" Elizabeta asked as she walked up to the door, running her fingers through her long sandy hair as she turned to her husband. "Is Gilbert bothering you? Should I get my frying pan?"
"Yes, please." Roderich replied. "That might wake him up from this fantasy he's still in."
"NO!" I screamed. "If I'm lying, then where's Ita?!" At their silence, I grit my teeth. "Get as many people on the phone as you can. We need to know what we're up against, and what all is at stake aside from Ita and West."