She had been caught.
But of course, that has been the inevitable outcome since the beginning.
~.~
Slowly, everything starts blurring. The cottage, the trees, the small meadow, Mighty, they all start disappearing in a whirlwind of color, leaving an astounded Honey in the middle. The small whirlwind spins faster and faster, more and more colors joining and leaving it, before Honey is left in an all-white landscape.
Looking around, the lynx notices whiteness going off in all directions, almost like a blank page. The white is dull and boring – the blank page waiting for that first stroke, that first drop of ink, that first touch of a crayon, to become an entirely new world.
Is this truly what the Spirit Plane looks like? Is it really a blank abyss, where everything you see is just the result of someone else's imagination? In a way, that sounds interesting, intriguing almost. However, at the same time, it is scary, because whoever imagines it all has all the power.
Soft clicking can be heard from the distance. The clicking is steady and repetitive, almost like the sound of metal boots on a tile floor. However, the only difference is, that the clicking is too steady, too deliberate, too artificial.
Three shrouded figures slowly form in the bright whiteness. Who knew that such a color could be so bright, yet dark enough to someone? Isn't the light supposed to show all?
The shrouded figures slowly move closer; however, now, instead of the steady clicking of feet, there is now a multitude of sounds. Uneven, unsteady, real, the sounds of a stampede, or maybe an army.
As the footsteps get closer, the wind starts to whip around her, getting faster and with every revolution. Suddenly, a mind numbing coldness makes her bend almost in two before some innate sense tells her she's in the presence of nobility, causing the girl to look up at the three figures standing before her.
The one in the middle has the blue cape and stone, the one to his left the green cape and stone, and the one to his right the red cape and purple stone.
It couldn't possibly be.
They are back, and this time with a vengeance. What had Espio told her they were? She couldn't remember.
"It is time to bestow the new queen with her powers." The one in blue proclaims. A loud cheer is heard from the background. However, as Honey looks around, she notices that they are obscured by not only the whiteness of the area, but also by the bright light radiating off of these people. Who are these featureless figures?
"It has been a hundred years since the last one. However, she denied us what we wanted in favor of going to the mortal world. A child of two immortals, this girl is even more powerful than her predecessor." The voice continues, rallying up the faceless figures in the background. More cheers ring through the empty area and Honey winces. What do they want with her?
"Now, we will finally have what we have desired–our deaths. To go and join our loved ones, and never return to this retched place known as the Spirit Plane." The blue one chants. The others start chanting along in a forgotten language as the blue one sticks a long arm into the sky. However, defying the laws of gravity, his sleeve does not fall, revealing no clue to whom this person is.
"What do you want?" Honey asks, refusing to let any of her fear slip into her voice. The demi-gods hidden face turns to face her, and he marches briskly forward.
"We want freedom," the last word exits his mouth as a hiss, and Honey takes a step backwards.
"Where are my friends?" Honey asks instead, knowing that she would never truly understand why these people would want to leave the paradise that they have entered.
"Oh, well, here they are." The blue one answers, and his head then turns to the green one, who simply waves a hand behind him. He then steps out of the way and shows Mighty, Vector, Charmy, and Ray. Honey looks at the four of them for a long moment, taking into account the red discoloration in their eyes and their position in front of the group of faceless people.
"And Espio?" Honey tests, when she realizes that Espio is nowhere to be seen.
"Oh, him…well…he was a problem, and we have to…eradicate problems." The red one chuckles; it sounds like a female's voice. Honey shivers at the iciness of her tone.
"However, why kill him ourselves. I am sure our queen would love to set an example for all those who would like to oppose." The blue one chuckles, and with a snap of his fingers, Espio appears.
Honey turns to look at the chameleon who had once been infatuated with her, only to find some strange mess of purple, red, and white. There, Espio sits, on the ground bound and gagged. Looking at him, she can see that there are many slashes across his body, most of which have caked blood around them. His normally bright golden eyes have dulled to the point of lifelessness. In fact, the chameleon isn't struggling against his bonds at all. He is sitting there, staring straight at Honey, as though he has already accepted his fate.
Honey takes a tentative step closer to Espio, but he doesn't move. What had happened to the chameleon who was once persistent to the point of being annoying. The chameleon who had a crush on her, but was still able to maintain his composure? What happened to the chameleon who would sit in the corner meditating all day? Surely he hadn't been killed off that easily.
"I can't do this without the power that you haven't bestowed upon me yet." Honey mutters, and for a moment, she even stuns herself.
I'm going to kill him.
"What will happen when you give me this power?" Honey asks instead, not even bothering to further speculate her previous thought.
"You will have the ultimate power of being the Wishing Queen." The blue cloaked figure answers.
Honey is silent for a moment. The Wishing Queen. It seems too childish, well, that's because it is. She can remember when she was younger, and her mother would go on and on about everyone's role in fate. Who knew any of that was real?
"Then, there is the Wishing Queen. Her power is to make wishes that will help the greater good, without interfaring with anyone's fate. She's my favorite. She is one of the nicest people in the world…"
Her father was an angel.
She was born of two immortals.
Was her mother the Wishing Queen?
"I'm the Wishing Queen…" The words leave her mouth, and immediately after, she feels ridiculous. How could something so childish be true?
"Yes, and we will give you your powers, on one condition." The blue one hisses. Silence befalls the room in an instant, and for a moment, it feels as though it is just Honey and the blue cloaked figure in the room.
"What is it?" Did she truly want this power? "And, I am not killing Espio if it's the condition." She quickly adds as an afterthought. The girl quickly glances back at Espio, but all she receives is that dead look he has been giving her for the past while.
"You simply have to wish that no one ever died or ever will die. By doing this, you are giving everyone eternal life. Simple, right?" The end is added on as an incentive, and this time, Honey actually does have to look at Espio.
His face is still a calm mask. Does he not care anymore?
Well, once she looks at it, the chameleon has been fighting for a stupid cause. Death has always been such a stupid thing. It separates people and it breaks many people's hearts. Why should one's life have to end, anyway? Life could be so enjoyable if one never has to end it.
"Yeah, of course I'll do it; I don't even understand why you went to such lengths to try and convince me. It seems like a pretty good idea." Honey answers.
At this, the blue cloaked figure drops his hood, revealing a blank face. There is nothing there, except for a white head, a pure white head, whiter than paper. "Excellent," the being hisses, but where is the sound coming from. There is no mouth.
A blue sleeved arm rises so that it is above Honey's head. A white tentacle slips out from the sleeve and hovers above Honey's head for a moment before shooting down a bright yellow light. The light encases her, wrapping itself around her, inviting itself to join her and become one with her.
Once Honey is released, she looks completely different. Instead of her normal red belly shirt and skirt, she is dressed in a sky blue, old school, goth dress. The top is fitted to her, while the bottom flares out and is covered with black lace. Her once ocean blue eyes are now almost white, while her hair is in high pig tails.
As the millions of people congregated behind her start to disperse, the white also drains along with them, as the world slowly starts to fill with color.
"Hurry and make the wish!" The faceless man in the blue cloak hisses, causing Honey to jump. When had the man gained such a dark aura around him?
"Okay, here goes nothing. I wish that no one ever did or ever will die in this world. And that everyone lives on infinitely." Honey wishes in a prayerful voice.
A pained gasp is heard, and immediately Honey turns to the direction it came from, only to see Espio on the ground, gasping in pain, and slowly turning into nothing.
Then, there is another whirlwind of colors. However, this time the colors are bright and flashing, leaving Honey dizzy and with a headache. The lights keep on flashing and spinning until Honey's head can no longer take it, and the girl passes out.
Author's Notes:
Well, I really liked the intro to this chapter, therefore I couldn't put an author's note there. Anyways…I seem to be having with the next chapter. I have barely gotten it halfway done. What I might try to do is write the chapter backwards, but there are no promises there. I want to finish this story, but I do need everything to make sense and flow smoothly. Without counting the epilogue, there are probably two chapters left to this story after this chapter.
So guys, review please. Your words encourage me to push farther and deeper. Yes, exactly 1800 words! :)