Elise was stuck on her horse, Adira.
Adira was on her right side and falling down from the trail.
I was stuck under Adira, and holding up Elise from getting grinded into the ground, while I was being grinded into the ground. At least my armor was saving most of my backside.
Remember yourself, Empress.
Empress. I hadn't heard of that word before. It was at least dulling the pain I was feeling, and deafening the noises I was hearing from Elise and her horse.
We all had no idea where we were going to end up. And it was Iago that caused all of this. Could he have also been the one behind that flaming barricade?
It was all going dark. It was all going dark…
Close your eyes…
…
drip*
drip*
drip*
…destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach…
drip*
drip*
A woman's voice. She was singing. It sounded far away.
I slowly opened my eyes. I was in a cave, not even close to where I had landed. Elise and her horse were nowhere to be found.
"Elise…"
I tried to shout, but my voice came out weakly. I was still feeling the effects of that fall, but I could stand and walk. Where exactly was I?
…Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yoursto climb…
I looked back. There was no way back-only to move forwards.
…In the white light, a hand reaches through
A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two
Waking dreams fade away
Embrace the brand-new day…
This song sounded very familiar, and very warm. Where have I heard this from?
Sing me a song of birthrights and love
The light scatters to the sky above
Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone
Lost in thought all alone
There was a fork in the cave.
Close your eyes. Focus.
Alright. Clear out anything in your mind, close your eyes and focus…
You are the ocean's grey waves,
Destined to seek life beyond the shore just out of reach…
Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time
The path is yours to climb…
This was the chorus line, thanks to Iago's necessity of learning music.
My right ear heard those words louder. I went right. Step-
Darn. There goes my shoes. Take them off and walk barefoot. My feet could handle the rocky floors.
The voice was getting louder, but it still felt distant.
Embrace the dark you call a home
Gaze upon and empty white throne
A legacy of lies
A familiar disguise
This verse did feel like home, but why did it feel…darker than what I was used to?
Sing with me a song of conquest and fate
The Black Pillar cracks beneath its weight
Night breaks through the day hard as a stone
Lost in thought all alone.
There was the voice, a songstress. She was standing in the middle of a shallow lake, lit up by crystals both above and beneath the water's surface.
…The path you walk on belongs to destiny, just let it flow
All of your joy and pain will fall like the tide, let it flow…
She was singing to a crystal floating in front of her, and it was shining brighter than the rest.
…Life is not just filled with happiness, or sorrow
Even the thorn in your heart, in time it may become a rose…
The crystal shined a harsh-white light, before dimming down. From her side, the songstress pulled a pendant from her side and laid the crystal in there.
…You are the-
"Wow…"
Uh-oh. I let out my inner-thoughts.
The songstress stopped. She noticed me and quickly made her way to me. "Who are you?"
"I…I'm Weiss, ma'am."
"Weiss…" She was surprised at my name, it was happy, but sad at the same time. "How did you get here?"
"I fell, from a ledge, and wounded up here, and heard your song. I'm trying to find someo-"
Suddenly, the crystals started to lose their lightness.
"Oh no. It's too early. Much, much too early. But maybe…"
"What's too early-ugh!"
"YOUR ARRIVAL."
The songstress' face turned into something even graver that that of the monsters before. She suddenly grabbed my neck and pushed me into the water. It was deeper, as she was also in the water with me.
I tried to pull her hands off my neck, but I was too weak to even struggle her off of me. While my eyes were still open, I could see her speaking to me.
"Wake up…Weiss…Wake up…Wake…up…"