Gone Forever . . .

We stood

Watching the flames

Consume the life

We once knew and cherished.

Screams rang out

In the darkness

Our friends and family

Gone Forever . . .

Soon it was quiet,

The only reminder,

Was the smoke

In the distance.

We had no time to grieve.

We suppressed our tears,

For we had to keep moving foreword.

And we wondered how we would build

A new life from the ashes

Navi's Dream

(Navi’s Dream)

“I must hurry.”  Aouroa muttered, writing something down hastily.  There was a sudden rustle, echoing in the forest.

Aouroa sighed in relief, tearing the page she was writing on out of the book.  She crumbled the page up into a ball and closed her left hand over it tightly.  She stood up from her position on the tree stump as if she was waiting for something.

Suddenly, a figure, cloaked in black, emerged from the underbrush.  There was a hood over the person’s face, so she couldn’t really tell what they looked like.

“I take it you are Aouroa?” said a gruff, male voice.

“How do you know my name, when I have not told you?”

“I have many spies who tell me many things.”  He replied.

“I take it those are the demon crows who have been following me around as of late.”  Aouroa said.

“That fool made a mistake attacking Hearta, when the sword was in Flaragone this whole time! But tell me, what good is a sword that does not kill?”

“A sword that does not kill is the mightiest of all weapons because it knows who it is and what is right.”  Aouroa said unflinching.

“You act as though the Sword of Souls has a mind of its own.  When it is merely a sword.”

“Why do you continue this senseless war the King of Ethos started if the Sword of Souls has no value to you now?”  She asked suddenly.

“I want to destroy the sword, so I cannot lose what I have gained.”  He said, seething.

“Why are you telling me all this?”

“Because Aouroa, I have come to kill you.”  The man said drawing his lance.

“Kill me if you must, but the truth will not be lost!”

“You are very brave for a human woman!”  He said lunging toward her, stabbing her in her right shoulder.  She winced in pain and stumbled backwards.  Blood ran freely down her arm, but her left hand still clutched the page tightly, refusing to let go.

“Tell me Aouroa, what hope does Hearta have now?  The Royal family is completely destroyed.  So tell me, what will the people of Hearta do now?”  He mocked her, stabbing her again with his lance.

Aouroa gasped in pain, panting heavily, clinging to life the best she could, putting all her strength into keeping her left hand closed.  The man suddenly grabbed her book off the ground.  He opened and tore some of the pages out and set them on fire!  Aouroa stared wide-eyed as she watched him set the book on fire next.  He threw the book to the ground.

The man raised his lance.  “Let me tell you something before I kill you Aouroa.”  He said mockingly.  “ I was the one who killed my father, the King of Ethos.”

Aouroa stared wide-eyed. “Y-you are…” At that moment, the man stabbed her in the heart with his lance, cutting her off.  Rain suddenly fell from the sky, putting out the fire that he meant to consume the book.

“It seems as though I can’t destroy this accursed book after all.”  He muttered, disappearing into the shadows.  As a voice called out Aouroa’s name frantically. 

(Dream end…)

Melody, Aouroa Yuki

A page of Aouroa's journal

“The King of Ethos, his soldiers have slaughtered many of the people in our little village, and yet I do not hate them. I have tried to understand every night why I don’t hate them. Perhaps my heart tells me that hating is something that people shouldn’t do, that they should learn to forgive. But during war, when your loved ones are killed it is hard to forgive the people who took them away from you. Yet I do not hate the people who took mother away. I want to know why this war has started between Hearta and Ethos. What is the purpose? The one thing I am certain of is that the truth is the most important thing in my life now.”

Luna's Lament (Old) (No longer exists in the book actually…)

Sadness consumes me, to the very essences of my soul,

Pleading for deaths open arms.

But I know it will never come,

For I am one who can never truly die.

I could not help but wonder if anyone would miss someone such as me,

For I am nobody that is very important anymore.

“The Sword of Souls bears no ill; it is a pure blade that cleanses souls in the hand of a silver moon.  No red moon could ever hope to tame such a power.  The Sword refuses to listen to unjust desires,”

Interview with Ike Rain

Currently, Ike, his brother, Luke, and Mya, a friend live in a small cabin.  The grassy meadow which surrounds the cabin is bordered by Lye Forest.  The bark of the trees is a creamy brown, like chocolate and vanilla ice cream mixed together.  The leaves are a light shade of emerald and in the spring, pale translucent blue flowers bloom, giving the forest a mystical appearance.  Ike was standing outside in a sea of fog as I arrived in the early morning; he was wearing all black and had his hood up over his head.  My first impression was that he was a very temperamental young man with much on his mind that he really did not want to share.  The interview merely scratched the surface. I felt like he was holding back, as he would frequently pause and glare at me like I was trying to read some hidden secret.

 “I moved here with my little brother and Mya after our village was attacked by Ethos’ soldiers. There are no neighbors within twenty miles of this cabin.  We came here for safety, but travel to Sunville for supplies.  The people there are friendly enough.  Mr. Gilliam gives me orders for weapons and Mya makes them for the rebels.  Ethos’ soldiers raid many of our villages.  Sunville has been overlooked, due to the poverty of the people who live here.  I’m trying to help the Hearta rebels regain their land and pride.  We are not very organized, but recruit regularly from the bandits who roam the land.”

Steely eyes examined me for any sign of weakness; he sighed audibly, and then asked, “Why have you come?”

“The three of you hide yourselves away from the world out here, and yet you claim the cause is what you live for, or so Gilliam says,” I replied, bending to get a glimpse of his shadowed face.  “Are you as cold and calculating as they think, or is this just a mask you wear to fool those who do not know the truth?”  I cautiously continued.

“What do you know of truth?”  Ike spat back, tearing the hood from his face.  His ruffled blond hair caught the rays of sunshine and lit like fire.   The black eyes seemed to come to life, as his face turned red with anger.

“I know what you told me the other day was true, well partly.  Gilliam may be a good soldier, but he is no mastermind.  The rebels are more orderly than first impressions dictate Ike,” I replied.  I could feel his fury growing, yet pressed on.  “You have such a mind, and I really want to help.”

“Walk with me,” he huffed, curling his lips in a smirk. 

We entered the forest with its emerald leaves smiling down, pale translucent blue flowers hung from the branches, giving the forest a mystical appearance, but even this beauty could not quell the flood of anxiety I felt growing in my gut.  Ike no longer spoke and the eerie silence chilled my heart.  The trees became less close and I could sense the ending of the woods.  The path ran out to a scene of destruction, rubble was spilled out in all directions, making us step over the remains of buildings, which had crumbled to dust during the long years.  His pace never slowed though, he walked this path as if he could do it blindfolded, while I struggled to keep up. 

“There,” Ike pointed. 

I looked inquisitively at the decaying castle, coming into view.  His pace slowed now, as if a heavy burden was upon his young shoulders.

Ike climbed the cold stone steps, broken and lonely, and then turned toward me once more.  The black eyes looked out at me from a different vantage point now, and without a word, I understood all that he could not openly proclaim.