"One step forward. One step forward. One step forward" the 'cerr repeated it to himself like a mantra as he kept moving forward. He did not know where he was going, nor how long he was walking; all he knew was that he needed to keep moving. It had been years since he ran away from Mitrona, his friends, and his love. The blackouts had become more frequent, and every time he woke up he was somewhere new with something's blood on his hand. He didn't know where it came from, why it happened, what he was doing, but he knew one thing; he didn't want to hurt anyone he cared for. So he left them all behind without even a note, he couldn't bring himself to do so. Ever since then, he stayed on the move, staying awake as long as possible, and every time he blacked out he found himself with more cut bruises and blood. The days turned to months, months turned to weeks, weeks turned to years, and as time passed he got worse and worse. His once shiny hair was a complete mess, the clothes he had made to fit were torn and blood-soaked and his once vibrant amethyst eyes were now a dull mauve. The only thing that stayed by his side was his trusty spear that he had since he was a teen. While stepping through a forest of the Arbor he stepped on a branch that pierced him through the foot. "Argh!" He yelped in pain as he leaned against a tree to support him. He looked down at his form and a dry chuckle escaped his lips. "Oh Kharash, what am I doing here? Is this how I die, death by branch? For someone like me? I always thought it would be by the blade of an enemy, not the will of nature" he mused, finding the whole situation ironic. As he lay against the tree bleeding he thought back to everyone he met. He thought to Krisa, that big orc he fought during the tournament; Laylani, the first 'color he met during that ball; Elaine, the tiefling Khari'cerr who was kind to him; Apollon, the 'color who was always by Elaine's side and shone brightly like the sun; Faiir the tall 'cill who hosted those college lessons that taught him new things and helped him make friends; Thaniel, the 'color guard he fought alongside and respected greatly; N'vastiel the slightly standoffish but well-meaning kid that filled in Elaine's shoes after her untimely passing; Briette, Elaine's kid who seemed like a sweet kid; and Aerith. He smiled as he thought about Aerith, thinking about their meeting. He didn't know what it was about her he liked, maybe it was how her hair flowed when she clung to the tree branch, how her eye sparkled when she talked, or maybe it was how she tried so hard to overcome her fears despite everything. He didn't know why and he didn't need to know why, all he knew was how much he enjoyed spending time with her and how much he regretted not seeing her again. Was this love? He didn't know, but he liked it. Just as he was reminiscing about his life, the snapping of twigs reminded him of a crucial fact he forgot, he was never alone in the forest. Turning around he saw 2 bears approaching him, and a cruel smile broke out on his face. He started to chuckle, then broke out into a full-on laugh "AHAHAH, Is this how you wanna play?" He shouted into the sky "You're right, I can't just die like this I'm a warrior, what better way to finish it than one final fight?" He hummed with a smirk. His shaky hands gripped his spear tightly, his weakened legs flexed, and he stood up straight and tall as adrenaline coursed through his veins. He spun Night's Cry in his hand as it wailed into the darkness and across the forest. He slid his foot back as he ready himself for what could be his last fight "You want my life? COME AND GET YOU BASTARD" he screamed at the top of his lungs mustering every last drop of energy as he leaped towards his furry foes, ready to fight till his death.
゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜
"Argh!" The young elfess yelped as she jolted awake. She had yet another nightmare, but this was different. In her dream, she saw her home Al-Khadir on fire, everyone was screaming, and she was running around as a child. These kinda nightmares weren't new, but something was wrong. Even after she woke up she still had this deep sense of dread, a feeling she felt only one other time of her life; 15/02/1545. "No, nonononono" she panicked as she quickly grabbed her stuff and stuffed it into her bag. She could never forget that date, it was seared into her mind. And something told her, that today would be another unforgettable day. She grabbed her opal and ran out of the tavern she was staying in, leaving a small pile of Andros on the tavern bar as payment for the room and ran. She ran, and ran, and ran. She ran through the forest, through trees and bushes, over rocks and dirt. She ran till her shoes tore at which point she threw her shoes off and ran barefoot. Sharp stones and branches pierced through the soles of her feet causing her to bleed on the dort but she didn't care. She ran through the blazing hot desert, burning her feet on the sand but she didn't care. Her feet grew blisters and her muscles screamed in pain but she didn't care. All she wanted was to see her home, see her friends, see everything was alright. As she approached the entrance she gripped her gemstone tightly and picked up speed. She ran in leaving a trail of blood behind her and stopped to look around. She breathed a sigh of relief seeing it wasn't on fire, but something was off. It was, too quiet. She walked through the streets looking for any of her friends. She saw some people she recognized like the nice old lady who sold eggs, but she couldn't find any of her friends. She picked up her pace walking around and calling their names "Guys? Gobble, Meri, Cuandi where are you? Asif, Os, Raska what's going on?" As she called out the only thing that returned her was silence. She hated silence because it left her alone with her thoughts, and she hated being alone with her thoughts. Her once chipper voice was now broken, empty, and panicked. She started running around as tears streamed down her face and her voice started to crack "G-Guys, this isn't fu-funny. P-Please come out..." she called out in a panicked voice. Nothing. There was one last place she could look, Mr. Ike's old bar. Though, now it's Gobble's isn't it? She walked up the steps to Nuggets Nest and placed her hand on the doors. She was scared, she didn't know what she would do if they weren't there. With a heavy heart, she pushed open the door and stepped inside to... nothing. She shambled her way to the back and fumbled with her keys as she opened the door and stepped behind the bar. All the memories of the time she spent working here with Ikr, Gobble, and Arlenia flooded back as she broke down sobbing and collapsed on the floor. She opened the barrels and her blurry eyes landed on the Alcohol. She never drank, but for some reason, it called out to her. Without a second thought she grabbed it and chugged the whole bottle, then another, then another, and before she knew it she was surrounded by 8 empty bottles. She hugged one of the bottles closely as she cried and sang a lullaby her mother used to sing in a broken voice "Avia’taphi hyoll o myln’sille ce tiph Lamen’aelin." She thought back to everyone she met and now lost. She thought about Ike, Illyria, Os, Raska, Ralv, Cirlia, Asif, Palmira, Gobble, Meri, Cuandi, Arlenia... and all she could think about was her last interactions with them, and how she left them like that. She was scared of losing family again and deep down, some part whispered to her "This is all your fault. you left them, so they left you" "Nonononono" the elfess cried out in a drunken stupor as she squeezed her Opal tightly causing cracks to form in it. "they, they wouldn't leave me... they're my friends; my family. They wouldn't... would they?" She choked as all these awful thoughts ran through her mind. She squeezed her opal tighter causing more fractures to spread through before an idea flashed across her mind "No. They wouldn't leave me, they just, went on a journey. They must be out there, waiting for me to find them." A smile flashed across her tear-stained face as she jumped up and bottles clattered onto the floor "Yeah, I'll find them. But this time, I won't let go of them..." she choked out as her smile grew. She jumped over the counter and ran out, down the streets, and into the desert, not with fear but with hope. She ran, and ran, and ran into the desert, running after her friends, and she would never stop until she found them. And this time, she won't let go of them.
゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜・。。・゜★゜・。。・゜
"Argh!" The young elfess yelped as she jolted awake. She had yet another nightmare, but this was different. In her dream, she saw her home Al-Khadir on fire, everyone was screaming, and she was running around as a child. These kinda nightmares weren't new, but something was wrong. Even after she woke up she still had this deep sense of dread, a feeling she felt only one other time of her life; 15/02/1545. "No, nonononono" she panicked as she quickly grabbed her stuff and stuffed it into her bag. She could never forget that date, it was seared into her mind. And something told her, that today would be another unforgettable day. She grabbed her opal and ran out of the tavern she was staying in, leaving a small pile of Andros on the tavern bar as payment for the room and ran. She ran, and ran, and ran. She ran through the forest, through trees and bushes, over rocks and dirt. She ran till her shoes tore at which point she threw her shoes off and ran barefoot. Sharp stones and branches pierced through the soles of her feet causing her to bleed on the dort but she didn't care. She ran through the blazing hot desert, burning her feet on the sand but she didn't care. Her feet grew blisters and her muscles screamed in pain but she didn't care. All she wanted was to see her home, see her friends, see everything was alright. As she approached the entrance she gripped her gemstone tightly and picked up speed. She ran in leaving a trail of blood behind her and stopped to look around. She breathed a sigh of relief seeing it wasn't on fire, but something was off. It was, too quiet. She walked through the streets looking for any of her friends. She saw some people she recognized like the nice old lady who sold eggs, but she couldn't find any of her friends. She picked up her pace walking around and calling their names "Guys? Gobble, Meri, Cuandi where are you? Asif, Os, Raska what's going on?" As she called out the only thing that returned her was silence. She hated silence because it left her alone with her thoughts, and she hated being alone with her thoughts. Her once chipper voice was now broken, empty, and panicked. She started running around as tears streamed down her face and her voice started to crack "G-Guys, this isn't fu-funny. P-Please come out..." she called out in a panicked voice. Nothing. There was one last place she could look, Mr. Ike's old bar. Though, now it's Gobble's isn't it? She walked up the steps to Nuggets Nest and placed her hand on the doors. She was scared, she didn't know what she would do if they weren't there. With a heavy heart, she pushed open the door and stepped inside to... nothing. She shambled her way to the back and fumbled with her keys as she opened the door and stepped behind the bar. All the memories of the time she spent working here with Ikr, Gobble, and Arlenia flooded back as she broke down sobbing and collapsed on the floor. She opened the barrels and her blurry eyes landed on the Alcohol. She never drank, but for some reason, it called out to her. Without a second thought she grabbed it and chugged the whole bottle, then another, then another, and before she knew it she was surrounded by 8 empty bottles. She hugged one of the bottles closely as she cried and sang a lullaby her mother used to sing in a broken voice "Avia’taphi hyoll o myln’sille ce tiph Lamen’aelin." She thought back to everyone she met and now lost. She thought about Ike, Illyria, Os, Raska, Ralv, Cirlia, Asif, Palmira, Gobble, Meri, Cuandi, Arlenia... and all she could think about was her last interactions with them, and how she left them like that. She was scared of losing family again and deep down, some part whispered to her "This is all your fault. you left them, so they left you" "Nonononono" the elfess cried out in a drunken stupor as she squeezed her Opal tightly causing cracks to form in it. "they, they wouldn't leave me... they're my friends; my family. They wouldn't... would they?" She choked as all these awful thoughts ran through her mind. She squeezed her opal tighter causing more fractures to spread through before an idea flashed across her mind "No. They wouldn't leave me, they just, went on a journey. They must be out there, waiting for me to find them." A smile flashed across her tear-stained face as she jumped up and bottles clattered onto the floor "Yeah, I'll find them. But this time, I won't let go of them..." she choked out as her smile grew. She jumped over the counter and ran out, down the streets, and into the desert, not with fear but with hope. She ran, and ran, and ran into the desert, running after her friends, and she would never stop until she found them. And this time, she won't let go of them.
