In a cataclysm known as the Nightfall, the worlds were almost completely destroyed by a harrowing surge of darkness.
In the shadows of the ensuing chaos a new group has taken shape. Led by an Aegyl named Kalos, the 11th Hour touts an esoteric knowledge of how to combat the darkness and restore the worlds. They might be the worlds’ best chance at survival; but nobody really knows enough about them to confirm or deny their claims.
On the brink of collapse, the universe holds its breath in anticipation. Of restoration? Of destruction? It is up to individuals like yourself to decide.
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There aren't enough praises in the world I'd like to give to wonderful coders for the Proboards community. The following have contributed to World Destiny in some way: W3 Schools for countless how-tos and countless of other souls who have helped get WD up to where it is.
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"You're weak... How could I ever allow you to be called my daughter?"
The nightmare was always the same. She couldn't remember if she'd ever had a unique nightmare in her seventeen years of life... The night sky was pitch black save for the soft glow of the moon above. Moonlit Lake's waters, stretching as far as the eye could see, were one with the sky, a dark abyss, reflecting the crescent moon perfectly across the surface. Far from shore laid the cave, large enough to support its own small town. Across the lake were the wooded areas where those the girl had saved lived. They were even blacker than the sky itself. On her side, quiet, lifeless houses rested. Everything was still. There was no wind. No motion in the waves. Nothing stirred. It was eerily silent, void of the normal soundtrack of the night--the swell of the night time breeze, a symphony of crickets, the calls of the owls.
Helena Mitsuko sat up in the grass, like she always did in this dream. Rust-colored eyes peered around, familiar to the sight of this place but somehow still unsure. She found herself situated near the Northwest Dock, her left cheek slightly dirtied from the ground she had awaken on. She sat near the town's most famous dock; boats lined the shore, completely still as well. Lifeless and cold, the tsundere came to her feet. Her pale skin was a contrast to the darkness that enveloped the small, lonely world. It was surely past midnight. Moonlit Lake couldn't be completely empty. That girl couldn't possibly be the only one here.
She unsheathed her father's sword, Phoenix Feathers, and was overwhelmed with simply the though of wielding it. Power surged through Helena's veins. Still, no emotion could find its way into her expression, into her thoughts, into her being. The things that had usually brought Helena joy were all gone. Despair was somehow missing. All emotions had been inexplicably silenced. Numb to everything, the girl proceeded down the dirt path, the tip of her sword slightly bouncing against the ground it was being dragged across.
The girl faced the houses and continued along the dirt path. All of the paths ended at a dock or at the SCARECROW's building at the outskirts of the city. Visitors into the city were few to none, and as such, there were no paths leading from the outside into the city. The city's roads and streets, when put on a map, looked rather similar to a web, curving, enticing, with no way out for those who stumble in.
Like always, the girl headed down the same old path. She would follow her instructions. That was the only fulfilling action Helena could take. Her life had remained rather empty after the loss of her mother. Her father had been in a slump for years. His daughter was called upon to carry on his job while he recovered from his profound depression. Helena was not allowed to resist. If so, she would be put to death for disgracing her father and SCARECROW. Surveillance was constant. Even at night, when most were asleep, there would be a select few around to catch her before she could save those who had been put away.
And like that, Helena had watched herself turn from the hero into the villain. The change was hard, painful, but she had learned to become numb to it all. What she had despised was all she was now. And it was almost as if she liked it.
The nightmare continued like it always did. Helena was forced to think how she would have to apprehend a girl who acted strangely, almost even rebelliously. It had been reported that she would become a Heartless should this behavior continue. And so, the girl went onto this girl's house near the heart of the city. It would be better to arrest her at night; it was so common up at this point that the people had learned to ignore it. Still, everything had remained silent, save for Helena's footsteps and the sound of her sword scraping the ground. She continued onward, taking the longest walk of her life.
And for whatever reason why, something changed in her recurring nightmare. The wind picked up at last. A change in ambiance occurred. The night lived again. All of the nocturnal animals began to call out softly. The aforementioned breeze chilled the seventeen-year-old's skin.
There was someone else here.
Aug 2, 2011 18:35:26 GMT -4
Last Edit: Dec 25, 2011 17:14:42 GMT -4 by xthelonelypuppetx
A dream. . . He could feel something odd here. . . it wasn't his. That was what he was feeling. It wasn't his dream, but, somehow, he belonged there. "You belong here because I have brought you here, Caleb-Luke." So, that was it. There was a reason he was here, someone he needed to help, to love. That was his real mission. It had never truly been to fight for his people. . . it had been to love them and, not only his people, but all people. It had taken the destruction of his world to make that settle in on the new inter-world scale he was living in. Suddenly, he felt darkness through the whole dream-scape. "I don't like this. . ." he muttered.
"You're weak... How could I ever allow you to be called my daughter?"
He shuddered at the feeling that emanated from the voice. There are some overwhelming issues here. . . and with a father, too. . . If i meet him, here, I'm gonna kill him. He could feel his anger welling up inside him, but he knew what he had been taught. Anger is an emotion, and, emotions, by themselves, are perfect. What makes them good or bad is how you react. It was perfect and just that he was angry with a father hurting his child, but getting revenge the way he wanted it. . . that was wrong.
He finally started walking around this unfamiliar world. There was such an ominous feel to the place. . . He drew his gold sword out, just to have it in his hand. He spun it in his left hand and started to relax, just a bit. He was walking through a city, and, as soon as he realized that, he slid his sword back away. He wandered around a little while before he finally felt a guiding hand in his wandering. He heard footsteps and the scraping of a sword along the ground. Not good. Suddenly, there was life in the night. There were the usual sounds and a good wind. He still followed the guiding hand. He could feel something telling him about a house to keep in mind as he stepped out to see who was doing their weapon such injustice as to drag it along the ground.
As he looked at the person, he could hardly believe it. He had been called here. . . for her? It was too personal for him to like in any way. All of his bad feelings returned in full force. His jaw dropped, slightly, and his eyes went wide. It took him what felt like an eternity to be able to get out just one word. ". . . Helena?"
Aug 2, 2011 23:36:51 GMT -4
Last Edit: Aug 2, 2011 23:38:12 GMT -4 by xthelonelypuppetx
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 3, 2011 0:44:15 GMT -4
"...Helena?"
The familiar voice pervaded the chilly air. He was the last person she expected to end up here. The nightmare had been interrupted by his appearance, and she felt as though perhaps, she could escape from her horrible fate. Her eyes turned to meet his as he stood there before her. The dream became momentarily lucid, and Helena conciously gained control of herself. "...Saxen, what are you doing here... in my nightmare?" She couldn't control the life of her speech, so the question seemed rather dead. The look in her eyes showed the inner turmoil of the girl who had lived through this nightmare again and again. Every time, she would find herself in the same spot. Every time, the same climax would be reach. Every time, she would wake up screaming. Perhaps... Perhaps this time was different.
"Your efforts are meaningless. You cannot change the outcome... You will relive this again and again, Helena. This... is exactly what you would have become. A monster... just like me," Her father's voice echoed across the sleeping world. The sounds died down again. All was silent. She continued on, passing him by. Her pain was still present in her eyes, and for the first time, tears started welling up in her eyes.
That house was reached before she knew it. For some reason, it looked eerily similar to something she had seen before... It was in the nicer districts, nearer to the shore than most, and vastly larger than other houses farther out. It was large, three stories high, and softly colored. The house itself reminded her of the fact that her own room was on the third floor, second window from the right... She used to sneak out every night by climbing out of that window. Down the side of the house, sticking to the spaces inbetween one lot and another, down to the lake, where she would steal a boat and head down to the cave...
As a traditional rule, all of the doors were unlocked. Helena proceeded into the house where the girl would be resting. It was dark, but somehow, she knew her way around already. A set of stairs led up to the second, and then the third floor. She headed up that way.
"...Saxen, what are you doing here... in my nightmare?"
What am I doing here, Lord? He asked, but got no response. He was on his own, now, and he didn't like it one bit. This was a horrible time for him to be on his own. Nothing felt right. Nothing. And, as he was dreading this whole thing, the voice he had heard earlier spoke up, again.
"Your efforts are meaningless. You cannot change the outcome... You will relive this again and again, Helena. This... is exactly what you would have become. A monster... just like me."
His anger flared up again. He tried to yell out at Helena's father, but his mouth wouldn't even open. Everything was silent again and he couldn't move. He watched as Helena passed him by. I SWEAR I'M GONNA KILL HIM!!![/b] That thought ran through his head over and over and his anger swelled. Suddenly, he remembered something: the house! He had to get there, but he still couldn't move. He stood there for a while, getting even more frustrated.
Finally, he calmed himself down. He was here for Helena, not to act on his hatred of her father. Helena. . . I just wish I knew how I felt. . . He turned around and ran after her, keeping his hand on his sword. He didn't like the feelings he had in this place. Then, she went into the house. He still hadn't caught up, yet. Suddenly, he knew everything about the house and where Helena was going to go, so he changed his plan. He climbed up the wall to the third floor and climbed in a window. He then looked around and saw a young girl sleeping. He wanted to sit next to her and watch her sleep. She seemed like a sweet child. There was something about her that seemed familiar, though, but he couldn't place it.
He sat against the wall, by her bed, and watched the door. He knew that Helena should be coming through, soon. A few tears made their way down his face as he waited. Time felt like it was being stretched out. He couldn't stand this. He had kept watch several times, but this was something totally different. He felt like he was lying in wait to attack a best friend. . . there had to be something else to do. Love. That was it. He had to avoid a fight, if at all possible. He was there for her.
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 6, 2011 2:27:51 GMT -4
Thump.
Phoenix Feathers ascended from one step to the next.
Thump.
Again, it was the girl's sword that made the sound as she dragged it up the steps.
Thump. Thump.
That was the sound of her heart pounding in her chest.
Uneasily, Helena came to the landing on the second floor. All was still. The soft moonlight floated in through the windows, highlighting the dust flying through the air. Now that there wasn't a mother around to care for the girl, the house was in disarray. Everything was covered in a fine layer of dust, from the carpets, to the walls, to the doors, to the paintings on the walls, to the furniture that dotted the hallways. All of the flowers had died some time ago and could now be broken into pieces just by resting one's eyes on them. An aura of despair touched the place. It felt old, broken, haunted by the spirits of the dearly departed.
There was something familiar about the place. She remembered that her own house looked somewhat like this, but it lived. Everything was clean and tidy. The flowers were still fresh, replaced everytime they began to wilt. It was vivacious and colorful, but only because of the maid. Had they not hired one, the two different households would look exactly the same...
At the end of the hallway, there were a collection of family photographs. She had led herself to the right side of the house on an instinct. The pictures on the wall showed the lives of a family comprised of three people--a mother, a father, and a little girl. The little girl, the one due to be arrested, had wavy, rave hair, often photographed with a blood red ribbon in her hair. She was a cute girl with pale skin and a lovely smile. The mother had wavy brown hair with eyes like forget-me-nots, a kind woman whose mark had never left this world--she was the only magic-user of her time. The father was a tall, dark man, with raven hair like his daughter. His eyes were a strange rust color, his expression cunning and deceptive. In some pictures was another child, obviously not part of the same family. He had platinum blonde hair, ice blue eyes, and a tan complexion. He was often seen playing with the little girl.
Helena could distinctly remember arresting that boy.
Again, she headed up the stairs. Instead of heading straight up, these stairs took a turn approximately halfway up, leading into the third-floor hallway. From what she was told, the girl resided in the second room from the right. There was something strangely familiar about this hallway above the rest of the house... It was almost as if she had been here millions of times before.
She ignored the feeling and continued down the hallway.
The door was quickly reached, and with her free hand, she opened it and peered inside.
"Saxen! You've gotta stop me..." But she was being compelled forward. Against her own will, she raised Phoenix Feathers so she was in her fighting stance.
Finally, he heard something. He could hear footsteps and the thud of Helena's sword. He stood up and rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. She has her sword out. . . which means she's probably ready to use it. . . Gocha. . . He sighed as he slowly drew out his weapon, turning it in the moonlight. This had the potential to be one of the worst moments of his life, maybe, even, the worst. He looked back over at the sleeping girl and smiled. He wished that he could be her friend, that they could just go out and play and be happy, but, instead, they were stuck in the middle of this nightmare. . .
He was jolted away from his thoughts when he heard the door open, slightly. Then, she came forward and raised her sword, getting in her stance, telling him that he had to stop her. That was the plan, wasn't it? He held his sword lazily out in front of him, which may have looked sloppy, but it was fairly normal for him to hold his sword like that. He didn't want a fight. It was the last thing in the world he wanted. He wasn't sure what he wanted, exactly, but it certainly wasn't this.
He stared into her eyes and could feel tears forming in his eyes. He felt like everything froze, right there. They were all set to fight. He, the prophet and soldier, sworn to protect, was facing Helena, an unfortunate girl he had met at an ice cream shop in Radiant Garden, and they were getting ready to fight. . . As much as he couldn't stand it, time refused to move. He was forced to look and hate himself for this, trying to think about other ways to handle the situation, but nothing came.
Once he was thoroughly tortured, time finally continued on, as if nothing had happened. The tears made their way down his face, and when he spoke, his voice was shaking. "Helena, I don't want to fight you. . . I. . . I. . . I care too much about you. . ." Then, his confidence returned and he spoke one last time. "But let it be known that I will not allow Raiden to arrest this girl." He let his sword's tip rest on the ground and stared at Helena. What. . . do I feel?
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 7, 2011 15:51:08 GMT -4
For some reason, Helena heard him, but she couldn't hear him. The words reached her ears, but her mind couldn't make sense of them. She saw the tears streaming down his face, his voice trembling but his attitude still confident. Here they were, in the middle of a girl's room, getting ready to fight. As Helena turned to look, she saw the small girl sleeping in her bed, cuddled up with a stuffed black cat. That girl looked so peaceful, so serene, absolutely innocent lying there, dreaming. Helena turned back to Saxen.
The tip of his sword had touched the ground.
Oh, how that absolutely tortured her. Why couldn't she do the same? This was her dream, regardless of anything else, and she wasn't even able to change the outcome as it happened for years and years up until this point. The inner turmoil within her heart was rather visible; she was trembling, planted to the spot she stood, instead of bending to the dream's whims. Yet, as she pushed for control, she was being shoved back. This feeling of resistance had not been present in the nightmares past. She had learned to just let it happen, forget about it when she woke up, and go on with life. But it was different this time... Everything was different.
Phoenix Feathers fell from her grasp and clattered on the floor, the sound reverberating, piercing the cold, night time air.
She had been freed from the cycle.
Helena, with her head slightly pounding from the sudden liberation, found herself on the ground, feeling dizzy. She turned her head over from the ceiling, as if was only making her more dizzy, and focused on a stuffed wolf sitting on the floor, staring back at her. The room was comprised of soft colors--pinks, blues, purples, yellows. The walls were an off-white color, tinted by the moonlight floating in through the window. There was an easter-egg colored rug underneath her, and if she was right, it was covering up a green paint stain on the beige carpet. Stuffed animals and dolls were stacked up on top of drawers, in the already cramped bookcase, sitting at a small table, still having a tea party.
And over the years, she remembered getting rid of the dolls, but keeping four stuffed animals. She'd kept this wolf she had been staring at--Charlie, she remembered naming it. She'd also kept a fox named Fleur, a bird named Artemis, and a black cat--the very same one the little girl was holding. Helena recalled that it was named Amarante.
The dizziness subsided at last and Helena came to her feet. Still a bit wobbly, she headed over the little girl's bed and brushed her raven hair out of her eyes. "Just like I remembered..." Helena smiled sadly. "You're me, aren't you?" She turned to Saxen and whispered, "Thank you." There was something calming about his presence. Even in the midst of a nightmare, she felt serene.
When she smiled at him, there was something markedly different about it, like there was something behind the simple gesture that meant something more.
"Let's get out of here. Since we're both here and consciously controlling our actions, I'd say that this dream is pretty lucid now. We can do... well, pretty much whatever until we wake up." Helena approached the window and unhooked the latch, revealing a strange, blank world ahead of them. She sat down on the window seat, waiting for him. "You've already been stuck in my dream, so you go ahead and pick what happens next. Funny things, lucid dreams are... They're just like a blank canvas. It's already weird enough that we ended up in the same dream together, don't you think?"
It was odd, indeed; dreams could defy the laws of time and space, perfectly recreating things or people that have been lost. Never before had she shared a dream with someone else. The sleeping mind baffled Helena...
This feeling is very... nostalgic... What's so familiar about it, I wonder?
It was over. She had dropped her sword. He hesitated a moment before sliding his sword away. He was afraid that Raiden was going to pull something, but he felt a little too calm for that. The nightmare was over, but the dream carried on. He was just relaxing when Helena collapsed. Why does there always have to be something that goes wrong. . . He rushed over to her and knelt by her. He wanted to stroke her hair, but he didn't. Why was he so confused about everything? He just hurt. . . and he couldn't get past it. The same question he had asked countless people now echoed in his mind: What are you gonna do about it? He wasn't sure. . .
His thoughts seemed to never cease being interrupted. This time, it was because Helena stood up. He got up quickly, and his hands hovered close to her body, just in case she were to fall. She walked over to the bed and brushed the hair away from the kid's eyes. She was such a cute kid.
"Just like I remembered..." Helena smiled sadly. "You're me, aren't you?"
This kid was. . . her? In all reality, that didn't really surprise him. It explained quite a bit, actually.
"Thank you," she whispered to him, delivering the words with a smile. The smile. . . it had an. . . unusual quality to it. It was as if it was trying to make all his hurt melt away. He walked over to the bed and kissed the sleeping girl on the forehead. "You. . . you are why I fight. . . you are why I am what I am. You're peaceful sleep gives me a goal." he whispered to the child. He smiled and turned back to Helena.
"Let's get out of here. Since we're both here and consciously controlling our actions, I'd say that this dream is pretty lucid now. We can do... well, pretty much whatever until we wake up."
He nodded as she opened the window and sat in it. The world beyond the window was blank. He smiled, knowing exactly how much they could do.
"You've already been stuck in my dream, so you go ahead and pick what happens next. Funny things, lucid dreams are... They're just like a blank canvas. It's already weird enough that we ended up in the same dream together, don't you think?"
He sat next to her on the window-sill and smiled at her. "I know exactly where I'm taking you." He grabbed her hand and closed his eyes. "We're gonna jump off the ledge, alright?" He didn't wait for a response. "Ready. . . now!" He pushed off and the world around them changed as they fell. The most noticeable change was that it got darker. There was stone all around them, and the light was eventually completely gone. As their descent slowed, light began to appear, again. A ceiling appeared in the cave, covered in some light-giving coat. Getting closer to the ground, flowers became visible. Once they were on the ground, it could be seen that they weren't actually flowers, but colored crystals grown in the shape of flowers. There were all sorts of "flowers" around the garden. He looked around and smiled, taking a few steps forward, still holding her hand. "Welcome," he said, accompanying his introduction with a wave of his hand, "To the Crystal Garden of Anhnyqueg."
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 15, 2011 14:50:20 GMT -4
As Saxen followed her to the window seat, a thought came to Helena... He had spoken to the little girl while she was sleeping. Kissed her on the forehead. That would have been all right had this been anyone else's dream, but that little girl wasn't just anyone. The girl and the tsundere were one and the same. Hadn't she just announced that? And yet, he kissed her lovingly. It was probably of little consequence, but the gesture was towards to the little girl--towards Helena. Did that not mean that, in a way, he had kissed her on the forehead? The tsundere had to keep herself from touching the place where the gesture had been made.
It wasn't very hard, because Saxen had taken her by the hand. Her cheeks instinctively turned a pale pink. With her free hand, she brushed the hair out of her eyes to get a full look at him. He was exactly the same as she remembered, only against a different background. The simple thought of his consistency pleased her. He wouldn't change. He would never give her a reason not to trust him.
It had been a long time since she smiled so much.
In fact, she had been thinking about how often she was smiling so much that she almost didn't hear Saxen say, "We're gonna jump off the ledge, all right?" The smile instantly melted off of her face at the word, 'ledge'.
"Are you crazy?! We're nearly three stories up--"
"Ready... now!"
As he pushed off of the ledge, Helena knew that she didn't like this sensation of free-falling. At all. However, while she did fall, she fell in slow-motion. The blank canvas around her changed, painting over the white world and the house as well. It became considerably darker for a time. Still, their descent was slowed, but it gave Helena more time to look about at the changes. Light slowly became visible in the darkness; they were in some kind of cave. The walls of the aforementioned cave gave off a soft glow. Helena looked below her, and saw strange flowers beginning to form beneath. They all looked like the familiar flowers like roses, tulips, poinsettas... Except for the fact that they weren't real. They were made from some type of colored crystal, each frozen perfectly in time.
Was there any other place that was more perfect?
The two reached the ground at last. Saxen didn't let go of her hand, but took a few steps forward and introduced this place as the Crystal Garden of Anhnyqueg. Not only was that a mouthful, but it was an actual place. It was much more than just a figment of his imagination, a location created by his mind... It was real, tangible, or at least, at one point it was. Helena was absolutely certain of this much. She hoped that it was still real somewhere, that maybe, he'd take her to the actual place...
And after all of this, Helena found herself gazing into those deep blue eyes, wondering if there was anything behind them.
That's stupid... There couldn't be anything there, because we're just friends.
And again, the little voice in her head that often happened to be right piped up,
Hero and I were just friends. But maybe I should think this over, slow down a little... I wouldn't want to...
And before she could ever finish that thought, Helena found herself blushing again. She averted her gaze towards the flowers and spotted a certain favorite of hers. Before the girl knew it, she had knelt down next to the crystallized flowers and was smiling at their profound simplicity. It was the lack of complexity, the modest beauty of the flowers, that caught the eye of Helena time and time again. Their vibrant blue color reminded her of a lot of things... Hero's hair, Sea-Salt Ice Cream, Saxen's eyes...
Helena. . . her rust-colored eyes found their way into Saxen's deep blues. He couldn't have looked away, even if he had wanted to. He saw her turn red and smiled softly. What if. . . he started to ask himself something, but she looked away. It doesn't matter, he thought. It is. . . irrelevant. He then felt her hand leave his and, when he looked to see where she went, she was kneeling next to some of the flowers. They were simple little things. He had always liked simple things. There was a beauty in simplicity. He had always thought so and had felt that way about machines, people, and everything else, really. There was often no need for fancy clothes or makeup or even for girls to put up their hair. He heard her whisper the name of the flower she was looking at: Forget-Me-Nots.
He slowly took a few steps closer to Helena while softly reciting lines from a play. "If we shadows have offended, think but this and all is mended: that you have but slumbered here while these visions did appear, and this weak and idle theme, no more yielding than a dream." He stood next to her for a moment, closing his eyes and taking a breath. It is a dream, after all. He knelt down by her and kissed her on the cheek. "You like these?" he asked her with a smile. He leaned forward slightly and looked closely at the "flower." All of the flowers had a specific way and place that they could be picked. He examined them and found this flower's point. He reached out and gave it a light twist at the point, picking a single one.
He then turned to her and brushed her hair back, placing the flower behind her ear and smiling at her, again. "You're more beautiful than the flowers." Then, he stood up and walked over to the center of the garden, gesturing for her to follow. He knelt down by the small lantern and opened it. "When this is lit, the flowers glow. Care to do the honors?"
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 16, 2011 17:10:27 GMT -4
Saxen's eyes...
If these flowers had nothing to hide, then maybe Saxen's eyes didn't, either. Did he ever give her a reason not to trust him? He had saved her from her fears, her worst nightmare, her only nightmare. Here they were, in this perfect place, alone, completely safe. This had been a pretty strange dream... Helena had never thought that perhaps dreams could be shared with others... but it was a dream, and nothing more. Anything could happen in dreams, after all, and in waking it would be of little consequence... That is, if he didn't leave a lasting impression on her.
As she thought this, she began to turn to meet Saxen's eyes again, but he intercepted her in time to get a kiss in on her cheek. The simple gesture was on par with the forget-me-nots--modestly beautiful. Simple, and yet it said a thousand things about him, and maybe even herself if indirectly. Maybe she wasn't half as bad as she thought she was... Saxen had helped Helena time and time again, after all... She felt different toward him than she did toward others she had helped out. It was like admiration, mixed with some kind of warm and familiar feeling, and touched with a pinch of guilt...
"You like these?" he questioned softly with a pretty smile. At last, Helena met his eyes once again, her cheeks a soft red. She nodded awkwardly, unable to hold the emotions back with coldness. This was who she was deep down-- a girl who didn't really like people, but still wanted to forgive them. Saxen was like the antithesis to the thought that all people were the same, and he always had been that way since she first met him. Truthfully, Helena liked being wrong about people... It gave her hope.
He turned away for a moment and messed with the flowers. The tsundere wondered what he was doing-- these flowers looked like they couldn't be broken off. They were made of crystal, after all. However, he promptly twisted off the flower at the stem, tucking it behind her ear. Helena touched the single bud, feeling its smooth surface beneath her fingertips.
"You're more beautiful than the flowers." The words were like a whisper. She wanted to hear those words again, to keep them forever in the palm of her hand. A trembling breath escaped her lips. Her heart fluttered inside of her chest. Helena reached out to touch his cheek, but he had gotten up already and was walking towards the center of the garden. The girl found herself mute, unable to speak. There was another whisper, a slight breeze somehow, and softly, she sang,
"And if it's a hero you want, I can save you, just stay here... your whispers are priceless; your breath, it is dear... so please stay near..."[/i]
When Saxen gestured her over to where he was, and Helena found herself already half way there. He had knelt down beside a small lantern in the midst of the vast garden. She knelt down next to him just as he asked her to light it. She touched his hand accidentally with her own, and she quickly raised that hand back up in order to avoid freaking him out.
Wait, what the hell am I thinking? He just KISSED me on the cheek. He's gonna be far from freaked out if I touch his hand ON ACCIDENT.
Still, she had to light the lantern. So, with another look at Saxen and a slight smile, Helena snapped her fingers. A small flame lit up the lantern, giving off a soft, almost romantic glow. For a moment, the girl began pondering about fire...
She had lit the lantern and the garden took on a whole new life. The light from the ceiling faded as the light from the flowers grew, until the only light in the cave was the soft glow from the flowers. It was a very dim light, but it was enough to see, and the colors flitted around as the fire moved in the lantern. Soft reds, blues, and greens crossed their bodies. The cave gained a surreal quality as the light danced around the walls and ceiling. It made everything seem a little less tangible. The flowers, Saxen, and Helena all seemed slightly more unreal.
Saxen held Helena's hands lightly in his and stood up, giving a slight pull, asking her to stand, too. He moved one hand to rest softly on her cheek and whispered, "You still have the flowers beat." He leaned forward, closing his eyes, and kissed her right on the lips. In all honesty, it was something he had never done before, and he hadn't planned on it for a long time, but he had already decided he was going to loosen up, here. He didn't hold it long, but he had a feeling it wasn't going to be the end.
He stayed silent for a moment after pulling away. At first, he was filled with happiness; he was overflowed with the feeling that had come from that kiss. However, this didn't last long. memories, regrets, and losses flooded his mind and heart and making a change on his face. For some reason, he just couldn't let himself enjoy anything. He always had to remember. . . always had to remember pain, hurt, heartbreak, and everything bad about life, but he could have such a hard time remembering the good moments, sometimes.
He sorely wanted this to be the moment that could overcome the pain and the hurt, seeing as the moments like that he had had. . . were all gone. . . The people he had shared them with. . . were gone. What are you gonna do about it? he asked himself, again. He couldn't figure out what he wanted to happen next. Did he want her to kiss him back? Did he want her to comfort him? Did he just want his old life back, and, if he did, which life? He had lived so many. . . He couldn't make up his mind at all. He just wanted something to happen to take away the hurt.
Aug 17, 2011 0:09:17 GMT -4
Last Edit: Aug 17, 2011 13:00:31 GMT -4 by xthelonelypuppetx
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 17, 2011 19:17:31 GMT -4
Soft colors danced along the walls now that the light from the ceiling had died down. With each flick and twitch of the fire, the light from the flowers seemed to move as well. It was a dim glow, just enough to see the paths through the garden. Each cast a bit of color onto Helena and Saxen, making the dream a little more surreal. The tsundere wondered if the real place was exactly the same as the one they were in now... Was it this incredible? She looked at Saxen once again. He had been touched by a bit of red light on one side. Was he this incredible?
Gently, he took Helena's hands in his and stood up. She followed swiftly afterward and stood close to him, her breaths shaky, the light from the flowers glistening against her rust-like eyes. Saxen's hand rested on her cheek, allowing Helena to return the gesture. "You still have the flowers beat," He whispered, sweet and sincere. The girl allowed herself to smile at the comment, but thought aloud,
"I wouldn't think so, but if that's what you think--"
Before she could ever finish, their lips had met. There was an initial confusion to the exchange, and for the first few seconds Helena had no idea what to do. Finally, she gained enough sense to actually kiss back. The girl hooked her arms around Saxen's neck and felt that strange feeling again... That feeling that was odd, now that she felt it towards him...
Love, wasn't it?
Guilt overwhelmed her being for a fleeting moment.
And then he had pulled away, just like that. It was over. Dazed and flooded with fuzzy feelings flavored with a bit of guilt, Helena found herself gazing into those eyes again. Part of her wanted to experience that again, and another part of her just wanted to wake up. If anything, this was a lasting impression. Would things be different once they woke up? Or would they go on with their lives and pretend this never happened? At the same time, Saxen had saved her. He was a hero. Her hero.
While she thought, Saxen's expression changed. It was like that of despair, which didn't surprise her. She had seen that expression on many different people. Some wore it better than others. But Helena couldn't stand to see him hurt so, right after he did what he did.
As Saxen was thinking and pitying himself, he felt their lips touch again. He was suddenly pulled back out of his thoughts and back to the moment. This kiss had come rather unexpectedly, and words from a song came into his head. "And Heaven meets Earth like an unforeseen kiss, and my heart turns violently inside of my chest." Now he got it. Now, he understood. It was quite a feeling that was being stirred in his heart. His breath shook, and he felt shakier than he had ever felt before or during a battle. The feelings were reminiscent of feelings he had felt a long time ago for Agalia, but she was gone, and those didn't compare to what he was experiencing.
There was something he had always wanted to do, and that seemed like a perfect time, to him. He pulled away from the kiss a little sooner than he really wanted to, but that was fine with him, because he knew what he was going to do, next. "That was wonderful, Helena. . ." He stared into her eyes and put his hands on her waist. He wholly expected her to react to that, and, if she did, he would just offer a kind smile in return. He lifted her up so that her head was above his and slid his arms just below her rear so he could support her.
For once in his life, he was the shorter one. He continued looking up into her eyes, watching the light dance across her face. The reds were especially radiant as they crossed her beautiful face. At this point, his face was turning a violent red, but it would be hard to tell in this light. He couldn't help but whisper, "Tu es nomanay. . ." Then, he kissed her again. This time, he wanted it to last; he wanted it to be something he would never forget. He finally had to admit to himself: he did love her. Pas agadayan peys.
Aug 17, 2011 23:28:50 GMT -4
Last Edit: Aug 18, 2011 16:35:51 GMT -4 by xthelonelypuppetx
Post by xthelonelypuppetx on Aug 18, 2011 10:12:01 GMT -4
Saxen...
It was in this moment that a thought finally occurred to her: it hurt to think. It hurt to rationalize, to make emotions tangible, to push them aside as if they were nothing. For the past four years, Helena had been trying to escape the pain of heartbreak by allowing herself to feel nothing. She had shut herself out from others in order to prevent any kind of emotion occurring, instead relying on her own self. Combined with initially being a cynic, this was a deadly combination. It allowed the tsundere to get away with the act of being alone with the right amount of justification. Those who had wanted to befriend her before everything changed simply left her alone. Up until she met Hero, people were just all the same to her, and she was separate from them, as clear as black and white.
He'd left a lasting impression on her. Hero showed Helena that there was a possibility that people weren't so bad. Right after that, she'd buddied up with a few guys and together, they were going from world to world. They were different from everyone else in their own ways, too. And Saxen... Saxen had simply met her under the right circumstances. He had caught her in the way she would have been had she dealt with the pain differently... It had been the way she previously was. Her time in Moonlit Lake had taught her to be more forgiving than most people, especially to those who were worse off than everyone else. While that forgiveness twisted into hatred for those who had willingly thrown others at Death's door, she still had no right to judge everyone.
Again, Helena couldn't help but wonder if everything would go on like it did before in waking.
Interrupting this train of thought, Saxen picked her right on up and her close to him, her head just barely above his. He had whispered something before that the girl didn't catch, but she definitely caught the following words, "Tu es nomanay..." The words were strange and foregin to her, but when he kissed her again, Helena had an idea of what it meant.
I love you.
And as she was thinking about this, the scenery melted away again. Their lips parted for a moment as Helena looked about, watching as everything became considerably whiter. A singular breath escaped from the tsundere's lips, forming mist in the air between Saxen and herself. The small white flake that fluttered down and hit Helena's palm made her realize where, exactly, they were.
This was one of the few days it had snowed in Moonlit Lake. The lake had completely frozen over, and the snow...! It was exactly like she remembered, except less cold. This is a dream, after all... Those festive lights were up on every building, colored reds and blues and greens of all shades. As the snow lightly fell, everyone made their way out to the lake, pulled on their ice-skates, and made their way onto the ice with their significant other or close friend. Those who couldn't skate stayed near the lake's shore, building snowmen and forts.
Helena remembered exactly why this day was far from perfect for her.
They were situated on the Northwest Dock, and all of the boats had disappeared, being put somewhere else. She found herself in her mother's favorite coat, somehow--simply a thicker black peacoat with silver buttons. She recognized it instantly because her mother and father skated by seconds before, hand in hand. As Helena watched them, a bit despressed, she was pegged in the back of the head with a snowball.
"Ow! Who threw that?!" Helena called out, twisting around in order to look behind her.
"S-sorry, miss!" A boy's voice called out apologetically. He had platinum blonde hair, nearly as white as the snow itself. The boy couldn't have been older than ten, but he was still a bit tall. He had a handsome smile and pretty ice blue eyes, and one day, he'd grow up to be as kind and as handsome as he looked cute now.
"Kato, you idiot! You shoulda watched where you were aiming!" It was a girl's voice this time, taking charge of the situation. "We're real sorry, miss! It won't happen again!" The girl was a little shorter than the boy, with raven hair and a pale complexion, completely opposite of the boy's tanned skin. Though serious at the time, a cute grin was displayed on her face at the teasing of the boy, Kato. She wore primarily black to match her hair, but regardless of that, she was still a playful, precocious child.
"Geez, Mitts, you gotta be nicer to me!" Kato exclaimed with a laugh. He proceeded to peg the girl in the back of the head like he had pegged Helena.
Again, that girl was herself.
Helena turned back toward Saxen and smiled half-heartedly.
"It seems like I dream too much of home... I'll show you around, though. I still remember this place well."
Aug 18, 2011 10:12:01 GMT -4
Last Edit: Aug 18, 2011 15:44:59 GMT -4 by xthelonelypuppetx