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3 hours ago
It burned. The flames of the inferno around him enveloping his tired body as he ran through the long corridor. His lungs were burning, staggered steps navigating the burned debris, his palms hitting the wall after stumbling once against a piece of the ceiling that fell in front of him. His eyes were burning from the fire and smoke as he followed the bright figure at the very end.
His heart burned for each time the broken wails from the figure grew louder and louder. This time, he would be the saviour. He had to be.
The boy let out a grunt as the building began to collapse in earnest, the blackened wood slamming into his path. Sparks flew across his sweat-stained skin. Eyes wide, he would outstretch his arms in front of him. The wails began melding with a sudden chorus of a crowd. Bloodthirsty? Jubilant? The rage in him began clawing, and he grit his teeth and pressed himself against the scorching cage. And again...
The chanting grew louder, the darkness in him grew in tandem with the chants rising in intensity. "Champion! Victory! One of all!"
His fists collided with the wood, the agonizing pain of burning flesh egging him on further, yet as he tried violence again, this time, it failed him. Why? More of the building was falling in front of him, the glowing figure reaching for him throught the flaming tendrils.
He looked with tears in his eyes, his pale grey eyes, at the figure just out of reach, the light snuffed out slowly by the fire, leaving behind charred streaks. The same grey eyes looked back with fear and pain, then despair, hatred.
It screams, louder... The chants like drums in his head, the fire turning from orange into black. They both reached out....
The man would sit up from his provisional bed, his body soaked from sweat as he looked around the camp. His heart in overdrive as he controlled his breathing. Standing up silently, he began to make way through the sleeping figures around him. His tired eyes studied the soft, peaceful cracking of the bonfire from the evening. Peaceful. The irony was not lost on him as he remembered the evening. He scowled as he regarded the warped, twisted sort of "surrogate family" he was part of... again? Familiar, yes, but the thought unsettled him.
His thoughts drifted to the conversation a few hours ago, his thoughts a maelstorm of emotions peaking in, again, anger.
He lost the past, and it changed him, yes. Yet did he loose the chains, the concept which they drilled into him time and time again?
Was she only keeping him back? Did she hit upon a possible truth?
The constant rain on the Capital made for an soothing place. If one disregarded the occupants, it would still seem unusual to observe as such. Atleast it keeps the fire away.... The man would make his way to the nearby river, musing on his constant companion through the sleepless nights, now more frequent since he tasted the inner dark in the Academy. Kneeling down above the water, he would take off his gloves, and run his hands through the water. Then through his face. He regards the burns on his palms, the reflection in the water behind them shaking from the raindrops. He pulled his lips into a sneer at the sight - the reflection of a younger, healthier, more confident self. The ash-grey eyes watching him intently. As he looked into the mirror, they started to burn.
The boy's lips would curl into a focused pout, as his hands ran swiftly underneath the surface of the small river, his the bustling streets of Rosath echoing behind his back. No one paid heed to the young human he kneeled at the bank. A backwater city in the armpit of the galaxy, a multitude of sentients in any shapes and sizes were running their day-to-day. Between them, a careful, yet steady echo of boots creeped throught the people on the street. A small girl, barely in her first decade, would dart around the legs of an Ithorian, swearing in an alien dialect.
She slowed down, then stopped behind the boy, with him subconsciously tilting his head to her, yet not losing focus on the task at hand. His voice rose slightly in frustration, yet his eyes hid the truth.
She was free. They both were.
"Did I not tell you to run off on your own?"
The girl looked around, then pattered closer. Her small hands close to her chest. "It was just a stroll around. What else was I supposed to do?" She squeaked happily.
The boy hummed. The water splashed as the took out the fruits of his labour - a small, half-worn braid of pearls. He ran his fingers through the individual gems for any more dirt. He dropped the item into her right hand. "Be careful next time..." A pause. His eyes narrowed on her left one, tightly clinging a satchel to her chest. "Again?"
"I suppose you do not expect us to die of hunger." Her eyes glinted, lips tugging upwards. She pocketed the necklace, and took out a fruit from her hiding spot. "Pleasure doing business with you."
The boy shook his head, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he threw his head to the side, urging the girl to follow as they departed together.
"You know..." The girl mused as she walked through the crowd, savouring the fruit. "... I thought about your idea. How both of us can get a normal life. Not.... This."
Dain rolled his tongue across his teeth. He pondered the thought aswell, for many sleepless nights. He thought about the endless possibilities, to be something more than another gutter rat. The knot of anger tightened in his head. To reach for the stars, to escape the monotonous life of many others around them. They both just... Landed here. No parents, no connections, only a necklace, from their mother they both never knew. Only felt somewhat in their memories as a soothing presence. Calm and loving.
"We will find out a way out of here, in due time. Something that will not put us through back-breaking work to get there."
The two turned a corner into a dark alley, next to an abandoned building where they had their makeshift home. The boy reached out towards door, then stopped suddenly. His eyes narrowed.
His heart burned for each time the broken wails from the figure grew louder and louder. This time, he would be the saviour. He had to be.
The boy let out a grunt as the building began to collapse in earnest, the blackened wood slamming into his path. Sparks flew across his sweat-stained skin. Eyes wide, he would outstretch his arms in front of him. The wails began melding with a sudden chorus of a crowd. Bloodthirsty? Jubilant? The rage in him began clawing, and he grit his teeth and pressed himself against the scorching cage. And again...
The chanting grew louder, the darkness in him grew in tandem with the chants rising in intensity. "Champion! Victory! One of all!"
His fists collided with the wood, the agonizing pain of burning flesh egging him on further, yet as he tried violence again, this time, it failed him. Why? More of the building was falling in front of him, the glowing figure reaching for him throught the flaming tendrils.
He looked with tears in his eyes, his pale grey eyes, at the figure just out of reach, the light snuffed out slowly by the fire, leaving behind charred streaks. The same grey eyes looked back with fear and pain, then despair, hatred.
It screams, louder... The chants like drums in his head, the fire turning from orange into black. They both reached out....
The man would sit up from his provisional bed, his body soaked from sweat as he looked around the camp. His heart in overdrive as he controlled his breathing. Standing up silently, he began to make way through the sleeping figures around him. His tired eyes studied the soft, peaceful cracking of the bonfire from the evening. Peaceful. The irony was not lost on him as he remembered the evening. He scowled as he regarded the warped, twisted sort of "surrogate family" he was part of... again? Familiar, yes, but the thought unsettled him.
His thoughts drifted to the conversation a few hours ago, his thoughts a maelstorm of emotions peaking in, again, anger.
He lost the past, and it changed him, yes. Yet did he loose the chains, the concept which they drilled into him time and time again?
Was she only keeping him back? Did she hit upon a possible truth?
The constant rain on the Capital made for an soothing place. If one disregarded the occupants, it would still seem unusual to observe as such. Atleast it keeps the fire away.... The man would make his way to the nearby river, musing on his constant companion through the sleepless nights, now more frequent since he tasted the inner dark in the Academy. Kneeling down above the water, he would take off his gloves, and run his hands through the water. Then through his face. He regards the burns on his palms, the reflection in the water behind them shaking from the raindrops. He pulled his lips into a sneer at the sight - the reflection of a younger, healthier, more confident self. The ash-grey eyes watching him intently. As he looked into the mirror, they started to burn.
The boy's lips would curl into a focused pout, as his hands ran swiftly underneath the surface of the small river, his the bustling streets of Rosath echoing behind his back. No one paid heed to the young human he kneeled at the bank. A backwater city in the armpit of the galaxy, a multitude of sentients in any shapes and sizes were running their day-to-day. Between them, a careful, yet steady echo of boots creeped throught the people on the street. A small girl, barely in her first decade, would dart around the legs of an Ithorian, swearing in an alien dialect.
She slowed down, then stopped behind the boy, with him subconsciously tilting his head to her, yet not losing focus on the task at hand. His voice rose slightly in frustration, yet his eyes hid the truth.
She was free. They both were.
"Did I not tell you to run off on your own?"
The girl looked around, then pattered closer. Her small hands close to her chest. "It was just a stroll around. What else was I supposed to do?" She squeaked happily.
The boy hummed. The water splashed as the took out the fruits of his labour - a small, half-worn braid of pearls. He ran his fingers through the individual gems for any more dirt. He dropped the item into her right hand. "Be careful next time..." A pause. His eyes narrowed on her left one, tightly clinging a satchel to her chest. "Again?"
"I suppose you do not expect us to die of hunger." Her eyes glinted, lips tugging upwards. She pocketed the necklace, and took out a fruit from her hiding spot. "Pleasure doing business with you."
The boy shook his head, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he threw his head to the side, urging the girl to follow as they departed together.
"You know..." The girl mused as she walked through the crowd, savouring the fruit. "... I thought about your idea. How both of us can get a normal life. Not.... This."
Dain rolled his tongue across his teeth. He pondered the thought aswell, for many sleepless nights. He thought about the endless possibilities, to be something more than another gutter rat. The knot of anger tightened in his head. To reach for the stars, to escape the monotonous life of many others around them. They both just... Landed here. No parents, no connections, only a necklace, from their mother they both never knew. Only felt somewhat in their memories as a soothing presence. Calm and loving.
"We will find out a way out of here, in due time. Something that will not put us through back-breaking work to get there."
The two turned a corner into a dark alley, next to an abandoned building where they had their makeshift home. The boy reached out towards door, then stopped suddenly. His eyes narrowed.
