- Heaven's Last Breath -

Soul Sorceress

- Ariel -

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"Hey look! It's that freak!"

My eyes fluttered open, the rising sun illuminating the city around me. Slowly, I drank in my surroundings, realising I had fallen asleep on the street corner. The paved roads were busy, all sorts of people going about their lives as usual.

"Yeah look at her! It's that homeless freak! She doesn't even have any parents!"

A young boys called out in my direction and as I turned to see where they were coming from, I saw a group of kids, no older than seven or eight, all looking in my direction. Immediately, I recognised who they were, knowing what they would do to me if they caught me.

But every time I tried to run away, my four year old body would tire out quickly. In fact, that was the reason I dozed off in the first place. These kids were relentless, not giving me a break as they had somehow tracked me down to this street corner.

Without waiting for them to get closer, I woke myself up, taking off through down the road. Even still, I could hear them chasing after me, not letting up as I weaved through pedestrians and streetside stalls, turning through alleyways between the towering buildings.

After half an hour of running, I felt my breath becoming shallower, my body tiring out even as those kids began to close in on me. Quickly, I looked around, trying to find an escape route, hearing a commotion in the direction of one of the main roads.

Without looking back, I took off, hoping to lose my pursuers in the bustling crowd just ahead. A few moments later, I stepped out onto the main road, seeing the crowds gathered on both sides of the street, like they were watching a parade.

Curiosity took over as I pushed my way through the crowd, weaving around the legs of the taller adults, making my way to the front of the congregation. It didn't take me long to realise that everyone was celebrating the arrival of someone, but of who, I didn't know.

Not too long later, a trumpet blared, a marching ensemble making their way down the wide empty road. Before I knew it, I was entranced by the musical performance as the orchestra moved down the road, paving the way for the next act to follow.

Behind the marching band, four pitch black, winged stallions were pulling a moving platform down the road. Atop the stage, a group of dancers were performing in tune with the marching band. The women were all wearing long, rose red dresses, their hair tied back with white roses in their hair. At their sides, the men were wearing snow white tuxedos, their ties coloured a deep, crimson red.

I watched on in awe at the perfomance, unable to even describe what I was seeing. This was the first time I had ever seen something like this, the atmosphere filling me with emotions that I thought I would never feel.

A huge smile spread on my lips as I joined in with the crowd's cheers and celebrations even though I didn't know what we were so excited about.

Following the moving stage, there were a group of young, teenage girls, holding bouquets of exotic flowers that I had never seen before. Their fuchsia pink dresses shimmered under the midday sun, their hair braided and patterned. They walked down the wide road, their bright smiles somehow outshining the glowing sun.