Eleven: The Sequel of AlterMyth

Auld Lang Syne

Prologue

Night fell upon Yekaterinburg and deafening silence gripped the town.

Mumei Nanashi marched briskly through the dirty snow on the roads, tainted with the blood of humans and the black grime of Horrors alike. The silence broke for a brief moment when the street lamps flickered on - a timed, automatic setup from the city's power grid. However, none of the multistory tenements, houses and buildings within the heart of the city followed suit. Their windows remained stark black, only reflecting the light from the street lamps.

All around her, the remnants of the carnage that rocked the city were sprawled out around her, illuminated by the automated street lamps. Soldiers and their war machines sprawled out on the charred roads and the gory remains of the fallen Horrors in their midst. However, the relics of battle that caught Mumei's eyes were the large clumps of Nephilium crystals.

Horrors were trapped in the fragile blue Nephilium crystals. Humans were trapped in the sturdy red.

It didn't matter what race, nationality, religion or creed the people lived by. It didn't matter how much or how little power they wielded in the world. Irys' song indiscriminately crystallized them all. Even members of the mighty Eleventh Council weren't spared.

Except for Mumei herself.

Mumei stopped in the middle of the road and found the crystallized body of Kronii Ouro. She looked like a person trapped in an outcrop of crystal.

World peace came at the price of eternal silence, Mumei thought.

Silence and solitude.

Mumei drew the dagger of Lady Knowledge.

"Don't worry, Kronii." Mumei spoke to the crystallized Warden, showing her the dagger, "I'll get you out of here in no time."

The trapped Kronii didn't answer her.

Mumei squatted and did as Sparrowhawk told her. With the dagger in hand, Mumei started to chip away at the sturdy red crystal. Any other knife or metal tool would have been blunted, but Lady Knowledge's dagger managed to cut through like a chisel.

Knowing this, Mumei chiseled Kronii's crystal with great care. She chiseled around the outcrop but kept a thin layer of radiant red crystal wrapped around Kronii herself, lest Mumei cut too deep and pierce the person inside. That turned the crystallized Kronii into something of a statue.

Kronii would have made a joke about her being perfect, even in her crystallized form - but the thought didn't resonate well in Mumei's mind.

"Say it to me yourself..." Mumei whispered, "Say something. Anything..."

Again, Kronii's statue didn't answer.

Instead, she remembered the words that Kronii told her back in Vietnam.

" Grow up, Mumei. Please! The world is getting scarier and scarier every day. What will happen to you if I'm gone? Think about that will you? "

Mumei heaved a sigh. She didn't have to think anymore. Her worst dreams were already a reality, and yet she still didn't have an answer.

"I'm the worst..." Her honest thoughts escaped her lips.

Disheartened, Mumei hoisted the crystal statue and freed Kronii from the rest of the crystal outcrop. Afterwards, she gathered slings of M16 and AK-47 rifles scattered about. It wasn't like the crystallized American and Soviet soldiers needed them.

Once Mumei found enough straps, she bound Kronii's statue up like a backpack. Then, with great effort, Mumei hoisted the statue up and walked down Yekaterinburg's desolate streets.