Sky: Unorthodox (V)

III

With no shadows threatening them, Eli and Ebony slowed down and walked casually. Eli took a closer look at Ebony as they kept walking. She had a beautiful outfit, and her cape was full of golden, bright stripes that made it look very pretty. She had simple yet very cute accessories on her hair, and one of them confused him. She had a small darkness plant laying on her hair, which didn't seem to cause any harm. Something about that didn't feel right, but he didn't bother asking. Instead, he demanded more important answers.

"So... Where are we going?" Eli asked.

"Duh, Harutown! Don't tell me you don't know about this place." Ebony said.

"Um... I actually don't. I didn't even understand some terms that the man used back there. Abner? The Podnee? What was he even talking about?"

"Eli, right? Wh- What's wrong with you? Everyone knows this place, you either live here or live in Darkenville. What's so hard to remember or understand?"

"D- Darkenville?"

"You're testing my patience here! You live in Flockya, god damn it! Don't you know anything about this place!?"

"If you'd let me explain my point of view then maybe this would all make mo- AGH!"

Eli was too focused on looking at Ebony that he didn't pay attention to the path in front of him. He tripped on a rock and got a cut on his arm with another sharp one that was on the ground.

"Ah, fuck..." He said as he saw the small wound. "Eh, it should heal eventually."

"Wait a minute..." Ebony said as she stopped walking. She got close to Eli's arm and looked at it shocked.

"You... You bleed?" She said as she looked at the few drops of blood that were rolling down his arm.

"Well, duh. Don't we all?" He said.

"What? No, we don't. Only darkness can hurts us. Why do you-"

She gasped as she realized something Eli was still trying to process. She got up and stood back, a little afraid.

"You... You're an Old Flockyan!? I thought we had found all the remaining ones!" 

"Um... One, I'm not THAT old. And two, I'm not a fucking collectible!" Eli said as he stood up.

"Not in that sense, dummy! You survived The Shattering, didn't you?"

"...Ebony, you can't just say weird things and expect me to understand them all."

Ebony's frustration turned into curiosity as she comprehended that Eli wasn't lying. He actually didn't understand most of the things she was saying, so she calmed down and tried to do something about this.

"Maybe going to Harutown isn't the best of ideas right now. Here, I know a place where we can talk. Follow me!"

She started running and Eli had an idea on how to catch up with her speed. He jumped and opened his arms and tried to start flying, which resulted in him falling face first to the ground. Ebony turned around and laughed, but then immediately helped him get back up.

"What!? B- But it was working just now!" He said as he sighed.

"What do you mean? What were you trying to do?" Ebony asked.

"I wanted to fly, but I guess I'm too weak for that now."

"Fly? Capes don't work for that!"

"Huh, seems like there is a lot I have to tell you too then."

What for a moment were houses that were only a few steps away became part of the landscape that was being created as they walked away. They walked through what felt like an endless path of fog and brittle soil. And as they kept moving, Eli kept asking things.

"Ebony, for how long has this place been like this?" He said with a worried tone.

"Hmmm, well, it's been approximately a year since The Shattering, the day this world withered, happened." She replied.

"A WHAT!?" He screamed. "I was unconscious for a year? How did I even wake up!?"

"I wish I could answer that! I knew there was something weird about you appearing out of nowhere with no clue what was going on, but I'm starting to understand you now." She replied.

"Well, um... What has happened in the year I was gone?" He asked

"Ever since the day of The Shattering everyone is in constant fear. Almost everybody's given up on the possibility of seeing Flockya as it once was. Some people don't even remember, almost as if they has lost their memory when the world withered. Not me though, I remember a few things!"

"Really? Such as what?"

"Well, everything was really colorful and beautiful! The last few days were a bit odd though. Somehow, everything felt unstable, but at the same time it looked just fine. Do you know why this happened, Mr. Eli?"

"Well... Um..."

"It sounds like you do know something. You do, right? Come on, tell me!"

"I'd rather not, Ebony. It's just..."

Eli started to breathe really fast and lose his cool. Ebony noticed and stood back, a little afraid.

"E- Eli? Are you alright?" She asked, but there was no answer.

All the nightmares of that day rushed back to his head, and he could feel rage flooding his mind. He couldn't keep it together, and he dropped to his knees and started screaming.

"I WAS ONE FUCKING STAB AWAY! ONE!!! HOW CAN I BE SO FUCKING USELESS AND MESS UP SO HORRIBLY!? WHY? WHY!?!?"

He started punching the ground and screaming even louder, incredibly mad at the fact that he knew it was impossible to go back and do things right. His hands started to hurt, and he was running out of breath. Ebony was still scared, but stayed calm to try and help Eli.

"Dude, calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!" She said as she got close. Eli suddenly stopped and looked up at Ebony, now with tears running down his face. He hugged her and started crying, desperate for an opportunity he knew he would never get.

"I could have saved Flockya... I could have stopped all this from happening... I can't live with that thought in my head, it'll haunt me forever..."

Ebony could only figure some things out from all she had just witnessed. Knowing Eli wasn't feeling okay, she hugged him tight and waited for him to calm down. The crying eventually stopped, and he stepped back as he cleaned the last tears off his face.

"Sorry for that..." Eli said as he took a deep breath.

"So, let me see if I got this right. You were in a fight that declared the future of Flockya? And you lost it?" She wondered.

"Well, yeah. I guess you could say that."

"So someone did this... Was it the person who beat you? You remember their name?"

"Well, it's no use now. She died that day, but managed to destroy Flockya before she did. Who knows what this place would look like if she was still alive."

"Yeah, I don't think I want to imagine that either..."

Ebony looked around and realized they were almost where she wanted to be. She could see a small cottage in the distance, and she was happy to see it again.

"Oh, hey! We're almost there! Last one there's a rotten egg!" She said as she started running.

"Well, I do look pretty rotten..." Eli said as he didn't even bother trying to run. He calmly took steps at his own pace, until he finally reached the small house. Ebony was already inside, so he gently opened the door and walked in.