Song of Seven

Song 9: Into Dark Memory

As Axel and Seven ventured into the heart of the valley, the sheer magnitude of the surrounding mountain ranges and treelines became apparent. The valley stretched out before them like a scar across the surface of the northlands, nestled between towering peaks that loom overhead like ancient stone guardians. The mountains themselves are a mixture of jagged spires, craggy cliffs, and snow-capped summits that seem to pierce the greying skies of imminent winter. Their imposing presence cast long shadows that danced across the valley floor, especially as the winter sun began its descent toward the horizon.

The treelines, thick and dense, framed the valley with a somber and almost foreboding aura. Seven lead the way in a pall of silence, searching her memories for any sign of where she might have been while under the sorcerous enslavement of her masters. She recognized the area instinctually, signaling for Axel to follow.  Tall, gnarled trees stood like watch towers along the edges of the valley, their branches twisted and contorted as if reaching out for something just beyond their grasp. The foliage had taken on a spectrum of autumnal hues, a tapestry of reds, oranges, and deep browns as if mirroring the sorrow that Seven felt as she slowly began to recall the commands she was forced to follow and the way she was used as a tool, a living weapon.

Amidst the rugged terrain, the ruins of once-thriving settlements emerged like haunting echoes of the past. Charred remains of wooden structures jut out from the earth, stark against the backdrop of the fading light. As the two of them passed by these ruins, Axel mourned the life he could have had. The man had come north seeking freedom from atrocities like this, and for a short few weeks in the sanctuary, he thought he had found it. Pangs of guilt shot through Seven's chest as she noticed the grim expressions on the face of her new escort. The air carried a sense of desolation as if the valley itself cried out for the lives of the free folk that were lost and the homes that were razed to the ground by the arcane fire of the powerful woman now revisiting what she had done. Crumbled walls and collapsed roofs bore witness to the recent activities of the cultist group that had wreaked havoc in the area, one step in a terrible quest, the goal of which still eluded both Seven and Axel. 

"This is far beyond anything that the empire has ever done to its rebels. In my time as a Hound, we did many things in the name of the Vayan Empire, but our destruction was never this complete. There ain't even bodies left behind, what's the purpose of all this? What was your group trying to accomplish?" Axel broke the silence as they strode through one of the encampments.

They paused for a moment to take in the surroundings, Seven thoughtfully closing her eyes and trying desperately to pull at a thread in her mind, to derive an answer for these questions that plagued both of them, "I can't remember, or perhaps I was never told. I was only a tool." A lump formed in her throat and her voice quivered with hurt as she continued, "We gathered the bodies afterward, we were using them for something. A ritual maybe? A sacrifice?"

As winter started to tighten its grip, a cold wind swept down from the mountains, carrying with it a biting chill that cut through even the thickest of clothing. Snowflakes began to fall, dusting the remnants of the settlements in a layer of pristine white. The two stood together in the ruins, searching for something that could rekindle the woman's memory. After a long few minutes of quiet contemplation, they decided to continue. The ground was frozen and unforgiving, making each step a laborious effort. The sounds of their footsteps were muffled by the thick blanket of snow, creating an eerie silence that hung in the air.

"We can't wander aimlessly forever, think hard. Did they have a hideout? Where did they keep you? How did they turn you into... whatever it is they turned you into?" Axel prodded her on, he was growing more patient in his questioning of her. Though the man did not trust her, he began to see similarities between her story and his. Both of them were used to commit sins, the only difference was Axel obeyed orders because he was afraid of the consequences, while Seven had no control over her actions at all. The veteran pondered this difference between the two, and the idea that what he may have done in his time as a Crown Hound might be worse than what she did. He had control of his actions, he could have defected sooner, he could have turned his abilities on his commanders and died trying to gain his freedom or put an end to the Empire's secret squad of killers.