Noctis Finite: Silent Symphony

Chapter 1: A Rose Grows its Thorns

"Can you tell me a story, Vi?" A recently teenaged girl asked as she peeked out from beneath a slightly tattered, but heavy and very warm looking blanket stitched together with used potato sack fabric. The nearby fireplace cast eerie shadows across her face as its flames licked at their wooden fuel. Every flicker of shifting light caused sinister looking shadows to dance across the walls of the girl's attic bedroom, like a shadow puppet show that conjured nightmares rather than delight in the minds of its audience. It was no small wonder why this young girl was begging her big sister for a shred of comfort before confronting her demons through slumber.

The sun had recently set, casting a veil of darkness over the woodland nation of Lyrewood. Finally those eager shadows had a wide open stage to dance harrowingly along even the innocent girl's face, twisting naive softness into haunting desperation. Every minute that passed, the fireplace's bastion of blazing light died a little more, and the shadows it valiantly fought to keep away agonizingly closed in.

Darkness patiently waited at the edge of the fire's light, slowly edging towards the two figures perched on the girl's nearby bed. Their fiery defender began to smolder into glowing coals as the minutes passed. Inevitably, the chilling void of night crept in around the two girls. This force of darkness was content in its secret knowledge- that the inky blackness of the Void was the default state of the universe. That without something- or someone- to spit in the face of the odds stacked against them and fight against it, the Void would be all consuming.

At the foot of the girl's bed sat what looked like a much larger, more grown up version of herself. Both of the girls had long hair, as black as the darkest night and silky enough to be made into fine garments. It was perhaps the only thing of envy these two girls had in their possession. The elder of the two, Viana, had sharper features that matched the six years of age she had over the younger sister she was putting to bed, but their resemblance was unmistakable. Unlike the plain, potato sack 'night dress' the young girl wore, Vi wasn't in her pajamas yet. Instead she wore her usual baggy tan work pants with several patches stitched in them to cover up holes. Her black linen long sleeve that was intended to be skin-tight fit Vi rather loosely from years of use. Vi smiled down at the little girl she was tucking in and pursed her lips as she tried to recall a story to tell. "Hmm... Well... I suppose. But it has to be quick, Jay. It's bedtime." Vi said in a hushed voice as she smiled down at her younger sister, reaching out to tousle her hair before she continued.
Vi cleared her throat and lifted her hands, wiggling her fingers as she spoke in a mystical, mysterious tone, "A long time ago, when our parents were very young and our family still very small, this world was said to be full of magic wherever you looked!" Her sister gasped in awe and clapped her hands excitedly. She'd heard this story told a few different ways before. It was one of her favorites- but only because of the way that her sister told it. Vi continued with a grin on her face, "The world was split up into sprawling kingdoms that stretched as far as the eye could see, each kingdom with their own special kind of magic. That magic..." Vi paused, closing her eyes for a moment. She suddenly opened them, exclaiming in one quick breath, "Was given to them by GODS!" Vi exclaimed with the same excited, fluttery voice she'd used when talking about them since she was a small child.

She continued, "They were mighty creatures of all different shapes and sizes, that could create life from thin air! They valiantly stood side by side with their creations, keeping their precious children safe from all that would threaten them with their steadfast, unwavering presence and awesome, mountain-moving strength. They were GODS! Gods that towered higher than ten buildings and could carve out lakes and valleys for their people with their very footsteps!" Vi giggled as she noticed her little sister's expression, those enormous eyes wide as the young girl wondered at the world that used to be. When Vi continued, however, the wonderment in her voice had vanished. Instead, Vi solemnly croaked, "And..." she paused and closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them slowly as she uttered the following words, staring into the fire with a glum expression on her face, "We were free from the Noxtra." Vi's sister stared up at her with wide eyes, mouth agape as her sister whispered a hushed, "Wooooooow. NO NOXTRA?! Anywhere?!"