The Lost Orb [PFS #1, The Bearer]

48 "Down To Ashes (Part 1)"

THIRD PERSON POV
Era 972

YOU HAVE TO appreciate the beauty of life before it gets taken away. Someone must be waiting in the shaded aisle, full of vibrant red flowers blooming wildly from the dark soil with no light, no sun, not even a peck of moonlight coming to fend for yourself.

Then reaching for their hand as a form of acceptance to their invitation. You see, the hereafter is just one stride away after that.

Some are willing to go with them, but those who have been taken against their will will surely riot on their way to cast all the blame on something so hollow and futile, or do they just accept things as they are?

Does that even make sense? How can anyone even know what you will see after dusk has ended? How can anyone be sure of the light slipping through their fingers? How is death so predictable yet unpredictable?

He angled his head to see the tiny creature collapsing above a single leaf, twitching abnormally its green patterned body. The halos from the morning sunlight made his face appear blurred, long lashes as dark as an ink becoming visible as he peered closer.

The tiny creature met his charcoal eyes, grey as lead, but not as dark as a starless night. "It might be struggling."

"Life is fleeting for these species." The same eyes from a woman gaze back at him.

He scooped the body of the caterpillar as if carrying the whole world in his tiny palms. Hinarap at inilapit niya iyon sa matangkad na babaeng nasa tabi niya. "Look. It's not dying. kailangan lang niyang maarawan."

Umangat ang sulok ng labi nito sa naging tugon niya. Too naive to understand the world around him. His voice carries that innocence that every child possesses.

Though even in such circumstances, she wouldn't let her wit drop as low as merely spelling things out for him to understand it. She lives for the thrill of what's around her.

The shade of the tree's branches enclosing a wide portion of the forest failed to hide her fair skin, dainty nose, and naturally sharp visage. Ipinantay niya ang sarili sa batang lalaki at matamis na ngumiti. "Tristan, my son, how can you tell it's not dying?"

He gave the animal on his palm a short glance. "Still too much energy."

Tuluyan nitong ibinaba ang parehong tuhod sa tuyot na lupa, huminga nang malalim at pinagmasdan ang hawak ng anak. "You have to understand a creature first to identify its signs," malambot ang katawan nito nang kunin niya sa palad ng batang lalaki. She lifted it between them, body wriggling.

"There's no way to know if someone isn't dying. You can't tell from their appearance that they're not dying for the sole reason that you see contradicting signs from it. As long as you don't understand them, you're not in a position to surmise."

Nangunot naman ang noo ng anak nito.

Hindi niya mawari kung bakit kailangan niya pang intindihin ang isang hamak na hayop para lamang maitama ang magiging hatol niya sa panlabas nito, yet he could tell she wasn't speaking about this species, but rather, another wordplay of her to allude to another subject.