The Gathering: Race For Immortality

Chapter Twenty: The Black Parade Part 1 (Mhercee)

It was dark and warm here, But I couldn’t hear anything. Just a soft hush filled my ears. I was standing alone in the darkness, I could hear in the distance something was happening. There was noise but it was so muddled by the hush.

Something was there I knew that much, slowly like the curtains were being drawn back I could see a lush green field. My eyes grew wide as I stumbled forward into the grove. I looked up at the bright green tree's and the warm summer breeze. 

This couldn’t be real, I couldn’t be seeing this! It was Mors-Mundi, at least 100 years before. When the air was not filled with malice, hatred, and death. This was when I was still young. My eyes began to water at the stunning raw beauty of the forest, how everything emitted a soft glow.

Small sparks flew through the air drifting like leaves in the breeze. The distant shuffle of small dragons through the underbrush. Home I was home. The bushes behind me shuffled and I turned slowly a bright smile lighting my face. The first thing I saw was the white hair and then a blur raced out tackling me to the ground.

"Cee!" My heart could have exploded with joy at the childish voice of my Brother Quentin.

"Tin, Your alive" I whispered brushing hair off of his face.

He blinked down a me with soft green eyes and grinned brightly, "So this is where you've been hiding" I sat up placing Tin in my lap to look at Requim.

A sudden heaviness weighted on my head and I yawned, had I been dreaming? The entire thing, had I dreamt it all. 

"Requim..." I murmured my eyes narrowing, I was forgetting something. "What was I doing?" I hissed to myself.

Requim frowned at me and looked around the forest, "You were coming back from a session over on the Yeeth grove. Your fathers mandatory training sessions" He said in a prompting tone.

It clicked and I nodded my head pursing my lips at him, "I knew that!" I snapped at him.

He chuckled and sat down next to me and Tin, I rolled my lips running my hands through Tin's soft hair as he curled into a tight ball in my lap. Requim wrapped his arm around my shoulder pulling me in against his chest.

I felt my ears burn and my cheeks redden. What was I doing? I sighed heavily and let it go. This was nice, slowly the dream drifted away into darkness and I relaxed in the nice green grove with my brother and my best friend.

"Mhercee Stop please!" My eyes opened at the terrified voice.

I looked around desperately for anybody, and the only person there was Requim. He had jagged torn claw marks down his chest, he looked frightened as he stared up at me. I wasn’t taller than him though, he stood much taller than me even if I was in heels.

I looked down at myself and felt my heart clench, I was covered in blood. It was hot and sticky it coated my arms and my chest. It was even in my hair making it hardened. Tears streamed from my eyes as I stared at the fire that spread through from tree to tree sending creatures scurring off for shelter. 

The grove was gone, Tin was gone. What was happening here, the forest was on fire, and dark plumes of miasma soaked the earth. I tried to move but my movements were halted, I couldn’t control my body!

"Requim make it stop!" I screamed, begging for control.

Everything was wilting, everything was dying... I was killing everything. "Wait stop!" A heavy chain wrapped tightly around my throat and I was pulled down towards the ground.

What I hit was not the grass, it was not soft. It was hard and sent a metal wringing through my bones shaking everything. I gasped as I felt the harsh clasp of iron around my wrist. I landed on my knee's and as I looked up slowly the growing cheering scream of a crowd drowned out my own thoughts. Tears brimmed in my eyes as I stared out at the pit, this couldn’t be real could it? A moment ago I was in the green grove, I was happy!