Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 21.2: A Girl's Memory

She breathed in deeply, taking in the warm summer air, so full of promise. As the hours of the Slumber drew to a close, the fun activities would begin. The girl soon realized she wasn't alone and that a good number of children had stealthily sneaked out of their own homes as she had done to get a good lead witnessing the great event. The little girl was a little angry she hadn't come out earlier to get a better head start on everyone else. She had thought herself smart for coming up with the idea in the first place, but it now looked like everyone else had been thinking it.

Outside their house, the hustle and bustle was different from usual. Around this time, the streets were normally quiet. She knew that because she had stolen out of the house on a few occasions, for reasonably short times, at least in her mind. When she turned seven for instance, she had felt entitled to sneak out earlier than usual and get outside to find the odd trinket or two. She considered herself quite the adventurer in that regard.

She took a keen interest in observing the rest of the early people. There were children yes, but it looked like even the adults wanted to get in on the fun ahead of time. There was quite a big crowd already gathered in the streets. Certainly not something one saw on a daily basis, not at this hour at least.

There were families playing together, dressed their best. They had to have gotten up really early, for the little girl had set her alarm clock well in advance and it had been a struggle to get to bed the night before. She wasn't even sure if she had gotten enough sleep. It would certainly have been a tragedy if she had slept through this Sun-Day. Jacob would never have let her hear the end of that, and not only would she have been the laughingstock of her class, but she would have missed out on all the great things they would talk about the day after.

The little girl had decided that, at all costs, she would make sure she saw the sunrise.

A horn blared in the distance, something that she had never heard before. The horn didn't sound ominous or worrisome in the least. It was a horn signifying the start of an event. The girl looked up expectantly at the sky. She knew from Jacob's stories that the Climate Control Tower was going to initiate the sunrise. She watched with rapt attention so as not to miss a thing.

She quietly smirked as she realized Jacob was not awake at this time. They would have a laugh about it the day after, at his expense of course. She was ahead of him on this one and it was not very often when the little sister got ahead of the older brother. Not very often at all.

A horn blared in the distance a second time. To her mind it was a siren song, alluring, mysterious, hinting at so much promise.

Then she saw it. Her eyes gazed at the black sky that she had always seen from as far back as she could remember. She saw the dark sky that had greeted her always, change in character. The darkness dispersed, replaced by light. Was it that different from the Light Spires? Yes! This light was a glorious light. Jacob had been right all along. The light spread out through the streets, covering everything with its soft glow, gradually increasing in intensity, until all was bathed in light.

It was like seeing for the first time, or breathing fresh air after breathing tainted air all her life. She hadn't realized how much she was missing. To have that glorious thing called "Day" was a miraculous gift.

With her heart beating rapidly, she danced giddily. This was surely happiness, something that she would remember for the rest of her life. She had never known this feeling, to be basked in the light of the Goddess' blessing. For a short time, she wished she'd been born in another time. Born in the era of the Goddess. She had so many questions, things she had wanted to ask the Goddess when she was still around.

She heard resounding cheers in the distance. Fireworks signalled the start of the Sun-Day. It had begun! The girl decided to run back home. Nothing was going to stop her from waking Mommy and Daddy and Jacob. Jacob was going to yell at her of course, that fuddy duddy. He liked to sleep in. But it mattered not. Not today at least. Today, he would forgive her for waking him before his time was come.

She sneaked back into the house. She could still hear the cheers outside. The crowd was in great spirits and the event was in full swing. How could the rest of her family possibly sleep through this ruckus?

It was dark inside. Odd, the girl thought, for Mommy always kept the Light Spires running much to Dad's chagrin. It was oddly quiet too. She wanted to yell for Jacob, but something stopped her, a nagging feeling that told her to keep quiet. She had stolen in with the same stealth she used to sneak outside. Jacob had always called her a cat in the darkness, for she was very good at concealing her presence when she wanted to.

There was an odd smell in the house. She couldn't quite place it. What was that? She looked back and tried to recall. It smelled like iron. Blood? Why did the house suddenly smell like blood? The smell of the freshly baked apple pies in the kitchen mingled with the smell of the iron in the air.

Then she glimpsed it. Out of the corner of her eye, a shadow. It was momentary - but a split-second - enough to alert her to the presence inside the house. She decided to hide herself. She did not know what to make of it yet.

She heard a muffled voice in the next room. It was Mommy. She strained her ears to listen.

"Please... I have a family now. Have mercy and spare us. If not me, then them... "

Her mother sounded upset. She had never heard her use such a pleading voice.

"It cannot be helped. You and your kin are of the Yami. I must take you. It is my justice."

The little girl shuddered. "It is my justice," her mouth formed the words silently. Those words would follow her for the rest of her life. She determined then and there never to forget the voice. She gathered up her courage to move around. She wanted to see what was going on.

Just then, she heard her mother shriek in pain, and then be silent. Then it was Dad's turn. She heard him fall down with a loud thud. She was suddenly fearful. She knew whose turn it was. Jacob was very brave. She could hear him sniffling in the next room, angry and upset, but he did not plead, did not beg for his life.

"Do not hate me, child." The voice in the darkness continued. "I do what I do to protect what is good. "It is unfortunate that such evil acts must be committed in the name of the light." There was a swift movement, like a blade cutting through the air. Then all was silent.

The little girl felt a lump in her throat. She wanted to cry just then, but realized she had to be brave, had to survive, to see justice served one day. She moved back, climbing the ladder to the old attic. Like a cat in the darkness, said Jacob. She would never forget them. Mommy, Daddy and Jacob. She did not need to look at the scene to know what awaited her just beyond the living room. She knew they were lost. She looked down from the attic's opening to see shadows emerge from the darkness. The shadow turned into two figures wearing white robes. In the darkness it normally would have been hard to see, but in the glow of the Sun-Day, the light from the outside illuminated the darkness like a torch in the dark. She could make out their faces. Both of them were beautiful girls. One had a visible limp when she walked. The other's face was covered with a white parchment-like paper, a symbol etched on its surface.

The two stopped, as if sensing her presence. The little girl tensed up, not daring to move. But just like that, the two figures were gone.

Tears fell down her cheeks. She tasted the salt of them, gently sobbing in the darkness. In the room beyond, the smell of the freshly-baked apple pie, still warm with the promise of a new day, gently mixed with the strong odor of the blood of her family.

***

The wind blew harsh. Uncharacteristic for the middle of summer. Felicia Silverstath knelt down to touch the ground. Her eyes spied cleverly hidden tracks.

"Where to, my lady?" Pestilence asked.

"They were here a few short days ago," Felicia replied, turning to regard her companions, "We are gaining on them."

"Then let us make haste, make haste should we... " Famine urged.

The very presence of the demons was unsettling, but Felicia was unafraid. She'd gone too far to let herself be deterred now. She had searched Kuro far and wide for this. For a long time, she'd grown up thinking the whole thing a delusion. But she knew now it was no dream. The memory was as real as the demons that now stood before her, eagerly awaiting her next command.

"Vannah Searra von Talthys and her companions are ahead. Let us continue heading this way. Make haste, and we shall catch them off guard."