Sky Piercer

Chapter 2

   Luthien tried desperately to catch his breath. The retreat from Varcilli was long, and because he has never ventured very far from the roads connecting the cities, he was left winded. His legs were quivering, his body was aching, and his heartbeat would not rest. Even the cool, soft air of the frozen forest's depths could not sooth his exhaustion. Nearly unconscious and with his legs seizing up, Luthien collapsed onto murky snow, tired and hopeless. Castora, while determined to push on, was not stubborn enough to ignore her brother's condition, and picked up his body, holding him over her shoulders, then placing him down softly against a giant tree, kneeling to see if her brother remained alive.

   "Luthien," Castora whispered. "Luthien, are you alright?..."

   Breathing only in light shivers, Luthien barely managed to look into Castora's eyes, before looking away from her in grief. "...How could we let this happen? Why would this happen to us? Why?..." Trying to keep his focus long enough, he looks to his sister again. "What will we do now? We have nothing prepared, and we can't make it to Chanderlain in a single day."

   "Leave that to me," Castora reassured him. "I've studied under survival for events like this. We'll just have to rest, for now. Stay here while I hunt and set up a bonfire, Okay?" To give Luthien some warmth, she gave him a sip of her brew that she keeps in a canister on cold nights.

   Starting to feel a little warmer, Luthien relaxed himself onto the tree he was placed upon. "Do stay safe," he reminded Castora as she headed out of his sight.

   As the small bit of warmth circulated itself into Luthien's body, he became drowsy and started drifting, slowly enough, into sleep. And in his sleep, he began to dream...

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   He found himself on a small boat that could fit no more than himself, with an oar by his side, cast adrift on a seemingly endless sea. Raising himself to see if there was any sign of land nearby, he saw a faint glow of light on the horizon. He could tell, though he wasn't sure how, that it was not sunlight. Grabbing onto the oar, he placed it into the water and began rowing towards the light. As he approached, leveled ground came into his view; it was, indeed, land.

   Closer and closer he rowed, and the full shape of the land came into his view. What he saw was not a seaside town, but the ruins of an ancient city. Everything was reduced to ash and rubble, save for a large, arching gateway looking outward towards the sea. Stopping his boat along the side of a slightly worn boardwalk, he stepped off his boat onto the boardwalk and started slowly walking towards the ruins. He felt it in himself; this was the place he was looking for. But why? Why did he come here? What was he looking for? Doesn't matter, he thought, I have to push on.

   At the center of the ruins rested a leafless yet lively tree, with flowers of every hue imaginable surrounding it. Luthien stopped himself a slight distance away from it, gazing upon its potential beauty. From the flowers, several fireflies emerged. One flew onto the palm of Luthien's hand, which he looked at in astonishment. He then turned his hand and noticed several more fireflies scurrying along the back of his hand.

   Even with a sight as simple as this, he felt a wave of tranquility flow over him. Even if it was a dream, he knew that this beautiful scene reflected that there was still a chance of a better world; one where the Repentance would no longer hold the fate of existence.

   But then, a howl was heard in the distance. This was no ordinary howl of a wolf, but rather an unfamiliar cry to the heavens. The moon, once shining high above, became drenched in red as the sky around it seemed to fall into chaos. The branches of the tree became ugly and twisted, adorned with thorns, while the flowers began to wilt and rot away. Thousands of the fireflies flew out to the ocean, where they flew themselves in circles, creating an enormous vortex emerging from the waters. From this vortex, cursed spirits of death and damnation sprung out from the depths and flew aimlessly out into the world. The suddenness and quickness of this calamity left Luthien terrified of what this could mean.

   Walking up the boardwalk, Luthien stared down at the dark and dreary vortex that seemingly awaited him. He did not want to fall in because of his fear of what this could spell out for the waking future, but he saw no alternative, and he was unable to wake himself up in time to save himself. Not able to control his body, Luthien dove into the vortex, falling endlessly downward. As he fell, he felt time slow around him, making his fall seem torturous. But as his body was turning in his fall, he saw a faint glow of light from the corner of his eye, as what appeared to be an angel flew down from the vortex and embraced Luthien in her arms, shrouding him in her light as it blinds his view.

   "Awaken, my Herald," a voice echoed in Luthien's head, "for you shall deliver my Retribution..."

-----

   Just as Luthien was starting to wake up, he felt the tip of a bottle touch his lips. Tilting his head up, he ingested more of the warm brew before the bottle was taken away. As his body began to warm itself from the drink, he opened his eyes to see a bonfire made in front of him. He shifted his position, holding his stuffed bear in front of him.

   "Well, at least you didn't freeze over," Castora said lightly. "You alright?"

   Luthien nodded. "How long was I asleep?"

   Castora thought about it. "Well, my hunt took about two hours, and setting up the bonfire took one, so... three."

   Luthien looked away, slight sadness in his eyes. "It felt like days... When will we continue to Chanderlain?"

   Surprised at his sudden question, Castora looked at the bonfire. "Well, we can continue after we finish a meal." She then points at a small tray with cooked meat for Luthien. Luthien obliged and began eating, but his eating was especially slow and in small portions. Castora took notice. "Something wrong, Luthien?"

   "Just a bad dream," Luthien quickly responded.

   Castora still felt a little worried, but she didn't want to act prematurely. Finished with her meal, she waited for Luthien to finish. While doing so, she thought about what she would do once she got to Chanderlain. "Y'know, I can't wait to get to Chanderlain. One of my best friends is a member of the Midnight Blue. We used to play so many pranks together. Not only that, but the taverns there have this nice dark ale... nothing like what Varcilli had."

   Luthien said nothing. Finally finished with his own meal, he places the tray aside and begins to stand. "Well, I'm ready now."

   Castora stood up and took a makeshift bowl to dump water onto the bonfire, putting it out. "Alright, then... We need to go north."

   Sticking close to her sister, Luthien followed her as they continued to venture through the forest on their way to Chanderlain.

   All the while, Luthien thought about the dream he went through, and the angel who took him into her arms in the end. Who was the angel that saved him from his descent? Why did she rescue him? And what did she mean by delivering her 'Retribution'?...