We Are: Waking The Fallen

6: The Child With Snow In Her Name

"Alistaire." Xavian looked down at the small, older man. Alistaire looked back. "Order two of your men to gather around each of the four main Raising points." The white haired elf pushed a lock of his hair out of his eyes and sighed. "Make them alternate and bring us the newest Risen to join our cause." A smile played across his pale lips. "Once we have gathered enough we will be able to Raise our own and not have to resort to Her tactics any longer." He wrapped his fingers around the hilt of his katana and tilted his head. "I leave you to it. I will take your remaining men. We have work to do." He pulled his hood over his head and watched as Alistaire gave his orders.

Soon, only five remained. A woman, a child and two men, wrapped heavily in cloaks that covered their whole body. Kagé smiled and looked at the group, before nodding at her master. The Shadow woman cracked her knuckles and pulled a dagger from her boots. "This should be plenty. I need tou five to come with us." Xavian nodded at them, allowing them to follow Kagé, before following the six and snapping his fingers.

He, and the others vanished from the sight of land dwelling beings, only the glare of the burning sun could show their presence; their shadows could still be seen.

Do not fear for those few Undead. They are lucky and blessed. Maybe you will be too.

Pale grey eyes shot open and a girl, with blonde hair spread around her awoke. She forced herself into a sitting position, her long hair falling just bellow her elbows. She glanced at her skin; it had become a pale blue colour. The palest blue imaginable. But blue all the same. 

Her look turned from wonder to disgust to sadness, as she tried moving her legs.

With a sigh, the blonde haired girl dragged her way to a nearby spring, her arms pulling her along. She cupped her hands in the water and took sip of the cool liquid.

But the slightly sweetened fresh water tasted bitter in her mouth and she coughed, the water spurted from her mouth.

Her throat was as dry as sandpaper and the water tasted like poison to her. She turned away as she felt bile rising to her throat. But she had nothing in her stomach to throw up, so only stomach bile splattered from her mouth. The child wiped her mouth was the back of her hand as was reluctant to touch the water. 

A shadow hovered behind her and she turned.

A woman, with muddy brown hair and matching eyes stood behind her. It was hard to tell the colour of her skin.

It was the middle of the Bright Season. The sun was too strong and cast great shadow over her. "A newly dead..." The woman sighed and offered a hand to help the child up. "My name is Clarissa. It is an honour to meet you." The child looked away from the hand.

"Yuki." She replied. Another walked before her, this one male, but his features were the same, but his eyes were a darker, prettier brown Clarissa's. He looked down at Yuki and smiled benevolently at her, his eyes holding warmth that the child's did not. Dread filled Yuki's heart. She had been Risen.

Probably by the Dark Lady, which meant that these were here to take her away to be trained to be a warrior. Which she couldn't do. The man looked at her curiously. "Can't you stand, Yuki?" He didn't offer his name. Yuki shook her head. The man motioned to Clarissa, who turned her back and shouted... something.

Even I don't know what she said.

But before too long, a man, this one with tan skin and coal black hair stepped from a copse of trees near the spring. His eyes were red as blood.

Clarissa dragged Yuki up by lifting from under her armpits. Then Yuki noticed the dark blue tone of her skin.

It wasn't shadows at all, it was her skin that made her look like a shadow. The man from the forest walked closer, and behind him, he dragged a strange liquid shadow, unformed and oozing, constantly flowing, shifting, but not spreading. He threw the ooze at Yuki and it flooded into her body, before spilling out from her eyes, nose and mouth, the blood.

Yuki screamed and the shadow like liquid spilled fasted, rushing like a waterfall, almost endless. Clarissa held onto Yuki tightly so she wouldn't fall, and the spasms that forced through the girls body could not leave her twisted and pained on the floor. 

The blackness kept coming, and it seemed like an age before it stopped. The blonde girl's screams finally ended and she slumped, panting. The crooked bones in her unusable legs had straightened and healed, and a large pool of black of darkness glittered at her feet.

Yuki tried to stand.

Her legs held her weight but walking would be another problem.

"Yuki, the child of snow and blessings." The red eyed man looked at her coldly. "I request that you, and only you, give me a name." 

Yuki stared at the alien man. Clarissa sighed. "You will have to wait, Shadow. Yuki, child, we request that you join us, in the name of the Silver Assassin, to rid the tyranny that holds over this world.

"We have given you this gift so you may help us, whether it is by word or with sword, or with support an care. We have no preference of how you assist us, but we beg for you to do so.." Clarissa looked hopefully at the child, whom she still held up, in fear that she would fall. The child just stared at the woman.

"...I make no promises... but if you allow me to think of it in your care.. I will consider your offer." Clarissa nodded at the girls answer and handed her to the red eyed man.

He looked so sad. 

Yuki looked at his cold red eyes and his strong posture as he supported the girl who had never walked a day in her life. And without a doubt, she trusted the sad eyed figure. "Xerxes." She said simply. "I name you Xerxes."

Yuki, the Japanese word for snow, expresses the true coldness of one so young. But also the kindness that the snow can express, like the comforting touch on a child's skin as they slip and fall, only to land in the soft, downy snow. She is young, yes, but she will perhaps rise the ladder of charge and stand close to the Assassin herself.

But that much is unknown, to you mortals who walk the route of humans, the slow, constant and boring route.

~Spiral, your most dearest, most hated, most feared friend, lover and god.