The Cycle

of Renewal

He stared directly at my chest, ready to carve my necklace out from my torso. I could only watch as my body convulsed, trying desperately to free itself. My mind was blank but my body shook and shuddered, clinging onto the last hope of life it could find. I screamed out as the knife got closer, and my necklace shined a deep crimson red.

Sigu's gaze became dark as his eyes lost the bloodlust and life that it had moments ago. I began to calm down, but the convulsions I had before almost seemed to transfer to Sigu. His arms shook uncontrollably and sweat began to bead on his forehead. He suddenly clasped his head and clawed at his hair, as if there was an animal trapped in his skull, wanting to be free. Sigu screamed loudly and dropped to his knees.

"No, no, no, no, NO! Please, I didn't do anything! Let me have more time! Elder no, I promise I'll achieve our goal, just give me more chances! Don't make me go back there, I beg of you, please, PLEASE!" Sigu yelled maniacally.

I sat and watched as I remembered my necklace's ability. I'm able to activate it whenever I wish, but it is dangerous in the fact I cannot control who is affected yet. I could only wait until the madness ended, or at least wait until Orella becomes conscious so we can escape.

Sigu's voice became more distorted and desperate. Saliva dripped from his mouth and tears streamed down his face. I had no idea what he was seeing, but it was definitely not pleasing. Sigu's hair became slightly lighter, going from a deep indigo to a lighter lavender. His continuous clawing led his head to bleed, as there were visible scratches from his own doing.

"El͠d͏̧ER,̢ ̢͟I'̴l̷l͏ ̵̧͜dO ̵ànyt͟͝h̴͞͠i̸͠ņ͝ģ͘ ̨y͢ou̧ ҉a̢͢s͜k,̸͟͞ ̵j̴u͜s͝t̵ ̸̨ḑOn̵'́t̴ ҉̛̕put҉͢͡ me̛͞ ҉b̡́ack ̧ţh̸͡ęr̵e҉ a͘͘g̸a͏͡IN!͜" Sigu howled.

I crawled backwards, fearing for my life if things were to get out of hand. I got up and rushed to Orella, forming a barrier around us to prevent any sort of blades that may fly our way. I made several blocks for me to step on as I carried my partner, slightly propelling myself forward with each block. I could hear Sigu's cries in the distance, as they became fainter and fainter. I was afraid that the necklace's effect would stop with distance, but at this point Sigu was too incapacitated to do anything, even if he became sane again.

We reached a small forest clearing, and the moonlight seemed to shine even brighter now that we were away from our pursuer. There was no time to go back home, and if we did, there would be a chance that Sigu could track us down and harm our families. I decided to sleep in the clearing, making sure that there was a barrier before I passed out.

"Wu, wake up! Where are we?" Orella mumbled, poking my side.

"We're in a forest clearing, I got us away from Sigu," I responded.

I opened my eyes and looked around us. My jaw dropped as the scenery surrounding both Orella and I was amazing. The trees had a wistful gleam to them, and they were tall but welcoming. The forest did not give off a grim vibe that most woods do, but instead gave a sense of serenity. The grass that we laid on was a light blue, contrasting with the dark green that the trees' leaves had. Small flowers were planted across the field, with colors ranging from lavender to goldenrod. Small fireflies flew around like fairies, even though it was dawn rather than dusk. I stood up and gazed into a distance, and saw an ancient, worn down house. Basic instincts told me to stay away, but I had almost died from some indigo-haired maniac I might as well take the risk since I know how to use my powers.

Orella and I walked to the house, which was slightly bigger than we thought. Even though it was collapsed, we both could walk through without crouching. There was a strict divide between the crumbled parts and what was standing. The pieces were slightly colored black while the rest of the house was more beige in color. I was clueless about what could have caused the discoloration, but it didn't matter.