Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

Vault - Prologue - Once Upon..

Once upon.. no.

I place my quill upon the table, frustrated at my poor attempts at writing of late. It is becoming harder to put words to paper, my thoughts are a jumbled mess.

The world is facing its end, and my mind becomes more clouded with every day that passes. I try to chronicle every important moment, every memory that moves us as we try to find a way to save it. Yet every time I try to write, my draft sentences become smudges of ink, patterns I draw aimlessly instead.

The quill doesn't care for my struggles. It just rolls along the table that rises and falls with the waves we ride, dribbling even more ink over paper without a purpose.

Sighing, I look around the cabin. Trophies and exotic treasures collected over a lifetime of adventure fill every corner. Some slightly tumble back and forth as my ship sails, but I pay them little heed. The more exquisite prizes, the ones that truly matter, are neatly locked away in the cabin of another.

Over the past few days, our journey has become treacherous. The ocean has become rough, waves that grow higher by the hour test our vessel. They are a crescendo of sorts, taunting us with danger, leading us to some dramatic ending.

Returning my thoughts away from the block that halts my writing, I wrinkle my nose at the fog in which I try to write. The air is thick with the smell of burning scented candles and ink; a story rewritten a thousand times, a thousand drafts.

I stand and blink, a moment of light flashing behind my eyelids, an inconsequential spell of sorts cast. The spilled ink returns to its quill, which in turn returns to its wooden mount. Twisting my neck to clear a growing cramp, I head to the door. It's time to stretch my legs, and I could really use some fresh air.

The hustle and bustle of a ship at full sail assaults my senses the moment I open the cabin door. Wild, untamed gusts promising the adventure I always sought as a child weave my hair into a mess. The rough seas spit salt in my face, stinging deep wounds that have trouble healing. Rich, black clouds boil along every horizon, threatening the end to our voyage. The endless storm grows bolder by the hour, but we are bolder.

Climbing heavy stairs, I make my way to the front of my ship beneath a sky of thundering steel and clamouring drums. Standing upon the forecastle deck, I scan the vast expanse of empty water before me. Lightning tears the sky in two as it slams into the ocean. The air feels almost alive with static electricity, sharpening my senses, causing the hair on my arms to rise.

And there I stand until she comes to stand beside me, Kaiken, blade of the seven seas, captain of the Light's Pursuit. When I see her, my heart is a chaotic torrent of emotions, my stomach knots as if to consume itself, my heart pounds like it did the very first time I saw her. I don't know whether to frown at my complete surrender or smile at my ultimate salvation.

She is the reason I hold on, the reason I continue on this journey despite its impossible odds. So I follow her across this poisoned world in pursuit of an antidote, even as the days draw dark and my sanity slips away. Legends tell of an immortal fountain with waters that can save anyone, anything, from death. Our world is dying, from what I am not quite sure, but she believes the legends, and so we sail.

Kaiken is both a loving kitten at heart and deadly lioness, a playful child and regal queen. Her sun-kissed blonde hair is tied haphazardly into a rough ponytail, her mismatched eyes glare ahead as if seeing things that are not there. Eyes that turn to me when she notices me staring, as I often do. I cannot help myself, for beneath her light, I see her shadow, and it stirs me so.

She tilts her head ever so slightly and raises an eyebrow. Those sharp, intelligent eyes rest on me in return. A daggered stare that pierces forth from above her ebon eyeshadow, sitting above chiseled cheekbones. Yet still her face holds a beautiful softness, a sweet and playful soul peeking out love from behind a black curtain.