The Earth's End

Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Demeter

She had to get out of here. Out of this hell.

The dragon was dormant now, peacefully sleeping at the bottom of the earth. But for how long would it stay this way, before it awoke and unleashed its fiery wrath upon the world?

How long did everyone have before all life came to an end?

She had been someone before this. She remembered singing continuously, dancing in a cavern seen by no one, looking the beast straight in its blazing eyes, always relentlessly screaming in some ancient tongue. Nothing would be destroyed by this monster.

Her endless toil was acknowledged with beautiful dresses and delicacies from every kingdom whose name had been spoken. But nothing else was offered: no rest, no happiness, and no peace.

What was she doing here?

The songs scratched her throat and tore at her vocal cords, and she was forced to chant on even as blood trickled from her mouth and tears poured from her eyes. Her feet, worn by countless days of dancing, were battered and broken. And as she prayed each day, she silently vowed to kill whoever was doing this to her.

But before she could, the day came that the pain, which was causing her vision to waver in and out of focus, and throbbed in her brain and body, overtook her, and she dropped to the ground, asleep and never to wake up again.

At last, after years and years of suffering, she was free.

Until she opened her eyes after what seemed like an eternity, felt the annoying cold of the stone floor against her body, looked around to take in the same surroundings, and cried out at the unseen sky.

Hadn’t she already fulfilled her purpose? There couldn’t be more to this infernal fate.

“No,” she rasped into the darkness, tasting the salty tears that slipped down her cheeks once more. “No, please…”

Her mouth hurt. Her throat hurt. Her chest hurt. Every bone, every muscle, every tendon in her body ached to its very core. She closed her eyes in almost eager anticipation, listening to the irregular pattering of her heart. Was it possible to escape this pain, or would she collapse soon enough and finally find eternal bliss? Would merciful, sweet death take her away at last?

Five minutes passed, but she didn’t fall to the ground. She didn’t feel the wetness of blood on her limbs, and her suffering gradually lessened to a dull throb, then nothing at all. A cold breeze from behind drifted past her, and she shivered.

Wait. A cold breeze? That couldn’t be right. In a sealed place, the wind couldn’t pass by.

When the strange zephyr came again, she opened her eyes and searched for its source. The irksome sensation was, indeed, coming from behind her, but when she rested her eyes upon it, her mouth nearly fell open.

Lying on the ground, in plain sight and continuing to spread frigid but gentle wind, was a navy blue staff, twisted and gnarled, that broke off into roots towards the top and then into a trunk, complete with tiny branches. Blue light radiated from the apex, illuminating the stone around it, and gave the ornate creation an aura of apprehension. It was beautiful, more beautiful than anything she could remember, and as she gazed upon it, her heart was filled with a peculiar longing. Absentmindedly, she reached out to touch it…

An unexpected twinge of pain struck her and she yelped in surprise, snapping her hand away. As quickly as the sudden sting had come, it faded away, and a deep, commanding voice emanating from nowhere filled her mind:

The dragon is unguarded now, Demeter, and it will awaken sooner than you may expect. But you failed. Even when you could have kept singing, you let yourself perish just to get away. Such a nasty traitor is no longer an ideal servant. If you want the powers that this staff shall bestow upon you, you must travel back up to the surface and find a strong-minded girl who is fit to keep it away…for the rest of her pitiful life.

“Do you expect me to obey you, fool?!” she screamed into the empty air. “Do you expect me to find a young woman and force her to suffer as I did? Never in a thousand years, you heartless beast!”

Ah, ah, ah…you’d dare to disobey me?

More pain, but this wasn’t a short, small pang, like the pain she had felt before when she reached for the staff; this was sickening, gut-wrenching agony. She doubled over as her insides were seemingly ignited, and a howl was torn from her throat.

It hurts, doesn’t it? Poor thing. But unless you do as I say, this pain will go on forever.

The woman slowly but surely sank to the ground, biting her lip until it bled. “P-please…just stop, I’ll do anything…”

Good girl. This will only take a moment, so stay still…

Suddenly, her body felt as heavy as if she were carrying two fifty-pound weights. She found herself struggling for breath, floundering frantically on the ground, her thoughts became hazy and incomprehensible, and her next comprehensive thought was of the girl unconscious on the ground in front of her.