Snow White with the Red Hair: The Valkyrie

Tenderness

"What... what is this?"

Surrounded by darkness, Akari was unsure where it was she actually lied. Had she been killed by the many wounds decorating her body? Had she been consumed by the darkness? Or had all of this been a horrible nightmare?

She wasn't sure.

All she knew was that she was alone with her thoughts in the midst of a black void.

"Where am I? What am I supposed to do? I tried helping them... yet I had no real reason for it. What is wrong with me? Why do I have such a sudden change of heart? These people... they remind me of... someone I once knew. But who? I know no one except for Madame... so who?"

Her questions came with desperation. For the first time in her life, the Castanic didn't know what to do. There was nothing she could do.

She covered her face with her hands, feeling so... helpless. She despised feeling helpless.

"Nanami..."

There was a voice in the distance. She wasn't sure where it was coming from.

"Nanami..."

But it seemed to be calling out... to her.

The voice was soft and kind. Feminine... like a mother's nurturing whisper.

Removing her hands from her face, the darkness Akari was once surrounded by changed into a breath-taking flower field. Ahead of her, she saw a Castanic woman jogging through the flowers; her hand laced with Akari's.

She appeared small in this vision, as the woman was much taller than her. As she turned her head to look back at the small girl, her eyes widened.

This was the same woman who danced the moon ritual.

Now that she was in closer proximity, she could fully observe her.

The Castanic woman had long, silvery locks of hair, which shimmered beneath the sunlight. It was braided in the most intricate way. Her eyes were such a fascinating crystal blue; the sea and sky's beauty beheld no competition. Her horns were a bright white, full of purity and hope, and her face looked as though it were designed by angels. White paint and tattoos decorated her skin. They were sacred Castanic symbols and runes.

Unlike Akari, she carried no weapons. She only wore modest clothing.

A true image of beauty, in her mind.

Suddenly, the two came to a stop upon reaching a little pond. There was a man waiting there. He, too, was a Castanic. His horns were black and his hair, a vibrant blue. His eyes were the same as the woman's, continuing his theme of blue. He stood tall and confident, with black paintings and tattoos.

The two of them smiled at the small girl, placing one of their hands on her back. She stared at them, bewildered. Then, they pointed down at the water below them. Her eyes widened upon seeing her own reflection.

She had white hair with light blue streaks defining it. Her eyes matched the two Castanics' standing beside her and her horns were white with subtle colors of blue and green splashed along them, similar to the woman's. She couldn't believe it was her, and yet...

When she moved, the girl in the water moved just the same, only mirrored.

"Is that me?" She thought to herself. "I look so different."

"Nanami..." She turned away from her reflection; her full attention now on the man and woman. "My sweet little Nanami..." For some odd reason, the woman couldn't stop calling her Nanami.