Desolate Throne [ClefDraki]

16. [Apple Blossoms]

[Song Above: El Tango De Roxanne from Moulin Rouge]

Alto had had a restless night, tossing and turning. His dreams were far from dreams. They were chaotic, nauseating nightmares. Something told him they were a lot more than just nightmares.

He was standing alone in a forest clearing, out of breath. His vision spun, bird calls turned and were tossed in the air. The caws got louder and louder and louder, roaring in his ears. A swarm of blackish-silver birds dived and he feebly tried to protect himself with his arms. They clawed and pecked relentlessly, angry cries of hatred piercing through their wingbeats. Then they burst into a cloud of silver feathers, their calls fading away.

Rubbing absently at the stinging scratches, he looked around. The forest was dark. He lost his breath when something passed through him, it was a tall silhouette, That's me. The old me... A loud gunshot exploded into the sky, a dull thump sounding from the dusky grass. Turning he saw the body of his ex lover staring right past him, seemingly at nothing in particular.

Everything started spinning and spinning and spinning. He crumpled down slowly, suddenly ill. His silhouette turned and stared down at him, a scrutinizingly lethal glare. His silhouette lifted his shotgun and shot him in the forehead. The sudden searing, white-hot pain ripped through his cranium, smearing his thoughts and feelings across the forest clearing. Before his vision blurred out completely, he saw pale blossoms unfurl themselves among the gore.

He snapped his eyes open when he felt himself falling. The ground was coming up quickly, there was a tree that he appeared to be headed straight for. He collided with the tree, smashing through the branches and landing roughly on the ground. He was covered in twigs and pale flower petals, a single, blood red apple hit the ground in front of him.

The ground gave way again, he twirled in the air in a panic, he felt a sudden overwhelming sadness. A broken, dark, and constricting feeling coiled around his heart, ripping it in two. He found that he had begun to cry, sobbing feebly as the wind rushed past him.

He fell through the swarm of 408. What're they doing here? He hit the ground again, landing on his feet.

He glanced around quickly, his broken heart was racing. A woman's silhouette stood before him, her back to him. She turned instantly and charged at him, an unreadable look in her eyes. She pushed him back, mouthing something he couldn't quite understand. But he found himself recognizing her. Alice. It's Alice. Kondraki's wife. What is this?

The scene changed suddenly, changing to a staircase, late at night. He saw himself sitting on the staircase with an older looking Draven and some unknown man. Draven looked considerably upset, almost yelling at himself. He stared blankly as he watched himself cry, Why do I look so... weak?

The unknown man glanced over to him, blinking at him curiously. He can see me? The man swallowed dryly before looking back at Draven.

The scene changed again, a cemetery. It was dreary, not quite full on raining but close enough. He got confused. Why am I here? He pushed through the crowd of lamenting people, he caught a brief glance of the gravestone. ... Benjamin Kondraki...

He stumbled back, his breath shaking, heart pounding and cracking. He started to cry uncontrollably, weakly trying to wipe away the flow of tears. He promised!

He awoke with a strained gasp, shaking and sweating. He cried out quietly, passing out again and launching right back into the chaotic mess he had just escaped.

It had started to pour, everyone else had left the cemetery. But he stayed. He stayed and curled into a ball next to the headstone. He let the rain drench his clothing, silently picking at the locked slot that held the box in which Kondraki's ashes resided in. This isn't real. It's just a dream. Wake up, Alto. WAKE UP!

He snapped awake, falling off of his bed with a thud. He chose to stay on the floor, panting and trying not to cry.

"He promised..."

I told you he would die. It hasn't happened yet, but the time will come. It's inevitable. You'll just have to face it head on and make a decision.

"I don't want him to leave..."

It'll happen one day, now come on, Alto. We've got work to do.

Alto screwed his eyes shut, snapping them open with a deep inhale. His light consuming pupils contracted, a sudden deep red color instead of the usual black. It wasn't too noticeable, only if one were to look hard enough would they be able to notice the red tinting. His teeth seemed sharper than usual, his eyes colder too.

We've got a witch to hunt.