Memory Crystal

Chapter 5: Sunkiss

HELLO DEAR READERS, I'VE RISEN FROM MY GRAVE NYAHAHA YOU'LL NEVER GET RID OF ME- *clears throat* okay, I got no excuse. I was lazy- Thank you for those who dropped those really nice comments and REMINDING me of how long it's been since I've updated... Seriously you guys are absolute treasures of the Earth TWT I actually had planned on editing the chapters before continuing, but I realized that strategy doesn't work on me. So I decided I'll be editing this book as I write along~

I'm also working on drawing a new cover for this book. For now I'll be sticking with the same one, but I feel bad using it, since I didn't really ask permission when i started this book- So yeah, heads up for that. As I've mentioned before I'll try my best to stick to my "one chapter a month" schedule, so we should be by at the very least chapter 10 by the end of this year lmao

Alright that's all I have to rant about, enjoy the chapter fellas (づ￣ 3￣)づ

Breathing was something they never understood. Gems don't need to breath, yet their chest rises and falls like how an animal does. To Opal, breathing was the only instinctual behavior that gems shared. It was a trait of mortality, it reminded them that despite how they may not be able to truly "die", what they value is still at risk. They thrived in the world's mercy, trying their best to fight off ever-growing Lunarian attacks that threaten their peaceful life.

In a way, the Lunarians were a blessing. The gems needed something, someone in their peaceful world. Otherwise they would gather dust, lose their spark and become motionless like those on Chord Shore. Without the Lunarians, the gems wouldn't have been born. Therefore, fighting is necessary.

It had to be.

Otherwise they would all shatter from the weight of the truth.

X
Opal has always been a heavy sleeper, only waking up when they needed to. Ever since their first hibernation, they've always slept well through the winter, only waking up when Rutile or Jade woke them. This winter proved different, because they woke up after a dream.

Gems don't dream.

Darkness stretched endlessly around them, enveloping them in uncertainty and anxiousness. Opal swirled around, like how one would maneuver underwater. But there was nothing around, just emptiness.

Something in their chest thumped wildly, they didn't know why. Their head was gradually pulsing to a rhythm that increases with every second that passes, and their fingers were growing cold like the winter they sleep through. Opal helplessly curled their knees to their chest, their hands circled into a self-soothing embrace what appears to be a physical embodiment of "isolation" and "loneliness".

That was, until a spark so bright pulled their face out of their arms that they've buried themselves in. What was that? They thought, shakily dropping their arms to the side and stretching out their legs. There was a spark again, but this time, it was much dimmer. Opal quickly swam towards that general direction, though there was really no way to tell if they were really going the right way. There was no indication or direction, they could only trust the feeling in their gut, they could only pray it was the right way.

Gradually, the darkness before Opal unraveled into the open sea. Opal watched breathlessly as the waves under them rose and fell, above, the sky and the sea were connected by the horizon. "Where..." is this? Opal muttered, feeling confused. They had no desire to be out at sea, despite how intriguing it was, they knew better than to try and venture headfirst into the unknown.

"Beautiful isn't it?" A voice spoke up from behind, echoing in the vast space among them. Opal hastily turned around and dropped into a fighting stance, their arms poised before them and their legs spread apart. There was a gem speaking to them, but they didn't recognize this one, in fact, they had no idea what kind of a gem they are. The figure was taller than them, their torso broader than most of Opal's peers. Their hair was a dark shade of black, shimmering slightly in the light, but it came off as dull depending on the light.