The Shattered Night

12| Matteo

A little boy sat under the snow, his peculiar amber eyes darting curiously at the falling white flakes that covered the landscape in a blanket of crystal white. They seemed almost magical to him, for he had never seen anything so enchanting before in his life. The dancing clear stars seemed to have become one with the soul while radiating all the joy from off their aura. The young boy, fascinated, stood up and held out his soft hand while welcoming the white flakes on his palm. But each time a falling flake would land, the boy witnessed it disappearing away as if it had ceased to exist. 

"Mama, why is it dying?"

An elegant lady in a black and blue jacket printed with diamond clubs lifted up her oversized goggles as a white puff came out from her mouth. Her voice was smooth and silky as she spoke, each syllable articulate and calm. The little boy's eyes widened with each coming word. Her answer surprised him.

"They are not dying, my dear little Matteo. In fact it is the opposite, they are thriving."

The woman lifted her face to the sky while welcoming the cold breeze into her senses. "It is the cycle of nature, the foundation of our world. Within each falling flake, there lies a spirit of its own. You see now it is winter, the season where everything is naked and cold, the season where the outside world is a stranger. Some see it as a friend, others see it as an enemy. But in the end when this cycle passes, a new generation will be born." 

The boy's pupils widened as It was the first time he had ever witnessed this spectacle. "Snow," he murmured to himself. He tried the new word out on his tongue many times. The way the letters blended together made it sound simple but lavish at the same time.

"Snow is so beautiful, just like you are."

The woman looked down at her son with a smile curving on her lips. At that time, the young boy did not know if that smile was happy, sad, lonely, or of something else. Maybe it was none of those things, maybe the smile meant nothing. But, what the boy had sensed was that his mother knew something that he didn't, and that something wasn't pleasant.

The little boy had developed a mysterious power on that day. A power that would help him and put him at risk later on in his life. It would have been a salvation, but sadly, a few hours after the boy witnessed his first snow experience, the woman who had opened his eyes earlier left him, and then never came back again.

_

Back in the spring courtyard, the king's counselor walked in his white and gold robes, the senses of different people tugging at him like never ending hands. As the sun slipped from its shadows, Matteo recalled the lesson he had with the new girl earlier ago. She was strange, in a mysterious way, and he didn't know if that was good or bad. All he knew was that something was hiding in her, something dark and never seen before.

There had always been mysterious and strange people around the palace that the counselor had talked to before. Matteo could almost say that he was used to abnormal souls calling out to him. But this time, what he had felt in Piper was a trigger warning. There had to be something done about the girl to stop her rising destruction, and it had to happen very soon.

Was it a sign?

No, it couldn't be that she had magic, right? The girl was just a normal civilian living a normal life, yet, there was something almost inhuman about her. It was almost frightening to think about. The Fallen Angel's may be in hiding, but their banned Black magic still lingered around certain people, it ran in their veins. Most people who had, it knew of it, but the ones who didn't know, were the most dangerous. The magic could erupt from within them and threaten everything in existence.

The king had told him in private long ago why he had despised magic. Once the counselor heard of his experience, he understood the burning hatred running in his ruler's blood. It had wiped away his mother, father, and brother, leaving the once young king all by himself. Matteo also thought it was the reason why the boy had turned so cold and empty. He wasn't always like that. It hurt the counselor's heart to think of it. If the king could open his eyes again, maybe things could change for the better. 

Don't think of the king now, he already has a lot of problems on his mind. I am his advisor. I will help my ruler when instructed.

Instructed.

More like needed.

Unlike the many other members of the court, the counselor was fully aware of the trouble stirring in the palace. Spies were among them, and it was getting harder by the second to trust anybody. The people of the kingdom all had their own motives and will. Just the truth was undeniable, and only made the world even harder to contemplate.

Fall down, never rise up.

The counselor started at the sudden voice, but then there was a violent tug in Matteo's senses, and it immediately channeled a different feeling. The strange sensation he felt began to interrupt his peacefulness, the feeling he had not felt in so long.

As the counselor closed his eyes, and pulled in deeper to his own energy, an inky black darkness descended upon him. The violent spirits of the strings were stronger now, and it was leading him inside the palace. In his vision, the counselor sensed screams and crying, blood and war, black shadow's traveling through the night. A faint figure bordered around it all.

Piper?

The counselor's constant pull of energy had led him to the girl, who as of now, was currently in her chambers reviewing her lessons and reading a book.

Her strong aura was shattering and bold, but the creature he had sensed earlier inside her was letting go and becoming free. If the darkness completely broke out of her body, everything would be destroyed. She was a threat, and she could not live any longer. But as the counselor looked deeper, the girl wasn't the only thing tugging on him. Besides, Matteo could not kill Piper, no matter how much it would fix anything. There was something else spiraling in his head. The whispers confirmed his thoughts.

We are coming, we have sought out our vengeance.

All the nightmares Matteo had for the past few weeks, all the negative feelings that traveled with him everywhere he went. They were finally arising. The atmosphere was changing too quickly for anyone to sense any danger.

The clouds in the sky grayed and darkened, a storm in their wake. It was another symbol. There was no doubting it now. Something was rising, and all the lands would crumble. It would happen soon enough, the counselor had sensed the eerie energy. The world was going to be destroyed, and the once fallen rulers would get their revenge.