The Shattered Night

34| Piper

Sometimes in the wake of reality, when the world suddenly feels as if it is thrust upon your shoulders, one would believe there is no way out from a fate filled with darkness and hungry demons ready to feed on your soul. Sometimes at a point in your life, when nothing more could go wrong, you will start to think the whole world is simply plotting against your own desires and will. Sometimes at a peak in your journey, it will seem like you are just a puppet being played by the hand of nature and sins.

But then, when the truth dawns on you that a tiny crack of hope still shines inside the emptiness, your heart will surge with emotion and adrenaline. And then, that very energy will course throughout every touched organ and string of emotion within your soul.

Although just mentioning the idea seems almost impossible to witness, I know how the thought feels, because I have just recently experienced the heartfelt feeling.

I know that a typical person would want to jump out with joy after being trapped in a cage for so long. But then again, they will only end up toning back their entity to small bursts of running questions, after they realize that a big risk still lies ahead, and that liberation is not definite. No matter what happens ahead of you, whether it is freedom or not, hard choices will have to be made. They will have to be made even at the times where light seeps through a black sky.

Even after your release the scars of this corrupt court, the evil will always stay in your heart. They are not of battle wounds or blood shed, but instead, ones of the words and terror within the kingdom.

As my whispers remind me of the things gone wrong throughout my life, I think of these ideas while I silently walk down the empty marble halls of the palace, where my footsteps echo like ripples in a lake behind me.

I know that somehow, the path ahead of me is still a blur. I cannot afford to let my hopes up too high, or put my shield down even the slightest bit. After all, the Blood Moon is growing by the second with no intention of fading away from both life or mind. And not to mention, isn't the prophecy of destruction still alive?

As I turn to a tall white pillar, one standing behind a stained glass mural of the gods and their home in heaven, a gentle but curious voice interrupts my ideas, and catches my utmost attention.

"He didn't do it, did he?"

Violette's coming syllables stop me in my tracks as I tilt my head. Through all the emotions rising up inside me, I manage to give a small, sad smile in response.

"He did not. But instead, there was another more unexpected offer that was given to me."

Violette's eyes widen before me in great motion, and I can almost sense her bouncing aura sparkle and rise like a growing fire. It rises up so high before it gradually starts to settle down into a flickering flame, sleeping with the embers of the dawn. Each burning speck that lights up the dark tells a symbol of either love, grief, hope, and loss that will never let go of human hearts. They are the ideas that shape our world, and the reason why change is so hard to process.

Violette clears her throat and steps forward under the dim lit chandelier. The light is glowing silver with its jeweled pearls, despite the rising tension.

"And may I ask what that unexpected offer is?"

Even in the midst of a dark night, I can see that my friend's intent expression is filled with anxiousness and foreshadow.

Even without the Fallen Angel's direct saying, the understanding of what they want about the idea is obvious. The truth is, that a sacrifice will have to be made, and the choice of who will have to die, is still unknown.

Each coming moment, and each coming leap, all moving from different people, will play a part in the final decision. The choice is one of those who may break others into ruins. In the end, it is not only our dynasty that is falling apart to ashes, but more of the ones that live within it.