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Forgotten Sky
2 : The Tower of our Youth

2 : The Tower of our Youth

The azure sky was tainted red at this time of the year and the cold of the night was slowly creeping over a small town. Inside an ebony stone tower was an old clock that rang six times. A young girl carrying a small bag entered this strange tower and made her way up without talking with anyone who was inside. The stairs turned and turned inside the tower and albeit there were many doors, they were all ignored. She was going to the top; to where she lived.

Each of her steps was full of life and her shoes made a rhythmic tap tap tap of which her short sun-bleached hair danced to as they bobbed up and down. Her emerald eyes held a shine of hope, and she had a sunny smile. It was a festive day! Tsuki– the girl’s name – finally reached the top of the tower where a wooden door blocked her path.

Tap tap tap she knocked on the door with her foot to not risk dropping the bag and waited for a response. No one responded.

“Please Alice...just open the door ‘tap tap tap’. The bag is heavy.” Tsuki lamented as the sound of someone moving on the other side was heard. “It’s slipping! Help!”

The person on the other side of the door opened it just in time to catch the falling bag. It was a girl with sickly white skin which contrasted with her long black hair. Her azure-sky eyes showed a hint of remorse as she forgot to consider her friend’s clumsiness. The two girls unpacked the bag which was filled with food and a few warm clothes. How shameful would it have been if the food they bought with the few coins they had was ruined before the festivity could even start?

For now, they simply placed the food aside as the two girls wanted to talk about their day and how they were excited for tonight. It was only when the old clock rang seven times that they started to prepare the meal. Since the festivity would only start by midnight, and the things they would cook were reserved for that time, they simply ate a light soup that was made the day before.

Alice cracked some eggs and measured all that was needed to make a cake whereas Tsuki mixed everything and did most of the heavy lifting. It was when they finally placed the cake in an oven that the old clock rang eight times.

They wanted to focus a bit more on the main dish since they felt they played too much when making the cake. This time, it was a duck they wished to cook. The duck wasn’t too long to prepare but the oven was fully taken by the cake. Thus, Alice cut some vegetables while Tsuki mashed some potatoes.

The clock rang nine times, and the cake was almost ready. It was replaced, when ready, with a lemon and pepper duck with a coat of maple syrup to please a certain sweet tooth. They spent a long time decorating the cake to make it the most pleasing they could.

The clock rang ten times. The two girls got dressed for the coming event and filled a few bags with clothing. Alice wrote a few letters which she placed on a table for those that would soon come.

This time, the clock rang eleven times. The meal was placed on the table with a lid over it to keep it warm and the girls talked one last time about their plans for the night.

Finally, the clock rang twelve times...At this time, someone knocked on the door tap tap tap. But no one answered. Tap Tap Tap they knocked again but nothing came back. TAP TAP TAP and again, but no voice came back. The door was then forced open after a short silence, but the intruders could only see a table set with food and a few letters. Those intruders looked everywhere but they couldn’t find the girls. One of them left to warn someone and another opened one of the letters. Inside was simply written this:

> To the guards in red who broke into our abode.

>

> Come and take your seat. Take a portion of this meal made for this wonderful night. Feast and enjoy your time. This is but a gift to reward your hard work. We are sorry...we shan’t share this festive night with you but do take your time and relax. After all, we have finally escaped this prison your master made, and we shall never be caught as we flee with wings of hope! Loiter here and take a glimpse of the sky. See the many stars - which I beg that you are as bright as they are - and understand that we are now as distant as they are from your malicious grasp. Do take care to not drink too much and fall down the stairs. They can be so slippery sometimes...It would be such a shame if any of you broke your neck...

>

> We wish you an enjoyable night.

>

> - Alice and Tsuki.

***

Do not fret nor lament the sorrow of the night. Dry your tears and close your eyes. Come to me my child, so that you may listen to the tambourine of my love. Take my warmth and sleep the night away. Once you rise from your slumber, you will be welcomed by the morning sun.

As the crust of the night came over a sleeping town, an old brass bell was rung with a strength that was able to raise those still in deep slumber. It heralded the beginning of a new day. This wasn’t a new day created by the begrudging movement of the sun, but from a change that could ruin many lives. It instilled a panic that formed into a volley of sounds as many alarms were used to pull everyone into action.

The favorite slaves of this town ruler, a cruel and powerful sorceress, had escaped. The town would be painted with the citizen’s blood if they weren’t found. Everyone and everything was used to simply finding two young girls so that they could hopefully see the morning sun with a head still attached to their bodies.

The two girls had managed to escape into a forest to use the trees as cover. The large walls and magical alarms were nothing to how prepared they were. They could at times see bizarre creatures flying in the starlit sky who used blinding light to spot any movement on the forest floor. Thankfully for them, the vegetation was thick, and a few clouds darkened the areas not under the monsters’ lights, which allowed them to stay undetected. Tsuki had prepared baits in the opposite direction that they fled from. At one point, the flying monster all moved away from this location; the bait worked. They could now run freely for some time.

They were forced to run barefoot and with minimal clothing since most of the clothes they owned in captivity were enchanted with some sort of detection spell. Tsuki had once made a friend who was able to provide them with string and silk which wasn’t tainted with any spell. It took them time, but they were able to create their clothing for this escape. Since they didn’t have the know-how to make footwear, they went without.

And so, they ran barefoot in this great forest with roots, twigs, and rock that pierced their soles, leaving patches of red blood on the wet dirt. Alice was injured from a fall and moving was difficult since the ground was slippery. They relied on one another and moved hand in hand; no matter how dark the night may be, a warm sun is next to come...lest they succumb to a nightmare, then the sunrise will be naught but a dream.

The darkness of the night was manifold as the moonlight used the dark green leaves and branches of the forest to refract thousands of scary apparitions all around the girls. And the wind came, dancing in the trees, giving those shadowy monsters a life of their own, voicing their wails as a whispered wish to snuff all life, making mere shadow more real than a nighttime story...

Hand in hand there was only forward they could go. They ran with all their might to forget the nightmares and reach the sweet dreams they so desperately wanted. But currently, in front of the two girls was a large chasm that split the ground as far as they could see. There was the sound of barking dogs that were coming closer; hounds trained to follow their trails. A dead tree struck by lightning which was barely still standing straight was close to the chasm and could be used like a bridge. They needed to hurry as the hounds were getting closer.

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҉

The small flying monsters with powerful light accumulated above the twitching body of a man who was surrounded by about 50 persons in a circle. They were armed with the strongest magical weapons available and kept a safe distance. Entering the circle was a woman with an azure dress that barely hid her dark skin all the while having excess cloth that dragged behind on the forest floor. She walked elegantly toward the twitching man and placed the sharp heel on his neck. She tried to push, and albeit it pierced part of his flesh, it was stopped by something that was crawling under the man's skin.

He convulsed in pain as the wound made by the woman seemed to expand. From it came out dark centipedes which she turned to ash with a wave of violet lightning.

The woman simply moved back by a step. “Okumadeka, didn’t I feed you enough? You don’t need to play stupid games with me if you’re hungry. Tell me where Alice and Tsuki are, and I won’t have to burn more of your poor little babies,” she said. News of two of her slaves who had escaped came as a shock that they even managed to do so, but in the deepest part of her heart, she was somewhat relieved that they did and was now simply worried for their safety...If only she could express her true desire...

The body started to twitch even more and for a moment there was a plea for help in his voice and his eyes, alas they were all gone with one last spasm that left his body frozen in pain and anguish. All the taunt muscles were released slowly as he lay dead with his last memories of pain. And then, his body began to move. It started with his left shoulder being dislocated by something that was moving under his skin. It turned around in his arm until it reached the elbow; its many legs could be seen pushing the skin as if it was simply a blanket and it pierced the skin at times as if it was someone walking on rotten wood.

As if it was simply the start, a multitude of movements came from within his bowel and spread throughout the body. The right arm was stretched like a piece of cloth, with flesh dangling left and right; some centipedes were keeping the arm attached. The spine was broken, and the neck was bloated, which the bugs used to create a high-pitched voice. “What do you mean mistress? I have simply allowed my kids to go on a walk.”

“Stop this nonsense bug. Where are the girls!”

“...Very well my ‘mistress’, they will be gone from your grasp. They are going back home...” The bug-infested body started to cackle maniacally to the woman as it got up on its feet.

“It can’t be. I burned Tsuki’s pasture to the ground and Alice’s mansion was fully destroyed. They have no home to go back to!” She hissed back to the monster as she manifested a dark lance of lightning above her head, ready to be launched at any time.

“The gales call back its petals to serve the princess. No matter the time. No matter the place. No m...” It went on and on, spouting nonsense until the sorceress destroyed the body with her lance.

A low rumble made the surrounding trees shake as a wave of small centipedes came out of the tree's bark and closed in on the soldiers. Those soldiers used their weapons which acted like some kind of flamethrower that disintegrated the bugs. They managed to block the wave, but some bugs had dug underground and reached for the soldiers’ ankles, digging into their flesh, and contorting their bodies in many wrong ways.

A pulse of raging violet lightning came out from the woman which simply destroyed everything around her, friend, and foes alike. She was furious and extremely worried about everything that was going on.

She then received a call that indicated the girls were found in the opposite direction. She created raven wings and flew in the sky, avoiding the attack of a gigantic centipede. This giant bug had someone with long white hair riding it, someone unknown to the sorceress. She ignored it all, ignored everything to reach the two girls to put them back in the safety of the tower.

The two girls had finally managed to push the old tree over the chasm, which they used as a bridge. Its bark was wet and slippery from the rain; causing Alice to almost fall to her death but was caught by Tsuki just in time. They realized how lucky they were to not be alone, but this small thought came to be a curse as shouting and projectiles came at them from the darkness of the forest. Tsuki got in the way of the projectiles to protect Alice and was hit by a few arrows, her back was pierced, and fresh blood dripped down to the ground. They manage to hide behind a large boulder to take cover from the rain of death but by hiding and not moving, their pursuers were bound to catch them.

Be it by a twisted roll of the dice, a massive hound managed to break free from its leash and dashed toward the girl. When it tried to use the improvised bridge made by the girls, the power in the beast's muscles was enough to break the tree as it jumped to the other side of the ravine. The bridge was no more, but now the girl had to deal with a large dog trained to kill. And the beast instinct was fully used as it leaped to the wounded girl.

The beast’s maw dug inside Tsuki's shoulder as it used its weight to push the girl to the ground and when she was pinned down and couldn’t move, it shook her around like a broken doll to reaffirm its grip on the girl. Tsuki felt as if her shoulder was about to be ripped apart, which was close to the truth as her clavicle was broken and drowned her in pain. Before part of her body could be ripped apart by the beast, she managed to slightly push it to her right by poking into its eyes with all of her meager strength. The animal was mentally broken by its trainers and didn’t care about self-preservation, but its iron grip didn’t last much longer as its head was pulverized by a large rock that Alice had just smashed into its brain. Its head was now just a broken mess with shards of bone mixed with red meat. But here was exactly an issue since Tsuki’s hand and shoulder followed suit in the mess with varying degrees of damage. Her right hand was split open from the middle finger base to the wrist with the hand barely even attached to the wrist. Her shoulder was luckier since the stone was aimed toward the best brain and not its maw, as such, most of the damage came from the animal teeth which racked her flesh as the beast's mouth was pushed forward from the impact.

If nothing was done, Tsuki would die from blood loss. The pursuers didn’t care if any of the girls died, since magic existed and there were a few people who could revive the dead. It was just a big annoyance when someone’s brain was damaged as more work needed to be done to not leave them with permanent defects. Unless, of course, it was the goal...So, even with all of her wounds, she still needed to run. No matter the reason, she could only go forward.

This time, it was Alice who took the lead by taking Tsuki’s intact left hand and running from where they were. Just before they left, an old man tore a long scroll, and from then, a red ball of fire began to manifest which was then thrown towards the boulder the two girls used as cover. It exploded on contact and a rain of shrapnel was flung all over the place. Albeit some hit the girls, the cloud of dust that came from the explosion helped them run to safety from most projectiles. All felt like a blur to the girls, where their perception of the world almost melted with the only thing in their minds being to run. The ringing from the explosion, the projectiles whistling by the girls, the trees and the ground being assaulted by said projectiles, the shouting getting more distant, and the howling wind shaking the trees’ leaves, all those sounds became nothing more than a haze for the girls who could only hear the sounds of their wishful hearts and their pressing breaths. They ran and ran all they could over the wet dirt, over the sharp stones, and the dead branches, until all they could hear was the calming sound of dancing waves.

How oppressive can the crowns of great trees be to vagabonds lost in its entrails... Low are the branches as they dance just above the head and taunt that they are the only one which can view the sky. And it was in such a miserable forest that the girls had just escaped. The last of the dark tree was passed by the escapees and their vision was met with a starry night sky. The full moon hung over a small hill which broke off into a precipice leading to the raging waves of the sea.

Their mind was hazy, and they barely had enough strength left, which meant that in this exhausted state, the hill, as they looked at it, was like a pathway leading to a celestial domain on the moon. Under their tears and tired minds, the moonlight was twisted into glittering stairways, showing the way forward to a protective abode. To dance freely in starlight drapes while surrounded by jovial and warm fairies. To be far from the cruel world they wasted their life in. To be at peace in the warm glow of the moon. They wanted to reach the moon like some princess in a fairytale.

Story from the past and dream for the future. They may be gilded and revered, but they tell no tale of the present. There were no stairways to the moon, no protective abode, no starlight drapes, and no jovial and warm fairies...They reached the top of the hill and all there was, was the cold and distant moon and a precipice leading to sharp rocks drowned in raging waves. Both girls viewed the moon with respect since their life was only painful when the sun was up, but calm when the night showed up. Yet in the end, the moon was simply a mirror for the sun’s cruelty.

Voices came from the forest, which meant that it was the end of their escapade. They couldn’t run anymore. Tsuki had lost too much blood and Alice used to be bedridden from a sickness that caused her body to be weak. There was no more strength left in the two girls’ bodies, but it didn’t make them sad or anything. They were looking into one another's eyes, those eyes which always looked for the other, and they smiled like the warmest sun. The freedom they tasted during this night was filled with hope...They would never go back to the darkness they used to live in.

No matter the cost, no matter the mean, and no matter the repercussions, they wanted to be eternally together and far from this cursed place. They wanted their dreams of a happy life to come true...

A large number of people equipped with various weapons came out of the forest, blocking any path the girls could take. From the sky came a woman with misty raven wings and she landed between the soldiers and the girls. Her wings had dissolved from her lack of magical strength, but they allowed a run-off toward the girls, but when her hand reached them, it in truth only reached emptiness as the girls had jumped to their death.

They fell hand in hand and talked about how they were happy to be together, about their dream, about how much they wanted to swim in an ocean of stars...They talked, and they talked until they could no longer talk...

The woman left on the hill laid on the ground with her eyes filled with tears and her body drenched in sweat. Too tired to even move, she looked in shock at where the girls had been while cursing how she could have saved them if she was stronger or faster. She even thought that she might have also jumped, if only she wasn’t as scared of death as she was... but maybe it could be a good way to abandon this cruel world that was now empty of all meaning…

When the morning came, the sun rising on a new day, none could find the bodies of the two girls who had escaped: washed away by the wave and forgotten by the world...