High above the clouds, cast in the morning’s subtle dew, a large city stood. The city was as proud and righteous as its people. The houses were all made of the finest wood available, and the streets were lined with lamp posts made of fire and gold. In the middle of this great city rested the Great Cathedral. It dominated the city with its presence, its shadow engulfing nearly a fourth of it at any given hour. It was perched on an island floating in the sky, which hovered over an ocean that endlessly stretched in all directions. This city was one of many, but it was the very lifeblood of the island.
It was known as Calarina.
And in just twelve hours, Calarina would cease to exist
12 hours until Calarina’s Destruction:
The sky was dark, and the clouds above hung still in the sky. The only light that one could see was from the eternally burning torches that illuminated the halls of the cathedral, which was packed full of people of all shapes and sizes. The room was humming in anticipation, as hundreds of onlookers stood on the outside edge of the magnificent central room, the cathedral’s great stone walls towering up behind them. In the center of the room, sitting in the cathedral’s pews were fifty-five teenagers, shuffling awkwardly in their snow-white robes. As the braziers continued to burn on, the anticipation only grew more and more. The whispers of the adults in the crowd grew from a quiet hum into a loud chatter. As soon as it was nearing its peak, a woman walked out, dressed in the same robes as the teenagers in the pews, her greying hair flowing over her bone-white skin. With a swift motion of her hand upwards, all the children stood at once. Everyone in the room fell silent as she approached the large pedestal in the center of the room.
“Greetings, graduates. I am Instructor Kane, and I would like to congratulate you on finally completing your training. As the center of the Faith in the land of Eternity, we are honored to present you with this wonderful event in your young lives. When you walk out of these doors today, you will all be official members of society,” as the woman spoke, everyone in the audience was still as a statue. After a brief pause, she continued, “I have spent nearly fifty years looking over our future candidates. In that time, the world has changed greatly from our antiquated beginnings. However, we as individuals, as a society, and as a country, must remember to always have faith. Inheriting your soul is only the first step in a lifelong appreciation of the gods above. I simply ask each of you to remember that, and to behave appropriately once you obtain your soul,” said Kane. She spoke extremely stoically, her face barely changing from passage to passage, as if she’d rehearsed the exact same speech hundreds of times before.
Near the back sat a girl with sandy-blonde hair and exceedingly pale skin. Pinned on her chest was a small piece of paper with the number 55 written on it in neat, black ink. Directly next to her was another girl, around the same age and height. Her chestnut-brown hair rested in waves over her white robe, her olive complexion shining out over the other children in the room. On her chest was the number 54.
“Kane really knows how to babble, eh Allie?” whispered the brown-haired girl, snickering to herself. “She acts like we’ve never heard this before.”
“Quiet, Miranda. I don’t want her to catch us talking,” replied the blonde-haired girl. She was sitting up tall, hands on her knees, paying attention to every word that Kane was saying.
“I will begin to call your numbers. When you hear yours, politely proceed to the altar, take your necklace, and wait for your soul to awaken.” Kane quietly said, before very loudly and clearly saying, “Number 1, please proceed to the altar.” A boy in the front row stood up, quietly fidgeting with his hands as he walked. He grabbed his necklace and put it quietly around his neck, the great clear jewel at its center glistening in the torchlight. As the boy approached the Altar, Kane laid a hand on his head, before quietly beginning to speak her incantation, “Great lord Laius, God of Humanity, give this child the power of your siblings. Allow his true spirit to break free.”
Kane’s words softly rested in the air, before the pendant around the boy’s neck began to glow, faintly at first, before glowing stronger and stronger, the clear jewel in the middle slowly beginning to turn a forest green. The boy raised his head high, before grabbing the necklace by the pendant, and ripping it off his neck. His body erupted into a green light, and his hand clenched into a fist. As he slowly spread his fingers outward, vines sprouted from his fingertips, beginning to grow and twist into the midnight air. Kane beamed, before patting the boy on the back.
“Everyone, please welcome the new host of the Soul of the Wild!” Kane shouted as the audience erupted into applause. The boy sheepishly smiled and rubbed the back of his head, causing vines to slowly spread across his face. He quickly pulled his hands away and rested them at his sides. “May you have an excellent future ahead, Number 1,” Kane said, before quietly calling out for the next number.
As Kane continued to quietly call out numbers, the quiet teenagers in the audience were gradually replaced with excitable, beaming students. As the numbers whittled down, Miranda fidgeted more and more, the 54 on her chest feeling like it was burning into her flesh. After nearly fourty minutes of Soul Presentations, they were finally beginning to come to a close. Number 53 had just finished, and Kane quietly walked up to the front of the altar once more.
“Number 54, please proceed to the altar,” Kane said in her usual monotone drawl. Miranda stood up and gently squeezed Alicia’s hand, before taking tiny steps to the front of the room. She was uncharacteristically nervous but tried her hardest to appear confident. As she approached the necklace basket, she quietly picked one up, admiring the golden sheen, rubbing her fingers along the jewel in the center as she walked up to Kane. The instructor gently put her hand on Miranda’s head, before repeating the line that she’d said for everyone else, “Great Lord Laius, God of Humanity, give this child the power of your siblings. Allow her true spirit to break free.” Kane’s words softly spread through the audience as Miranda stood there, making eye contact with the audience. After a second, she looked around, holding her necklace in her hand. The clear jewel was beginning to grow black, causing the audience to remain completely silent, staring directly at the jewel around her neck.
“What’s going on?!” Miranda shouted, trying to get the necklace off her body. This, even for the Soul Ceremony, was completely and utterly unheard of. Kane walked over to Miranda, placing her hands on her shoulders, letting out a soft sigh, before gently removing the necklace from around her neck, her hands began to shake as she took the necklace in her hands, placing it in a little drawer on the back of the podium. The audience’s silence was officially broken, each of the families watching chattering about the events that just transpired. Before it got too out of hand, Kane approached the podium once more and spoke.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” she calmly stated, “Number 54 has officially been removed from the Soul Ceremony. May Number 55 please approach the altar?” Miranda looked as though she had just seen the gates of hell, staring directly into the distance in shock, her eyes rapidly shifting in and out of focus. The crowd began to chatter once again, before Kane spoke up a second time, “Number 55, please approach the altar. We are beginning to run short on time.”
“Y-yes Instructor,” Alicia said in a hushed voice, quickly standing up and walking to the stage, directly past both the shocked students and the dazed Miranda. She grabbed the last necklace from the basket and put it around her neck quickly, standing across from Kane, Miranda still by her side. The instructor looked at Alicia quietly, before nodding, putting a hand on her forehead.
“Great lord Laius, God of Humanity, give this child the power of your siblings. Allow his true spirit to break free,” she said, seeming relieved that it was the last time she was going to be saying it this year. As Alicia faced forward toward the audience, the jewel on her necklace began to glow faintly. The glow slowly became more and more intense, though, unlike the other students, the color of the jewel itself did not begin to shift. It remained clear, allowing people to see through to Alicia’s robe. “My goodness…” Kane said, looking at Alicia’s newfound power. The people in the audience seemed confused by this, their quiet whispers slowly beginning to return. After a moment, Kane beamed as brightly as possible, before taking Alicia’s hand and raising it skyward.
“What’s going on?” Alicia asked. Her fellow students appeared to be as confused as she was, simply staring at the still-glowing jewel around her neck, slowly illuminating the world around her.
“Ladies and gentlemen. For nearly forty years, we have lacked the required ability to make a stand against the Great Monster. However, we now have the capacity to not only make a stand but destroy him for good. The terror that has lurked under the Endless Ocean will finally be abolished!” Kane shouted, the crowd going dead silent. Miranda looked on, completely bewildered, and Alicia’s face went red from embarrassment. “Everyone, look upon the new carrier of the Soul of Laius, the Patron God of Humanity!”
As soon as the words left Kane’s mouth, the audience erupted into applause, spouting words of praise for Alicia’s future accomplishments. She looked onto the adoring crowd, a confused smile on her face. She quietly nodded and accepted the awards, before going to sit back down for the conclusion of the ceremony, dragging Miranda along with her and letting the crowd calm down.
“We’ve certainly had a lot of excitement today, haven’t we?” Kane jokingly said, causing everyone to laugh a bit. “I would like to thank our hard-working students, without whom this ceremony wouldn’t be possible, and I would like to remind them to not overuse their soul’s powers on the first day. Calarina’s janitor has no desire to clean your children’s bodies off the streets on their graduation day.” The crowd laughed again, before letting Kane continue speaking, “Number 55, please meet with me at the conclusion of the ceremony, and the rest of you are dismissed, please enjoy your new lives and put your souls to use responsibly.” Kane concluded, causing all of the students to stand, pressing both hands together in a symbol of thanks, before excitedly walking out. Alicia slowly walked up to the altar, mentally preparing for the worst.
10 Hours before the Destruction of Calarina.
The next few minutes were a blur. Alicia could only half remember the excited chatter from Kane and the rest of the church staff, admiring her new necklace as though it were the most prized thing mankind had ever laid eyes on. After a few minutes of this, she was pulled into a dark hallway behind the altar. Alicia couldn’t really see where she was going, nor was she about to ask questions. Upon reaching the end of the hallway, Kane opened a large wooden door and ushered Alicia inside. The room itself was small, with large stone bricks lining the walls, a wooden table in the middle, and two chairs on either side. The only light within was from a small oil lamp on the table, and whatever was able to creep through the bottom of the old wooden door.
“Please, have a seat,” Kane softly said. Alicia did as instructed, her years of training in the academy teaching her never to disobey an elder. “Excellent,” Kane said, before sitting in one of the chairs across from her.
“What’s going on, Instructor?” Alicia asked, her hands shaking softly. “Did I do something wrong?” Kane simply shook her head, looking over at the great stone wall. Alicia had seemed to miss a mural that was hidden in the harsh darkness of the room.
“No, no. You did nothing wrong at all. In fact, Alicia, you are exactly what we’ve been searching for.” Kane responded, slowly rising from her chair, grabbing the oil lamp firmly in her right hand and gesturing for Alicia to follow her over. She nervously nodded and followed over to the partially illuminated mural, allowing her to see it slightly better. It looked ancient, the paint practically peeling off the walls, though she was able to make out enough of it. In the center was a golden man, holding a great piece of earth on his back. Far below was what appeared to be an ocean, under which a monster was drawn. Something about the figure under the ocean filled Alicia with immeasurable amounts of dread as she looked at it, so she let her eyes wander somewhere else. Atop the piece of earth was a city, painted with silver paint, and above even that were five torches, four of which were lit. Alicia gently rested her hand on the mural, before pulling it away, looking over at Kane with a confused glance.
“Instructor… what is this?” Alicia asked, nervous about her instructor’s response. Kane just smiled, before gesturing to the ocean at the bottom of the painting.
“I’m assuming you’re familiar with Laius’ story, no?” Kane asked, looking over at Alicia for confirmation.
“Of course. It’s one of the first things we hear after birth, instructor,” Alicia responded quickly, making sure not to stumble on her words, even though she was prone to.
“Laius formed our land. He sealed away the Great Evil, Sihn, under the endless ocean that rests below our island. And in return for worship, we humans were given the capacity to wield the souls of the Gods, which in turn, gives us power. That is the paraphrased version of the tale,” Kane stated. She took a deep breath, before continuing. “Of course, these souls are randomly given to children, such as yourself, upon graduation from the Soul Program. However, some special individuals are given extremely special Soul Fragments. Fragments of the Soul of Laius himself. When the inheritors of these souls partake in the Great Pilgrimage, and we gather these five soul fragments in the Grand Shrine, we will finally be able to destroy Sihn, and once more we will live in peace,” Kane said, finishing her little story. She seemed ecstatic, more so than usual. It was weirdly ominous to Alicia, causing her to look away a bit.
“So… I have the Soul of Laius? Is that what you’re saying?” She said, looking down at her feet as she spoke, trying not to make eye contact.
“Precisely, my dear. You were blessed with a gift,” Kane responded, touching the necklace around Alicia’s neck with gentle hands. “You are going to save us all, do you understand that?” Kane said quietly, giving Alicia a pat on the head.
“H-hang on a minute…” Alicia responded, her own fear starting to get the best of her. “I’m not trained. I don’t know a thing about how to fight with a Soul. I’m sorry… but you’ve got the wrong person.” She responded, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. The stone walls felt like they were slowly crushing her, trying to get her to spill her guts across the floor. She could feel her lungs slowly shriveling up under the pressure.
“We will train you, my dear. Don’t worry. We have a program in place for inheritors of Laius’ soul. Tomorrow, we will train you as much as we need in order for you to succeed. Believe me, Alicia. We want you to have every chance possible to fulfill your purpose in life. We do not take this lightly,” Kane quietly said, attempting to make Alicia feel at ease. Alicia very slowly nodded, feeling Kane’s genuine warmth through her words. After a moment, she walked away from the mural, feeling the monster under the ocean’s painted eyes piercing the back of her body as she turned away.
“Before my training tomorrow, I want time to myself, to tell my family about my mission. Am I allowed to do that?” Alicia asked with her hand on the doorknob.
“Of course, child. Today is a marvelous day, you and your peers should take the time to celebrate as much as you can. Just remember to get rest, tomorrow is the start of your new life, you know.”
“Yes ma’am,” Alicia said, before slowly opening the door. She breathed in as she saw the long hallway, before walking down it, keeping her head held as high as possible, trying not to admit how terrified she was. Tomorrow, everything she’d known would flip upside down.
9 Hours Before the Destruction of Calarina.
As Alicia left the church and began to make her way home, a million thoughts were swimming in her mind. Everyone around her was celebrating, but she felt completely isolated from everyone else. The sun was finally beginning to rise over the horizon, illuminating the streets with its golden gaze. She was happy that the night was over, but ultimately still afraid of what was to come tomorrow. The celebrations were going in full force, with streamers hung all over the town square and dozens of children dancing in the streets. She let herself walk past the bustling town center, narrowly dodging the delicious smells from the nearby food stalls. The edge of town was right beside her, and as she approached her mother’s house, she felt a sense of dread creeping up her spine. She had no idea what she was going to say to her, much less how to properly explain it. Everything Kane said was still buzzing around in her head. As it turns out, she wasn’t particularly paying attention to where she was walking, which led to her tripping on something and falling directly on her face. As she rubbed her head from the fall, she looked behind her, grabbing the huge book she’d tripped on.
“Hey!” A man called, “Alicia! Are you hurt?” Alicia grabbed the book and slowly got up, a smile forming on her face.
“Professor!” She expressed, running towards the voice in the distance. She quickly vaulted onto the city walls, coming face to face with an older gentleman. Upon his face was thick glasses with extremely thin rims, his hair was beginning to grey slightly, and his outfit was pressed to make sure it looked as clean as possible. “You dropped this, y’know,” she said, huffing a bit from the exertion.
“Ah, yes. I suppose I did.” He responded, taking the book from Alicia’s hands, before ruffling her hair with his free hand. “How’s it going, kiddo? Did they have any raisin bread today?”
“Not today, professor. You know the bakery only makes it on Fridays,” She responded, rolling her eyes playfully.
“Ah, a man can dream, can’t he?” He said, setting the book down and tugging on the nearby ropes. Alicia sighed a bit, moving over to the opposite side of the machine, doing the same. She was so used to the routine by this point, he didn’t need to tell her what to do.
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
“Is today the day, then?” She asked, tugging on the rope as hard as she could.
“Yup. The boat’s all ready to go, and nobody’s gonna notice I’m leaving on the day of the Festival,” the professor responded, tugging on his own side as hard as he could. After a few minutes of struggling, a decently-sized wooden boat was pulled up to the edge of the island. “Haha!” the Professor exclaimed, pushing up his glasses, “It’s still here!” He jumped up a bit, clearly ecstatic at the news. After a moment, Alicia let out a nervous laugh, before smiling over at her former mentor.
“So then, this is it?” She asked. “You’re really leaving?” A frown started to form on her face as she looked over at him. For years and years, Professor Franklin had taken her under his wing as a research partner. His own necklace glimmered as he turned to her, the pearl-white surface symbolizing the God of Science.
“Yeah, looks like it.” He quietly said, looking out over the endless ocean that lay before him. “Everyone thinks I’m off my rocker, Alicia. But I know there’s something out there, even if I need to sail for years to find it,” he said, the wind softly tugging at his clothes.
“Well, professor. I hope you find it. Prove them all wrong, you understand?” Alicia said, a wry smile forming on her face as she stood up tall, her cheerful face masking her inner turmoil.
“Oh, I assure you, I will.” He said, his face getting all serious. With a quick swipe of his hand, he pulled something out of his worn pocket and handed it to Alicia. It wasn’t much, just a rusty key on a fraying string, but Alicia’s eyes lit up.
“P-professor! This is your lab key!” Alicia said, looking over at him with awe.
“It’s your lab key now, Alicia. Just make sure you don’t blow your head off with chemicals. I won’t be around to stop you.” He said, with a hearty laugh. Alicia laughed in return, watching as Franklin got into the boat. “I’m ready, Alicia! Hoist me down!”
“Alright, professor!” Alicia said, slowly lowering the boat as best as she could with her middling strength. This kept up for several minutes until she finally felt the boat hit the waves of the ocean below. She clutched the key in her hand and waved to Franklin as best as she could, trying as hard as she could to make it noticeable. “Goodbye, professor!!!”
Alicia slowly felt herself drop to the ground, sitting down on the wall of the island, watching as Franklin’s boat slowly set sail across the endless sea. For his sake, she hoped that there would be something out there, even if it was just a tiny island full of rocks. As she clutched the key close to her chest, a dawning realization swam over her, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to take up Franklin’s position at the lab, at least not any time soon.
But for now, that didn’t matter. She just sat and watched the sun slowly rise over the horizon as Franklin departed across the ocean.
8 Hours Before the Destruction of Calarina.
After a good few minutes spent staring out over the ocean, Alicia picked herself up and began to walk home. The walk from the city wall wasn’t particularly long, though it felt like it, for sure. She didn’t particularly know how to handle Franklin’s departure, especially considering that it was, effectively, a suicide mission. Her footsteps became progressively smaller and smaller as she walked down the ornate brick streets that made up the majority of Calarina. As the lampposts’ flames slowly began to flicker away with the coming of dawn, Alicia finally found herself at her front door. The house itself was nothing special, just a little wooden shack at the edge of town. Laundry was hanging on a clothesline on the right side of the house, and the little windows were filled with the dull glow of a well-used candle. Alicia slowly walked inside, finding her mother sitting at the kitchen table. As soon as Alicia had found her way inside, her mother almost immediately stood up and rushed at her, enveloping her in a colossal hug.
“Alicia…” she said, keeping her daughter as close to her body as possible. “What did they say?” Her mother was looking at her with immense concern. Alicia felt bad about everything. She tried as hard as she could to explain everything that Kane had told her, but it already felt hazy in her mind. Almost everything that Kane had said went right over her head, but she tried her hardest to explain.
“So… that’s all,” Alicia finished, sitting down at the kitchen table. The tea her mother had prepared for her had already gone cold ages ago. Everyone else was already at the festival, but she hadn’t even eaten breakfast yet.
“Oh, Alicia.” Her mother said, looking at her with eyes full of pity. “Don’t be sad, dear. The ceremony is supposed to be joyful, you know.”
“I know, I know. That’s what all of my professors have been saying for months. Kane said that I was blessed with a gift, and that I was going to save everyone. If that’s true, then why do I feel like this?” Alicia said, balling up her robe with her fists. She didn’t know what to feel; angry, sad, confused, happy, everything felt like an amorphous blob of emotions, slowly growing and growing inside her.
“It’s a large burden to bear, you know,” her mother said, quietly sitting down across from her. “When I was sixteen, I was given the Soul of Fire. I was excited, at first, but as time went on… I became overwhelmed by the pressure of my new gift. And that was a minor soul! I can only imagine what you feel. You’re still a child, Alicia. You don’t deserve to carry the weight of the world on your shoulders.” Alicia looked over at her mother as she spoke, listening to her soft tone.
“I just don’t know what to do. Everything is moving too fast. This morning I was excited to finally get my powers, but now everything just feels like an inescapable whirlwind.” Alicia said, resting her head on the table. “Is there any way for everything to go back to the way they were?” Alicia asked. Her mother shook her head and gently tapped her fingers on the table.
“Well, just because you’ve got an important job now doesn’t mean you can’t have nice things, you know.” Her mother said, reaching below her and putting a little wooden box on the table. Alicia perked up at that, examining the box a little bit as her mother smiled.
“Mother, what’s this?” she asked, nervously tapping her fingers on it as if it was rigged to explode.
“A graduation present. It’s tradition, you know. So go ahead and open it.” she said, grinning ear to ear as her daughter took the box. The box was small and square-shaped, and covered in beautiful carvings. Alicia gradually took the top off, before looking down at what was inside. Staring back at her was a small, ornate, hand-carved golden pocket watch. Alicia slowly picked it up from the box, examining its contents.
“Mother… this is too much,” Alicia said, dangling the watch by the small golden chain. She seemed enraptured by it. Almost every little thing about it was flawless. The hands slowly ticked away as she continued to admire it. “Where did you get this?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Well, we’ve had it. For years it’s been locked in storage, with a note jammed inside telling me to give it to you when the time was right. I can’t think of a better time than now, so here you go.” Her mother said, resting her hands on the table. The strange explanation only caused Alicia’s eyebrow to raise. She was taken aback by this, for sure. Her mother had never mentioned having a pocket watch in storage, much less with a cryptic note. She examined the watch even further, taking note of the tiny grooves on the surface of the polished gold. At the very very bottom of the watch, she took note of a tiny engraving. All it said was “M.R.E”
“...who is… M.R.E?” Alicia asked, looking over at her mother. She just shrugged, looking over at the wall.
“I don’t know. The same initials were on the note I mentioned. I just assumed that it was the guy who owned the house before us, but the note was addressed to me specifically and mentioned you by name,” her mother said, sighing a bit. Alicia quietly muttered to herself, before looking over at her mother.
“Do you think it’s father?” She quickly blurted out, before covering her mouth. Her mother’s lips pursed together for a second before she looked back at Alicia.
“No, Alicia. You know that’s not possible.” She responded.
“I know. You’ve said it a million times. I don’t have a father. I’m sorry for bringing it up,” Alicia calmly responded, feeling a bit of pain in her chest. She stood up after a minute, feeling dread washing over her. “I’ll be going to bed now. Thank you for the watch, mother.” She silently hugged her mom, before walking up the narrow staircase to her bedroom. She didn’t even take the time to take her robe off. The second her body hit her bed, she was completely enveloped by the dark ink of sleep, taking the time to rest as much as she was able. She didn’t want to process everything that just happened. Though she knew for sure that M.R.E was important, she didn’t know who exactly he was. If he wasn’t her dad, then who was he? As her consciousness began to fade, these questions just rattled in her mind.
And in just a second, she completely fell asleep.
1 Hour Until the Destruction of Calarina.
As soon as Alicia woke, she realized that it was once again dark outside. She wondered exactly how long she’d been asleep, for a start. As she rose from her bed, she looked out the nearby window, looking over the town as it slept. She always hated that the ceremony was held at midnight, as it tended to muddle up her sleep schedule for the next week or so. After a minute, she decided to just get up for the rest of the day. If anything, the extended period of being awake would shock her back into her regular schedule. As she made her way downstairs, she tried as hard as she could to be extra careful. The only light she had was the dull lamplight that was coming from outside. From the dining room table, she grabbed the golden pocket watch and put it in the pocket of her robe, making a mental note to carry it around with her more. As she navigated outside, she took in the crisp nighttime air, letting out a sigh of relief. Her mother wouldn’t mind her wandering around at night, she was certain of it. She’d never particularly minded before. Or at least, she hadn’t noticed.
As she quietly walked down the familiar streets, the festive decorations around her seemed far less grand and exciting than they did that morning. The streamers were tattered and laying across the floor, and the food stalls were left completely empty. The grand city of Calarina looked like a ghost town, and it was starting to put Alicia on edge. As she looked around, she noticed something just outside the city walls. A rather large hill, standing taller than the city walls itself, giving whoever was on it a great view of the city. Alicia had spent many lazy afternoons there, laying on the grassy mound and staring up at the clouds in the sky. When away from the city’s harsh edge, it was easy to forget that the island was suspended hundreds of miles in the sky. Without thinking, her feet began to move on their own, making their way toward the great hill. The walk was long, but she was positive she could make it before the clock struck midnight.
As she made her way to the top of the hill, she was surprised to see Miranda there as well, laying in the grass. Alicia looked down at her, impressed that they’d both managed to find their way here at the same time.
“Hey. Funny seeing you here,” Alicia said, laughing a little bit, sitting down right next to her. “Nice night, yeah?”
“Yeah. Pretty nice night.” Miranda quietly said, sitting up. The two just sat in silence and looked out over Calarina’s skyline. The Great Cathedral stood tall in the center, its shadow still casting a wide net over the two of them. Miranda just stared at Alicia for a second, before clearing her throat and speaking up. “Why are you here, Alicia?”
“I could ask you the same question,” She responded, looking out over the skyline with her.
“Just thinking of things, I guess. Trying to make sense of everything that happened today.” Miranda replied. Miranda’s necklace turning jet black and Kane disqualifying her from the ceremony felt like it had happened a million years ago. “I know I didn’t get the best grades, but still. I’ve never even heard of that happening before. Everyone gets a soul eventually.” Miranda replied, sighing and burying her head in her hands.
“I’m sure it’s happened before, Miranda. It’s probably a common occurrence.” Alicia said, trying to keep Miranda going. Though, she still had no idea what could’ve possibly caused Miranda’s necklace to turn black like that.
“Thanks, Allie,” Miranda said, smiling a bit. “What’d old witch Kane say about your thing?”
“Eh, just a bunch of old croan babbling, like always,” Alicia said with a wink. Nobody could hear what she was saying, so she was more comfortable being open like this around Miranda.
“No, seriously. She looked stoked. That’s the most emotion I’ve ever seen her have.” Miranda laughed, wiping her eyes a bit.
“Eh, if you NEED to know, I guess I can tell you,” Alicia said, quickly running over all the points that Kane said to her. She was getting progressively more and more embarrassed about having to reiterate these points over and over again, but she felt like Miranda had to know, at least.
“Well dang, Allie. Seems like you’ve got some huge destiny at your belt.” Miranda said, laying back down in the grass with a sigh.
“Yeah, you could say that,” Alicia responded quietly, looking up at the stars. “I wish we had more nights like this, you know. I don’t really like all this destiny stuff. It just feels a bit too overwhelming.”
“I get what you mean,” Miranda responded. “Honestly, I just want to live my own life, do my own thing. I hate that we need to be bogged down by all of this soul nonsense. It’s just not worth it.” She said with a sigh, groaning.
“Yeah. I can’t help but feel the same way,” Alicia replied, falling back into the grass next to Miranda. It was nice to talk again. They’d been so busy with exams and with preparing for the ceremony that they’d almost completely forgotten to really spend time with one another. It hurt. “I start training tomorrow, that’s what Kane said. I train for a month, and then I go on some pilgrimage.”
“Jeez, that’s rough,” Miranda responded. “I have no idea what they’re gonna do with me, to be honest. I mean, when’s the last time you met someone that was soulless?” Miranda gloomily noted.
“I’ll make sure Kane doesn’t rough you up too bad. You can trust me on that.” Alicia said, sighing. Miranda just smiled a bit looking over at Alicia.
“Thanks, Allie. I’m glad you care.” She said, looking up at the sky. “The stars are gorgeous tonight.”
“Yeah. They are, aren’t they?” Alicia said, looking up along with her. For a few minutes, she just watched the stars glisten in their little place, smiling a bit as she lay next to Miranda. She would freeze this moment forever if she could, to keep in a small little box and keep it close to her heart at all times. After a second though, she was interrupted by a loud rumbling.
“...what’s that?” Miranda asked, bolting upright. Alicia quickly followed, looking down at the great City of Calarina. The ground underneath the city itself was beginning to swell, huge mounds beginning to form, slowly beginning to rip up the elegant brick roads. Each lamppost began to collapse and fall over, their fires spreading to the wooden houses next to them as the mounds grew in size. There were four long ones, and another shorter one on the right hand side, each of them growing and growing, tearing apart the majority of the city.
“That’s… that’s Sihn,” Alicia stated, quickly running down the hill. She had no idea how exactly she knew, but she knew. Her whole body was filled with the same sense of dread that she felt when she looked at that mural. She was running down the hill at full speed, only ever stopping when Miranda grabbed her arm.
“Allie! Are you insane? What the hell are you doing?!” Miranda shouted. Alicia kept struggling in her grasp, trying as hard as she could to reach the city.
“My mother’s in there, Miranda!” Alicia shouted back, adrenaline flowing through her body like a furious river. She wasn’t thinking clearly, and she knew that. She broke free of Miranda’s grasp and bolted for the city walls again, which were beginning to buckle from the intense upward motion. The mounds were growing more and more, and a great platform in the middle seemed to connect them all together.
“Alright, fine! But you better not get yourself killed, understand?” Miranda shouted back. Alicia nodded and quickly lept up onto the wall and sprinted across the warping city streets. By this point, the entire plot of earth that the city rested upon had been lifted up into the air by the monster, and was rapidly being carried further into the sky. The people in the streets were screaming and running around wildly, trying desperately to put the fire out. Alicia could barely focus on anything else, she bolted towards her own house, watching as the other houses around her collapsed from the stress. She could see now what exactly the great mounds were, in the distance. She was standing on a giant hand, and the great fingers were beginning to curl. She knew she only had a few short minutes to rescue her mother and to get out of the slowly forming fist. As she reached her house, she kicked in the half-broken door and ran into the kitchen, all the while flames were starting to spread from the lefthand side of the house.
“Mother!!!” Alicia screamed, bolting up the staircase as quickly as she could, kicking open her mother’s bedroom door. She was laying on the floor, trapped under a stray support beam that had fallen from the ceiling.
“Alicia. Leave.” She quietly muttered, the fire of life practically removed from her eyes. “Get out of Calarina.” Alicia sprinted over to her mother and grabbed her by her hands, tugging as hard as she could, the blood from her mother’s injuries soaking into her white robe.
“No!!! I’m not leaving without you. Now come on!” Alicia screamed, tears finally beginning to pour down her face. Her poor mother just sat there, gasping for every ounce of air that she possibly could. Most of her body was trapped under the beam, and what was left was bloody and broken. Alicia knew that there was no way she could get her out, but she kept on tugging anyway. “Mother, please. Please. I can’t leave without you. I won’t leave without you.”
“Go, Alicia.” Her mother stated, using as much of her breath as she possibly could to push the words out of her mouth.
“MOTHER!” Alicia screamed, tugging on her arms even more. By this point, the magical fires that had lit the lamp posts were spreading further and further. Alicia could feel the heat of her old home as it turned to ash. All she could do was scream and cry until her voice went hoarse, trying as hard as she could to save her doomed mother. She had stopped responding now, the light in her eyes almost extinguished. Alicia let out a wail and collapsed to the floor, sobbing her eyes out, feeling the fire slowly beginning to approach her. She was out of time, and she knew it.
“Alicia!!!” someone screamed from down below. She quickly lifted her head up and bolted to the window, looking out at the burning hellscape that awaited her. “Alicia!! It’s Kane! Get out of the house!” Kane was screaming her head off on the street, and the whole environment around her was starting to curl upwards now. If she didn’t go now, she wouldn’t be getting out. Alicia looked over at her dying mother, softly giving her hand a kiss as more tears welled up in her eyes. After a split second, she jumped out the window, landing on the street below with a roll. All she could hear around her were screams of people who were far less fortunate than she was, and as the flames continued to grow, the screams grew louder and louder. The great fingers of Sihn were curling inwards more and more, preparing to crush them at any second.
“Instructor! How–?” Alicia started but was quickly cut off by Kane.
“There’s no time for this. Sihn has broken from his seal. We’ll talk later, but we need to get you out of here.” Kane quickly said, before grabbing Alicia’s hand and bolting through the charred remains of Calarina. Bodies littered the streets as much as debris did, and Alicia could only grow sick as she ran, thinking about how unfortunate they must have all been to end up like this. The two of them ran as fast as their legs would carry them through the winding city streets, until they reached the great walls at the edge of the city. Alicia vaulted upwards, and helped Kane to get up as best she could. Once she finished, she looked down at the world below. The entire city had risen high up into the sky, hundreds of miles, at the least. She started to panic, realizing that she was living out the final few seconds of her life.
“Professor! I’m sorry! We’re too late!” Alicia shouted, the wind whipping around her head as she did, making loud howling noises.
“Alicia? Do you trust me?” Kane asked, looking over at her. Kane still looked relatively calm, despite everything that was happening around her. Alicia thought for a second, before nodding.
“Yes, instructor. I trust you.” Alicia responded.
“Then grab onto my hand and jump. And don’t let go, or it’ll be the last thing you do.” Kane calmly stated. Alicia was completely taken aback. Of course, she trusted the instructor as much as she possibly could, but even by her standards this was insane. “Alright. On three.” Kane muttered. Alicia grabbed ahold of Kane’s hand and looked out over the great drop that awaited them.
“One… two… three!” Alicia shouted, trying to let the professor concentrate. The instant the number three passed her lips, she jumped from the top of the city walls, squeezing Kane’s hand as much as she could. Kane followed swiftly behind her, looking out into the horizon. With her other hand, she reached for her own necklace and ripped it off. The second she did, Alicia’s fall began to slow. Not by a colossal amount, but by enough. She and Kane gracefully floated downwards toward the ground, where Miranda was still waiting. The second the two hit the ground, Kane let go of Alicia’s hand, and Miranda immediately caught Alicia in a bone-shattering hug.
“Don’t ever do that again, Allie,” she said, tears pouring from her face. As Alicia turned and looked up above, she saw the last major part of the city, the Great Cathedral, being slowly turned to dust in Sihn’s furious grasp. As its final tower vanished, Sihn’s fist finally closed, and the entire world went dead silent.
“It’s gone.” Alicia said. “Everything is gone.” The second the words came out of her mouth, the tears finally overtook her. Every single emotion that she’d neglected over the past few minutes came crashing down all at once, and all she could do was sob into Miranda’s shoulder, feeling Miranda’s arms clinging to her as best as she could. The cold night wind continued to whip around the two as Alicia sobbed, and through it all, Kane just stood and looked up at the great fist of Sihn, watching the city that she’d lived in her entire life be completely eviscorated in front of her.
The great City of Calarina was destroyed.