His feet pound against the gravel as he runs and runs and runs, blood rushing through his ears and his temples throbbing and his legs aching… but he runs and runs and runs. That wasn’t normal. That wasn’t good. That can only be bad bad bad bad why did he ever leave?! A thousand questions blaze through Will’s mind as he races down the mountainside. He has no answers. He can only run.

He screeches to a halt at the entrance to town. All at once, his feet can’t move, his arms are rusted stiff, and his lungs have collapsed in on themselves. It’s late, the sun is going down, and the world remains still. No voices, no sounds of animals, nothing. Though it’s late, there’s always someone out until midnight. Doors hang open, stands sit fully stocked but empty, and lights remain on throughout town. There’s no one here. There’s not even a sign of struggle, as if everyone just vanished into thin air. He doesn’t know what to do. If he runs in there now, whatever’s waiting for him, whatever’s taken all of these people, could very well kill him. But did it kill them? And what was that light?! No. No questions right now, only action.

The sky is stained pink and red as the sun goes down, almost like some unfunny joke as he prowls through the shadows, concealing himself beneath his cloak. A lifetime of remaining hidden comes in useful as he keeps his footsteps 100% silent, remaining invisible to the glancing eye and unfocused ear. As he creeps towards the end of the road, he can make out three silhouettes, two very large ones on either side and one smaller in the middle. The center shape is jagged and unnatural, and he doesn’t recognize any of them. He can only consider them the culprits.

At once, the three shadows begin moving and, without another thought, Will dives behind Mrs. Glensdale’s fruit stand. His lungs still refuse to work, leaving his heart to pick up the slack, his chest heaving and his hands shaky. As the sound of footsteps comes closer and closer, Will struggles to regain control of his breath as their footfalls stop directly in front of his hiding place. Crap crap crap crap.

Steadying himself, his breath slow and even, he slowly peeks around the corner.

He can now see the three shapes up close and personal, though he almost wishes he couldn’t. The two people on the sides, if they can even be called that, are two lumbering giants in tight black tank tops and shorts going down to their knees. Their faces are completely expressionless, and they stand at at least 1.5 Wills tall, but that’s not what really terrifies him. Their lower arms are completely missing, instead replaced by two long, pointed blades, their edges looking sharper than any weapon he’s seen in his life. Even stranger, at the stump of their elbows where flesh ends and blade begins, instead of skin or meat, the insides of their arms appear to be entirely black.

But the one in the center manages to terrify him even more.

They aren’t that tall, but they still manage to carry such a strong, commanding presence, that they might as well be miles high. Their body is covered entirely in black, jagged armor, and two identical swords rest at their sides, the serrated edges fashioned to resemble wings. But their eyes… from beneath their helmet, two eyes peek from the shadows, glowing an unnaturally bright red. Then, as the cherry on top, starting at the center of their forehead, two horns wrap around the side of their head, before curling upwards.

A Demon.

Will wants to run away, as far as possible, as fast as possible, but he can hardly move. The sight in front of him is unlike anything he’s seen, or feared. Slowly, deliberately, taking extra care to not make a single sound, he moves back into his hiding spot as he keeps every atom of his body entirely still.

There’s the sound of a sharp inhale, before a groan. A muffled voice grunts, “Nothing. Still no Power,” followed by something clattering against the ground. Will takes another peek, and he sees a small metal flask bouncing into the battered path, a red mist flowing from its interior. The same color as the light he saw.

He snaps back into place as he hears the voice once more. “We’re running out of villages. How much longer until we find it… or is it already gone…?” The voice trails off, as if deep in thought. “Well, so long as we’re here,” it says, before he glimpses the black hand scooping the flask from the ground. It makes no sound. Come to think of it, he doesn’t hear the clanking of armor, despite how much they’ve walked and moved. He’s heard rumors of what Demons can do, but could it really be true…?

His thoughts are interrupted by the sound of retreating footsteps. Peeking once more, he watches as the three figures continue onwards into the valley, the same valley he was never permitted to enter. If Demons want something in there, then they must not have been kidding about it being dangerous.

He watches as they disappear into the shadows, the valley swallowing them whole. He looks on for a minute longer from his vantage point behind the fruit stand, as if expecting them to launch back out and drag him into the abyss with them. But nothing happens. The song of crickets casting their voices into the sky replaces the all-encompassing silence, finally breaking him from his trance. It’s night, and he’s alone.

He doesn’t remember moving, but when he looks up, he’s standing at the door to his home. He stares at the doorknob for a moment, contemplating what lies beyond. Doors are funny things, you never really know what’s behind them until you open it, no matter how confident you are. Even if you were to look through the windows, there would still be secrets hiding behind chairs and within cabinets. You never know.

Without thinking, he grasps the doorknob, but hesitates before opening it. You never know. Are they in there? He pulls it open.

He doesn’t know what he expected. The house is empty, just like the rest of them. The lantern still hangs over the kitchen, and a candle casts dancing shadows on the fire room’s walls. Strangely, there’s a cookbook spread on the floor, several recipes scattered across the tiles. It must have been dropped. Was his mother holding it before she vanished? Was it really that instantaneous? It feels impossible, but, then again, so did flying boats before his little “adventure.” This week’s full of surprises.

He blinks, and once again finds himself in a different place. He’s sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the candle on the table. It flickers to the left, then the right, then the left again three times, then thrust upwards, then…

He feels his eyelids slowly drifting together. He’s so tired, and he’s not gotten a proper sleep in almost a week. He just got done running really hard. He deserves a nap. Fatigue drags him to the cushions, his sight going dark, and warmth rushes over him.

~~~

“Ya like the look a that shell, eh?” the traveling cart salesman says. Will looks up at him, surprised he was watching, and the man chuckles as he picks it up from a pile of shells, lifting it up to the sunlight. It glitters brilliantly, as if a thousand tiny diamonds were embedded into its surface, and Will is mesmerized. “Y’know, there’s legends surroundin’ these kindsa shells,” the man tells. “They say that each little sparkle is a spirit of its own, an old soul taking shelter inside.” He looks back down at the boy, grinning. “You want this?” he asks. He just nods. The man looks thoughtful for a moment, before tossing it to him. “Take it, they’re only a copper each.” Will’s face lights up as he catches it, holding it up to catch the light again. “Thank you, mister…” he mumbles. The man just smiles on and moves to deal with other customers.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Will already had an idea of what he wanted to do with the shell. He gets Mr. Crona, the local blacksmith, to cut a tiny hole through the tip so he can slip a small strip of leather through it. It’s Elizabeth’s 14th birthday, and he’s so excited to show her the new necklace.

He finds her out in a field, singing from a songbook in hand to no one in particular. She’s always been nervous in front of audiences, all except her little brother. He sits in the grass behind her, losing himself in her song. He can’t understand why she can’t just go out and sing, her voice is the greatest he’s ever heard! He tends to think a lot as she sings, feeling his mind wander across a million subjects as her song comes to a close. Once she finishes, he claps excitedly, applauding her as she turns around in surprise.

~~~

“I’ve gotta gift for ya!” Will giggles, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the necklace. A leaf flutters between the two siblings, hiding from the summer sun beneath their favorite tree. Elizabeth’s eyes glitter in that trademark Newbie way as she sees it flash and sparkle in a lone shaft of sunlight. “Th-thank you…” she breathes, holding her hand out for him to pass it to her. She takes a moment to just look at it, admiring its every gorgeous feature, before placing it around her neck and staring down at it in wonder. Will grins proudly, overjoyed that she loves his gift so much.

The two remain beneath the tree, chatting the day away, just basking in each other’s company. They never really have to talk about much, and sometimes they don’t even talk at all. Despite being three years apart, the two of them always seemed to understand each other, better than anyone else. As their conversation starts to fizzle out, Will brings up her singing, and she blushes, looking away. “Still nervous, huh?” Will asks. She just nods. He sighs, resting his head against the tree, thinking. “Yer voice really is somethin’ special, y’know?” he asks. “I’m sure if you sang for ‘em, gave ‘em a chance, they’d all love it!” Her head casts down, and Will backpedals a little bit. “I love it,” he says. Elizabeth finally looks into her brother’s eyes, and he can read the fear plain on her face. “But what if they don’t…?” she mutters. “They will!” he exclaims, jumping forward as she flinches back. “S-sorry…” he apologizes. His outbursts tend to scare. Her face relaxes, smiling, but reserved. She’s always thinking, never talking. It makes him mad. “You don’t know that,” she says, her nervousness turning to a sad acceptance, which only infuriates him more. “Besides, you’re only ten, what do you know?”

He leans back against the tree, pouting. He hates it when people treat him like a kid. He’s smart, smarter than a lot of the grown-ups, too! At least, that’s what they all tell him. So why doesn’t he get to know anything, just because of some stupid number?! “But I do know!” he shouts, refusing to give up. “Your voice is th’ greatest n’ th’ prettiest I ever heard!” She blushes again, flattered by his comments, but still not quite believing them. He’s her brother after all, he’s just saying what they’re supposed to say…

Without warning, he grabs her hands and drags her up, stumbling to her feet. He then throws himself at her waist, latching tight like a leech and making her stumble back, fighting for control of her own gravity. Once they’re steady, she rests her hands on his shoulders, prying him free from around her waist. “What was all that about?” she laughs confusedly. He looks up at his big sister, a look of pure determination on his face. “‘A voice that gorgeous shouldn’t be wasted on empty air. I swear to you, fair maiden, I will carry that voice of yours across the four winds!’” he exclaims. Elizabeth bursts into laughter, instantly recognizing the quote. “The Husband of the Songstress, right?” she says, as Will nods.

“Every time I read that book, I’d think of you, ‘specially that line,” he mutters, embarrassed now for saying so. “I don’t wantchou to end up like Tess, hiding and scared… I want you to sing, and I want you to be proud, like I am, and like Ma!” he says, his voice slowly growing in confidence. Elizabeth blinks down at her little brother, younger by three years, hardly coming above her hip, yet somehow talking like a grown-up. She doesn’t know whether to be proud or scared. “You really gotta stop reading those kindsa books, kid…” she says, smiling uncertainly. “You’re talking too big for yourself.” “But it’s true!” he shouts, still not letting up. “Every time yer out here, so am I! And I’m not just here to be polite, I’m here because yer voice is the best thing I’ve ever heard, dadgummit!” She’s unsure how to react. She doesn’t really want to believe it, after all, he’s just her little brother. It’s his job to say all these nice things about her, so he’s gotta be faking it… But the certainty in his voice, the determination in his eyes, it just feels so real. But if it’s real, then she can’t lie to herself anymore, and that would take admitting that she’s been lying this whole time. That people don’t care about her. That her voice isn’t as good as everyone says. That people only say these things because it’s what they’re supposed to say. If she truly accepts her brother’s words, then she’ll have to accept these as lies as well.

She sinks to her knees, holding his face in her hands. Tears sting at her eyes as she stares into his, before pulling him into a tight hug. “Th-thank you…” she whispers, trying and failing to keep her voice from cracking. Will squeezes his big sis as tight as possible, grinning from ear to ear. He’s done something right, he knows it. “‘Salright,” he says, giggling again. “Just keep singing, and we’ll all be happy.”

On that day, she received two gifts. A little blue shell necklace, and the kindest, most genuine words she’d ever heard. From that day on, she pulled herself from the shadows and sang for all of the town, and Will would listen every chance he could. And so would everyone else. The kid was right, people loved her, and they loved her voice. After that, every time she slipped the necklace over her head, she’d think of those words, even if they weren’t his own.

“I swear, I will carry that voice of yours across the four winds!”

~~~

Will’s eyes flutter open, the moon looking down at him through the window, its dim light washing over the empty house. It’s still night. Yawning, Will raises himself to a sitting position, his back aching from sleeping on such an uncomfortable surface. The entire house is dark except for the looming presence of the moon. The candle and the lantern are out, but wax drips into the candle’s basin beneath it, so he’d hardly been asleep for long.

He stares blankly into nowhere, his head empty of all thought. The claws of despair climb to his heart, digging into his ribs as they threaten to rip his vitality away. He shivers, unsure if it’s from the cold, or something else entirely. After a minute of looking at nothing, his eyes catch a glimpse of a familiar glimmer.

Looking down, he immediately jolts to reality, finding on the table in front of him the blue shell necklace. How he missed it, he could never know, but it doesn’t matter to him. With shaking hands, he pulls it off the table and holds it up to the moonlight. The glittering diamonds still remain within its surface, and he almost feels relieved, as if somehow even this shell’s light had been dulled. A wave of memories come over him, especially those of his dream, and that promise rings in his head. He never forgot either. He never forgot that promise. That promise that he broke by being helpless to do anything to keep his family from vanishing into thin air, into nothing. Pathetic. Worthless. More and more evil thoughts wash over him, as despair clutches his beating heart, preparing to rip it from its place and make him a shell of nothing.

No.

He doesn’t let those thoughts overwhelm, he doesn’t let The Despair grasp his heart, and he does not let those tears fall. Taking some control over his life, he slips the necklace over his head, letting it rest at his breast.

He’s immediately greeted by the disheveled, teary-eyed girl he’d only just been dreaming of. He’s immediately stunned into silence, unsure if what he’s seeing is a vision, or something real. He’s almost scared to know which. He doesn’t know what to say, he’s just so confused. The tears he'd only just been holding back sting at his eyes, threatening to release, as his body begins to tremble.

In a flash, he's thrown himself from his seat, throwing his arms around her shoulders, shouting, "Elizabeth!" Tears fly from his eyes as he soars through the air...

And falls directly through her.