{000} ☼ Birth Dream II
Nova didn't know why, but she was crying. Her hands trembled, her legs shook. Hot tears trickled down her face. She didn't know where she was, but it was dark and there were stars all around her; swirling galaxies that seemed to be within arm's reach, yet still so far away, and beneath her feet, a cloud that looked like a glittering nebula. Strong winds buffeted her for a moment, but quickly died away.
A thought formed unbidden in her mind - "This is all my fault" - and Nova felt herself go limp, dropping to her knees. Her head hung in anguish and shame. "This... this can't be true!" Tears dripped from her chin onto her skirt and her thighs, but she didn't move to brush them away. There was no way to keep track of how long she remained there, still and silent save for the sound of her own heartbeat and an echo the echo of her exclamation. Can't be true! Can't be true! Can't be true... Be true... True, true, true. It occurred to her that she would give anything for that thought, for those words, to disappear forever, but she knew that they won't because it is true, and she'll have to live with the burden of that for the rest of her life, even if she doesn't know what that truth is.
The silence was broken.
Laughter filled the air, but not the pleasant kind: the kind that made your skin crawl, that made you want to hide for fear. Nova lifted her head with a start, straining to see who was there with her in the dim, star-speckled void.
"The Pillar of Cephiro has been eradicated. The people of this world will soon turn toward darkness." The voice that spoke was female, both deep and smooth and laced with menace. Jumping to her feet, Nova could make out a towering, shadowy silhouette. Her gaze was captured by its glowing red eyes. There was another peal of laughter.
"Who-- who are you?" Nova asked, balling her fists. Whoever she was, the shadow-woman's words were washing away Nova's bitter sadness, replacing it with alarm and indignation.
"Soon, everything will fall to extinction," the woman said, ignoring Nova's question. "Everything will disappear. Not just Cephiro; every world will become mine." She laughed once more, and Nova could see another small, black figure emerge from the much larger shadow. Only, this one looked familiar. It looked almost like... herself? Before she could react, the shadow warped and twisted, growing and growing, stretching out to envelop her in its pitch-black folds.
Nova woke with a start, breathing hard and clutching her comforter in a death-grip. Light streamed into her room through shoji windows. "A dream..." It hadn't felt like one. She stood and opened the window, wincing at the bright morning light until her eyes adjusted. A pair of birds chirped and hopped from branch to branch in the tree outside her window. "But that wasn't a dream," she said to herself. "What happened in Cephiro wasn't a dream," she repeated.
Stepping out onto the engawa, she entered a grassy, fenced-in courtyard. Unlike in her dream(?) everything was peaceful here. There was a pond. Trees. Everything here was real. A large brown and white dog trotted up to her and she knelt to pet it, letting it lick her face as she wrapped her arms around its neck. "Good morning, Hikari!" She grinned, wanting to laugh and play with her dog, but the memory of her dream still gave her chills and chased away her smile. "Who was that? Who in the world was that?"
Later, she found herself sitting seiza in a large room. It was silent and still save for the sound of her breathing and the periodic hollow tapping of the bamboo shishi odoshi in the pond outside.
The silence was broken.
She could hear murmuring from the doorway, low and conspiring. It sounded like young men talking to each other, and although Nova couldn't make out exactly what it was they were saying, she had a feeling it was about her. She lifted her head when the sound of padding footsteps approached, and stopped before her. A tall man in dark blue garments stood before her smiling gently. He sat in front of her, taking the same seiza posture. "Satoru-niisama." Her brother. He reached out and affectionately stroked her hair, ruffling it slightly.
"Won't you tell me why you aren't as cheerful as usual?" he asked. Her face fell and she closed her eyes; he patted her hair again. "I understand," he said. "Then I won't ask." He withdrew his hand and she clenched her fists into the fabric of her hakama.
"I'm sorry, Satoru-niisama," she said, staring at his knees.
"You wish to rid yourself of your doubts on your own. If that's what you decide, Hikaru, follow through until the end."
She looked up at him and nodded, feeling relieved that her brother was so supportive of her. "Yes!" she said. Almost as soon as the word had left her lips, she was snatched up into a surprise hug.
"You're not being fair, Satoru-niisan!" said her second brother as he gathered Nova into his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Hikaru, I'm worried about you, too."
"Masaru-niisama," she said, finally smiling, patting his arm obligingly. A third boy came sliding to a halt in front of her and yanked her out of the second's arms.
"I'm worried about cute, little Hikaru, too!" he exclaimed, wrapping her in a bear hug while she flailed in surprise at the suddenness of it all. Releasing her, but still grasping her shoulders, he sniffled dramatically. "If something troubles you, cry on big brother's shoulder!"
"Kakeru-niisama." Looking at the three of them smiling at her, Nova knew that there was no reason to be afraid. She could overcome whatever difficulty she faced, whatever dreams plagued her, as long as she could lean on her brothers' shoulders. "Thank you. Thank you, my dear brothers."
A thought formed unbidden in her mind - "This is all my fault" - and Nova felt herself go limp, dropping to her knees. Her head hung in anguish and shame. "This... this can't be true!" Tears dripped from her chin onto her skirt and her thighs, but she didn't move to brush them away. There was no way to keep track of how long she remained there, still and silent save for the sound of her own heartbeat and an echo the echo of her exclamation. Can't be true! Can't be true! Can't be true... Be true... True, true, true. It occurred to her that she would give anything for that thought, for those words, to disappear forever, but she knew that they won't because it is true, and she'll have to live with the burden of that for the rest of her life, even if she doesn't know what that truth is.
The silence was broken.
Laughter filled the air, but not the pleasant kind: the kind that made your skin crawl, that made you want to hide for fear. Nova lifted her head with a start, straining to see who was there with her in the dim, star-speckled void.
"The Pillar of Cephiro has been eradicated. The people of this world will soon turn toward darkness." The voice that spoke was female, both deep and smooth and laced with menace. Jumping to her feet, Nova could make out a towering, shadowy silhouette. Her gaze was captured by its glowing red eyes. There was another peal of laughter.
"Who-- who are you?" Nova asked, balling her fists. Whoever she was, the shadow-woman's words were washing away Nova's bitter sadness, replacing it with alarm and indignation.
"Soon, everything will fall to extinction," the woman said, ignoring Nova's question. "Everything will disappear. Not just Cephiro; every world will become mine." She laughed once more, and Nova could see another small, black figure emerge from the much larger shadow. Only, this one looked familiar. It looked almost like... herself? Before she could react, the shadow warped and twisted, growing and growing, stretching out to envelop her in its pitch-black folds.
Nova woke with a start, breathing hard and clutching her comforter in a death-grip. Light streamed into her room through shoji windows. "A dream..." It hadn't felt like one. She stood and opened the window, wincing at the bright morning light until her eyes adjusted. A pair of birds chirped and hopped from branch to branch in the tree outside her window. "But that wasn't a dream," she said to herself. "What happened in Cephiro wasn't a dream," she repeated.
Stepping out onto the engawa, she entered a grassy, fenced-in courtyard. Unlike in her dream(?) everything was peaceful here. There was a pond. Trees. Everything here was real. A large brown and white dog trotted up to her and she knelt to pet it, letting it lick her face as she wrapped her arms around its neck. "Good morning, Hikari!" She grinned, wanting to laugh and play with her dog, but the memory of her dream still gave her chills and chased away her smile. "Who was that? Who in the world was that?"
Later, she found herself sitting seiza in a large room. It was silent and still save for the sound of her breathing and the periodic hollow tapping of the bamboo shishi odoshi in the pond outside.
The silence was broken.
She could hear murmuring from the doorway, low and conspiring. It sounded like young men talking to each other, and although Nova couldn't make out exactly what it was they were saying, she had a feeling it was about her. She lifted her head when the sound of padding footsteps approached, and stopped before her. A tall man in dark blue garments stood before her smiling gently. He sat in front of her, taking the same seiza posture. "Satoru-niisama." Her brother. He reached out and affectionately stroked her hair, ruffling it slightly.
"Won't you tell me why you aren't as cheerful as usual?" he asked. Her face fell and she closed her eyes; he patted her hair again. "I understand," he said. "Then I won't ask." He withdrew his hand and she clenched her fists into the fabric of her hakama.
"I'm sorry, Satoru-niisama," she said, staring at his knees.
"You wish to rid yourself of your doubts on your own. If that's what you decide, Hikaru, follow through until the end."
She looked up at him and nodded, feeling relieved that her brother was so supportive of her. "Yes!" she said. Almost as soon as the word had left her lips, she was snatched up into a surprise hug.
"You're not being fair, Satoru-niisan!" said her second brother as he gathered Nova into his arms and rested his chin on her shoulder. "Hikaru, I'm worried about you, too."
"Masaru-niisama," she said, finally smiling, patting his arm obligingly. A third boy came sliding to a halt in front of her and yanked her out of the second's arms.
"I'm worried about cute, little Hikaru, too!" he exclaimed, wrapping her in a bear hug while she flailed in surprise at the suddenness of it all. Releasing her, but still grasping her shoulders, he sniffled dramatically. "If something troubles you, cry on big brother's shoulder!"
"Kakeru-niisama." Looking at the three of them smiling at her, Nova knew that there was no reason to be afraid. She could overcome whatever difficulty she faced, whatever dreams plagued her, as long as she could lean on her brothers' shoulders. "Thank you. Thank you, my dear brothers."