As time went on, Gryce and **** slowly made their way toward the shore, the image of that thing imprinted into his eyes, violating them, twisting every face into a foul chimera of monster and human. A bad omen; they'd been cursed, he was sure of it. Damned until their day of reckoning for even acknowledging that such a thing exists. The eye sees all; this was no exception.
Two pillars soared above the crowd, brandishing a bright flame that began to sway as the wind picked up, as the rolling black carpet of despair washed over King's Talon, and even further out, lightning began to strike. Eventually, it'd reach them; the religious men didn't seem to care much and only continued their usual ritual as if a colossal storm wasn't just behind them. Perhaps they did.
From where they were, the crowd below seemed like tiny little ants, void of any character, just heads bobbing and chanting an indescribable message. In that comparison, Gryce would lump himself into that mix; he was a drone just as all of them, but Eve needed to be different.
Eve was Gryce's daughter; her mother only saw a glimpse of her daughter before passing from blood loss fifteen years ago. The light in her eyes faded immediately after her cries broke through
A tragic yet not uncommon trial that many had to endure on the harsh land of King's Talon. One day, they'd go to Ichemound and forget this horrible place had ever even existed; that was the plan. Now there was a look in her eyes that saw a world no one else could see. The moment she looked into its eyes, the very second, Gryce knew something was wrong. That dream began to fade.
"Eve, are you okay? He tapped her shoulder, and she screamed as if a horrible dream had roused her from sleep. She clutched her chest and would have fallen if Gryce hadn't noticed in time and held her.
"What's going on!"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Gryce turned her face so that she looked at him and held the sides of her head.
"Tell me the truth; it looked at you, didn't it?" Her eyes trained down for a moment, but quickly centered back on him.
"Yes," his heart sank, his stomach.
"Okay…." A storm of thoughts hit him all at once. "Okay… let me think. I… I don't know—maybe we could—I can't," Everything after his next words would decide their fate. That stress, that feeling of the world closing in, his world closing in, was the only thing he could think of. He could handle what came at him, but if anything happened to Eve—he didn't want to think about that. For now, even if it didn't help, they needed to get away from this storm before it hit.
"We're going home," Gryce said, grabbing her wrist, dragging her out of the crowd. She didn't bother holding back as he breached through the side of the crowd and into an open street.
Eve looked up at him, "Dad," she said. I don't want to go home yet".
Gryce kneeled and grabbed her shoulders. "That's fine, wherever you want to go, we'll go. Just tell me where. Are you hungry?" She shook her head.
"Then what?"
"I want to visit mom". Gryce took a deep breath in before responding, squeezing his thigh with all his might.
"Visit mom… yeah, alright, we can do that. Anything you want, honey," his tone went down to a whisper, "anything". Reluctantly they went to the outskirts of town, down a ruined path, paved in sorrow. Somewhere Gryce would always avoid, but not this time, as this was where he'd met her, on that once lonely path sixteen years ago, and for such a little time.
The overpass of trees made a pocket of darkness for an otherwise bright day, as the gray cloud hadn't yet blocked the sun. Branches intertwined above, creating a dome around the surrounding area that, without the path, would make traversing it virtually impossible. If it weren't for the wood burned from the white trees of Paradise, their flames would be the only way to prevent attacks from whatever stalked the forest. In a way, their light was holy, and it was treated as such. Sacred relics that needed to be protected in a material that encased the flame, but still it couldn't prevent that shining white flame, and the person who made them shine brighter than anyone else he'd ever seen.
Her name was Evette, with black hair and milk-white skin just like her daughter. The first time Gryce met her, she was encased in layers upon layers of sweaters that imploded her by two times. She walked like a bulbous monster that had just eaten its prey and was getting ready to sleep. Similarly, her eyes sunken and weak backed the comparison, but ultimately, that's where it would end. When Gryce first met her, she was on her way back, and nothing could hide that pain.
Gryce's family wasn't any different from everybody else's. King's Talon was unbiased on how many family members you'd lose when first conceived, to be born completely alone, the only proof of your heritage being a last name, for which he couldn't find any information on.
Harlington, Harlington, that name, according to the records, the day he was born was the first and last day his mother was in this world. No one knew where she came from and who brought her; frankly, he didn't think anyone had cared to figure that part out. A woman gave birth and died case ended, simple as that. And it was. There was nothing special about that night, only the pain of what to do with the infant baby without a mother.
Even so, she was buried there altogether in death; everybody was equal. The one place no one was alone, they named the cemetery long ago, Company.
He'd seen her periodically as he tended to visit when no one was around, the dangerous times when the flames glowed their brightest. Each time wearing that ridiculous outfit that after five times of seeing it he couldn't help but laugh at the precaution. But even so, at those times, he felt at his lowest; seeing someone so indifferent to the road she walked on made feeling down seem foolish. At some point, he'd stop, and as he thought back, it was the first gift she'd given him. The second was when she spoke to him and changed the course of everything. He could still remember her voice and the flame that illuminated her being. Eve and he were about to pass it. He couldn't take his eyes away from the woman who stood next to the white flame that tilted slightly to the right.
"What was she like?" Eve asked, but Gryce hadn't heard, still lost in thought. "Hey, are you listening!" Eve lightly punched in the side, and he jumped.
"What was that for?" He winced in pain, hoping to make her at least feel a little bad for scaring him, but she wasn't buying it.
"Yeah, yeah, I was asking how Mom was, like you dunce. Stay focused."
Gryce snickered, "Dunce, huh." It was so familiar. "The way you talk, first off. You're just like her when it comes to that, so abrasive. It's a miracle she didn't get punched her entire life, that mouth she has on her…" He smiled, shaking his head. "Your mom might have gotten lucky, but be careful of who you speak to like that; you never know with these people." Gryce took off her beanie and began messing with her hair as she squirmed and begged him to stop, and soon enough, he would, but not before he'd gotten his fill of whines.
After he stopped, she snatched back her hat and shoved it down her face until it just barely covered her eyes. Gryce lifted it just slightly.
"And this is where you met her?" Eve asked.
"Yup, and it was my fault too". He stopped in front of the white flame. "It's bright, isn't it?"
Eve's look of confusion was enough of an answer, but still, she decided that wasn't sufficient. "Of course it's bright, that's the whole point, isn't it?"
"At this point, you're doing it to bother me now." Her emotions were painted across her face; he'd recognized that cheeky smile anytime.
"But yeah, you're right, it's bright now, but have you ever been around here at night?" She shook her head. "Some nights it becomes brighter than the moon itself. That's why another name for them is Moonlights, and on that night, your Mom and I were just lucky enough to be there at the same time when a surge happened right in front of us". He could barely contain his smile as he continued.
"Your dad isn't as graceful as your Mom. I remember almost immediately tripping, and on the way down, I brought her with me. It's why that torch there is like that". He pointed at the semi-broken stand.
"Wow," she stared for a moment, and he half expected her to cry, but, like always, he could never predict the next thing she'd say.
"Mom was pretty big, wasn't she?" Gryce burst into a sudden fit of uncontrollable laughter. Holding his stomach as he wiped, a single tear fell down his cheek.
"The biggest there was." After a moment of gaining back his composure, he crouched in front of her. "But she wasn't just big there, she was also big here…," he pointed at her heart. "Your mom made me this way, and now you're here to make me stay on this path. She saved the best gift for last; don't you ever forget."
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget
Don't you ever forget