ShopDreamUp AI ArtDreamUp
Deviation Actions
Literature Text
Chapter 24
Blurred flames crept closer. They wouldn't come into focus. Heat, intense heat
from those flames... No, not from them. The heat radiated from his chest. He knew he was
screaming. He could feel his throat stinging, already raw from the smoke. He couldn't
hear his own screams. There was another source of heat, and it seemed to engulf his head.
Not fire. He wanted to move, to roll and writhe on the ground, but he couldn't.
It was only shock.
Just in shock.
In shock because he was bruised and beaten.
In shock because he had lost too much blood.
In shock because he was in the process of dying.
Shock was all it was.
It was so swelteringly hot. Why wouldn't someone stop the heat? Didn't anyone
understand that he was burning inside and out?
Then hands grabbed him. He begged, "No more, please!" but not a sound came out.
As if being pushed out of the ocean by a crashing wave, Thane catapulted upright
in bed. He clutched his chest, breathing raggedly and his heart hammering frantically
against his ribs. He tore the covers off and staggered across the room to the door and
flung it open.
"Mias!" He shouted down the hall hoarsely. Closing in on the door to Mias's room,
Thane stopped short, ready to knock. He had forgotten... Mias was not here. Some Ghoul
had dragged Mias off. He cursed quietly to himself. This was not good.
Without remembering his path, Thane found himself flying down the last few steps
of the staircase, and again, before he knew it, he was standing in front of the fireplace
in the sitting room. His hands shook as he worked to spark the tinder. Finally, a small
flame came to life and he urged it to grow.
"Just like Mias did," Thane whispered to himself. "It will be okay... Just face
your fear..." He sat on the lounge, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers and his
elbows on his knees. He gazed into the flames, allowing himself to become nearly
hypnotized by their dance. Thane's anxiety, however, was not fading. Watching the
crackling fire, he progressively became more and more furious.
"Why did you save me? Why didn't you just leave me to die?" Thane growled.
(¯`·-..·..-·´¯)
"Mias," Elle said the name. This face so like Elias's stirred stronger emotion
than she held for Elias. The painting practically stared down at her, smug yet familiar.
There were memories that seemed to be trying to surface, but they seemed so detached and
fuzzy. She had been talking to him. Their surroundings were blank, as if they had been
cut out altogether. She remembered a few of the words he was saying...
Killed her...
Markings...
Murderer...
Elle remembered Mias walking away when the memory went completely blank. Then
another one rose to the surface, a short one, but it was clearer. Mias was staring at her
as if apologizing, but something changed his demeanor and he was livid – and yet in his
eyes Elle remembered seeing a deep hurt, an indescribable pain. He was shouting.
Let her go!
She remembered his voice sounding so strained, desperate, and pleading. It was
the complete opposite of the personality that this painting portrayed. But Elle knew that
this utterly different side wasn't revealed to just anyone. She swallowed hard and
inhaled a shaky breath.
What did the truth behind these vague memories hold for her? What had happened
before she lost her memories? Who was she before?
(¯`·-..·..-·´¯)
"Fyga ib, cmaabo rayt..."
Breathing sharply as he awoke, Mias tried to sit up to see where the voice came
from, but he was knocked back to the ground from the sharp pain that seemed to plague his
whole body.
"Lynavim!" A woman's voice spoke again in the same foreign tongue, "Tu hud suja
cu xielgmo. Oui haat du raym."
Mias groaned, "I don't... I don't understand," Footsteps came closer and a woman
kneeled beside Mias and pressed a cool cloth against his forehead. His eyes slid over to
get a good look at her. She was a young woman with soft features. Her auburn hair seemed
to be coiled and held in a pearled net; her ears were elongated at the top and stretched
to a point, and her eyes were a curious shade of green – nearly the same as the tart
green apples sold at market.
"Cunno. Excuse me. Is this better?" The woman had a slight accent.
Mias ignored the question, "Where am I?"
She smiled, "You are inside your father's Estate. You arrived on a Ghoul's back.
Do you not remember?"
"I was unconscious, so forgive me if I don't." Mias answered sourly. He eyed her
again, "Who are you?"
"Fryd ec drec? Were you not expecting me?" Her eyebrows furrowed and she took the
cloth from his forehead.
"What? No, just answer my question." Mias paused and waved a hand, "No, never
mind. Just send in my father."
"Hmph," She huffed and stood. She seemed to glide across the room, barely bobbing
when she took her steps – a technique of walking that was only seen in the highest class
of women. Walking across the threshold, she swiftly slammed the door behind her.
Mias shook his head and sat up. His shoulder had been popped back into place and
all of his injuries healed, but the aches and bruises still remained. Leadbury was quite
the brute and Mias knew he had slipped up in his attempts to defend himself – his first
one being how far he wondered away from Tovi and Atlas. There was no telling what
happened to them. Mias felt sick and heavy from having let Tovi down. Mias had left him
to the dangers of the world all alone. Mias's head snapped up as the door creaked open.
"Ah, Leadbury did a fine job. He has not let me down yet." Scercias's mouth
stretched into a smile, a wide and uncharacteristic one.
"Like a mouse in a trap. Happy?" Mias asked flatly.
"Ecstatic." Scercias's expression dropped and he raised an eyebrow, "You'd do
best to forget about the peasant you brought here. I know you disguised her, but did you
really expect me to be fooled so easily?" A bark of laughter escaped Mias's mouth and his
father shot him a glare.
"You were fooled up until Elias told you, Old Man. Don't act as if you knew all
along." Mias reprimanded, "Face it, you've been losing your touch." Instantly, Mias was
thrown against the stone wall by black flames, and his neck held tightly by an unseen force.
"Losing my touch, am I? You don't seem in much of a position to accuse me,
Mathias." Mias raised his hands slowly, signaling surrender, and his father let the magic
ebb away. "However, I must do what is needed for the family. I need a suitable heir."
"I would be honored. If only I hadn't killed—"
"SILENCE!" Scercias snapped, eyes wide in warning. "Were you raised to disrespect
your own father?" Mias knew it was rhetorical, but had to bite his tongue.
"I am exiled. It hardly makes sense that you've allowed me in the Estate."
"It is a special occasion, and one that could not be had without you." Scercias
explained. Mias's eyebrows became knitted in confusion. "It is the opportunity to negate
your state of exile."
"How?" Mias asked without really caring to know in the first place. For the most
part, Mias had lived a rather peaceful and carefree existence without constant
interference from his father and older brothers. He had grown comfortable with his life
and his ability to be carefree.
"I have found a wife for you." Scercias answered, smirking. He opened the door
and Eyra stepped back into the room. He gestured to Eyra and added, "A proper wife."
"Sywym duj," Eyra said in her native tongue.
"What?" Mias asked exasperatedly.
"It means congratulations." Eyra rolled her eyes.
"Not you," Mias said, waving off Eyra, "You!" He pointed to his father.
"You are to marry this young woman and become the rightful heir to our family.
Eyra is the first-born daughter to the Emperor of the Nightlands. Together, you will make
your families more powerful that we could all imagine." Scercias placed his hands on
Eyra's shoulders. Eyra's mouth curved into a smile as she stared down at Mias.
"And if I refuse?"
Eyra's face dropped and Scercias's lips curled into a sneer, "My son, I am afraid
you have no option to refuse."
Mias let out a shaky breath, "Well father, I refuse."
Blurred flames crept closer. They wouldn't come into focus. Heat, intense heat
from those flames... No, not from them. The heat radiated from his chest. He knew he was
screaming. He could feel his throat stinging, already raw from the smoke. He couldn't
hear his own screams. There was another source of heat, and it seemed to engulf his head.
Not fire. He wanted to move, to roll and writhe on the ground, but he couldn't.
It was only shock.
Just in shock.
In shock because he was bruised and beaten.
In shock because he had lost too much blood.
In shock because he was in the process of dying.
Shock was all it was.
It was so swelteringly hot. Why wouldn't someone stop the heat? Didn't anyone
understand that he was burning inside and out?
Then hands grabbed him. He begged, "No more, please!" but not a sound came out.
As if being pushed out of the ocean by a crashing wave, Thane catapulted upright
in bed. He clutched his chest, breathing raggedly and his heart hammering frantically
against his ribs. He tore the covers off and staggered across the room to the door and
flung it open.
"Mias!" He shouted down the hall hoarsely. Closing in on the door to Mias's room,
Thane stopped short, ready to knock. He had forgotten... Mias was not here. Some Ghoul
had dragged Mias off. He cursed quietly to himself. This was not good.
Without remembering his path, Thane found himself flying down the last few steps
of the staircase, and again, before he knew it, he was standing in front of the fireplace
in the sitting room. His hands shook as he worked to spark the tinder. Finally, a small
flame came to life and he urged it to grow.
"Just like Mias did," Thane whispered to himself. "It will be okay... Just face
your fear..." He sat on the lounge, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers and his
elbows on his knees. He gazed into the flames, allowing himself to become nearly
hypnotized by their dance. Thane's anxiety, however, was not fading. Watching the
crackling fire, he progressively became more and more furious.
"Why did you save me? Why didn't you just leave me to die?" Thane growled.
(¯`·-..·..-·´¯)
"Mias," Elle said the name. This face so like Elias's stirred stronger emotion
than she held for Elias. The painting practically stared down at her, smug yet familiar.
There were memories that seemed to be trying to surface, but they seemed so detached and
fuzzy. She had been talking to him. Their surroundings were blank, as if they had been
cut out altogether. She remembered a few of the words he was saying...
Killed her...
Markings...
Murderer...
Elle remembered Mias walking away when the memory went completely blank. Then
another one rose to the surface, a short one, but it was clearer. Mias was staring at her
as if apologizing, but something changed his demeanor and he was livid – and yet in his
eyes Elle remembered seeing a deep hurt, an indescribable pain. He was shouting.
Let her go!
She remembered his voice sounding so strained, desperate, and pleading. It was
the complete opposite of the personality that this painting portrayed. But Elle knew that
this utterly different side wasn't revealed to just anyone. She swallowed hard and
inhaled a shaky breath.
What did the truth behind these vague memories hold for her? What had happened
before she lost her memories? Who was she before?
(¯`·-..·..-·´¯)
"Fyga ib, cmaabo rayt..."
Breathing sharply as he awoke, Mias tried to sit up to see where the voice came
from, but he was knocked back to the ground from the sharp pain that seemed to plague his
whole body.
"Lynavim!" A woman's voice spoke again in the same foreign tongue, "Tu hud suja
cu xielgmo. Oui haat du raym."
Mias groaned, "I don't... I don't understand," Footsteps came closer and a woman
kneeled beside Mias and pressed a cool cloth against his forehead. His eyes slid over to
get a good look at her. She was a young woman with soft features. Her auburn hair seemed
to be coiled and held in a pearled net; her ears were elongated at the top and stretched
to a point, and her eyes were a curious shade of green – nearly the same as the tart
green apples sold at market.
"Cunno. Excuse me. Is this better?" The woman had a slight accent.
Mias ignored the question, "Where am I?"
She smiled, "You are inside your father's Estate. You arrived on a Ghoul's back.
Do you not remember?"
"I was unconscious, so forgive me if I don't." Mias answered sourly. He eyed her
again, "Who are you?"
"Fryd ec drec? Were you not expecting me?" Her eyebrows furrowed and she took the
cloth from his forehead.
"What? No, just answer my question." Mias paused and waved a hand, "No, never
mind. Just send in my father."
"Hmph," She huffed and stood. She seemed to glide across the room, barely bobbing
when she took her steps – a technique of walking that was only seen in the highest class
of women. Walking across the threshold, she swiftly slammed the door behind her.
Mias shook his head and sat up. His shoulder had been popped back into place and
all of his injuries healed, but the aches and bruises still remained. Leadbury was quite
the brute and Mias knew he had slipped up in his attempts to defend himself – his first
one being how far he wondered away from Tovi and Atlas. There was no telling what
happened to them. Mias felt sick and heavy from having let Tovi down. Mias had left him
to the dangers of the world all alone. Mias's head snapped up as the door creaked open.
"Ah, Leadbury did a fine job. He has not let me down yet." Scercias's mouth
stretched into a smile, a wide and uncharacteristic one.
"Like a mouse in a trap. Happy?" Mias asked flatly.
"Ecstatic." Scercias's expression dropped and he raised an eyebrow, "You'd do
best to forget about the peasant you brought here. I know you disguised her, but did you
really expect me to be fooled so easily?" A bark of laughter escaped Mias's mouth and his
father shot him a glare.
"You were fooled up until Elias told you, Old Man. Don't act as if you knew all
along." Mias reprimanded, "Face it, you've been losing your touch." Instantly, Mias was
thrown against the stone wall by black flames, and his neck held tightly by an unseen force.
"Losing my touch, am I? You don't seem in much of a position to accuse me,
Mathias." Mias raised his hands slowly, signaling surrender, and his father let the magic
ebb away. "However, I must do what is needed for the family. I need a suitable heir."
"I would be honored. If only I hadn't killed—"
"SILENCE!" Scercias snapped, eyes wide in warning. "Were you raised to disrespect
your own father?" Mias knew it was rhetorical, but had to bite his tongue.
"I am exiled. It hardly makes sense that you've allowed me in the Estate."
"It is a special occasion, and one that could not be had without you." Scercias
explained. Mias's eyebrows became knitted in confusion. "It is the opportunity to negate
your state of exile."
"How?" Mias asked without really caring to know in the first place. For the most
part, Mias had lived a rather peaceful and carefree existence without constant
interference from his father and older brothers. He had grown comfortable with his life
and his ability to be carefree.
"I have found a wife for you." Scercias answered, smirking. He opened the door
and Eyra stepped back into the room. He gestured to Eyra and added, "A proper wife."
"Sywym duj," Eyra said in her native tongue.
"What?" Mias asked exasperatedly.
"It means congratulations." Eyra rolled her eyes.
"Not you," Mias said, waving off Eyra, "You!" He pointed to his father.
"You are to marry this young woman and become the rightful heir to our family.
Eyra is the first-born daughter to the Emperor of the Nightlands. Together, you will make
your families more powerful that we could all imagine." Scercias placed his hands on
Eyra's shoulders. Eyra's mouth curved into a smile as she stared down at Mias.
"And if I refuse?"
Eyra's face dropped and Scercias's lips curled into a sneer, "My son, I am afraid
you have no option to refuse."
Mias let out a shaky breath, "Well father, I refuse."
Suggested Collections
Featured in Groups
←Previous ⁞⁞⁞ Next→
The first weekend of October and it's 45 degrees!
I'm all curled up with warm blankets and I finally got this posted! I had meant to update sooner (like thursday) but then I had class and it was also my boyfriend's 21st birthday so I was the DD. It's fun to watch my close friends get drunk. XD They so funny!So, it seems Thane is being lured by his inner darkness again, which is why I absolutely adored this contest piece when I saw it:
Even though it didn't win, it did come close and I knew eventually I would be featuring it in a chapter, so it is time!!
This chapter seems short... It reached my 4-page goal, but it still seems short. XD
EYRA! AHHHH! EYRA! I'M SO
Now be honest with me -- I survived an entire game of FFX without knowing what the hell they were saying in Al Bhed... But do I need to put translations in the descriptions?
~Anni
Mias, Elle, and the character "Scercias" belongs to
.Thane, Eyra, and the name "Scercias" belongs to
. © 2012 - 2024 fairygodpiggy
Comments15
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
The drama!! :legasp: