All her life she never feared death. Always for her there would be tomorrow and the day after, but only until the story reached a sudden stop and there was no ‘resume’ button to press. With all her love seized by a mere human, flawed and damaged, came a gruesome countdown to her unforeseen demise. No pitch of honor from his dart was free. Before her warrant’s sealed, he gave a fatal wound far beyond the doctors’ skill to cure. And through the end, like a shot from behind, time was no longer her casual acquaintance but instead what was leading her steadily onward whether her feet wanted to follow or not.
All three dogs sat patient, good, and thoughtful after the vigorous barking throughout the knocking of the door. A solemn peacefulness seemed to reign. An air of calmness and resignation — of gentle sadness, pervaded the room once she was faced with strangers that seemed to bring a sorrowful energy.
Jennie watched the officer’s lips moving, and she could see the words taking shape. It was as if spoken in a language she could hear but cannot translate. Heart drenched in paralyzing fear, everything became a blur of denial. Numb. The voices fade, not a thing around her could be felt. Not the wind, not the warmth rubbed in by fur on her feet. She could only nod as the figures shifting in front of her continued to hold forth grievous tidings; none of which was being absorbed by the female in that moment.
Only when she was handed the friend’s belongings and a dog crate that she pays attention, doleful eyes that struggled to move beheld what it carried. What a painful reminder, but better than nothing at all. As soon as the door shuts behind her, she freed her hands and sets down the crate, opening its tiny gate to let out the new member of the canine family which she gives a pat on the head, comforting as possible. Her new child, perhaps, though much like her late owner, he seemed aloof and languid, even lifeless. Yet one could say the same about herself.
Throat dry, she felt the anger that throbbed and coursed inside of her trickle to no more than an ache in her chest at least at the sight of the toy poodle, the only remaining reminder of the period that Jisoo was present for in the younger’s life. Almost like a skeleton in the closet, she kept the trouble to herself. She knew no one to call. They hadn’t any common friend to share this pain, no arms to wrap her tight at her worst. Especially not Jisoo’s, who was the person to ease that longing the most. And even if she did, she didn’t want such a shameful state for anyone to witness.
In grief, it was a love that had no place to go, for the bearer of the tender memories’ other half has left once and for all, and she was denied of a second chance. Not a last farewell, or an apology for her final moments with the absence of her confidante.
The ice has shattered. It shows many reflections, but which was her own? The snow is red, but not by her blood was it stained. The spark in her eyes extinguished, everything turned dismal when tears finally rolled down her cheeks and she’s left with a keening soul; double the pain with its attached equivalent to bode its time for the news to unveil itself upon the arrival that has been waiting to come, but was too late for a reunion.
“There is a savage beast in every man, and when you hand that man a sword or spear and send him forth to war, the beast stirs.”
"Your hopes have become my burden. I will find my own liberation.”
Since Arabella was orphaned, she had lived with Adam as if he was family. He wasn’t much older than her but beyond a big brother, he acted as a role model alike to a father. They only lived by a few rules. They never stole money. It was the only thing in the world that was inherently useless at best, and would make them a target at worst. Arabella came into a comfortable inheritance. She had no reason to ask for more. They only took what they needed, no more than that. And for her, she was satisfied with just scraps of metal, tools she can use to tinker as she would somehow declare she’ll have her own naval artillery in the future although she was trained better with swords and in close combat.
It was all she wanted and needed besides food which was accessible either way, and of course, Adam. And so most importantly, they would never separate. She didn’t know in particular but something about him has changed. He told her that he was done sulking around in the shadows but she never understood why he’d say such a thing or what it actually meant.
Truth to be told, his past was kept a secret to Arabella. He’s tried telling but the anguish would be visible through his eyes each time. She respected his position. She had her own secrets, too. For one, Adam knew nothing of her travels to the other world. She couldn’t afford giving him any ideas. Unlike her, he wasn’t very lawful. Many times he was blinded by greed. It was a place for mere exploration and she didn’t want that outlet of hers ruined. But this became the reason of the distance that grew between them over time.
The skies were smothered with the thick blackness of the morning sky, crying its puddles and rivers on the soil of the forest and the paved track ways of the grounds against the face of the mountain. The sun struggled to peer through the dark clouds, continuing its search to find a way to end the dreary weather. The heavy downpour battered the earth with its needle of aqua, and the puddles kept spreading. “It’s time,” he said in a brusque tone, picking himself up to his full height after jumping down the bottom wagon. “Just follow my lead.” He continued, rolling to the underside of the roof.
Arabella thought the cargo to be of weapons looted from battlefields but she was cornered before she could follow down to see for herself. A group of mercenaries came charging at them suddenly and she was lost by then. A few of them had managed to get on board while some stayed off with either horses racing with the vehicle or steady on the ground with hand cannons pointing at them. “How did they know we were coming?!” She yelled, falling on two feet after taking a flying leap at two enemies mean while deflecting projectiles with the Caper Sheet, her very own creation, in its dual form of both the blade and the sheath; a scowl took over her countenance as she’d been answered with nothing but a maniacal laughter.
She had no idea what he was doing down there with the weapons yet she continued to fight, on her own, and stayed calm as much as possible in the process. In full speed she ran and jumped from canvas covers to the other as she slices through a line of men with just her weapon’s sheath whilst swinging its deadlier part, the blade, with the black ribbons wrapped around her arm, slashing opponents in startling speed. Using the ribbons from the other arm, she fastened the end to the opposite side of the roof, leaping mid-air as the sword of the Sheet folds into a double-edged sickle and slitting a soldier’s throat from behind as she landed while the gun shoots at another who stood on the side.
The wagons shook. More artillery fire. Outside were beasts disturbed by the gunfire and explosions both parties have caused. It was double the work for the two of them, or more her, since he’s practically doing his own thing and she couldn’t afford to be distracted. It didn’t bother her. The quicker she took out those that looked like the leaders she ran into, the quicker they’d be to fall into disarray. She was pouring gunfire at the enemy who’d taken cover behind some rubble. A couple of the grotesque creatures targeted the assailants. Although Arabella in action was a sight to behold, the noises they made attracted the attention of the beasts’ more.
She didn’t fuss about using her pistol anymore. Instead, she unpinned a grenade and threw it right into the middle of the enemy soldiers; some perks for visiting a modern world only she could easily access to. Half of them didn’t even notice. The half that did notice were caught between staying behind cover and getting blown up. It barely mattered. The grenade killed at least half a dozen of them, and Arabella picked off several more from above, sending the remainder scrambling for more cover. It made them easy targets for the female but before she could stand proud and relish in her victory, she was caught off-guard with a simple bash of a slab of metal on her head. Whatever it was they’d use had her seeing stars.
Her gaze faces down to see her feet stepping on a pool of blood. She panicked, fell down on her knees and soon her upper body finds its place knocked down on the same spot. Her fingers stroked over her hair, trailing for where the blood was gushing from, but she’d realize then it wasn’t hers but just a collective of the many men she had taken down. A shadow casts over her and she’d seen a pair of legs in front of her. “Adam?” said Arabella, her voice faint but hopeful. The mercenary grinned, a barrel of gun pointing at her face once she looked up. She forced herself to look daggers at him, she’s not one to make it easy.
“Go ahead and try,” her eyes filled with rage urges the man to squeeze the trigger, but he wasn’t fast enough as another figure of tall stature stormed at him, slashing through his body. As the lifeless body fell forward, Adam came to view and a smile appeared on her face but not a hand, not even a glance was given back. He was just in place, waiting for more to attack and in his hand was another weapon she hadn’t seen in her life. Eyebrows furrowed and soon she’d be glaring at it, scrutinizing his negligent actions for something they hadn’t discussed with each other. But she knew he would only argue that she didn’t need help as he claims she was invincible.
Though half of his face was covered by a mask of off-white with red, Japanese flame-like symbols decorating the front, brown beast-like-ear pieces of cloth on the top of both, he seemed calm. His lips spread firm across his face. Two slits on each side of the mask allowed his vision, and Arabella could see his eyes. They were terrible. Even in a bit of a blur, she could see fury in them. It was like staring into an inferno, one that was only moments from lashing out and consuming everything around it. She shivered. She hadn’t pictured the day it’ll ever come but unknowingly, she was terrified of her own mentor.
“I took some of the gunpowder you keep from me. The rest of the wagons should blow up soon.” He said in a lowly voice and it was then that she’d hear voices of people, crying out for help. In shock, her mouth gaped and eyes widened. Arabella looked back at him, fighting to keep her universe together. She felt betrayed. He seemed relaxed while she was all but. He gripped at her wrist in attempt to keep her from what was rightful to do and so she gave him a punch in the gut, arm slamming his head to the ground and causing it to snap but just enough to keep him knocked out for a bit. She couldn’t bring herself to kill him, whatever the reason could be. She ran quickly towards the voices, one by one taking the civilians to the first wagon while the male stayed down.
Arabella was sure she’s disappointed but she did not know what she feared. Was it because of the mere fact that he’s turned into a monster, unfamiliar to her, or that he was a monster that’ll drag her with him to pursue his evil endeavors? He had a nearly uncontrollable, trance-like fury. This is something she’s acquired herself through training with Adam. But unlike her, he seemed to have a feeling of exhilaration in every execution.
At some point, she felt something vaguely akin to joy alongside the bearer of cruelty and she wasn’t quick to realize it herself. Battle through battle was an endless victory and the more she fought, the more sure she felt. Yet later, she finds no real accomplishment from this. She was following blindly, is what it had been all along. She turned her back on her own beliefs of justice and she’d realized her efforts have been against her principles. Nobility, she’s lost it but as her own person, she believed she could still turn back and she had time. She jumped over, leaping her way to the top wagon and watched him follow. Her fists tightened at the sight of him across the other wooden trailer.
She was more dismayed than angry. She closed her eyes, eyebrows knitted together as she turned her head away, tears welling up under her eyes that the pouring of the rain concealed. She could only be in a moment of silence to drown out the regret she knew she was about to face. As her eyes opened once again, she mouthed a painful ‘goodbye’ before slicing up the links and riding off, leaving him, her mentor, to wrap up his schemes on his own. She watched the explosions blow up, hands curling into fists once more before turning her back. “He’ll be alright.” She muttered under her breath, trying to convince herself she’s okay.
And it was after that incident that she’d decided to leave the town on a quest of her own, not sure what for, but she was set on finding Astrina through the portal she’d kept hidden. Perhaps she could help her rebuild her faith on people and understand if trust is truly something to believe in.
Another visit to the bizarre world has given us new reports stating the possibility that we might be superior to their kind. Apparently, inhabitants of the other world aren’t able to see us! Don’t waste time trying to talk to them because you’ll be talking to thin air instead. Not just that, their method of magic consists of fooling a crowd of people with acts such as slicing a person or turning cloth into living creatures, over-exhausting some of our favorites like doves and rabbits. Atrocious!
In on the yay side of things, our informant stated that its nation’s people seemed to be more mechanically inclined, therefore the warrior herself classifies them as tinkerers. The former pitch black spectacle, for one, has been found to serve as a shield for the eyes against the sun. In which case, the government of Castaway Cove started to forge these products for their residents. The regulation of rule and law now requires that every citizen, including visitors, should wear them along with the proper outfit of the bathing suits.
On that note, it is to be expected that more tidings come in the following days as our monitor records tickers in another venture into the mysterious gates of white and onto the other world. Stay tuned!
“Catastrophe may strike even the best regulated families. Of course, one family’s disaster may be another family’s opportunity. And same goes for a surviving family member.”
She’d been kept anonymous in the daily bulletin for reasons unknown to all and although it was as simple as her being not as legitimate as people think her to be, her reputation was one to be upheld in behalf of her late family.
Throughout her childhood, she’d been the butt of the jokes for her given name. She wasn’t the most feminine of all but it suggests otherwise. Arabella’s clan, the Knights, were comprised of a line of fearsome mercenaries who live up to their duties. As a girl, Arabella had always dreamed of being like them. She hadn’t known firsthand what they do as, being the youngest, she was kept in the comforts of home whenever they’d gone to war; all of them, even the brothers and sisters who lived in the springtime of their sentience.
One by one they passed on, leaving her the only Knight left. But it didn’t discourage the hopeful girl who was once the little sister of all. In her lonesomeness, the young Arabella grew fond of books, as those were the only things that kept her company. She’d indulge herself in the stories she read, particularly the ones that talked about the condottieri.
For years, she admired what her family did but one thing didn’t align with the rest of her kin. Her views differed from theirs. Arabella has a strong sense of moral justice. Not that her family didn’t, but unlike them she wanted to serve her country. The stories she had read were those that gave her the ideals that she wished to live by and uphold throughout her life. She wanted to live and die with a cause.
She spent her childhood training. Other kids would have gone to an academy, but she only needed a little push and her mentor, Adam, to stand by her. The rest of the necessary knowledge she had acquired were all from the self-studying she had done when she wasn’t learning how to kick some butts. Perhaps it was the natural borne talent of the Knights but it wasn’t hard for Arabella to pick up on the laws of combat.
Living in such a routine, however, was the reason for the lack of social grace the young lady had. Though she wasn’t exactly what one would call timid, as for the good social skills she seemed to possess, she had a hard time meeting new people. She could have gotten herself many friends with her enthusiastic personality, but she was sorted out. She was different.
She was fortunate, regardless, for being seen as a friend by the creatures of the forest. There was a nymph, in particular, who became a confidant of her conundrums. Like the child she still was, she kept her secrets close. In her own keeping, she worked on things not a single soul from the connecting towns knew about. Items she had compiled from the other world, she would bring back, maneuver and construct, arranging it to her own craft. Even her own weapon was an outcome of her unorthodox mind.
And it was the same mind that thought of having the mystery of her travels kept safe with Astrina besides herself, for she knew people would render her a fraud. A mere good for nothing, lying knave which would defeat her purpose and have her family’s death in vain.
The world you see before you is not the only world in existence. There are others, and only the wizards who have mastered the spell that bridges these worlds are able to visit there. The noble warrior who remains unnamed, however, was somehow lucky to have managed visiting the mysterious world without performing magic and first to ever come back to tell the tale.
The warrior talks of the strange things she had seen – the clothes in particular. She was able to bring back items, one being a pair of spectacles that were pitch black! No one has yet ascertained what purpose they are supposed to serve.
More of her claims were noted to have witnessed young men applying a peculiar gelatinous substance to their hair, making their heads look somewhat similar to the posterior creature of the aves genus. Apparently, the warrior had tried to use the same substance to make her hair stand on end, as though she had been struck by lighting. This styling would appear to serve no practical purpose, though as observed by the warrior, coiffured men were delighted from the heightened attention from their female counterparts in each use of this substance.
The most obscure of all things reported, however, was how she had seen a person that looked exactly like her; and some others! Including the king but in a furry creature much smaller than him, the supreme sage who had mustache curled on its edges, and her own friends covered in clothing that seemed inappropriately clad. It was further reported that she had seen an enormous snake in the other world, puffing clouds of smoke, running along a strange metal path among many others. Still more disconcerting was the fact that the snake seemed to have swallowed a bellyful of people, one of whom looked exactly like the governor. The governor naturally assumed he was hallucinating and concluded that he must be ill – though he was in fact entirely healthy, and is still strong to this day.
At present, the warrior still continues on her strife to obtain more information about this world but it had been informed to your dear publishers that the risks had been higher. Therefore, the need of magic is a must. Soon enough, if it is to be confirmed that the safety of our people, a possibility for mass visits is not far fetched.
Things have been none too rosy for the young lady as of late. With their supposed debut underway, sleep was nothing but a luxury. Not even a blink did she allow herself – indeed, it was on her accord. She, herself, was far more harsh than those who’d promised a future for her. But she hadn’t any choice for the path she’s chosen to walk on. Yet she blamed no one. She believes herself to be the one putting upon her own a burden she had imagined to take on ever since; and it held true the harder she worked.
The perils of this encouraged vision was reflected through her loss of weight. Their upcoming debut had been one huge tremor that shook her whole universe and yet nothing was set in stone. Years of uncertainty and there she was, with her fellow female trainees, just about to prepare themselves for a bumpy ride. A single mistake and it was possible for them to kiss their sorry behinds goodbye.
Halfway to the year and plenty of groups have been fortunate to have their share of fame. Even some of her closest friends from their friendly rivalry company has had an opportunity to showcase themselves to the public, though it wasn’t a method Jennie wished to go through for herself and the rest of her group whom she’s treated as sisters.
Behind the scenes, they’d experienced an equal – if not worse – relentless battle amongst their competitive selves. What was shown to the world was mere child’s play. Apart from the injustice of the system’s way of secrecy, it was a lowly way of publicity in her point of view. For one so young to be cruelly judged by the masses, she knew very well of this and in which was the same reason she’d managed to survive. Her motivation being her own expectations. A shy kid at start bloomed into a graceful woman with abilities that impressed authorities, yet somehow it was lacking.
What did it take for her to fulfill this dream? Perhaps it was too much of a wish to bring along her beloved friends in her success or perhaps it was simply meant to be a constant struggle. Whichever the answer was, she has yet to fully understand and for the remainder of her teenage years, she’d have to spend figuring out with hope to cling unto and the courage of a warrior’s she so ever greatly possessed. There were no guarantees but with the anticipation that never wavered, guidance without a taint of greed; it was all she needed more.