Nocturnaliss

Wheezing, hand at his pounding throat, Ario stood on shaking legs while the shouter's hatred bore into him. It permeated the air like thick fog, suffocating, malicious. Well, perhaps malicious wasn't the correct definition for the muddy, boiling heat clogging his throat, but then Ario had never before felt hatred like this. Like it possessed a life of its own. "That's ridiculous," he told himself, scoffing out the idea to clear up his throat. Emotions were owned, they did not own; although, this growing hatred was sure doing its damnedest to drill itself a searing hole into his chest now. The last time he'd felt anything remotely close to this hatred, he'd been a rambunctious kid. Ario remembered all too clearly his teacher's flushed face, his deep yelling, his excessive spitting, all because he'd broken a jar full of preserved wida embryos. He remembered the beating that had ensued, and shivered. "I shouldn't be thinking about all this," he told himself with a sigh

Wiping spit from his lips, Ario set his sights on the cloaked traveler standing by the prow, on the swirl of grief and sorrow that, as he approached, only grew louder, heavier. Sickening. Suddenly, Ario felt his stomach churn; he gagged, and rushed to the nearest railing, immediately bending over and throwing up what had to be the remains of his breakfast. Ario heaved for a while, until chunky sourness became bile and his legs started to give way. Panting, he let himself slide along the railing and onto his knees, head plopping against it. He set a shaking hand at his throat, fingers pressing against the thickest vein he could find. Pounding; loud, laboured pounding that echoed the dry, itchy rasp in his breath. He stretched out his fingers to knead his throat, hoping the growing weight in his chest meant his stomach was settling down. Ario sighed. This was definitely not the way he imagined his fantastic journey would begin. "Are you alright?" Startled, Ario

Made possible with the support of Patrons on Patreon. Selessannea screamed. Beneath cradling fingers, flesh and skin ruptured; a terrible warmth spilled into her dress and hollowed her mind. She took short breaths and braced herself for the next contraction, back arching against the wall as she felt pain thrashing its way down her distending belly. Selessannea screamed, and her heart strained; she winced as the magic within her veins jittered and burned. With every swell of flesh, her head pounded, her throat knotted tighter. And, instinctively, she cradled her forming daughter even closer. A chuckle caught in her throat. How terrible a realization it felt, finally understanding the reasons her malia, Nefahtil, had rejected Daeron, the man she had fallen in love with. Her malia must have seen this day coming. Selessannea's smile turned bittersweet. Tears flooded her cheeks as she recalled the soft, gentle coldness Daeron had embraced her with during their few years

She cries out, her voice lost to the darkness that surrounds her. She shouts louder, the shadows in the dark laughing. Here within nowhere, her yells are silently deafening. She reaches out to those shadows, but finds no hands welcoming her. She flings her hands out, desperate like a sparrow, only for eagle's claws to strike her down. In the distance, light appears. She sets forth towards salvation, her feet dragging through the muck of blackness. She struggles and wades; stumbling into the blanket of night, darkness all she can breathe. Enough, she knows. With a final beat she kneels, surrendering to fate, and the darkness quivers its welcome. She closes her eyes, and slowly the dark seems to fade… And oblivion swallows her.

Hold me in your bright embrace Oh Holy Creator of Flames and Scales Within this darkness, lost, I wander Fearing never to glimpse again your mighty splendor Yet it takes mere words for me to contemplate For me to feel, to hear, to brush against your fate And in the symphony of silence and dreams Again I float towards your grace, it seems In nomine Draco, gold upon the rainbow dark I set myself down, grant you my heart There is no greater force than Fire And within Fire, Life itself I admire

Made possible with the support of Patrons on Patreon. Finally! The grand day was upon him! As Ario breathed in deep the fresh morning air of Port Sabeto, his heart swelled with pride and excitement. A few more hours – just a couple more hours, and he would board the Oroi, a sea-bound ship headed for the greatest adventure of all: The other side of the world. Ario giggled to himself and hopped down the streets, unable to contain his exhilaration at the prospect of discovering a whole new land, strange new creatures and people, disturbing cultures that he, failed researcher in the science-driven society of Rao, would be first to study and document and— "Watch where yer going, Yosai!" With a gasp Ario was flattened face-first against the nearest wall, a forceful hand pressing him against stone and grime as its owner stomped past. He didn't wait to peel himself off the wall, mumbling an insult back, soon to bite his tongue as he realized what kind of

Made possible with the support of Patrons on Patreon. Death watched, tranquil like the wind rocking the waves down upon the shore. Screams. Memories. Recollections of those lost at sea – lost forever, as Death never was one to tread upon the vast expanses of liquid treachery. However, Death was not one to shirk Her duties. Lost as the deep seafarers became to Her, those mortals who subsisted on the bounties of the coastline remained within Her grasp. For no reason she could think of, Death glanced up towards the fiery blues of twilight mirroring the clear waters below. She took a couple of steps forward and halted cleanly at the edge of the promontory. Down below, Death saw the windswept, corroded corpse of a Human, its torn dress partially submerged by the waves. Several meters away stood its disoriented soul. As soon as the soul spotted Her, it vanished. As Death prepared to pursue the fugitive into the Otherrealm, a cry aimed at Her presence disrupted