In a field of flowers, she lays, surrounded by white chrysanthemums and purple hyacinths, her blood staining their beauty and the blade plunged into her chest, an imposing sight. No tombstone, just her corpse warning those who approach the field.
He didn’t even get to say goodbye to her. When Talin returned from his errand run, the villagers came running to him, becoming the bearers of bad news. He was whisked onto a ship, nothing but the clothes on his back and spare change from the savings of the villagers. From a boat to a train, the golden spires of Aurelia greeted him and welcomed him in that same gold, but really, it felt like he was sent to his death. To the same place where Aurelia held dominion, where he too could face the same fate as his dear mother, and be under the same harsh sun.
“Out of the way!” The illusion shatters. Talin snapped out of his daze and turned towards the commotion. Something out of a child’s nightmares zips past him, a blur of black and gold rushes towards the amalgamation, hot on its heels. The entity’s shape constantly changes, tearing through the crowd like a wave crashing against the rocks. It becomes a blob, running on the metal sidewalk and dodging past people’s feet, before taking the shape of a human. Talin looks left and right, watching as the people simply pass by as this nightmare comes to life, paying it no mind.
‘This place is definitely not what was advertised.’ Talin thought. He looks left and right, seeing the ocean of people continue to walk, paying no mind to the two running through the street, and seeing the entity and the person in black and gold exchange blows. He squeezes his hands, bites his already bruised lip and curses under his breath. He betrays his common sense; to run and forget about this event and take the next train out of Aurelia, and instead does what only a fool would do: he runs through the crowd to catch up with the two mysterious people. The crowd parts for him like the red sea. Talin races towards the blob now with no shape and sees it with more clarity. It had no form now, just an amalgamation with a creepy smile, stretching from one side to the other. The person who raced through the crowd like lightning stands facing it, almost shielding Talin. A blade gleams at her left side, gripped tightly in her hand. It’s hilt wrapped in a black cloth with strands of gold, a sun charm hanging off the end. Talin begins to regret his decision at this moment. In his head, he thought it would be simple; catch this blob-like thing, get praise from everyone, then he would disregard his plan of leaving with his tail between his legs. But standing here he realizes that he’s just put himself into a rabbit hole he will not be able to get out of.
Aurelia: Daffodil