Folly & Agendas & Talulah

-[Chapter 55]- "Snake Eyes"

---

The fate of thousands has been decided at the behest of usurpers; the very same mongrels that continue to fly high above our heads, laid the foundations of our societies according to their needs. Upon the chambers of brick, they dig deeper, scour farther, pound harder to vanquish their enemies, and enrich themselves. The past has always been this way; remnants of it lay in the vast corners of the world.

Yet time has shown that all usurpers shall be surpassed by those greater than themselves. Despite all of the machinations laid in place, they cannot control all of the forces of the world. They cannot lay touch the isles of change with their rotten hands. Even the mightiest empire eats away its own spine.

That is where you come in, to guide the people, to bend them to your will; you will fix what they left behind. Make them whole. Restore the empire to its glory days. But I know that you've heard this many times from the descendants of those idealistic cretins. The soldiers in the Imperial Army knows this, and yet they continue to fight, hoping to restore the empire to its former glory as if they are walking in a park. The Hippogryphs believed this too, before the rise of the Ursus peoples, and even they befell the same fate. 

Peering through a vast expanse stood Koshchei, in royal garb, in everlasting sunlight, in stagnant peace. He took a step forward, and tiny ripples expanded from beneath his feet. The ground he stood on was shallow water. Tiny flickers of light rose from the ground like fireflies in a grassy field. But disturbing this peace were filthy chains bound to Koshchei's wrists. Clusters of rust chipped off from the circular bonds; each of them small flakes staining the water a musty brown.

Soon the water turned into a mud puddle, devoid of all of its former, tranquil beauties. Koshchei merely sighed upon seeing the dirty water and continued walking forward with ease. Eventually the chains binding him began to fracture –and so was his face. Upon second sight, wrinkles stretched the edges of his face, along with cracks and fissures. Slits of gray oozed out of the edge of his mouth. He walked on, despite his disfigured form, until he stopped.

Then he turned around, breathing in the stale air, stretching his twisted fingers, and looked straight in front of him. In his eyes, he saw a woman with her child and husband. In his eyes, he saw the husband with an arm full of pitch black scales. In his eyes, he saw the woman take the child with her and ran. In his eyes, he saw the husband grab his head with sharp claws and tear himself apart. In his eyes, he saw the woman run towards a tower with her child. In his eyes, the husband rebuilt himself with his fractured pieces. In his eyes, the world burned. His eyes could not see the calamity already foretold, nor the resolution's face long irate.

"Oh, Talulah. Can't you see yourself here? But this did not happen this way."

---

"Ahh!"

I jumped out of bed to see Marzanna in her crib; I didn't find her there. I ran to the window to see if Kaiser Rye took Marzanna outside for breakfast; I didn't find her there. I swung open the door to see if Haley took Marzanna to play with Sasha and Eno; I didn't her there, and I blinded myself in the morning sun. Went back to bed and tucked myself under the sheets. The room was awfully cold.

"Now, you see the first..."

Now I was afraid. The room was still dark. The air was stale. My arms were stiff; my eyes were peeled open. The shadow of a man stood in my vision, until it disappeared. But when it did, a pair of claws reached for my throat, and soon, I was overtaken...

The sun rose right after, cleansing the room of all of its nightmares. I felt a pair of hands grasp my shoulders, and I smiled, knowing who's it was from.