Walking In The Shadows

Chapter 20

Lucien

We have done all that we could and still the odds were against us. "Luka, what do we do now?"

"There is not much we can do, just hope for the best I suppose." Even he did not believe we could come out of this war without casualties. He knew that we were doomed and it showed with the darkened expression. His eyes were cast down towards the ground avoiding Daemon's limp form. "You know as well as I do that Ariyah was our only hope. She was bred to be a catalyst and a pawn of war." 

No one stood a chance against the dark forces attacking. Infuriatingly, Luka narrowed his eyes at the scene playing out before us. I could hear the popping of his knuckles as they tightened into a palm. When he spoke, his voice was hard and unpleased. "Ariyah is not a carcass to be used nor a weapon." Then his face fell as he spoke softer. "She wouldn't want us to just give up."

"Why are you so confident to fight a hopeless battle? Especially with our comrades falling so quickly and barely causing a difference at that." Looking around the battlefield, I saw victims falling one by one at the hands of our enemies. Our cruel reality was finally sinking in and no one was left to rescue us from this demise. Even when drowning in pain, they still had enough hope of coming through and seeing the light of tomorrow. "They wouldn't want to share their suffering with others. They don't acknowledge fear to those who believe in them."

Beings have all sorts of interpretations. One of the most comical is that if anything kills or destroys, it is automatically ugly and hated upon. Yet, out of all of the elements, the most confused is snow: a mixture of beauty that brings out death. Out of everything one could feel, they laugh and see it as something fun to play in; however, at the end of the day, they wish it would stop existing. Then, there is a separation of adults and children that has been present since the dawn of time. The adults consumed hatred for one another and loved to fight; whereas, children laugh and forgive. Sadly, for every child in the world that is born there is an adult waiting to bloom.

When looking through the eyes of an adult, they saw that snow covers the beauty that the Earth has to offer. They shrug life away as though it would never cease to exist, living in dread and sorrow when they could have embraced who and what they were. I was one of those people. However, I changed when I saw that children embraced the weather and the day they were given. I changed when I met Ariyah. Unknowingly, they participated in happiness that the elders blocked out. They would run around trying to catch flakes on their tongue, enjoying the cold wet feeling that was quickly replaced by warmth. It is a tasteless joy that the children seem to admire.

Right now, the temperature is plummeting but no one seems to notice with the amount of movement they are conducting.  As I reminisced, I felt the goose bumps claim my body with each breeze that clawed against my skin. The brutal feeling erupted shivers down my spine. As fatigue began to appear, you could see the steam from their heavy breathing infiltrating the air and trying to rid the world of the cold. Exhaustion hung heavily on their bodies but they continued to move as though they were refreshed.

The soft flakes of snow that shifted their way with ease to the Earth's surface reminded me of Ariyah. They cared a gentle and loving touch from the sky to everyone regardless of who they were. She was always showing others happiness, even when she was enduring her own pain. While I always watched from a distance, I could tell she was sad and hurting but I could not bring my self to mingle. I could not gather my thoughts enough to try and make the world an easier place to live. Although, she placed others before her well-being on a seconds notice.

Now, I will never experience her happiness again. If only I did something sooner.

This feeling that dominated my thoughts was one were I felt suffocated and confined. It seemed as though I were locked inside a small room with little space for movement. My only companion was a window that was large enough for me to stick my head outside and gaze upon the world. To always reminiscence on what it would be like to explore but stuck from every finding the answer. One where I could see out beyond the glass, but could never be on the other side. One by one as the time ticked, I was forced to watch the ones I love fade from reality and become a dream. Although I fight to be free from this sickening life, the building was indestructible compared to my weak form.

I am too pitiful to shatter it, too weak to save the ones I love.

The world was my ocean, floating away from my grasps. The glass was my eyesight, relaying everything to my mind; fogging up until I was blind. Comprehending words became useless as they faded into a foreign mumble that my ears could not hear. I was supposed to give them a reason to live. I was supposed to show them what it means to smile and laugh. Yet, I was the one here wishing to hear their voice again, while they were gone from the wonders of life. You would think that the cold air and icy snow would make someone feel rejuvinated and awake. No, YoHel was throwing Ariyah's love in my face. Her only comfort was knowing she was succeeding in my growing demise. The fact that this was an ending to a new beginning.

If only I could give them their new beginning.

AN:

#Edited