I could see the sun rising
beyond the hills outside the small, solitary, window across the
room from my prison cell.
No, my cage.
I knew not how long I had
been there. Chains held fast to my wrists and ankles. Some kind
of cloth had been stuffed into my mouth bringing an acidic taste
with it. Could it have been the same drugs used in Nanza?
I looked from the window in
front of me to my surroundings. They were typical of a dark and
dank prison cell. The one in Vane was no comparison. At least
those had been kept up with. This... this was nothing but filth.
The stench of death and waste stung my eyes and nostrils. Scum,
dirt, and goddess only knew what else squeezed between the
crevices between the stoney wall, like puss from a festering
wound. The floor did not fair any better. A silver pan of water
lay on the floor to my right in the corner where the bars met the
wall. A rat ate a moldy piece of bread. I cared not whether it
had been intended for myself, I would not eat it, and at least it
would not go to waste. The left corner was too dark... I know not
whether to be grateful or no. From the ceiling leaked the
disgusting substance that dribbled from the walls.
As for my condition... gone
was my hooded cloaked and the rest of my possessions save for my
pants. I had not been mistaken when I saw the claws grow from my
fingertips. To my surprise they were not jagged, though they
looked peculiar protruding from my human fingers. Nothing else
appeared out of place... there was nothing else...
I settled on watching the
rat. After finishing off the bread it sniffed the water and
lapped at it, then began to bathe in it.
How long could one go
without food or water?
Perhaps in other
circumstances I would laugh, but nothing could bring a smile to
my face... even if the gag permitted such.
I slumped against the wall,
my chin resting on my chest. What of health now? The outcome of
my imprisonment here was obvious. Death.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With each passing day I
grew weaker and weaker still. Sadly, if my rat friend and I were
pitted against one another, I do believe he would come out of it
the victor. Food and water were supplied to me, and the gag had
been removed from my mouth, yet whoever was responsible for these
things was still a mystery to me for I had seen no one. Only when
I could take the ache no longer would I eat the same moldy bread
and discolored water.
I only woke for those
things, the rest of my time I spent living in my beautiful
dreams...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I knew that your
thinking would change, Yasuo. I was too impatient."
"Yes, it is true.
Perhaps, I was just too stubborn to see." Did it matter any
longer that this was the dream world? At least I was not bound to
a wall with only a rat as my companion. I was on the verge of
losing my sanity. But here... here, I could bask in the beauty of
my surroundings. The nice breeze; the cool, rejuvenating, water;
and the fresh, warm food that filled my belly.
"You are not to
fault. The transition can be hard. Everything will be hard to
except at first, but once you fully accept your place here you'll
not have a care in the world. I promise you this Yasuo."
"If this world is not
a dream, the what shall I call it? Lunar as well?" The
golden-haired lady of my dreams was now my guide. Her name? She
had yet to reveal it.
"No Yasuo,"
she laughed. "This world is Akaria. Far different from your
dreamrealm. You will see that here in Akaria... dreams come
alive. Let us leave this meadow, and I will show you the
palace..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My hand had gone numb. I
opened an eye. The sight before me disturbed me not in the least.
It appeared that my rat friend tired of the moldy bread and now
turned to my salty flesh to quiet its appetite. I weakly batted
him a way. He squeaked an angry retorted and scurried away into
the corner that held entrance to his home.
Another morning. I had lost
track of the days quite a long time ago. Lunar was just a dismal
place; Tribeka was hastily becoming my life. I had nothing
here...
"Yasuo?"
Could it be she?
Unlikely... a trick. I had been seeing visions of Portia, visions
of a dead Kirei for a while now.
"Finally, I have found
you! Wake up, Yasuo! I have come to take you from this
place!" She pleaded... let her plead, let her beg. It was
her fault that I was here, gone through so much of this
suffering. For her!
"Yasuo?"
I wish she would stop
speaking my name! Kakari, the one I affectionately called
"Lady of my Dreams", warned me of the tortures that
would await my return to this dream world, this prison called
Lunar.
"Do you not want to
leave this place, Yasuo?" the voice continued.
"Enough!" I
weakly pushed myself to a sitting position. My eyes opened.. .my
mouth dropped as well... "Portia!"
"Yes," she
whispered as she knelt in front of the bars.
I moved as close as the
chains would allow.
"What happened?"
So many questions whirlwind through my mind!
"That is unimportant
now. I need to get you out of here. Need to get you to
safety," she replied as she stared.
It was then that I thought
of my horrifying appearance. Days of filth layered on my body,
combined with the changes my body had been through since I last
saw her. If she leapt to her feet and ran I would not fault her.
"I know my face is
sickening now, as is my broken body. But I promise you that I
will not harm you." My voice broke many times, days without
use and only the putrid liquid that passed as water to quench my
parched throat.
"Yes. That is
unimportant now. I need to get you out of here. Need to get you
to safety."
Something was not right.
Now that I examined her face much closer, there was something
about her... by the goddess! Her eyes! Red as blood. More
trickery! Damn her! Kakari was right. How could I have faltered
so easily?
"Go. Leave me, and
never return," I spat at her before I moved back to the
wall.
"Now now, Yasuo! You
have to rise to the bait for this to be fun!"
"I meant what I said,
Royce," I retorted. She was even more disgusting than this
cell. I should tell her as much... the witch would only feel
complimented.
"Tsk tsk Yasuo! Are
you not curious about your new home? Hmm? Portia,"
emphasizing the name by pointing to herself. "I am all giddy
to tell you! Come now Yasuo, show some spirit!"
Spirit was something that I
had next to nothing of anymore. My eyes drooped; I had used too
much energy.
"Fine. I suppose I
will just have to tell you," she began, leering at me.
"We have decided to keep you here at the Talon mines till we
need you. Now try not to take offense but lately, you have been
getting in the way, Yasuo, and that is something that will not be
tolerated." She paused waiting for some kind of response, I
was unsure what she was expecting, but when I did not reply she
continued. "Now, on to how our Portia is doing!"
"ROYCE!" A deep,
threatening, voice summoned.
"Heh! Well, guess
you'll need to wait another day. Duty calls!"
That was that.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You have to let go
of that world Yasuo! That is why you keep being pulled from this
one. Once you let it go, you can live the rest of your life
here!"
Kakari spread her arms as
to embrace her surroundings. She was like that with everything
she talked about. Nothing but happiness emanated from her.
"Believe me Kakari,
that is what I want now more than anything! But something holds
me there. I think it is the Magic Emperor and the Vile Tribe
Sisters."
"Even they have no
power over you here, Yasuo! That is what you must understand!
Nothing from that world can reach you here! Now, we have almost
reached the palace. I promise you will be amazed at the wonders
you see there!"
True I told her that it must be the Magic Emperor and the Vile Tribe Sisters that kept me in Lunar, but I knew it in my heart to be a lie. When Royce had appeared as Portia, something inside me changed. It was then that I knew that until I had seen the true Portia one last time could I truly give up Lunar and live peacefully in Akaria.
§ Chapter 13 § Tear Main § Chapter 15 §
