Work Text:
For all I had known in my life, the world was a dark, vast, place. I could not speak nor see through the void. The only thing I could do was cradle myself in the darkness, comforting my petite body. Time had passed unknowingly to me, for "time" was a concept that did not exist in the darkness I lived in. Or that is, until a voice resounded in my mind. Its tone was stern yet gentle, almost ethereal. It spoke of words I didn't quite understand.
"A long time has passed. Now, I call to you. Wake up, child. Bring our lost stars home."
A burning feeling materialized in my chest, melting my cold surrounding. Was this what "warmth" felt like? It was a comforting feeling. But that wasn't the only thing that changed. I could actually see now. It wasn't the usual black, endless void, but a sky the color of a beautiful azure blue, and soft brown soil that sunk beneath my feet. I was at home.
The next couple of days were filled with curiosity and joy. I had never known of things such as sand and spirits. Of flowers, butterflies, manta rays, and birds. Clouds were things that had never crossed my mind, yet flying through them felt incredible. I had also encountered peculiar things such as candles and plants, which I could light up with my red candle, one of the only two possessions I had when I came to this world. My efforts were paid off with orange orbs which recharged my light, filling me with satisfaction.
Why did the gods bless me with this life so suddenly? I thought to myself, running around in wonder. To my surprise, a manta playfully swooped beneath my feet and carried me on its back, taking me to the temple to meet the great Prairie elder. I laughed at this, enjoying the wind caressing my features. The sky is clear, the view is breathtaking. The creatures here are so kind and beautiful. This must truly be the definition of a perfect world.
Soon, the manta set me down again on the meadow of grass, which I then waved with thanks to it. The light creature honked before departing yet again, possibly to kidnap several other oblivious skykids.
With that, I headed off to the temple and carried on to my merry journey. I wonder where I'll be taken to next? Perhaps an even grander adventure? My mind was filled with such excitement that I had not realized I've already talked to the elder, and was on my way to the next realm.
There, I stood in front of a large area, one with a campfire in the center. Nearby, I saw several fellow sky kids loitering around the area, honking in their unique vocal cords. Their capes adorned far more wedges than mine. Some had eight, some even had eleven.
I want to see what they look like! Clumsily pulling out my candle, I trotted towards them. Excuse me-!
But the moment I reached towards them, they had already flown away, jumping off a steep fall and off to the cave of clouds. I nearly dropped my candle out of surprise.
They rejected me... But that's okay! I'll become as good as them one day, especially with those eleven wedges! Hyping myself up to feel better, I followed their lead, taking a leap of faith before flying under the clouds. As I flew further in, the clouds became interchangeable with the sky, forming a grey atmosphere above my tiny form. Trees rose beyond what my eyes could see, joining the sky above with its huge stature.
After what felt like a long time of flying, I finally saw the ground, as well as an arching gate. A little further was a wall constructed out of rock and metal which erected from the ground above, towering all the creatures that frolicked beneath it. Before I had managed to activate the gate, the sound of gears and metal stirred and clanked against each other, and the gate slowly parted itself for me. I tread inside warily, but what lied beyond the gate was truly a sight to behold.
The moment I stepped inside, tiny droplets of water fell from the sky, as if the sky itself cried for me. The scent of petrichor and mud filled my senses with such strange and unfamiliar emotions, I couldn't help but be caught off guard. I took another step forward, and I felt a drop of the sky's tears on my hand. It immediately snapped me back to reality.
It's so cold! Why is it so cold?! I thought stupendously, staring at my hand with shock. Upon further inspection, my light had dampened from a mere touch of the freezing liquid. I'll try and remember to stay beneath a roof and shelter, especially when I have a mere four wedges.
Circling around the rain, I noticed there was a spirit hunched near the gate. I decided to light it up. Two spirits emerged in front of my eyes, leading me to their resting place. Curious, I followed their silhouettes through the tree trunks, picking up whatever orange orbs of wax as I went. Once I reached their destination, I lit the statue up, reliving their spirit. They were cold, looking for shelter. They trembled from the cold downpour that pelted against their form and huddled in front of a lantern, the only source of warmth that bleakly shimmered against the rain. I, too, mimicked their shudder. The gusts of wind felt like icicles stabing into my skin in this weather.
For once, I feared for my lights. All my effort up till now would be gone if I got lost in the rain, so I must be extremely careful from now on!
Running as fast as I could, I ran to the gate and rushed to the next area, and the next. I was too scared to explore the realm properly and clutched onto my light, running straight ahead. I made sure to stop at every lit shelter when my light dwindled, collecting winged lights and spirits whenever possible. I weaved under the little bridges, the long tunnels, and rested underneath the luminescent mushrooms.
But as I explored even further, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the forest. The light creatures danced through the cloudy grey-blue sky, carefree as ever in their own little world. A trail of birds flocked together above my head, weaving through the wind in such a flowy pattern like a milky river. Its peeps and chirps resonated through the entire realm. In the far distance, I could hear the deep howls of the wind accompanied by the bellows of whales, despite being unable to see them anywhere in my peripheral vision.
Going past me were several other skykids, ones who dauntlessly flew through the atmosphere without fear of the rain. Some others carried an umbrella with them, protecting them from the rain as they strolled through the unfiltered sky.
To be honest, I was a little jealous of them. How I wished I was able to truly appreciate this realm and its ambiance. I knew that the forest was such a serene place, but the anxiety of losing my wedges always scared me. For now, however, I must push on.
After a bit of treading across the terrain, my feet stopped me beneath the gazebos and broken temples. There were near to no roofs in this area, but noticing the manta that was getting consumed by the dark plants in the distance, I couldn't help but rush over to them. They are my friends, and I couldn't just leave them be!
Wading through the knee-high water, I pulled out my red candle and hurriedly burned the dark plants. As if sensing my presence, the manta ray honked meekly, its light dwindling from the dark plants. I plunged my candle even deeper into the dark leaves. Loud hisses and sizzles whistled in my ear, contrasting the serene ambiance.
I didn't know how long it took, but by the time I had freed the manta, I saw that I was balding. Almost instantly, as if ice had crept up my feet, I was too cold to move. My cape began losing its color, turning into a bright white hue. I was so scared, I shivered and cried on the spot.
As if noticing my distress, the rescued manta swirled around me, recharging me with a bit of light. 'Don't give up!' was what it probably said. It then flew over to a cave nearby, one with an entrance covered with dark plants. I followed it.
Burning the dark plants, I hurried into the cave and hid for refuge. Slowly but surely, the manta helped recharge my lights before flying away.
Crisis averted! Wiping the sweat and rain off my face, I then scanned my surroundings, regaining my bearings. Upon closer inspection, it didn't seem like a mere cave. There were little platforms that led up to the rooftop, which signaled to me a way for up-and-down transportation. There was also another entrance covered with dark plants, and three distinctly shaped rocks on the other side of the cave. In the center of it all was a blue spirit, hunched down on top of a rock. I lit her up.
A flash of white and blue filled my vision before revealing four spirits pushing against a cluster of rocks. I didn't understand what was going on but followed them regardless. Two of them seemed to have gotten them stuck in the rocks, unable to get out. I didn't quite understand what was going on there either, but followed along. The next memory, however, shook me to the core.
A spirit consumed by a dark plant, similar to how the manta ray previously suffered. Hastily, I burned the dark plant around him, hoping that he'd be saved. But the next memory moved on.
From four friends remained one woman, standing alone. Immediately, I understood what happened. Was this what they called...
Death?
The memory went on to its final resting place. In front of the three funny-looking rocks, the woman cried and wailed in front of them, her knees pressed against her chest and tears glistened down her cheeks.
"Why must I endure this pain again and again? What wrong have I done?"
I dropped my candle out of surprise. Did that spirit just speak? I heard her voice in my head. It was filled with pain and anguish, even a hint of hatred. Feebly taking a step towards her, I spoke my words of concern.
Are you okay?
Almost instantly, the spirit stopped crying and looked at me with what I assumed to be a look of surprise. "You can hear me?" She spoke, ever so slowly.
I nodded.
"That's... it's been so long since anyone could hear me. For eons, all I could do was live through such terrible memories." She sniffled.
I looked at the three rocks yet again. Are those things your friends? I pointed to them.
"No, these are their graves. I wanted to bury them properly."
What happened, exactly?
"This cave... is what you'd call a mineshaft. My friends and I were tasked to come here to mine some leftover materials, you see." She explained, now facing her body towards me. "But there was an accident... this mineshaft caved in on itself and the entrances were blocked. For days, we tried to dig ourselves out but to no avail. And the one time we did think we were making progress..."
The woman peered at the three graves, her eyes glistening with tears again. "Rocks fell from above and two of my friends got stuck under the rubble. They didn't make it."
So that's what happened... I'm so sorry.
"You saw what happened to my other friend, right? After being stuck here so long, all I had focused on was my own survival. I didn't realize he had become infected with the darkness. Soon enough, the darkness consumed him. You saw something similar happen to the manta outside the cave, didn't you? You managed to save it, at the very least. But I couldn't do anything to stop my friend from death. And in the end, I died in such a pathetic way."
I wasn't sure if any words could console her. Her voice was filled with so much hurt and sorrow, I wanted to cry with her. The only thing I could tell her was I'm sorry.
She paused for a moment. "...You know, you're the one-millionth child who relived my memory today. The one-millionth tormenter who made me relive this terrible memory."
My eyes widened at that statement. No! That's not...
The woman chuckled bitterly. "I know. That's not what your intentions are. I can see it in your wedges. You're a newborn moth, aren't you? You still have many things to learn about this world. It isn't as beautiful as you think it is." Her eyes looked straight through me.
It was my turn to pause when I heard that statement. I thought back to my time in isle and prairie, and the wonderful memories I had made there. It was hard for me to imagine the world to be anything but beautiful.
The woman spoke yet again. "Your kind is the worst. You are all too naive to understand the things we spirits have gone through. Do you know what your kind has done to me? Did you even put yourself in my shoes, and wondered why a million skykids relived my memory within a day?"
I couldn't answer that question, and I think the woman knew what my answer would be. She looked at me pitifully.
"To be honest, I don't know why either. Some days they'd ignore me. Some others would relive my spirit just to grab the extra wax they could earn from burning my deceased friend's dark plant and just... leave right afterward. On other days, they'd relive my memory and leave immediately. I felt like a clown show, only existing to entertain your kind.
"Do you even know how that feels to live through the last moments of your death and your worst memory, over, and over, and over again? It hurts so much, I wish for it all to stop. I don't know why the Forest elder condemned me to this horrible punishment, but this is unfair! I hate this! I don't want to be chained in this cave any longer! DAMN IT ALL!"
The cave shook from her outburst, groaning and rumbling as her harsh words echoed through the walls. I trembled in fear. As if my knees morphed into melted jelly, they gave out from the pressure, sinking me to the puddled ground.
Was this what the woman had to go through every day? Not even a single day where she could have her own peace? I couldn't imagine living such a life, but was that even considered as "living" at this point? She's a bound spirit that couldn't leave even if she wanted to.
Another moment of awkward silence passed. After sorting out my thoughts, it was my turn to speak.
We might not know why you are here, but maybe the Forest elder knows the answer. Maybe I could ask about you.
Her ears perked up to my response. "You would do that for me?"
Well, it would bring some closure, wouldn't it? I wanna know the answer too.
Slowly, her grim features melted into one of thankfulness and relief. Tears welled up in her eyes, but this time for a different reason. "Thank the Megabird above... that there are still kind people like you in this world."
Appeased by my offer, her silhouette melted into the light and disapparated. I guess I have a personal request from a spirit. I'll do my best to see it through!
Climbing to the top of the cave, I peered out of the holes. It was still raining, not that it'd stop anyway. It had never stopped raining in this area. I gathered my courage yet again and began running to the three broken temples. There, I lit up the switches that were implanted on the altars, which rose the other temples and bridges. At the furthest temple, one surrounded with white candles and a winged light, I lit them all up.
Immediately, the rain stopped, leaving the crying sky in a limbo of pale grey and white. Slowly, aquatic creatures I had never seen before rose from the waters below, ones with transparent bulbous shapes that pulsed through the sky with trails of lacy ribbons. I had only heard of them from other skykids who passed by. Jellyfishes.
Cautiously, I jumped on top of one. Upon my weight, the creature sunk, which made my heart drop for a moment before the jellyfish bobbed back up. For a moment, I worried that they were unable to handle my weight. I then bounced from jellyfish to jellyfish, almost like a game of hopscotch. On the other side loomed a huge entrance, one larger than any gate I've seen yet. Gulping the lump that formed in my throat, I trudged in.
For some reason, the room was even colder than the outside when it rained. The dark lighting gave an almost mystical and secluded feel, and at the very top stood an altar with a golden disc. That must be where the elder resides.
I flew to the top of the altar and lit up the golden disc. It spun ever so slowly, a low rumble escaping from the inside. The altar shook, and a shrine was erected from beneath the altar. I sat in front of it.
Before I knew it, I was taken to a whole different place. It was as if I was in an alternate dimension and space, where there only existed a spirit- no, an elder. One with long silver hair, flowing past their shoulder and cascading down their back. They were facing away from me, but I could tell that they were fiddling with some shards of stone.
As per usual, I pulled out my flame. As if sensing my presence or the warmth of my fire, they turned around, revealing a rather sharp look in their features. A diamond mask donned their face, further accentuating their intimidating look.
Yoink.
Slender fingers swiped themselves against my hand. In an instant, the flame that I carried was now with them, which they brought to the anvil. As if they were Thor himself, a hammer was beckoned from the heavens above, flying straight to their hand. A hammer in hand, they flung it onto the anvil and against my offering. I winced at the loud clashing sound that resonated across the desolate space. It was high pitched, even higher than the twittering of the prairie birds. Each swing reverberated in even intervals like the neverending waves on a beach.
But finally, it stopped. I peeked behind their back to see my fire no different than before, but they seemed very satisfied with the results. More fragments of stone emerged from the sky, enveloping my flame in a diamond husk before ascending to the great unknown.
Wait, you're sending my flame away?
"It was a worthy offering. As expected, the light you skykids possess beats any sources of light out there." They spoke.
I see... My words trailed off. Silence filled the vast void.
"...There seems to be something weighing your mind. Otherwise, you would have left by now."
I looked up to the Forest elder, who was already staring into my eyes. Their piercing gaze made me immediately look away. As if sensing my discomfort, they then sat on their anvil, boredom evident in their features.
"Speak."
But you're so intimidating...! Was what I would have said if I had not valued my life.
Clearing the nervousness from my throat, I then proceeded to talk. I have a question, actually. Or perhaps, a request...? I quickly glanced at the elder. I assumed their silence meant for me to continue speaking. You see, as I traveled from isle to here, I met a particular spirit I met in the caves-
"That's enough."
Those two words sent a shiver down my spine, effectively shutting me up. I wondered what I had said that offended them enough to look at me with such a cold look. Before I could come up with anything, they raised a hand in front of me, palm outstretched.
"You speak of that woman's spirit who lives among her deceased friends, do you not?"
That's a bit...!
"So I was right." They interjected. "It would be best to forget about her. She is a lost cause. Is that all?"
My eyes widened at her bitter words. How could you... How could you say such things?! She's suffering back there, isn't that unfair?!
"Don't run your mouth in such a careless way if you do not know why she resides there in the first place." Now standing at their full stature, they took long strides towards me, imposing such a terrifying aura in front of my small body.
It was not like their words were false. I knew nothing, but so did the woman. ...Then tell me, because even the spirit in the cave does not know why she must live in that state.
"Is it not obvious? It's her punishment."
Punishment?!
"Yes. She betrayed me." The elder explained. "Do you know what happened in this world, long ago?"
I shook my head.
"I thought so." The elder knelt to their knees, now eye level with me. "Long ago, child, there was a war. A violent, bloody war that killed many of my kind. Back then, I was- well, I still am, a master blacksmith. My realm here was filled with resources that I needed to create all sorts of things. Defenses, electricity, castles, weapons. They were all in my hands. And I used to support my side with the King."
The King? I had never heard of him before.
"It is natural for you to not know of him, for he had died long ago." They replied. In their hands spawned a small figure created from shards of rocks, one with spikes on top of their head. And on the center of his face was a diamond, one that looked similar to the one on the elder's mask. "He was a strong, ambitious man. The only man who was ambitious enough to defy the Megabird and formed an army against it. With so many strong elders on his side, the Diamond Clan would have won."
But you didn't.
The elder shot me a nasty look. "Before the war even reached its midway point, our troops had perfect gear and spare weapons. I had everything prepared for victory. Spare armor, provisions, everything. But as time went on, our resources dropped drastically. Even when I had demanded the other blacksmiths to mass-produce spears and shields, hardly any of them were completed because we were constantly running out of darkstones, something my realm has an abundance of, ironically. They're all condensed into that cave that you passed through to get here. And just when we were running out of darkstones, suddenly the Sun Clan had an ample amount of them and concentrated on increasing their attack power. In the end, we suffered utter defeat."
I froze at this statement. Slowly, everything began to piece itself together. I thought back to what the woman in the cave said before.
"Thank the Megabird above."
"Those four miners in the cave. They were secretly taking all of my resources to the Megabird, and that woman was the ring leader. They were the key reason for our downfall." Venom was laced in their tones, and the air felt heavy. It was as if their anger had materialized and weighed down the atmosphere.
"I had only realized her plot much later when nearly all of the darkstones had run out. And when I did find out, I couldn't hold my anger. I caved the entire mineshaft, preventing any of them from escaping. They died slow deaths, but that was not enough for me. So I bounded the woman to her resting place and used her memory as one of the daily quests to relive. That way, she could suffer the same frustration as I had for her, as well as for all the Diamond Clan members who had died because of her. So don't waltz in here, saying such careless words when you don't know how much we elders had to suffer because of her. Our king died because of her. No punishment will ever be enough to forgive her sins. "
A chill ran down my spine at the truth that unfolded in front of my eyes. The more the Forest elder talked, the harder it became to wrap my head around it and accept reality.
"Anyways. Are you satisfied, now? You got the answer you've been looking for, but do you even have the will to tell her the truth?"
I was hesitant to answer that. I wondered how the woman would take in the truth, but a promise was a promise. I must tell her, no matter what! I made a promise to her which I will fulfill.
The elder fell silent towards my resolve. I couldn't tell if they were impressed or annoyed with that sharp gaze of theirs. "You must really care about her, or truly understand the meaning of responsibility, and I respect that. So, I will give you a proposition. Will you listen to me? It might be the only way for her to become free."
I perked up to her words. So there is a way!
"I said it might. I don't know if it will work per se, but you should give it a shot if you are ever so desperate."
It must've been obvious that hope gleamed in my eyes, for the elder merely chuckled at the fire of determination that swirled in my chest, but the look in their eyes told me something different. A glint of an emotion I couldn't pinpoint.
"As you have seen with that Tearful Miner, bounded spirits lose all of their memories, thus their regrets are bounded to their resting place. They don't know why they are there, hence could never ascend and join the stars above. However, if they do know what they've done, and pray with all their heart for forgiveness, and truly be at peace, their spirit may become free."
Then I must tell her! I will set her free!
"Mhm... good luck with that, not that you'll need it."
The moment I blinked, I realized I was standing on top of the altar, right in front of the shrine. The elder must've brought me back here. Their last words left me on such a weird note, but I didn't ponder for too long.
Perhaps the elder wanted to root for me. But anyway, I need to go back to that spirit lady! I could set her free!
Hopping off of the tall platform, I went back out of the huge gate. I hardly realized it was raining again when I was rushing back to the cave. By the time I had reached the woman, I was completely white and even lost nearly all my stars except for one, but it didn't matter. Even though I hesitated when I pulled out my candle to relive her spirit, I spurred my courage once again and proceeded to relive her memory.
Looking through all the memories now hurt. Knowing that all these people, who suffered so much, turned out to be from the opposing side, stirred my moral conscience with conflicting opinions. And by the time I reached the final memory, I wondered to myself the possible reactions I'd receive from her.
Would she get angry? Would she cry? I hope she'll find some peace someday. I want her to be free. Even though she's done some bad things in the eyes of the Forest elder, I know she means well. No bad person would cry so hard otherwise!
Those kinds of thoughts continued to cycle through my mind as I lit her statue and watched her final moments. Guilt churned in my chest at the sight of her tears, but...
Why couldn't I hear her cries?
Slowly, I realized something. And as the realization began to sink deep into my consciousness, my heart turned as heavy as lead, unable to take it in. My legs quivered, and cold sweat ran down my face. It was as if, for this specific moment in time, Fate had decided that now would be the best time to screw me over.
Her cries had fallen deaf in my ears, and her wails of pain never reached me. I, who held the answer to her suffering, couldn't tell her what happened on her fateful day. I, who hold the key to her freedom, couldn't even give it to her.
"...You know, you're the one-millionth child who relived my memory today. The one-millionth tormenter who made me relive this terrible memory."
"Mhm... good luck with that, not that you'll need it."
Did that elder know that there was no way to talk to her again? Did they just fill me with empty words of hope? Was there no way to free her in the first place? Maybe everything they told me was a complete lie to get rid of me.
But at that moment, I couldn't help but cry. Tears of grief ran down my face and I screamed in pain. Me, a mere child who was not even a year old, with one wedge of light to my name, cried in front of a statue that I once considered as a friend. Not even the other skykids dared to come near me.
I didn't know how long I had stayed there, but by the time I came to, darkness was already growing around me. They scattered around my body, growing at a constant pace. I could have just batted it away. I could have just burned the darkness that began to consume me. But I no longer cared. All I wanted to do was die.