Work Text:
She was gone. No, she is gone.
In such a lonesome, brief instant, she became a husk.
Only her blood pooling off her neck, a face that was so genuine, so sweet. A smile that had always reminded Mizi it would’ve been fine, how even for a second in a turbulent era, they’d be fine.
How her smile was so much of a reassurance to Mizi, as hers was for Sua.
Only a corpse — as some humans used to say for whose worse white, ‘a corpse bride.’
It’s a memory that runs deep, only for Mizi’s reveries that haunt her.
Yet as the night turns sour, the ravens and crows return to melancholy terror, there she is. The long lost lover. The one who lost the other half.
Only her glance alone can touch her casket. Only Mitzi’s eyes take in the dark cedar of the shield of Sua’s body.
Only for it to be empty, with a letter. Signed in a cursive font, calligraphy flowing upon the envelope. Directed to Mizi herself. Even a candle burning as it quivers and dances in the wind — though there is few but only a slight draft.
As though the ravens murmur cryptic words in a labyrinth of uncertainty.
However… Mizi just keeps staring at it, as if the letter was a dare. That it was a mockery to lose someone so dear, so precious to her heart.
Her quivering arm reaches for the enveloped letter, to show it's handwriting almost exactly like her lover’s— Sua.
She’s probably drowning in her sea of sins by now.
Meticulously she holds it in her two hands, gliding a finger through the fold. A subtle, and yet crisp cut forms from the opening.
As Mizi’s eyes survey the letter her fingers reach for, it’s the exact same handwriting, yet almost wanting to call a bluff.
In shock she keeps sitting there while leaning to the casket for support, not even sure to believe this. Almost as if it were a taunt, embossed in large print.
‘A corpse to hallow, a life in smite, and a wit in fine treasure. You are free to find her, but you must follow my instructions.’
It only makes the woman stare at it, as the ink scribbles out and returns in a fade.
‘I am your mediator, a friend, and I can entrust you to find her. Just don’t mess it up, it’ll all go as planned.’
It only causes to vex Mizi, the even idea that it’s a plan. The idea of someone, anyone, being her friend can even revive such a person as her.
Someone who was her light, her god, her dearest companion. Only reduced to ashes, a wave in the dark sea. Her dear Sua.
Once more, the print erases, resurfacing.
‘You can’t let your faith waver. You must trust it, you must trust me, Mizi’
She takes a deep breath in, glancing over and brings her arm down. Afraid to look at anything else.
The mere thought of bringing Sua back is a miracle. To hold her in her arms, for Sua’s hands on her face. How her lovely smile was so greeting on the worst of days as the sun would be insipid.
She’ll accept in a heartbeat, always. However… the looming consequences are in her way, the preposition for something else to happen. If this were a set up, or even a bluff.
Her mind wanders back to the roughened and leather skin paper. How it begs her to trust it. To have faith in this happening if she has hoped so much for a willing moment to be with her love again.
“I’ll do it.” A voice beckons under her breath, only staring at the cedar casket, an opening with fine linen sheets and padded lining.
‘Perfect!’
As a mist cascades over them, she finally notices the dark shroud she’s enveloped with.
With a blink of an eye there stands him. A friend who she’s known. A friend who has died.
Only his outfit is decorated with white — almost as a groom — and those carmine pupils that stare back at her.
“So that’s how death has been treating you.” Her words come out as a mumble; soft and gentle. As if her fears were to speak far too loud and in shocked awe.
“Yes… except I’m no longer just a lost soul, Mizi.” He looks rather somber, glancing away and back, urging Mizi to continue. To assist in more than he could, but Ivan is stagnant, stuck to this position and to be cold to others — not even keeping a bias to mortals anymore.
“The path extends further beyond here, Mizi.”
However, as she continues forward, attempting to take strides forebodingly… It feels as though she hesitates with every moment, finding herself and this situation unreal. That her love is gone… That most of the people she knows are gone.
A shimmer of kindness sparks along Ivan’s eyes, still dark, enigmatic. Dead and full of life. “I hope you can save her, you’ve always had my support.” He had begun to trail off, glancing to the road — or rather, a narrow lined path — how there remains wildlife, albeit withered. Unreal.
“You must promise not to look away from her. Never turn your back on her, but rather keep her in your sights. If not… it’ll truly keep her soul locked in chains, the fates cannot grant another chance to a thread mended and already slipping.”
The cold, sorrowful voice echoes through the great void. Only mending itself, transferring over to a soft hum, as if it were a hymn to some being; a universe, no, a god, as Mizi put it. Pulling its loyal worshiper (the only follower), to appeal for favor. To adhere to everything any Sua would ask and wish for her.
As Mizi would trek for years to seek desperation in a mere glimpse and to grab her hand. To lead her back to their home.
Yet as the withered trees continue on, her fervor within the footsteps, she has to pause in the dirt (or is this sandstone, is the floor even real?) the place barren, nevertheless it seems as if they pummeled to the ground.
Falling to start anew, a great plethora of flowers sprout out of the ground, slowly unraveling the petals one by one. Only a sweetening smell reverberates off them, despite being practically dead and gaunt, it imitates anthesis; clematis.
A species that they both enjoyed, Sua was more fond of it than she.
The light halts, forming to a dimmed purple.
As if Sua’s eyes were even illuminating the world, holding Mizi in her gaze. Having self assurance to a soul that burns bright, for her pupils to extend and keep outward.
Airy, vast world seems to not just be a desolate plane, full of undead and the dead; but rather as if hearing an old recording.
Or even nodding off, heavy eyes begin to doze to a lover’s hum, a melody of charm.
That’s what it meant when she met Sua. Alluring and well brought in.
That’s exactly what her first impression was of Sua. She was like an angel being sent.
Only an angel that’s tied to the world with clipped wings.
The petals swirl along the ground and keep a line, a clear path as an illumination of light keeps beaming. As if her own creator was calling to her. Beckoning to a sight whilst she picks up on more sounds. One of them being a crunch of leaves, splintering branches.
Only those riveting noises grasp her attention, following her line of sight, and not daring to look behind her.
The desperation is reeling and hoping not to turn around, as if her very soul is immersed, as the heeding forewarning blares in her mind.
“Who’s there?” Mizi’s hand clutches to a first, still her eyes downgaze the synthetic light and floor. Only for a child to yank her hand and pull her forward.
“Hey! What-?” The questions swirl and conglomerate in her mind’s eye, but however one more question follows as these eyes of hers focus on the child. How similar she is…
One definitive inquiry slips past her lips, “Where are you taking me?”
“Just up here!” The voice echos, sounding hollow and artificial, yet this girl’s hair and skin tone resemble her. Even still, Mizi lingers on her and how the kid cradles her hand in hers.
And that’s when she notices… Mizi notices the full length mirror, having intricate details to the decal and rimmed to silver. The more elevations arise, the last few steps to make it to Sua. To the one she’d rather die for.
“Just go ahead.”
She turns her head down, bearing at this child’s face for the first time. It’s far too indistinguishable that it made her pause, and her body flush with a bitter apprehension. “Really?”
This kid’s face is likened to her beloved.
It could give her nightmares for how similar this child is. This child that’s urging her along, that dragged Mizi along, and encourages for action.
The Sua that secretly wanted so much, the Sua that Mizi knew beneath all of her many secrets that shielded herself, beneath her facade.
“I don’t see why not?” The smooth voice replies, making an utterance as a crow squawks behind them both.
These fake plastic trees swaying between the chilled wind.
When her steps arrive, a crisp metal beneath her feet beholding such a sight. Even getting closer, an arm slowly appears into view.
A face sticking out, an arm stretched and ready to be grabbed. Only to appear as frail and delicate as glass. If her heart was willing to give out.
It already has, and when Mizi reels her arm backwards, drawing out a woman with shined eyes, ebony hair that rests above her shoulders.
Exactly the same as the day she lost her.
“Sua…”
Mizi can’t even understand or bring to understand as her arms firmly hold onto Sua’s pristine gloved hand. The same semblance of what she wore that day.
She died after a marriage, a wedding of their two friends. Months before their own.
“Oh my god, Sua!”
She becomes fervent, enveloping Sua’s torso in her arms, wrapping her around her.
“We need you to get out of here!”
Sua sighs, her eyes downturned and full with sorrow, “Mizi-“
“Please.” She shakes this woman between her arms, having desperation. The urgency is intense.
“Mizi.”
“What?”
“Stop.” Her words harsh and stil cold as they occasionally had in the past.
“What?”
She sighs and glances backwards to the mirror she had emerged from, focusing back to Mizi (its appearent she truly has no sense of herself, a lost soul).
“You need to stop.”
“Sua… What? What are you talking about?”
The girl’s eyes filled with a bouquet of violets lingers to her lover, softly bringing a hand to Mizi’s hair. Being as gentle as she had when she was alive and swooping a hair piece away from her face, a strand that covered the fiery eyes she possessed. “You need to let go of me.”
“I’m not.”
“You need to.”
“Please.” Her eyes continually linger and grasp becomes tightened, becoming a prayer once again. A prayer to a god, or some kind of universe to be appeased. A prayer that soon trails wayward and lost. “Please.”
The paradigm to live without, and the adherence to whine and have faith. “Please, I can take you back, all you- all I need to do is not to look back, I’ll look forward! Please.”
“There’s no point-“
“We can just go on, yes!”
“This’ll hurt us both.” She finally breaks her silence and statement through the interruptions and blind sentience to hope. The blind hope and faith. Finally grabbing Mizi's wrist — however not tightly as Mizi held her.
Tears only begin to well in Sua’s eyes as she stands motionless, peering at the once bubbly girl, now transformed to be forlorned. “You need to understand. You’ll see me die again, what will become of you then?”
“No. No. No. I won’t- I won’t let go of you, I can’t!”
“Let me die.”
“No.”
“Please.”
Another raven crows. Then another. Then a vulture descending above the woman, encircling as a hover. As if she were marked for a second death. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can.”
“I can’t, Mizi.”
“You have to.”
At that, the bird plummets to Sua’s head, as if she has the crown of death held on her. Held above her. As hell were her own birthright, as if it were her home. “Leave, you must go. You’ve been here too long, and there is no hope for my revival.”
A snap of the fingers, she awakes, pulling her head up and rushing her breathing, shaky and distraught still.
“No… Dammit! Dammit!”
Still the tears fall down, and a voice calls out to her, ending to sit across from the woman. Her dark skin and hair illuminating her steel eyes. Trying to ground Mizi, noticing her instability.
“I brought you to your room, you were lying beside the casket asleep.”
“No. She-“
“I know, I know.”
“Hyuna, she's gone!”
She takes a deep breath, and in any circumstance, Hyuna would light a cigarette, but she shouldn’t go ahead and do that in front of a grieving friend. “I apologize deeply, but we have to live with their losses.”