Work Text:
The crepuscular night grew perfectly still under the moon's radiance — not a cricket chirped nor a branch swayed — its eerie silence infectious to its surroundings. The pond reflected the ghostly galleon of the sky, standing at the centre of the scene with its own distant serenity. The trees could only ever form a crowd to admire it from afar, never getting close enough to touch it.
As long as this dead calmness was fated to last in this atmosphere, it was interrupted by hasty rustling and scrambling footsteps directed towards the pond.
Nene let out a gasp as she tumbled forwards, still clutching onto her rusted and outdated, antiquated coins. She dug her nails into the shallow grass and hoisted herself up to face the surface of the glazed pool.
Mumbling to herself, she pulled out a coin and threw it into the pond — sending ripples out from the side and deforming the reflection.
"Please work..." She clasped her hands and softly prayed.
The ripples just got bigger and bigger until eventually succumbing to the calmness once more.
Nene closed her eyes as tears escaped from her eyelids, forming subtle dew drops on her eyelashes.
"Aw, there's no need to cry," a voice broke in, interrupting her helpless sobs, "for a fair lady like you, tears don't go well with your face."
A voice laced with a sense of teasing amusement, yet genuine empathy, accompanied its owner appearing before her with a child-like grin plastered on his face, but Nene's attention roamed elsewhere.
His eyes.
Like twin suns burning in his irises with an overpowering fluorescence of their own.
The young man crouched, meeting her face at eye-level.
"May I ask what your name is?" he asked with softness, sending small rushes of warmth towards her heart as he reached out for her pale, unkempt hair.
"N-N-Nene," she faltered, trying to fish the words out from her throat.
"Nene," the young man sighed. "Aren't you the most beautiful bouquet of wilting flowers I've ever seen."
Nene sniffled, rubbing her eyes with the sleeve of her dress.
"Ah-are you the g-ghost of the wishing p-pond?" Nene let out a small hiccup as she formed her speech.
"Hmmm..." the young man redacted his hand, putting his hand to his chin and stroking it with theatrical thoughtfulness."That depends, who's asking?"
Nene could his amusement. Every word he spoke had a lining of curiosity and delight.
He didn't seem to understand her frustration or grief.
He was like a kid who had found his new toy.
Still, he was her only option.
"P-please," She bit her lip and lowered her head, covering the pitiful form of her face. "I-I-I... You have to help me, I haven't..."
Her speech transformed into incoherent sounds as she tried to form words - a feeble attempt that was quickly defeated.
"Sh, calm down," he soothed. "I know you don't have long left."
He put her hand around her back to support her fragile figure, his movements swift yet delicate.
Nene gave in.
She just let the fat tears roll down as the boy held her, humming softly to provide comfort. No matter how hard she tried to strengthen her will, her frailty would come crashing down in brutal waves, drowning her once more in her woe.
She had tried hadn't she?
Every cure in the kingdom, every city, every town.
Now she had turned to the eldritch and the uncanny or whatever else lurked in the unknown corners of this heartless and unjust world.
Superstition was all that was left before she could lay her sword for fate.
"H-help me please...I don't want t-to..." She grasped onto what ever words she could to form a sentence. Her last plea. Her last desire.
The young man just sighed.
"In the end, even the stars chose destruction over life," he whispered." I admire your courage but you'll be fine, I promise."
Nene felt warmth enveloping her hands as her sight grew steadily dimmer until his eyes were the only light it could catch before even they dissolved completely into the quiet dark.
The night reclaimed its stillness ; now with the girl joining its motionless peace.