@jared-williams
Active 3 years, 5 months agoForum Replies Created
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I can definitely relate to getting busy… school has started up again (teacher here…) so I may slow down a bit too here and there….
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Ku’Aya
Ehud’s words had been so kind, and his hand so warm and comforting. I really didn’t care about that man on the screen anymore. If I ever saw him again, I’d probably gut him in an instant, but…
I never cared about what other people thought of me anyway, so why should this matter? So what if everyone knew now. Like Ami said… didn’t change nothing.
Or so the thoughts ran through my head. But then, why was I still cradled in Abirami’s arms?
It was just too easy not to think. Too comfortable to leave the restful strength of his arms. My head shifted against his broad chest, and I wondered if that was what it felt like to be held by a father.
Ehud’s video played in the background, and I paid little mind to it till it neared the end. Not that I ignored it – just that it played in the back of my attention, like an automatic motion when doing chores.
The shiny ring flickered in his fingers as the screen went blank. A few gasped, and my eyes wandered around the room, hoping to glare heavily at whoever it was should I chance to spot them.
Anyone who thought Ehud was at fault for his stupid parents had rocks in their heads, far as I was concerned.
But Ehud’s shoulders was shaking as he sat in crumbled fashion before me, his fingers scratching, arms twitching and flailing about his head as his tears dropped from his hood-covered head and fell upon his knees.
Rolling out of Abirami’s arms, I turned on my knees and placed a hand on Ehud’s shoulder. He looked up, the shadow of his hood encapsulating his teary face.
How can he be so cute even when crying?
I swallowed… harder than intended. *cough, cough*
“You know you’re not at fault for any of that, right?” I asked. He just tilted his head ever so slightly to the side.
By the Maker! So cute.
I looked away. “Because it’s not… your fault, I mean. It’s not your fault.”
“But-”
Ehud babbled on, but I couldn’t bear it.
“Ugh. Just trust me, okay? It ain’t your fault your stupid mother left you behind and it ain’t your fault your stupid father was-”
“Ku’Aya!” Abirami interrupted me.
I glanced his way.
Great. His hands were on his hips and he stared at me with that stupid big-eyed incredulous look on his face. Made him look angry and confused at the same time. Not his most becoming of looks.
“What?” I challenged. “Lots of parents’r like that, and you know it.” I turned back to Ehud, who seemed more hurt now than sad. Great. Now I’m the bad guy again.
“Look, parents are nothing more than grown children. Age doesn’t mean they know any more than you or me, just makes ’em stupid.” I glanced back at Abirami. “Well, some of them, at least.”
I grabbed Ehud by the shoulders. “Adults are just as selfish and stupid as we are, Ehud. You can’t take the blame for someone else’s choices. It’ll only chain you down and make you miserable. It won’t fill your belly or help you survive a harsh night. And it won’t ever answer that nagging question.
“What question?” Ehud asked.
I turned my back, but then turned again to escape Abirami’s gaze. Walking a few paces, I stopped and sighed. “You know what question.”
Ehud’s voice was soft and low, like a talking whisper. “Why did she-”
“Why.” I agreed. Still, I couldn’t help my muscles from stiffening. Why did she abandon him? Why did they abandon me? Stupid, nagging, impossible questions… get out of my head!
A commotion on the other side of the room rose to a ruckus and then, with a flash, a man stood before metal bucket head. I would say his clothes were intricate and lavish, but… it almost looked like they were carved out of some larger structure… and even though his visage was clearly that of man, his skin gleaming in the light, he too looked as if he had been carved by some master craftsman.
His chest was wide and his shoulder pads rose like a wave on each side. His vest was of burgundy red with a golden chain going from the small of his vest pocket up to the inside of his coat, which was cut short at the waist in front and fell down to the his knees in the back – cut in two like the tail of a swallow.
His top hat was angled upon his head with a feather billowing with each wisp that passed its way. His eyes were dark brown, almost to a default of black, making his penetrating gaze all the more imposing from within his deep-set eyes, thick eyebrows, and strong chiseled chin.
His pants billowed near his feet, which ended with a set of staunch boots of charcoal black. One hand was on the hilt of his sword hung within its scabbard, which nearly met the sole of his boots as it swung loose upon his belt.
His voice was deep and booming. Something about it… it reverberated and echoed, seemingly from and within the walls themselves.
Tin man lunged at wooden butler and began to fight.
Bleh. Boring. Just hoped Abirami wouldn’t get caught up in it. Cause then I would probably be dragged into it too. Such a bother. Plus, Ehud was probably seeing me as some heartless, insensitive, blunt prick. I didn’t know how to reverse that, but I knew I wanted to try…
Gah, they were so loud over there.
A square paper-like apparatus appeared in front of me. Confused, I held my hand out, but my hand passed safely through it. I looked left and right, then up and down. The page stayed centered within my vision.
“What the-” I could hear from around the room.
Writing on the page was a title followed by a simple question.
Boss Event: Lord Castle
Will you participate?
YES NO
There were thin lines creating boxes around the “Yes” and “No” on the page.
Was the wooden stud over there Lord Castle?
“What is this?” someone asked. “An RPG?”
A nervous chuckle came from a few of them.
“MMORPG may be a more apt description here, no?” another said.
What were they talking about?
Forget it. If that really was Lord Castle, I wasn’t about to let this opportunity slide. Raising my hands, I sent my hive after him.
Lord Castle, let’s see how you like termites. And if you aren’t made of wood, then perhaps bullet ants.
The swarm, like a dark cloud, billowed forth from behind me and shot towards the castle-man just as tinsel-town in a suit lunged toward him once more with his sword.
The box that said “Yes” pressed in, as if it was a button, then turned green. The page disappeared.
Good riddance. Now, focus.
Castle- …. Bob. Lord Castle is just too formal, too long, and too cool sounding. I’m gonna call him Bob. And metal man is Frank. There.
Bob suddenly had a hostage in his arms as Frank began his downward swing. (Yes, Frank is Saevus… teehee)
Curses. A hostage. Ami was sure to intervene now. Blast it all.
My swarm covered Bob and Frank – my fire-beetles pinning down Frank as my mites and ticks on the back of silver ants found there way into the creases of his armor. Ticks were so slow, after all. They’d get no where if they didn’t hitch a ride on my silver ants – the quickest of my non-flying insects. (Saharan silver ants can run at about 200 meters a second!)
Same time, my termites hit Bob and swarmed around him, focusing on his hands. Simultaneously, I let my swarm know to let Abirami through, and not a second too soon, for Abirami plunged into my swarm, rushing in as a wolf. My hive opened a way for him, and he followed it, right to the hostage. With a single lunge, He stole the man from Bob’s grip and ran the man out of danger’s way.
Abirami transformed out and then back into an Aemirok, standing at the ready.
No, not gonna let you hog the fun this time.
I pressed my arms forward and sent more of my hive, increasing the pressure and pressing the attack.
Bob was mine.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Anyone else want to participate in the regret sequence? Last call, I think…. ? We can draw it to a close soon…. if there isn’t any objections? … So we can move onto Saevus attacking the castle. (hehe…. and perhaps Abirami and Ku joining in? Though I might use the attack sequence to take them out of the castle and introduce a few new characters…. maybe…) … or perhaps any ideas out there of what should happen next? separate into different conversational groups, or another large event?
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
👍 tremendously helpful! some times we are our worst critics…. other times we are our biggest blind spots. 😄 thanks for holding the mirror up for me (so to speak)
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
I’m not even sure who all still needs/wants to do the worst regret… Ehud? Saevus? …. im so bad at remembering who all is in here…
Abirami
I held Ku as my regret was revealed, then I lifted her up and carried her toward the back where the seats didn’t have any accursed straps on them.
Before, I had just been curious about all these strangers, pulled in from other worlds. Now, I was ready to leave. Forget this castle! If all it did was hurt Ku and those innocent from other worlds, then I wanted nothing to do with it. Soon as Ku felt up to it, I was going to tell her to send her hive out to find an exit.
Images of Jade, then others in the castle either flashed up on the screen or were spoken aloud in front of everyone.
Half of me hoped Ku wasn’t listening. Most if not all of them had highly traumatic regrets, just like she had. While the other half of me kinda hoped Ku was listening. At least, then she would know she wasn’t alone in her regrets. There were others who had lived through very terrible circumstances. Perhaps not like hers, but… what was that teaching from Maaterra that Puabi was always saying?
“Each heart knows it’s own bitterness, but no one else shares its joy.”
Yeah, that was it. Perhaps there was some great truth to that statement. Just one more shred of wisdom recovered from a history long lost to us.
I looked around me, and there were a great many teary eyes. Some were shaking cause their time had passed, and their regrets shown. They shook as they recovered. While others were shaking for their name had yet to be called.
I glared at the screen and up at the ceiling.
This was just wrong.
(Maaterra – pronounced may-tare-rah – Maa is Estonian for mother, and terra means earth… long story short… there is a mythology lost to time of all life coming from a distant and different world where there was a massive fight between good and evil. The good won, but some of them found themselves on this new planet. The old world is called Maaterra and the teachings of the good ones are generally called the teachings of Maaterra. which are all but lost to time, in general. Only the ancient and old race of L’entians know of and are familiar with the legends. ((Princess Puabi is a L’entian)) )
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
So… Okay. it’s hard to think of debatable topics cause many of us agree to so much. lol…
Here is an interesting topic… I’ve personally done a lot of research, but would be interested to hear what other people think.
When a Christian dies, the common platitude is that he/she is with Jesus in heaven now. However, besides when Jesus said to the thief “Today, you will be with me in paradise…”, I do not recollect any other specific verse that says we go to heaven after we die…
On the other hand, there is verses that talk about the resurrection of the dead at the end of days and as we rise with Christ, there will be a new heaven and a new earth, and we will live upon the new earth in the new Jerusalem and Jesus will be our king…
so…. my question is… which do you think it is? Do we “sleep” in the earth until the resurrection, or do we go straight to heaven to wait….?
(I will say, I have my opinion on it, and there are people on both sides who use the Bible to support their beliefs…. and I still firmly believe the Bible Does NOT contradict itself… but still interested in your thoughts. 🙂 _)
Oh, a second question(s), I guess…. do you have doubts about Christianity? Do you think the Bible is inerrant or are there parts of the Bible that you feel contradicts itself? Has there ever been a question about your faith that has ‘stumped’ you? Would love to hear them!
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
I apologize for not giving a warning. You all are right. I should have seen that.
And to answer your question, @this-is-not-an-alien as to why this particular post hit so hard… part of it may have been the way I wrote it, but I think part of it is because previous posts from Ku connected with you guys and by this time, you guys know Ku and her character… she crept into your hearts… and then I hit you with that… sorry.
looking back, im wondering why I didn’t see it. Usually with something like that I would know to give prior warning to it.
Random thoughts! I think that’s just the hardest thing for a guy doing a woman’s POV that’s the biggest thing I’ve ever come across but you handled it very authentically…
thank you for that compliment. I really don’t have any experience with personal trauma or anything like this, but like it was mentioned before, many of us are ultra-empathetic… in fact, my WIP is the very first time I ever attempted to write from a female’s POV. It’s definitely something I feel that I would be unable to do, save for the grace of God.
(Also, another warning-he will not at all be happy about having to do this, so he will explode and start another battle. Sorry, It’s just who he is)
Lol that certainly will be interesting… especially since Saevus will be fighting the castle this time… lol. Ku (and maybe Abirami) just might join in the attack. lol. Though Abirami may just relegate himself to damage control… and corralling everyone else to safety…
Yeah, Ku’s ordeal is definitely triggering for us ladies. However, it is an issue that shouldn’t be ignored any longer, so I appreciate that your writing deals with it.
aw, I am sorry I failed to be more sensitive (especially with not giving the warnings) but thank you for your appreciation too. I really do try to write honestly about real issues, not color-coating stories or idealizing the world (hehe… idealizing… whose word was that again?) but again, making sure not to leave it without hope, perspective, truth, and joy.
In what is now the second book in the series, I write of issues of discrimination, ostracization and racism – in a way that come natural to the fantasy world… and then the third book, which im about 1/3rd of the way writing, will deal with morality and the value of life…
wait… so, did Airu attack Jade, or attack herself? sorry, I probably should be able to read between the lines, but my mind’s apparently not working right now.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
(in case Abirami’s images/video thing was confusing… he used some dangerous pills that boosted his essence to (1) break out of prison after being beaten/tortured (2) used another pill to fight off an army attempting to attack him and his family and then (3) used yet another pill to escape from the emperor’s clutches which is why they were hiding in the cave – and all in quick procession of each other. . using those three pills overloaded his essence and made it go out of control, taking over his higher mental functions – basically making him lose all memory and regressing him down to basically a feral beast. Ulhas, the man at the end, is a Neulahdian who is an empath and has some telepathic and telekinetic abilities – which is why he was able to help Abirami come back to his senses.)
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Abirami
As I watched the screen, a strange sensation came over me, and my mind was transported into the time and place on the screen. My senses, my mind reliving all that had transpired.
Just as it closed around me, I prayed, Oh good and gracious Maker, please tell me Ku didn’t experience all that again! Not like this….
Not really wanting to exert the energy or the effort, I forced myself to consider my surroundings, and my eyes slowly fluttered open. Dim light filtered into my vision and slowly revealed forms and shapes in the darkness.
Rough, knotted walls of dirt surrounded me, curved into a near perfect oval with the ceiling and floor. Looking down the cavern, a small light illuminated the back of the cave where two people stood. One was a tall, bald man with small slits on the side of his face for ears, and whose ashen skin was almost as dark as the shadows that flitted across the cave. The other was a slim, slightly shorter female with light skin, long, straight, dark hair, and whose pointed ears stretched up toward the ceiling.
It was Semiramis, the woman who had taken care of me ever since my father died, and Galchobhar… the man we had saved from the Dhiaga’s prison… the man who had fought with my father during the great war. But at the time, my memory had been lost. I couldn’t recognize anyone. Not even those that I loved as my adopted family.
Now wide awake, I warily watched the two as they spoke in hushed whispers in the back. The light came from a candle atop a pile of crates leaning up against the back wall. I slowly sat up and felt a fabric shift against my skin. Looking down, there was a robe-like garment loosely fitted around my torso and wrapped around my arms. It felt inhibiting, and I did not like it. Was it there to impede my movements?
Suddenly, a ray of glistening light emanated from behind me, and I sprang up in surprise. My movements were silent, yet I crouched upon the cot that I had been laying on, one hand grasping the edge while the other held back toward my chest, ready to strike.
The light shifted and danced upon the cave floor as shadows moved across it. Looking further down the cave, I saw movement, as if a large object was being dragged away from the entrance. The light solidified and grew as the white ground, trees, and a sliver of blue sky was revealed beyond the cave opening.
A young boy with cyan wings flew into the cave with a pair of limp rabbits hanging from a rope around his shoulder.
Setti!
His wings fluttered quickly as he entered, as if he was struggling to stay aloft, and it sent drifts of snow and dirt into the air preceding him.
The fine cloud of dust and snow brushed past me and filtered into my eyes, causing them to emanate discomfort. Letting my dislike for it known, I felt a vibration in my throat as a low growl escaped my lips.
No. Don’t…
The boy’s wings stopped, and he fell to the ground as he stared in my direction. Two young girls entered after the boy, talking over each other in alarmingly loud and fast paces.
Oh, Menna and Ku’Aya!
One had greenish-blue feathers braided back from the top of her head, down her shoulders, and blending into the feathers that covered her upper arms. The other was a short, trim girl with green skin, a mohawk, and ears that stuck out the side of her face like half-blossomed tulips. Their voices were indiscernible to me and sounded more like loud screeching than actual words. Behind the two girls, another followed; a taller man who resembled the slim lady, save a nest of leaves and branches that seemed to grow from atop his head.
Malcuno. The man who had fallen in love with Semiramis.
But I failed to pay much attention to them, for the young boy had recovered from his amazement and was leaping toward me at rapid speeds with his arms stretched out.
“Abirami!” the boy cried.
No! Don’t… don’t come any closer!
I knew not what he wanted, but I feared the dust and discomfort I had felt and wished the boy to keep his distance. My growl intensified. When he did not slow or stop his advance, I reacted instinctively. Before I knew what I had done, my hand lashed out, and the boy fell to the ground.
NO!!
His hand rose to his cheek where I had scratched him, blood slowly seeping between his fingers. A look of horror and surprise mingled upon his face as his eyes slowly filled with water.
I backed up on the cot, staring unblinking at him. My hind leg hit the back wall, and I leaned back against it, raising my hands to defend myself should the boy or any others attempt to approach or strike back.
My eyes began to sting again, but I refused to blink as I stared at the boy, willing him to leave me alone.
As water began falling down the boy’s face, he scrambled to his feet and ran away from me toward the slim woman in the back of the room.
I had not noticed, but they were all staring at me. The slim woman had her hand over her mouth and water was falling from one of her eyes as well.
Looking back and forth between the three in the back of the cavern to the three at the entrance, no one moved, but all of them stared at me. I was trapped. What did they want from me?
A few of them began saying, “Abirami.” I searched their faces for the meaning of the word but could find none.
Then a fourth figure appeared near the cave entrance.
My breath caught. It was Puabi.
The sunlight gleamed off her skin and seemed to blind me if I looked directly at her, so I shielded my eyes. As soon as the shadow of the cave entrance encompassed her, the glimmer faded and I could see she was beautiful with long black hair, golden skin, and blazing orange eyes. I could not help but stare into those eyes. I had never seen such a vivid color. It seemed to lighten the cave itself.
An animal trotted up next to her on four legs. Its long snout and pointed ears directed its attention toward me, and its tail began to wag. Then it barked and began to run toward me as the golden-skinned female screamed, “Abirami,” and followed close behind the wolf.
I backed up further as all these new and strange occurrences overwhelmed me. My breathing became ragged and I felt further imprisoned. I had to escape. Inside, I was panicking, but I could not reveal this to those in the cave. I snarled and growled as I backed up, retreating from their advances.
No. Don’t.
The girl stopped running, tilting her head to the side in surprise. The wolf stopped as well, staring intently into my eyes, then suddenly bent low to the ground, its tail between its legs, and began to growl back at me.
I bared my teeth and the hair at the back of my neck bristled. I wondered if I was like this wolf. It growled, and I growled, not like the taller people in the cavern who seemed to use words I knew not their meaning.
Staring at the wolf, I considered its shape and size, wondering if it compared to my own. The golden-skinned one ran up to the wolf and hugged it, laying her head down on its back. “No, Accalia. It’s Abirami. Our Abirami.”
The wolf whined, looking back toward the person holding onto her, and I saw my chance. Feeling a heat surge through my body, I leapt from the cot, the garb falling away behind me, and I ran on all fours toward the exit. Perhaps I was like the wolf. I looked down my snout as I raced toward the cavern’s exit, my breathing paced and even.
No. Don’t run!
I felt I could run forever like this. But then I saw the three still standing there and could see no way around them.
I looked up at the free sky behind them. If only I could fly like that boy, I could escape from this place and the dangers therein, whatever they may be. I had no desire to stay to find out.
I instinctually focused upon my desire, and a burning sensation in my sides brought about a strange confidence. Feeling I could simply jump over them, I leapt up and beat at the air with the wings that had grown from my side. I knew not how it occurred, but I wasn’t about to question what would allow me to escape. I flew over the heads of the three, who stared up at me in amazement, and out the cave into the wide open space beyond.
Don’t go!
Tall mountains surrounded me on all sides, and I still felt trapped somehow, even here out in the open. I glanced behind me as the cave entrance grew smaller and smaller. The members of the cave came out and stared up at me, and I heard their voices on the wind repeating that strange refrain, “Abirami,” but its meaning was lost to me, and I flew on.
Tears rolled down my cheeks as my chin rested upon Ku’s mohawk. She was watching too now, and she seemed to have gained some semblance of calm.
To my surprise, the image didn’t stop. It continued to show me flying through the mountain valleys and running through the hills. And my first kill – a rabbit, which I ate raw, licking the bones clean after.
Sent shivers down my spine. At least I had been in wolf form at the time.
But why hadn’t it stopped? I thought my deepest regret was injuring Setti and leaving my family behind. If it wasn’t that, then what was it?
The images showed them all my barbarity as I ran havoc in the port town until I was chased away. But then I continued to be hunted, until I began hunting back… until I killed those who were hunting me…
Oh, yeah… I’d forgotten.
But then it continued. On and on, until Ulhas found me. His face entered the screen and his hand reached out, then nothing. The images disappeared. Ulhas. The man who stopped it. The man who saved me. The man who brought me back to myself.
I get it. My deepest regret… was losing myself – allowing my essence to take over my consciousness. For it led to everything that followed. My own foolish decision. I had been warned that the essence-boosting pills I had taken were dangerous, but I had paid them no heed. It was all my fault.
That was my deepest regret.
Ku looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
“Now what?” she asked.
Pondering that for a second, I looked down and smiled at her.
“Has anything really changed?” I asked.
She looked down. “Well, everyone know now. You know.”
I nodded. “But did that really change anything?”
She looked up at me and squinted. “No?”
I shook my head. “No.”
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
’m curious, since the others had their clothes changed for the dance… was Saevus forced into a suit and tie? 😂
😂 let’s just say we don’t know if his clothes changed… since the armor is technically over his clothes. lol. IDK… he’s technically already in a fully body suit… so…. 😂 I’ll leave that decision to Saevus’ author…..
Have you seen The Chosen?😀
oh, yeah. though… I haven’t watch all of it yet… I really like how they put that together. Have you heard of Sight & Sounds Theater? They have AMAZING musical productions of Bible stories!!!!!! Like, seriously, worth looking into!
I’ve actually never watched an Isekai anime before…
lol. really? There’s a lot of really good ones. it simply means a show where the protagonist is somehow or someway transported to a different world/universe
I’m gonna let everyone else go first, because Saevus will not at all be happy about having to do this…like, expect another fight to occur unhappy You mean the worst regrets thing? I have a character I’m going to introduce at the very end, so is it ok if Seavus holds off until then?
I will kick it off. 😁. …. just… don’t cry too much when you read Ku’Aya’s turn…
nice. well written post! I like it. Yarrow seems level-headed and a fun character. (not a typical combination 😉)
Abirami
It was finished! The dance was over. I couldn’t really believe I had done that. It went by so fast, I wasn’t even sure if I’d done what I was supposed to. Had it been good?
I walked off stage and went straight to Ku. She and Ehud were laughing hard about something.
I looked around, and people were eating, drinking wine and carrying along well. Minus a few who just sat silently, but when were there not people like that in a crowd?
Isaias, Ophelia, and then finally Jade walked off stage. The moment Jades’ feet hit the ground floor, a wave of light swept across the room. I was suddenly in my garb, my gaaban underneath.
I sighed in relief, not fully aware of just how unsettling not having it had been. Looking around, everyone else had returned to their normal attire as well. Ehud whooped ecstatically and hugged himself… or, I guess his jacket/sweater (?).
With the sudden light, I also found myself seated next to Ku’Aya, and everyone else seemed to have a seat as well. The tables, food and drink were gone. I attempted to stand so I could gain my bearings and look around; however, the seat seemed to have a seatbelt, and my feet were pinned to the floor. I looked for some way to dislodge them, but found none.
“Time to collect.” Called a voice. “The castle now requires your deepest regret. Speak now, or the shards of your past shall be visited upon you. You have been warned.”
I looked about me. Horror was struck across the faces of those in the room. Some were in deep contemplation, while some looked like they were about to get up and flee.
“I will go first,” I called out, but the restraints remained. Not knowing how this worked, I decided to just press on. “A few years ago-”
A transparent film fell, separating us from the stage. “Ku’Aya, orphaned child with no last name. Divulge your deepest regret.”
No. Oh, please no.
I looked at Ku. The tips of her ears were red, and it spread all the way down to their roots.
By the maker, she was mad.
Ku stood and screamed up at the ceiling, “You first!”
The film flashed red.
I looked around. Everyone else had restraints about them. Why was Ku the only one able to stand and move about?
The castle was quiet.
Ku scanned the room, then glared back up at the ceiling.
“My biggest regret is not setting this dumb place on fire sooner!”
The film flashed red again.
Ku spread her arms out. I knew that signal. She was summoning her hive.
I grinned. Ku would be Ku.
But… no buzzing could be heard. No swarm appeared. Ku tried again and again, but nothing happened.
What was going on?
Wondering if I had been affected too, I tried to augment the bear’s strength to tear apart these restraints, but the image never formed. I couldn’t tap into the essence. Had the castle cut off our abilities? But how? And would they return?
A symbol appeared on the stage. It was a strange symbol, but for some reason I understood what it represented.
10
Then it began to change.
9
…
8
…
“The answer’s no!” called Ku. The film flashed red.
7
…
6
…
“For goodness sake, just tell us!” someone yelled out.
5
…
“No,” another called out. “They can’t force us to reveal something that personal. They have no right!”
4
…
“But the warning-”
3
…
“Forget that! No castle’s gonna make me spill my deepest regret.”
2
…
“Ku,” I whispered. She turned to me, the glare still on her face, but I could tell. She was scared.
The numbers disappeared from the screen, then the room went black.
A few of the younger females let out screams. Then a dim light shone from the film above the stage.
An image flashed onto the screen. It was Ku. She was smaller, but it was unquestionably her. Just what was this? Some sort of curse?
The image showed Ku begging on the streets of Azupiranu. Tears came to my eyes. She was treated worse than dirt. Kicked around and abused. Whenever she got too close to the food vendors or the local shops, she was subsequently chased away.
Ku stared up at the screen in defiance. “I regret nothing!”
The screen flashed red, even as it continued to show us scenes from Ku’Aya’s past.
Ku was sleeping next to a sewage grate just off the northeastern gate, when a face filled the screen.
Ku screamed in rage and rushed the stage, but try as she might, her fists slammed harmlessly into the screen without even a dent to it.
“Ku!” I called after her. “Ku, who is that? Ku, what’s wrong?” But I wasn’t sure if she could hear me over her own screams.
The man reached his hand out, and the young Ku on the screen took his hand.
“No!” Ku screamed, kicking her shoes off and throwing it at the screen over and over. She ran back and tried to pick up her chair, but it remained cemented to the floor. She ran back to the screen and pounded futilely against it.
“Ku!” I called, but she either couldn’t hear me or simply ignored me.
The screen showed the man feeding her a meal, giving her privacy to clean, and a bed to sleep in.
“Make it stop!” screamed Ku
But the next moment, it showed Ku being dragged around by her hair, forced to do chores, and beaten when refused or did something wrong.
I pulled against my restraints. “Ku!” I screamed, trying to get through to her.
I could see the tears falling down her eyes. “Make it stop!” she cried out.
The man had other little girls with him, and the screen showed him pulling his fingers through their hair as he sniffed them. Then he picked one and they disappeared into a room.
“No!” yelled Ku. She turned and ran at us. “Don’t look! Stop it!” But an invisible barrier kept her from reaching any of us. She pounded on it and screamed.
“Just tell the castle what it wants to know,” someone called.
“No!” Ku screamed. She ran back and pounded on the memory screen.
“Ku,” I cried. “If you say it, it might stop it.”
The man came out of the room, a wide grin on his face.
“Fine!” cried Ku. “I regret being beaten up by that creep.”
The screen flashed red.
The image continued showing days of Ku’s terrible treatment at the hand of that man.
“I regret ever going with that man.”
The screen flashed red again.
“What do you want from me?” screamed Ku at the ceiling. “Okay, I lied. I have millions of regrets. I even regret living!”
The screen flashed red.
“Curse you!”
I pulled against my restraints. Ku had never used that language before. What was this? And why wasn’t it working. Wait…
“Ku,” I called out. “It wants your deepest regret. You may regret those things, but what is your deepest regret?”
The screen showed the man looking over the little girls. This time, he grabbed Ku by the hair and began dragging her into a room.
“No!” Ku screamed. “I regret not telling you what my greatest regret is.”
A flash of red.
“I regret ever coming here!”
Another red flash.
The man threw Ku onto the bed and pinned her down.
“Okay, Okay!” Ku cried. “I regret that he sexually abused me!”
The screen flashed red.
Ku fell to the ground, tears falling from her cheeks.
“What is it?” She wept.
“Ku!” I hollered. I pulled against the restraints. My ankles were chaffed and bleeding, and my fingernails were beginning to bleed underneath from trying to peel off the strap around my middle.
The man ran a hand through her mohawk then grabbed it from the top and pulled it down onto the bed, forcing her head up. His eyes glanced up and down her body. His other arm reached for her.
“I REGRET EVER TRUSTING HIM!” Ku screamed. “I REGRET I EVER TRUSTED ANYONE! I PROMISED NEVER TO TRUST ANYONE EVER AGAIN! I REGRET EVERYTHING.” She bowed down and fell into a fit of tears.
Half way through her rant, the screen flashed green, and the image disappeared instantly.
I continued to pull against my restraints. “Let me go!” I hollered. “Let me go!”
Faintly, I could see Ehud sitting just on the other side of Ku’s chair. His mouth was open, and he stared wide eyed at the scene in front of him. It was just out of the corner of my eye, so his reaction was indistinguishable to me, but for Ku’s sake, I prayed he would remain Ku’s friend. She needed a friend.
But right now she needed me, and this stupid castle and this stupid chair was keeping me from her.
I hollered in anger as I continued to fight my restraints.
Abirami el Hanniumm, son of Aefflaed en Sweterun and Hanniumm el Abdmago: Divulge your deepest regret.
My restraints disappeared, and I leapt to my feet and ran to Ku’Aya.
I dropped to my knees and skidded the last few inches to her as I grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her into my arms. She turned and buried her head in my shoulder and continued to weep.
She shook under me, and I found my own arms shaking as I strengthened my grip around her.
Cruel joke. I stared up at the ceiling. Castle… you and me… we’re enemies.
“Abirami,” called Jade. She pointed behind me to the screen.
Turning my head around, I looked up to see:
3
…
2
…
I looked back at Jade. My face set and stern.
Shadows, lights, and colors lit the ground around me. A moving image could be seen within the retinas of those staring forward, and I knew… my deepest regret was playing itself out behind me.
I turned to face it but rested my head down upon Ku’Aya head as she continued to weep in my arms.
Let it play. What did I care for it. Right now, Ku needed me.
As I watched my own deepest regret, my mind went back to that day and what had occurred.
………….
here in a second, I will post Abirami’s…
sorry for the… no, it’s not really shock and awe… more like… shock and cry?…. when thinking of what Ku would actually regret… (cause she is so… Ku…) sadly the only thing I could think of was a bad experience that led her to distrust people… and it’s so ingrained in her – the idea that people aren’t trustworthy – that it had to be… drastic… forgive me.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
I think you will! It was really good and had me laughing at 2 a.m., which is rare.
aw, thank you!!!!
……………..
(now im interested….). so…….. what parts made you laugh? ? ?
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Also, do you like anime? You mentioned Naruto, so I was curious XD
👍. I like all kinds of shows… but one of my favorite genres in anime is Isekai.
I lean over to him. “Hi, I’m Enydd. I just wanted to let you know that after the dance you’ll have to tell everyone your deepest regret and trust me when I say that there’s no way to get out of it. I just wanted to let you know,” I say in a low voice.
😂 that’s quite the introduc- I mean ultimatum!
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Oh ok, that one… totally didn’t find that in the character castle while I was still silently spectating Heheh… hope you don’t mind I read it at two am I agreed with what Emma said so I just left her tell you what she thought… *grins nervously*
perfectly okay!!! the more eyes on it, the better!!!! (I really REALLY hope to get it traditionally published once I tweak a few things…..
So yeah, now we have come to take over Story Em— (what? What do you mean that’s not why we’re here? I thought— oooh… ok… let me try again…) *ahem* Now we have to come to take over the writing wor— (what do you mean I’m still wrong?? Go away.)
😂😂😂😂😂
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Haha, we’re siblings. E.N. (I call her M&M so if you see that, don’t think I’m wanting to eat her I wrote a poem on why I wouldn’t😂) is the oldest, Ethan is the monkey in the middle, and I play the role of annoying little sister😁
👍
sooo awesome! Two of my siblings don’t write…. but one of my sisters does…. I Sooooo need to get her on here!!!
and Ethan…. it’s okay. 😏 me middle sibling too… We know… middle’s da best.
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
Just a heads up guys, @rose-colored-fancy is currently recovering from a minor surgery, so I think Cal and Ophelia are going to be out of commission for a few days 🙂
😱. praying! 🙏
Yes! Those papers! I’ve been wondering about those for a long time. Is it people who won’t say their greatest regret? Or what? I guess I’ll find out…
😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 Honestly, I literally just made it up with nothing in mind for it! lol. Just thought it would be an interesting twist 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂 👹 mwahahahaha
Interesting. I’ve never actually created a character inspired by another (my mind won’t let me😂)
… kinda deep note here…but Abirami’s character began as an image of how I wish I had been as a brother… or how I wish my brother had been…. (uh, yeah… both.)
There’s certainly a number of…interesting personalities in here right now. I’m really looking forward to the greatest regrets challenge, but also kind of not because I really don’t want to write about their deepest pain and regrets :'(
I hear you there!!! I just KNOW Ku’Aya’s going to relive hers… and it is going. to. be. HEART-WRENCHING!!!!!!!!!!
ooh I forgot about the posters! Do you have any ideas for where we could go with that?
🤔🤷 I kinda hoped an antagonist would come along and pick it up…. lol. or….. the castle…. perhaps the castle is making a list of people who break unspoken/unknown castle rules… (for instance, Ku used her insects to explore the castle… big no no, so she gets an ‘x’ on her picture…. as for why the eyes are cut out… 🤷 )
so tell me again, why is Gandalf good?
😂 So…. I’m a teacher…. and in my classroom, I have a picture of Gandalf with his staff staring down the balrog… On the top of the poster….
“YOU SHALL NOT PASS!”
on the bottom of the poster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
“IF YOU DO NOT HAVE YOUR NAME ON YOUR PAPER!!!!!!!
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
😂 Abirami pooping thread and diamonds?
😂 yes! And the diamonds…. in the story I wrote about Abirami’s parents meeting, Abirami’s father, Hanniumm can also transform into a gippscolide… and in the story, he presents Aefflaed (Abirami’s mother) with a diamond. 😂😂😂😂 She’s like “aw! 💕 ” …. and then she’s told where it came from. 😳. 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Yes, he’s a hue-man 😂 (had to XD)
😂😂😂😂 YES! Let it catch on!!!
Ku and Abirami in general are really fascinating to me! I really love how @jared-williams created such an imaginative and honestly really bizarre (in a good way) world while still keeping it really grounded and realistic and honestly so very human!
aw!!!! ☺️ thank you! I’ve really REALLY wanted to pull other characters in here too… but Abirami and Ku are just so ingrained!!! lol.
(examples… Nicte and Yaxkin are twin scyphozomes… they can change the color of their skin to blend into the background – they my ninjahs of my world. ✨🥰 – and they can control their hair (think the twin ghosts in the second matrix movie…or the hair of some of the Star Wars characters) and at the end of each strand of hair is a barb that holds electricity! But what is special about my twins are they have (fun) diametrically opposing personalities!!! Nicte is like Pip, while Yaxkin is like… an autistic version of Severus Snape. 😂
or… or… or… King Sharrukin is like Sherlock Holmes meets Gandolf – personality-wise, not power-wise…
and then there is Abirami’s love interest, princess Puabi, who is King Sharrukin’s daughter… or Menna and Setti… or Semiramis, who is Abirami, Setti, Menna, and Ku’Aya’s parental guardian… (she’s a maunin who can control plants…)
any who….. too much. 😁…….. maybe someday….. (Starts singing) 🎶 Some day, over the rainbow….. 🎶
Or maybe at least the food, but he’s not going to take his helmet off so I guess he can’t eat it XD
😂😂😂😂 says who? In Naruto, there is a character who wears a mask ALL THE TIME, but they still show him eating…. through the mask! 😳 …. 🤔
Yay! The dance! 👏 👏 👏 👏 👏
(lol… just noticed… okay, not just… hehe. I think im overusing the emoji’s now…. teehee)
Haha, yeah, I’ve said some pretty morbid things when it comes to writing… “*laugh’s evilly* she likes kids cause she likes to eat them!” 😂
😂she likes kids😂
😂😂😂 reminds me of amphiboles… sentences that can be taken to mean two different things. You know, commas can kill….
– Let’s eat grandma… or is it Let’s eat, grandma…
– Flying planes are dangerous (are the planes dangerous, or the act of flying them 😉 )
and my all time favorite…
– I broke the window with my sister….
(teehee… I’ll let you figure out what the two different interpretations of that sentence are 😈)
…. I may write Abirami or Ku here sometime tomorrow…. maybe….?
Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, it has been found difficult and left untried. ~ G.K.C.
