Edelweiss - Jie Lian

Edelweiss

“We all fall prey to our own torrent of desires, For Rano, I am sorry.” Says a young woman knelt over a cold, and frosted gravestone. In her hand sits the newborn Edelweiss, in a bitter world where even the purest snow becomes enveloped with human anger and hatred. “I never even had the chance to tell you, my name is Aioko.” She says, as the long straight strands of her chestnut hair begin to ruffle under the pressure of the rain. As she stands up and fixes her delicate black gossamer dress, she breaks down and collapses into the crowd of black suits and dresses. Tears rupture from her eyes, and the small Edelweiss is carried away by a gust of warm wind into the forsaken eternity.

A small lump is found underneath a layer of thick bed sheets, quilted from small pieces of misplaced cloth. Leisurely, this small object seems to inch around under the blankets as if attempting to escape this warm haven it hides in. A newborn’s small head pops out from underneath, his hair black as the pool of ink found splattered across the night sky. With a small, lazy yawn, he rubs his eyes and peeks around the room. His identically dark beady eyes locks onto a corner were there used to be his wooden twig, shaped like a sword. With a confused expression across his face, he slides out from under the covers completely, wobbling to the door in his tan spotted cow pajamas. His hand barely fits around the wooden latch, then with one hefty push, the door slides open and reveals a small shack with splintered wood floors. His home accommodations were scarce and simple, using whatever he was able to forage and fix. His favorite piece was this small bird nest, cracked along the bottom but not yet enough to have the bird feed leak out. Hours would be spent sitting outside gazing at the birds, their beautiful blue and red wings slicing through the morning gust. Like all small children, he softy mumbles to himself, “I wonder what it’s like… If I had wings, I would fly and see everything.”

Blooming wild flowers stretch across an endless field touching the border of the horizon, which now becomes frozen tundra of white waves. Years seem to pass by so quickly, never having time for anyone but itself. Like a spider web placed in the very fabrics of time, Rano walks out of his house. Into the morning sun he walks slowly, and without knowing, into this web itself. “Look at all the people in this town… My friends keep telling me this is the biggest town in the Tian Dynasty. I don’t think this town is so big!” Rano thinks as his footsteps take him through this incredibly large city made out of both breath taking architecture and an incredible cultural home. Finally he arrives at the smallest store in this town, a store owned by an odd blonde haired man. The floor boards are almost brand new, only a few trails of dirt from the owner himself as he fixes the shelves every day. “Everyone calls this man the yellow demon; they say not to buy food from him because whatever you eat would cause your own hair to fall out. I think their wrong, how could just buying food cause your hair to fall out?” Rano thinks as his eyes glance through the untouched selection of food. His eyes keep browsing through what seems to be the same selection found everywhere else, except this small bag of what is called chewing gum. “Excuse me? What do you do with chewing gum?” Rano says, as he looks up at the cashier in curiosity. “Little kid, it makes your hair fall out, and then you will lose your teeth as well!” The strange blonde man stares at him with an almost insulted look on his face. “Really?! I want to try some for sure then, May I purchase one?” Rano says almost excited to try out this new food. “WH-what? Really? You actually want to buy something from me..? I’m sorry child for being rude, most kids your age comes in just to mock me. I haven’t had a real customer in almost 3 months now.” He says back to Rano in a deeply saddened tone. “Don’t worry! Things will get better. I will tell all my friends that you have the best strange foods!” Rano says carelessly, as he hands the man all the change he has in his pocket. By far more than how much the gum was actually worth but deep in his mind he knows that this man needs it more than himself. Trying to act cool, Rano strolls out of the store and accidentally trips over a slouching bag of rice, landing face first into the grass. “I hope no one else saw, at least not...” He shoves his body off from the floor and doesn’t finish his sentence, with a light blush on his cheeks. The store clerk is laughing and almost falling over his counter, in between breaths he says, “With the wind up on your back child, just try and not be too cool.”

The small stone path, glistening in the rays of the setting sun abruptly stops as Rano leaves the town in to go home. In all his excitement, he forgot to actually purchase the food he needed for the week so he decided just to buy it from the small store near his house instead. With a big smile on his face and gum in the side pocket of his qianlian mei, he hastily tramples over the fields of grass. This qianlian was not actually made out of silk like it was suppose to be. Instead it was made out of cow pelts, a much cheaper material but also provides more warmth and hides unwanted dirt stains all in one package. He stares at a patch of high risen grass, walking off of his normal route to go investigate. Not due to the grass itself but oddly enough because of the small blonde head that keeps ducking behind the grass every once in a while. Like a tiger in the prowl, he leans down against the warm grass and dirt. His fingers stab through the earth, and clench onto it as if the earth itself would throw him off. At the corner of his eye, he catches the glimpse of a large rock, hidden like the shell of a turtle. His mind runs quickly, and his body just as quick. “Maybe this is the yellow demon everyone talks about, not that poor man in the store, I can be a hero, I can be important.” Without hesitation, he lunges at this strange creature, rock held high in the air ready to come down like a hammer. Rano’s breath hiccups like an echo through time, the rock dives down and splinters the tranquil surface of the dirt. Sitting barricaded away by the grass in front of him, poking and prodding at the piece of dirt, is this small blonde haired girl. She is wearing a white one piece night gown in the shape of a sheep, with grass stains spotted all long her knees. “Hi, my name is Aioko. I hope that you didn’t tell anyone else that I’m here! My father would never let me out of his sights.” She says softy but nervously without even looking up at Rano. “It’s not safe here, come let me walk you home.” Rano says in concern because he almost clobbered her in the head. “What are you doing anyways?”

“I am trying to understand something by planting these small Lions Paw flowers in the dirt where no one can find them. I can take care of them and watch them grow, but you see, Lions paws flowers only grow in high altitudes and are not suited for other climates. Like my father and I, we’re new comers here. No one really wants us here, even I can tell. Everyone yells and makes fun of my father, calling him names and telling him to leave. But you see, we don’t want to leave. We love this village, this town. So I think, if this tiny flower can adapt to living where no one wants it, we can too and my father can be himself again.” Her voice trembles in the wind as the night sky gradually sets in. Rano kneels down beside her and starts poking small holes in the same line and pattern, making sure they are set far enough to have room to grow. As he pokes the holes, Aioko’s delicate hands drop small white seeds in them. “Let’s go, I will walk you home so no one makes fun of you.” Rano says, as he carefully fills in the holes and pats them firmly just to make sure. He stands up straight and looks down at Aioko, then holds out his hand and without a word, lets her know everything will be ok with just a smile. On the way back, their conversations turned to laughter. Talking about all the silly rumors going around and what people actually think of them. Wild stories about how her dad came from another dimension by the eight immortals in order to punish the world. They say that he makes people bald because the eight immortals became jealous of the humans and fearful that they may perhaps lose their own hair. They arrive just in time for her dinner, with her father on look out just outside of their house. His worried expression quickly becomes a laugh and his arms fly open for his daughter. “So that’s where you have been? Hanging out with the cool kid I see! Well I’m just relieved you’re safe Aioko. We need to stick together in these tough times like families are suppose too.” The father said, while pressing his face against her hair in affection. Rano has a smile wash across his face as he watches the affection between her family, almost hoping he might be able to one day find the same. Hoping, wishing, almost preying that he could be able to feel the way they do at this moment just so he can experience it. The father stands up straight, looking far taller than he did when Rano saw him earlier in the store. “Can you make it home alright?” He says, while opening the door to his house. The aroma of strange foods forces his stomach to growl as it drifts into his nose and on to his tongue. “I can, but I’m not too sure how to even eat this Gum I bought from you earlier. So before I leave, you may have this Aioko. My name is Rano, short for Ranoishiki.” He says, as he hands over this pack of warm gum that has been sitting in his pocket all day. “Farewell.”

The inevitable finally became reality. The warring lords have clashed together, in name of peace, power, greed and whatever self righteous morals they may feel the need to blame this war on. Hundreds of soaking wet feet splash through somber rain puddles. A loud voice booms through the piercing hurricane winds and almost instantly, the chaos of people comes to a halt. The rain has become increasingly harsh, pounding into the mother’s and children’s clothing like a relentless blacksmith. Even so, no one moved a muscle, everyone stood still with their eyes gazing wide open. “My name is Meiling, I am the oldest daughter of our city’s ruling lord. I hope everyone here can allow me a chance to speak today, about this conflagration of hatred that will eventually tear our home, our Devitayle into the ground.” This young girl yells at the top of her lungs into the crowd. “Our small village has about three hundred permanent residents whose survival is on depends on this village. Although small, this village has been born and raised by all of you watching today. Your blood and sweat has built these walls you see today that shelters us from the rain and the heat. Your smiles and laughter have made this village into a family, creating more than just empty rooms. Soon, in about a weeks’ time, we will lose everything. Our families, our future and our hopes will be crushed by a foreign force of power that can topple our capital of Xingyun.” As she speaks, other small conversations emerge in the crowd and feet can be heard scuffing along the floor. The whole park is now full of people. Brave men whom yell and scream to fight in foolish ignorance and caring wives, whom want to discuss a peace so the village can be spared along with their bull headed husbands. “Everyone must be wondering why my father is not here. He has always been our leader, wise and calm. I honestly, ask myself the same question. My father is no longer present with us today, his belongings and his horse has disappeared since last night.” Meiling says as her head looks down away from the crowd almost anticipating the harsh words about to come. To her surprise, no one said anything. No harsh words that would insult her father’s honor and integrity. No words were said at all actually, just crowds of people shaking their heads and walking away. Finally, a voice is heard from the middle of a crowd “I will fight, I will defend this town and my family. What other choice do we have? We are not cowards! As everyone here walks away without hope, they forget that hope resides in the people we love. We might have lost our lord. He might have retreated or perhaps everyone forgets, he may be planning something to save us all. I won’t wait, we don’t have time to wait.” This man is Rano’s close friend. He raises his fist into the air with a handkerchief soaked in dirt dried blood. “Like the blood and dirt on this handkerchief that melts away in the rain, we of this village now need to wash away our own selves and create a new and better future. My name is Leo, I am the seasoned age of 22, and I will protect everyone here by all means necessary!” He yells at the top of his lungs as he looks Meiling straight into her eyes, seeing her fear she wants to hide. Standing next to Leo is no other than Rano, but not a single word mumbles out of his lips.

Devitayle now has a small militia party, lead by the ruling lords’ daughter and commanded by Leo. This militia has become a phantom, patrolling the fields and homes without sound. Even though they are always present, not even the families whom are actually part of this organization know. Along with the militia, the more bold national guards also patrol through this town, making passes in and out with their shining steel plate mail armor and glimmering spears.

The blooming edelweiss rests against Rano’s palm as he tenderly waters the small patch of flowers. Over his shoulder watching carefully, is Aioko, aging and blooming like flowers themselves, becoming more and more beautiful. She gracefully stands up, almost bouncing to her feet then while laughing, she holds out her hand for him. “Let’s go home, it’s dangerous out here with the war going on, but don’t worry! I will protect you.” She says playfully with a wink. Rano securely holds onto her hand and regains balance as he stands up, embracing her hand in his. “That’s a good idea, plus we need to feed Ryushi at home. We’re going to starve the poor cat to death if we keep going out and forgetting about him.” Rano says with a warm caring voice. “Tonight though Aioko, let’s take the scenic route. We always seem to take the same old paths we’ve walked since we were young, let’s dare to walk where we never have!” He says with enthusiasm, as he tugs at her hand impatiently. They both quickly walk off of the yellow dirt path, a path taken so many times that each rock and pebble have intertwined with the earth itself. Their feet collapsed the very fabrics of the grass and earth dwindling underneath. Rasp breaths squeeze out from deep inside their lunges as they walk. The sun became a crimson twilight, hiding it's smile away from the brink of the horizon as the moon awoke to hang high above. Their smiles echoed through the soft dew resting on each blade of grass.

With careless foot prints left behind, Aioko's right foot brushes against a large object, almost tripping her head first in to a large burly man. He groans loudly, as if a bear finally awaking from hibernation. The man then leans upward, as he slowly puts his large paws into the dirt. His hazel eyes are fogged with darkened memories buried deep inside his very soul. "Who is it? When did the sun fall?" The man mumbles as the moon ray's reflects off of his Radiant crest. "You’re a imperial guard, are you not? What meaning do you have sleeping in these fields!? These are not your property, nor your route." Aioko says, as she looks this giant of a man from head to toe distastefully. With no response, as if the words never even reached this man's ears, his arm swings around with his fist clenching together. Another arm abruptly halts the man's fist in motion, followed quickly by a Tai chi extended wing impact against his chest. As the man staggers and wobbles on his feet like a titan on the brink from falling, Rin steps forward and presses her knee against his lower stomach. As her knee impacted against his stomach, her other leg sweeps underneath his foot, causing his body’s full momentum to go crashing against the grass. The earth shaking vibration causes the dew drops lying underneath to bounce up and rain down against the hair on his arms. Rano and Rin looks at each other in disbelief that they just committed a crime against the Imperial Seal by attacking one of their guards. They carefully sneak over, like a lion prowling through the tall grass, one slow step at a time. The man’s face looks so tranquil, with a small smile washed across his lips. His dialect was the same as Rano’s and Rin’s but they could barely understand through his drunken rants. “My family, I am so proud of you. I wish that I was there, I would have died with you instead of being here.” Small tears stream from the side of his eyes, rolling down and being lost in the weaves of his beard. Rin kneels down beside him and shakes her head without even saying a single word, her hand presses daintily against his jacket pocket. A small picture slides out from underneath his pocket and under her hand, between her fingers are a pair of small eyes and happy smiling faces. Tugging little by little, she removes the picture completely out from under his pocket revealing what seems to be his family sitting outside at a park in fall. “This photo looks like it’s been through a river, barely staying intact.” Rano says as he leans down taking a closer look. “The mother and child’s face are almost a blur but they seem so happy together. The son has a leaf blowing into his face and it’s almost as big as his head.” Rin says as she smiles alittle at the warmth of the picture itself, full of love and tender care. Rano takes a deep breath and softly places his hand on top of Rin’s, they both gingerly nudge the picture back into his pocket, being careful not to bend the sides even more than its current state. “Lets’ leave him in peace, this may be his darkest hour but this just means the shroud of war is coming closer than we thought. I won’t allow this to happen to our homes.”

Morning breaks with the clashing of the town’s blacksmith hammer against heated steel. Yelling can be heard and hundreds of footsteps frantically running like a stampede of antelopes running from a solitary hunter. Rano is found inside his house, sliding on his leather gloves and copper plate boots, rusted from the rain. As he opens the door, looking out into the village streets, corpses lay against each other, leaning against the walls and being trampled by negligent feet. Across the bloody glazed streets are the ever shining emblems from the imperial guards, covered in splashes of crimson blood. His eyes scan the surroundings, looking for any assailants that may still be lingering close. His ears still constantly ring with the yelling of soldiers relentlessly charging in to battle. The top of Rin’s head pops out from the piles of corpses, dripping in blood as her hands nimbly wrap cloth around the wounded. Rano’s mind flashes back to when they were just little children, when he saw her for the first time planting those Lion paw’s in the tall grass, her head just bobbing up and down. He takes one last long breath and closes his eyes for a second before sprinting into the blinding day light, vigilantly avoiding stepping on the bodies. Rin’s voice can be heard, maybe it was just his imagination but her voice lingers in the air, “Rano, Your not a soldier! This isn’t your war to fight, Just come back home and we can be together.” With relentless hope and maybe a dash of courage, Rano snatches a spear tipped tonfa from one of the fallen soldiers and continues to run, guided by the sounds of screaming cries. His eyes almost refuse to believe at the sight, armies of men carrying wooden sticks that seem to fire some sort of projectile. Their armor consisted of a monotonous shade of blue, marching through the smoke caused by their weapons. The plated guards, whom valiantly ran in against this unknown force, quickly dropped to their knees and laid to rest. These projectiles gashed through not only the soldiers but the innocent crying bodies of children alike, setting fire to wooden homes and burning the rice fields. As Rano reaches arm length of these demonic men, his heart stops and before their hazel eyes can lock onto his, his movements became that of the night breeze. Quick and unrelenting, his tonfa head pierces through the muscle tissue and spines of everyone in his path. The invasion seems like it has halted as a man in the back yells some unknown language to his soldiers. They all changed formation and scattered across the field, surrounding Rano within the whirlpool of metallic projectile fire. “These men, these beasts and monsters with their metal fire can catch the wind as well?” Rano’s mind runs, thinking of a solution but the warm splatters of blood against his face interrupts his thoughts. The adrenaline almost allows him to forget the hard spheres lodged in his arm but the pain itself becomes almost unbearable. He flinches remotely but continues his assault, sliding underneath the grass to avoid the hail of metal and appearing again at the feet of the enemy. Without cognizance, the sun blacked out with a rain of wooden arrows, tipped with crystals. The first arrow fired impaled like a ballista bolt through a raider in the hind ranks, wrapped around his arrow was a Lions paw flower, in full bloom. Arrows upon arrows volleyed into the raider’s ranks, plowing through their troops and sending them staggering in gear. Rano quickly dashes to run out into the open field, locked between the thundering arrows and lightning metal pellets firing against one another. The hidden militia shifts locations, hiding their bows and themselves within the smoke and fire of the grass, with arrows launching from every angle possibly imaginable. The raiders lose their moral as they start to retreat; more incognito words are yelled as they about face and start to run.

Rano rolls onto his back, his breath steady and his blood meshing with the cold soil underneath him. His mind becomes calm and tranquil as the clouds move above him, staring into the heavens themselves. “Thank you for your guidance and blessing.” He says to himself as a smile lingers for a second on his face. He shuts his eyes, imagining and picturing what will happen now, pretending the clouds above him became a movie. The houses stopped burning and again filled with families sitting on cloud nine, children dancing and pretending to fight with sticks as they run across the kitchen floor. Pretending to fight but never truly understanding the horrors of combat, ignorance is bliss. With a gasp of air, a cold metal blade thrusts into his stomach, cleaving into the dirt underneath him. Rano’s eyes open slightly, wincing in agony as his undeniable death comes near. He catches a glimpse of hazel color eyes staring down at him, a face covered in sweat and the look of complete madness. Gasping constantly to attempt to fill his lunges with air, the sword is drawn out of him and tossed to the side by this lost straggler. Rano’s eyes finally shut completely as he can feel his body being dragged by this strange hazel eyes demon. “Go ahead, drag me down to hell from where you came. I have no fear, goodbye everyone”.

Day or night, it doesn’t matter anymore, from this cage it all looks the same. I’ve been here for days now, I’m still not too sure why they let me live. Why I’m here – Rano carves into a small piece of stone he found. He has written many of these, by finding rocks and stones outside of his cage then carving into them by breaking pieces off from his rusted boots. I just wonder, what it is like outside. Has Rin grown up and forgotten about me? Did my tiny village ever prosper like I dreamed? He finishes carving a few questions for himself to think about and then hides it with the rest of the rocks he has written on by burying it under himself in the mud. His ankles are swollen with the shackles that bound him in the cage like an animal caught and forced to submit. Rano tugs brutally at the chains that tie him to this cage, ignoring the pain and just trying his best to break free. His fists pound into the cage bars, denting the bars ever so remotely but nearly shattering his knuckles. His hair mangy from the dried mud and the previous wound on his arm, wrapped with his red shirt but still infected. “What do you want from me?! WHAT do you want?!!” Rano’s voice echo’s to himself, bouncing off of the walls from what it seems to be a dark abandoned warehouse. This voice, his own, is the only voice he has heard in what seems to be weeks. At night, guards arrive bringing in new hostages in cages and stacking them on top of each other, then bringing meager portions of bread not enough to even feed a child. Some nights for amusement, they bring warm soft hay and then leave it on the muddy floor. They let out half of the prisoners and point guns to their heads, the first person that stops fighting for the hay, for any reason at all, gets shot. Even among all this, not a single word is said. Not by the guards, nor the prisoners.

One night started extremely peculiar, as Rano was trying to breathe in the crumbs left from the corner of his bread while guards brought in a new capture as they always do every night. For once, Rano could hear other voices. “Hello?” Rano says feebly as the guards stack another cage on top of his. “Let me out! I don’t belong here, I’m one of you! What are you doing?!” This girls voice blares at the top of her lungs. “These critters we have in these cages have no rights, now you are a critter as well. Behave that way and shut up!” A raspy deep voice says from somewhere in the shadows, before the sound of a large metal door drowns everything else out. “Hello?” Rano says again, this time a little louder just in case they couldn’t hear him the first time. “Don’t talk to me.” She says as she curls up with her arms wrapped around her knees. Her brown hair droops down through the cage cells, tinted blank like a natural dye. “Are you Chinese? I could understand what the guards were saying, that would mean they are Chinese as well?!” Rano says in confusion as he tries to study her facial features which are hidden by her sweater sleeves. “No.. No I’m not Chinese but the guards are. My name is Aioko Reverie, I am the daughter of the 9^th conqueror and I shouldn’t be in HERE!” She says almost wailing in distress, her voice shakes slightly showing her fear. “Do you know why your father is attacking our villages and why we are fighting ourselves?” Rano says calmly as he leans back against the cold cage, sending shivers down his spine. “Why should I tell you? All you need to know is that when I get out, I’m going to stop this war! My father is so dense to keep fighting this war...” Her voice trails off into slight mumbles and her body slides down against the cage, like a small armadillo hiding itself away from the world.

More and more cages stack on top of each other, like a warehouse of souls damned to burn in the crematory of hell. Yet none of them speak as if their souls have already been taken out from their bodies. Nights go by with sounds of rustling from starving mice and the buzzing of flies feasting off the flesh of those who refused to be a jester for the guard’s amusement. Rano’s strength to fight, to survive is ever dwindling, and his fire has become just burning ashes ready to be stepped on. The walls of his cage shakes, as Aioko sleeping above, shivers in the cold air. Her previously puffy sweater has absorbed so much dirty water and mud that it weighs her down and keeps her body heat from circulating. “Little girl, you need to take care of yourself if you ever want to one day stop your father, we can’t have you dying now.” Rano says quietly to her, afraid to wake her from her sleep. His fingers weakly fumble the hay that is wrapped around his cage bars, left there to dry. Trying his best to gather as much as he can before it slides out from his fingers and into the mud, he slides it through the cage cells above him and under Aioko’s boreal body. “You don’t need too, but thank you. What do you want to do when you get out of here?” She says still quaking in the cold, her body wiggling itself into the warmth of the dry hay. Rano stays quiet for a little longer, trying to gather his thoughts together again, trying his best to think of a future besides death, outside of these lunatic walls. “I want, I want, I want to get married to this girl I know. Her name is Rin. I can barely remember her face, but I can remember so well her voice and her glowing touch. I never even had the chance to propose to her, or tell her that I love her. I want to be able to go back home to my little shack and help my village prosper and grow. To watch everyone grow their wings and fly away to see the world, I want to be the wind that carries them.” Rano says so slowly as if a gear inside his very spirit was activating again.

“No! No leave him alone! By command of Reverie, I demand that you leave that gentleman alone!” Aioko’s commanding but desperate voice can be heard as Rano’s limp body is dragged out of the warehouse into a smaller room. “I-I never asked for your name.” She says, staring into the abandoned cage below her. The thick metal door slams shut behind the guards, sealed air tight so not even light could escape the horrendous grasps. Rano’s arms are raised above his head, tied with rusted chains cutting through his skin. His legs are strapped around the floor below him, making sure that even the thought of a possibility for escape could not happen. “My name is Kyou, Kyouju. I am the 3^rd commander of the Blue feather army. You may ask why I bring you here today. Well let me explain.” His emotionless voice crushed all meaning in the words he said, but to Rano, this was his chance to find out what was actually happening. Kyou turned around and tugged on a rope which then opened a pair of steel curtains, blinding Rano almost instantly. “That hurts doesn’t it? You haven’t seen the outside world in months now, and your pupils can barely adjust to the light. Let me explain to you, all around you are trees. Tree’s that soon would be built into cannons and firearms for the soldiers you killed that day. Yet you hang here and think you have done such a great task, protected your village and saved your people. Let me tell you a secret, There all going to die.” His voice became more and more boorish, almost in sarcasm, laughing deep inside at Rano’s suffering. Rano’s hands clench in tension, pulling the chains against his wrist, tearing the orange rusted chains into his arm with pure embedded animosity at Kyou. “I’m going to be your nightmare.” Rano says softly with his eyes closed still, dangling down facing the ground. “Sure sure… First, you need to look at me.” Kyou places his dry crusty hands on Rano’s cheek and using his thumb, forcing his eyes to open. “Look at me, now you know who I am, come and get me.” Kyou laughs as he reaches behind him and grabs a vial of clear liquid. The image of Kyou, grinning from ear to ear, laughing with such sick vigor burned into Rano’s mind. The last image he will ever see, as the vial splashes into his eyes. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” His eyes burn and his pupils fade into pale yellow.

“Hey, hey stranger.” Aioko’s voice can be heard, as she reaches through the cells and gently touches Rano’s shoulder. “I found way to escape, we can get out. I have a friend named Neku. He said he saw you fight defending your village and he knows Leo your friend. Please come with us tonight.” Rano sits in a meditative stance, without speaking a single word and his eyes never blinked. “When we get out, I’ll help you find this Rin! Everything will be alright, we’ll take care of your wounds and help protect your village, and just you wait. I know, I know your blind but please, please talk to me. I can explain to you the world, and be your eyes.” She says desperately to get some reaction out of Rano, afraid he might have finally lost his sanity. Rano’s mouth opens and words seem to flow out like water washing over the wounded cracks of a desert floor. “I don’t need to see the world, I have already seen the cruelty of it, and how we as humans destroy everything pure and beautiful. After every snow storm, as if heavens came to cover and cleanse all of our sins, someone always has to run through it treading mud across perfection. My eyes now can truly see, I see the world that is about to be. The future of humanity as a whole is on the brink of falling into an everlasting whirlpool of hate and death. When we leave his forsaken place, we will go out and fight for what we believe in. We will be like water and cure the sick and wounded, be like water, crush the most unshakable rock and drown the most immense wildfires. So let us go.”

The night casts a cold shadow across the land, not a single sound can be heard in the deafening silence. The guards leave after their normal patrol, speaking about a fall masquerade party among each other, carelessly closing the door behind them. Hours pass in this silence without a single sign of the rescue party. Aioko becomes impatient in her cell and she starts to sing softy to herself in order to break the uneasy silence. “Someone is coming, two pairs of footsteps, light shoes and no armor.” Rano whispers to Aioko, interrupting her melodic song. “Becare...” Just as his mouth starts to talk again, a loud clash knocks open the door and two men in blue military uniform walks in. Their faces are hidden by the shadow’s but with the small cracks of beaming moonlight; their conqueror emblem can easily be seen. “Aioko! Aioko!! Where are you M’lady? It’s time for us to leave this place, and the gates of QingYun await us.” A familiar voice calls out into the pitch black room. The voice seeps into Rano’s mind but he sits there still, without making a sound just to be sure this isn’t a trap. “Neku, I am here. Come to the far south cell near the wall. We are placed above the mud ditch, just follow me voice” Aioko says full of excitement and hope, her voice continues to be slightly melodic. The footsteps creep closer and whispers can be heard. “This mud is disgusting, it’s full of insects and it’s starting to grow some sort of mold. I can’t believe they expect someone to stay alive in these cages.” As the shadows move closer to their cells, they seem to stop and look completely astonished at the sight of Rano. Neku carefully removes his hand from out of his pocket and reaches inside Rano’s cell, carefully feeling around it as if in search for a lost object. His hand falls against Rano’s face and that’s when he finally realizes who this Rano was. “Ranoishiki Night I assume?” his hesitant voice says in to the cage. “I am Ranoishiki but who you are looking for, is not me. Aioko resides directly above my cage.” Rano responds without emotion, then puts his hand on Neku’s to remove it from his face. “Thank you so much guys.” Aioko says, as her cage flings open and she finally takes her first step outside of her capturer’s holding cell. Her legs buckle slightly to the pressure and weight of her body but she catches herself on the top of Rano’s cage. “Come on! Lets’ get Rano out and we can leave.” She says while stretching her lower calves and back. “Rano, Rano. This is Neku, do you remember me? We used to play all time when I was very young. We must have been 3 or 4, running around the tree pretending to be monkeys.” Neku’s voice becomes instantly saddened, almost tearful. “Why don’t you look at me, Rano? Its’ me, Neku your little brother. Be strong Rano, I promise you’ll get out of here”

The heavy hurricane winds blow and sweep Rano’s balance off from his feet, wobbling slightly between the trees. His hands reach out into the forever abyss only his eyes can see, grasping for a light that only he can reach. Around his arm is the gingerly touch of Aioko, tugging him in multiple directions as his feet propel him forward. Sounds of hundreds of branches snapping reflect against the living bark of the trees around them. The wind howls in anger, tossing leaves high in the air and in a tantrum, spinning them around creating a thick wall of orange and red. “They will catch us, let me down. I will stay and fight them since I am no use here. You are leading a blind man through a spider web. All I can do is slow you down from the pursuers!” Rano shouts in between his exhausted breaths, stumbling on his own feet. A bone rattling blast rips through the leaves and air, rupturing Leo’s right leg with such intensity that his knee bends sideways as his muscles collapses inward. “I will be the one left behind. Let me prove to myself that I can do this. We’ve always grown up together and done everything together, but this time I will go alone!” Leo yells as he drops down to one knee, drawing his sword from its sheath on his back. Rano listens closely and tries to turn around, spinning out from Aioko’s grasp, trying to run in the direction of the voice. As he starts to stumble backwards for Leo, his arm again is caught by Aioko’s grasp, this time by far more secure and demanding. “Let your friend go, let him live his life goal and dream. To be able to die protecting the one he cares for most.” Aioko voice can be heard straight ahead of Rano, still tugging against his arm, leading him through the forest. Leo’s agonizing scream can be heard in the distance, and his grunting of sheer persistence followed close afterwards. Spearmen surround him, impaling his soft flesh with hard serrated tips of their pikes, breaking the points into his chest and legs. “Cowards, Cowards!! While growing up, I was known as the Iron Ant! My strength is far beyond your usage of cowardly firearms!” Leo’s says unrelentingly, without a single quiver in his voice. He clutches the spear ends left inside his wounded body, tears them out with such brutal force that his blood splashes against the faces of the men whom stabbed him. He pushes himself off of the tree behind him, repelling himself forward against the soldiers with broken pikes in both of his hands. With a grin left on his face, the sounds of battle fade away into the winds.

“Aioko, we’re here, its’ ok now. You can let Rano go, these are the invincible gates of QingYun.” Neko’s says as he stands leaning against the gigantic iron gates, the rising sun reflecting off of the handle bars and off of the heavy iron plated juggernaught guards. The dawn breaks over the beautiful city of QingYun, prospering beyond imagination over the months of war. The glass windows reflect the simple elegance of the sky, showing the civilians residing inside that there is a tomorrow for them. Around the outer wall, almost hidden by the medicine shop sits a small store, untouched by the currents of time. Its’ floors still almost as perfect as they always were, shelves full of exotic and strange foods. Most importantly behind the register sits a man with blond hair, he himself has taken the blunt trauma of time instead of his store. His frown etched into his face, his tears scarred down his cheeks.

Rano carefully hesitates per step, taking the stairs with such care that only age can cause such anxiety. His hand glides against the borders of the door and then slowly over the metal shelves full of strange bags of crunchy foods and glass jars as he proceeds carefully into the store. “Rano?! RANO!? Is that you?! It can’t be, I must be dreaming! This is impossible!” Screams a voice at the top of her lunges, sending such a shock that Rano loses balance and slips on to the floor. “It’s you Rano! It’s really you isn’t it?” A warm, caring breath softly blows against his cheeks and her pristine voice seems to forever dawdle in the air. Rano reaches up slowly, in disbelief himself and rests his hand against her cheeks. Warm tears roll down from her eyes and over his thumb as she leans her face against his hand and her body into his arms. “You are so beautiful Rin, I knew it. I knew that one day you’ll bloom into an amazing woman, as beautiful as the goddess herself. I missed you so much, I want to ask you a question, will you please...” Rano says gently as his hand reaches in to the bucket of chewing gum on the counter above their heads. “Rano, I-I need to tell you something. These years that you have been gone, I have cried myself to sleep every night just hoping and wishing that you would come back. But, I grew weak and I lost hope.” Rin says as she rests her face against his chest with her eyes closed.

“I found someone else”

“I will always love you Rano”

“Rano?! Are you sleeping?”

“Rano, wake up!! What did you want to ask me?”

“Rano!! Please wake up!”

His hand slides out from underneath the pile of chewing gum, grasping on to a white gold and diamond band, even though his body has already given up the existence of his soul. Now only a shell remains, with eyes closed, hunched over a women with tears crashing against his arms.

“He asked me to come here with him at the brink of dawn, as soon as the sun rose but before you or your father awoke. He never wanted to tell you that he was blind, he couldn’t actually see how happy you were, but he wanted to hide this engagement band in the bucket of child’s chewing gum. Never once did I ask him why, why chewing gum. We just walked through the store, he felt out every inch and corner of it, learning and imagining where everything is and belongs so that when he came back to you, you would never have to know. He never wanted for you to see him in pain, even finally taking his last breath with a smile left on his face.”