The stream of souls is unkind around here...
✔ Story-driven, casual scenes, conversation, relationship-building ~ serious combat, masochism ✘ illiteracy, self-insert, overcompensating
Can you hear it?
"If my dreams were caught, a darkness would reveal not only the past battles I've fought, but too the memories I keep sealed."
- Melody after being asked if she wanted to buy a dream catcher.
"My name is Melody Kuroyami. I used to live in a small village in rural Japan, until one day disaster struck and destroyed my hometown. I was only little when I fell witness to the slaughter of my people, blood and fire the sigil engraved into our precious lands. I was taken in by a mysterious band of travelers that came among the destruction. Never will I forget the pact I sealed, nor the words my master spoke. 'We won't give you protection. We will give you strength.' I proved my worth by murdering a bandit that was about to take a child's life. She never made it, though the tale of her death is one I'll save for later. If I were to go over how the life I saved perished, perhaps I'd lose myself once again."
"The human race understands the most complex of things. We've discovered life in the deepest depths of the ocean and handcrafted bacteria to our benefit. Yet with all these wonders, how come nobody has ever managed to understand me?"
- Melody after being asked if she wanted to buy a dream catcher.
"The human race understands the most complex of things. We've discovered life in the deepest depths of the ocean and handcrafted bacteria to our benefit. Yet with all these wonders, how come nobody has ever managed to understand me?"
"It wasn't easy to be the new face in town. Especially for a society as secluded as theirs. Everyone carried their weight, so soon they questioned whether a girl as young as me was worthy of being there. My mentor had seen what i could, yet the others remained unconvinced. Perhaps I was wrong, but I could've sworn there were jealous gazes in the crowd, as if I had taken the time of their master away. With no place to go and a tense air, one of the people suggested me taking the trial of flame. My mentor heavily refused, saying I wasn't ready, but I agreed to take the trial. The next week was spend training with my mentor, who noted steady improvement in my skills. I was a natural, I had talent and the rest hated me for it. I will never forget his words. 'To sense what is beyond a person means not to listen to what they say, but to what they are. Control this and you will find truth.' On the day of the trial I was taken to the heart of the mountain, deep inside the underground tunnel system with nothing but a katana and a purple gemstone. When I said my farewells my mentor came to me and whispered: 'Melody, forget not what I taught you. Listen to not only your own heart, but the heart of the very mountain and you'll find truth.'
"If I were to perish another monster would just take my place."
"They sealed the passage, as tradition foretold, leaving me in the darkness of the caves. Deep down deprived of light I had to count on my other senses to see, from the vibrations in the ground to the slivers of sound. All around was information broadcast. I simply had to listen. Soon my first obstacle revealed itself, the growls of a monstrosity alerting me to fight. I don't know what I fought down in those caves, nor how it got down there, but perhaps I'm better off not having caught a glimpse of its terrifying visage. Halfway through my fight I realized something was off, the blade of my katana breaking only moments after hitting the creature. After careful and keen observation I determined that it was, in fact, sabotaged by my peers. Filled with rage I slayed the beast with my bare hands, venturing deeper into the cave before hopelessness settled in. Where was I supposed to go? What should I do? Only then did I close my eyes and listened and I could hear everything. The flow of the earth's energy, the magma deep within the mountain and the signs of life even deeper within. The monsters, the people further off that I called my own and something absolutely terrifying. Of all the presences I could sense, the most evil and terrifying one came from the village that send me here."
"In the search for power, not only did I lose those I held dear, but I also lost myself.
"This evil was one I had to slay, yet without a weapon I wouldn't stand a chance. An idea came to mind, where the gemstone- an artifact I was supposed to learn about in this journey- could be my greatest weapon. Deep inside of the mountain I sought the energy of the earth, searing magma my goal while I built a furnace out of stone. I found the flow of the river inside and made it clash against the fire of the mountain, crafting a blade made out of metals gifted from the mountain and the gemstone I was given. I created a hilt, using stray materials and my leather belt. This katana is a key part of my story, the turning point, the weapon that I'd ultimately use to kill an evil unknown: Betrayal. A week I kept in those darkened cave and in those days I slowly learned how to see perfectly in the darkness. With my new-self-taught skills and hand-crafted weapon I left the cave, returning to the people who set me up for death with unparalleled determination for the truth. If only I had understood what my master truly meant with those words."
"My whole life I've been trying to understand the people around me, but only now I realize, I've been trying to understand myself all along."
"Don't forget... that kindness can sometimes bring forth an even greater sadness."
"Don't forget... that kindness can sometimes bring forth an even greater sadness."