Snippet #2350749

A woman lay motionless, curled tightly in the fetal position as if protecting something, in the middle of a small, tree filled park near the center of the city. Long, snow white hair covered her face and body like a blanket, stringy and damp in the steady rain. Suddenly, a resonating bell rang out the hour of midnight. The woman gave a groan as she woke, slowly opening her eyes to unexpected surroundings. Suddenly she bolted up to a sitting position, eyes wide and frantic as if she was looking for something, something that faded away like a dream before she could grasp what it was. She winced and grabbed her side, which felt oddly sore for some unknown reason though the pain faded quickly.




The voice rang through her mind, though there was no one nearby. Ormir's face slowly turned toward the sound of the clock, listening closely as if its ring held the answer. It quickly fell silent, and Ormir gave a small sigh. She unconsciously began rubbing the inside of her left wrist, looking down at it after a moment. She saw a small symbol branded there, a black knight. She knew instinctively what it was, though she had never seen that symbol before. It was a chess symbol, and that meant there were other chess pieces somewhere, some black, as her symbol seemed to be, and others white. "Find those I must protect," Ormir mused. The words suddenly made sense.

She rose, feeling rather stiff, and wondered how she had come to be there and how long she had been there. Her memory gave no answer. In fact, she could remember practically nothing of what happened before she woke just moments ago. Deciding she had lingered there long enough, Ormir began the process of shedding her human skin to take dragon form, her pupils turning to slits, two horns appearing on her head. She realized, however, that something was wrong, and a sharp pain filled her as she attempted to force the transformation, causing her to collapse to her knees with a gasp. Her vision swam for a moment before she could focus once more, and she felt a certain emptiness at the part of her that was strangely missing. Her dragon features slowly faded, leaving her human in appearance once more.

She rubbed the inside of her wrist once more, looking around in confusion. Hearing a loud rustling behind her, Ormir sprung to her feet and whirled, surprised to see a night-black dragon approaching her. She could feel his thoughts and emotions, something she could normally do only in dragon form, but things were different here. Ormir felt in an instant that he had no desire to harm her, but only to protect and fight alongside her. His name was Ekuro, though the name itself came to her as nothing more than a feeling of who he was.

In that instant, a sort of bond was formed, and Ormir walked over to him without fear, laying a hand on his scaled cheek. He was meant to replace the part of her which was missing here. Ormir realized there was a saddle of sorts on his back, held on by leather straps about his neck and behind his wings. He showed her she was meant to sit there, communicating through an image in her mind. She leapt into the seat and Ekuro took off at a run. They soon left the park behind and Ekuro began looking for a tall building, apparently intending to jump off of to get enough momentum for flight. Ormir was surprised at first, but quickly accepted the oddity.

Though it was still raining, with the occasional thunderclap breaking over Gardenia, Ormir seemed to pay the weather no attention. Instead, she watched the city around them with a childlike fascination. The odd lights, brighter than any she had ever seen, illuminated the deserted streets. She wondered what sort of sorcery made the buildings glow like that. She marveled at how the light never seemed to flicker like a fire would. Whoever had made that must have been powerful indeed. The buildings towered over them, making her feel strangely small. Many of them seemed as tall as mountains. There must be powerful magics at work here...

Suddenly, Ekuro found a suitable building and charged toward it without slowing. At the last instant, he jumped, claws digging into the side of the building as he propelled himself up as easily as if he were running up a hill. Ormir shifted slightly, gripping Ekuro's sides tightly. When they reached the top, he pivoted sharply as Ormir held on, before he jumped. After a thrilling moment of free fall, his wings snapped open and they were flying.

'Higher,' Ormir requested softly, knowing he would hear her thought. Soon they were nearly in the thundering clouds, and Ormir could see the city in its entirety. A dark castle and a white castle stood on either side of Gardenia, like two hulking opponents lying in wait. Ormir and Ekuro swooped down toward the black castle, drawn in like moths to a light. Ekuro landed near the entrance to the grounds and Ormir dismounted, keeping one hand on his sleek shoulder for reassurance as they stood before the silent castle, illuminated only by an occasional flicker of lightning.

Ormir stood silently for a moment, taking in the large, ornate castle as she and Ekuro stood out in the pouring rain. The building was not just black in color, instead seeming to swallow all other color and light up. She stood and watched, fascinated, for some time to the exclusion of all else. Ekuro shifted slightly, looking to her to see what they would do now, and Ormir started out of her reverie. She looked at him, half confused for a moment, as if she had forgotten where she was. She turned her attention to the castle again, this time focusing on what might be inside.

Just looking at it, she felt that those she was looking for were not there. This meant she had no reason to be there at the moment either, especially if she was to find the others. She gave Ekuro a small nod, and swung herself back into the saddle. Ekuro trotted out of the large entryway and they passed through the quiet streets. As they came nearer to the center of the city, the few people still out gaped at the strange spectacle. Some even ran, screaming that there was a monster. Not wanting to attract so much attention, Ormir directed Ekuro to a deserted alleyway where he began to climb.

Soon, they were leaping from one rooftop to another, as Ormir watched the streets carefully, unsure what she should be looking for. Suddenly, she began feeling a slight pull. It almost felt like a flickering candle hovering at the edge of her consciousness. As they followed it, it became more exact, developing into distinct forms, like bright little flames. There must be the others involved in this game! Perhaps they were who she needed to find?