“Wake up, Candon. It’s time to go… ha, sleeping in are you, well then I’ll just leave without you then.”
Candon smiled at the sound of Juliet’s voice. Today was the day they were to leave on their trip. Candon had been saving for this since they were wed and the day has finally come.
As he opened his eyes he was met with her face only centimetres from his, making him jump, with which she laughed, making him begin to laugh too. They laughed together within the light of the morn. Together. It seemed so fleeting, as if these moments will soon be for naught. But those are dark thoughts, not for happy times such as these; he would put them aside, for Juliet.
“Is something the matter Candon, you seem elsewhere?” oh she noticed, she was always so insightful.
“No… no, nothing to worry yourself over. Come on, you wanted to leave didn’t you, well then we best be off.” She hoped to hide the pained on his face, and succeeded to some extent, or at least he had hoped so, he wasn’t exactly the master deceiver.
“Wait, why not stay only a bit longer. This will be the last time we see our homestead for a while, and I want our last memory of it to be a happy one.”
That smile, her smile. Ah Candon could remember it so fondly… remember that’s not right. Know… I know I that smile so well, not remember.
“Ah so now who is the one not wanting to leave in a hurry. Oh but you know I can’t refuse you. I am fortunate you are never my enemy, for you could kill me with the simple flutter of the eyes.” He smiled, his was going to be a good day he could feel it in his bones. “Come then my love, we shall walk the town, together.”
“Of course Candon, that sounds lovely.” The joy in her eyes was overwhelming, a love which he hasn’t felt in a long time flooded his system, followed by a feeling of intense longing, but why? This was all so confusing, he was here with Juliet, and nothing could be better. His love for her was greater then anything else in his life, and he would never lose, so why this longing? He must figure this out, but perhaps later for now his wife and his town awaits.
He arose from his bed, dressed himself, and prepared to leave. His confusion was pushed to the side of his mind, as he gazed upon his beautiful wife. This world seemed to be not as treacherous, all his worries almost ceased to exist, and as he took her hand, he decided at that moment that he would do anything to protect this precious harmony within his life. At that moment he opened his door, and as he did oblivion awaited him. The world around him burned; the people screamed with agony and the cries of children surrounded him. He looked back in desperation. Juliet, his love, was nothing more then a corpse he aloof by his grip on her hand. Shock grasped his very being, and with that a blinding flash of light engulfed him
Candon awoke with a gasp, his mind grasping at straws of desperation, looming on the precipice of chaos. He sat there in dead silence, trying to steady himself, but to no avail.
“Juliet!” he screamed, his eyes filling with tears. His mind wanted to tear itself to pieces, but he must not let it. He is far to close to his destination and he needed to control himself if he was ever to help the guardians. But, why Juliet, why must you leave…no…No! This was his mind, he was in control. He stood up, and forced himself to move, his mind would torture him, but he could maintain control if he could keep active and occupied. The previous few days he had travelled to the outskirts these ruins; he had received a letter, a sign of hope for him, from this cycle of self-destruction. The guardians had once been a home for him, and if it weren’t for them he never would have survived on his own. He owes the remaining guardians the help he can provide, and perhaps he can do some good for once in his life. He began to break into a light jog, concentrating on the pace of his movement. He hopes to reach the intended destination within the city by today, but considering his nightmare and emotional instability that might not be possible, but then he heard a noise, an unearthly noise. He rushed to the location of this sound, taking up a vantage point on a nearby hill. And what he saw shocked him. A giant spider, silhouetted against the blank cityscape with terrifying ferocity, but if that was not disturbing enough, there was a group of people down on the ground with the spider fighting it off. “Oh no, this is not good. Are these the guardians I am to meet.” If these were them then he would need to help them, but if he charged in he would likely lose himself to any number of other selves within himself.
“ If I cannot help them directly then I will help from here” he pulled out his javelin from its sling and begin to channel his power into it, he channelled his conscious being into his mana and with a spin of the spear forms began to appear, forms of shadows and darkness. Over the space of a minute these forms began to take structure, becoming exact copies of himself, except blank, emotionless. These three copies could help with the fight. Even if they couldn’t use mana in the way he could, they could at a minimum provide a distraction for the guardians to seize. He sat down in a covered area, these formations would require all his concentration to hold, so he prepared for the long haul and sent the copies down the hill straight towards the spider.