Apollo & Luna

I can see…visions. The myriad of broken glass of dreams, the kaleidoscope of memories— the chaotic fusion of the past, present and future, I could see them all— and it scared me. How it scared me… At night, I lay awake, hearing distant cries. They were not mine, and yet – and yet they could have been just that. I could see through their eyes, watch the horrors and envisage their fate. I could smell the tantalizing scent of danger and fear through their noses, taste the piquant flavor of mixed sin and blood, and feel their rampant heartbeats like they were all my own. I prayed for the chaos in my mind to cease, and yet, I feared the silence. Peace was an unfamiliar and unattainable flavor in my life. No matter how much I yearned for it, it would never come. The raging waves of darkness had long since engulfed me, and I had been lost in those fathomless pools since forever…   May 6, 1986 Leaves rustled nearby as the night breeze caressed the ground, sending shivers down his spine and he shuddered. The weather in late spring was unkind and he held the blanket against his chest tighter as he gazed at the infant lying underneath, met the trusting gaze his child gave him and his eyes grew hot with unshed tears. He stepped out of the shadows and stood next to a truck which would travel to the city. “Alicia…” his voice trailed off, his grief remained unspoken. There weren’t just any appropriate words to describe the darkness of his heart. There just weren’t. Yesterday, he watched as his wife left the world – felt her pain as the poison spread into her system and he couldn’t do anything about it. He was useless, and now he would lose his daughter too, the child borne from his love. “I’m sorry…” he whispered to his baby as he lifted a part of the blanket to expose Alicia’s neck where the birthmark of his child, the same mark as his was, and he touched it with one trembling finger. “I’m sorry my little one…but please know that your mother and I love you very much…” With his heart breaking, he fixed the blanket so it would cover his child’s body, to keep her warm and carefully placed her at the back of the truck where he shielded her with baskets of goods that were waiting to be delivered. “Be safe…” he whispered as he stepped back into the shadows and waited for the men to ride the vehicle, and watched it disappear into the night. Losing sight of the truck, the man collapsed on the hardened ground, a broken cry escaping his lips. He prayed to God for Him to spare the life of his daughter, for her angels to guide Alicia, so that she would receive a different fate from her parents. “So, there you are…” Hearing the familiar voice of his pursuer, he sharply turned around, only to meet the fist of the man who had been hunting them down. The hand clamped against his throat, and he found himself being pushed up against the wall, his feet dangling above the ground, his face red, as he was being strangled. “You’re a very bad boy Joon. You made me hop from one place to another searching for you,” the man said as if he was scolding a child, as his cold blue eyes glinted against the moonlight. Here was no ordinary man. He was a huge individual dressed in full armor, a sword with intricate design sheathed on his side. Noting the symbol on the weapon, Yong Joon finally understood why they couldn’t escape. This man was a high ranked knight of their clan.  “Where is your wife?”  Joon stared at the man with all the hatred he was feeling as he spat at him. The warrior narrowed his eyes as he threw him from the wall towards the empty alley, deeper into the shadows, making Joon roll on the hard ground. “That wasn’t very nice of you,” the man said as he took out an immaculately pressed handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the saliva off his face. “Now, if you can just tell me where your wife is and come with me nicely, I wouldn’t hurt you further.” Joon eyed his predator as he caught his breath. “Go to hell!” he yelled and the other pursuer’s eyes narrowed into slits. “If you’re being like that, I guess I have no choice,” he warned quietly as his pupils vanished, becoming all white as they glowed. Sensing the imminent disaster, Joon quickly stood up and faced his opponent. He knew that the man was way, way stronger than him with a much better ability, but he wouldn’t go down without a fight.  Without his gaze leaving the other, he raised his hand, and as if on cue, a cold breeze enveloped his body. It was as if he called forth a special skill, and the breeze only became stronger – strong enough to lift the trashcans nearby. They floated on air as they sped towards him – surrounding him, stopping in front to act as his shield as well as his weapon. “You’re fighting me? You know how that would end up, don’t you? Just come with me peacefully and I will let you live,” the man taunted and Joon’s hands clenched. “Over my dead body!” he declared bravely. He would die, he knew. But he would rather perish here tonight than surrender. Smiling wickedly, the hunter’s body glowed as a blue blaze surrounded him, the ground trembled as it did. “So be it…”the man announced. The die was cast. There was no turning back. Although he had no hard feelings towards Joon, he was tasked to eliminate him if he refused to surrender.  “DIE!” he yelled, and a blinding light enveloped the street, engulfing everything and anything it passed.