Fallen Skies

Revival

Acantha lay on the blood-soaked battleground struggling to breathe. The metallic taste in her mouth combined with the intense pain in her midsection made her shaking breaths come out in choking gasps. She could feel death drawing close, her hands trembling where they clutched at her wound.

The young woman had been swept up in a battle that was not hers. It was one she had been trying desperately to avoid on her journey across the plains. The soldiers ignored her cries as she tried to escape, caught up between their swords and shields. Blind in their rage, they had pushed her forward as they made to ambush the Fallen that had made camp nearby. They sought to destroy them, one by one if they needed, blaming them for the collapse that had come throughout the world. However, they had underestimated the Fallen, and though their numbers had been few, they fought back against the Humans, who attacked them with unmatched ruthlessness.

As some of the soldiers tried to flee, Acantha tried to find her way out. However, as she tried to do so, the sword of a Fallen pierced her midsection, the shadow of the large beings' wings blacking out the sky as an unearthly growl filled her head. She looked up with wide eyes, her vision fixed on the masked face of one of the Fallen, his piercing eyes narrowing behind his shield.

Where she lay in the crimson pool forming around her now, Acantha's eyes began to flutter closed. She felt exhausted, the pain that had previously been wreaking havoc on her body turning into a cold numbness. She had begun to accept her fate. She wasn't the only casualty, and she wouldn't be the last, regardless of whether or not she was fighting in the battle or not. The Humans that sought to take down the Fallen had become blind with rage. If someone happened to get in their way, they would pay them no mind. Acantha had found this out the hard way.

Her breath had begun to slow when a shadow loomed over her, though her eyes refused to focus on what, or who, it was that stood over her. The growl echoing through her head a moment later gave her an idea of who it was, though she had no energy or will to try to escape this time. Something in her found peace in acceptance, and if he had returned to finish what had been left of her, she would do nothing to stop it. She couldn't. She was going to die regardless. However, instead of finishing her off, the being crouched down beside her, sliding his arms under her body and lifting her off the ground. Where he was taking her, she didn't know. As he walked, Acantha's world slipped into black, the numbness that she had felt leaving her to feel nothing.

Some time passed before Acantha woke with a start, gasping for air as she sat up. The sound of her gasps echoed in the chamber she had been placed in, and for a moment, she thought the battlefield was simply a nightmare. However, the taste of blood in her mouth reminded her that it was not. She looked down to see that her clothing had been changed, making her look around to see where she was. The chamber was lit by candles, a fragrance in the air that reminded her of one of the shops located near where she had previously lived. It was dimly lit, but something about it brought her an unusual sense of peace. Like she was meant to be there. She moved to get up to explore further, but the pain returning to her stomach made her double up, pulling her legs up to her chest as she cried out in pain.

The pain wasn't like that of the wound that had been inflicted on her midsection, but it was bad enough to make her feel as though someone had just attacked an aged wound. Acantha found herself struggling to breathe again, though instead of blood stopping her this time, the pain forced the young woman to tense up. A hand on her shoulder made Acantha scream, though as she tried to get away from whoever it was that had just touched her, she nearly fell off the bed she had been placed on. The hand tightened to keep her from toppling over as she struggled to move, the long fingers of the being's hand gripping her shoulder in a way that was not rough, but enough to keep her still.

"You need to rest," a voice spoke to her, its tone rich and foreign in her head and ears. Slowly, Acantha turned her head, the hand on her shoulder the first thing to come into view. Her gaze followed the arm attached to the hand, coming to rest on the masked figure that stood just behind her and next to the bed. He was large, towering over her in a way that made her feel like a child. His mask was ashy gray against his dark skin, a hood casting a shadow over his face that made his eyes glow like white fire behind the mask. Behind him, his doubled black wings partially extended as he flexed them to rest them back again in a more comfortable position against his back. The cloak he wore trailed down behind him and between his wings. Acantha assumed that it was used to cover his wings at some time or another. Aside from this, he was shirtless, a black pair of loose-fitting pants and boots his only other clothing.

Despite her sudden desire to flee, something told her not to. Even as the Fallen's hand moved away from her shoulder, she found her desire to run away from him beginning to recede into her mind. "W-where am I?" She choked out over the pain. The Fallen didn't respond for a moment, instead staring at her for a moment before he lifted a hand. The light of the candles seemed to follow his hand, brightening so she got a better view of her chamber. Acantha looked away from the Fallen to see what he was showing her. What she could now see of the chamber made her feel the sense that she belonged where she was, the chamber set up to feel like it was her own. Aside from the bed she was currently sitting on, a wardrobe stood beside a writing desk directly across from her, a wash basin next to it. To the other side of her was a door that she assumed led to a bathroom, and behind the Fallen was a door that led to somewhere she had yet to see. She looked up at the Fallen again, watching him closely for a moment before she tried to move again.

"Rest," the voice spoke, echoing in her ears and mind. "You are not completely healed, you need time," Acantha did as she was told, her attempts to stand ceasing as she moved her hands to rest on her lap. "With time, you will find that healing will speed up, but for now, you will heal slowly. Not as slowly as your former counterpart, but slowly,"

Questions buzzed in Acantha's head, but she couldn't settle on one that she wanted to ask first. She shifted where she sat, hesitant to even begin. The more she sat and thought about it, however, one thing began to come more to the forefront as she allowed his words to sink in. "My... former counterpart?" Acantha questioned, looking from where her gaze had rested on her hands, back to the Fallen who had moved to stand at the foot of her bed. He watched her, his head c*****g to the side.

"You are no longer human," he said bluntly, his wings shifting behind him as he spoke. Acantha's fear returned, her eyes widening as his statement reached her.

"No..." She managed, moving to try to get out of bed, though she had already been warned that she was not strong enough to do so. "No... take me back! What did you do to me!?" Acantha demanded. The Fallen stood where he was, almost as though he were allowing a child to figure out that they weren't yet able to walk. As soon as her feet touched the cold stone floor and Acantha put pressure on them to move, she pitched forward. She let out a cry of pain as her stomach clenched when she reached out to try to stop her fall, though before she could even come close to touching the floor, the Fallen was at her side, one arm wrapped around her chest. The other was at her back, and before she could protest, Acantha was lifted off the floor and placed back on the bed. She scooted back away from the Fallen as he reached to set a hand on her shoulder, drawing her arms up around her knees as she drew them to her chest. He watched her, his eyes following her as Acantha moved away from him.

Acantha felt as if the world came crashing down around her. She pulled her knees closer, burying her face in her knees as she hid away as best as she could, the Fallen standing beside her bed. He watched her, listening to the sounds of her soft cries, her shoulders trembling as she pulled in on herself a little more. Swallowing against a knot forming in his throat, the Fallen turned away from her. He paused as he reached the door, one hand resting on the handle. "I would recommend you stay here unless you are with me... I can't guarantee your safety should someone try to act against you while I'm absent," The Fallen's careless tone was replaced with something else, not quite care, but it wasn't as cold. When Acantha didn't respond, he opened the door, stepped out into the hallway, and closed the door behind him.

Acantha remained as she was for a moment or two, lifting her head from her knees as the door to her room closed. She didn't move, not trusting her legs or that he was gone. She instead looked around the room, taking in the almost ancient architect. The pillars that held up the stone ceiling stood like sentries on guard to either side of the bedroom. The walls were made of stone, and the shadows of the candles flickered in every crack. She rested her chin on her knees, her eyes cast towards the silken blanket that she was seated on. She remained this way for some time before she moved to get up, taking a careful step away from the bed, one hand on the bedpost, the other on her stomach. When she didn't collapse, she slowly made her way toward the door.

Opening the door, the candlelight in her room flickered into the dark of the hallway. It was silent, save for the distant sound of what she recognized as an organ. Intrigued, and ignoring the warning she had gotten about leaving without the Fallen, she started toward the sound. As she approached, the music grew louder. Entering a large room, she slowed to a stop at the doorway. Acantha rested a hand on the door frame as her eyes met the sight that lay beyond.

The room was lit up by large candelabras on either side of the organ, and the Fallen that sat on the bench in front of it had his dark wings spread out to either side of him, looking as though he was either relaxed or focused intently on the song he was playing. His cloak was draped between his wings, flowing like ink down between the glossy feathers that caught the light of the candles as well. For a moment, Acantha forgot her troubles as she listened to him play, taking in the sight of him as well. However, the momentary peace was broken when a door slammed open to the right. "Emmanuel!" A voice barked over the tune, making the Fallen look up. Acantha shrunk back as the other walked into the room, his posture holding authority, his dark wings gilded with silver armor. "We need to have a word," He all but growled through his mask at the Fallen at the organ, who had yet to stand. The music had stopped, but he showed no signs that he was moving.

"About?" Emmanuel responded, his tone of voice sounding tired. Or fed up. Acantha couldn't tell.

"The creature you have brought into Fellhollow," The gilded Fallen spoke roughly, making Acantha wince. Emmanuel didn't move, though his wings seemed to stiffen a little where they rested on the ground.

"She's not a creature..." Emmanuel said, his tone taking on a note that Acantha could only describe as either offended or defensive. The gilded Fallen growled, the sound reminiscent of the one she had heard on the battle field, though the tone was different, distinguishing the two that she had heard.

"She is and always will be a creature... she is only here because you took pity when she got in the way," the voice hissed behind the mask. This time, Emmanuel rose, his wings rising behind him as he slid the organ bench aside. The gilded Fallen watched as he stood, his wings rising as if to challenge Emmanuel's sudden rise.

"I did what any of us should have done given the circumstances... what we are SUPPOSED to do if we take an innocent life..." Emmanuel hissed back, bringing his wings up tightly and raising them into the air a bit as if to challenge the other in return. "How many Humans have fallen by a blade that was not meant for them and were left to die!? I wasn't going to let the same thing happen to her, General, and if you have a problem with it you can take it up with the command. Bringing her in as a Fallen is better than leaving her to die on a field that was not meant for her!" The exchange between the two had Acantha frozen in place with fear.