Whisper from World's End

The Last Time She Saw Her Face

        The girl held her mother with all strength she could muster. The boy snatched his wooden sword and grabbed it with all might he had left. The rumbling kept going, without a single interval of breaks, and it was clear for any human with a sense of fear, that whatever causing it was coming even closer. The mother took a deep breath and carefully walked approaching the back door, right  before their entire cottage was shaking. She frantically unlocked it, before slamming it open.

        “Asa! Akio! Get out!” she yelled.

        Neither the boy nor the girl had ever heard the tone or saw the expression their mother had just given them. The sense of sudden urgency pushed them into action, as they ran towards the mother, just in time as the earth had cracked open. The fracture of the earth’s surface soon expanded, and before anyone could notice, it had swallowed half of the small cottage they used to live in.

        It was pouring outside, but the mother not once took a step back. Across the drenched earth, the girl kept on looking back on their home, something caught her sight. The boy, noticing his sister’s gaze, turned his eyes right to the exact spot as her sister was seeing. He squinted his eyes, and under his breath, a whisper could be heard.

        “The Devil’s Army.”

The mother seemed to have the same idea, right after she heard horses clopping right across the river. The sound was slowly and steadily gradually closing in, and it’s not stopping. The mother, not wanting to risk any further, seemingly yet somehow knew that they were the target of the men with horses, turned their path into the deep woods and took both of her children into a small cavern behind thick pine trees. 

        Reassuring herself that the distance might be safe, or at least that was what she hoped for, she kneeled and spoke to both of them.

        “Asa, Asoi, hide here until the situation is clear. I’ll lure them away. Don’t try to go look after me. I’ll return, somehow.”

        Of course she was lying, not even mere children could believe it especially in their condition. The girl was shriveled in fear, she didn’t want to believe in any of her mother’s words but hiding. She was hesitant, but fear overcame her to a state that neither her tongue nor her throat could utter a simple sentence, “Mother, don’t go.” Her brother, however,  was having none of it.

        Regardless of her children’s response, she hugged them both tight, and whispered underneath her breath, “Whatever might happen next, I want you two to stay alive. The Observer will always protect you no matter what your path might be. Protect each other. Keep moving forward, in whatever situation you find yourself in.”

        The mother looked at them both endearingly, and spoke, “I’ll return to you, somehow.”

        That was the last time she saw her face.

        As quick as a flash, the mother jumped out of hiding and started running. A woman’s shout could be heard from where they were hiding, followed by horses and foot soldiers rushing. It was clear what had happened.

        The boy kept trying to jump out, assumingly to help his mother, only to be pulled back by his sister, telling him to keep hiding. The boy, although still reluctant, finally let go until the coast was clear. Fewer noises could  be heard as they waited longer and longer, until it was completely silent..”Let’s go look for Mom. She must've been hiding somewhere else in the forest. She’s quick. I know they won’t catch up to her.”

        The girl’s expression remained the same. Her brother’s fiery emotion remained unchanged. The boy took a quick peek before stepping out of hiding, and pulled his sister’s arm outside. “Asa, we have to go!,” exclaimed the boy. Just before the girl could utter any words, a light explosion could be heard loudly across 20 meter from their position. An immense pain could be felt right in her knee, spreading throughout her leg.

        She fell, blood splurted everywhere.

        A tall skeleton was holding a metal pipe with smoke emitting from its end, which was pointing right at the girl. The boy, realizing what had just happened, grabbed his wooden sword and rushed into the skeleton. The skeleton didn’t seem to have that much trouble apprehending him, knocking him out in less than three seconds with the rear of their metal pipe.

        The girl was filled with dread. Both her tears and sweat rolled through her cheeks, as she dragged herself away from the man with no flash. They approached her slowly, knowing there would be no more resistance to pursue. The skeleton pointed tried to get a hold of her, but met no struggle for even the slightest. The girl was frozen, no matter how much her heart told her to run.

        It wasn’t until she saw a woman standing right across the forest. Her eyes opened. Was it her, or was she just seeing things? Either way, it caught the skeleton’s attention allowing the girl to break free. The woman was somewhat emitting a faint light that runs in the darkness. That light goes even brighter, to the point where the darkest night turned to the brightest day. 

        The light was painful for the girl’s sight, and left a painful burning sensation when it touched her body. She was left screaming, even after her body no longer felt anything any more. Her scream stopped when she opened her eyes. A few men, may be dressed as a sailor or other rags, were staring. It was clear they were shocked to hear a high-pitched scream in six in the morning.

        Asa recollected herself. Her eyes were still filled with tears, and her body was trembling head to toe. Soon however, she urged herself to keep the composure, and breathe much slower than before.

        Asa whispered to herself, “Did it happen again?”