Resistance

Those Who Falter - Part 1

A fragrant scent wafted throughout the air, gentle firelight flickering quietly, the shadows it cast dancing about the embroidered walls. All seemed as though it were the epitome of calm, and yet, the air held a sense of chilliness, an eerie silence...A strange emptiness, aside from the two figures that sat alone in the room.

One, a young woman, bearing incredibly striking, red hair, her amber eyes void of any one emotion as she looked down upon the other.

“...Today is the day.” Her monotone voice matched her emotionless expression. “Are you ready?”

The individual she spoke to, a young child, rose his gaze, reflecting a startling similarity to the woman who spoke to him...However, his eyes lacked the light that belonged to a child. One would have to wonder if he even was a child at all.

He did not speak however, instead giving the woman a weak, subtle nod.

“Have confidence. Pride, even. Soon, you will stand before the Eternal Flame. Such is your duty.” The woman continued. “Do not let doubt or emotions cloud that very duty. You must feel nothing. Guarding the flame is your sole purpose. That, and that alone.” Those amber eyes remained locked on the young individual, the quiet, yet somehow harsh light not shifting in the slightest. “...As the sole heir to our clan, you must succeed.”

The young child held her gaze, understanding his words, and yet...he wondered if he could truly live up to this responsibility of his.

He knew he simply had no choice.

“...Yes, mother.” He finally spoke, his words lacking any specific tone, and the two stood up, taking their leave of the small room.

Each step they took following thereafter, felt as though a heavy weight had been thrown upon his shoulders, growing heavier still.

Was he afraid? Nervous?? He didn’t know. He didn’t understand the thoughts or emotions that swirled about in his mind as they walked through the marbled halls. The steps they took sounded so painfully loud to him.

Eventually, two large doors stood before them, creaking loudly as they were opened...Somehow, he was filled with the thought that these doors were what led to his very fate itself, and beyond them, spanned a massive room.

Beautiful, polished columns lined the walls, reflecting bits of sunlight from the arched windows scattered about. The light bouncing off of them was so bright, the room seemed almost enchanting. As though they walked into a different realm entirely.

“My King." His mother’s voice echoed from beside him, bowing slightly to someone he had not yet noticed within the room. A young man with a kind face and warm eyes...So that was the King?? The child had yet to have met him before, but he was particularly taken by that warmth filled look in his eyes.

A warmth he neither knew, nor understood. The child never recalled his mother looking at him in such a way before.

“Ah, Chieftess to the Aria Clan. Is this the young heir you spoke to me about?” The King asked, giving the young child a heartwarming smile.

“It is. I have brought him today so that he may receive his first blessing from the flame.”

“I see.” The King’s smile dropped as his gaze continued to linger on the small child. “...He’s quite young, is he not?”

“He is, but I assure you my son will excel brilliantly. I expect nothing less. Surely the flame will accept him.” The woman replied without missing a beat. “Now, I do not believe I require your permission to see the flame?”

Despite the question, it would appear that it was anything but a question, and there was a certain intensity that passed between the two...The child found himself wondering what the source of that intensity could have been??

The King however, said nothing more, simply stepping aside to reveal an ascending pathway just behind the marbled throne. And it was this very pathway, that the two disappeared to, climbing up a narrow, lightless staircase.

It felt as though they might have been swallowed within that darkness, lasting what felt as though an eternity...Until, in the distance, a faint light could be seen.

At the top of that staircase, the two were surrounded by a fantastical, glass dome, the light of the sun and sky seeming to almost be within their grasp...But even more spectacular than that sight itself, was the brilliant flame that burned within the center of the room.

A flame unlike any other.

Painted with what seemed like every color in the spectrum, the fire appeared as though it were alive. The flame danced and swayed to an unseen breeze, pulsating with a heat that could be felt even from the other side of the room.

“Go to it.” His mother’s voice echoed beside him, but the young child’s legs seemed to be set into motion before he even coherently heard them.

Subconsciously, he wished to go closer...What would happen if he were to close that distance?

Would he find something wonderful? Or...Would he be swallowed within those everlasting flames??

Regardless, it just didn’t matter. He just wished to touch it...And as his hand reached out, his fingers delicately brushing those flickering flames...He felt warmth.

He was so taken aback by that warmth, enchanted by it, even as the flames slowly seemed to engulf him entirely.

There was no pain, only a wondrous, comforting feeling he had never once experienced...Perhaps one he might have even sought.

This warmth...

He wanted it.

He wished to feel more of it.

”What a tragic child you are.”

A whisper passed by his ears, but he wasn’t sure if he had truly heard those words, or had simply imagined them.

“It seems as though you’ve been accepted.” His mother’s voice broke the enchantment that seemed to have been cast over him.

Once again, he was met by those cold, amber eyes. There was nothing in them, not even a sense of pride.

...Where had that warmth gone? He suddenly felt as though it had gone beyond his grasp.

“I expected nothing less. Now...More importantly…” The woman closed her eyes, but only for a brief moment before they fluttered open again. “With this acceptance, I have a new role for you.”

“A new...Role?” He found himself echoing her words without thinking, wondering what this new role could have possibly been.

“Yes...One that you will not speak of to anyone. Not another soul. These words do not leave this chamber.” She answered, closing the distance between them as she looked up at the still brilliantly flickering flames. “The King wishes to hide this fire away. He seems to be disillusioned with the notion that doing so will bring Peace...But that is not his right. It is no one’s right to control this fire. Such is the will of the goddess herself.” The woman’s voice trailed off. “Our duty...Is to merely observe and watch, whatever the outcome may be...And yet, I choose to take a more proactive stance on the matter. I cannot simply stand by and let others do what they please with it...Even if the goddess may rain her wrath upon us...This fire must be protected. At all costs.” She knelt before the flame, clasping her hands together and resting her forehead upon them...As though begging for forgiveness. “If not for the Diou clan...Perhaps none of this would have had to reach the extreme that it has…” She whispered.

The child thought...It was certainly a surreal sight to behold.

“...Forgive me, my goddess. For I fear things may change for the worse. I must do what I can to stop it. Have mercy on my child, at the very least. It will be him who suffers the most.”

She fell silent, still knelt before the flames as though speaking the rest in her mind...Until finally, she turned to face the child.

“Soon, the King may carry out his little experiment...As for whatever the outcome of that is...We must dispose of it. The fire cannot belong to anyone. Do you understand?”

Silence passed between the two for what seemed like ages.

“...I understand.”

Whatever the outcome might have been...It was his duty to dispose of it. That much was absolute.

And yet...Nothing could have ever truly prepared them for the reality of what it all became.

In such utter contrast of the beautiful flame he recalled, reality came sweeping in like wildfire, consuming everything in it’s path. Truthfully, he wasn’t even sure if he was aware of everything that transpired. Pure chaos swept throughout the castle, throughout the city. With the disappearance of the flame, friction grew between the King and the two clans...Until that friction is what ultimately ripped it all apart.

Soon, he was left alone, and without purpose.