The Distant Lands -- Atonement

Preface -- This is the thrid entry of the series, and it is also my second favorite (the last being my personal choice). I have yet to get any comments or reviews so feel free to be the first! Anyway, I'm not aiming to block your reading with this babble so let's continue shall we?
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February 10th, 2011

Distant Lands

Dream Induced

My dream begins,

I immediately became aware of my surroundings, but I cannot begin to see the light of the day. Sand flowed around me, quickly burying deep below the surface. My only hope was to claw viciously into what I thought was upward, but I had no real knowledge of my path. A light then appeared through the sand, and gradually passed through the sediment in front of me. One final tear freed my from the prison of broken earth, but the outside world was not any more forgiving. The city that tormented me the night before had returned, but it had aged for thousands of years, and the dusts and sands acted as the ground, with few points of openness, as broken and torn skyscrapers had lain resilient.

The sun was orange, and it seemed to be flaring sporadically, but the heat was more intense then I had ever experienced in the waking world. All that was once metal was now rusted and broken, bent by the countless forces that time had unveiled. A sharp sickness interrupted my exploration, and I had no choice but to cough out the sands that had once held me. There was a short period of absolute silence, as I gazed upon a wretched image of New York City.

I was unaware of the sands that shifted around me. My ear twitched, alerting me to leap forward. Skittering insects gradually assembled themselves on the hill I once had stood. The feeling of dread I had once experience was returning, but the sounds of screaming and wailing death had quickly converted it into adrenaline. I felt my eyes burn with stored rage. My fury was becoming unquenchable, and the blades that adorned my feet and hands grew red, finally igniting with a red flame. The ruby in my sternum soon followed suit.

Monstrosities of all forms constructed themselves in the distance; insects slid out of the ground in droves, coming to merge into large, scarab-like beings – black as the darkest night. Their scent was sickening, and the sounds of horror were growing in volume. A berserker’s rage filled me, driving me to charge into the growing crowd of abominations. As I sprinted forward, two more shadows appeared on either of my sides. The shadow on my right came into vision; a silver-coated Valor ran past me, running straight into the front of the horde. Mip materialized from the second shadow, giving me a brief nod of recognition before leaping behind the creatures. I too leapt forward, but I targeted the center of the group.

The dust storm my landing had created gave me a split-second advantage of premeditation as I tore into the side of the six-legged horror before me. The sound of its demise was that of it melting shell against my barbed paws, as though it were water on hot metal. All that I saw was becoming a target; all movement signaled rage; all sounds demanded evisceration. When the dust had cleared, the ground was tattered by the mounds of broken carapaces being dropped in the masses. Even Valor and Mip grew cautious in their greetings.

“Welcome back.” Valor had grown older and his pelt was dyed silver, while the silver cuffs he had once wore were now as weathered as the city around us. Mip had also changed, but not to in the same sense as Valor. What was once an inviting blue hide was now darkened navy, perhaps reflecting the torment that plagued the barren land? The bodies of the dead slowly sank into the sand below us, as though being digested by a larger organism.

“Wha… What happened? Where is the life?” I could not think of a more appropriate question to ask, but I still felt as though it gave off a corrosive demeanor. Mip turned to Valor and stared deeply before sighing. She then turned to me and gave a look that told me all I needed to know. Time was cruel, and I was gone for many long years. I decided it would be a good time to learn what was this entire world was doing. “What are we doing exactly? What happened in the city, and why is the world entirely dead? What happened to the forest, and more importantly, where is it?”

“We are the guardians of the forest. We are fighting the nemesis. It is a battle we have fought for as long as can be remembered.” Mip responded. Her voice was vastly different, as her eyes no longer sparkled with life. Yet in this same sense, her answer only pushed my curiosity.

“So your goal is to protect nature? Like the trees and plants and whatnot?” My questions were no doubt an annoyance to the pair, but they remained calm. My vision turned to Valor who took a breath and contemplated a response. His white eyes move back and forth.

“We fight for true nature, yet your nature will determine which side you fight for.” Valor turned to walk away, but Mip stood still. She stared at me decisively, standing a good foot above me. The once jubilant soul I recognized before was encased now in by years of sadness. I hoped I could lighten the mood.

“You’ve grown quite a bit haven’t you?” I said smirking. She did not see humor, but instead looked at the changes I had taken. I had not noticed them until now, but as I gazed down, I also see that my pelt had changed more. The charcoal black that once coated the majority of my body was now a deep scarlet, while the color of my mane had turned black. Hope’s gem still lay tied on the end.

“Come.” She turned and followed slowly behind Valor. We walked through the ruins of the city for a short time before coming to an opening, right in front of the empire state building. A small cave made of hardened sand, tattered by the cut of feral claws, stood before us. The entrance brought a refreshing breeze, but the true desperate look of the cave was unnerving. Only when I entered it did I realize it spanned to be much larger.

What was once the 95th floor of the building was Mip and Valor’s home. Small beddings were built out of the remnants of an old sofa, and the rest of the room was empty except for several pieces of tattered paper that appeared to be advertisements from the waking world. A familiar elevator sat at the back, a black “X” etched into it. I knew why, and it did not need discussion.

Mip moved to the back of the room, grabbing a small bag out of the far corner. “We need to move, we have spent too much time here.” Valor nodded in approval. They both gathered the bedding and rolled it into the bag Mip carried. A spark came out from Mip’s claw and began to burn the remnants of the room. I walked out before them, seeing the scorched lands that we had to pass. A glare passed into our vision, as the reflections of the surrounding building focused the suns light.

The earth shook apart with a shriek that tore at my ears. The buildings shattered around us, with shards of glass impaling the hot sand, slowly melting into puddles. Valor stepped forward, shifting his body into a defensive stance. From the puddles grew massive spiders of pure glass, bending light through their fangs. Their legs sat partially encased by the sands below us. Valor set his focus on the outermost of the creatures. His slash was low and swift, but completely ineffective; the severed leg melted, reforming onto the recuperating arachnid.

A startled Valor jumped back between us before passing out; he was bleeding severly. The spiders’ broken limbs function as a protective barrier. Any actions against the spiders cut its attacker and sharpen the blade. It became clear that this fight would be unwinnable without heavy sacrifice.

Mip tossed the black satchel at me. “Take Valor far away and dress his wounds. I can deal with this.” She patted Valor on the shoulder before marching towards the multiplying glass. I took Valor onto my shoulder before jumping onto the top of the empire state building. I unzipped the bag to find a small medical kit that contained rolls of gauze linen. Valor stirred as I attempted to place the bandages onto his bleeding arm, constantly pushing the aid away until I had no hope but to step on him to prevent movement. To my surprise, the wound had healed by the time I was ready to treat him. My attention then focused onto the screeches of the battle behind us.

Mip was using a steel fragment as a shield to bash away the onslaught of beasts. She was tearing at the girders of an open tower, slashing through the metal as quickly as possible. Her barricade was not able to hold solid for long, as the fangs of the demonic beings tore holes though the plating, injuring Mip as they cut further and further. The rage I had felt earlier was returning, but as I sprinted towards the fight, Mip threw her shield at me. It struck me in the knee, causing me to slide onto my shoulder; I could only lie and watch just as she suffered a mortal wound from the attackers before finally slashing through the last metal support. The cement collapses as thousands of years of suffering brought down all support.

The collapsing rock and metals were falling all around a stalwartly standing Mip. The spiders froze as the surfaces above them rained down. Mip just stood there; a small grin grew on her face, creating a faint snicker that could be heard echoing through the dead city. Darkness passed me as dust and debris rolled past. Ignoring the collapsing structures, I limped towards the heart of the fall. My heart beat rampantly as the world broke all around me, blackening all views of the sand and sky. In the blackness, I saw the stone that had once sat in the chest of Mip… a glimmering sapphire as energetic as a rushing river. I took hold of them gem, tying it under Hope’s quartz. As I knelt down in the darkness, a deep sorrow descended upon me; I had failed to protect my friend. Valor appeared on my side, attempting to pull me up off the ground. I felt nothing. He then grabbed me by mane and yanked upwards.

I swung my head forward, only to find I was lying in my dark room. The cold air of the winter calmed my nerves, as I fell back into my bed. Peace was not found, at least not yet.