CHULANE
why do things happen with no reason or rhyme?
why does it feel like we're running out of time?
why does it feel like we're running out of time?
The world came to a stop around him.
There was a moment, an instant, a juncture, where he didn't know, where his mind hadn't pieced it together yet, where Deimos hadn't spoken yet, where he still lived in a world where for all he knew, Kiada was alive, was coming home; where he'd see her smile again, hear her laugh, and kiss her goodnight. But even with the world standing still, it wasn't enough - it would never be enough.
This world was determined to be cruel, to be vicious, unyielding, It was determined to roll on, to exist with or without his presence, uncaring if it ruined him in the process. He hadn't believed it at first, hadn't appreciated what others told him of their experiences, hadn't considered that it could hit so close to home. But it didn't just hit close to home - it destroyed his home, devastated it, left nothing, literally nothing in its wake.
No, he denied it, as if the word could banish that which had already happened. No, his world was slipping away from him, shifting, tilting--
Something caught him, supported him; Zuriel's form close by, ready to catch his stumbling form. Somewhere, somewhen, Deimos had broken the news, and one day he would appreciate the man all the more for it, he would recognise and thank him, but right now?
No, he was pleading now, pleading with himself, with the world, with the Sword before him, shaking his head back and forth. "No," his voice cracked on the single word, as a shiver that had nothing to do with cold tremored through him. "She's meant to come home, we're meant to… to.." the words died almost as soon as they started, as his mind denied them too.
A shaky breath filled his lungs, and he was gasping for air, as realisation hit. A hand raised to his forehead, the other still leaning against the unicorn behind him. Kia, his mind cried out, his heart aching. "Kia," he breathed through a sob that finally rose up, through tears that made his eyes shimmer. "Kia.."
There was a moment, an instant, a juncture, where he didn't know, where his mind hadn't pieced it together yet, where Deimos hadn't spoken yet, where he still lived in a world where for all he knew, Kiada was alive, was coming home; where he'd see her smile again, hear her laugh, and kiss her goodnight. But even with the world standing still, it wasn't enough - it would never be enough.
This world was determined to be cruel, to be vicious, unyielding, It was determined to roll on, to exist with or without his presence, uncaring if it ruined him in the process. He hadn't believed it at first, hadn't appreciated what others told him of their experiences, hadn't considered that it could hit so close to home. But it didn't just hit close to home - it destroyed his home, devastated it, left nothing, literally nothing in its wake.
No, he denied it, as if the word could banish that which had already happened. No, his world was slipping away from him, shifting, tilting--
Something caught him, supported him; Zuriel's form close by, ready to catch his stumbling form. Somewhere, somewhen, Deimos had broken the news, and one day he would appreciate the man all the more for it, he would recognise and thank him, but right now?
No, he was pleading now, pleading with himself, with the world, with the Sword before him, shaking his head back and forth. "No," his voice cracked on the single word, as a shiver that had nothing to do with cold tremored through him. "She's meant to come home, we're meant to… to.." the words died almost as soon as they started, as his mind denied them too.
A shaky breath filled his lungs, and he was gasping for air, as realisation hit. A hand raised to his forehead, the other still leaning against the unicorn behind him. Kia, his mind cried out, his heart aching. "Kia," he breathed through a sob that finally rose up, through tears that made his eyes shimmer. "Kia.."
how do we keep going, through the dark?
why are we here at all, lost in the dark?
why are we here at all, lost in the dark?
