[b]COMFORT[/b]

The night was dark, but darker was the mind of Maple. The red fox was walking with lonely steps, completely heartbroken, and perhaps she was leaving bits of those broken shards behind her as she was moving forward, but had no destination set in her mind. She had lost everything she had loved and at that moment, it seemed like there was no reason to live anymore. Her soul was crushed, she didn't care at all if something would attack her and take away her life. But silent was the night and she was left alone, so alone that she hadn't felt anything like that ever before during her life.

It all had happened so suddenly, without a warning. She had been out hunting when it happened, but she had come back to den just fittingly so she was able to hear the epilogue of that cruel and bloody play that had taken place. Something horrible, a winged beast which she didn't recognize had infiltrated their den and killed her entire family; her kits and her mate. The death cry of her mate was still ringing in her ears; he had tried so hard to protect their children, but had ultimately failed. They all had got slaughtered and Maple didn't even know why. It seemed like the beast had killed them all just for fun, not because it had to eat, unlike any other being that existed. She had seen the beast take off and disappear into the night, leaving behind a bloody mess. Maple had hurried to the den only to witness a horrifying sight that was forever etched into her mind. All her beautiful children and her mate, completely mangled and torn. She had cried, cried so much that she now had no tears left to shed. If only she had come back sooner… then maybe she could have died by the side of her family.

Eventually Maple had left the den where the tragedy had happened. She became a wanderer, like a spirit that was seeking for rest, but in vain. She was filled with grief and it was heavily weighing down her soul. She was completely lost, bearing enormous amount of pain and she felt like she wouldn't be able to feel joy ever again. It was understandable why she was feeling this way, but although she didn't yet know it at this point, she was wrong.

Maple heard a faint rustling sound from nearby bushes. She stopped and looked at the direction where she had heard the noise, but her eyes were glazed. Then she saw a glimpse of small muzzle in the middle of a bush. She tilted her head slightly, being mildly curious about who was hiding in there. Then a face of a little fox kit was visible for a second before he disappeared again from sight. Now Maple got a little bit more interested in this tiny lurker.

“You don't have to be afraid of me”, she spoke softly as she invaded the little one's hideout with her head.

She found the little kit crouching in the middle of the bush. He seemed a bit scared, but also curious. Maple smiled to him gently and this seemed to make him more confident as he stopped quivering in the vegetation.

“Who are you, little one?” Maple asked him. “Where are your parents?”

“Wisp”, the kit answered. “That's my name. And mom and dad? They're dead.”

This sad information surprised Maple, but the kit didn't seem to be too much bothered about it. Maybe he was too young to understand the concept fully? Or maybe he was more strong-willed than children usually are? Wisp dashed out of the bush and Maple followed him with her gaze.

“What's your name?” Wisp asked after he had sat down in front of her.

“I'm Maple”, Maple answered and continued to smile to the little boy.

In her eyes, Wisp was so adorable that she forgot her grief for a brief moment. She stared intently at the kit while pondering about something.

She couldn't probably leave him alone, all by himself, right? Perhaps it was her motherly instinct that was telling her this, it hadn't disappeared even though she had just lost her own children. Since his parents were gone, apparently, Maple felt like it was her responsibly, as a first adult to come his way, to take care of him. And somehow, while looking at his bright, youthful eyes, she could feel her pain lessening a little bit.

And that's why she asked: “Would you like to come with me, Wisp? I could be your new mommy.”

The last part which she said wasn't really what she had planned to say, it just came out of her mouth. But, it didn't really matter as Wisp's bright little eyes became even brighter and he seemed really excited.

“Yes!” he exclaimed. Oh, the gullible little boy. But that's how little children are.

“Well, let's go then”, Maple said as she proceeded to walk past the kit. “I bet you're hungry. Let's go find something to eat.”

Together the foxes walked into the dark night. It was destiny that two lonesome souls who had lost their own families found each other, although neither could expect just how close of a bond would form between their hearts. They became like true mother and son, it didn't matter that they had no blood relation. And this bond would last until the end of their days.



[b]LIKE DAY AND NIGHT[/b]

The winter came late that year. For weeks the streets of Olden Shadow Town had looked dark and miserable. Every plant had withered and the constant rains made the town seem even more gloomy. The sky had been blocked by heavy clouds, preventing sun and moon from shedding the light to the world below. The continuous darkness and soaked streets caused people to suffer from foul moods. Everybody just waited for the winter to come and release their town from the blackest time of the year. And eventually, their wishes were granted.

That night, the sudden snowfall began. Large snowflakes were fluttering in the air and formed a thick curtain that swept through Olden Shadow Town. People that were still out during that late hour were happy to see the snowfall and welcomed it with open arms, this was what they had been waiting for. Bit by bit, a thin white layer started to form onto the dark and wet ground. The winter had finally arrived and the townsfolk hoped that it would stay for a while. The first winter night would always be the most magical one as it was a sign of the next phase in life. And to some people, this was truer than to others.

Strolling through the streets of the town and confronting the heavy curtain of snow was an unusual couple. Two men, walking side by side, and anyone could see that they were very much different, like day and night. The taller man was dressed in green and had a serious expression on his face and he was smoking a cigarette as he kept walking forward. The other man was a bit shorter and had unique trait that occasionally did get the attention of other people: he had only one wing on his back. He had the face of an angel and unlike his partner, he had a pleasant smile on his face. He was clinging on to the arm of the taller man as if wanting to make sure to any passer-byes that they belonged together.

The pale light of the street lights illuminated their way as they were heading to the small park of the town. Usually during the winter, it could look like a wonderful winter wonderland, but at that moment, it looked a lot less pleasing. It was a work in progress, however, and maybe if it kept snowing for a couple of days and the rains would stay away, then the park would surely look brilliant. The two men eventually reached the park and their steps left footprints on the thin layer of pristine snow since during that hour there weren't really other people who would come to park. The duo enjoyed nighttime so they liked to go out on walks together, even more pleasant it was if there weren't many other people around.

Eventually their path took them close to the view point, a perfect spot from which to marvel the nearby lake. They decided to stop there, gazing at the dark waters. There was some strange beauty in those black depths, even though it looked pretty unnerving to most people. The men were leaning against a railing while watching the waters and the taller man wrapped his arm around his partner, as if protecting him from the coldness of the world. The man with angelic face sighed contently and leaned against the taller man. They stayed still like that for a good while.

It was their own night. They remained in that position, embracing each other, their souls entangled. It wasn't until the one-winged man started to shiver from cold that they decided to leave. Heading to the warmth of a home, they walked through the streets hand in hand, as they weren't ashamed to show that they loved each other.



[b]THE OFFERING[/b]

It was evening, but the sun was still shining brightly, however its rays were cold, unable to bring warmth to the cursed world below. There was still strange beauty in it. Everything was silent, maybe the wretched were seeking shelter from the nightmares of the approaching darkness, as there were those who would enjoy to hunt the poor who weren't careful enough. Madness ran rampant in these parts and doomed were those who would encounter one of the ones with rotten minds. Because here, in this insane world, the death wouldn't come, no matter how hard you would scream its name, no matter how badly your body would get mutilated. Nothing was able to die, nothing was able to be born. There was only pain and misery, for there was no way to escape this hellish land. It was like a mad prison and it didn't matter if you were innocent: eventually the suffering will capture you. However, those who learned the unwritten rules quickly enough had a better chance in this hell.

A lone man was walking along one of the remote streets in a crumbled town. Behind him he was dragging a large piece of meat that was already a little rotten. But he hoped it wouldn't matter. He was determined, but still nervous and kept glancing all around him as he was moving forward, afraid of every little slithering shadow and all the noises, even the weakest ones, made his heart tremble. Still he managed to keep himself calm and was able to make progress, walking from shade to shade.

Eventually he found himself from a town square. It was spacious area with messed up pavement and dead trees and a huge broken pillar, which had probably looked grandeur in the past but was now decayed just like everything else in this world.

And there was someone sitting on the half that was still standing.

It was a tall woman, dressed in light robes. She had a long white hair that was billowing in the weak breeze that currently blew through the area. She had a black crow mask that hid the upper half of her face. Though, the trait that made the man feel a little uneasy was the fact that she had black feathers growing from her bare arms. He couldn't see her eyes because of the mask, but he still felt her gaze on him as she was silently judging him.

And she wasn't alone. All around her, sitting on the branches of the withered trees, crows in various phases of decay were eyeing the man as well. Their caws sounded otherworldly, there was nothing natural at all in their hollow voices. It truly caused the man to feel uncomfortable.

But he tried to get a grip of himself. This is why he had come here prepared. Under the stares of the several eyes, he dragged the piece of meat in front of the broken pillar and left it there, then taking few steps backwards and waited, although very anxiously.

The woman looked at his offering for a while. Seconds passed, then minutes, but she didn't make even a single gesture. The man's nervousness only kept rising. What if she wasn't satisfied? He bet he could soon feel dozens of sharp beaks in his flesh.

But then she nodded slowly and descended from the pillar, floating down gracefully. The man could feel the wave of relief washing over his body and he started to continue his journey now that he had been granted access to deeper part of the town. From behind him he could hear the fluttering of many wings as the undead crows flew over to the piece of meat in order to feast. It caused him to shudder, but he left it all behind, focusing now fully on his task at hand.



[b]ETHEREAL MAN[/b]

In these times of uncertainty, even in secluded and rather peaceful place like Timberfield, nights were dangerous to go out alone, especially for a young woman with no fighting skills. But Eavia had no other choice, this was a matter of life and death. Few days ago, her little sister fell ill because of a mysterious disease and had been bed-bound ever since. She had a high fever, felt pain in various parts of her body and barely could stay awake at all. The whole family was afraid that if she won't get proper treatment in time, she would wither away and wouldn't wake up ever again. Their mother had a little bit of understanding about herbs and their healing properties, but nothing had worked so far. Then the family had sought help from other residents of Timberfield, but no one was able to help them, no one had the knowledge. As the days passed on, the family got more and more desperate while watching the youngest one to grow weaker. That was when they decided to send Eavia to Etherblade, the Human capital city, in order to find cure for the little one. She left with great haste, for the clock was ticking, and nobody knew how much time her sister had.

Timberfield was one of the northernmost settlements in Perfect World, so coldness was a regular hindrance that the dwellers of Timberfield had to face. But that night, it felt somewhat even colder than usual as Eavia made her way along the path that ran through Thousand Wood Ridge. It would take her to Etherblade. She was shivering, but tried her best to ignore the coldness as well as she could and kept moving on while clutching her fur cape and hood, the thought of her suffering sister giving her strength to press on.

Then the voice of numerous howls of wolves got carried into her ears. The sounds came behind her and she quickly glanced over her shoulder to see a small pack of wolves that had appeared out of nowhere. They didn't chase after her immediately, perhaps they were contemplating whether she was a suitable meal or not. But these recent times had been tough in this region, all the wildlife had been having rough time as well, so this pack probably hadn't had enough food for themselves. That was why they decided to go after her, and now she had to run because her own life was in danger as well.

Desperation was fueling Eavia's attempt to escape, but she wasn't a machine and eventually exhaustion stroke her hard. She was panting heavily as her steps slowed down and she felt like everything was lost. Tears began to form in her eyes as she thought of her little sister and how she never managed to get her the help she needed. She collapsed onto the snowy ground on her knees and waited for the inevitable demise.

But it never came.

She could hear the yelps of pain behind her. She turned around to witness that something – or more like someone – was casting magic of ice, targeted at the wolves. This was too much for the beasts and they turned around and ran back to the direction where they had come from. Then Eavia's mysterious savior turned to face her.

She had never seen anything like him. He had this strange, mystifying appearance, he was completely blue. He looked ethereal with a blue aura around him, had long hair and gorgeous horns on his head like a crown and he also had a scaly tail. In his hand he had a scythe and its blade looked like it was made from ice.

He smiled gently at Eavia and offered his hand to her. She accepted it and reached for his hand and he helped her up.

“Thank you”, Eavia said meekly, still in a shock at what had just happened.

“No need to thank me”, the stranger said. “I was just fulfilling my duty.”

He let go of her hand, giving her one last gentle smile before he turned around and started to make his way further into the woods. Eavia just stared after him, feeling a bit mesmerized by his appearance. She didn't know who – or what – he was, but she was unable to utter the inquiring words. She had a feeling that this person was part of something bigger, something divine beyond her mortal comprehension, and it would be better for her to steer clear of it. So when his ethereal figure disappeared from her sight, she finally got a grip of herself and resumed her journey to Etherblade, feeling a bit dazed, but knew very well that her little sister needed her. The blue man had granted them both a new chance and Eavia wasn't going to waste it.



[b]FLICKERING MEMORIES[/b]

The sky was black. No guiding light of the moon, no sparkling stars. Just dark nothingness as if the world had just got swallowed by a huge beast and everything was now stuck inside its belly. This was unsettling to others, but to Krimson, it didn't really matter. Fear, anxiety, panic… he wasn't too familiar with such feelings. Instead, he would be the one causing these emotions to others. And so, without a single bit of fright, he was making his way through a foreign land, a desert filled with dark purple sand and black jagged rock formations sticking out of the barren land from here and there. A strong wind was blowing and wailing, sending puffs of sand into the air. It was unpleasant, but didn't really hinder Krimson's lonely travel.

Then the gusts became stronger as if they didn't want him in this place. The howls of the wind increased in volume, resembling the voice of a pack of wolves. Perhaps there once had been wolves roaming in these parts until a massive disaster had turned the whole place barren and hostile. Maybe it was their spirits that were now moaning in the wind. Krimson didn't believe in spirits or ghosts, so it was all insignificant to him. But the desert's breaths started to annoy him, he had to cover parts of his face in order to fight against the unforgiving breeze. But all he really needed was his mechanical eye, so he managed to push against the force of deformed nature.

Suddenly he spotted an old doorway hidden in one of the bigger rock formations. It would have been easy to miss because of the sandstorm, but with his mechanical eye he was able to spot it. That would possibly be a good place to rest and so he made his way to it. When he was standing in front of it, he noted that the door was rusty and hadn't probably been used in a long, long time. He also noticed a little panel of some sort next to the doorway. It seemed like you had to enter a code and it would then grant you access inside. Krimson did it the easy way, however. He was a part machine and his right arm was one of those pieces of him that wasn't flesh anymore. He switched the setting in his hand from regular to a small drill and began to tear apart the panel. Sparks were flying as he destroyed it and as a result, the doorway opened with a screech. Then he stepped inside, infiltrating this forgotten place as he sought shelter from the storm.

Now he was walking along a narrow dark tunnel which had seen better days: there was pieces missing from the ceiling and walls, exposing various cables and there was also a bit of debris all around. There was no light, but it didn't matter since Krimson could see well in darkness with his mechanical eye, which was now menacingly glowing red in the blackness.

Then he came to a spacious room that probably had served as a lab of some sort, but now all the equipment was just lying around, abandoned. He let his gaze wander around, from floor to ceiling, but he wasn't exactly sure what had been the purpose of this place. Various corridors seemed to connect with this area, but all of them had collapsed and he didn't feel like excavating them, so his focus stayed on this room only.

As Krimson was walking around to get acquainted with the place, he started to get a strange feeling. All of this seemed so familiar… But he was sure he hadn't been here ever before. Approximately at the center there was an operating table with cuffs to restrain whoever had to lay on it. It had a stain of blood decorating it. As Krimson touched the table with his still fleshy left hand, he suddenly got an image in his head. It flashed in his mind, lasting as long as a blink of an eye. He saw himself on an operating table, his ribcage open. He brushed it off however and went back to investigating the room.

Then something similar happened again. He had been examining tools which clearly were meant to be used for torture. As he took one of them in his hand, an image popped into his mind. It had been a picture of a man he didn't recognize. Once again he ignored it and continued to look around, however, he got an odd sensation in his metallic heart, especially after he saw a couple of more images of the unfamiliar man in his mind.

Visions of something he wasn't able to identify began to torment him more. He could see himself getting mutilated, his body being upgraded to something greater and then he could see flashes of the man he didn't know. These images were flickering in his head, reminding him of things that he didn't remember happening. It was irritating him, making him furious.

“Enough!” Krimson shouted out loud and slammed his fists against a table in front of him.

His rage seemed to make the images disappear. It was like he had flipped a switch, they just stopped coming. He calmed down soon and looked around again. This place was having a weird effect on him, he pondered. But he bet that the sandstorm was still raging on outside, so he had to stay here for a while.

His gaze focused on a dusty computer. He decided to see if he could recover any data from it just to learn the story of this place. Krimson initiated this task, trying to uncover the secrets of a facility that had got abandoned in a remote desert.