Illusion of Darkness - 0

Last Revised: Never

    "The sun was absent from the sky that day." A man mused as he wandered through the broken remains of a village. 

    "Actually, the stars weren't visible either. If there was a moon, I'm sure it couldn't be seen from here." The man paused to examine the crumbling remains of a broken wall before moving on. "Now that I think about it, the sky has been dark and hasn't stopped raining since that day... not that there's anyone left to notice."

    Here, amidst the crumbling buildings and broken trees, the memories of this place and the people slipped into his mind and overwhelming his senses. If he closed his eyes, the knowledge of the shattered present could melt away into memory. Hills covered with carpets of long, pale green grass. Small pink and white flowers filling the air with their sweet aroma as the stubbornly crawl up the village walls. Families who've know each other for generations shout across the sprawling yards to each other as they continue their daily chores. 

    The distant rumble of crumbling stone drags him back to the present. 

    "So much was lost..." He gazed at the silent battlefield. "Thrown away as if they were no more than pieces of trash. But we all risked too much to back out of the battle. This is such a waste." 

    He stepped away from sight as the faint crunching of shoes on stone reached his ears.

    "Now, how many times have I told you to stop coming here?" A soft voice spoke behind him. "You know that there was no way for you to have stopped it from happening."

    "If I only..." He absently smoothed down his dark violet hair and sighed. "You're right. It's in the past and... I thought I told you to leave me alone."

    "You did, but there is something that's more important than your wishes."

    "Well, you should."

    "This couldn't wait for you to decide when come back. This is of the utmost importance."

    "What do you mean?" The violet-haired man asked wearily. "What could be more important than honouring the dead?"

    "It's time to go. I found them."

    "Already?" He looked up, startled. "Are you absolutely sure?"

    "Yes, they're waiting for you."  The man glanced over at the charred fields with sad, dark grey eyes.  "It was a horrible battle wasn't it?"

    "It was, but I hate to think of what would have happened if someone had won." He straightened out his uniform and sighed. "Too bad the past can't just stay in the past."

    "Come, they're waiting for us." The grey-eyed man said and strode towards the main road.  

    The violet-haired man sighed and turned away from the village. "Yeah, this isn't the time to indulge in sentiment."

 

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