STORYTIME!: "Nature's Reverie"

"Nature's Reverie" is the first short story I've written to submit into a Writing Contest, that I have discovered when I was my local library. (This is why you must go to the library folks! Important opportunities are kept there!!!)

Of course I got extremely excited about the idea and submitted it! Long story short it ended up winning an "Honorable Mention." Even though it wasn't 1st-3rd place, I have never been so elated in my life.

(I thank the Epic Music Pictures so much for the inspiration!)

Therefore my dear reader I'll take this moment and share it with you! All I can do is hope that it sparks some inspiration for you guys :D

So sit down, grab some popcorn and enjoy this wonderful story time!!! ^_^

Nature's Reverie

By: LittleAspiringWriter

"She was the only one left. . .and she knew that.

She never thought the day would come. Doubt . . .and the yearning of hope was enough to get the fingers of misfortune to shake her hand. Everyone that was like her, who had the same thickness and color of blood as herself- were all dead. Most were slaughtered when her back was turned and others before her.

She remembered every moment.

The pain of it all was fresh, and the memories lingered in her head, reminding her of the ravenous flames devouring the crumbling huts, the cottages engulfed in thick black smoke; the blood spilling and merging into a river of blood, the shrilling screams, the rushing of huge waves from the sea arising and sweeping everyone into it's suffocating stomach, and the firm ground beneath them all splitting and cracking.

The zigzagging of the splitting lines continued until the terrestrial floor forced opened, swallowing handfuls of Nalztias: the people of the earth.

Those who were lucky enough to be blessed with the gift of sorcery from the delicate fingers of the Earth Goddess, fought alone or with others against the nature that turned viciously against them.

It was the same nature that they had adored, depended on and which had granted life to them all- that had defeated them.

The destruction was sudden and fierce, and the minute it sprouted into life, it gave only a result that struck them with disbelief.

The Earth was turning against them. And The Dark Current was to blame.

The force was vile, one that stirred beneath the darkest trenches of nature's core, feeding off of the most malicious magic that was tossed out, and waiting to pounce.

Waiting for its power to be strong enough to manipulate the Earth Goddess to turn against her own.

It was only moments ago when all that had happened. Quick yet devastating. How the young Nalztia was able to survive it all, even till now she still questioned it.

Her survival was too much of a blur to her, and the trauma that she had experienced was too overbearing for her to piece together how she had managed to save herself. But despite it all, she knew two things, and two things only; The Dark Current. . .she had to take out. She was the only one left, and she knew it.

The Nalztias who could wield enchantments had all been trained to remove the Dark Current from existence; She was one of them.

Yes, she had been an outcast, she had been the slowest learner and she had the most undeveloped magic skills of everyone else in the Village Camp of Neltïa but there were no other options now was there?

The Dark Current, she had to take it out. It was what she was trained for, wasn't she? The emotions intoxicated her as she walked under the vivid blue sky through the icy plains, the frigid wind biting her cheeks.

Her white hair danced around her face as she clung to her white cape adorned with pieces of gold jewelry.

The cape she wore, would have been dazzling to an outsider, but it was considered to be owned by the lowest ranking of magic learners in her camp. A rank that she could never surpass.

Back then she would have been ashamed of wearing it. She would’ve wanted to rip it off, or watch it become devoured by flames. But now. . .now it was the greatest memory of who she is, and it was what she wanted to wear, as she tore the darkness apart.

She began to rub her gray sleeves as she ventured deeper into the icy plains, trying to figure out the path to her destination. A part of her prayed to The Goddess Earth for her guidance, still hoping that even though darkness had consumed her, there was still enough light to help her defeat the Dark Current.

She knew her prayer was futile, but her assumptions faded when she spotted a Monarch butterfly flutter before her.

Her blue eyes, rheumy and sunken, were quick to follow the fluttering butterfly, the same one that she so vividly remembered saving some time ago.

The left wing that she had healed, flapped vibrantly as the monarch flew in front of her. She didn't need to be told that it was best for her to follow it. A small smile broke her lips as she darted after the flying insect, bits of hopes daring to crawl in despite how dead she felt inside. Water built in her eyes from the bitter cold as she ran, her determination growing. She may never have seen the home of the dark current, but the moment she saw-no felt, the thickness of evil in the nature around her, she knew she was near.

Her pink lips pressed together as she edged towards what looked like the monstrous mouth of a cave, that hid behind the nature that was now dying and crumbling.

Déjà vu punched her when she saw it all.

The corruption of the earth replaced her sorrow with rage.

In an instant she thought, I won’t let him get away with this.

She stopped cold when the monarch stopped in front of the cave's opening. The young Nalztia, thanked the monarch with only silence as the butterfly flapped off, abandoning her.

Her eyes stared at the cave's mouth, her eyes sunken, yet her heart burning, raging with anger.

Clutching the hood of her cloak, she enters the cave, avoiding the dark liquid dripping from its mouth.

Her pale skin reddened when a sudden heat hit her, the energy of the Dark Current choking her, weighing her down, but she kept going, using the memory of her dying village as her motivation.

She expected to run into obstacles but to her surprise, she met none. The route was suspiciously easy, it wasn't long before she stumbled upon a deep, dark abyss. "I've been waiting, little one." A voice echoed. Her heart jumped. She blinked. Then the Dark Current was at her front.

It was as though gravity was wrenching her down. Before her, stood a huge black cloud, bigger than the cave itself, floating in the endless abyss. She stumbled back when the blackness morphed into the image of a faceless man, the body broad and intimidating.

Gray encircled the eye area of its head before it glowered down at her.

Her breath tightened.

Without thought, she grabbed a hold of the sparks of magic within her, and cast it. The enchantment hit the Dark Current.

It stood unaffected. Disbelief racked her.

She threw another spell. Again it still stood.

Frustrated, she repeated her actions over and over, getting irked when The Current began to barricade her magic by either swatting it away or using its dark clouds to block it. It didn’t take long for her energy to be drained, and she finally chose to give up. She glowered at it, but her scared eyes contradicted her.

"My turn." A bolt of agony stormed inside her, then airborne she became.

White burst in her vision when she bashed against a rough wall before toppling onto the stone floor. She whimpered, stunned.

"I've known you for some time little one." It whispered. "And all those times I've seen you, your strength has been much stronger than it is now." She sucked in a breath before struggling back to her feet. She casted another spell. This time it ricocheted. Her own spell now dark and blackened, struck her, sending her back smashing against the wall.

An unpleasant crack echoed from her as she hit the ground, her blood rushing.

She shook as she felt a thick red liquid trickle down from her head and onto her cheeks.

"I can only imagine how the strongest of your people would be like when fighting me if this is what you portray."

Hearing The Currents voice again, made her try to force herself back onto her feet. She stopped when darkness clouds her, weighing her against the ground. Her head spun, as the strong force burdened her.

"Weakness is what your Goddess is. It shows on her children," It spit. "All I can do now is imagine how I could've ended up if she hadn't disowned me."

The Nalztia tried to fight off the strength of the darkness but the more she shifted the stronger it grew.

"Now tell me, little one, why burden the clan of the Nalz. with your frailness, when they themselves are already weak." The sickening white returned into her sight. The moment she ceased her struggling the white reigned. Her heart that thumped violently, slowed down.

"I don't know." She whispered, her tongue dry.

Her ears rung when she heard her own voice, silently expecting The Current to force out a better answer but it did not. It was as though her voice was enough to convince him that he was victorious.

She relaxed as she began to suffocate underneath the black blanket, waiting for the death to take her. Her mind panicked from the idea of meeting death yet her heart smiled.

Why. . .?

Well, it was her Goddess that she was about to reunited with, wasn't it? Her form may have been corrupted here from The Dark Current but her soul would always be pure. Yes. . . pure.

It was when she opened her eyes that she suddenly saw the familiar monarch fluttering in front of her face.

To anyone, it would've been annoying. She would've been annoyed herself yet instead, she suddenly felt. . . strong, more passionate than before, as though the Monarch was whispering, begging for her to fight back and brawl against this infernal Current.

At first, she wanted to ignore it and continue to let the fingers of death steal her away but she stopped for a second when she thought she heard the voice of the Goddess.

No! . . . it was the goddess.

"Being Delicate is what you reveal young Nalztia, but inside ... I see another story. Do you?"

Just hearing that was enough. Every bit of power that circulated inside, bursted out from within her, swallowing every part of darkness that filled the room.

She didn't know when or how it happened, but no longer was she laying down defenseless and vulnerable. No! now she was standing.

Now she-she was in control.

Her sad eyes warped into determined ones, a flame of passion, anger, everything she felt, consuming her.

She felt the Dark Current fight back, attempting to pull her back down to her helpless state. She wouldn’t have it.

Her arms rose and her fingers stretched out, releasing more and more power, more enchantments everything! The blue in her iris spread throughout her eye until every part of it was nothing but blue. "I don't know." She repeated.

Right when she felt the fingers of the darkness nearly grab her again, her power shined. It overcame him and everything else. The white that threatened to imprison her now knelt before her. It intruded every part of the cave, spreading until even nature itself was in contact with it.

How long this lasted, she did not know but she knew two things. . .

The Dark Current, she had to take it out. She was the only one left, and she knew it.

She was the ONLY ONE LEFT

And she KNEW it.

A tear trailed down her cheek when she felt every single bit of malevolence ripple away before finally. . . she finally got to release her enchantment.

Her energy plummeted.

She fell to her knees.

Her eyes returned to normal. And she gasped.

Her heart thumped loudly and her arms fell, her head hanging.

Then she sucked in gulps of air. . . . fresh air.

Her eyes opened when she recovered, unaware that she had closed them

And . . . my!

The blue sky, that she had traveled under a while ago was even bluer, white clouds dotting it. The rough ground was now replaced with fresh green grass, the dying trees blossomed and healthy. A flowery meadow replaced the abyss, tulips, roses, and lilies engulfing her in an ocean of plants.

She looked to her front only to see the rising of the sun, it's warm rays caressing her cheeks.

The air was rich and fresh, the wind sweeping past her and fluttering her hair and cloak.

Her hood fell from her head and the marked pink in her hair shun from the glowing sun. All she could do was gape. It was gone. Everything, the Current. She. . . she did it. She thought.

The warmth of nature surrounded her, the earth thanking her. Her eyes brightened when again she saw the monarch flutter to her. It nestled on her shoulder. Despite her fatigue, strength inside was all she felt.

Her eyes closed in peace and she relaxed to the singing of the birds and the buzzing of the bees.

That Nalztia. . .She was the only one left. . .and she knew that. Alone she was. . . she was alone.

The awful memories of the violence lingered in her head. . .

and the pain was fresh. . . But. . . so was the feeling of victory."

~End

Natures Reverie. Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.

Image Link- http://wlop.deviantart.com/art/North-529723856

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