Black Box Heart

"Run ! Run quickly !"

The voice echoes in my head. I do as I'm told; it's the only voice I can trust. Is this the last time I would hear it ? Could I ever see the face--taste the mouth--that the voice originated from ? The curly black hair sweeping in the way of brilliant pools of gray that the voice sees with, both contrasted against flawless pale skin, as white as cream.

Screams, yells, and shouts awake me from my memories, jerking me into reality. My legs seem to have their own mind as they hurdle me over obstacles that may get in my way. Men, women, and children alike follow me in a seemingly never ending chase, their footsteps softened by the snowy ground making them unable to be heard. My luck, always seemingly against me, appeared to be with me in this cursed time as I heard a shout over the crowd. The Tracker is not in town ! Regrettably, my luck ran short as the black foggy mist that always danced upon the white snow top in contrast followed me in my wake betraying my escape path and showing the angered mob behind me where I had been. By now the cult Oracle would have deciphered the escape route I had planned in my mind when we started with wild chase. I quickly glance back, hoping my feet could keep me from tripping while I watched large portions of the mob break off to take different paths, disappearing in the white forests. Confirmation. They would have me blocked off within a few more meters.

I was left but with one choice. To fly. I couldn't help but sigh in relief as I released my wings from their storage beneath my skin. They unfolded, the beautiful greasy black feathers of the underside resembling those of a raven's were visible to myself, while the white feathers like a dove's as blanched as the snow blinded the mob chasing me, causing them to cringe slightly and shield their eyes. My wings caught the wind quickly and I was launched into the slightly cold and bitterly dry wind. Because the mob had dispersed itself so, there were not enough of them to follow me. You see, flying was the one trait every member of my cult had in common. If a war between us began in the air, I would truly win. From the air I looked down below at the beauty of my world, even in the chaos.

On this planet of ours, which is far away from your own, we have two distinct lands, each with their own culture, of which we call the Cults. The Cult I was born into is known as the Darkness, though if you were to explore the regions of such you would not be able to understand why it is named as it is. Our jurisdiction is covered in the most pure snow to be seen in the universe and when the Sun casts it's rays against the surface of our lands it creates a glow upon the earth and the people. It has been written that the Darkness shines as if made of the finest cut diamonds. However, to sustain the snow the weather is bitter and cold and only to those born within the Darkness' Cult can stand it as easily as if it were a hot summer's day. No weather truly effects our skin, as we are always warm like a fire was permanently lit inside our hearts and pumped through our veins as surely as blood pumps through yours. Sadly, as you travel further and further south, away from the center of our land to the outskirts, the blindingly beautiful wonderland of snow slowly fades into a barren swamp-like terrain. Yes, once our jurisdiction ends the jurisdiction of the Light begins. In the land of the Light all your fears are granted. The landscape resembles a graveyard of which could not be mustered in the darkest and most hellish pits of imagination or nightmare. Vegetation rots eternally, their moans echoing through the still air. Swamps thrive and even the Sun refuses to shine over the land, terrified of the things that hide in it's shadows and the darkness that enshrouds the land and the people. There is a question among both lands that can only be answered once the true hearts of the people are discovered. Why are the lands named so differently to their true nature ?

The people of the Light see nothing of what they want, only of what they fear, and with that they have come to appreciate what they do have and to find happiness even in the darkest of times. They are the warm-hearted people of this planet, always generous, as if they were born with a smile burned into their hearts. However, living in a world like mine, where everything you want and desire is given to you, nothing truly seems happy or enjoyable anymore. Thus the people hold their darkness and shadow inside, never to be content with anything. These are my people, the people I was born to rule. I was born their Princess and became their Queen.

For 500 years I watched over them and lead them to prosperity, through the happiest times the history books have ever recorded. Yes, it was said that only I was able to release and fulfill their deepest desires. However, I was given a major flaw and, unlike everyone of my successors, I was unable to complete my soul mission in life: to bear a child that could reign over the Darkness. It was not from infertility that I was unable to bear the child, but rather from the will not to. Unlike the Light where no body has any special ability aside from mind reading (which is useless when everyone can do it), my Cult gives powers to all it's subjects. There is only one catch that makes us cursed. Only one person may have one power at a single point in time. Every power had to remain unique. The Queen before me had the ability to speak to anything and everything. From the ground to the clouds and the ceilings to the floors, everything and anything had it's own voice. The Queen's husband, and the King of the Darkness, obtained the ability to shape shift to biotic and abiotic things alike. It is unlikely for a child to inherit both of their parents' abilities, as one must take care of the child, but again I played the rarity card and inherited both of my parents' gifts. As I took my first breath they released their last. Though I was a great exception to many rules, this one rule, the only rule I wished to be an exception to, still applied. For my powers to be unique my parents had to forfeit theirs in the only way possible. They had to give up their lives. It is more often than not the gender of the baby that predicts which parent is to forfeit their abilities. Men often take over their mothers' powers while the women take over their fathers' ability.

It is this rule that scared me, that forced me into desperate action. Since the beginning of our creation, the monarch of the Darkness would dictate until their 500th birthday then the night of their 500th the monarch would choose one of their lovers to consummate their love with in hopes of creating a new monarch. Two nights ago was my 500th birthday and I knew exactly who I would tie the knot with but when the thought of creating a male heir occurred to me, I was scared. Even after 500 years I still felt I didn't know enough of the world. Then the thought of creating a female heir surfaced and I was terrified even more. My own death seemed little to worry about in the place of my King's. In the place of the one I have loved with all my heart and soul. We had been friends since birth and over the last 200 years my heart had begun to beat only his name. Lucaas, Lucaas, Lucaas.

When the night came to justify our love we were terrified for our fates, each of us willing to sacrifice our self for the other. So we concocted a supposedly foolproof plan. We faked our consummation. This is not to say we did not have our fun, it was impossible not to without getting caught, we just managed to do so safely. Lucaas' power is that of a shield. He spent all 500 years of his life perfecting his ability, much like the rest of us do, and was strong at sustaining it without having to put all his concentration into it. Lucaas was able to shield his DNA from meeting mine in the procreation of a child that night. We thought we were invincible but we were too cocky. We know not of how, but one of the chambermaids found out of our deceitful act and had the word spread throughout the Cult by the next afternoon. Now here I am. Running from the Darkness, running from my home, and running from the civilians I had loved and had held so close to my bosom for many years.

I worried for him greatly, but knew no harm could come to him as long as he veiled himself in his shield. So I flew higher and higher, feeling the pressure press against my skin, my bones, my heart. It threatened to break me, crumple me as easily as paper in the hands of a child. I couldn't help but look around to watch as my people returned to the main city, unable to capture the Queen. There was a beauty in the two Cults as below me they blended and swirled together like Yin and Yang. Despite the pressure of the atmosphere, I feel at peace. For the first time in a long time, I felt utter bliss.

Suddenly a tremor of cold rushed through my veins, freezing my body to the core. I had never known what it was like to feel cold, but I knew this was it. My mind began panicking. Had my wings stopped beating !? I couldn't feel them anymore ! Oh gawd. I was falling ! I had to be. Free falling ! I knew the impact with the ground would kill me. I felt dizzy, my eyes blurred over and I felt like retching. Suddenly I can feel them again ! My wings ! My savior ! In fact, I could feel my whole body as the familiar feeling of warmth spread through my body. I can't breathe, a moment of panic sweeping through my body before I remember I can survive within the absence of air. My eyesight returns but all around me remains black. Not a sound is heard, not even my own voice as I let a small squeak escape my lips. I feel tired, no, I feel exhausted. The minimal amount of energy I had that had mixed with adrenaline was used up as I fought my way through the barrier of my world and the Unknown, of which you call Space. My wings are useless now. The Unknown has taken a hold of my travel path and all I could do was wait for Fate to take me where I was to belong. My eyes slowly drooped shut, despite my desperate attempts to stay awake. My last thought was a prayer that both Lucaas and myself remain alive.

Burning ? Burning ! It was hotter than anything I have ever felt before ! Even the fire that raged within my veins was put to shame from the flames that engulfed my body, but why was I not melting away ? Why were the feathers of my wings not shriveling into ashes in front of me ? How could I still be alive ? It had to be Lucaas. I could feel his shield, but I could also feel it peeling away the closer I was pulled to the odd new land that swirled beneath me. It was beautiful, though not as beautiful as the Cults. This land was an exotic swirl of pure white, deep blues, and darker greens. So many colours danced upon the surface of the beautiful globe that I couldn't even comprehend them all. Even as I spun closer and closer, feeling the heat more and more, I couldn't help but be mesmerized by the view beneath me. It took the extreme intensity of the fire that engulfed me as the last layers of shield peeled away and left me vulnerable to everything to wake me from my dazed state. I only had a second to think before I saw it. The dark greens and browns became solid shapes of trees and ground. I was going to collide into both.

Three. I tried to fly away from the ground, back towards the sky.

Two. My wings were damaged. They couldn't fight against the gravity that pulled me downward.

One. I furled my wings around my body and turned my back towards the threat of pain before my inevitable impact with the ground. I flinched as my whole body tensed with the first feeling of a branch scraping against the membrane behind my feathers. I winced with every stab, slice, and sliver that dug into my plush skin until finally came the dreaded impact of the earth that I could see through the slashes in my wings in the last of my airborne seconds. Mixed hues of brown hid beneath the cover of luscious green grass. I could only hope in vain that the vegetation would cushion my fall. It didn't. I screamed at the searing pain of the fragile bones in my wings snapping into many different pieces and shards. Quickly, I retracted my shattered aerial devices in one swift movement and, using the tree that had just tore my body to pieces, I stood.

More pain seared through my back, chest, and head. My body rocked and shook as I stumbled around through the thick forest. I could hear noises up ahead, ones I could not recognize, ones I have never heard before. I continued swaying through the trees, trying not to trip over the thick exposed roots that clung to the ground, sucking up the energy of the earth for it's master to recycle. The noise became louder and louder, like the whooshing sound of oxygen as I fly through the air at my highest speed.

I finally see a break in the woods, a bright light of hope. Maybe there would be someone to help me, to aid me in recovery ! As I burst through the barrier and protection of the woods I see that this world is more different than I imagined. Metal monsters rushed by at incredible speeds, each containing at least one person within it's dastardly belly, buildings scraped the sky at heights only the tallest of my castle's towers could reach, citizens walked tightly and in groups but still comfortably, as if it were an everyday occurrence to be packed like rodents.

I stumbled forward once more, bumping into one of many in a crowd. She was a petite girl but the scowl on her face and the bite in her tone as she told me to "Back off" quickly eliminated her innocent and pleasant appearance. I flinched back then tried asking another of the crowd where we were, but only received a cold glare as if I were his greatest rival. I asked more and more people only to gain responses of equal, if not worse, reactions. As people continued walking I saw many pairs of eyes analysing me, my clothing, and my state of mind. I stepped back from the crowd and took in my surroundings again. Nothing was familiar. I was lost and there was no one to help me. I had no friends, no family, and none of my people for comfort. The yearning for home, already strong within my chest, grew more than I thought possible. Tears flooded from my eyes, decorating my cheeks and clothing with streaks and splatters of salty water. I cried for several moments before remembering Lucaas. I would be strong for he who helped me escape. I would survive in this concrete jungle.

In this cruel world I would have to start again; define a new identity and blend in with the crowd. I would have to learn their ways, speak their languages, and adapt to their ways of life. Or at least until I could return home. I would stay strong for Lucaas, if not for myself. And with that realization I began my observation of humankind on the strange planet; of their mannerisms, their lifestyles, and their cultures. And I began my wait. My wait until I was beckoned back home. Until Lucaas and I were reunited once more. Until the Darkness enveloped me once more.