Saturday, August 21, 2004

The 8th Step : Caecus Oculatus
Garnett mounted her great black war horse, Crimson, and made her way to the Hidden Village of the Shadow. Only the stupid wandered the forests in Japan hiding the seven hidden villages. One of which Garnett grew up in.

Crimson quietly picked his way through the bramble of the forests until they reached a clearing over 20 miles from the village. Garnett dismounted and sent Crimson on his way, knowing not only it get harder to walk but it could mean his untimely death if they got caught in a raid.

Garnett dawned her black ninja uniform, tied a head protector around her forehead and set off bounding across branches of great trees.

It was growing dark with was a great advantage to her. She retied the head protector around her eyes because they now became useless in this kind of dark. She used the senses she had gained as a ninja and those born to her as a seraphic vampire to navigate through the dense trees.

She arrived at the gates of the small city, reserved for the outcasted ninjas who sought only power. She jumped from her perch on a tree and silently landed on her feet then sprang into the air again dodging a set of knives thrown at her. She settled back down on the ground in a crouch and looked up at the guards.

“Get outta here! We don’t need no hot shot ranger around here!” One of the guards screeched at her.

Garnett stood up and looked up at them, her face completely concealed by a white and red mask. “I come in search of Shikou! May he accept my company or suffer from a lack of it.” She shouted back at them.

“Its her… her? She nooo…” They looked at each other, then ran down the wall and pushed open the great walls fast enough, hopefully, so Garnett would not tear their lungs out. Garnett then quietly walked into the dark and foggy village, heading straight for the well-protected castle backed with a large mountain range.

Garnett keep her eyes covered, knowing Shikou would most likely try to use illusions on her to force her away. This would be one of her hardest fights to win back her son.

She knew all to well that if she blocked out one of Shikou’s tricks she would face another, all she could do for now is keep walking, step by step. The soft padded earth receiving her clothed feet as she waltzed towards the black light.

Soon her sight left her but touch was soon to follow, she could no longer feel the ground below her or the wind behind her shivering frame. The whisper of shadows and wails of trees had also left her and the redolence of sake and sex departed from her keen sense.

She knew in her subconscious what was happening, but she started to lose control. She started to run, then in a burst of fear she tore off her head protector covering her eyes. Nothing stopped Shikou from raining down terror on her, her eyes flew open and nothing was to be seen but her aphotic past.

Blood swam around her feet, ravens dove around her at dead bodies piled high. This was no nightmare to her until she glimpsed the faces, the mangled decrepit faces of the dead bodies. They bellowed out her name, the name of their daughter. One reached out for her ankle, she fell backwards and tumbled over her inert father. He picked her up and cooed her wailing while her mother and older brother gathered around waving teddy bears and soothers to calm her.

She was placed into a carriage and pushed down a river, she watched as her family disappeared into a lush forest as she plunged over a waterfall, never ending she fell. Her wings took over and saved her from a rocky death. Arrows! She was being riddled with arrows, her wings collapsed in the middle of an accent towards the heavens. Her wings curled up and fell off in a burst of flame and she fell with them. She fell through a tunnel lined with blades that caught on her skin and pulled everything off her. She landed in a pile of salt naked and bleeding everywhere. The salt crawled into her wounds and devoured her heart…

The rest will come later.

- Garnett
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