《MY SHORT STORIES》Trees of Alcora
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I stared out the port for another few minutes. She floated there, in the cold of space, just above the event horizon, arms extended towards me like a 3-D snapshot, a life portrait. Below her, the pitch radius of a Black Hole her unending frame. I wept, mourning that which was neither lost n or saved. Neither gone or fully with me still.
***
We had been recording the songs of Alcora's choral forest.
Light winds caused the singing, as they passed like shadows through the lithe branches. Elevating, harmonious, and beyond description. The weather caught up her golden hair also, played with it, as a child might. It was a green and verdant place, a separate, and a peaceful place. Shanna's lips flexed, holding back the instinctive wish to join its melody. We both felt it. The recorder was on though, so we held back, quiet and appreciative, so there would be a good transcription to share.
The song was eternal, for the wind never ceased here. It is said to have healing properties, and certainly, it poured balm onto my soul. The forest existed in a rift valley of this non-rotating world. Eternal, frozen night ruled one half, a torrid desert baked the other. But in between, in the twilight of the world, a mild wind swept serenely through the enchantment of the trees forever.
No one lived here, in the rift between the dark and the light. Only a few hundreds of meters wide, the long valley wouldn't support a colony, even though it encircled this world. Besides, no one could face this treasure and keep thoughts of tearing it away. It melted hatred, dissolved greed, salved all fear, soothed all remorse.
Ageless, beautiful, glorious. So the trees sang on, until our recorder filled. Shanna turned off the recorder, and turned shining blue eyes to me.
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"Jon, do we have to leave?"
There was a wistful pleading to her voice. I smiled.
"Not just yet."
So we sat, her head on my shoulder, and we joined the trees in song.
Leaves fell around us, each sounding its own note, until it decomposed. This happened swiftly, for the earth here was fecund with some sort of fast composting bacteria. The sad tinkle of each leaf ended as the earth reclaimed it utterly, before our very eyes.
Closing mine, the melodic surf seemed to whisper, telling of its life, and the cyclic decay that both ended and renewed it, and I slept.
In slumber, the song continued, and it seemed, a new theme twined with it, a warm and loving theme, one I knew well, depended on daily, that held the essence of my soul within it. It was...Shanna!
My eyes flew open, and sought out my sleeping love. She lay slumped upon the rich earth, and as I moved to shake her from this mutual dream, I saw it. A cut, very small, on the inside of her forearm. Around it decay grew, like the rush of fire through wheat. I thought of the leaves melting away, how their song had died with each leaf's return to the soil, to feed the trees again. The song swelled within me, her part of the refrain growing to an almost complete presence within it.
I swept her from the ground and rushed to our ship.
I placed her in the medical unit, and fretted as it tried to quell the fast spread of corruption. Our biology had no defense against the alien spore. The song was in me now, dominated by her presence. It called to me, of beauty and of our time together, our hopes, shared dreams, and knew, even as the refrain sang on, that an ending drew near; that her life was also to cycle back into the earth of Alcora.
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The machine affirmed that her end was inevitable. It's drugs could slow, but not stop or cure the force that spread though her. A motif of pity tinged the flow of inner music.
I ran to a console and lifted ship, spearing the Songstealer toward the only hope left me. This cosmic place where time stood still, just beyond the event horizon of a Black Hole, and consigned her flesh to it. My love floated down, slower and slower still, finally stopping, frozen in an endless moment of relative time, on the cusp of it.
I turned from the port at last, and returned to the world of twilight, between the dark and the light, between heaven and hell, life and death, once more beneath the trees of Alcora, and sat. Listening.
Sheena was within that song still, strong and loving, and alive, and would be for all of time. Someday, I will join her in the tree song, though briefly. I cannot be both here, infected, and in space jumping down into eternity.
But for now, we sang together beneath the trees in a light wind, that passed like shadows through lithe branches. Elevating, harmonious, and beyond description.
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Thief Lord
“What is wrong with you!?” That would be what anyone who knows me would say if they knew what I’ve done. They wouldn’t be wrong, as no sane person would ever quit his job the first chance he got when he saw an opening to follow his dream. To become rich and famous by playing video games. What? Did you think my dream wasn’t childish? The best dreams most often are. No? Well, maybe you just don’t dream big enough. Ever think about that? Dreams are never easy to follow, and neither is mine. There are millions of players who want the same as I do, but very few would actually risk their future trying. Following the path of a Villain isn’t easy, and I have a city filled with thousands of players who would love to see me fail. I will show them though. Just you wait and see... ----- This story is currently only posted here on royalroad. The only exception is an up-and-coming narrator names Agro Squerrils who I have given permission to narrate a few of my chapters on his youtube channel. Feel free to check it out if you are interested!https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcfzFNUhrNS3YUShvr3W9mKwvhpMgmyua Disclaimer: I would advise checking out the story's tags. The story contains a low to medium amount of profanity. Read at your own discretion.
8 107The Will of the Dead
Have you ever felt true despair? The need to just not exist anymore? Then you too know the Cruelty of the World and the Edge of Madness. Thorin — a pickpocket in Athros city — was taken to that edge, teetering on the borders of sanity. He took the odds and embraced the disdain for the society that pushed him over, letting the deep-seated hatred burn up inside him. He chose to take revenge but, to do so, he needed power. His quest for strength found him gripping the same thing he shied away from — death itself. Using the unholy powers of Necromancy, he became an enemy to all that lives, a force against the nature itself. And nothing shall stand in his way. Welcome to the story a young man who died while alive. Welcome to a story about becoming the master of all. Welcome to The Will of the Dead. Hi this is a semi rewrite of my previous novel The Will of the Strong. Beginning is a little slow but it will pick up pace by chap 4-5 Also skip chapter 6 if you do not enjoy graphic material. Thanks for reading, Danjor
8 218Records of the Weakest Emperor
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Action, Evil Gods, Evil Religions, Goddesses, Hidden Abilities, Industrialization, Mature Protagonist, Manipulative Characters, Mystery Solving, Mythology, Nobles, Time TravelCalvin Villanueva was once heralded as the savior of the world. His might was unrivaled despite possessing the weakest class in Las Felipinas. But in a cruel twist of fate, his achievements were turned against him and in a span of a single night, he went from experiencing heaven to plunging into the deepest parts of hell.Captured and imprisoned by the Sucklings, an alien invader who came from a different realm. Calvin became their Scribe, the Keeper of History, and ultimately... He arrived at the peak of the weakest Writer Profession and became the Author of Fate. Unfortunately, it was already too late. The world was now in ruins and Calvin only had a single choice in front of him.It was death.He may have chosen death but he had proven before his death that he was indeed the true savior of humanity.Manipulating fate, twisting time and space...Calvin went back to the past for a second chance to turn things around!After countless life and death battles, who was it that snatched everything away from me? Under the tribulation of sorrows and the tossing of wind and rain, humanity may have betrayed me, but I shall save them once again!Bringing with me the memories of my past, those who dare to block my way shall be killed!My return to the summit begins!
8 188Squire of Eden 1: The Tooth of Leviathan
The Tooth of Leviathan, The Claw of Behemoth, and the Feather of Ziz --the sceptre, crown, and cape of evil to unite all evilness, a symbol of power for the anti-christ, remains a threat to the balance between the human world and the realms beyond."Humans are humans, all the good guys are up in heaven, and we're all stuck here before some of us go to hell and purgatory. Right? Sister?" Back in 2011, 12-yr-old Macau resident, Sariella Lui could have never imagined this world beyond her acknowledgement. Reuniting with her long-lost twin brother, Sariel, the teenager got to know about the mysterious world of angels, demons, mystical creatures and the Sacred Order of the Paladins of Eden. Together, the siblings fought alongside the fallen angels for their redemption, with the help of their companions, in hope to restore balance within the realms beyond the very world they live in. At the same time, the outcasts struggled to find their position in this world. The young Russian psychic, Nikolai Rostov, struggled to find a cure for his curse while Ezov, the offspring of Prince Seere of Hell and a fallen watcher, struggled to understand the responsibilities of his blood. Lukas the cambion desired to leave his father, Belial, one of the nine Kings of Hell, but his demonic origin made him an outcast at the paladins, not to mention the fact that they were a total mess. As the youngsters grow into young adults, their battle continues, and this is merely the first step.
8 204From gun to sword
A beautiful,charming girl once holds a gun now weilds a sword. Her alluring body can make anyone drown in their own saliva. She has passed a lifetime being a boss who rules over underworld. She was at the peak of sucess but died alone. When she opened her eyes ,she wasnt dead but alive. She has crossed worlds and now in a foriegn body. Cultivation ,magic,martial arts are common here. This is a story of girl who has transmigrated into someonelse body. A story on how our male lead will capture her heart . This little rebellius girl will change the very herichary of the continent. She will rule once again but not alone.
8 165I got reincarnated and got a creation cheat
An abused child died to his father and mother. His mother wanted him dead the moment his birth and said he is a mistake. His father did drugs and gambled when he lost he abused him. He didn't even have a name he was 5 when he died to abused he then woke up in a white room and saw a man standing in front of him in greek clothes and looked a bit holy. The man said to him " I'm sorry I didn't want you to die and accidentilly killed you forgive me sorry I will give you a new life with better parents and a cheat. now watch adventure the world and use his cheat and enjoy his life with better parents.
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