Chapter eighteen: Old Friends and Sentimentality

A misty lake lies dormant before me as my bare feet sink into the moist sand at the shore. No waves, no sound; it's all so quiet with this uncanny peace. I can see the backside of someone in front of me on the water, they're slowly taking one step at a time. My feet step onto the glassy water and it remains still like solid ground as I make my way to the silhouette with a steady pace. It feels like ice beneath my feet, and yet it doesn't feel so cold, it's more like a chill actually. Either way, my focus is on this person who's walking away from me. Cracks begin to form underneath me, and so I try to go faster towards them without taking my gaze from her. They have the curves of a woman at least. I can hear the crackling of the ice surround me. At the corner of my eye, I can see the cracks form in the air like broken glass. My pace quickens to a run as I can sense the person getting closer. I must know who she is! The cracks get ahead of me and begin to devour this place that we're in. I can see them form around the person as well. Holes of darkness open up and start to consume the misty area. My heart races as my feet beat faster to her with a mind of their own. I'm so close! I have to know who she is! The water is giving way to my weight. In a desperate need, my hand reaches out to her and I cry out the only word I can think of,

"Mom!"

For a split second, I see the black-clothed being with short yellow hair turn to me in response. Her big blue eyes peer at me.

Next thing I know, the darkness takes over the land and I see a hand grasping my wrist firmly. My gaze makes its way up the arm to meet the eyes of the person.

Her yellow bob-cut hair scruffs around as a mess and blue eyes like the ocean fill up with tears. She looks so much like me. "Vila?" Her voice sounds so familiar, I know I recognize it.

"...Mom?"

She doesn't hesitate to pull me in by my latched arm and holds me tightly.

I think I can hear her crying, but it's a bit difficult to tell if she's saying anything since my head is kinda busy being suffocated by her large breasts. I force my head to look upward in order to get some air and take another glance at her.

She takes this opportunity to rub the side of her head against mine in an affectionate manner. "I'm so glad you're okay, I was so worried about you!" The woman then leans back as she clings to my forearms. "Tell me everything that happened, I want to know!"

"Well-um..." I still don't know how to take any of this in. It's been so long since I've been with my mother. I don't even know where to start. How much does she already know anyway?

"Sweetie, is something wrong?" She says to me with a concerned face.

I stare at her for a little while until I pull her back in and squeeze her tightly. "Can we-just hug a little longer," I reply with tears making their way down my cheek.

Her arms wrap around me with warmth. "Sure thing, sweetie," she says with a comforting whisper.

Everything that's been building up inside of me flushes out with the tears. All of those emotions that have been suppressed come out as I cry in her chest. Thinking of the recent happenings fills me even more with dread. I just want to be here forever with my mom and forget about everything.

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West of Aishy, over a thousand miles away from that coast, lies the dead country currently known as The Archive Islands*. Divided into three spots of land on the map and three sections on each spot including Bei Island, in section Zen is where the cruelest and most psychotic criminals are kept under management by the Byltom*. Rows of cells for each individual fill the roles of torcher and homes to the Bulsesirprus* who have misbehaved. Screams of agony echo through the concrete walls of the hallways.

In one of these many cells, the cry of a familiar man rebounds within his own confinement. Sommi's voice breaks with the crack of the whip that tears through his exposed back. Blood gushes out from each gashing wound that he has from the lashes as he barely manages to stand from the chains attached to the roof and shackles pulling his hands into the air.

"That's enough Yamato." Vensen has been watching Sommi being tortured for the past twenty minutes or so with his uncaring glare. He walks up to Sommi and gives him a mocking snicker. "Seven hundred and forty years-since you've been to your homeland. Seven hundred and forty years-since you helped me turn your nation into the world's largest prison and asylum. Seven hundred and forty years-since we started the Blood War* together back in 309 of the Kainde Period*.

"You're a monster," Sommi spits out in a grunt. He forces in a couple of breaths and swallows some saliva in order to moisturize his dry mouth.

"Remember the first time I broke you, Sommi? It was back when you gave up your soul to me. That was a fun moment for both of us," he leans in very close to his face with hardly an inch of distance between the both of them, "but that was for different purposes. That was simply an initiation, and to show the punishment for disobedience. I'm not going to be so light with my hand this time." He listens to Sommi's intense breathing for a few expirations before calling out to Yamato without pulling his gaze away, "Tighten the chains."

The green-scaled mitsu drops the whip where he stands and walks over to a big turning wheel in one of the corners of the square room. He turns it which activates the pulley system on the chain of Sommi's wrists from the ceiling to the wheel. Every time Yamato turns the trundle to the next notch, it raises Sommi higher into the air until the shackles on his ankles transforms the action into a pulling strain on his spine.

Now they see eye to eye instead of Vensen staring down at him. Vensen streaks Sommi's bangs away from his face and flattens his bony hands on Sommi's cheeks. "I could do so much to you right now." His tenor remains calm and eerily soothing. "I don't even know where to begin." His thumbs rub up against Sommi's cheekbones near his eyes. "I could gauge out your sight." Vensen's hands slide down to his throat and he gently wraps them around his pipe. "I could strangle you." Delicately do the hands then grab Sommi's biceps and he squeezes the rather tiny muscles. "pulling your limbs off would be so easy." Then the hands come down to Sommi's chest. "Ripping out your intestines should be fun as well." Vensen's fingertips barely scrape against Sommi's yellowish skin as they gently claw down from chest to the pelvis and he continues. "Clawing into your hide would be a pleasant experience..."

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Back in the caliginosity with Vila

I don't know how much time has passed, but I was able to tell my mom everything: What happened with Gonma, Sommi's care for me, Vensen's visits, my new enlightenment on the Stuki clan, what happened in Kai and Erekin; there's so much that I told her, I probably gave away my whole life since we've been apart. It feels so nice to have someone that I can tell my everything to. She listened to every word that I said and wasn't surprised about my interactions with Vensen. She just paid attention to everything that I told her.

I wipe the tears from my eyes as Mom holds me close and hands me a handkerchief. Now that I've gotten all of that junk out of my system, the questions start flooding back into my mind. "Mom," I start as the skin underneath my eyes redden from me rubbing them, "What happened to you?"

Mom gives me another gentle smile and opens her mouth to speak.

My eyes pop open to the ceiling and I quickly sit up. The hotel room is the way that I slept in it last night and the triplets are sound asleep. The two sisters sandwich me in the middle as Zaru stays on the other side of the room. I would go ahead and make breakfast for them, that's the least I can do, but I'm not the one with the rai for shopping and there's no kitchen in this single-room area.

Zaru rolls over onto his back and sits up in a torpid fashion. He turns to see me and instantly becomes somber with wide eyes. In a panic, he snatches the clock next to him and checks the time. His palm slaps against his forehead as he says under his breath, "Cheap piece of crap." Zaru slides out of his futon like a snake shedding his skin. "You wake those two up while I put the supplies back on Muei." Next thing I know, he's out the door towards the stables to get her out of there.

I just realized that we didn't bother to change last night for sleepwear. Oh yeah, guess I should get these two awake. I grab Caru by the shoulder while she lies on her side and gently shake her. "Caru, get up, we're late!"

She snorts with the sound of moaning from a restful slumber. "Wha-what's wrong?"

I then unleash a barrage of pokes onto the side of her body as I repeat my statement, "Get up, we're late!"

Caru jolts upwards and looks to Haru. She climbs over me and shakes her sister by the shoulders rather violently. "Get up you lazy butt!" She shouts at her.

Haru pops her eyes open then slips out of the futon and starts rolling it up in a jiffy. She pulls my futon off of me and starts to fold that one up as well.

The two pick me up and drag me through the door down to the lobby with our stuff.

Caru helps Zaru finish packing the heavy stuff onto Mueimma as Haru and I chat with my still-weakened state. Zaru forces me onto his back for a ride and we charge forward out of the soenara to make our way to Gesh for the day. Guess this means we're not having breakfast.

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Over in the Archives

Sommi screams in pain while strapped to a chair as Vensen shoves some tweezers into his wrist and picks out his bones individually. Sommi's body squirms in agony from the unwanted metal that's moving around in his hand.

"I think I've found another one that you don't need," Vensen states with a devilish grin. He pinches the tweezers onto one of Sommi's inner phalanges that make up his hand and starts to tug on it.

The straps keep Sommi from moving significantly in the chair as he grunts for him to stop.

Vensen grabs a very sharp scalpel and cuts away at the bone he wishes to disconnect. The blade slices through much-needed tendons and nerves in order to reach the bone.

Screaming explodes from Sommi as his body involuntarily jumps in every direction that it can from the seat. His blood gushes out from the large wound on his hand that Vensen has been using for an easy access to his inner body parts.

The wanted phalange is finally cut out with precision and Vensen begins to pull it out smoothly as if he were removing a piece of glass. It comes out fully intact and Vensen looks Sommi in the eye for a good long second before dropping it onto Sommi's lap. In his calm and disturbing voice, he continues with the process, "Let's find another one; shall we?"

Before he could shove the tweezers back in, Sommi yelps his phrase in a raspy voice, "No-no-no-please! I've learned my lesson, no more!" Tears stream from his eyes and trickle down his now pale cheeks.

Vensen frowns with gloom as he grabs Sommi by the neck and lowers his tenor while leaning in close, "You should keep your word, Sommi." His lips come to Sommi's ear and he continues with a chilling whisper, "Next time, I'll make you watch her suffer."

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Archive Islands- A region made up of large islands west of Aishy including Zuthalili. These islands are used for major criminals and psychopaths. Each of the three islands has a ranking for certain criminals based on the level and quantity of their crimes. Basically, the three main islands that make up this unofficial country are large prisons. They did, however, used to be a real country mainly for monks of a forgotten religion, but after the Blood War* of 309 kp (Kainde Period). it was discontinued by the Aishin Empire.

Blood War- In 903 kp, there was a world war where basically all of the nations banded together against the Deria country which is now known as the Archives Islands. This war is recorded as the most violent thus far in Fupum and lasted from 903-915kp.

Bulsisurprus- Inmates of the Archive Islands.

Byltom- The enforcers of the Archive Islands who keep the inmates in check.

Kainde Period- The period before the Youra Period (the current time period) and after the Zanda Period that took a span of 1,000 years each. The current year is 49 Youra Period(yp).