– – One walked alone, yet beside herself. Entangled in a miserable construct build out of own,
hauntingthoughts. Indeed, she was thoughtful; brooding. Leather-clad palms ran over cold steel, generated heat within marred skin easily blending out what chilling sensation gelid metal should have t r i g g e r e d . Attention is fixed as keys sunk into the side pocket of the crow’s kitbag, helmet & motorcycle now locked & parked beneath provided lot. It would stay behind; left in the wake of obliteration & corroded memories. Epitomizing the final, abandoned KEEPSAKE of a lifeeventuallylost.There was a spark; a petite glint of tangerine crawling over robust leather, leaping across protruding knuckles – burn it. Let it explode. Let it combust into a thousand pieces. Mark the beginning of yet another restart. Cross the border, dear crow, & never wager to look back for what looms beneath heavy boots was but harrowing grief; baring its ugly teeth; venomous. Pure TOXIN to
poroussanitywhat if THEY would need it?
Tenebrae was not save; no haven meant to shelter them but a PRISON instead. Protector & royal would be compelled to elope; to mayhaps return here & head to the South? Cue the balling of dominant left; a single gesture there to quench invoked cast. Oh arsonist, don’t you know that you will soon have enough targets to burn – ?
Black bird boarded the train with habitually striding gait, right digits digging deep into drapped strap. Her belongings were s p a r s e . Mostly consisting out of medicine, bandages & the leftovers of a far too minimalistic lifestyle. && one was not meant to be missed, nothing left to hint at the crow’s
pointlessexistence – for in the end … had the glaive’s noble sacrifice not been in vain?Oh indeed,
alas one was hellbent to fulfill a King’s plea
– for hearth & home, or so they said.“ a traveler. “
Firm words slipped from parted lips with a brittleness unmatched by many – irises twitched, seething gander resting upon odd figurine close by. One quirked a single brow; in thought, in a quizzical manner – he stroke no familiar pulse; neither similarity nor distinctness. A mere entity meant to p a s s by or one there to further raise
war-honedsuspicion? The crow is wary, figurative wings fluttering as the train jerked into motion, gloved fingers clinging to stanchion close by. Be careful, be on guard. Expressions sung of militant neutrality; aloof & stoic – yet one’s posture appeared at ease; oh ….never would her composure falter.“ – what do you want? “.
had an accretion of the media’s venom failed to reach the veins of this passenger? left to float about their anonymity — ignorant of history’s grim defeat — deprived in absenting all broadcasts? a pitiable abstinence, should obliviousness prove causal of their journey. fear does not climb, grasp, or teach this persona — a miscarriage in calibrating propaganda. the solemn dignity of man scrambles at the mercy of the empire, but it appears not all are aware of this. take my hand in yours — stranger of wanderlust — and i shall feed you to the lions if only to see your identity flayed.

night gathers, deriving shadows of
those housed within ribcage stepping aboard. they prickle along flesh, clamped within stillness of palms as
composure resonates ( tell
me i am sane , lie to me mercilessly ). recurrence of daemons, drawing
along the cracks of his poise with
jaded parchment and putrid ink, takes an upsurge
within the late hours. mutated escalation provides necessity of seclusion. he
sleeps alone ( if at all ), he travels alone, and exhausts all remaining
patience with liberal self-loathing ( a revulsion to burden mankind ). all
to indulge the scorn of the moon. what a travesty to behold the façade of ‘ the chancellor ’.
this pair, unacquainted — they are
detained by similar motives; to find the oracle ( capture her , imprison her
), and levy an impertinent dominance over her movements. she escaped, but not
for long. her torments will catch up with her, among the skeleton of her fate.
only this figure — a contour of flesh
and audacity — holds not the same abhorrence for the girl. but that is a
tale of glorious tragedy, to be exposed and carved beneath the smothering madness of ardyn’s charade. save
yourself the tongue of a leech, and set the lake afire ( before
it is too late ).
a rhapsody of sway filters the
potency of balance. the engine gorges,
consuming flawless motion of accursed
height. the jolt of speed does not last — a
fleeting binge of hasted departure — and permits the imperial guile
of curst limbs to meander the slender hall of compartments. ‘ come out , come out , ’ his intellectual
company sniggers and chortles,
abrasive if their eagerness to discover, locate, and trap this party member. ‘
i saw you come aboard … he must be
— ’ valorous disbelief counters
his esteem. a woman. how unexpected. she recognizes his presence as swiftly
as he regards hers, if not sooner.
her expressive detachment articulates she had been watching him for a time, but how long?
“ what do you want ? ”
her words are terse; impassive. she
has the spark of a lit match yearning for a pyre ( look
no further , he shall provide ). the sheep becomes the shepherd, and he the blade to bring rise to a butcher. an
underlying familiarity grunges her
features. it was never a ‘ blessing ’ for the chancellor to recognize you, certainly not in
territories now conquered by his
employer ( an incompetent pawn ).

“ you’re a blunt one , i see . i was
only curious as to who i may share this rather long travel
with , and as you boarded alone —— it is a courtesy of
mine to introduce myself . you are far more — striking in fairer lighting , i must admit . i mistook you for a outlaw prior to departure , hmhm … but
i was mistaken , no — ? ” mauve
were his words, a hue of deceit — yet charming in their audible stimulus. there
was something more to her, hidden as
the layers of magma beneath the
earth.
who are you, really?

