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You approach the castle ruins. A vicious storm is going on. |
The Night Kougra
Pretty ironic that the princess ended up becoming one...
I stumbled to the ground with a dry sob, tears running down my matted silver fur. It was hopeless. I looked at the sky and whispered, "Why? Why could I not have died as well? Why did you do this to me?" It had been three days since the pirates. Three days since Falyis had been reduced to charred ruins, three days since my family, the royal family of Falyis, was murdered, three days since my whole world was destroyed. Three days since I lost my only friend in the flames. And now I, the last princess of Falyis, was alone.
You emerge from the dusky forest and look up at the sky. The vast indigo plain overhead holds a rare beauty, ridden with streaks of violet and cyan. It is completely dark on the ground, however, with no moon or stars to guide you. You wonder how long you have been traveling, as you had entered the forest in the morning.
You see in the the distance the crumbling ruins of a palace. It looks forboding. You shiver, from cold or fear, you know not. You wonder where it came from, as all castles in the known world were not forsaken and eroded like this. It seems to have been deserted thousands of years ago. You wonder about what final siege had taken place before this ancient remnant had fallen in all its glory. You decide not to explore now. It's late and dark, and the forest has ended so you can can stop at a town or village. As soon as you skirt the ruins, however, you see a whole ruined city, covered in ashes. Beyond that... more forest on all sides of the ruin. You sigh. Maybe you can sleep tonight in the remnants of the crumbling stones and dream about the lost glory.
You turn back toward the ruined city. It gives you a bad feeling... You cautiously walk through the stones. You see a tarnished silver fountain in front of you. It's old and broken, and the water is long gone. It is tiered, with a figure of a unicorn, a dragon, a gryphon, and a demon n the first level, waterspouts no longer. Mounted on the top is a lone figure - a demon-winged tiger. It, unlike the others, still posesses its iridiscent ruby eyes. They seem almost intelligent, coldly intelligent, calculatingly watching you from atop its tarnished mount like a guard of the ruins. You shiver and walk on. Your imagination begins to play tricks on you, teased by the somber visions around you; you begin to hear a faint whispering, like a buzzing in your ear. It intensifies until you can hear screams, terrified screams from ages past. You can hear the crackle of fire and angry shouts from whoever destroyed these ruins. You hear children crying, screams of pain, screams of terror, screams, screams, screams... You can't take it anymore. You run as fast as you can, eyes closed to prevent them from the clouds of ash kicked up with each step. Finally, there is silence. You open your eyes. You stand in front of the solemn castle, a glory from another time, a time that is no longer even a memory. You shudder, take a breath, and walk in.
You walk into a ruined hallway. There are multiple stained glass windows here, all shattered and broken. There is only one that is still intact. It is a winged magenta dragon gazing out over the night sky, with bright blue eyes. What could have destroyed the others? And why was the last one the lone remnant; why was it spared? 
You shudder and walk on. The hall reaches a large room. Jeweled statues fill this corridor. A crumbling stone table sits in the middle of the hall, surrounded by by moldering chairs. On the table are a few gold goblets and ceramic plates, tarnished with age. You think of all the feasts served in this banquet hall, before the castle lay in ruins. You approach the end of the hall and see a a jeweled throne. At first you think it is a statue, but with a jolt, you see that a great red dragon with a green chest and wings sits before the throne, watching over the palace ruins, a silent sentinel from ages past.
As soon as she sees you however, she growls and glares at you, her icy blue eyes glistening like two iridiscent aquamarines. You cower and shrink back, knowing that this great monster could end you with a single exhalation. She stares at you for a few seconds, and the anger fades from her eyes, making her look solemn as ever, hiding a quiet, penetrating misery. You feel silenced, wordless for some reason; an aura of sorrow lingers here. Instead, you gaze at the dragon. You notice she wears a golden locket, in a diamond shape. A red crystal hangs from the bottom. The dragon's frosty eyes are on you for a minute, before wandering over the ruined walls, as if willing them to become what they used to be.
Finally the miserable eyes turn on you again. She says, "Greetings, traveller guest. Welcome to the house of my anscestors, who are no more. Do let my appearance unnerve you; I bear the visage of this great beast, but I am a princess in mind. I am Laluzi, last survivor of Falyis and heir to this forsaken throne. What brings you here?" She glances wistfully at the crumbling walls.
You respond, explaining that you were lost and found yourself at these ruins and needed a night's lodging.
Laluzi nods and says sadly, "Yes, all who come here were not looking for it... That is why I never met any of my only friends after the fall of Falyis... and most here who come run after seeing me, so I suppose you can stay."
Intrigued, you ask, "That's what I was wondering earlier. What happened? What is Falyis? I've never heard of it."
Laluzi sighs, forlorn, as old memories surface in her mind. Finally, she says "It is a long story, and once you hear it, you may never find your way out of the ruins unless you truly believe..."
You eagerly say that you wish to hear her tale.
Laluzi looks away from you, her cyan eyes turning misty. She says, "Very well. I shall tell you what you wish to know. It is a sad story, and a long one, so you may as well get comfortable."
I was born a silver kougra some thousand years ago in the prospering kingdom of Falyis. In the Falyan tongue, my name means Fate. Indeed, my name has some significance in that matter... but nobody ever assumed it would signify the Fall. I am - was - the princess of Falyis, and I lived in comfort. I spent my days gamboling around the palace gardens without a care in the world, having fun all the time. I chased the butterflies, I roamed the city. It was a golden time. I had one great friend, Midnight, a white uni. We went everywhere together. We met when I was just a kid. I was curious about the fish and a certain pond. They glittered so brightly... Anyway, I fell in, and right before I would have drowned, something pulled me out. It was a white uni just my age. And we were the best of friends from that point on.
So, in the best lifestyle one could wish for, I grew up. I had everything I could wish for; a fun-loving friend, a great home, loving parents, the inheritance of a prosperous kingdom. Life seemed perfect. But now... the broken promise of those things only makes things more sour, for when you have a taste of how life could be, it only makes things worse when you fall. Yet back then, how could I have known? Midnight and I roamed around the city, playing, having adventures, doing foolish things that we laughed about afterwards. She was the best friend a princess could have. And so the years passed until I was 17, and that was the last year I spent in Falyis. Things were prospering more than ever, and on my 20th birthday, I would be crowned queen.
Laluzi falters. She trembles, and a glistening trail slides down her cheek. You realize she is crying. Can dragons even cry? "Then the pirates. I don't remember much of it. It was the worst day of my life, the one that made me the ruined entity I am. You have no idea... To look back and weep for those happy days, and know they are forever over, to wonder what could have happened if this had not, and..." Her voice trails off. "I had been with Midnight that day, and she said she had seen a strange ship at the docks. I went to the docks with her. It was an odd ship. Her timbers were falling apart, and it bore a tattered black flag, with a symbol I could not see. I went back to the palace and told my mother about it. She became very frightened. She told me to go upstairs and change out of my dress into more practical clothes... now I know it was to be able to run. I was just heading back downstairs when I stopped. I had heard a noise. As I listened closer, I heard angry screams, as if an angry mob was at the palace. It was accompanied by a constant thud. Suddenly, there was an explosion, and the door to the castle shattered. I heard my mother screaming, and then I knew. Pirates. They had come to kill us all, to steal our treasures, and leave a dead city in their wake. I bounded back into my room, listening with agony as I heard my mother's screams fade into a gurgle... then silence. Deafening silence. Then I heard loud footsteps on the stairs. I ran toward my bedside table and clutched for the locket that lay upon it, but I could not find it. The footsteps were getting louder and closer. Terrified, I looked at the wide, open -blocked- It was the second story... but it was this or die. Without a moment of hesitation, I jumped out the -blocked- It was a long fall, but I was fine. Midnight was standing there, terrified. "Laluzi!" she whinnied. "We've got to get out of here! Now! There isn't any time to save your family, any moment they're going to notice you've escaped!" So we ran. They killed my father... my mother... my brother... Fire everywhere, everyone dying. I almost escaped with Midnight, but we were separated.
We were almost at the gate. "We're going to make it," I thought. That thought should have filled me with happiness, but I felt nothing. Zero. I was so scared I felt none of it, I was so despairing I felt nothing. It was only breathe, breathe, paws pounding, heart exploding. We sped up, but a family of neopets trying to escape knocked me over. I slowly got up, blinking stars out of my eyes. Midnight was running; she hadn't seen me fall. And then I saw the group of pirates running toward me, shouting hoarsely. "Midnight! Help me!", I screamed, but in my heart I knew it was too late. It had all been for nothing... She turned and saw me... and then the pirates. She ran toward me. But it was too late. A pirate bruce attacked me and took me away. I only managed to yell to Midnight, "Run! Run, far, far away!". Then I was tied up, gagged, and blindfolded. I never saw Midnight again. I choked as the pirates drew the gags tighter. I was going to die. But then, the bonds were cut open and I heard a voice. "Run away!", one of the pirates shouted. It was a uni. Perhaps at least one of them still had a spark of goodness in their heart. The uni managed to hold the others back for a scattered handful of moments, and I managed to get away. Free, I looked for Midnight, but she was gone. All I could see were flames devouring buildings and people.
When I was outside the city, I could only watch as everything I had known, everything I had cherished, everything I had loved, was completely obliterated.
I was a fool. I traded life for immortality. I was rash. I cast the spell that turned me into what you see now. At first, I hadn't realized what I had done. The royal blood of Falyis possessed magic, and I had always been gifted in those means. I stopped my hourglass, so to speak. I froze myself in time. But it took a very long time for the true effects of what I had wrought to show...
Laluzi continues even more quietly, "I may have been destitute then. I had no point, no reason to live. But I was still a Neopet, still recognizable as my old self... When I cast that spell to make myself immortal, I had no idea what I had gotten myself into.
It's simple, sadly. I infused myself with power beyond belief. But I was a Kougra, a Neopet. And Neopets aren't made to handle that kind of magic... so the magic made me something else.
For a while, I had been feeling strange. By a while, I mean about a century. I felt as though I was... caged, like something inside me was trying to claw its way through. I didn't understand. I thought I was imagining it, or perhaps I was losing my mind after what I had suffered.
In truth, though, the damage had been done a long time ago. It was just waiting for a trigger.
There had been a fire, a great fire. I seldom used my magic after I had immortalized myself, and eventually never - I grew weary and sick of it. Perhaps I would have remained myself forever if I left it dormant. But there were children trapped in the burning huts. And so I cast a spell to chill the air.
Even as the magic left my paws, I knew something was wrong. That strange feeling inside of my was growing, burning, flaring up as the flames around me sputtered and died. People came up to congratulate me, thank me, but I stumbled away from them. I felt sicker than I ever had in my life. I clutched at my head, moaning as splitting pain lanced through my temples.
And then the screaming started.
I cried out as my spine snapped, bending forward and forcing me to all fours. Those who came to crown me as a hero backed away in terror as my beautiful fur was shed, cracking into raw, reddish scales, darker where my stripes had been. I retched dryly as my body shifted and warped, growing and cracking, joints reconfiguring themselves. Wings sprouted, and horns pushed themselves from my skull. I was a monster. The dormant magical supernova within me had imploded, and ripped my form away, replacing it with that of an ancient beast's.
I roared in pain and horror, and a great caul of flame erupted from my maw, reigniting the blaze tenfold and utterly obliterating those I had tried to protect.
I fled in agony. Nobody ever would recognize me as their savior if I was as hideous and terrifying as the beast I had become. And I knew, deep in my heart, that Midnight would never recognize me, even if she had survived. Whatever cause I had left was lost. So I wandered off in anguish, wandered for days and months and years, living in the wilderness, until I eventually came across a ruined city in the deepest depths of a mysterious forest. Curiosity aroused, I entered, only to be overcome by a terrible forboding. I trembled as with fever, although I could not understand why. Yet I still walked on. A thick carpet of black ash lay beneath the ruined houses. Things crunched beneath my feet. I looked down, confused, to find under the ash... hundreds of skeletons. Sickened, I looked at the remains of mothers clutching their children as they were burnt to death. Gripped by revulsion, I fled until I stood before a last building.
The ancient, ruined palace loomed over the dead city, the only unburnt building among them. Even as my eyes wandered across the stones of the castle, a dreadful suspicion stirred within my heart. Quietly, I strode through the doorway, the door long gone.
It was an entrance hall. There were tarnished golden statues, chairs, a table, a jeweled throne. Yet I had eyes for only one thing; the yellowed kougra skeleton lying on its side on the bloodstained floor by the once grand staircase. Clutched in one skeletal paw was an emerald amulet, grasped in the final seconds of this poor kougra's waning life. For comfort or courage was it held, I would never know. That secret was lost in time, forever forgotten as this ancient kougra died. Who she was, I tried not to think. But even as I approached, I knew.
My mother.
Falyis.
With a dry sob, I stumbled to the remains of my mother. She had sacrificed herself to save me, using her only chance to flee to tell me how to escape, so that I could survive. But now, seeing her dead, hearing her final dying screams in my mind, I did not want to live. I wanted to die here by my fallen mother's side, but I knew I could not. She did not sacrifice herself so that I could die of a broken heart. She wanted me to have a life, a future, no matter how horribly I'd squandered it. And so I went to another part of the hall after praying for her departed soul.
Two more skeletons lay in the corner. The smaller one was flat against the wall. The other, larger one was in front of the small one, clutching a sword hilt, the sword having rusted away long ago. My brother and father. Once more, tears came to my eyes, and I fled up the stairs into my room.
I barely fit through those corridors in my new form. Many of the hallways and ruined stonework gave way under the bulk of a dragon. But nonetheless, I managed to navigate through them. Everything, save the rusty bedframe and the copper table beside it, was was broken and lying on its side on the floor. I burst into tears. All that was left of my past... I noticed, with a jolt of those terrible memories, that the window I had made my daring escape through was still open, now rusted in that position. I stepped over my broken posessions to the copper bedside table. I picked up a golden locket that lay untouched on the table and wiped a bit of grime off of it. My locket... I had thought I had lost it forever. With a shudder, I slipped it over my neck. I would never lose it again.
If only I hadn't already lost everything that I'd truly held dear...
I went back to the main hall and over to the jeweled throne. After a moment's hesitation, I picked up the sapphire crown that lie upon it, scrutinizing it. For a thousand years, it had no bearer. I was the last one with the blood of the Falyan kings; this was my duty. And so I placed it upon my head and claimed my inheritance as the final ruler of Falyis, a forgotten city of ghosts.
And so I have lived here for thousands of years in my new, hideous form, forever despairing of memories of my brief, fleeting happiness and forever haunted by the ghosts of my past."
She whispers one last thing in a choked voice, holding back a flood of tears. You barely hear it. "And to wait for the return of Midnight, my only ever friend and besides me, lone survivor of Falyis."
By the end, silent tears are trickling down your cheeks, too. How horrible... Laluzi nudges a small object towards you, unable to maneuver her claws. You realize that it is a jeweled handkerchief. After you wipe your eyes, she sits up on her haunches, looking strangely regal, and says, "Come, I shall show you your quarters.". Before you can leave with Laluzi, who had already gotten up, there is clacking noise behind you, and Laluzi whirls around. A shadow uni stands in the ruined entry hall.
The shadow uni is not a normal shadow uni, as you take a closer look. Its fur is ebony black. It sports dragonlike wings, like Laluzi's, except they're purple, as well as a purple mane and striking violet eyes. It gazes solemnly at Laluzi, eyes fixed upon her.
Laluzi's icy eyes grow wide. "Midnight..." she whispers. The uni gazes at her for a few heartbearts, before shaking her head once and running full-pelt to her whilst crying "Laluzi!"! The two embrace each other tightly, and for the first time in aeons, tears of happiness roll down Laluzi's face. At last, her face grows slightly more solemn. "What happened to you?" she asked.
Midnight smiled ruefully and said, "Show guest a place to sleep. They look exhausted." You smile gratefully. "Then Laluzi, I have a story to tell you...
Story began at approx. 7:30 pm on 8/2/06
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