It was May 10th, the last month before summer vacation.
Skyler Hall, a nineteen-year-old woman with thin features, long straight black hair nicely braided, and radiant blue eyes full of innocence, sat in her history class at Sallon University—one of the most renowned women's institutes in the county.
Laying her head on her hand, she checked the time with the pocket watch. The ticking of the clock echoed in her ears, making her heart race.
"Bless these ladies, I suppose…" Skyler wondered.
Sitting in the third row of the lecture hall, she watched two students cheerfully whispering between them. It was so excruciating that she felt a pang in her chest, a pang very close to envy that was growing more and more.
Albeit the low murmurs of other students could be heard in the lecture hall, a middle-aged blonde woman turned her gaze towards the desk where Skyler was sitting, "Miss Hall, what are you thinking? Can you please explain to the whole class what happened 39 years ago in Steatha?"
"O-of course, Professor Essie!" Skyler stood up from her seat and picked up the book that was on her desk, "39 years ago, a civil war occurred in what was once the Kingdom of Steatha. After the death of the Sirion Royal Family during the war, Governor Aaron McNamara, along with Benjamin Mar, transformed the Steatha Monarchy into a Republic."
"Excellent, Miss Hall" Professor Essie coughed twice, picking up her clipboard, "The lesson ends here. Be sure to study today's topic, as this shall be included in next week's test."
Skyler put her history book in her bag, took it with her, and left the classroom.
The east wing adorned with arched white marbles was crowded with female students coming out of class. Their murmurs echoed like music in the brown hallway. Skyler hurriedly walked toward the nearest exit, and exited from the east wing as a cold breeze lifted her hair. The main square of the university was very active, with students talking to each other, their mutters soothingly mixing with the chirps of the pigeons.
She rummaged through her bag to make sure she hadn't left anything in the classroom.
"Nothing seems to be missing…" Skyler closed her bag and prepared to leave the main square—
"Hello Miss Hall! How is my sweet friend?" A voice chimed.
Hearing the voice, Skyler turned, glimpsing a familiar woman walking towards her.
She was beautiful. She had long wavy brunette hair that reached her hips. Her soft hourglass physique exuded maturity and beauty. She looked at Skyler with her brown eyes shining with intelligence. One thing that impressed Skyler was her long, bright brown dress with white sleeves and collar, which exuded charisma and nobility, along with her white embroidered gloves that she wore.
"Oh, it's you, Lady Throne." said Skyler, curling her lips. "I'm fine, thanks, I see you're full of energy as always."
"As always, I daresay! Good heavens, merely for the joy to ride my beloved Hange, I was anxiously waiting for the conclusion of literature lesson." Evelyn closed her distance between her and Skyler.
"Gee, you sure switch plans so fast to be honest. Didn't you have dance lesson today?"
"Well, actually yes, but Mrs. Farrell wasn't feeling well, so it's better if I spend the day with Hange."
"Oh, and how is she now? You told me she hasn't been feeling well lately."
"Don't worry," Evelyn curled her lips and placed her hand on Skyler's shoulder. "My horse is in great shape now; thus, thou dost not need to trouble thyself with concern."
She took two steps forward, then turned back, her smile was radiant like a sun, "Come on Miss Hall, let's take a walk."
Evelyn's words made Skyler's heart skip a beat. Goosebumps ran down her spine, making her tremble as a few female students were watching her strangely.
"B-but aren't you waiting for the royal carriage? I-I don't want to disturb you." Skyler looked at the students who were whispering to each other, her lips trembling.
She was uneased, much more than usual. With a sense of oppression pressing down hard on her, the whisper of the students could be heard. She looked away, stiffening her body.
Evelyn glimpsed at Skyler perplexed, then she formed a sincere smile, her voice was like a melodious bell, "Disturb me? Skyly, thou don't disturb me at all, I daresay. Since we started university, we haven't had the opportunity to walk together, and so I want to talk with thee. Ah, I also told my aunt to wait for me at the nearby library, I daresay."
There was nothing she could do. Skyler was mesmerized by Evelyn's words, it was like her bewitching smile was trying to shine through the darkness that surrounded her. She didn't want to bother her, yet Skyler couldn't push away her friend.
"Alright… I'll follow you." She said, comforted by Evelyn's demeanor.
Taking a deep breath, Skyler reached her friend with a few steps, leaving the university building with her. Walking next to Evelyn at Center Borough, she noticed that the streets were choked with crowds of people. The deafening noise of their heavy footsteps constantly mixed with those of the horse-drawn carriages.
Clop! Clop! Clop!
Evelyn turned her gaze to Skyler, her eyebrows knitting together. "Skyly, could thou take me to the cemetery next week?"
"Of course," Skyler answered quickly. Her expression abruptly changed, and worry settled into her chest like a heavy stone. "It's their anniversary… right?"
"Aye… let us say that is the fourteenth anniversary of their deaths. Truly, though I don't have many memories of them, I still miss them..."
As soon as Skyler saw the worry etched on Evelyn's face, her heart clenched. Evelyn's usual bright smile vanished, replaced by a worried frown, her eyes clouded with anxiety. Without a second thought, Skyler wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her into a tight hug.
Evelyn's body was tense at first, but then she melted into the embrace, her shoulders shaking as she let out a shuddering breath. "Skyly, thou needst not embrace me like that. By heavens, well, the eyes of the people are now upon us."
"But… I can't help it…"
Evelyn gently pulled back, cupping Skyler's face in her hands. "I'm very pleased that thou care about me, but… I don't want thee to suffer for me, otherwise I shall feel really bad."
Skyler nodded, trying to compose herself. "I'm sorry… I don't know why I'm like this."
"There's nothing to be sorry for," Evelyn said softly. "We all have our moments."
As they continued walking, a comfortable silence fell between them, but Skyler's thoughts kept churning. She'd feel the weight of something unsaid, something she had buried deep within herself for so long.
"Skyly… um, I was wondering what thy father was like." Evelyn's voice broke the silence, her tone reassuring but curious.
"My father?" Skyler felt a familiar pang of sadness at the mention of him.
"Yes, since we met, thou hast never told me much about him, I daresay."
Skyler gazed up at the gray sky, watching the birds flying in graceful arcs. A melancholy air settled over her. "You know, sometimes I wondered if I was a worthy daughter to him. He… he was an amazing father, and yet all this time I did nothing but ignore him, even though he tried to help someone like me in every way…" Skyler paused, taking a deep breath to steady herself, "I'm a daft. Why did I even consider what people think about me or how I was supposed to conduct myself before the nobles? It was my father I was supposed to consider above all… but now he's dead, and I'm alone." After that, she peered at Evelyn,and waved both her hands dismissively with a smile, "Erm, sorry, I'm sure I bored you with my nonsense speech."
The next moment, Evelyn wrapped her arms around Skyler again, holding her close as if to console her. "No, it wasn't nonsense at all, Skyly. Dost not carry that pain alone. I'm here for thee, always."
As Skyler was struggling to allow herself to believe that. While they stood there, wrapped in each other's warmth, a thought grew in her mind.
"Sometimes… I wonder if a person like me is worthy of your kindness."
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North Borough, 15 Angel Lane Street.
In a street full of terraced houses, Skyler Hall entered her home, putting her coat on the coat rack near the entryway. She climbed the yellowish wooden stairs to her bedroom. As soon as she entered it, she moved the vials and papers scattered across her desk, placing her bag on top.
She changed out of her elegant bluish dress, put on her yellowish-brown pajamas, and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Upon reaching the kitchen, a slender elderly man with short gray hair and blue eyes, wearing yellowish-brown pajamas, was waiting for her sitting at the table. Skyler sat in the seat adjacent to the man.
"Do you have any plans tonight?" He asked, voice deep.
"Mhh… no, Benson, why do you ask?"
Skyler's stomach rumbled when she saw the fish stew that was on her side of the table. She swallowed the accumulated saliva, picked up a knife and fork, and tasted the stew, trying to mask her unease.
Benson frowned and clasped his hands, his knuckles turning white. "Um, I'm asking you because some murders happened recently. Thank goodness nothing happened to Conan County, but be careful from now on when you go out."
"Are you talking about that case where the serial killer kills young ladies?" Skyler asked, her voice barely steady whilst eating her stew.
The tension in the air was quite sharp, like a weight pressing on both of them.
"That's right, my dear. I thought its rampage stopped last year in Aetheria Kingdom, but sadly, I was wrong. Two ladies were killed, one in Ravenport and another in Blackley." Benson continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "What a misfortune… may the Son of Nature watch over us."
Benson's shoulders were slightly hunched, and Skyler could see the conflict in his eyes, a rare sight that made her heart race.
"I know you're worried about me, and I'm so sorry," Skyler said. "I'll be more careful from now on when I go outside in the evening."
Seeing the sad expression forming on Skyler's face, Benson stood up from the chair. He gently waved his left hand over Skyler's head, his touch light and conforming.
"What are you saying? It's obvious that I'm considerate," he said, voice warm and reassuring. "After all, I'm your uncle, and it's normal for me to be so."
As Benson gently removed his hand, Skyler rose from her chair, and pursing her lips she said, "Thank you so much Benson, seriously. Uh, I'm going back to my room now, and if you need help, don't hesitate to call me."
"Don't worry and rest. The day has been long, and I'm sure you want to simply sleep." Benson smiled and picked up the plate from the table.
While he placed the plate in the sink, Skyler exited the kitchen, walking up the stairs. Her innocent and sweet smile now became a melancholic expression, standing in front of the door of her room.
With a breath she opened the door and it creaked sharply, her room was completely painted in crimson. She lit the candle holder that was in her desk with a match and turned to her right with remorse.
In her line of sight, there was a robust man with long wavy black hair, brown skin, and light gray eyes. He had a short trimmed beard that gave him an adult look. He wore a vest, and a black suit with a long black coat on which blended perfectly with his cold gaze as he was huddled in the corner of Skyler's room near her bed.
"And you don't even give me a word today." She sighed, shrugging her shoulders.
Despite her words, the man didn't even let out a breath. He stared at her, his eyes narrowing in a mixture of anger and something deeper—disgust, perhaps. His lips pressed into a thin line whilst beholding her. It was like every ounce of his fury was tempered by deep resentment towards her.
"Well, at least I tried." A feeling of sadness made its way into Skyler's soul.
With her lips curled downwards, she placed the candle holder on the desk, opened the curtains, and looked out the window. The crimson moon bathed the dark street and with an eerie red light, mingling with the steady glow of the gas lamps. A crow perched in a nearby gas lamp, its beady eyes watching her.
The sight sent shock down Skyler's spine. Her breath caught in her throat. The crow's presence was unsettling. The wind whispered gloomily through the leaves.
"Why… does that crow give me this feeling of danger?" Skyler's heart was pounding hard.
The crow's gaze felt almost accusatory, though it knew her deepest fears and doubts. She'd feel the weight of the night pressing in on her. The air around her trembled, as if reality was distorting.
Something was being generated, denying the laws of physics, perhaps a disturbance in the sky.
"What… what the hell is that thing?" Skyler's eyes looked at the thing before her in disbelief.
Above the sky, on a crimson moonlit night, a giant eye opened, revealing a golden iris. The pupil of the eye, which was the size of the moon, stared deeply at a dwelling—the dwelling of Skyler Hall!
Her body trembled while she continued to stare creepily into the eye. That look was the same as the perched crow. She felt desecrated, as though her privacy was completely exposed to the eye like an open book.
An elderly couple, who were walking down the street with their hands joined, entered her field of vision, their shadows cast in the stone street by the gas lamps. The man watched the moon in admiration and then kissed her partner.
"How did he not see it!? Why can I see the eye and he can't!?" Skyler's mind was clouded with confusion, gawking perplexedly at the eye whilst trying to figure out what was happening.
As the elderly couple disappeared from her sight, she chewed nervously on her right thumbnail. She slowly closed her eyes, took a deep breath that inflated her lungs, trying to calm down as she reopened them after a few seconds.
"Huh?" Skyler let out a gasp as she looked again at the sky.
The eye, which was hovering close to the moon, intently watching Skyler like it wanted to reap her, vanished. Even the perched crow vanished, leaving a black feather slowly falling in a zigzag pattern into the stone street.
"I'm daft. Maybe it's just my imagination." Skyler tore her gaze away from the gas lamp, her mind was reeling.
She gave herself a light slap, looking for a way to shake off the feeling of unease. Closing the curtains with a swift motion, she shut out the eerie scene of the crow and the giant eye. The room felt colder, the silence more stagnant.
Skyler sat down in the chair, resting her head and arms on the desk. Exhaustion washed over her, and despite the lingering unease, she blew out the flames of the candle, then drifted into a restless sleep.
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Skyler finds herself in an unfamiliar place. A thick gray fog enveloped her completely, spreading infinitely in all directions. She felt like her entire consciousness was fused with the endless gray.
She tried to speak, but couldn't make a sound, though her vocal cords had been removed. Fear began to emerge within her. She tried to put her hand on her throat, but only then, she noticed that she couldn't feel either her hand or her throat. Her physical form was non-existent, leaving her to observe the infinite gray as nothing more than a mere point of view.
For the disembodied Skyler, not only looking away, but even closing her eyes was forbidden. All she could do was just observe her surroundings. Slowly, her vision shifted to a particular point within this space, coming across the image of a little girl huddled in the corner of her room hugging her knees.
She had long reddish hair almost close to black, to the point that it seemed to blend with the darkness around her. Her hair was divided into two large braids, and she had bright gray eyes that gave her a sorrowful look.
The little girl cried, sobbed and cried repeatedly. Her image was like a dreamlike painting that conveyed melancholy whilst wiping her face with her brownish tunic. In an instant, a middle-aged woman with long hair wearing a bluish robe entered the room. She grabbed the little girl by the collar, lifting her off the ground. Her furrowed brow conveyed repudiation, and without waiting, she gave the little girl a strong slap, the noise resounding rhythmically.
Slap! Slap! Slap! The woman continued to slap the little girl repeatedly, each slap seeming stronger than the previous one.
"Please… stop… please… stop hurting her." Skyler shrieked a voiceless cry.
But, without a throat to raise a sound, the image continued to engrave the outcome in her molten consciousness. The pale face of the defenseless little girl was slightly swollen with bruises as she looked fearfully at the woman.
The woman panted deeply, akin to a marauder when it saw its prey, and continued to slap the girl. Then, she stopped, the palm of her pale hand in mid-air was completely red, her breathing was heavy.
"You… are the disgrace of this family. It's your fault that he left me! It's all your fault that my life is ruined!!" The middle aged woman shouted, her voice became filthy.
The little girl's body trembled, blood came out of her nostrils dripping onto the ground, her swollen face was in tears.
"I-I'm… sorry… I'm… sorry…" She trembled.
Despite her repentance and remorse that she felt and put into her words, the woman gritted her teeth in disgust. Then, she further raised her hand higher, like a spear ready to pierce her.
"Don't do it, please… don't do it." Skyler pleaded strongly so that the woman wouldn't do what she was thinking.
The woman panted heavily, as if channeling all her energy into one shot.
"Nooooooooo!!" Skyler's voiceless voice rang out.
Slap! Thud! The little girl hit her head on the wall after the slap she received, a front tooth fell into the woody floor of the room with a sharp clink as she fell to the floor. The woman left the room, slamming the door behind her with a heavy, sharp noise.
Skyler looked sadly at the little girl's epilogue. She could only feel sorry for her, while harboring a grudge for the person behind this monstrosity.
If hatred could kill a person, Skyler could have killed the woman millions of times before her hatred faded away. Such was the depth of the act committed by the woman. And she couldn't forgive her for any reason.
With her mind in turmoil with negative emotions, something stunned Skyler. A strange and small black-purple discrepancy formed in the gloomy room, though the room itself was shattering like glass.
"What is happening now?" Skyler felt an odd sensation, like something was sucking her in. The discrepancy gradually became larger and larger, throwing uneasiness at every second.
Everything was collapsing, everything was becoming hollow, the gray world was on the verge of vanishing completely.
Darkness.
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Skyler blinked slowly a couple of times. This time she was in a familiar place. It was a dark void that stretched endlessly in all directions—even deeper than the fog had been.
"Why… am I here?" She murmured faintly.
Skyler touched her throat several times, realizing that not only could she speak, but that her entire body was back to normal.
"Daughter of the devil!"
And then, she heard a childish female voice.
A pang pierced her chest. Cold terror seeped into her bones, paralyzing her with fear.
More voices followed—sharp, childish, filthy, as if they wanted to torment her.
"Disgusting, the monster is staring at us."
"It's so terrifying that her mother committed suicide after she was born."
"Abomination!"
The word hung in the air, heavy and suffocating, filling her with a deep and oppressive shame.
Skyler, with her eyes and face wet with her tears, succumbed to the desperation that had crept into her skull.
"Please stop!" Skyler shouted. "Why… Why are you all treating me like this!?… Why do you act like I'm different from you!?… What did I do wrong!?.. Why do you hate me so much!?…"
Her words echoed in the infinite void as she sobbed and despaired helplessly.
"Please." Skyler whimpered, her voice now a mere whisper. "Please leave me alone."
But the voices only laughed—a joyless and childish sound that sent a shiver down her spine.
"Found you, Princess of the Unknown." At that moment, a voice chimed.
"Huh?" Skyler turned around.
A black figure was approaching her. Wrapped in a purple-black cloak. Its footsteps echoed, giving off a tremendously hostile aura.
"You can hide as much as you want… you can run away as many times as you want, but you can never escape from your sins, Princess of the Unknown." said the figure.
Skyler stammered. "W-Who are you?"
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest, so loud it rumbled. She'd feel the slimy tendrils of panic envelop her.
"What does it want to do to me? What will it do to me as soon as it gets close?" As she processed her thoughts wandering through her mind, Skyler tried hard to ignore the fact that her body was shaking.
But no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't alone in this endless dark void.
As the black figure closed the distance, Skyler froze, her blood turning to ice. She wanted to run, to scream, to do anything but stand there in front of that presence like a statue, but her legs refused to move. And then. Eye. A giant eye was slowly manifesting behind the figure, revealing its blazing golden iris. The pupil was gloomily staring at her, though it wanted to judge her. The end grew closer.
"Skyler Hall," The figure put his hand on her face. "Your birth is the greatest sin committed by humanity!"
After witnessing domestic violence, after all the harsh words against her, Skyler Hall crumbled out before the black figure.