Writing draft

 

Heyya Bunnies!

While preparing another post for my 2024 reads I remembered about some drafts that I had to continue writing.

I currently go back and forth because I don't really know what I want to write about.

I had this one story that I wanted to write but eventually ditched it because I thought it was bad.

Now reading it again, I don't think it was that awful? idk.

So here is the draft if you like to read it (aprox. 15 minutes).

I should have burned this place to ash when I had the chance. My mind is tangled in thoughts of what should have been. I have few regrets, but if there’s one thing I wish I had done, it’s ripping Sylvian’s head from his shoulders and taking his wife while we sat at his cursed table. That wretched excuse of a demon. Now he crawls his way to a throne he doesn’t deserve. I can still hear his mocking laugh, see his smug face as his lackeys dragged me out of Elysis. They don’t follow him out of loyalty, only greed. They despise him as much as I do, yet they bend the knee for coins, as if demons should care about such worthless things. If they understood the power they held, they wouldn’t waste it chasing scraps of wealth. They are nothing but hollow shells, mindless, like zombies.

Imagine that—demons reduced to nothing more than drones. I could crush millions of them with a single strike. They are dirt beneath my feet. How pathetic it is that beings with such power have fallen so far. Is this what the world has become? Even the mighty degrade themselves, throwing away their worth for nothing. If that’s what Elysis is now, I will not mourn its loss. Once a kingdom of strength, it is now a circus of puppets, all dancing to Sylvian’s twisted strings.

Sylvian... I should have taken your gold-digging wife and made her mine when I had the chance. Oh Velora... she wasn’t like the others. Her sleek white hair, her crimson eyes—she knew what this was, understood the lies, the masks. Yet she chose to stay chained instead of seeking her freedom. 

I still see us, Velora, standing on Elysis’s highest hill, the wind in our hair, free at last. Just the two of us, gazing over the paradise we could have built. Just the two of us, tasting the salt of each other’s skin, breathing life into one another. But you—you betrayed yourself. You became a slave to the gold and lies. How I despise you for it. You knew better, Velora. You knew better.

The journey has been nothing but an endless, jagged path, leading nowhere. No matter how far I traveled, nothing around me felt worth the steps I took. Along the way, I stumbled upon a human farm. They welcomed me as a guest, but their hospitality proved to be a torture unlike any I’d endured in centuries. The stench of animal waste clung to the air, but even fouler were the words that spilled from their mouths—a vile sort of torment.

Why do humans cling so desperately to their moral compass? They behave as if their kindness and virtue will grant them more time in their fleeting existence. I could never feel such obligation to others of my kind, especially when their lives are nothing but brief, miserable flashes. What do they have—100 years at most? The first 20 spent as ignorant fools, the last 20 as hollow shells. That leaves them with just 60 years—60 years wasted chasing the approval of others, like cattle wallowing in their own filth.

For a fleeting moment, I thought of freeing those wretched souls, releasing them into their next life. But then it struck me—perhaps their ignorance is their only salvation. They say ignorance is bliss, and nothing could be truer for those damned to the existence of a human.

I wandered deep into a forested hillside, enveloped by a snowy landscape that stole the breath from my lungs. I must confess, it’s hauntingly beautiful here. I’ve never seen snow like this before—each flake glittering like shards of crystal. The ground shimmered like a mirror, reflecting every ray of light from the heavens back to the earth below. The cold air filled my chest, easing the burdens I carried. Ah, the taste of freedom here is unlike any other.

When I reached the peak, I gazed down at the vast expanse spread before me. Below, a lake glistened, its surface catching the light and throwing it across the surrounding land like shattered glass. Where there is water, there is life. Perhaps something of worth lies in wait down there.

I drifted toward the large lake, hidden deep among the snow-covered trees. In the icy waters, purple fish shimmered with an ethereal glow, swimming with a grace I had never seen before. They looked like koi but felt as if they had been pulled from some far-off dream, their scales gleaming with the magic of an unreachable fairy realm. Mesmerizing. I reached out and touched the water's surface, but in an instant, they vanished, dissolving into nothing as if they had never been. I peered into the depths, searching for any trace of them, but the lake remained empty. So, I sat down and closed my eyes, forcing my mind to still. I had lingered too long in the shadow of Elysis, letting my anger consume me. But it’s time to release it, Aethon. Elysis is nothing more than a twisted carnival now, no longer a place for you.

The crisp air filled my lungs as I sought a fragile sense of peace. The wind tugged gently at my long black hair, snowflakes softly touching my skin. Behind me, the trees whispered their secrets, a quiet rustling that soothed the restless ache inside. I heard a faint bubbling and opened my eyes. The fish had returned, and this time, blue ones swam beside them, their scales just as enchanting. If only they didn’t disappear the moment I drew near, their scales would make jewels fit for a king’s ransom—exactly the sort of treasure the greedy whores of Elysis would drape themselves in.

Then, a melody drifted through the forest—soft, haunting, laced with something otherworldly. Sirens, here in the woods? The thought tugged at my curiosity, urging me to follow the sound. The snow sparkled so brightly that it nearly blinded me, but through the glare, I could make out the shadow of a spirit lingering across the lake. Intrigued, I followed the song. As I approached, the voice grew clearer, smooth and melodic in a way only a siren’s could be. The figure seemed human, but something in its presence made me question what it truly was.

"Zodacare paam..." the water beneath the entity whispered, bubbling with a soft, ominous murmur.

"Zodacare zos..." the trees answered with a soft, shivering breath.

"Zodacare paam zos Apep..." Snow fell upon the surface of the lake, each flake ringing out like tiny chimes, sharp and delicate.

Before me stood a young woman at the lake’s edge, her long, sleek white hair cascading to her ankles. White furred, triangular ears perched on either side of her head, adorned with icy blue ribbons. Her pale skin seemed to glow against the glittering snow, soft as if crafted from clouds—untouched by the cold. A long furry tail peeked from beneath her short white dress, swaying gently. 

Time seemed to freeze, the chill air brushing through my hair, urging me to savor the moment. That’s when I noticed the lake. Hundreds—no, thousands—of colorful fish swam in a mesmerizing circle before her, their shimmering bodies an endless spiral of movement.

She turned, her sapphire eyes meeting mine. She stood silent, unmoving. Not human, yet not a siren either. Intrigued, I stepped closer. "Aren't you cold out here without a coat, young lady?" I asked, but she offered no reply. 

"I could lend you mine... if you'd let me," I continued. At that moment, the fish scattered, darting away in all directions, vanishing as quickly as they had appeared. She turned back to the water, disappointment in her gaze, but the lake had gone still.

"You scared my friends," she said, her voice like ice cracking under pressure.

"Your friends?" I echoed, baffled. Who befriends creatures incapable of speech?

I sat down with her at the lake's edge. "They have beautiful scales. They didn’t seem interested in me earlier—perhaps you’d be better company?" Her face remained expressionless, her cheeks full but unmoving, eyes empty yet deep. Without warning, her slim fingers brushed against my jawline, heat radiating from their tips. 

"What are you?" she asked, her touch unnervingly warm.

"What am I?" I mused, a smirk tugging at my lips. If only she knew. "I’m a bird," I lied, my words flowing smoothly, though my dark nature lingered beneath them.

Her head tilted slightly, studying me. "I’ve never seen a bird like you. Your colors are faded... Your soul must be stone-cold and broken." Her voice was soft, almost pitiful. So, she saw my black feathers as faded? Interesting. 

"I am Lyra," she introduced herself. Her name had a taste as sweet as her appearance. 

"And I," I replied, "am Aethon."

"Aethon paam zos Apep," she repeated, her voice laced with a strange familiarity. Angelic words, but no angel stood before me—at least I hoped not, or I'd tear her to pieces where she stood.

"I heard the voices of the forest calling to me. They wanted me to sing to their souls," Lyra continued, her tone soft, hypnotic. She stood up and dropped her dress, stepping into the lake as if guided by invisible hands. The snow fell again, its melodic chime forming an operatic symphony, light reflecting off the water like a thousand diamonds. The fish returned, swirling around her in their magical dance, their scales glinting purple and blue, too beautiful to be real.

She turned around, reaching her hand out to me. "Why don’t you heal within nature’s spirit? I don’t need a coat, but I can guide you to Duat," she offered, her voice soft yet commanding. But Duat was not a place I intended to go.

How could I refuse without rousing suspicion? "I think you misunderstand," I said, my tone measured. "I’m not a faded bird, just from a distant land. Black feathers are... quite normal where I come from."

As if in response, the fish vanished again, the snow ceased its melodic fall, and the light dimmed. "Where do you come from?" she asked, her voice quiet but pointed.

"I come from Elysis," I said, though few know the truth of it. Elysis—a kingdom forged by demons, veiled in the guise of a spiritual paradise for those chasing dreams of freedom and power. They whisper of a land where the impossible bends, where life takes on new worth, but the truth is far darker.

"I’ve never heard of it," she responded, her blank gaze betraying no recognition.

How could she not have heard of Elysis? I must be deeper in these forgotten lands than I had imagined. "It’s a distant kingdom," I said, suppressing my irritation. I forced calm into my voice, masking the growing unease.

Lyra sighed, sinking deeper into the water until she disappeared beneath the surface. I waited, expecting her to reemerge, but she was gone. Who was this strange woman, and what magic bound her to this place?

As the sky shifted to a haunting gray, I realized I needed shelter for the night. After wandering, I found a large tree with a hollow beneath it, sheltered from the snow. It seemed dry, warm enough. I lay down, darkness pressing in from every side, turning the forest into a void where trees and earth melted into indistinguishable black. My eyes grew heavy, and sleep finally claimed me.

In the dead of night, I awoke to the sound of triangles ringing in a steady rhythm. One, two, three. One, two, three. A warped breath echoed through the forest, followed by a high-pitched voice.

I opened my eyes to find Lyra kneeling before me, her skin pale as moonlight, her white hair draped across my legs. She wasn’t clothed, nor did she appear wet, though she had surely emerged from the lake. Her breathing was frantic, her sapphire eyes wide as she brushed her hand against my jawline.

"Aethon... the spirits warned me," she whispered between breaths. "Aethon... you are no bird. The spirits... they warned me."

When daylight broke, I awoke once more, the eerie dream lingering in my mind. But where was Lyra? I hurried to the lake, but neither she nor the fish were anywhere to be found. The forest was disturbingly quiet—no wind, no water, no rustling leaves. An unsettling feeling crept into my chest, a gnawing itch I couldn’t shake. 

I had never cared where I roamed, nothing in this world could harm me. But this silence—it pierced me. Something was wrong. I needed to find something—anything. Something alive. Something moving. Something to ease this growing dread.

I planned on making this story a bit more cruel and dark, however I wanted to keep it more to the lyrical and fantasy side. I am not that good in fantasy, so it is quite unusual for me to write this way.

I want to keep it in the POV of Aethon to give a glimpse into his evil thoughts.

What do you think? Continue or ditch?

Be brutal.