~ Unforgettable ~

Asteria's P.O.V

"Three days he hasn't been here," I say, scared.

Looking at my wrists of the heavy bracelets to remind me what I did to those innocent people, looking up and around the small house all alone, scared what'll happen. 

"Takoda, I'm scared . . . I feel it coming; why couldn't I listen to her a year ago before this mess" I whimper.

Feeling my powers ease down, I sigh in relief, standing up and walking around the basement with a few candles lit. Dragging a finger across the wall, regarding the coldness, looking down at my fingers, seeing them change my nails, digging into the brick, making some pieces fall onto the ground; the bracelets getting tightener as the thing inside me starts to grow.

An alarm goes off in the house, my ears start to ring, and I fall to my knees, covering them being in pain. As I feel myself change into a monster in a body, I wouldn't say I like being trapped by him; I cry, hearing a loud laugh in my head. I look around, finding a place to escape.

~

Running up the stairs and breaking the heavy metal door, it's pitch dark outside. The laugh gets louder and louder as I get pushed into my head, only seeing black and the tiny bit of light through my eyes; the thing looks around the house I scream for help.

"TAKODA, PLEASE HELP M.E IT HAPPENED AGAIN," I cry out.

I see the thing break the door to outside and going to find a village once again.

"Aren't you hungry, child?" It questions.

Passing by trees, hearing the wind blow, the monster stops and looks up at the night sky, looking at the moon, feeling a scratch along my ankle like the other many on my legs.

"TAKODA, PLEASE HELP ME. I CAN'T TAKE CONTROL; HE'S NOT HERE TO HELP ME LIKE LAST TIME," I scream out.

The monster screeches, and I hear a loud thump. It closed its eyes and were go pitch black, feeling my heart race; hearing that screech makes my ears ring.

"N-nooo," the monster screams.

The thing opens its eyes as I only see someone's feet standing above us; the person lifts their foot and kicks us in the head. He then closes his looks once again as I wish for him to come and save me once again.

"Please help me," I whimper.

***

It's pitch dark in here, not a shead of light . . . Touching the Barrier only to get zapped, hearing a guys voice his voice is mellow well he talked to someone in this place.

"I swear every time I look at that monster; I see a teenage girl . . . She appears scared grey, the woman says, shocked.

Hearing someone pace back and forth, the thing operates eyes, the lady screams. The room light is dim, and in the distance, I see the man looking down at us with no fear, the monster look's around, and it appears that we're sitting over a bunch of moon-flower petals. It screeches as steam starts to cover the bottom, touching the Barrier up where the eye i. Therehereherees a step forward.

"How interesting?" He questions with a Mellow tone.

Feeling the monster fading away, I begin to cry, finally feeling free almost . . . The thing looks down at its hands as it starts to become white again like the first time it happened; where I am, I see cracks along the barrier. Reaching up to touch it, it shatters into millions of pieces.

~

"He will help you, you child. Do not fear him," I hear my mother's voice.

~

Looking around, not able to see her, I reach out, wanting to hug her.

"Sir, it looks like she's the one . . . That your"

Hearing The lady being slapped across the face before she could say anything else.

"THAT'S ENOUGH," he yells.

Looking at the two of them only to see grey-like fog covering my sight, I start crying, curling up in a ball.

"I want Marsh here . . . I'll only talk to him," I weep.

***

It feels like I've been in here for hours, I don't eat or drink that much because of the monster . . . I'm touching the petals as a distraction from this quiet room patiently waiting for Marsh?

"Why can't I see?" I ask.

A chair screeches as I hear someone making their way over to me, not being able to see because of the grey fog . . .

"Who's this Marsh person? Why do you want to meet him so badly?" A lady asks.

Looking around, hearing where her voice is coming from, clueless once again.

"He's going to find me, and he's going to take all of you horrible people down," I mutter.

She chuckles at my response.

"No, he's not, child," she laughed.

A chill went throughout my body, causing me to have goosebumps; I touch the floor feeling the pedals burning my skin.

"What do you guys want with me?" I ask.

I was looking around, still only able to see a grey fog . . . she let out a long sigh.

"You didn't answer me on," she says with a raspy voice.

A huge slam causes me to yelp and makes me move back. My forearms land on the ground and I whimper, feeling the pain go up to my arm; from a distance, I hear the lady talking to someone.

"What is that thing doing here" someone snarls.

"That 'thing' could save us for the feature, for you know what," she barely whispered.

"She's the one that killed half of my village what the boss thinking is," he yelled.

Standing up, feeling my numb feet burn on the bottom upon the moonflower petals. Walking towards their voices only to be stopped by a barrier, I get zapped from head to my torso, falling, feeling a shock of pain go up to my body.

"Will you two shut the fuck up? She can hear your two 'whisper' her hearing is better than her eyes, you idiots," he says harshly.

"Sir, she could help us for the feature," she pleaded.

Hearing a long sigh from him . . . As his footsteps get louder, probably getting closer to me, I feel him put the palm of his hand on my forehead. My eyes roll behind where I could only see the moon above me shine bright, and the fog gets lifted, getting turned into clouds shooting to the sky, separating bit by bit. He pushes me down onto my back. I feel his other hand on my should as he chants some words that I heard my mother say once during a nightmare when I was a kid.

My back feels like it's getting torn apart by a horrible thing and crawling back where it's supposed to be, the guy lets me go, and I only see shades, no colour whatsoever.

"What happened?"

I look up at the guy standing about a good four inches taller than me; he's wearing a cloak with some black designs at the bottom. His eyes are glowing a white, and his eyes are a dark grey when I get lost into them . . .

"You lost your sight of colour, at first, I thought you could see but then realized you could only see fog when I looked deep into your eyes through a camera . . . . . I gave you some of my eyesight, Asteria kiap."

***

After what he said about my vision after the three of them leaving me alone, trapped in this barrier with moon petals slowly trying to make me sane. . . I reach and touch them again as they turn black, going dry, losing the softness before getting turned into dust.

I close my eyes and see bloodred eyes looking at me. I scream, feeling sharp claws go into my legs, feeling warm blood sliding down my legs like every time but worse, somehow, the pain feels more real than ever. The claws go up to my legs, going to my thighs, getting deeper, tearing my muscles apart, slowly ripping my pyjama shorts. I scream, not able to hear my voice as I get push back to my mind into this dark lonely place for me to be able to see through my own eyes; the monster looks down with a loud screech piercing through my ears.

It gets up and breaks the barrier with one of its clawed hands. As an alarm gets blasted throughout the building, the moon pedals start to float in the air going around touching the monster's body. It grabs a hand full of them and turns to dust right away like there is nothing to it. 

"Nothing will work on me. You're already built like one of us. . . your mother underestimated what we can do with our power," the monster said with a snarl.

It floated in the air, breaking the skylight without blinking an eye or moving its arm. Arrows started coming this way, getting shot into the monster's body. It stops to look around for the people. When I look out through the monster's eyes; I see someone holding a bow no fear if he/she will die within arms reach; it lifts its arm as someone gets lifted in the air as their hands are around their neck scratching at it, gasping for air I feel a smile form that's not my own.

"Stop it. That person is just doing their job," I scream.

The monster chuckles, and when the person gets close enough, it grabs him by the neck-breaking it with a loud crack. It rips the head off as blood comes gushing out. The monster drops the head and holds something out of the air. As it could see something floating, it slurped it up without chewing at it. Seeing the monster lift its bloody hand, it licks the warm stick blood off, savouring the taste with a moan of satisfaction.

More arrows get shot our way, piercing through the shoulder now; this time, me feeling the pain when I'm trapped in my mind, not able to move anything but only to see through my own eyes.

The monster looks down and sees someone with glowing white eyes, that same man who is supposed to help me. He takes off his cloak and spreads with wings flying up in the air, staying far away from it that's inside of me. He lifts his hand, and power comes shooting out of the palm of his hand like my grandmother did once when I was a kid. His magic wraps around the monster's body, squeezing the air out as the prison in my mind starts to crack. Pieces begin to fall enough. I reach out for my freedom to touch that power as my hand turns white, going up to my forearm. The barrier doesn't break this time like it did last; I'm stuck like an animal in my mind to go insane with no help from Marsh or the man that has the same powers as my late grandmother. . .

**

"You will not fear him. You will learn to love and care for the man in front of you, Asteria," my mother whispers.

***

The piece that broke off, I see a hand that's reaching out for me. I take ahold of it and get pulled out as it scratches my whole torso; I take control of the Monster, and I fall fast with the man the body beside me with no head with some blood coming out falling onto me of what the monster can do what its power it has deep inside me with no control over without the help of this stranger that I see in the distance. . . . when I look at him I see a figure of my grandmother with her hand over her heart. The other touching the man on his shoulder.

"Takoda. . . takoda, please help me," I cry.

I twist around and see a tall tree below me, feeling my heart pound in my chest; I hit a branch with a loud crack from my ribs. I scream in pain. I am taking ahold of each tree branch to slow down as splinters dig into my palms and fingertips, causing a little bit of blood to come out. Striking every part of my body, I gasp for air, feeling something warm come out of my side. . . hitting the ground as I look up at the tree lying there, not wanting to move a muscle to catch a breath. I look over to my right to see the lifeless man across from me with a pool of blood, feeling sick to the stomach, tasting my dinner. I vomit all over the ground as some of it gets into my hair, tasting a little bit of blood.

"You took quite the fall, Asteria?"

Groaning out as a response to the man not bothering to look over at him.

"Want me to take you back to my place Asteria?" He says softly.

I feel him pick me up as I try and keep my eyes open to see a glimpse of Marsh with his hair messy and a scar over with his eye as something dark trails down his face. I rest my head on his shoulder, feeling how warm he is as I pass out feeling tired.

***

After sleeping for two days after Marsh stitched me up, my stomach growls. Placing a hand over it, to release I'm not in the basement, and I'm in Marsh's bedroom seeing that the spot next to me is still a mess as my eyes go wide.

"He. . . slept next to me."

Reaching out to touch the spot next to me to see my forearm and hand is still white, I push the blanket off and look down at my legs to see huge scars from my thighs to my ankles. Touching them as they burn my fingertips, after changing into Marsh's clothes and looking around looking at many books reading the names releasing every one of them is about different magic types.

"I thought magic was banned by law?" I thought.

After looking around everywhere but one room with the door locked after attempting to open it only to fail. I was looking out the window across the room, seeing the tall trees that are dark grey covering the sunrise that looks white with a light grey. . .

"I can take you outside to be free; Asteria say these words. 'I am trapped. Please help me, Ash. I've felt lost within the last few months being held in prison by Marsh Eopas' I will then come to get you with no hesitation life or death," I hear a man's voice.

I see a figure running towards the window as the person gets closer; I see that's it's Marsh; he jumps through it as dark spots are covering all over him. He's holding a dagger that's dripping a black down onto the floor; he looks at me in the eyes with a death glare.

"I am the actual person who is going to help, not some stranger," Marsh says, angrily

I stand there in shock, seeing how fast Marsh got here to say that to me.

"I'm going to leave you, Marsh."

Tears start to form as I begin to walk towards him; he wipes the dagger on his thigh and leaps over to me with open arms as he embraces me. Not caring about the dark stuff that he's covered in that smells of blood, I welcome him back.

"I will help you, Ria," Marsh says softly.

'Ria,' I thought.

I smile at the nickname as we both let go of each other; I look into his brown eyes that almost look black.

I smile at the nickname that he gave me. We both let go of each other, looking into his black eyes, wishing I could see his deep brown colour one last time before that man "helped me." 

"Let's go get you new clothes today since yours got wrecked the other night. But first, you should change into something that isn't covered in blood." Marsh laughs.

Marsh turns me around and pushes me forward to go upstairs; after going back up to his room and wiping the blood that went through the t-shirt, I change into the same stuff and going downstairs to see Marsh reading a book about the magic of people our power of the moon.

"Why do you have books about magic?" I ask.

He looks up from the book and closes it right away and puts it face down, and crossing his arms.

"I just have an interest in magic, that's all." 

Walking closer to him and reach for the book wanting to read the old scrips of my people's magic for only him to slap my hand away and him glaring up at me.

"let's just go to the town and go to a few shops to get you stuff, Ria," Marsh mumbles.

"But I'm worried for you . . . you know what the government does to people who have positions of books of magic especially one hundred different copies, I also saw that you have books about spells of the old kind, Marsh what are you thinking? You could get killed, and I don't know what I'll do with myself without you," I say, worried. 

He takes my hand and throws me a pair of platform boots along with a cloak that goes to my ankles.

"to cover your white hands and forearm, someone might think your using magic."

**

After the long walk through the forest to the nearest town, I look around, seeing different people walking, driving flying cars, people wearing differing shades of weird clothing, guards that are cyborgs, some who are not.

"I've never been in this town."

I look at Marsh, seeing him place his hand on my shoulder, pulling me closer.

"Act like we're dating Ria,"

I slowly slide my hand to touch my chest, feeling my heart race when he says that.

"Okay"

I rest my head on his shoulder as we slowly walk past a few people giving a dirty look our way. A lady walks towards us, arms crossed, her black hair put in a high ponytail. She's wearing a guard outfit.

"is this one of your new experiments, Marsh?" she asked.

I look into her eyes as we both walk by her, him not caring, looking over my shoulder, seeing her in the distance now wondering what she meant about me being Marsh's experiment . . . 

"we're here."

Seeing a small building with the curtains closed and the lights out, Marsh opens the door, and a bell gets ringed when we walk in. looking around seeing statues of women and men wearing different things.

"Good morning." 

I look over at a lady she has scaled over her body, and she's wearing nothing but a necklace that's a snake wrapping around her neck; she looks at me from head to toe.

"let me close my shop for you, Marshall," she hisses.

 She turns a statue of a body of a woman with no limbs that are also headless, and a loud noise gets heard, magic sparkles throughout the small building, the store shifts beneath our feet right in front of us. 

"you can take off that stupid clo, mon child." 

After taking off the cloak and handed it to Marsh, I look the lady in the eyes, and she inspects me again.

"you're a half breed, interesting. What's your other power?" 

  She walks around the counter and walks over to some clothes hanging on the shelf and holds them on her forearm. I walk over to her and feel the fabric.

"tell me about your powers?" she asks.

"Um . . . I don't know?"

She hums in response and continues to pick random stuff for me to wear as I follow behind her.

"where are you from?" 

"from the forbidding land in the desert, I've come here to learn about different magic, so people can wear clothing specially made for them, so it doesn't get wrecked," she explains.

"How are you not in jail? with the government doesn't allow such thing here?"

She stops and turns around with a grin.

"that's what a dark market is for, no one can find us, but Marshall he has a pass because of his history." 

She hands me a t-shirt and shorts with a pair of high knee boots with a couple of gloves that go past my elbow that are black. Seeing the same cloak with some black designs at the bottom, I walk around the lady and hold the fabric that feels like what I've worn in the past. 

  "You want that too? Take it; it's our last one till my next shipment," she sighs.

I turn around and look at Marsh with a smile. He tilts his head as he sees the price from far away.

"That's my whole paycheck!" Marsh chokes.

"I could give you a deal? only if you tell me why the guards are walking down these roads." 

"I've told you enough ophidian about what's happening" Marsh raises his voice.

"I don't have to have the cloak," I mumble.

"No, you want it. I'll get it for you."

Ophidian takes the cloak off the rack and puts it on me. It feels heavy as it touches the floor; I look at the designs and smile.

"Now tell me about what's the big news going around with all these guards? And you better tell me the truth, not some made-up lie, because I want to look after my shop without getting caught," Ophidian hisses.

"Tonight, I'll tell you when Ria isn't here."

I look at him as he pulls out an electoral tube, and the screen is messed up.

"How rich are you?" I question.

Ophidian pulls out hers, and it buzzes. She smirks, looking at how much she got.

"Thank you for business, Marshall. I can't wait for the new information that's happening around this country,"

She walks past me, goes behind the counter, and turns the She turns a statue of a body of a woman with no limbs that are also headless, and a loud noise gets heard, magic sparkles throughout the small building, the store shifts beneath our feet right in front of us again.

Smiling, seeing the magic go back into its home between the cracks of the small building, I reach out and touch them as they tinkle against my skin. I look over at Marsh to see him cringe, but when he makes eye contact with me, he puts on a fake smile.

"you want to learn about magic, yet you cringe at the sight of it?" I ask.

"learn about magic? Hah, that's a good one, Ria. He despises magic." Ophidian lets out a loud laugh.

Marsh walks up to me and hands me the cloak to put it on; Ophidian bags up to my new clothes and hands them to me with a grin.

"Watch out, moon child."

After taking the bag and leaving the shop, I look over at Marsh to see sweat going down his forehead as we walk by the same lady.

"I'll fly us back!"

He picks me up bridal style quickly, and magic comes out of his hands; hovering in the air, Marsh holds me tightly, and we leave the dark market within seconds. I scream and feel scared from higher we go remembering when the monster flew, killing that man that was supposed to protect their small piece of land.