#nhymisa's verse

[awhisperinthenight]

a moment before disaster in my wip memoirs of nhymisa

Jo reopened her eyes a few seconds later and her gaze fell on the red carpet. Except, there had never been a red carpet in their appartment. And it wasn't a red carpet. It was blood. Her breath hitched.

---

Jo rouvrit les yeux quelques secondes plus tard et son regard se posa sur le tapis rouge. Sauf qu’il n’y a jamais eu de tapis rouge dans leur appartement. Ce n’était pas un tapis rouge. C’était du sang. Son souffle s'arrêta.

[awhisperinthenight]

inspired from a post @ohnoitsthebat sent me. wrote this for you, for us. hope u like it <3

Two friends are walking in the forest.

The grass is green, the trees are tall, and there's so much leaves that the sunlight struggles to reach through, but where it does, it seems touched by gold. Birds are singing, a few ladybugs are inspecting bright yellow flowers.

Two friends are still walking, in the lush, vibrant forest, the wind whispering between the trunks, telling tales as old as the world. A few rare dewdrops are shining like pearls, slowly rolling down tall ferns.

Two friends, the first one small and light and a bit crooked, the second tall and strong and hesitant, are walking in the forest. They don't talk, they don't need to.

And maybe, sometimes, the shadows seem too dark, and the branches too sharp and the ground too unsteady. But if so, the two friends take each other's hands, and continue walking.

Because there's flowers, and mushrooms, and small animals and golden rays of sunlight to look at, to admire.

Two friends are walking in the forest, and the forest watches over them.

[awhisperinthenight]

Bathroom (part II)

Around the corner from the shower, she saw a Shadow. And not one of those banal shadows, the ones that exist because of lights and obstacles, no. Shadows she was very familiar with, having seen them many times in her life. A dark, motionless Shadow, right there. Sometimes they looked like what she called them; blobs of shadows with no definite shape, just there in the corner, cold and silent, their invisible eyes fixed on her. But other times, like now, the Shadows had humanoid forms.

This one, in particular, had long, slender legs that dangled from its body, and its twisted arms clutched tightly to the ceiling, its claws sunken in. Most of the time they didn't have eyes - only deep black holes - but this one did, blood-red eyes, fixed on Jo.

Still frozen, Jo hoped the hallucination would go away soon; she wanted to take a shower, she was cold, hungry, and she wanted to try to get at least an hour more sleep. The hallucinations didn't last long; a few minutes at the longest and a few seconds at the shortest. Only a few moments of terror to pass. Fast, cold and petrifying. She was used to it. It would pass quickly. It had to.

(part I is here)

[awhisperinthenight]

Bathroom (part I)

Jo waited a moment, eyes half closed, head tilted, to adjust to the sudden change in light. Then she raised her head.

The bathroom was small, smaller than the one Jo and her mother had lived in before. The walls and floor were covered with white tiles, clean but yellowed with age. A tiny sink and toilet, a mirror mottled with dark spots and broken at the top right corner. A shower barely big enough for one person, housed in one of the corners of the bathroom, the curtain a dubious colour at the bottom. All lit by the fluorescent light of the neon sign fixed above the mirror. It flickered occasionally. Jo didn't know if it was her own imagination playing tricks on her.

Her gaze fixed on the mirror, on her reflection; she looked like nothing. Her black hair was matted, her eyes were bloodshot, contrasting with the paleness of her irises even more so. Her eternally present dark circles were even more accentuated in the strange light of the bathroom. She sighed. When was the last time she'd had a good night's sleep - had she ever had one, really? She shivered. Maybe she should have worn something warmer, instead of shorts and a t-shirt. She shook her head, as if physically dismissing the thought, and turned to the shower to draw its curtain… And she froze.

Oh no. Not again.

[awhisperinthenight]

Griff knew Jo was dangerous. He knew that. He had fought alongside her through numerous battles, and they had come out victorious more times than not. He had seen her fight, her movement almost blurry and mortally precise. 

Jo with a blade ? Dangerous, yes. Like he said, he knew that. But it really struck him when he saw her use magic for the first time. It had been a shitty day, they had lost a few of their people, and a group of Demons wouldn’t leave them alone. And Jo had just exploded.

She had put herself between Griff and the Demons, then opened her arms in a sharp movement. Raw bright magic had poured out of her, creating a wall, tall and thick, protecting them from any enemies. Lya had sworn at the sight and Griff had been speechless.

Magical barriers had to be created thanks to runic rituals, could take days and needed multiple magic wielders. Jo had done it in a mere clack of a finger. She had looked like a Goddess, energy wild and cracking around her, like lightning, her veins shining under her skin. The Demons had been pulverized by a wave of her magic.

It had been all done in a minute. Griff had been impressed to say the least. And he knew now, really understood, how dangerous Jo could be. How lethal, and powerful.

[awhisperinthenight]

Bathroom (part IV)

Slowly one of the Shadow's hands came off the ceiling, then the other, and it dropped silently to the floor at the back of the shower. Jo forgot to breathe. This shouldn't be happening, it wasn't normal. The shadows stayed still and disappeared after a few seconds, never, never in her nineteen years of life had they moved.

Fortunately, they had never touched her. She had never felt their touch, and that proved that she was crazy, that proved that they were just hallucinations. The absence of touch made the illusions unreal, so no real threat. Right? Only in her head. She had no reason to be so scared, she was in no danger, so why were all her instincts telling her to run away?

"This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real."

As her body was completely paralyzed, her heartbeat panicked and her breathing cut off, Jo watched the Shadow, as the Shadow watched her in return. It slowly moved closer, one small step at a time, cautiously. It was the first time Jo had seen one so close, and contrary to what she thought, they were not made of shadow. "I named them incorrectly."

From a distance, the aura they projected looked like shadow, or at least mist or black dust, but with this close proximity, Jo picked up on a detail she'd never paid attention to before: the shadow seemed solid.

(part I here, part II here, part III here)

[awhisperinthenight]

Bathroom (part III)

They were only hallucinations anyway, hideous Shadows straight out of a nightmare that she was seeing because two neurons in her brain had decided not to connect. She just had to stay still. Not to forget to breathe, even though all her muscles were hardening and she felt like she was suddenly under three tons of water, breathe and wait. Wait for the Shadow to leave so that everything would be okay again, and not to think about it again. Until the next hallucination.

So Jo stood there, both hands on the edge of the sink, her body turned slightly towards the shower, her eyes on the Shadow. All she could hear was her heartbeat - fast, but not alarmingly so, maybe she'd avoid an anxiety attack tonight - and her breathing, also fast, but still under control. She tried all the time to be as quiet as possible when a Shadow was near her, when it was a useless reflex, they weren't real, why would they hear her?

But she had learned to trust her reflexes, so she did it anyway. And it wasn't hurting anyone, and who could judge her? No one saw what she saw.

A noise. Her muscles went rigid again, her eyes focused on the Shadow's again… It had moved. "Since when do they move, these shits?" thought Jo, her heartbeat definitely going too fast now.

(part I here, part II here)

[awhisperinthenight]

Cold

Jo hated the cold. It reminded her of the Demons. Of her time passed in their dungeons. The darkness, the freezing nights and frosted chains. Winter was not her favorite season, and snow could go fuck itself. So no, she didn't like it.

But she also noticed that there was a different kind of cold. Not the one she hated, which was freezing to the bone and paralyzing.

Another one. A softer one.

It was a cold Jo started recognizing as Zoé's. It was the chill of an early morning before a summer day, crip and clear. It was the cold side of a pillow during a too warm night, and it was the iced hand on a the forhead during a fever.

This cold, Jo minded a little less.

[awhisperinthenight]

Lake, part II

And so, after climping the soft slope of the hill, settling everyone and their supplies at the bottom of some thin trees, Jo ordered Lya to take care of putting up the camp, while she and Griff were going to explore the abandoned building. Jo had wanted to go alone, but Griff had insisted, as usual. So the two of them left, going down the other face of the hill, curiously not invaded by the gold flowers that were on the opposite side.

The grass was high, reaching up to Jo’s thighs, and only up to Griff’s knees. Tall bastard. As they arrived at the end of the slope, Jo looked up and took the time to really observe her surrouning. The lake in front of them was rather small, yes, but she still struggled to see the other end of it, as it was covered a bit by fog. The water was still and dark, making her think that the body of water was deep. All around them were the plaines, long surfaces of grass, with thousands of colored flowers and plants, but almost no trees, and the low hills let her see the Mountains far away, even if they were covered by white clouds. The wind was blowing softly, moving nature around.

The place was gorgeous, and yet, Jo felt something heavy settle in her stomach.

(part I here)

[awhisperinthenight]

Lake, part I

Lya arrived in a light jog, her long red hair swaying in the wind. She was going down the hill, which was covered in golden flowers, where Jo had sent her to watch the surroundings of the plaines. Jo hadn’t like having to stop in such an open place, but they didn’t have a choice. Their companions were tired, hungry and they had a few wounded  that couldn’t move fast anyway.

So the decision to spend the night on the height of a hill was taken, Jo deciding to send a few Vampires up there first, checking for safety, hoping no Demons were following them. But as she watched Lya slow down, she seemed unworried, so Jo relaxed. Just a bit.

Close enough to be heard without yelling, Lya started talking : “Nothing weird or Demon-like on the horizon. Although there’s a small lake just down the hill on the other side, and a sort of small Temple or barn at the edge of it. It seems abandoned.”

Jo nodded, but before she could say anything, Griff intervened. “Maybe we could stay the night there?”

Lya scrunched her nose, and added : “It’s too small for all of us to go inside, so I don’t know.”

They both  turned towards Jo, wanting to hear her opinion. She still wasn’t used to leading, to people waiting for her orders. It felt weird, but it seemed so natural from the rest of her companions. But she had something to say, anyway.

“I don’t think I’m comfortable staying at the edge of a lake. It’s fewer ways to escape, and because of the building it’s an obvious place to check. But maybe we should see what it is from closer, just to be sure.”

[awhisperinthenight]

Lake, part III

“What’s that smell?”

She turned towards Griff, who was just beside her and immobile, like a watchful dog. She blinked, then took a large breath.

“I don't smell anything. Just - flowers."

Griff shook his head, then put his hand on the handle of his sword, which he kept at his side. “It’s just … a weird smell. I don’t know, I don't like it.”

Jo turned her gaze towards the building in front of them, the one Lya saw. It was made of dark grey stones, looking like a small barn, but there was a tower attached to it, even if barely taller than the roof of the building. There also seemed to be something by its side, directly in front of the water, half hidden by the stones. She couldn’t see it properly, not at this distance.

“Is it coming from there?”

“I mean, maybe.”

Jo arched an eyebrow and started to walk again. “Very useful, those Werewolves capacities.”

“Hey!”

She snickered at Griff’s offended cry, but sobered quickly while approaching the building. Because she could smell it now.

An acrid smell. Familiar in a way she didn’t like.

(part I here, part II here)

[awhisperinthenight]

Lysandra (part I)

The portal glowed, magic swirling around. It was beautiful and Jo would never tire of seeing the purple energy. But now the sight was disturbing because it wasn't supposed to happen. Jo had made the decision a few weeks ago to close all the exits and accesses of the Capital, to protect the city and its inhabitants from the attacks of the Demons. There were guards at the city wall and even more at its gates. Jo herself had locked the Capital's only Portal, which resided inside the castle.

The task had taken an entire day, during which Jo had carved and drawn rune after rune around the Portal's already existing magic circle. So the Portal was supposed to be closed, certainly not bright like it was now, it was opening and struggling; someone was trying to enter.

Jo clenched her jaw, standing a good distance from the Monolith, one arm outstretched to the side, shielding the two soldiers behind her. Her eyes were fixed on the crystals, on the runes that shimmered here and there. Shouts echoed behind her, but Jo frowned, because there was something familiar… She knew this magic. The Portal's magic, yes of course, but also the other energy that was right there, and -

Jo's eyes widened. Oh no. She had sent a letter a few days ago, when they had realized that Nathaniel was targeting certain creatures and she had had a bad feeling. Her eyes returned to the runes she had added to the Portal herself. They were strong and ancient, and only one other person could know how to use them and how to break them. The person who taught them to Jo.

Lysandra.

if you're wondering what a portal/monolith/circle looks like here's a description.

[awhisperinthenight]

Crows

And just as she was about to leave, just as she was about to go home, a noise stopped her in her tracks.

The caw of a crow. She turned around and felt her heart stop. There was a huge old tree to her left that she had noticed before but hadn't really looked at. But its wood was gray and washed out by the rain. What she thought were leaves were not; it was crows, dozens, hundreds of them, sitting still and silently on the branches.

They had been there all along, dark witnesses, staring at her with their black eyes.

And she felt her heart stop because it couldn't just be a coincidence. It couldn't. Her eyes returned to the tomb, to the stone she had been talking to for the past hour, to the name engraved on it.

Raven Le

It couldn't just be a coincidence. A tear rolled down her cheek, then another, and soon she could barely see, the world blurred, her face wet, her breaths short. She had heard her. She was there, with her. She had never really left her, not completely.

With a start, a crow cried, then, all of them, with the same movement, flew from the tree, leaving its branches bare. They flew away, high into the sky, into the pale pink morning sky.

She stared at them until there was nothing left to look at. And then with a last tear, a last smile, she walked away.

She returned home.

[awhisperinthenight]

The sky

One of the thing Jo loved about Nhymisa was its sky. She used to love the sky, back on Earth, dark during the night with thousands of white shining dots and blue during the day and orange and pink at sunrises and sunsets.

But Nhymisa's sky was different. She'll never tire of looking at it. During the day, you could see Nhymisa's seven moons behind the white and bluish sky. But during the night...

During the night, the whole sky lit up. The moons were bright and white, the stars were dancing, and colors, purple, and pink, and red, and yellow and turquoise, were whirling around, around the stars and the clouds and the moons, a never ending stream of colors, bright and alive, and magical.

[awhisperinthenight]

Lysandra (part II)

It wasn't the Demons or Nathaniel trying to get in, it was Lysandra. And if it was her, that meant it was her last choice, that meant she was in danger now.

Jo took a deep breath. She'd bet Demons, if not Nathaniel himself, were attacking Lysandra right now. Shit.

It was such a delicate situation. If she opened the Portal now, they could be attacked, and from within. Nathaniel could be right there and destroy the city with the snap of a finger, but on the other hand… if Jo kept it closed, Lysandra could die. And Jo was sure it was her on the other side, it had to be, she could feel her magic, almost her presence. If she opened it, they could all die.

Jo turned around, surprised to find that more people had arrived, Zoé and Griff were there, plus the two soldiers and a few Council members, all worried, all staring at her or the glowing Monolith.

"Stay back and don't approach no matter what."

Zoé opened her mouth, ready to argue, but Jo had made up her mind. With a wave of her hand, she created a barrier that surrounded her and the portal. Nothing went in or out without her saying so. Another trick learned from Lysandra.

Jo took a few steps and found herself inside the circle. She immediately went to get the runes she knew she could change, without completely breaking the circle. She just needed to open the lock, not get rid of it. Because she wouldn't have the fucking time to rebuild it completely afterwards, only to close it again.

Few people have done this, modifying already existing runes. Because it took too much power, and changing runes that weren't yours to begin with was really complicated and took too much power. But Jo did it, because apparently she really was the exception to all the rules.

In less than two minutes, she had circled the Monolith, unlocking the Portal, rune by rune. She now stood back, still within the circle of crystals.

(part I here)

[awhisperinthenight]

Grimoire

The grimoire looked old. It was thick, enveloped in brown, used leather. It didn’t have a title, nothing was marked, not on the front nor on the back, not even on the spine. It had a lock, though, that didn’t seem to need a key, at least not a physical one. It was also so full of magic that Jo felt it from meters away.

It didn’t seem… dangerous, but it could very well be.

But Jo wasn’t known for her patience or her carefulness, so she decided to open it.

The first page was blank. The second wasn’t. There were words, a title, in the upper middle of the page : “THE ART OF RUNECRAFTING”. And Jo smiled, because a comment had been added, in a different writing, all pointy and sharp letters, just underneath it : “shitty title”. Another comment, an answer to the first one, written with larger and rounder letters, said : “But it’s straight to the point.” There was nothing else on the page.

“Well, this looks interesting.” Whispered Jo.

She turned the page and snorted. The title of the first chapter was in big letters but obviously written by the author of the “shitty title” comment : “simple guide for basic runes for idiots” a comment was added underneath it, with rounded letters : “stop being mean.”

“I'm going to enjoy reading that.” Jo said to herself.