Crunch!
Moulin's foot stepped on the rocky terrain. His slender arms hoisted his body off the edge and he wearily crawled over.
"Hah… Hah.." He panted tiredly, briefly lying on the ground before sitting up.
He and Hadrian had split up. Currently, he tasked himself to search the shores for clues. He didn't want to go far because of a promise he made with Hadrian to stay away from the interior of the island. Thus, he left the ticulous searching for Hadrian. Although he was reluctant, Moulin understood it was only for his safety. Now, here he was, climbing up the sharpest cliff to see what was on the other side.
Moulin stood up, dusting his hands on his pants and gazing at the scenery before him. His silvery eyes squinted from the fog in the distance which obscured the rest of the mountain view. 'Sowhere around there would be hordes of demons and Malibreeds searching for him.'
He wasn't that stupid to check it out of curiosity. Instead, he found the ruins before him more interesting…
Atop the cliff where he stood, he found gigantic pillars with intricate carvings partially buried in the ground and a broken stone tile floor. He found damaged stone balustrades, old with age, at the edge of the cliff, which gave Moulin the idea that it had once been a beautiful, elegant terrace facing the vast ocean.
'It should be abandoned for decades…' He thought while calmly running his fingers along the rough stone surface of the railing. His white figure appeared like a lone watcher, bright with his silvery hair, gazing at the dreary horizon. Curious about the site's past, Moulin closed his eyes but then hesitated. He wouldn't be found using his passive ability would he?
The fingers stopped briefly. But in the end… he just wanted to know. The young man closed his eyes and took a breath.
A gentle breeze surrounded his figure but instead of the vile sll of the island, what welcod his nose was the scent of flowers. The balustrade pillars were decorated with beautiful bright flowers. A fresh sea breeze. The smooth unblemished stone underneath his fingers. Moulin felt like he was standing for the first ti before the grand waterfalls of the Leonile Manor. Underneath the bright blue skies, his future seed limitless.
All of a sudden, a strange coldness wrapped around Moulin. The once vibrant petals turned to ash. Smoke filled the dark sky. Then there were screams and a familiar rumbling noise. Moulin tries to grasp what was happening.
Whoosh!
A powerful gust of wind almost toppled him down. They kept coming in strange intervals. Loud familiar snapping filled the youth's ears. Almost like a large animal-
Then there it was… a heaven-defying sound. A beast erged from the clouds. Large wings and a long tail. Its skin looked brighter than gold making it flash in the sky like a shooting star.
Now it felt hot… almost burning. Like a ghost, Moulin watched from the terrace as the beast approached the cliff. It grew larger the nearer it got. Frozen in shock and fear, Moulin couldn't breathe.
Face-to-face with the creature of legends. It's golden eyes like pools of molten gold, swirling around a sharp iris. Moulin couldn't even compare to the size of its tooth. Scorching smoke huffs from its large nostrils. He could swear there was fire in them.
'I… will return.'
A scathing voice sounded, making Moulin pause. It was then, that he looked back to see a familiar figure. Too familiar to haunt him in his sleep. He will never forget that pale ghost-white face and that long pitch-black hair, stained with his mother's blood.
The demon grinned nacingly as he knelt, suffering burns of several degrees around his body. It was even more difficult to determine what he was wearing with all the blood and wounds. He was facing the dragon as if it were the most terrifying yet loathso thing in his life.
'… Just you wait.'
Moulin's pupils trembled, Salahn was looking at the dragon through Moulin. But the youth felt as if he was the one the demon was cursing.
A monstrous deafening noise filled the earth, making the lands and seas quiver. Fear gripped Moulin's soul as a deep foreboding scread in his head.
The mont he turned around, he faced a wall of heavenly golden fire.
Crackle! Flas licked his body, swallowing him whole.
But… he couldn't feel any pain. Moulin's heartbeat quickened significantly. The wrathful magic felt… gentle.
Whoosh!
Moulin gasped and stumbled upon the ruins of the stone railing. A numbing throb hamred his head, worsening his pained expression. He had never felt any pain from peeking from the past like this before.
It confused him.
'Salahn had faced the Golden Dragon…' The gears in his mind began turning. Moulin cald himself and lifted his head, facing the cliff before him where the dragon had appeared.
Salahn had survived? How could he survive the heavenly fire of the realm's protector?
"It's not possible…" He whispered to himself. If he survived that era… he's been alive throughout Corhan's prospering years. Why now…
"…"
He… could try to look into it once more. However… the penalty would make him suffer.
Chirp!
…
Moulin stopped. Silver eyes blinked.
He heard a strange sound. A sound that shouldn't be anywhere near the island.
Chirp!
'A bird?' The young man's brows are drawn together. His gaze searched his surroundings, eventually landing towards a distinct color at the far side of the area.
Perched on a protruding stone a few ters away from him, a little crow tilted its head. It's feathers were a vibrant red like blood soaking crushed snow. What Moulin even more uneasy was the bright glowing irises. He expected it to be red as well like the other demonic familiar he encountered… but it wasn't. He didn't know what that ant.
Chirp!
In an instant, alarm bells sounded in Moulin's mind. They have found him!
The youth imdiately grabbed the knife from his waist, ready to lunge at the animal.
'Stop…'
A voice abruptly resounded in Moulin's mind. He paused, confused. Telepathy.
But this voice…
Sothing almost broke in Moulin's heart. Like glass cracking, barely able to keep itself from shattering. He knows this voice…
Moulin kept his composure. His silver eyes were narrowing slightly. He just couldn't let his guard down.
'I an… no harm.'
Alsander's once bright voice had beco deep and hoarse. Moulin didn't imagine that they would et like this. He recalled Alsander's youthful features before but he hasn't seen him since his second death. And… is it really him?
"What do you want?" Moulin spoke. His silver eyes shone like a blade under moonlight.
The red crow jerked its head. Blinking its ominous eyes. 'You… cannot escape.'
Moulin did not respond. What nonsense is he speaking about?
'Moulin…'
That familiar tone whenever his na was called… Moulin won't deny that he'd missed it. Part of him blad himself about what happened to Alsander. But he was also curious… How did Alsander find himself colluding with the dark forces? Was he forced? Or was he willing?
"Are you… speaking for yourself or Uldher?" Moulin asked warily.
'I am… myself. Please… do not doubt my existence. I'm afraid I have no one else to rember …'
Not you too, my friend.
His voice was brimming with grief and misery. Moulin paused, hesitating.
"Then tell … what happened to you?" The youth urged. "Why? How did this happen?"
The crow shook its red feathers briefly before answering. 'The day of your death… Hundreds were captured. Aurona has broken and the lands fell into chaos. Vigal's children took maeruthans to fuel their stronghold… I was one of the unfortunate ones…'
Moulin closed his eyes…
'Perhaps, it is the will of the gods, forcing to endure every suffering so that I may survive until then end…'
"And… is this the end you have chosen for yourself?"
'It's far from promising but it is what it is… and you…' Those uncanny eyes deeply stared into Moulin. '… are also destined for the inevitable.'
'Hah!' Moulin could not help but scoff. He's out of his mind. "You…"
'Salahn has eyes in every inch of the island. To save yourself from suffering… you must give up. Surrender may be the key to your freedom…'
Moulin's frown deepened significantly. He couldn't believe a word this little bird was saying. Surrender? He'd rather drown in the ocean in the middle of the storm.
"If it's really you… you shouldn't be saying that to ." Moulin straightened himself and turned around, deciding to return to his and Hadrian's shelter.
Chirp!
Chirp!
The young man ignored the little cries telling himself that once the alliance finally invade Gohtel, the first thing he'd do was to find Alsander himself. Let him see for himself of what was left of his old friend.
The crow flapped its wings as it watched the back of the man grow further away. When Moulin disappeared into the fog, the creature remained still as though lost in deep thought.
'Regrets are an echo…'
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