. Eve Bryn .The story is told in human form, not feral form c:
The story takes place in another world- Eve got trapped there when she was two, though she doesn't know anything about her original life and believes that she has always lived in this fantasy land.Name: Eve Bryn
Gender: Female
Age: 16
Eve Bryn has watched the man who wears only white.
She's seen the woman in black.
She saw the light man's flowing, silky scarf fly delicately behind his shoulder.
She saw the shadow woman's decaying pointy hat, tipped slightly to cover up her ghastly, dark eyes.
She knows she must unite them before the brightest star ceases to exist.
... The ProphecyA boy with blue hair and colourless eyes scanned the dazzling night sky, naming all the stars, planets and constellations. I feel so alone. He traced his ice cold hand along the galaxies, I feel so small and fragile, with only the stars to guide me. The boy then traced his most beloved constellation, Horeas, the winter stallion, soon the stars will fade, leaving me behind. For millennia, the man in white and the woman in black have been at war. They mistreated magic, which lead the world to make their choice: to forbid it. Mages, witches, wizards, warlocks and the like were stripped of their enchanting powers, and banished to live an ordinary life. The man in white and the woman in black continued to bewitch each other, each time the wizardry struck a single star in the galaxy would be cursed to die. And so only twelve remain...fewer as the days pass. The stars were what held their world together, and the man in white and the woman in black couldn't care less if they destroyed them. The boy solemnly stared into the night. Not all was lost, as the mage of silver had heard of a prophecy. A girl of red can unite the worst of enemies. A girl of red, with a galloping steed and a friend of hope can restore the blazing stars. A girl of red, with a brave and fearless spirit can cease the war and hearten a new beginning. Please, girl in red, bring us something to believe in.
The silver mage does not know that he only received half of the prophecy.
A boy of gold, rich with strength. A boy of gold, an icy soul. The boy of gold and girl of red must unite the white man and black woman side by side, or the dangerous task will be impossible to complete.
The boy with the blue hair and the colourless eyes wiped away a tear. He gazed up at Horeas and spoke, "winter stallion, you're the last constellation. I'm glad you've been strong for me, hold on just a bit longer, Horeas, the girl dressed in red is coming."
... Into the woods, Eve's POVInto the woods. He told me he'd be there. Into the woods. He promised. Into the woods. You can't break a promise. Into the woods. Can you? Bare footed, I jog at a steady pace. My breath is steady, my features are hidden by my dark, red hood. It's why they always confuse me with the girl and her sick grandma. I'm not her. I'm the girl dressed in red. There's a large diversity between us, actually...that is, if you take a closer look. Abruptly, I stop and take in my surroundings. I'm a fair way into the woods, and the sun has begun to fade. I prepare myself for the journey back, he'd failed me. Though as I move my eyes, I catch a glimpse of something red. A message? I hesitantly move towards it. Something is painted threateningly in large, bold letters across the gnarled surface of an old, blackwood tree. My breath catches as I read the baffling words;
Girl in red, you don't have much time. Five stars now remain, the sky continues to grow weaker. Girl in red, the man in white you will find, when the sun is a sphere and the moon is a half.
Shaken, I hover my trembling hand across the surface of the words, imprinting my fingertips with the bright crimson colour. Nothing feels right anymore. Not anymore. Calm down, Eve. I summon all my strength and leave the tree, and the unusual clue, if I could call it that. There's no need to ever glance at it again, the memory of it is trapped in my mind, I could never forget it. I don't need to wonder who wrote the message, I know who it is. It was him. He always does this, never shows up and leaves behind a few 'knowledgeable' words for me to ponder on. They always never makes any sense. When the sun is a sphere? Surely the sun is always a sphere, apart from when it rises and decreases. Though that's in our view, no matter which direction we see it in, the sun will forever remain a sphere, even if it's not perfectly round. The woods thin out, it's dark. It's not good to be in the woods at night, there are unheard of creatures which roam in these deadly hours. Trying to hide in my hood, I follow the barely visible pathway. It's a hard pathway to follow, based on the fact that it's barely visible but also because it's very crooked. Wrapping my long red cloak tightly around me, I press on into the night.
~.~
"The man in white, he's near. The man in white, he's close. Can't you hear him, don't you know? He's white, as white as snow. Can't you see him, in the night? He's white, as white as snow."
The cold sunlight blares through the darkness of my closed eyes, causing me to wake. I shuffle around in my bed, then reach out for my hood. Feeling it's soft fabric in my grasp, I pull it towards me, sit up in my bed and quickly shake it on. Mornings. I'm not a morning person. Yawning, I slide out of my bed and stretch. I make my way clumsily towards the window...the only window in my small, one room shack. Once my eyes adjust, I can see flecks of white forming a pattern on the window's glass panels. It's snowing? Rubbing my eyes, I move away from the window. My stomach gives a familiar rumble, I suppose I'm hungry. Humming, I search through the few cupboards I have and pull out a grimy knife, a couple slices of bread and some jam I made myself. Sighing, I open up the jam and begin to layer it onto the bread. I make a sloppy mess, but that doesn't matter, basically everything is messy in this place. Not bothering to put the jam and knife away, I make myself comfy on my bed and enjoy the meal. It's not bad, but it would've been better if I could've toasted it. Finishing up, I pull my hood over my wavy brown hair and get ready to start the day. Once again not caring to wear shoes, I walk over to the door and open it. I embrace the soft falling snow, and stare in wonder as it lands on the bright red felt of my clothes. The colour...is so pure. It just makes me want to feel normal. The massive weight of my responsibilities crash down on me like a burden. I must get closer to finding the man in white. The snow grows thicker, and the message that I found on the tree last night torments me. Girl in red, the man in white you will find, when the sun is a sphere and the moon is a half. The moon can never be truly half. It's always full...it just appears as though it's half at times. Maybe he didn't literally mean the actual sun and the moon? Is there anything that I know of which may closely resemble them? Think, Eve Bryn, think. Nothing, just nothing. Why does he always have to be so confusing?
Eve Bryn continues on. Though she does not know that on the other side of the tree, was a key.
... Meeting TobinThe snow is falling at a quickening pace, I should go back, find shelter, but I'm too disorientated. I stumble around, my cloak is completely white. I trip, collapsing over a root, and tumbling in between the trunk of a large tree.
"Are you okay?" a friendly face beams at me, his hands wrapped firmly around mine. I jerk my hands away from his grasp and rub my head, where I feel a jabbing pain. "I...I think so?" I moan, and tilt my head from side to side. "Eve? Eve..." he tries to comfort me, obviously stressed. "Do you know who I am?" he looks at me, a stern expression on his face. My eyes are foggy, and I can't see properly. "Tobin?" I sob, "Is it Tobin?"
"That's right, Eve. That's right. It's me, Tobin," Tobin leans against me, filling me with the warmth that I so desperately need. "Now listen. There was some kind of freak snowstorm last night, and I theorize you got caught in it. You probably fell down here and passed out from the cold."
"Then...it's lucky you saved me?" it was more of an inquiry than a statement. Tobin flashes a bright smile, "sure is! If it wasn't for me and this here blanket, you probably would've freezed to death."
"Yeah, you and that blanket are amazing Tobin..." I answer sarcastically, still feeling slightly bewildered. Me, the girl dressed in red, getting lost in a snowstorm? Unthinkable. Illogical. Tobin immediately distracts me from my thoughts, "So, being the genius that I am, I think it's best we get you somewhere warm."
He stands up and brushes the inklings of snow from his jeans, "shall we be on our way, miss?" he holds his hand out to me.
I take his hand and he pulls me up. Without warning a stern look governs his face, "did you receive the message?"
At first I act dazed, but then I understand what Tobin means. Gathering myself, I nod. Tobin sighs, "either way, it's best that I let you rest before we talk. There's a village not far from here. If we travel there by horse, I'm sure we'll get there before nightfall."
I tilt my head, "uh...do you have horses?"
"Well...not horses, but I do have one horse..." Tobin gives a cheeky grin. "Great..." I mutter.
We arrive at the village just before the sun begins to set. "An old friend of mine owns an inn around here," Tobin doesn't even glance at me when he speaks. He must be engrossed in his own thoughts. He orders his horse, whom he calls Nabisco, to halt. We're just outside the inn's entrance. I watch as Tobin strolls into the inn. I decide to stay with Nabisco, so I can keep him company. I remove my hood and let it rest against my shoulders. I then reach over and trail my hand along Nabisco's coarse coat. I can feel his muscles twitching and quivering in response to my own tentative touch. I come to his mane and it strikes me as coarser than I expected. His mane is dry, and doesn't resemble human hair. I kneel down to look into his eyes. Nabisco's eyes are a large and soulful chocolate brown, much like my own. I smile at him and his eyes luster, seemingly smiling back at me. Giving Nabisco one last delicate pat, I turn to see Tobin motioning for me to come to him. Leading Nabisco by a worn down rope, I make my way towards the inn for the night.
.... MagicThe man, short and pale, grimaced. "Did you enjoy your stay?" he scowls, evidently uninterested in our answer. I nudge Tobin, "really? An old friend of yours?"
Tobin just shrugs, "I have my talents."
I roll my eyes, "anyone would has a hard time befriending him, even you."
The man grunts, "I can hear ya, ya know. Just cause I'm an old man doesn't mean you kids can disfavour me."
Tobin attempts a charming smile, "sorry, mr. You see, my friend here has a few..." he struggles to find the right word, "complications."
I shoot him a dirty look. Tobin whispers into my ear, "with that face...you look just like the old man himself."
I snort in annoyance. Yeah, right. I leave Tobin to continue his chat with the man and disappear outside to have some fresh air. My night in the inn was absolutely horrendous, the bed felt like stone and the pillows were as hard as rock. Awkwardly hopping along the gravel path, I realise that I still don't have any shoes on. I don't think Tobin would mind if I take a look around the village. I could get some shoes and anyhow, I'm parched and absolutely starving. As I walk, I recall the time I first met Tobin. I was six, he was seven. I was playing beside a river, and I had taken my red cloak off incase it got dirty. Even when I was six I still had the exact same red cloak and hood I'm wearing now. It was so funny seeing a little girl plunging around in clothes so big that you couldn't even see her. Well, there was this huge gust of wind, it managed to blow my cloak into the river. My older sister had made it for me, and I began to cry. It was the only thing left that could remind me of her. So then this boy, aged around seven, noticed how distressed I was and dived into the river to retrieve it. There was a current, though it wasn't very strong. The boy, who appeared rather athletic, climbed back onto the river bank with my cloak enclosed in his grip. I rubbed away the tears from my eyes and began to laugh. I ran up to him and hugged him, even though he was soaking wet. The boy smiled, "here's your cloak, girl dressed in red."
I finally come across a small shop, where they make hand made shoes. An old lady spies me glancing through the windows and welcomes me in. Opening the door, I breath in the sweet scent of jasmine. The old lady hustles towards me, "hello, dear! Welcome, welcome. My name is Maribel. Now, what type of shoes might you be looking for?"
Maribel reeks of candy-coated perfumes. "Do you have any foot wear that's suitable for travelling? Say, something that won't be worn out quickly?" I ask. Maribel is quick to reply, "I think I know what you're seeking. A pair of shoes fit for a journey. I'll be right back, dear, don't you worry!"
I spend my time waiting for Maribel by browsing around the shop. I see some odd looking shoes, decorated with pompoms and shaped queerly. Either Maribel is peculiar or the village people are. Eventually, Maribel appears with some tough looking, black shoes with laces. They look half normal, so that's a good thing. "Try these on, sweetheart!" Maribel gushes. I pull them on and surprisingly, they're a perfect fit. I didn't even tell her my shoe size. "You seem surprised. You see, darling, I dust my shoes with Equiliaȋrr Magic. Magic is scarce around these parts, so I feel honoured to be the owner of some Equiliaȋrr," Maribel has an enchanting tone in her voice, "this magic means that your shoes will adapt to fit any size. They are also indestructible."
I am stunned. "Magic...I thought it was gone..."
"Not in some urban areas, dear. It still exists," she has a wistful expression on her face, "I sense you have a great destiny to fulfil. For a girl, at the age of fifteen, it will be challenging. You will be vulnerable and unprotected. So therefore as a favour, take the shoes. No need to pay."
I can't believe my luck, or Maribel's generosity. "Thankyou," I am truly overwhelmed.
The man and white. He's so very close. Just step in the right direction, and he could be right under your nose.
.... LinhavenI exit Maribel's shop, letting the door clang behind me. As I walk away I wave to Maribel through the window, she smiles and waves back with a joyful smile. I have the shoes tied tightly on my feet. It feels like they aren't even there. Another effect of the magic, I guess. I think of going back to find Tobin, but my hunger overtakes that thought. Turning down a narrow street, I try to find a bakery. There aren't many people around, apart from the occasional wandering kid or frantic mother. I pull my hood over my head and keep walking at an even pace. I take a turn left and follow an old, crumbling cement pathway. After wandering in a few more odd directions I finally find what I've been looking for. My stomach growls as I read the small, timber sign: Linhaven Bakery
I've been so distracted lately that I haven't even bothered to figure out the name of the town. Linhaven. It feels familiar. I cruise into the bakery and walk up to the counter. It's a small store, but neat and refined. A young man greets me, "what can I do for you?"
He's used way too much gel on his sleek black hair, and his pale grey eyes show no sign of emotion. I take a second to view the menu, and I can't make a decision. "You choose, just nothing too expensive," I answer. The young man nods, "absolutely," and hurries away into the kitchen. "Eve!" someone shouts my name. I swing my head around. "Tobin?" I gasp. Tobin looks so relieved. "Damn, Eve! I couldn't find you anywhere. Once I left the inn, I went searching all around Linhaven trying to find you!" he seems somewhat aggravated. "I'm sorry, Toby, okay? I didn't know I'd stress you out this much," I begin to speak but Tobin interrupts, "just don't... Eve. And don't call me Toby. It makes me feel insecure."
I stay silent. I didn't know a little adventure by myself around Linhaven would bother him so much. "Pay attention, Eve," Tobin snaps, "we have important matters to discuss, and you know it. Sometimes I wonder why the fates chose you for this...this jeopardy!"
I ignore his intolerance. I pretend to have something in my eye so I can wipe away the developing tears. "If we have matters to discuss, then let's discuss them," I conceal the hole he'd burned in my heart. "Fine!" he guides me to a table in the bakery and we sit down. "Hey, Tobin, can we just stop the tension?" I plead. "I hope you've realised that you haven't even said sorry!" Tobin remarks. "Okay, I'm sorry. Can you please forgive me?" I beg. He has a hard think, "there's a possibility."
The man with the sleek black hair presents himself at our table. "Soup for the miss," he lays down a bowl filled with some horrid brown mush. I stare at it in disgust, "uh, thankyou."
"It's the cheapest thing on the menu," he winks and then leaves. Tobin revives the conversation, "it's definitely a possibility if you manage to eat all of that...stuff!"
He laughs and I laugh along with him. The tension has broken. I slop the soup around with my engraved silver spoon. "What even is this?" I chuckle. "You'll soon find out!" Tobin pulls a face. While I endeavour to finish the soup, Tobin explains to me the message he left me in the woods. "I don't understand half of it myself, but the words just came to me as I wrote," he shares. "Why didn't you appear in person?" I inquire, the soup making my mouth taste foul. "That's not the point. There was something else as well as the message. Did you find it?" Tobin lowers his voice to barely a whisper. My heart begins to beat rapidly and I feel embarrassed. I should've taken a closer look. Why must I always cause so many problems? Tobin can feel the worrying vibes of my anxiety creep out. "It's alright if you didn't retrieve it. Knowing you, I didn't really expect you to..." he articulates, "sorry if that came out offensive."
"No, it's fine. Sorry...I was a fool for not taking a closer look," I stare at the soup. It makes me feel worse. "You don't have to be sorry for anything. I was a fool for not showing up in person," Tobin smiles weakly. "There's no need to try and make me feel any better...I'm just way more lame than the fates expected me to be," I let out a heavy sigh. "Eve Bryn, the girl dressed in red, could never be lame in my eyes..." Tobin's tenderness surprises me, "apart from when you can't finish some failure of a soup."
... a store of unbelievable possibilitiesTobin and I stayed another night at the irritated old guy's inn. It was just as painful and uncomfortable as the previous time we stayed there. To make matters worse, it was an early morning for both of us. "So, what are we doing today Mr Know-it-all?" I laugh and nudge Tobin playfully. "I was actually thinking we should try and do something to help us find the man in white, instead of just waiting around for him to come to us," Tobin states, returning the nudge with a grin. "And your oh so great idea?" I demand. "While we were on our way back from the Linhaven Bakery, I saw this real shady looking store," Tobin pulls a carrot from his pocket and feeds it to Nabisco. "Shady, huh?" I say, I'm not so sure about this. "Being serious now Eve, have you ever heard about magic stores?" he feeds Nabisco another carrot and strokes him. "Yeah, sure I have. But magic's...gone, isn't it? Magic stores are forbidden..." I trail off and stare down at my shoes. Let's hope Tobin doesn't notice anything strange about them. "Some magic stores are still around, hidden in remote villages like this one. I feel as though there's something magical about that store I saw, and I want to go and investigate," Tobin stops stroking Nabisco and focuses his attention on me. "And how would this get us any closer to finding the man in white?" I reply. "With magic, anything is possible!" Tobin yanks Nabisco's rope and tugs me by the hand as we make our way towards the 'maybe' magic store.
Tobin effortlessly shoves the crumbling wooden door open, while I tie Nabisco to a lopsided street light. I follow Tobin inside and we're confronted with many miscellaneous objects, there's a large vase of peculiar looking flowers, various things hanging from the ceiling and lining the shelves, there's also a pair of perfectly balanced scales. High above in one corner is an owl as white as snow, perched impeccably on a carved branch. It's beady yellow eyes watch my every move, making me feel uncomfortable. Tobin senses my distress. "Don't feel uncomfortable," he says, "it's just an owl."
Tobin's previous words echo in my mind. With magic, anything is possible. I don't think it's just an owl. After spending a good amount of time searching, Tobin sighs, "I don't think anyone's here, let's leave."
He turns to leave and all I can do is follow. I can feel the intense glare of the owl, sending a shiver down my spine. Just before I step out of the store two pendants catch my eye. One is a sun, shaped delicately as a perfect sphere, tied around a thin black rope. The other is a moon, a perfect half, strung on a slender piece of white string. The white man is near. Tobin sees me hesitating, "hey, Eve, what is it?"
I don't need to reply. He spies the pendants and he seems to freeze. "Eve...the..." Tobin is lost for words. "I know, Tobin, I know," it's all I can think to say. "Let me finish your sentence for you! The white man is near!" a voice booms behind us and we are too startled to turn around. At first, I only notice one thing. The owl in the corner is gone.
... FadingThe man behind us laughs, sounding more like an evil cackle, "don't be afraid, turn around, give me a smile!"
I turn around. I shouldn't be afraid, he should. We're the ones trying to find him, he's not trying to find us...or is he? I inspect the man...the man in white. He looks exactly the same as the time I last got a glimpse of him, when I was ten. He's wearing a spotless white suit, matched with a glimmering white tie and a long, magnificent silk scarf. "There we are, boy. The girl has some guts!" he smiles, his teeth are so bright it blinds me. Tobin clenches his fists and turns around with a horrendous snarl on his face, "I'll kill you! Look at what you've done to our world. Don't you have just a little bit of kindness left in that ugly heart of yours?"
The man in white just continues his smiling frenzy, "that left a long time ago, my boy. Now my heart is as cold as ice, and nothing can change that."
He pulls out a small jar with oozing green liquid, "you see this, girl in red and Tobin, this is a small glass bottle of magic. What kind, you ask? It's uẙimbis," the man in white continues on with a sinister glint in his eyes, "uẙimbis is a powerful magic, and has the ability to plunge you both to a world of my own creation."
Tobin nearly tackles him, but I hold him back. Now's not the time. The man in white watches in glee at our reaction, "now my two heroes, allow me to tell you how it works. First, I spill the liquid in a circle around your feet. From there on, the magic works it's way up, fading you slowly until there's nothing left of you in this world!" a smug look covers his face, "I'll give you a few hints of where you mind end up. It's dark, horrific and dangerous! A place even light dares to set foot. With you in the dimension of my creation, there's no way you can ever unite me with the woman in black. Ever!"
I gasp, and see Tobin trembling. He stares and the man in white, "how the hell did you get your hands on some uẙimbis?"
The man in white's yellow eyes narrow, "I've been to dark realms, Tobin. Far darker than you could ever imagine."
Tobin's frozen in fear. "It's alright, Tobin," I whisper, "he can't do anything to us unless he gets the magic around us. We won't stand still long enough for him to be able to do that."
I grab Tobin and prepare myself to sprint to the door...but I can't move. The white man lets out a deep, rumbling laugh, "while I distracted you with my ambitious goals, a friend of mine got to work. The uẙimbis begins by freezing you so you can't move. Then it begins to fade you away, beginning at your feet."
A friend of his? Looking up, I see an albino bat glaring down at me, holding the magic bottle, it's red eyes flashing. "Yes, girl in red, I have two uẙimbis potions...and an albino bat, if you ask why, I could say I like the colour white..." the man in white snickers. I glance at Tobin, hoping he has a plan. He struggles to shake his head. I can see his feet beginning to fade, the magic's at it's work. I look down at my feet, expecting to see them fading too, but strangely, I don't. I blink in confusion for a few seconds, but then I remember the shoes. Thanks, Maribel. Grinning, I face the white man with new found courage, "dude, my shoes are invincible!"
... RunningI soon realise that I can't stand up to the white man by myself. His power is too great. Holding back my tears, I wait for the right moment. The white man moves his gaze away from me for a slight second and that's when I run. I leap for the door, and with tremendous strength it clicks open. Before I leave, I see the two pendants. The moon casting shadows while the sun glimmers brightly, sending out rays of light. Balance is something we need in this world. Before the white man has a chance to realise what's happening, I quickly swipe the pendants and run through the door, I jump onto Nabisco and we gallop away at high speed. My red cloak dangles behind me, brushing against the wind. I'm leaving this place. Tears soak my clothes as I think of Tobin, but I know, deep down, there's always a way. Someday, I'll find Tobin again.
I pull both pendants over my neck. I'm the balance in this world. I'm both the sun and moon.
