Transcendence
Dwelling
Mother and father always liked Serenity best. No matter what Sonia did to impress her parents, Serenity did it a hundred times better without even meaning to. It was hard to hate her, but Sonia just couldn't help it. Behind her, a trail of foot prints burned into the grass as she walked. Since she ran away from Serenity, she couldn't calm herself – she was just too angry. How can Serenity defend that man, that human, that slayer? She could have ripped his heart out and burnt it in front of his lifeless eyes. Now here she was, inside another “angel-forsaken” forest, as the humans would refer to it. Petty humans and their angels. If there were any angels to speak of, it would be every immortal those humans have ever killed, they were the true angels. Especially mother, she was the kindest soul. Sonia huffed a sigh, and looked straight into the sun. She loved mornings, something her sister truly despised. “Seren would still be sleeping right now...” she murmured to herself. Thinking about it made her smile, but immediately she shook those thoughts out of her head. Serenity betrayed her, and she vowed to herself to not think of her again.
Deep in her vengeful thoughts, she accidentally stepped deep into a puddle. Fresh mud soaked the only shoes she had left from the castle. “Ohhh!” In anger, she summoned the heat around her and threw a ball of flame at a nearby tree. The animals residing in the tree scurried away, and catching sight of a rabbit, she threw another sphere of flame at it. The poor thing dodged the fire, but huddled itself in a small ball, fearful of moving as Sonia sauntered over. In the heat of the moment, Sonia grasped it harshly in her hands and snapped its neck. She was hungry, after all.
She went back over to a log near the puddle and sat down, cleaning her shoe of its mud with the equally dirty puddle-water and the white dress under her cloak became soiled from the mossy log. She caught her reflection and stared. It wasn't fair. Why did Serenity look like a woman – a real woman like mother, yet Sonia, despite being over 50 years old, still looked like a pathetic little girl in her early adolescence. Even her hair wasn't as elegant as Serenity's long, flowing dark mane like the waves of the sea at their former summer castle. Sonia's hair was even childish – a blood red hue of curly locks that ended just below her chin. No matter what, every single strand was a curl. Her face was round, as were her wide maroon eyes, and cherry lips. Unlike her sister's darker skin, skin caressed by the sun, Sonia possessed skin of a doll, just like her mother. “Hmph.” Though she wanted her sister's skin, Sonia touched her face with some pride, feeling better that she at least had one physical trait from her mother.
She once asked mother why she wouldn't grow, in which her mother had responded with, “…immortals age with wisdom, and can willfully stop aging when they feel they have reached a satisfactory age.” Immortals can also become younger, but it is not known for sure. Serenity acquired a healthy balance of wisdom and naivety, her mother had said, which was why she looked like a fully-grown woman of twenty-five or so, and why her mother and father looked to be middle-aged.
Sonia stood up suddenly, her hands on her hips. “I am wise! I am wiser than humans, and wiser than Seren!” She yelled to no one in particular, in an attempt to assure herself that she is in fact, mature. Her eyes began to water, and she sat back down, still mumbling things in anger. “I-I'll show you Seren-I'll show you. I can take care of myself, you'll see...” She sniffled, and began skinning the rabbit she had killed with her own fingernails; her hunger had begun crawling up inside of her and though she couldn’t cook as well as Seren, she was assured that this stomach twisting hunger would make anything taste delicious. She watched the blood drip into the puddle and when she opened the dead rabbit, she saw strange small lumps inside its belly. For a moment Sonia just stared blankly, having a sudden realization. The morning wind whistled in her ears. The smell of burnt wood mingled with the smell of water and blood filled her nose and mind. Sonia tossed the dead body aside, still staring at nothing. She then put her head in her blood-stained hands, her appetite slowly diminishing.
It seems she can't do anything right.
+
Within two days’ time, Sonia found herself in another region. She never paid any attention in lessons, so she had no idea what any of the regions were called. She only remembered Graceland, and the demise that had fallen upon it by her vengeful hand. There was a small, ugly port village outside of the forest, but Sonia stood hidden and followed the distant sound of trickling water. Sonia saw many people with ugly and filthy clothes walking among ships and wooden stands that were only selling what looked like old fish. They must smell, she thought. The only impressive thing about the place, was a ship the size of a mansion floating in the sea. Sonia heard running water nearby—a river—and although dying of thirst, she stood on the outskirts near the forest, kicking rocks and burning twigs to kill time. Time—as of now, it was all she had left. If Seren were here, Sonia would endlessly chatter about her day of exploring while Seren had been asleep, and how she stepped in a puddle, thought about mother and the summer castle, and everything else, except for the rabbit, of course.
Sonia waited for the sun to set; it was too dangerous to be sighted in clear view, what if there were slayers on patrol? Sonia did what her sister would do before exiting the forest: looked both ways, even behind her. If she had to grow up already, she would have to do everything Seren did. Quickly, as the world became still with the rising night, she sprinted to the river for a small sip. When she arrived at the edge, she saw fishes and her hunger overcame her thirst. With extreme accuracy, she dove her hand into the icy water and pierced the fish straight through its body. She caught one after another, making sure there was enough. Enough for who? She snapped out of her trance, and looked to her side, where she had laid the fish. There were over a dozen; she had unknowingly caught some to feed Seren, who wasn’t there. She slipped her hand out of the water and like that morning and slithered back into a lifeless reverie. Staring at nothingness was something she seemed to do often, whenever she failed. Yet again, she could do nothing right.
Deep in her vengeful thoughts, she accidentally stepped deep into a puddle. Fresh mud soaked the only shoes she had left from the castle. “Ohhh!” In anger, she summoned the heat around her and threw a ball of flame at a nearby tree. The animals residing in the tree scurried away, and catching sight of a rabbit, she threw another sphere of flame at it. The poor thing dodged the fire, but huddled itself in a small ball, fearful of moving as Sonia sauntered over. In the heat of the moment, Sonia grasped it harshly in her hands and snapped its neck. She was hungry, after all.
She went back over to a log near the puddle and sat down, cleaning her shoe of its mud with the equally dirty puddle-water and the white dress under her cloak became soiled from the mossy log. She caught her reflection and stared. It wasn't fair. Why did Serenity look like a woman – a real woman like mother, yet Sonia, despite being over 50 years old, still looked like a pathetic little girl in her early adolescence. Even her hair wasn't as elegant as Serenity's long, flowing dark mane like the waves of the sea at their former summer castle. Sonia's hair was even childish – a blood red hue of curly locks that ended just below her chin. No matter what, every single strand was a curl. Her face was round, as were her wide maroon eyes, and cherry lips. Unlike her sister's darker skin, skin caressed by the sun, Sonia possessed skin of a doll, just like her mother. “Hmph.” Though she wanted her sister's skin, Sonia touched her face with some pride, feeling better that she at least had one physical trait from her mother.
She once asked mother why she wouldn't grow, in which her mother had responded with, “…immortals age with wisdom, and can willfully stop aging when they feel they have reached a satisfactory age.” Immortals can also become younger, but it is not known for sure. Serenity acquired a healthy balance of wisdom and naivety, her mother had said, which was why she looked like a fully-grown woman of twenty-five or so, and why her mother and father looked to be middle-aged.
Sonia stood up suddenly, her hands on her hips. “I am wise! I am wiser than humans, and wiser than Seren!” She yelled to no one in particular, in an attempt to assure herself that she is in fact, mature. Her eyes began to water, and she sat back down, still mumbling things in anger. “I-I'll show you Seren-I'll show you. I can take care of myself, you'll see...” She sniffled, and began skinning the rabbit she had killed with her own fingernails; her hunger had begun crawling up inside of her and though she couldn’t cook as well as Seren, she was assured that this stomach twisting hunger would make anything taste delicious. She watched the blood drip into the puddle and when she opened the dead rabbit, she saw strange small lumps inside its belly. For a moment Sonia just stared blankly, having a sudden realization. The morning wind whistled in her ears. The smell of burnt wood mingled with the smell of water and blood filled her nose and mind. Sonia tossed the dead body aside, still staring at nothing. She then put her head in her blood-stained hands, her appetite slowly diminishing.
It seems she can't do anything right.
+
Within two days’ time, Sonia found herself in another region. She never paid any attention in lessons, so she had no idea what any of the regions were called. She only remembered Graceland, and the demise that had fallen upon it by her vengeful hand. There was a small, ugly port village outside of the forest, but Sonia stood hidden and followed the distant sound of trickling water. Sonia saw many people with ugly and filthy clothes walking among ships and wooden stands that were only selling what looked like old fish. They must smell, she thought. The only impressive thing about the place, was a ship the size of a mansion floating in the sea. Sonia heard running water nearby—a river—and although dying of thirst, she stood on the outskirts near the forest, kicking rocks and burning twigs to kill time. Time—as of now, it was all she had left. If Seren were here, Sonia would endlessly chatter about her day of exploring while Seren had been asleep, and how she stepped in a puddle, thought about mother and the summer castle, and everything else, except for the rabbit, of course.
Sonia waited for the sun to set; it was too dangerous to be sighted in clear view, what if there were slayers on patrol? Sonia did what her sister would do before exiting the forest: looked both ways, even behind her. If she had to grow up already, she would have to do everything Seren did. Quickly, as the world became still with the rising night, she sprinted to the river for a small sip. When she arrived at the edge, she saw fishes and her hunger overcame her thirst. With extreme accuracy, she dove her hand into the icy water and pierced the fish straight through its body. She caught one after another, making sure there was enough. Enough for who? She snapped out of her trance, and looked to her side, where she had laid the fish. There were over a dozen; she had unknowingly caught some to feed Seren, who wasn’t there. She slipped her hand out of the water and like that morning and slithered back into a lifeless reverie. Staring at nothingness was something she seemed to do often, whenever she failed. Yet again, she could do nothing right.