Falling petals

A Message

The setting filled with smoke and the stench of metals and iron and death. Blood rains around the area. A man gazed up at the gray sky, his eyes lost in the depths of his mind.
 
His armor covered with blood, both fresh and old; his own and those of others. But right now the blood of one specific person seem to be what stains him the most, the blood being both red as a living person but as well mixed with darkness that seems to be infested with something putrid and corrupt.
 
Time seems to have stood this way, not one thing appears to have moved at all; even when it appears that a battle was occurring around this man with hair as scarlet red as the blood that fills around him. Not one movement occurs in this world. That is, until something changes in the empty eyes of the man.
 
Something seems to snap in this picture frame, bit by bit the things happening around the man comes to life; bit by bit his lifeless eyes gained focus, the roar of war comes to life with him when he finally moves.
 
He wince in confusion: looks around in perplexity. Then a look of realization enters his mind when he notices the weight in his arms.
 
Sensing what this was and what he sees when he glanced down the man shuts his eyes.
 
'Let me wake up, I need to wake up! Why haven't I waken up yet!?'
 
He can hear the raging battle around him, the sounds of clashing and weapons meeting flesh, the stench of blood and iron and a horrid odor of decay fills his senses.
 
Yet his body freezes in fear not from all that, but by what he holds in his arms. A body still warm with deep and yet shallow breathing, the sticky sensation of blood covers his hands and he can feel it soak through his clothes.
 
"This is a nightmare! It is not real! Wake up, wake up!!"
 
He yells in desperation, wishing to wake up from this nightmare that he is plagued to see for how long now. He can not remember if he has been seeing it for just minutes or days. Yet this setting repeats itself in front of him multiple times.
 
Not all just like this, all the dreams could start in different ways yet all end up with a settled ending. he knew the end result of each one was the same, the same ending he never wants to witness in the world outside of this nightmare.
 
"Ugh... f-fa..ther "
 
He holds tighter to who is in his arms; to who called him. He knew this was all just a horrible dream, yet he could not throw away the person he holds shakenly in his arms.
 
"L-look at m..e. pl-please."
 
Crying he finally looks down, only to see what he had seen so many times now.
 
"My child... my precious baby."
 
He felt his heart constrict with pain and his breath was caught in his throat after he spoke, he gently holds her with one arm and shakenly reaches toward her face, his hand with her blood reaches his sight and he stops it inches away from touching her cheek, not wanting it to stain her face anymore that it already is.
 
But she looks up at him and smiles in a sense of joy to finally be looked at by her father. Knowing he stopped himself; she moves her head to rest on top of that open palm.
 
Feeling the twitch in his hand and the trembling of his touch, she smiles in an indescribable way, that it was hard to tell if it was in mockery of him or herself.
 
"Father..."
 
Her voice leaves her lips as if in a whisper.
 
"Please... please don't speak, soon... soon help will come."
 
Weeping in such a way while trying to reassure her reminded her how even with all those tears and crumbled up face he was still a handsome man that girls in her age will still throw themselves onto him. Her father who was called a timeless beauty by both genders. She wanted to laugh but did not want to waste anymore time.
 
"We bo-cough! Ugh... b-both know... t-they won't ma- ugh!"
 
Clutching her teeth, she takes deep shallow breaths and continues even when he begs her to not speak.
 
"They will not... make it uhgh- in.. time."
 
"No! This time! This time they will! So do not worry, I will be here when they do, right by your side!"
 
She chuckles but felt intense pain from her chest when she did. Coughing more blood and feeling her lungs struggling to take in air reminds her that even when she was chained away by the gods, it was the most merciful thing that gods could have done. Because those chains held away the corruption from her soul so the pain of her soul being broken down wasn't felt.
 
Laughing in her mind, she could not understand why that specific god was so merciful and kind, she remembered when she first met them, that god cried for her in each attempt. Yet it never gave up on her, however they were forced to rip her soul into two by the other gods and she can see the pain it caused them when they had no choice to witness that excruciating moment.
 
'The god of death and dark magic... valued life and existence of the creatures of this earth more than that so called god of light and life...'
 
Enduring the pain and trying to return back to her main goal she looks deeply into his eyes while weakly holding onto the hand in her cheek.
 
"Listen to me one last time, before I am chained away."
 
"No! You won't. I won't let it take over you again!"
 
"I will, there is no saving me from the corruption."
 
She looks at him with resolution and with acceptance of her fate. She ignored the pain piercing her chest and spoke clearly without pause. She focused on getting this message out, even if it means she will lose her rationality even more.
 
"The future... it will remain the same even if you know what will happen."
 
"What...? How- how do you!?"
 
That's when he noticed the atmosphere was different in this dream than the other ones, here it seems the battle around them dodged them, yet he felt the eyes of each person and corrupted creatures on him.
 
A chill ran through his spine when he noticed this but quickly went away when he felt her hand grip tighten over his own.
 
"A message... my only message I can give you that I'm allowed to say. If you meet that cursed bastard, you will lose your rationality because of the blessing bestowed upon her."
 
Before she could say anymore she felt a piercing pain in her heart, taking a deep and painful breath to quell the scream that was going to leave her mouth. She took more deep breaths of pain. But it did not stop her to tell him what she needed to say.
 
"The only way you can go against that curse of a blessing is if you toss aside your reverence for the god who gave her that blessing."
 
She coughed and wheezed when she felt her heart be squeeze, she now knows that blasted god caught on to her acts and the god of death must be trying to buy her more time when she felt the chains circle around her heart in a protective manner.
 
'It seems she isn't fully aware yet what I'm trying to do, if they did they would have instantly crush me rather than just punish me with this pain.'
 
"Stop worshiping the god of light, it is fine to act like you still do, but don't put emotion in it or but faith in it, then their power won't have a hold over you."
 
Feeling the chains begin to manifest through her limbs, she can tell her time was up, the pain that was going through her body diminished when the chains spread around her, she knew the god of death could not give her anymore time. But she was already thankful for the amount they were able to give her.
 
"If you want to change this cycle of misfortune. Listen to me. Please!"
 
And like that transparent chains wrap around her, darkening from the corruption of her soul.
 
Mihkael watches this unfold. He frantically tries to remove the chains but they slip through the fingers, never allowing themselves to be touched.
 
"What is this!? Why can I not remove them!?!"
 
She can only sigh, she wished she could say more, but another force interfered and the chains tightened around her.
 
Grimacing in pain, she knew that blasted god has gained a hold of the chains as well, she can feel the protection the god of death placed on her was being obstructed by the goddess of light. Slowly her body began to deteriorate out of the dream while a different battle began for control over the chains wrapped around her.
 
"Sakura!? Sakura!!"
 
Mihkael hastily reaches out to the ashes that was the only thing left by his daughter, he watches as it is being swept by the wind, he reaches and tries to pull it all back, as if believing with that action he can solidify her body again, yet it crumbles through his fingers and slips away.
 
His last image of her was her melancholy smile while it fully crumbles away in his hand that was placed in her cheek again.
 
Feeling the weight fully disappear. The defending sound of battle became silent in his ears, as if something snap in his mind, he stumbled up to his feet, not once looking away from his hands that had lost the one thing they were supposed to cherish.
 
His stilled hands began to tremble. He slowly looked up and the tears just streamed down his face: rage, sorrow, pain, and so many more negative things ran through him until one remained over them all.
 
His eyes held agony, but it soon turned to burning rage, his jaw was clenched so hard that blood slid down his lips.
 
"Why... what has my daughter done that she is condemned to this type of fate!!! What did we do wrong that you control us like damn puppets!?"
 
He glares at the sky, the sky that began to darken and seems to swallow his whole surrounding. Only his conscious remains and a fleeting voice that seems to try to answer his rage filled words.
 
"I am sorry... truly. I am."
 
He felt his soul tremble from the overwhelming presence of that voice. A voice that holds power humans always dreams to have or even glimpse at.
Mihkael knew that voice belonged to one of their gods. One of the first being from this earth of theirs. He didn't have time to think who it may have been before he snapped awake.
 
"Papa!!"
 
Trembling he sits up, he can feel the sweat trickle down his temple and soak his clothes and sheets.
 
He can still feel the pressure in his soul, but it slowly began to diminish to nothing. But that moment never left his mind. The fear and reverence still remains, until he heard his precious child's voice that was like melody to his ears.
 
"Papa?"
 
Focusing on the voice, he locks eyes with his and his wife's precious treasure. The shadow of panic and distress visible in those amber silvery eyes, the black of the pupils popping out through those light eyes, as if to display their total focus on him.
 
He can see his haggard appearance. He had lost weight in just so little time that he almost couldn't recognize himself. His expression mirrored hers and he can see as well the horror displayed in his own eyes. His breathing rugged from the experience he had. Yet all that went out of the window when he saw his child.
 
His reaches out and gently cups her face in his shaken hands, tears begin to swell up from his eyes and one by one began to fall from his face. He takes in her confusion and bewildered expression and he felt relief that what he sees isn't her dead cold expression, but one that is filled with life.
 
Just that thought made him let out a whimper, the memories of those dreams surfacing in his mind caused that small whimper to become heartbreaking sobs. He fully embraces his child and cradles her in his arms while he let's out his mournful voice.
 
Sakura remained in his arms, albeit confused she did not push him away and rather wrapped her arms around him; clumsily pat after pat in the back in a way an adult would comfort a child.
 
Feeling this small arms and the light touch if her palm in his back he tighten his hold as buried his face on the crook of her neck.
 
Only the muffled cries and the light pats on his back was heard in the room. Raphael couldn't say anything and just shared a worried gaze with Azrael when noticing Mihkael state when he woke up. Both men can tell that his friend must have experienced something worse than the usual dreams he had. This one must have been stronger than the last ones.

They want to ask what happened but decided to just let him release all that emotions he felt, after they would ask him.

'For now... letting him express himself would do us all good then him suppressing it.'

Raphael lightly sighs and glances up, he wonders when all this pain will end, when will his important family finally have peace without this whole mess. Truly... when.