City in the Clouds

Chapter 21

(Lynx's POV)

"INKY!!!!"

It was all my fault, I shouldn't have left her alone.

"INKY!!!! WHERE ARE YOU???"

I found her, collapsed on the ground.

"Inky!" I managed, cradling her head gently. "Why does one of us always have to fall unconscious? Normally it's me... but why does it always have to happen?" I laughed bitterly.

"Why can't I ever leave you?" I wondered aloud to her unconscious face. "I know you want to kill me. I should just leave you alone and go my separate way just like I said I would."

"Oh, come on! Don't make that sort of face at me! Fine, since you're begging I guess I'll stay..."

It wasn't as If I was actually going to leave her in this sort of state, just seeing her like this was driving me mad.

"You know, I think I like you a lot more when you're unresponsive. You're less sarcastic."

"Lynx?" Inky moaned stirring slightly.

"Inky, what happened?" I demanded, realizing that if she'd been attacked I could be endanger too.

"B- Book." She managed to breath before returning to her unconscious state.

I glanced around. Sure enough, no more than 20 feet away there lay a book. I gently lay Inky down and walked over to the book. It was bound in tarnished red leather and the pages had yellowed in age. I carefully picked up the book and stared at the page it had been opened to.

Glaring back at me with piercing green eyes was the image of a muscular man with spikey light brown hair holding a gun in either hand. Behind him rose the remains of a destroyed city, some of the skyscrapers were still smoking, and he stood atop a mountain of skulls. Under the image, in small letters was the caption:

'Scythe the Destroyer of Worlds'

Looking over at the next page I found his whole biography.

'Scythe was born on the small planet of Tekquenca 15 years before their centennial Ragnarok Celebration. Ragnarok is known through out the hundreds of galaxies as dooms day. Every one hundred years Tekquenca would enter a state of madness. Killing was allowed and anarchy reigned for a full year. At the end of this year the strongest of the Tekquencian people would be crowned as king. But that Ragnarok Celebration was the last the Tekquencian people would ever celebrate.

It was in that year of Ragnarok that Scythe found his calling in life; murder. His rare magical ability only amplified his talents even further and before the end of the year was up he had killed almost every single Tekquencian on the planet.

The Emperor of Miseroria, who loved the sight of bloodshed had set up satellites around the planet to observe their age long custom. He delightfully observed Scythe's  year long reign of terror. When it had ended The Emperor congratulated Scythe for his accomplishments in battle and as a reward gave him the hand of his beautiful, yet equally malicious daughter.

The outcome of the engagement is so far undetermined, although the signs point to the two of them marrying.'

I turned the page, hoping to find more. There was something about this man that scared Inky and I was determined to discover more about him. But instead on the next page I found a picture of a woman with dark skin and smooth looking black hair. The caption read:

'Nyx, Mistress of Cats'

Something about her seemed familiar, where had I seen her before? I quickly scanned the description but to my disappointment it was short and gave away no information.

'Nyx is the creator of cats. She has the disturbing habit of changing all women who seek her out into furniture for her house. Nyx is currently searching for her cat who ran away from her many years ago. Not much else is known about Nyx.'

Creator of cats? How can someone create cats? That's ridiculous.

I closed the book and read the cover.

"Prophecies For-Told by the High Priestess... Sealyon? Sillyon? Celine Dion? Whatever, it's probably just a pile of garbage anyway." I grumbled before carefully placing it in Inky's bag.

I may think that it's a pile of garbage but I'm not an idiot. If this book really does tell the future then I'm not going to just throw it away.

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My dreams that night were strange.

I was running- no, chasing after a girl. I couldn't see her features but I knew I had to catch her. But it was no use, no matter how hard I ran I wasn't gaining an inch on her. Then I tripped and fell. When I looked up the girl was gone.

"Lynx, You have to find her!" Cried a woman's voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

"But how do I find her?" I yelled back.

Inky appeared before me, her expression blank and her eyes empty of all compassion.

"Inky?"

She stared down at me with her unfathomable eyes and in a strange voice she said, "I know where the girl is, I can help you find her. But be warned! If I reach the girl first, then I WILL kill her."

Inky disappeared and I found myself falling through darkness. I landed in a sea but found I couldn't swim, I was drowning.

I woke up with a jolt gasping for breath, next to me Inky stirred slightly but remained unconscious.

As much as I tried I couldn't get what Inky had said out of my head.

"If I reach the girl first, then I WILL kill her."