EmpireVerse

Chapter eight

Complete silence. A deafening sound of nothingness. He hated it. You would think someone like him would relish it, but he did not. Sure, he cherished silence now and then, but something was missing. 

Perhaps the sound of her breathing as they read a book together? Or the background noise of her constant chattering of who knows what. He missed it. The positivity and sadness of this nostalgic feeling nearly drove him to madness. 

"Fell! You imbecile, come!" The skeleton, who went by 'Fell', came forward. He landed on bended knee with sweat down his forehead. What was it now? 

"Find Luna." Fell nodded, then ran out of the throne room to retrieve the hell hound... Leaving Nightmare in complete silence once more. Luna has become mean these days... But she was still docile to Nightmare. Maybe her loud panting could fill in the pregnant silence.

~~~~

"One love doth make the other cry? Nay, the lover sacrifices all she has to him who knowth not." Mari stared at the book she was reading to pass the time. It confused her a little, but she supposed it was a love story... Unless it was about death. In which case, she didn't like it.

"Blue! How DARE you come back here with those boots!" A girl-like scream rang in the small cottage. No, not Raspberry's, but Blue. In short, he screamed like a girl. Raspberry must've hit him with a spoon again.

Ink began to cough up a storm again. He had sounded quite ill lately. He also had become quite the poet lately. He would never show anyone his poems, but Mari once snuck a glimpse at a letter he was sending out. It had beautiful lettering and words, and a beautiful rose was drawn at the end of the page. 

Blue has taken a liking to teasing him about his strange obsession. Blue thinks he has a secret lover. Ink swears that he doesn't, which isn't something Ink would lie about. He has a side job where he writes love letters for people, as some are illiterate. Somehow, this was embarrassing for Ink. This leads Blue further into his conspiracy that Ink has a secret lover.

Despite all this, Mari could never find much joy in the day. Only temporary moments that lasted for a small while. She sighed and flipped through her book again trying to find something she could relate to. When she was unable to find anything, she huffed out a breath of air and placed it on her side, and decided to talk a walk outside.

She was jokingly halted by Blue. "Heya friend! How are you this evening?" As a lady,  she was expected to curtsy and ask him the same. But due to certain circumstances, she shrugged and trudged away. Blue's smile faltered, and he became worried. He decided to let her alone and stay put. At least for now.

Mari made her way to the new Sun Empire gate to the royal garden. It was nothing like the old castle garden, but it was better than nothing. She found a pear tree and sat below it, hugging her knees. "One love doth make the other cry? Nay, the lover sacrifices all she has to him who knowth not." she repeated the quote from the book. The only line she could relate to.

"Oh Prince of the Night- where art thou?" she smiled at her own terrible, cliche verse. Nightmare used to make those all the time... Does he still do that? Where ever he is? Her lip trembled. Her tears melted her make-up. She then stood up and pulled the hood of her dress coat over her head.

She began to stumble towards the forest... Otherwise known as the Neutral Zone. The split between the Moon Empire and Sun Empire... Her slow walk turned into a clumsy run, then into the run of one driven mad. She tripped over a rock and ended up passed out on the ground.

~~~~

"She wakey?" A low, gravelly voice disturbed Mari from what she thought was sleep. "Ahh. Yes. The lady waketh." A second voice confirmed the first voice's question. Mari shot upward, realizing that she had not fallen asleep. She had passed out.

She looked around to see very, very old goblins. One appeared to be a very ugly woman, the other an even worse man... Maybe an old couple? Mari wasn't familiar with goblins, but she knew they were quite polite, so she need not worry more than she already was.

"Wha... What happened?" The female goblin slowly patted her head. "Do not worry, child... You had just fallen asleep!" "Yeezzzz... Sleepy- hehehe!" the male one agreed. 

"Oh no... I cannot be here! I must go!" "Wait, m'lady! You mustn't walk! Which Empire do you abide in? We could not find your Empire's mark." The Empire mark... A mark tattooed into the right side of your face and into your soul... She did not want to be marked yet, to Dream's disappointment. But he understood... 

"Moon." She declared without thinking. The goblins began to make grunting noises as if to disapprove. "Hm... Tell that awful Emporer of yours to keep his boney fingers off our kind!" the female one spat. The male one, seeming to finally catch onto the new mood, spat on the ground.

"Yezzz! Away! Filthy Moonies!" The female kicked the other one. "Ohhh hush up!" All doubt had disappeared if there was doubt about them being married. "I do not blame you child... You're face is blessed with beauty, and so is your soul." She pointed to Mari's chest, summoning her soul.

It was an upside-down heart, glowing white... A monster soul... The glow was bright- signifying purity and beauty... As well as strength and love. "I see... You are in love! Your soul burns deeply with passion and seems to cry for her love." Mari felt emotional at this.

"Yes... I wish I had noticed this sooner. But now it is too late..." "No! My child! Never late! When I met Stick, my soul had shined brighter than ever. He then was sent off to war, and came back stupider than ever! But I still love him."

Assuming Stick was her husband, she had an unwanted thought of the two kissing. She wished it out of her mind. But listened to the wise, old goblin anyways. "But my child, you need to break this barrier between you and your love. For your soul tells your story- go, and find him, before he is swallowed into the darkness with no chance for return!"

Mari became teary-eyed and held her hands close to her chest. "Moonie! Leave! Go find love!" Stick shouted. "Wait... What is your name, dear goblin?" "Ahh... My name is-" her name was impossible to say, as it was a series of tongue clicks and shouting. But Mari went for it, anyways. "Thank you... I will never forget you!" 

She stood up and ran... A large, eerie tower came into view... Then more towers... And more... The Moon Empire entrance was finally in view... But how could she enter? Nightmare wasn't himself... What if- No... She mustn't think that. She needs to be reunited with her beloved...

"Please... Nightmare... Remember me..."