The Year Of Rain

Forgiveness and memories

The Nightmare Frontier had never felt this eerie. It was a cold, dark place, yet it held a gentleness in its very nature, one nobody would expect to find in a land like this. A soft beauty hidden beneath the gore and terror, like a precious treasure guarded desperately attempt by the horrors residing within.

"What is life without a little fright?" Grandpa asked you one day. "What is peace without the threat of war? One can only appreciate the light when lost amidst the dark." he continued, as scarlet flams danced on the tips of his fingers. "It's not always east, but once you learn to look for it, you will see the world's true beauty."

You closed your eyes, remembering his words, and trying to apply his advice, but the tension in the air made it too hard to do it. The Great Ones were no rulers of this realm, yet still held some influence over it, whether they realized it or not. A mirror reflecting their thoughts and feelings.

You inhaled deeply, holding it in for a few seconds before exhaling again. This coldness...it was all to familiar, having felt it so many times, creeping through your insides, clutching your heart, and stealing the words from your throat. The air was heavy, hard to breath, the once white, blank sky now filled with grey clouds, large raindrops pouring down on you, whipping at your face with fury. The gravestones looked more ominous than before, creepy noises echoing from the caves sending shivers down your spine. The Wandering Nightmares which usually would run away at your sight didn't do so now, their dark eyes fixating you as if trying to peer inside your very soul. The song of the Winter Lanterns, usually gentle, was ridden with melancholy and pain.

The other creatures of the Nightmare Frontier were staring at you, their presence which before was barely felt, screaming in your face now. Rejects, horrors and forlorn, this was their home, protected by a monstrous, gentle god, who now was hurt and grieving for a bond it feared lost. And all because of you.

You gulped, each step feeling heavier and draining more strength than the previous one. You wanted to turn back and run, forsake that place, and never set foot there again. But you didn't. You proceeded, gathering every bit of courage in your body, ignoring the glares digging into the back of your neck at the best of your abilities. You had to go through with this. No matter what.

Finally, you reached Amygdala's Chamber, the Great One perched on the top of its tower, back turned against you, seeming to stare at the endless, dark sky. You looked at it for a few minutes, the slumped shoulders, the hunched posture. Sadness was written all over it, guilt and shame spreading through your heart. A creature as gentle and kind deserved no such pain.

"H-hey." you called out, voice meek, hair glued to your face as tears mixed with the rain.

It flinched, turning slowly to look at you, yellow eyes tinted red at the edges. Before it had a chance to move at all, you spoke again, the words rushing to your mouth in an uncontrollable avalanche, threatening to suffocate you should they be held back any longer.

"I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY FOR HURTING YOU! ALL YOU DID WAS TRY TO SAVE ME AND I...I..." you broke down, covering your face, dirtied with snot, rain and tears. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." you cried, crouching down from the weight of it all.

Suddenly, you felt something hard around you, Amygdala's head pressing against your, all eyes closed. Without thinking, you held onto it, throwing your hands around its neck as if doing otherwise would make it vanish, gone from your life once and for all.

"Thank you..." you whispered through sniffs and sobs, "for everything you did for me, for carrying for me and my family...thank you...please don't feel bad for what happened...please don't be sad..."