The Night's Broken Daughter

[Medium]

Mmmm.

Dahlien is a little troublemaker >:)

He has a big heart. I like him. Looking forward to more!! I love this

[S. Stormy]

1 minute ago, CalanoCorvus said:

 

Dahlien is a little troublemaker >:)

He has a big heart. I like him. Looking forward to more!! I love this

Yay! I'm so happy I made him come across as having a different personality than Nya. Drawing characters differently from each other is hard.

[Medium]

Just now, Shallan Stormblessed said:

Yay! I'm so happy I made him come across as having a different personality than Nya. Drawing characters differently from each other is hard.

I wholeheartedly agree lol.

You've created two well written, lovable, and enjoyable characters here though. And I am ALL for it.

[S. Stormy]

3 minutes ago, CalanoCorvus said:

I wholeheartedly agree lol.

You've created two well written, lovable, and enjoyable characters here though. And I am ALL for it.

Thank you so much!! That is VERY good to hear.

[Cinnamon]

Oooohhh new POV character!!! I really like this chapter the only thing that I’d change was when Dahlien says Storms;

Quote

“Storms, but I need to think things through more often.”

It kind of brought me out of the story because that curse doesn’t fit with the world. Maybe you could do like “Stars!” He cussed “I need to think things through more often.” Or ‘Midnight’ or ‘ink’ or ‘by the sun’ or something else. If you do, you should probably make clear that he is using it as an exclamation of annoyance and he’s not just saying an extra word.

Otherwise? Chefs kiss <3

[Shadowed]

that made me want to give Dahlien a giant hug because he’s so sweet and kind and i love it 

I agree with Cinnamon on the storms thing, it makes sense to people on a Cosmere fansite but wouldn’t necessarily be seen as a curse by a wider audience and could come across a bit random.

Otherwise, this is a m a z i n g as usual 

[S. Stormy]

THANK YOU!!

On the google docs, I have "storms" and then a comment saying to change it later(because storms is actually my instinct to say when something goes wrong. I have trained myself to say that, so that's my natural thing when I'm writing because that's what I would say). Sorry I didn't say that. But I am planning to fix it.

[Cinnamon]

10 hours ago, Shallan Stormblessed said:

THANK YOU!!

On the google docs, I have "storms" and then a comment saying to change it later(because storms is actually my instinct to say when something goes wrong. I have trained myself to say that, so that's my natural thing when I'm writing because that's what I would say). Sorry I didn't say that. But I am planning to fix it.

 hehe … YKYASW

[S. Stormy]

Ten-Departure

Nya

Spoiler

Nya leaned against a tree, trying to catch her breath. She hadn’t run all that far, but the mind-yelling had sapped a lot of her energy. 

The Broken Ones were my only lead to the Day, she thought. I can’t do anything now.

A powerful loneliness washed over her once again, and her knees buckled and hit the ground. A now-familiar burning started in her nose and she started to cry. 

What does this accomplish? The thought only made her cry harder because she couldn’t answer. She felt useless. She had a goal. Find the Day, use the Inktorch to break the Day. And here she was, all alone, crying against a tree.

 But stupid as it seemed, Nya couldn’t deny it felt good. She had just shed a few tears before. Now, sobbing openly, she felt more… honest. She held her strange clothing to her nose, trying to dampen the flow.

I’m sorry, Night. I wasn’t strong enough, wasn’t brave enough to go with them. And now they’re gone, taking their knowledge of the Day with them.

That was when she realized she didn’t even have the Inktorch. Doubly hopeless. 

What an idiot I am.

Her cheeks continued to be wettened. She was dehydrating herself, and she couldn’t stop. It seemed to Nya that hours passed, although it was probably only a few minutes. 

After an indeterminable amount of time, she managed to regain control of herself. Her sobs faded to sniffles, and she stood up, wiping her face in vain. 

Okay.

I’m okay.

I’m okay.

I’m okay.

She exhaled, her breath shaking. Where was she? The surrounding area was barren, unlike the carefully cultivated grass of the town. Nya shielded her eyes as she looked around, trying to find a landmark of some kind. She wiped her nose, still sniffling a bit. A bit of shine on the horizon caught her attention, and she decided there wasn’t much else to do but to walk towards it.

* * *

As Nya approached, it became clear that the shine was a thin stream. Her only hope was to follow it: that way she would always have somewhere to go without getting hopelessly lost.  The logic was frail, but she just wanted to do something, to go somewhere instead of just sitting there. And the stream would offer a certain water source. Had she seen a stream in town?

So Nya walked, trying to stave off the fear, and the loneliness, and the despair, by moving.

It didn’t work so well.

INSERT VIEWPOINT SWITCH SYMBOL HERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE COOL

Dahlien walked, trying to distract himself from his thirst by listing his duties as a Bright One.

It wasn’t very cheerful, and he was so caught up in his self-pity that he nearly missed the glimmer of light on the horizon. A jolt of hope gave him new energy. 

“Water?” he wondered aloud. As he thought, he noticed that the river curved around his location and pointed to the town, and he had somehow missed it. 

“Am I blind?” he mumbled to himself, feelingーonce againーlike an idiot. He picked up the pace, hoping to reach the river before the sun reached its zenith.

INSERT VIEWPOINT SWITCH SYMBOL HERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE COOL

Nya stared. Was she hallucinating? She thought she saw a person on the horizon. Who was it? For a tired, confused second she thought it was her Night. 

Fool. She wouldn’t come for you. You’re not Hers. She’s not your Night.

Then who was it?

INSERT VIEWPOINT SWITCH SYMBOL HERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE COOLx

“Is that a person?” Dahlien was startled enough that the words just came out. “But that’s nothing new,” he muttered wryly. Anyway, it was someone. Could it be the girl? As he had the thought, he realized he didn’t even know her name.

“I’ll just call her Night,” he said to himself. The name fit her, somehow: fit her solemness, and her silence. She had charmed him anyway.

“Do I like her?” he wondered. “Can you like someone from just two meetings? They always say infatuation and love are two different things. So I guess you probably can.” As he spoke, he realized his face was hot. “This is ridiculous,” he murmured.

As he pondered the nature of love, he realized time had gone by faster than he had realized. He saw Night, and her eyes seemed to see him, even through the great distance.

 INSERT VIEWPOINT SWITCH SYMBOL HERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE COOL

Nya glanced at the small person on the horizon. She was so tired…

She knew him. Was it? Was it the boy she’d helped? He was walking… towards her.

Nya picked up speed. The only hope she had of being loved. He was here.

Without making a conscious decision to run, she found her legs were moving of their own accord.

He was farther away than she thought. But, despite how reckless the decision to run had been, she didn’t stop. 

Please, she thought to him. Please don’t leave now.

And then. Finally. She got to him. 

Nya reached to embrace him, then paused.

I don’t even know his name. 

“It’s okay,” he said. 

And he hugged her.

“Well, now that we’ve done that…” he said, “what’s your name?” He laughed. 

“Nya,” she said, hardly able to believe that she was talking to someone else.

“I’m Dahlien,” he said. “I was… I was actually coming to… um, to rescue you.”

“Why?”

“Well, I guess I underestimated you.”

Nya frowned, not understanding. “No,” she said. “I mean… why try? You don’t…. don’t know me.”

“You saved me from wandering in the forest. I couldn’t let them… let them…”

Nya shook her head. “You… you… would? Would risk yourself?”

“Yeah? I mean, wouldn’t anyone?”

Nya looked away. “I… I don’t know.”

Dahlien laughed, though she hadn’t said anything funny. She looked down. 

Why is it that I can’t convey the things I want to say? 

He blushed, then paused. “Um… So. What were you doing in the forest?”

“I live there.”

A look of shock passed over his face, but he tried to conceal it. And failed miserably. 

“Yup. Okay then. That… makes sense. I think. Anyway…” Dahlien was clearly trying not to get distracted, but his curiosity won out. “Sorry… why do you live in the forest?”

“My parents didn’t want me. At least… that’s what the Night told me.”

“The what?”

She continued to explain her life, leaving out the part about breaking the Day. He tried and failed to hide his bafflement at each new detail. When she finished, he was miraculously silent for a few seconds.

“Wow. Nya, I’m sorry. That’s… sad. I’m. I'm... so sorry that you were punished for helping me.”

“It's okay. Where is the Day?”

“...What do you mean?” he said evasively.

“Where’s the Day? The entity called the Day?”

“That’s what I thought you meant. I just wantd to check.” He sighed. “The Day… He’s  in a meadow behind our house. Far, far behind our house: it stands out. It’s unnatural. You… you can’t miss it.”

He tried to smile, but it was forced. 

Nya smiled at him. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“You’re… welcome. I guess. Do you want to go home? I mean, to my home? Like, my town?”

Nya’s mouth fell open in surprise. “I… can stay? With you?”

“Of course. You were… basically disowned because of me.”

Nya felt a stab of guilt. He was trying to repay her for her pain, and she was about to kill his deity. 

What a mess.

I got a new chapter done! I feel bad tagging you again, but...

Wait, the tags aren't working. Weird.

@Shadowed @Cinnamon @CalanoCorvus

Now they are!

Edited April 8, 2023 by Shallan Stormblessed

[Medium]

pfft

"What a mess."

that pretty much sums up the whole plot of this so far. i love it.

this is so fun i'm invested

[Shadowed]

yayyy a chapter with nya and dahlien!!

i really like how you can see the differences in character when they’re placed side by side like that. and dahlien is still adorable 

 

[Cinnamon]

10 hours ago, Shallan Stormblessed said:

 INSERT VIEWPOINT SWITCH SYMBOL HERE BECAUSE THOSE ARE COOL

haha, yes!

I like this chapter it’s adorable! Also, please keep tagging me! I’m invested (not Cosmerically sadly)

 

[S. Stormy]

It's SO fun to hear y'all's comments.

In my doc, I have them smile at each other in the next chapter, and I have a series of comments highlighting that part:

aaah i ship it

I mean, I should

since I'm the one writing it

[S. Stormy]

Chapter Ten: Blackness

Nya

Spoiler

Nya leaned against the door, feeling like a drained wineskin. Inside, Dahlien was getting a tongue-lashing by his mother. Nya didn’t feel bad for him: she wanted what he had. 

Nya wasn’t bitter about his getting lost and her… mishap because of it. It had been her decision to help him, and the Night had become enraged. That wasn’t his fault. What was his fault was his decision to divulge the information of the Day’s location. And he would be burned by it.

Nya bit her lip, trying to turn off the burning in her eyes.

I’m sorry, so sorry, she thought to Dahlien. He seemed so… genuine. So innocent. She didn’t want to hurt him.

But the memory of her Night’s rage fueled her betrayal, and she wanted the Night’s heart. She needed it, her mother’s love.

Come on. You know perfectly well that the Night isn’t your mother. She said so.

Nya closed her eyes, wishing so vehemently for her Night’s love.

Not my Night. The Night, Nya. 

Nya sighed, allowing herself to wallow in grief and guilt for a few seconds, then opened her eyes and put on a happy, grateful face for Dahlien.

Dahlien emerged from the house and sighed. 

“Well, sorry Nya, but… well, Mother won’t let you stay here. Sorry.”

“Oh. Well, that’s okay. I mean, it’s not that I’m not used to it. You know, forest and all that.” She shrugged, and he smiled.

“That’s a good point. Sorry again.”

“That’s all right. Um… can I have my torch back?” she asked him sheepishly.

“Oh yes!” Dahlien exclaimed, and handed it to her. “So… what is it, exactly?”

“It’s… It’s a torch. Of darkness.”

He nodded. “Yeah… I mean, I kind of figured that part out on my own. So… I guess what my question should be is: why do you have it?”

Nya bit her lip. She couldn’t tell him why.

But I have him now. I have someone with me. Do I need the Night?

Just thinking the words made her start to panic. Her own emotions surprised her. Shouldn’t just having a friend be all she needed? Someone to love?

I guess love isn’t about quantity. You can’t just replace one kind with another…

Will I ever stop missing Her if I don’t break the Day?

Something told her that she wouldn’t.

That hurt. 

“Nya? Are you okay?”

I just want my mother, she thought. Childish. But she wanted Dahlien. 

There’s nothing to do. 

Wait.

Can I just be honest?

“Dahlien…” she said, preparing herself. 

What am I doing?

“I. The Night told me that: If Iーif I broke the Dayー”

“Break the Day? Nya, what are you talking about? Why in the world would you do that?” His voice was panicked, and the harsh words seemed to stab her in the heart. “I’m sorry, Dahlien. I’m so sorry,” she said, the words and her voice broken. “But just listen. Make your decision if you’ll love me or not once I’m done. But..” here she had to sit down on the ground. “...please. Give me a chance.”

Dahlien’s eyes were wide, and he held out his hands. “Nya, I’ve known you for… well, it’s complicated because we met and then a while later we met againーAnyway. I can’t just decide if I’m going to love yー”

“Please… please just be quiet.”

He opened his mouth to agree, then shut it and nodded.

So Nya forced out the story of the Night’s ultimatum.

And it was hard. She wanted to just curl up on the ground and sob. She wanted so many things, and none of them were feasible.

Dahlien once again stared at her when she was done, and for the first time, he looked pained.

“Nya. I understand you’re sorry.” His voice was regretful. Uncharacteristically serious. His eyes were scared, but he looked determined. The dark feelings turned the normally cheerful, bubbly boy into… an enemy. Someone to fear. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry too,” he said softly.

With that, he punched her in the stomach. S

he doubled over, struggling for breath.

He picked her up.

He carried her into a dark place.

And he left her there.

Chapter Eleven - Daygiven

Dahlien

Spoiler

His mother was at the door.

Dahlien only knew this because he could see her reflection in the mirror. The one next to the wall he was staring at.

Nya I understand you’re sorry

His words echoed in his mind.

I’m sorry I’m sorry too

She had looked so scared.

“I think,” his mother’s voice said, “it was the right thing to do. I don’t know why you did it. But Dahlien? You’re not the kind of person who punches people without a good reason. So… I trust you.”

At least one of us does.

Dahlien could, very faintly, hear Nya crying in the locked basement.

“I trust you…” his mom continued, “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what happened.”

“She was going to break the Day, Mother. She was raised by the Night.”

Raised by the Night to break the Day, he thought numbly. A small part of him admired the poetic symmetry. The rest of him was miserable.

“Okay,” she said, “And?”

“She led me home when I got lost in the forest. She lit a fire. Her Night got mad and said she had to break the Day.”

“Sounds unfortunate,” she said, her voice uncaring. His mother had never been good at making up emotions. Masking emotions? Sure. But pretending to have ones that weren’t there? Nope.

So why didn’t she care?

“You don’t understand. You didn’t see her eyes. She was so… so scared.”

“I’m sure she was.”

He hated the condescending way she said that.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that she deserーthat it was necessary. She’s going to break the Day. And so she needs to be stopped. That’s all there is to it, Dahlien. You always did overcomplicate things.”

“No!” 

His scream startled his mother and her eyes widened. She was taken aback. It was something that a nasty, angry part of him always wanted to do when he was overwhelmed.

“Mother, this girl has known not a soul except her Night for sixteen years, and the Night is disowning her if she doesn’t do this. She. Will. Be. Alone. Don’t punish her for her Night’s anger.”

His mother was silent, and she seemed toーfinallyーunderstand.

“But Dahlien, you’re the one who punished her.”

“I know!” he sobbed. The anger wasn’t at her. It was at himself. “I punished her, I captured her. Because that’s what you always taught me to do if someone threatened our Day.” 

Her face softened.

“I’m sorry, Dahlien. That’s what I was taught too. Because…”

“When I was a little girl that didn’t fully understand anything, my parents taught me a story that I didn’t fully appreciate. It was the story of the first Day.

“The first Day was a young child. A six-year-old boy, one that was worthy: alone, scared, friendless. Daygiven found him, warmed him, calmed him, took him as its own.

“What’s that, you ask? What is Daygiven? Daygiven is the primal force of light and goodness. Flowers, growth, love, joy. Order and organization. This is Daygiven.

“Daygiven is power, but it has no mind: it is pure instinct. And its instinct drove it to its host, called the Minder. Where the two incomplete ones met, they became the Day. This first Day’s creation formed a perfect tree: its trunk firm, young, and solid, its branches all-encompassing. It marks the place, and it still has some power. 

“This Minder was a boy, the one I spoke of before. He was too young to understand what had happened to him. So Daygiven, combined with the will of the Minder of Daygiven, managed to find his way to a town. The first Day found adults, ones that guided him to safety and raised him as their own. They were the first Keepers. 

“But hosting Daygiven for too long wears on the soul. Daygiven is a force that is unstoppable and powerful as… well, powerful as the Sun. Hosting it… shining for so long… takes a toll. Ten years after the boy became the Day, it became too much. He collapsed on the ground, the power of the Daygiven left behind. Daygiven was left willful and mindless, and was driven to another host. That Minder was the second Day, one of the Ones, the Keepers. 

“It was a miracle that Daygiven’s first-ever choice was someone worthy and strong enough to survive and break free. As the chosen Keepers, our duty is to protect the Day. If Daygiven is given free rein, it will choose the Minder least shaped by human minds and opinions. The least molded to our normal behaviorーthe one most similar to Daygiven. So usually the youngest. When we limit the nearby options, Daygiven is usually predictable.

“But when in an unpredictable, uncontrolled situation like your Broken friend would have created, Daygiven would be unpredictable. It could go to a random person. And without proper training, its power would consume them, meld with them. They would eventually die, taking Daygiven’s power with them, leaving nothing behind but darkness.”

Here, she stopped speaking, so Dahlien spoke. “What would that do?”

“I don’t know.”

The uncertainty scared him more than anything else could have. But seeing his fear, Mother spoke once more, uncharacteristically seeming to babble. “Well, I mean it could just fade to nothing, we don't know. I don't know. But..”

“But that’s not likely?”

“No. What we think would happen is… well, Night would reign.”

Night would reign.

@Cinnamon @Shadowed @CalanoCorvus

 

Woo, getting some lore.

[Medium]

wooooooah

that was

that was heavy

i am loving every second of this also

DAHLIEN NO DO NOT HURT HER PROTECT HER SHE IS NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD ITS OKAY TAKE HER AEAYBPLEASE HELP HER AGH FJSGDBDHSGS

[Telrao]

10 hours ago, Shallan Stormblessed said:

Woo, getting some lore.

YEMS LORE IS WONDERFUL

THIS IS SO STORMING GOOD SHALLAN AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

*throws REP and MUFFINS*

[Shadowed]

oooooooooooo

i LOVE the night/day ideas in this!! also the lore mmm yesyes

ahhh i just want to hug both of themmmm

*offers rep*

[S. Stormy]

New chapter! Sorry for the delay.

Chapter Twelve-Brother

Night

Spoiler

The Night was stretched and broken… Her essence was torn… She was… was… so tired…

Nya… please… don’t…

She would die. She’d die if She went too far, pushed too hard.

But time was running out. Her girl was smart. Strange, different than Her. But so sharp. Quick. 

Night’s Mind was filled with pain. Her Nya, Her daughter, thought that she was abandoned and alone.

I’m so sorry, Nya. You didn’t deserve this. You didn’t deserve any of this. 

Shame filled Her.

The shame. The same kind of shame that had filled Her parent’s eyes. 

Shame on you, her father had cried in his rage and grief.

Memories filled her Mind, not her instincts. Not the power. They filled the Mind. The Minder, she remembered. That’s what they called it… 

Memories filled her Mind. Old images that had once been locked in the back of her mind rose to see the darkness of night once again.

My name… she thought. My name… was Linae.

FIFTY YEARS PAST

What is that sound? Linae wondered, turning her head, trying to locate its source. While she was distracted, a small rubber ball hit her on the side of her head. She whipped her head around, glaring. “What was that for?”  she yelped, rubbing the side of her head. 

“Sorry, Lin,” Kini said playfully. “I thought you had eyes.”

“I do,” she said petulantly. She was annoyed, but her puzzlementーfor onceーovercame her rising temper. “I was distracted becauseーthere it was again! Someone singing.”

It seems familiar…

“Yeah, I hear it too,” Kini said casually. “Do most days.”

“What is it?”

She shrugged, then suddenly became interested in a blade of grass on the ground below her.

Linae stared at her. Kini was a bit odd, but this… was strange, even for her. “You mean you hear a little boy’s voice singing and talking daily but you don’t wonder what’s going on?”

“I wondered.” 

“Wait… you know, don’t you? You know what it is, don’t you?”

She nodded, finallyーand very suddenlyーlooked up to meet her eyes. “He’s… he’s our boy. We don’t interact with him at all, but we give him food.” Kini didn’t seem to hear the callousness of her words. 

“Kini. You’re a fool. How… how? Why?”

“Dunno.”

Linae felt sick.

“I have to go. Goodbye.” Linae had to do something. She knew it, her parents would definitely say so. What to do, though?

Kini stretched out a panicked hand toward her, then started to jog toward her. “Lin! Lin! Wait! My parents know what they’re doing. They told me that it’s okay, that he’s okay, and that it’s important.”

“He’s okay?”

“Yeah. He’s fine, they told me.”

“They said it’s important?”

Kini nodded timidly. “Mom told me that it was literally a matter of life and death.” 

“Are you sure? You believe them.”

“Yeah.” She seemed sure. At least, sure enough for Linae. 

If it was hurting him, I’m sure they wouldn’t do it.

What would I do, anyway? How could I, a twelve-year-old girl, do anything?

* * *

She remembered.

She had let him stay for months. It had nagged at her, sitting and festering in the back of her mind… until…

* * * 

The boy was singing again.

“Do you hear me,

do you know me,

Is there really someone there?

I’m just asking,

I’m just wanting,

Will you help me? I get scared…”

Linae listened, ignoring Kini and the world around her. 

I’ve covered my ears for long enough, she thought. “Kini. I’m going now. You said he doesn’t hurt because of you. He does, clearly. Goodbye.”

And she stormed out of the house. She ran through the fields, then stopped.

She could visit the boy now. I don’t have to tell her parents where I am, they’ll just think I’m still at Kini’s. She ran back to the house, careful to stay out of sight of the windows. While creeping around the exterior of the house, feeling like a criminal somehow, she spotted a window well leading into the basement. Careful not to make a sound, Linae looked at the window and found it was latched. Fortunately, it was locked from the outside. As she reached to unlatch it, she looked into the house, hoping to see the boy. 

There didn’t seem to be anyone there. She frowned, unlatching the window and carefully climbing in. As she did, she nearly stepped on a small form sitting on the floor, legs curled into himself. 

He was so little.

The boy looked up, his eyes wide. 

He looked… so familiar. Where had she seen echoes of that face before? She knew, somewhere in her mind. 

Shrinking away from her towards a corner, he finally spoke, his voice impossibly tiny. “Why are you here?”

“I’m here to help you,” she said. 

“Help me?”

And then it hit her. Where she had seen those eyes before. 

She saw them… every time she looked in the mirror.

This boy… looked so much like herーhis dark, dark eyes, their roundness. He had to be related to her. That was why his voice had seemed so similar… 

Brother. He’d been locked up in here for… his entire life. 

She’d known.

Linae stumbled back, horrified. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “I’ll be back.” Then she climbed back out the window and ran home.

@CalanoCorvus 

@Shadowed@Cinnamon

[Medium]

woaaaaaah

woah

WOAH

that was a LOT that was heavy oh my gosh holy crap

im invested so much yes wow woah

dude that was incredible

[Cinnamon]

asdfghjkkkkl!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WEH?! Whaaat???????

[Shadowed]

…woah

…WOAH

*cue incomprehensible rambling*

me very likey lots and lots of yes

somehow you managed to dump a load of lore and flashbacks on us at once without confusing me (and i am confused very easily lol) so have lots of kudos points

*throws all the rep*

[S. Stormy]

THANK YOU ALL!! I'm glad my lore made some sense!!!! This feedback is so fun, thank you thank you thank you!!!

[S. Stormy]

two short chapters: @Cinnamon @Shadowed @CalanoCorvus

Chapter Thirteen - Departure

Nya & Dahlien

Spoiler

Nya pounded at the door. Her fists hurt. She was sobbing, crying, yelling. Odd words that didn’t make sense came out of her mouth unbidden.

The truth was, she wasn’t angry at Dahlien. 

A little voice objected. That’s not the truth.

All right, fine. She was angry at Dahlien. But she knew that was unreasonable. She had led him to trust her, then told him she was planning to end all light. Of course he’d react negatively. So she wasn’t reasonably angry at Dahlien. He’d just been doing his duty. Stupid girl. 

And there it was. Here, she got to the truth. Nya wasn’t hating Dahlien. Nya was the fool. Nya was hating herself for ruining her chance. She had stupidly trusted Dahlien to not betray her--when his duty as a person was literally to protect the one she was trying to kill. What had she expected to happen?

* * *

Dahlien sat in his room, his mind turning over and over his mother’s words. 

Unfamiliar terms bounced around his head. Daygiven, Minder. Least familiar with humans…

Least influenced by humans…

A thought struck him. He dashed down the stairs, avoiding the creaky sections of floor, attempting to place his feet softly. He avoided the kitchen, and his mother’s bedroom: the places she’d most likely be. He hurried down to the locked basement, hearing all too well Nya’s panic. He grabbed the key from its hook next to the door. “Top-notch security we have here,” he mumbled to himself. The pounding on the door stopped abruptly. 

* * *

I know that voice.

It couldn’t be. He was the one who had put her in here.

And yet…

She watched, disbelieving, as the doorknob turned and the pathway out was opened. Nya stayed back. Hesitant, distrusting. Dahlien looked at her. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re free now. You can… you can do it.”

Nya didn’t move, her eyes fixed on his face. “Why?”

“It’s… a lot to explain. But… go.”

There was more in his mind, she could tell. She could, nearly, see his thoughts written on his face. Before I can slam this door closed. Before I leave you in here. Before my fear overcomes me.

Nya didn’t need to be told twice. She hurried out the door, and he closed the door, locking it behind.

“Hurry,” he said. “I don’t know where my mother is. The door is back there.” She nodded, and reached for the door. The pathway to being loved again.

Something stopped her. She turned back.

 “Thank you,” she said. 

And then she left.

* * *

Day is in a meadow far, far behind our house: it stands out. You can’t miss it.

Nya replayed Dahlien’s words in her mind. She could see a faint green on the horizon. Could that be it?

As time passed and the blur sharpened, she soon came to realize that yes indeed, it was a meadow.

And there?

She’d find forgiveness.

Once her Inktorch found its mark.

Chapter Fourteen - Months

Nya & The Night

Spoiler

FIFTY YEARS PAST

Linae burst through the door, panting. Her parents, both in the front room, looked at her, alarmed. 

“I!” she started to say, then stopped. “I…”

“What is it?” her mother asked. She sat down on the floor, still 

“The Keepers… they’re keeping a little boy in the basement. They don’t talk about him, but he’s… he’s isolated…. and he’s scared… and he’s so… so alone and he sang and… and he’s my brother!” The words burst from her, tangling on her tongue and turning quickly to sobs of horror.

Her father stood up quickly, dashing to her and knelt next to her, at eye level. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. “What happened?”

“I snuck into their basement because Kini said he was there, and that they didn’t talk to him, and he was so little. He looked like me. He’s my brother.” 

“Kini told you? When did she tell you? How long have you known?”

No! No, don’t ask me that! Linae closed her eyes, shaking. 

“Linae?”

“It’s… it’s been four months.”

His hand tensed on her shoulder, and he pulled it off. Father stood up, staring down at her. “Four… months? You let him stay there for four months?”

She nodded, staring at the floor. When she dared to glance up, he shook his head at her. Linae returned her eyes to the floor, only lifting them when she left out the back door and fled to the forest, trying to block out her parent’s horror.

 She went to the forest, and there She stayed, until the Nightgiven found her.

* * *

She remembered too well. 

Her parent’s shame and anger. They had tried to hide it. To show Her they still loved Her: maybe so. But they had never forgiven Her. They, for all their horror at her neglect, hadn’t tried to save him immediately. He had… She had known, had felt his transformation, his melding with Daygiven. So far as She knew, he was still Day. 

And She had sent Nya to break him. 

She couldn’t let that happen.

Her memories of her parents hate haunted Her. That pain… She wouldn’t force that on anyone. Nobody deserved that pain.

As though somebody had screamed them into her ear, Her own words forced their way into Her skull. 

I am not yours. You are not mine. 

Oh. Oh. No…

I told I hated her. Oh, Nya. Oh…

I’m sorry. I have hurt you, and I must change that.

I love you so much. Let me COME TO YOU!

Her love for Her daughter and Her brother spurred Her onward. Through the sun, through the pain, She went.

Also: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again is a good song. Sad, but good.

[Medium]

mmmmm more content

as always, wonderfully written

i am thirsty for more

[Cinnamon]

2 hours ago, S. Stormy said:

two short chapters: @Cinnamon @Shadowed @CalanoCorvus

Chapter Thirteen - Departure

Nya & Dahlien

  Hide contents

Nya pounded at the door. Her fists hurt. She was sobbing, crying, yelling. Odd words that didn’t make sense came out of her mouth unbidden.

The truth was, she wasn’t angry at Dahlien. 

A little voice objected. That’s not the truth.

All right, fine. She was angry at Dahlien. But she knew that was unreasonable. She had led him to trust her, then told him she was planning to end all light. Of course he’d react negatively. So she wasn’t reasonably angry at Dahlien. He’d just been doing his duty. Stupid girl. 

And there it was. Here, she got to the truth. Nya wasn’t hating Dahlien. Nya was the fool. Nya was hating herself for ruining her chance. She had stupidly trusted Dahlien to not betray her--when his duty as a person was literally to protect the one she was trying to kill. What had she expected to happen?

* * *

Dahlien sat in his room, his mind turning over and over his mother’s words. 

Unfamiliar terms bounced around his head. Daygiven, Minder. Least familiar with humans…

Least influenced by humans…

A thought struck him. He dashed down the stairs, avoiding the creaky sections of floor, attempting to place his feet softly. He avoided the kitchen, and his mother’s bedroom: the places she’d most likely be. He hurried down to the locked basement, hearing all too well Nya’s panic. He grabbed the key from its hook next to the door. “Top-notch security we have here,” he mumbled to himself. The pounding on the door stopped abruptly. 

* * *

I know that voice.

It couldn’t be. He was the one who had put her in here.

And yet…

She watched, disbelieving, as the doorknob turned and the pathway out was opened. Nya stayed back. Hesitant, distrusting. Dahlien looked at her. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “You’re free now. You can… you can do it.”

Nya didn’t move, her eyes fixed on his face. “Why?”

“It’s… a lot to explain. But… go.”

There was more in his mind, she could tell. She could, nearly, see his thoughts written on his face. Before I can slam this door closed. Before I leave you in here. Before my fear overcomes me.

Nya didn’t need to be told twice. She hurried out the door, and he closed the door, locking it behind.

“Hurry,” he said. “I don’t know where my mother is. The door is back there.” She nodded, and reached for the door. The pathway to being loved again.

Something stopped her. She turned back.

 “Thank you,” she said. 

And then she left.

* * *

Day is in a meadow far, far behind our house: it stands out. You can’t miss it.

Nya replayed Dahlien’s words in her mind. She could see a faint green on the horizon. Could that be it?

As time passed and the blur sharpened, she soon came to realize that yes indeed, it was a meadow.

And there?

She’d find forgiveness.

Once her Inktorch found its mark.

Chapter Fourteen - Months

Nya & The Night

  Hide contents

FIFTY YEARS PAST

Linae burst through the door, panting. Her parents, both in the front room, looked at her, alarmed. 

“I!” she started to say, then stopped. “I…”

“What is it?” her mother asked. She sat down on the floor, still 

“The Keepers… they’re keeping a little boy in the basement. They don’t talk about him, but he’s… he’s isolated…. and he’s scared… and he’s so… so alone and he sang and… and he’s my brother!” The words burst from her, tangling on her tongue and turning quickly to sobs of horror.

Her father stood up quickly, dashing to her and knelt next to her, at eye level. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it comfortingly. “What happened?”

“I snuck into their basement because Kini said he was there, and that they didn’t talk to him, and he was so little. He looked like me. He’s my brother.” 

“Kini told you? When did she tell you? How long have you known?”

No! No, don’t ask me that! Linae closed her eyes, shaking. 

“Linae?”

“It’s… it’s been four months.”

His hand tensed on her shoulder, and he pulled it off. Father stood up, staring down at her. “Four… months? You let him stay there for four months?”

She nodded, staring at the floor. When she dared to glance up, he shook his head at her. Linae returned her eyes to the floor, only lifting them when she left out the back door and fled to the forest, trying to block out her parent’s horror.

 She went to the forest, and there She stayed, until the Nightgiven found her.

* * *

She remembered too well. 

Her parent’s shame and anger. They had tried to hide it. To show Her they still loved Her: maybe so. But they had never forgiven Her. They, for all their horror at her neglect, hadn’t tried to save him immediately. He had… She had known, had felt his transformation, his melding with Daygiven. So far as She knew, he was still Day. 

And She had sent Nya to break him. 

She couldn’t let that happen.

Her memories of her parents hate haunted Her. That pain… She wouldn’t force that on anyone. Nobody deserved that pain.

As though somebody had screamed them into her ear, Her own words forced their way into Her skull. 

I am not yours. You are not mine. 

Oh. Oh. No…

I told I hated her. Oh, Nya. Oh…

I’m sorry. I have hurt you, and I must change that.

I love you so much. Let me COME TO YOU!

Her love for Her daughter and Her brother spurred Her onward. Through the sun, through the pain, She went.

Also: Wishing You Were Somehow Here Again is a good song. Sad, but good.

The plot thickens...

I hope Night reaches her in time :ph34r:.