A Glimmer of Hope (1)
On a separate continent lost in the void, the roar and shadow easily penetrated until it covered the entire skies.
In a huge garden where there was a whole variety of exotic and beautiful trees and plants that made the sight a marvel, a charming figure flickered in different places.
A delicate sword flowed smoothly with each movement made by this person.
The sword soon became two, then ten, fifty, even reaching up to a hundred and going on indefinitely until it formed strange lotuses that expanded and blended with the space around!
The petals seemed to never stop forming as more energy continued to flow from her body, flowing through her delicate sword that seemed to even cut through space itself.
Each lotus became more vivid and slightly glowing, exuding a strength no weaker than a being that could shake the sky.
Suddenly, the beautiful lotuses released their petals, and the petals became tiny swords piercing the void!
A single petal seemed to tremble slightly the space before disappearing into the void...
A huge shadow flew, crossing the sky above the clouds, finally stopping this woman's movements as it caught her attention.
Her long hair gently spread like a waterfall over her slender shoulders, extending all the way down her back as she lifted her gaze to the sky. Her face was flawless and she was definitely a fairy from the legends, beautiful and perfect no one could imagine! A stunning beauty!
However, her eyes seemed slightly dark and completely indifferent, a look with nothing in them as if there was nothing in the world that could capture her interest.
* ROAR!!! *
But when she heard this roar she was stunned; it seemed to have reached into her soul and touched the sensitive fibers of her heart.
Her eyes for the first time seemed to glow slightly as she felt "something" in that roar, brightening and ridding that somber darkness in her gaze.
She reached out her soft white arm to the sky first, as if she wanted to touch that shadow before bringing her hand to her chest, feeling her heartbeat again.
"B-brother...?"
A soft, lovely voice came from her beautiful lips, whispering to herself as she tried to feel her heartbeat, recalling for the umpteenth time so far this day the memories of her unforgettable childhood. A tear rolled down her cheek as she embraced that feeling of the past...
Her gaze visualized the entire garden, observing every detail of every plant and tree, as if she could see little figures playing all over the place, laughing and being happy as innocence and happiness was all that mattered at that moment.
Behind her, a considerable amount of distance away, a huge palace stood, exuding nobility and majesty, like a castle from the heavens.
One could not see the depth of thoughts through her beautiful eyes. The once agitated aura turned to an earlier tranquility.
Finally, she took a deep breath before disappearing from the place without leaving any trace of energy.
...
Inside a room, a scent that flooded and reached every corner filled with an exquisite fragrance that gradually increased as some herbs were refined and some liquids were formed, giving off a characteristic odor.
A person was highly concentrated as a large amount of immortal essence and spiritual energy was poured into a pill furnace. A large amount of herbs and plants were being refined at the same time inside the furnace, demonstrating the perfect control and mastery of this young person...
Her eyes were completely closed, with a slight, almost imperceptible frown as she maintained deep concentration as she controlled what was happening inside the pill furnace. Her hair was tied up in a beautiful arrangement, further highlighting that divine and unattainable beauty on her face, with her soft and smooth skin that made her also a beautiful and perfect young woman.
An experienced aura and a feeling of seriousness flowed from her as she concentrated. Memories in her mind kept replaying, even recalling a small figure that seemed to deliver precious plants and flowers to her as she played with her own little cauldron, pretending what they might be when they grew up.
A couple of images soon appeared above the delicate furnace, as if these were mysterious patterns that complemented each other and changed the energy inside.
The fragrance grew more and more, as if at any moment it could burst out at the right time and mark the result of pill creation.
* ROAR!!! *
* Boom! *
The refining inside the furnace exploded as the energies burst out when not properly controlled. A faint, almost imperceptible smell of burning was contained within the furnace, as if not daring to contaminate the soft, aromatic scent of the room.
Instantly, the young woman suddenly opened her eyes as her fragrant body flickered without creating ripples in space and reappeared in front of the window, watching this vast and mysterious shadow flying over the sky heading towards the horizon.
She also brought a hand to her chest as she watched the figure in the sky, as if her heart had found in that shadow what she had longed for a long time!
Her indifferent and serious gaze gradually changed, with a soft little smile wanting to form as small drops of water flooded the corners of her wonderful eyes that seemed to find that long lost sparkle of long ago. That happiness from the past that was all that mattered to her suddenly resurfaced once again.
"E-eldest brother..."
A whisper of enchantment left her delicate lips as she took a deep breath as she felt her heartbeat pounding like an excited wave before calming down.
She didn't even care about the failure to refine the pills, as if that wasn't important unlike what she had felt moments ago when she heard that roar of a Dragon that shocked the heavens.
Her amazingly powerful Spirit Sense extended before she magically disappeared from the place without leaving any trace of aura, only leaving a hint of enchanting aromatic fragrance flooding the room.
...
* Ding~ *
The soft but intense sound of a string being pulled spread in the surroundings. An enchanting melody as if feeling water running through, came from a zither, leaving a joyful scent in the air.
The soft fingers of the left hand that seemed so delicate and cared for formed the chords over the strings, with the fingertips moving in a smooth and harmonious style between the strings. Her right hand moved over the strings, pulling, striking, bending, grasping, releasing, locking, hooking... while the fingers continued to play with the delicate, thin strings of the beautiful instrument.
The beautiful figure of a cute and innocent celestial maiden under the shade of a tree created the wonderful melodies that the zither played, with her fingers building the most harmonious and enchanting rhythm and melody. Her hair that was arranged in an exquisite flower showing its petals made her look like a delicate pure woman, shedding a mysterious tenderness while the innocence in her aura affected whoever saw her.
To one side of the beautiful young woman, a small animal curled up next to her. Its plumage that appeared to be made of crystals as the sunlight reflected off of them, exuding an aura of elegance and nobility, complementing the young woman's own elegance.
One would be surprised to see that this was a legendary Phoenix!
"Time and years remarked even more the dreams..."
A cute and beautiful voice came from her pretty lips, radiating an aura of happiness and innocence as her voice combined with the sound, making a beautiful melody.
The leaves and even the branches of the tree moved slightly as they were touched by the wind, rising and falling as the melodies of the zither changed. The flowers glowed brighter and brighter, sensing the innocent and true love that came from her heart. There was even the illusion that the scenery was subtly changing with each touch and rhythm.
"You and me, flying over the never-ending sea of clouds with our little companion... flying to the endless and beyond... reaching for the rainbow and being happy holding hands..."
"Cry..."
However, the sound of what sounded like a Phoenix was heard right after, as if trying to affirm with its soft, low cry the sentiment that followed as it opened one of its wings and flapped it, adding emphasis to the melody.
The cute little maiden opened her eyes and a sparkling glow appeared in them as she nodded to her companion's soft cry before closing them again.
* Ding~... *
"But now..."
However, from the zither soon came a desolate and mournful symphony, leaving behind a bitter and trembling taste that contained the most mysterious vestiges of the heart. The rhythm was slow, and yet it gave off a sense of melancholy and desolation, sadness and helplessness...
"Cry..."
Even the little phoenix seemed to convey its own feeling of sadness and regret, complementing the inexplicable melody.
Everything merged harmoniously into one, creating a kind of sad atmosphere as if the air was gradually filled with a deep sadness as the flowers around them wilted as they received her deepest feelings, demonstrating what she held in the deepest sanctuary of her heart... in the depths of her soul...
This was a soulful symphony that soon became a heavy melody, full of sadness and despair.
The feeling of yearning...
Of unending wistfulness...
The strong longing to see that desired person...
The love that could not be buried, let alone forgotten...
Sadness and pains, sufferings and longings manifested in the air...
Hundreds of ups and downs turned into thousands of anguish and worries as the feelings persisted inside her soul, wondering over and over again why fate was so cruel...
Along her cheeks, two lines of tears flowed and wet her soft cheeks as her pretty face could not hide that obvious sadness that took away even her happy innocence deep inside her.
Her feelings and emotions were mixed the emotions of the unforgettable memories and the longing to remember that person were the most vivid emotions that took even shape and mixed in her zither playing.
* ROAR!!! *
* Ding! * * Boom! *
The Dragon's roar abruptly interrupted her zither playing, stopping instantly and inadvertently creating a powerful ripple as she uncontrollably released a string, stretching up to hundreds of miles around before disappearing and leaving traces all over the vegetation!
To the sky she soon looked up and couldn't help but bring her hand to her chest as well, feeling the fluttering inside her and the beating of her heart bringing something from the past back to life, something she longed for....
* Cry! *
The little Phoenix cried before lowering its head, demonstrating a submission as it felt that mysterious energy transmitted by that shadow in the sky. Then, the little phoenix cried out once but this time, it cried with a feeling of joy, spreading its wings and encouraging its owner while trying to convey its own feelings to her.
"Big brother."
The sweet heavenly maiden whispered as the vivid memories she would never forget played over and over again in her mind; that face, that smile, their unbreakable bond...
Her face lit up, as if her tears had washed her eyes as they became particularly bright at that moment, feeling an inexplicable feeling that seemed to bring back that so-called "hope".
The little Phoenix flapped its wings, flying to the delicate shoulder of the sweet celestial maiden as it snuggled into her as well.
A sigh escaped her sweet lips before she disappeared from the spot along with the little Phoenix on her shoulder and her delicate zither, vanishing without a trace as if no one had been there before.
Only the lush vegetation that contained traces of a haunting melancholy...