The Binding of Sky (Awakening)

Sky had stayed at the school that day to study for an exam that was going to happen in two days time. Devoting all her time to the study and other homework, about time she moved herself from the table she was hunched over, the librarian had left and the lights out in the hallways of the school had mostly been put out leaving the emergency lights as little guides for those who stayed out late.

Packing her things, Sky would drift out into the hall and down towards the school’s entrance. She would exit the place and travel across the mostly quiet school grounds towards the dorms. She was in a daze, her mind melted from the millions of problems she had gone through. All she wanted now was a hot shower and her bed. She barely paid any attention to the love birds that stayed out late or the few guys that were asking her if she wanted to come to some party that was being held. Waving it all off, she would move up the stairs to her dorm room and unlock the door.

Dropping her bag in the corner, Sky closed the dorm room door and locked it before she stumbled through the dark room towards the bathroom. She would toss her keys on the table she passed before going in the bathroom and clicking on the low setting light. Working in semi-darkness, she'd get the water to the temperature she wanted before taking off her clothes and entering that warm veil.

She would stay in the shower long enough to get clean before turning the water off and grabbing the drying towel to dry off. Once dry enough, Sky would go through the usual ritual of moisturizing her skin, brushing her teeth, and cleaning up the bathroom before drifting over to her room across the hall. Using the bathroom’s gloomy light, she found some under garments and a long shirt to wear.

After that she would close her door not bothering with the bathroom light for now. Drifting over to her bed, she would flop down on her and quickly begin to fall into a sleep.


Where am I?

This was the first thought that ran through Sky’s head as her eyes opened slightly and she gazed across the room that should’ve been black, but was instead tinted a red color. On top of this, the bed room door she had closed was now open. Frowning sleepily, she pushed herself out of the bed and quietly padded over to the door. Hesitating only for a second, she would cautiously push the door open and look out into the hall. Like her room, the rest of the dorm was red too.

What is this?

More curious than afraid, Sky moved around the room to the front door that also happened to be open. Moving over to it, she would pull it open and look outside taking note that this red tint surrounded the area. As she listened only eeriee silence greeted her and not a soul was to be seen in the familiar walkways between dorms. It all seemed surreal and yet, she could feel the coolness of the air and feel the pull of the redness upon her. Redness that revealed itself to be fog that drifted down the long hallway and ended at a door that it surrounded…and from that door a voice called out to her. It asked her a question.

The truth? Did she want to learn it?

“Yes…Yes I do.”

The response from Sky was a mental one just like the voice that had spoken to her. As she answered, she began to walk towards that door reaching out with one hand for the handle as she wondered just what was on the other side of the door and who it was that called to her.

Her hand grasped the door knob that felt cool and solid against her skin. She turned and pushed the door open, letting the fog into the room beyond. As her eyes looked around she took notice that this room was almost completely empty. The only thing in the room outside of the fog was something kneeling in the middle of room. Squinting slightly to try and see better, Sky took a step into the room as the fog around her made it hard to see.

Who was that?

Another step in and then her face was transforming into a look of mild shock and confusion. That figure…it was…

“Oki?” she whispered as she looked at the familiar form of her younger brother. The clothing and articles that hung upon the being was the same and even the familiar hat it always wore. Oki was here, but why? Oki hardly ever visited her at school and the one time he did come it was for only a short time. Had something happened? Or was this just a surprised visit?

A bit confused and concerned, Sky was on the edge of taking another step towards the kneeling figure; however, she stopped as Oki moved and then looked up at her with a smile and strange red eyes. She heard the words spoken and felt her mouth go dry. This was Oki, right? And yet there were many things wrong. What was it?

What made her feel nervous all of sudden? Regardless of the situation or emotions that ran through her Sky managed to hide it all behind a calm face as she responded back to the question.

“Oki, it has been a while since you last paid me a visit here, so I am glad to see you here too,” she said with a light smile her voice slightly gentler than normal. “I am doing well. How about you?” she said as she tried her best to push away the nerves and the voice within that was telling her to run. No…if Oki was here then she needed to stay to see what was up.

When she got a response back, the young woman was quiet for a while as she look at the ground in thought. This Oki was not her brother and yet…that danger that surrounded this look alike. She wanted to get closer to it, but why?

Sky would look up at her brother with a sad smile and nod as she moved across to the kneeling figure and stepped slightly into the other's space bubble as she leaned forward and placed her hands on her knees. Her face was inches away from the look alike’s but she didn’t care as she studied those crimson eyes.

“I am irked by the events too and yes I do feel as if something should be done with the chaos that flows about with no direction. The world is becoming painted in a fashion that is making it fall far from perfection, but what is an collector and artist such as myself to do? I have common paints and do not know how such paints can alter the world into something that would be pleasing to us both,” Sky said with a light frown as she looked at the ground for a moment in agitation and despair that she would only show to Oki or this look alike that seemed like him.

After a moment, she would slowly glance back up at her sibling and ask,

“You’ve been away for so long. Did you perhaps go searching for the solution to the problem? Did you find one?” she asked as she tilted her head curiously at the one before her.

Sky kept a steady gaze on those curious crimson orbs that she found fascinating and disturbing. The contrast was enough to repel the sane, but for a collector that always craved something more, the contradiction were appealing and the fact that whoever this imposter was wore her brother's face made the subject that much more interesting.

When "Oki" gave her that smile and glare and answered her question, Sky felt her heart tighten as the words touched on thoughts that had constantly flowed through her head, more so now that she could see those strange tears after the announcement and had met Phalanx. The oddities in the world and other things had sparked her interest in much more than the common cavanas she used to paint on. She wanted to spread her art around and cleanse the world of the impurities she saw. She had wanted Oki to join her, but never got a yes or no the matter. However, this "Oki"...this "Oki" before her lined up with her line of thought. Yes...she could do that. Salvage the world and make it perfect again...

Blue eyes caught the movement behind Oki and on instinct tensed as she saw a figure form in the fog. She was perpared to defend should the strange figure hidden in the mist do something wrong. But instead of attacking, the figure remained still and non-hostile. Even Oki seemed oblivious of this. What was that?

Eyeing the figure suspiciously for a few seconds blue orbs would drift back to her "brother" as he spoke. She heard the offer made and let the words sink in. That's right. They could rewrite the world together, couldn't they? In a slight trance as she thought about how wonderful the perfect world would be, Sky would nod lightly at the words at first.

"Yes..." she would whisper and then refocusing on Oki she would give a smirk in return to the smile given.

"Together," she said the word with confidence as she reached out a pale hand and grasped the other's before her. She was no longer afraid as she simply desired the power that was proposed. The power to cleanse and rewrite the world, so that she and her brother could be happy together.

Their hands touched and just like that Sky knew without a doubt she had created a pact with something terrifyingly wonderful. The grin and the strange figure that had leaned over to tell her its name…all of it occurred so fast that even if the girl wanted to stop it she could not. Cheshire, that is what the figured had called itself before it turned into a black fog that consumed the girl’s body, mind, and soul. She felt herself suffocating under the pressure of the blackness that forced its way into her. Her body swayed and she began to collapse as her vision blurred. Her head throbbed and it felt as if death had finally caught her and was about to claim her. However, just when that bony hand reached out to grasp her, it jerked back as the sensation vanished.

Staying on the ground, dazed and shaken, the girl would take a moment to adjust to the feeling that she was sharing her body and mind with another. Slowly, she would look up at Oki. His image was blurred and the voice she heard deeper and much more malicious than before…and yet she was not afraid. She heard the words said and although she wanted to answer and confirm she would do more than that, her voice was lost as she watched the figure walk away into the thickening red fog.

She tried to stay conscious, but her eye lids were feeling heavy and sleep was calling her name once more.

**

A light thud and then a sleepy groan followed. Blue eyes would slowly open as Sky found herself on the floor of her dorm room with the covers of her bed pulled down with her. It took a moment for the girl to fully focus and understand that the reality she was in now was real and not that strange dream world she had been in moments ago. Outside of a small headache, Sky felt more or less fine, so had what happened really happened?

Don’t doubt it. Cheshire is real, the voice of the lanky figure resonated clearly in her head causing her heart to skip a beat for a moment as she let the words sink in. That event and the power gained…it was all real…

…Real…

As the gravity of the situation came down upon her, Sky’s shock began to wear away as she looked at the ceiling and began to giggle with joy for a few second before calming and reaching up towards the ceiling with an open hand as her mad grin remained on her face.

“Soon brother, the world will be cleansed and written into perfection. Then we can both finally rest and be content,” she whispered as she clenched her fist into a tight ball. Her vision was clear, her resolve solid and unbreakable once more. She would get her world or make the world scream in agony if she was denied.

Thread Ended