Color of Wings

The Color of Wings - Prolouge1

"What is the color of your wings?"2

"This boy is cursed." And they knew he was. The tiny child had a thin layer of inky black hair, his eyes so dark brown they looked black. His skin was pale and cold as he squirmed naked on the table. "He carries the blood of the Crimson Winged One, and he must be tested. He must be made strong enough!" 3

[ "I've never met you. . .but I must hate you."4

"Can -you- tell me why? Do -you- have the answers to my questions?! You-!" ]5

"This child is cursed. . ." The voice was solemn. "He bears our burden. Take care of him, grant him the freedom he'll never know. . . Protect him. The White Winged one must prevail." The small baby with the tan skin lay wrapped in a white blanket on the alter, his golden eyes sparkling in the candle light. 6

"His name is Tsubaru. Not White One." 7

[ "I don't know. I don't understand either." ]8

Across the country a little girl was playing with her silver fans, unaware of her destiny or purpose. Her golden hair danced around her face like living sunlight, her voice carried away by the breeze. The sunlight faded and her song slowed, her blue eyes becoming dark and hollow. With a flick of her fan she beheaded the blue jay sitting on the tree branch overhead. 9

[ "Can you hear it? I was just listening to music, and it made me think of us. It's inside of you. Can you feel it?" ]10

[ "I'm sorry. . . I'm sorry!!" ] White. 11

["I'll set you free. . ."]12

["This is nothing. You do not know the meaning of true pain!" ] Red.13

[ "Why must I be punished for the gods' mistake?! Why must I feel the pain for those I hate?!" ] Black. 14

[ "It hurts. . .stop! Why. . .?" ] White. 15

[ "We were born to fulfill a purpose. I have felt this since I was young. You cannot tell me that you have not. You are the key to my chaos, and I to yours. Open me." 16

"Let my blades cut the answers out of you!" ] Red. 17

Tsubaru sat up in bed, sweat dripping from his forehead. He ran a hand through his damp bangs and shivered, his whole body trembling violently. His golden eyes watered and he choked on a sob, covering his mouth as not to wake his mother in the room next to him. Standing uneasily he stumbled to the door, swinging it open to look up at the moon, its silvery light making the sweat on his bare chest gleam as if glowing. The teen’s tears flowed freely now, but he kept his anguish silent. He’d been having the dreams for two years now. There was someone out there looking for him, he knew that much was true, and this man hated him. The images of blood and lifeless bodies would not leave his mind, and the sounds of screaming, screaming, and screaming. Blood curdling and ear piercing screams. Every night now he awoke with his throat raw and dry, as if it had been him screaming so helplessly into the uncaring night. They were so vivid, so real that he found himself living the dreams every time. He rubbed his hands to relive the memory of sharp pain the lingered. 18

Tsubaru was special. He knew this, his mother had always told him so. She said that he was the one that would purify the world someday. 19

[ "Pure! How can you say that you are pure?! Nothing about you is pure! I have experienced pure pain, pure misery, pure hopelessness! And you. . . -you- are pure?!" ]  20

The black haired teen sank to his knees and fixed his eyes on that distant silvery moon. Her face was pure, so white and gentle. But even the moon had her flaws, didn't she? Craters marked her perfect face, and her other side was hidden in shadows. No, nothing was pure. He wasn't pure. Tsubaru wrapped his tanned arms around his knees, trembling again. When he was twelve, one of the monks at the temple had put his hands on him. He wasn't pure. That monk was dead, and Tsubaru had bathed himself over and over in the holy waters of the well, but he still felt dirty sometimes. 21

"Ruin him." He whispered to himself, his golden eyes closing. "Break him," He whimpered, "Make him unable to carry the White Winged One." That was what the monk had said. The pale man had flaunted the tattoo of two crimson wings on his back, that Tsubaru had glimpsed only briefly before the other monks had cut the traitor down. His chest felt hot, he couldn't breathe. Something painful and sharp wrapped its self around his heart and crushed it brutally, causing it to skip a few beats. "Hahame!" Tsubaru cried for his mother in shock, his voice surprisingly loud in the silent night. Something gripped him again, a hot flash of pain like electricity from head to toe, and he fell back onto the floor, his body writing in violent seizures. It hurt to breathe, and his vision went white. A scream ripped its self free from his throat, filled with unbearable anguish. His mother was at his side, and so were several monks, but he didn't know it. Spasms of pain wracked his frail body mercilessly, and another scream erupted, coming from his heart. 22

This was worse than any of the dreams he had ever had. 23

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In the pitch black darkness, the only sound that broke the silence of the damp stone room was the steady sound of blood hitting the dirt floor. A boy stood chained upright, his hands held high over his head with heavy spiked manacles. Needles of all sizes stuck into his pale skin, every joint and every weakness. The boy's chest rose and fell slowly, steadily. His black hair was tied tightly in a knot on top of his head, where needles held it in place. His mind was far away from the pain by now, so he did not notice when the door opened to admit the light of several torches accompanied by several men, covered from head to toe in crimson robes. Another man stepped in, this one dressed in a black coat. Crimson rivulets of blood trickled from the countless needles in the boy’s powerless body. It dripped from his needle-covered toes, suspended one foot exactly from the ground, with a dull "pit" sound. 25

"How much blood does he have?" One of the crimson men remarked, his voice echoing in the high ceiling room. 26

"Enough." The man in the dark coat replied, reaching forward to shove a needle deeper into the boy's side. Dark, empty eyes opened instantly, wide with unspoken outrage and agony. He couldn't speak if he wanted to, thick needles penetrated the soft underside of his jaw, piercing the pallet of his mouth and effectively pining his mouth shut. He trembled slightly as he came slowly into awareness, his dark eyes becoming less vacant. The pain took hold of him like a vice, but he didn't flinch. He stared hard at the man with the coat, expectantly. "He's awake. Free him." The men fell on the boy like a pack of piranha, slipping the needles out like so many thorns. The needled made a sick wet sound as they slipped free, and the boy's dark eyes closed again, a groan escaping his throat. Finally all one hundred thousand needled were removed, and the men stepped back to admire their work. They were not shocked to find that most of the wounds, even those made by the centimeter thick needles, were almost completely healed. "The Other has awakened, Red One, and it is time to awaken to greet him." 27

"Tzrik." The man said darkly. A small crimson robed figure stepped forward, bowing deeply. "Offer yourself." He smirked. Without hesitation the crimson robe dropped to the floor, revealing the flawless pale skin of the boy underneath it bright in the torchlight. His black hair fell into his blue eyes, and a pale pink color spread across his cheeks as he gazed at the chained man. He reached for the lever, releasing the boy. The figure hit the ground soundly, his feet making a slight thud when they landed in the bloody dirt. The sacrifice stepped forward boldly, taking hold of the one of the two remaining needles, the one in the boy's heart, and pulling it out slowly. He took hold of the one still pinning his mouth shut next, sliding it out slowly as well. The pale one fell to his knees and tilted his head back, closing his eyes and baring his throat. 28

"I offer my body and blood to He who owns the Red Wings. Please accept my sacrifice and heal yourself, Red One." The sacrifice's voice was clear and sweet, caressing the ears of those listening. He shivered as he felt the heat of the body in front of him, beginning to tremble as cool lips touched his throat. But they lingered there, breathing in his scent and craving his heat. A cold iron hand seized his neck and shoved him hard onto the floor. 29

The boy who had been chained stood, quicker than anyone in the room could catch. The needles slid into his skin, seeming to vanish from the floor, and they shot again, expelled with such a force that they sunk deep into the stone walls. . . and shot straight through the flesh they encountered on the way. The robed bodies dropped slowly to the ground, their blood already gathering into the middle of the room where it soaked into the bare feet of the man standing there. His skin became less deathly pale then, becoming a rich healthy peach. He kneeled, another low groan escaping his throat as he felt his shoulders itch, tingle, and then burn. 30

"Nnnahhhh. . . hah, Hnnnn. . .!" He began to pant, sweat forming on his brow as he closed his eyes tightly. 31

"Jagen-sama?" The sacrifice worried, scooting back from the anguished figure of the man until his naked back touched the leg of the man in the coat. 32

"Hush, Tzrik. This is what we've waited for." The man said, smiling darkly. 33

"Kkyyyaaahhh!" The scream tore free from the crumbled figure, as a fury of wind ripped around the room. Crimson feathers burst from the boy's back, unfolding to become two gigantic red wings. Panting, the boy turned his deep brown eyes up to meet the man's startling blue. 34

"Hello Tsuzuki. We've been waiting." Jagen said, his voice finally showing something other than dull amusement and somewhat nearing awe. He kneeled on the floor beside the Tzrik, who quickly prostrated himself. 35

"My Other. . .what is His name?" A sultry voice purred. 36

"Tsubaru." He answered quickly. 37

"Tsubaru. . ." The winged man blinked, letting the name roll off of his tongue and sink into his mind. "Tsubaru . . . I am coming for you." He promised, closing his eyes and spreading his wings as he raised his hands to the high ceiling. 38

"W-What of me. . .Master?" Tzrik dared, earning himself a dark glare from Jagen, but his eyes were on the majestic figure of Tsuzuki. The winged boy lowered his arms, and a wide smile broke his face. 39

"You will be the first of my Disciples." He said matter-of-factly. He held out his hand. Tzrik crawled forward quickly, taking the hand with both of his and kissing it with reverence. 40

"I will follow you until the End." He promised. Tsuzuki smiled, his eyes falling upwards again, seeing past the ceiling to the full moon beyond, blood red as his glorious wings. 41

"Tsubaru. . ." He whispered again. 42

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Tsubaru screamed one final time, a violent wind throwing the surrounding monks away from him as if they were paper dolls. White feathers erupted from his back, slowly taking the shape of white wings. They filled the inside of the temple, breaking the rafters and shattering the walls. And then they were gone, the teen's heavy body falling heavily onto the floor in a boneless heap. Tsubaru's mother screamed in distress, rushing forward to gather his frail body into her arms. Most of the monks had been killed, if not by the wind then by the collapsing temple, but his mother had escaped death. The high priest walked slowly forward, resting a hand on the sobbing woman's shoulder.44

"The White One has awakened, Lillyithos Tamara. It is time to let him go." 45

"No, no, my son! This cannot be, he is just a boy, my little boy!" She wept, rocking as she cradled the unconscious body. 46

"I was afraid of this. . ." The priest said, reaching into his robes. The pin slipped into the back of her head without a sound, piercing her skull and hitting the core of her brain. Tears fell from the man's eyes as he let her body fall lifeless to the ground. "Forgive me, Lillanna." He said softly as he gathered Tsubaru's body into his strong arms. “The final sacrifice has been made. Tonight, we go to Your temple, White One. Please hang in there!" He beseeched the sleeping boy. 47