There's still HOPE for Redemption...

The small child had been known to be a little bit of a trouble-maker; whether it was the fact that they were new to the orphanage, or if it was something else, was unknown… ...but that child would be the one who would save Luna from a prison that she was blind to.

Jan. 20, 201X

“Miss Luna, what’s this?” the child looked out from the back doors that led to a forest of colors.

“Oh?” Luna diverted her attention to the child and where they pointed. She met their eyes and smiled.

“That’s my garden. Do you like it?”

The child nodded vigorously, a wide grin on their face.

“Can I go out there?”

The question surprised Luna. She looked outside at the pool of water that lay at the garden’s core. She looked back at the child and gave a look of worry.

“I’m sorry, but not right now. I have to finish making the beds. I’ll let you out in a little bit, okay?”

The child frowned, slightly crestfallen. Reluctantly, they nodded.

“Can I wait here?”

“Alright, but don’t go out, okay? I want you to stay safe.”

They nod, and continue looking outside at the swaying rainbow of petals that lay between them and the white door. Luna leaves into the bedroom hall with a sigh.

“It makes me sad how much this place has crumbled…” Luna stares into the empty hall of beds, all but one left pristine and untouched. The girl walks over to the single used bed and begins to straighten out its sheets. The girl’s mind wanders off as she fluffs the pillows.

‘I have to leave this place… all the others have.’ Her mind returns to the children who left to Mount Ebott long ago... the only friends she had in this place.

‘I just hope they’ve gotten what they wanted…’

“AAAAUUUGH!!!” A yelp of pain resonated through the empty orphanage, snapping Luna out of her trance. Startled, she runs back downstairs to be met with a terrifying sight…

A dark-haired woman looms over the only child left, who lays limp on the floor.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!!” Luna screeched at Delora. The woman turned her head towards the girl, a glare in her eyes and a disturbing smile on her face.

“Isn’t it obvious, stupid girl?” She said smugly.

“I’m getting rid of the last orphan…~” She turns her head back towards the child, and readies a kick.

“NO!!!” Suddenly, a wall of spiked vines intercepted Delora’s kick. A spike punctured her foot, sending pain throughout her leg. She screamed in agony, then ripped her foot out of the spike. Delora turns toward Luna, fury in her eyes. Unexpectedly, she gives a laugh.

“So now you’re fighting back?~” The woman gave a sly grin.

“I would’ve thought you’d try a little harder beforehand…”

“You’re horrible, you know?” Luna responded, her heart burning with anger. Vines began breaking the floorboards and crawling towards Luna.

“You’ve made this place a graveyard of broken dreams, of lost hopes!” she clenches her fists.

“Everything you’ve done… everything you’ve SAID!” The vines rippled around the girl, as something supernatural resonated from then. Delora remains unmoved.

“You’ve destroyed their lives,” she pointed to the front door. “You’ve destroyed MY LIFE!” Her eyes began to burn with magic.

“I HATE YOU!!!” The girl sent a fist towards the wretched woman. Luna was slow enough for Delora to evade her punch. The woman elbows her down hard, and kicks the girl in the side.

“How pitiful…” Delora sneers. “Guess there’s nothing to expect from a girl who doesn’t even know how to use her magic!~”

Luna turns over to face the woman looming over her.

“You’re a monster…” she spits.

“And you’re an abomination~” The woman counters. She puts her foot over the girl’s throat.

“You’ve never had a clue from the beginning, idiot girl," She glares into Luna’s eyes as she begins to press her foot onto the girl’s throat.

“A… about what?” she manages to gasp out.

“That I killed them both~” Luna’s eyes widen, and Delora gives a dark laugh at Luna’s expression of pain.

“N...no! No! NO!!” Luna screams out with her remaining strength, causing the vines on the floor to thrash violently about. She tries to push Delora’s foot off of her, but it’s no use. Suddenly, she lifts her foot off.

“Goodbye, freak!~” The woman laughs, and plunges it back down towards her neck.

*CRACK*

The sound of crushing bone echoed in Luna’s ears. After a few moments the girl looks up to see the limp body of the wretch of a woman, impaled with many vines, and dripping with crimson blood that stained each other’s clothing. Luna claws her way out from under the body, and stares in horror.

“What have I done…?” She whispers to herself only to quickly remember the child. She runs to the wall of vines. She puts her hands on it, and the wall recedes to the girl’s surprise. There, behind it, lay the child. They were still alive, yet their breathing was quite shallow. Luna picks the child up, and opens the door to the garden. Roses began to follow her footsteps into the center of the garden. The girl looked down with mournful eyes at the child. She leaned them up against one of the white rose bushes, and sat at the other, her knees hugged against her chest. Luna began to sob loudly.

“How could I let them both DIE?!” she blamed herself, throwing a fist at the ground in disgust.

“Why…” She looked up at the sky. “Why am I such a fool…?”

Unexpectedly, the child gave a soft groan. The girl scoots back a little.

“Oh my god- are you alright?” She asks hurriedly. There’s no response. Luna gives the child a gentle shake on the shoulder. Once again, she gets no response. Her mind races with fear.

“N… no! You’re going to be okay! I have faith in that!!!” She says, partially to herself.

“...I have hope in you.”

Out of the earth unexpectedly bloomed several yellow-green roses around the child. They give off a soothing aura. Within seconds the child shifted once again. They looked at Luna a tiny smile on their face.

“Thank you…” they say weakly. They gave Luna a hug. Luna, slightly confused and awestruck, gave the child a gentle squeeze back.

“You’re safe now," She whispered.

~~~

The body of the dead woman was catapulted by the mass of bloodied vines into the far forest, never to be seen again by anyone, before they receded back into the cool earth that they spawned. Luna felt relief pour over her like a waterfall.

“I’m finally free…” she whispered to herself, and turned back to the child.

“I’m… sorry you had to see that," She points the direction that the body was flung, but the child shakes their head.

“So uh…” Luna tries to change the subject. “Do you like the garden?”

“Oh- yeah!” The child nods, taking in the colors of the environment briefly before looking at Luna with inquisitive eyes.

“How’d you do that thing with the plants and the vines and stuff?”

The  question caught Luna off-guard.

“Oh- uh…” she stares blankly at the earth, then back at the child.

“I… I don’t know.” She looked inside the orphanage at the large holes that the vines made… that she made. She meets the child’s gaze again and gives a nervous smile.

“All I knew at that moment was that I had to protect you. I guess the flora of the garden agreed, and decided to help…”

“Can you speak to them?”

“Yes, why?”

The child walks towards the center of the garden, and points to the circle of roses.

“Did you ever ask why your rose bushes changed color when others were leaving?” they ask.

“No, I-” Luna stops, then looks at the child with slightly narrowed eyes.

“...how do you know they did that?”

The child only smiles. They beckon the girl to them.

“There’s something you need to see.” They continue to the center of the garden, Luna promptly follows. The child stops in front of one of the still white rose bushes, next to the one bearing orange roses. Amongst the other white roses, a single crimson red rose blooms.

“Maybe you should ask it a question?” The child looks up at Luna.

“...” She looks at the child, then back at the rose.

“Where did you come from?” she utters.

The flower looks at the child, then in the direction of the infamous mountain, Mount Ebott. Vines protrude from the ground, forming arrows at both. She looks at both, confused.

“What do you mean?”

A small hole formed between the child and Luna. The earth rippled near the hole, and a small grass figure grew. It pointed at the child before jumping into the hole which immediately closed up. The earth rippled once again, forming the outline of Mount Ebott. After a few moments, a heart-like shape appeared, shown breaking. The earth returned back to its original state, albeit a bit churned. She looks at the child, then at Mount Ebott again.

“Is there something important about Mount Ebott?” Luna asked, still confused.

The flowers of the bushes shuffled momentarily, to soon reveal “perfect” roses. Each resonated with some supernatural aura, yet they were unique to each bloom. The roses came to the center and weaved themselves together to form a sort of garland. Unexpectedly, a vine came from the large central lily. The vine wrapped around the formed garland and gave it to Luna.

“What is this?” Not knowing what else to do, she puts the flower-crown on.

‘It is the willpower of your friends before you,' a voice resonated from the garden. Luna stumbled back, shaken. The child stares at Luna, watching as carefully as possible.

“Wh-what?!”

‘We know you are confused, child, but there is nothing to worry about,' The central lily shifted, the bud blooming a little.

‘There is much for you to learn.’

The girl shakes her head.

“What do you mean? What’s happening?!”

‘You are descendant of a line of humans who bore the blessings of various kinds of magic,' The central lily spoke.

‘Humans today still bear a sort of energy known as Determination. It varies from one human to the other, seven being known as common.

‘There are, however, a group of individuals who have a rare, and very powerful, form of this Determination.

‘You are of this group, young one. Because of this, we are able to speak to you through the magic that courses through your veins.

‘Humans like you are very rare, yet they are a blessing upon this world you live. Those like you are not traditionally able to speak to florakind. Those like you generally have different variations of magic, such as pyromancy, the destructive use of fire magic.

‘Yet their initiative is the same: it is to restore Determination in others.’

Luna takes a moment to absorb this. Determination? Florakind? ...Magic??

“I’m not sure I understand- there’s others like me?”

‘Before your time, there was only one: your deceased mother,' The lily echoed.

‘There is not much known about any others like you existing currently.’

“I…” Luna thinks for a moment.

“What do you mean ‘the willpower of my friends before me’?”

‘The item on your head contains six of the seven known forms of willpower. This energy was absorbed from each of the children that left here upon the several years of whom you gave the first of the new colored roses that appeared on my guardians.

‘The children went to Mount Ebott and discovered their potential through their respected forms of willpower, and my guardians received the energy. This caused their white blooms to change permanently.

‘The first children, if you recall, were given a cyan and an indigo bloom before their departure.’

Luna thought back, and nodded.

“Yes, that was Delilah and Laila," She gave a smile, for it to fade away.

“Are they alright?”

‘We are not allowed to tell you this information, young one. You must find it for yourself, in the mountain,' the central lily responded.

“...I see...” Luna felt her heart sadden. She looks at the child, then looks back at the crimson rose, remembering.

“So, the red rose… where did it come from? I mean, why is it here?”

The lily shook itself a little, scattering water droplets about.

‘You will need to sit for this one, young one.’

Luna obeys and sits down. The rose bushes suddenly lowered themselves to the ground, and lily opened itself. Pink energy began to flow out of it, shaping itself into a scene.

‘The red rose you ask of is a new beacon for the final form of willpower. Furthermore, the child that accompanies you is made purely out of Determination, the willpower you must find the holder of. They are a page, a messenger, that it is time to find them.’

“Pardon?”

‘Young one, you must go to Mount Ebott to find out the truths of another world that exists under the surface of the one you know. The holder of Determination will help you when it is time, but this will be at your journey’s ending.’

Before Luna could respond, the scene shifted. It showed a child journeying to Mount Ebott. They find the entrance into a cavern and fall. It fast forwards through many events, yet the girl can make out a few individuals. Strangely, a short figure catches their attention.

“Wait- go back!” Luna bursts out.

The scene halts, and then goes backwards.

“There!” She stops the plant. She points to the figure.

“Who… who is that? I think I recognize them.”

‘We are not allowed to tell you who this is, child. Yet we must prompt you to be very wary of him.’

The projection goes to a new scene, in a new setting.

‘His power exceeds that of almost all you meet,' The lily shows a moment: the silhouette seems to have a single glowing eye on his left, that flickers between cyan and yellow.

‘He will be the magistrate of your actions in this world you will discover.’

“...”

‘We know of your premonitions, child,' The lily added, catching Luna off-guard.

“I-” She shakes her head, looking at the figure.

“Magistrate?”

‘A judge, essentially, yet they bear magic.’

“Oh- eheh....” Luna shrugged off the pun.

“What’s the point of the scene, if I may ask?”

The scene changes back, then fast-forwards upon this question. It slows back down to show a scene of the child fighting what appears to be some sort of horned, trident-wielding giant. The child is slain, yet the creature responsible seems to express great remorse. Out of the child floats a red heart, which is then captured in a sort of capsule, ending the scene. The energy fades, and the flower closes itself once more. Luna stares at the bloom.

“I…” Luna looks down. This all seems surreal to the girl.

‘That heart you saw is known as as soul in the place you will find,' The lily vocalizes.

“......” The girl is in deep thought.

“I can’t go,” She finally verbalizes. “There’s too much I’m going to leave behind, and… I won’t last a second past those doors.”

‘Do not worry, child. We will protect you wherever you go,' The bloom reassured the girl.

‘Your mother left you an heirloom that will help us find you, and guide you as well.’

Luna seems confused.

“Where?”

‘Look in the room of the eldest sister. It will resonate with something familiar to you, something that only you bear. It will protect you,' It finished.

“Thank you.” Luna said. She turned to look at the child, but they were gone. Luna became frantic.

‘Do not worry, they have only ascended. You’ll see them again,’ The lily reassured her.

‘Go find the heirloom, and then return. We will wait.’

Luna nodded, and ran back into the orphanage, the crown slipping off her head. She ran upstairs and into the hallway that the sisters’ rooms reside. She stays still for a moment, sorrow filling her heart. She remembers that horrible day that she found one of the three sisters…

...An energy resonates from Phoebe’s room. The girl tries the door.

It’s locked. Perturbed, she wonders how to get in. She takes a breath and calms herself. She feels an energy channel through her as she tries the knob once again.

It opens.

Cautiously, the girl enters the room. It’s a normal bedroom; its bed had been made a long time ago. The curtains were drawn, leaving the room in near-darkness. Luna walks over to the window and draws them. Light floods in and she looks out. The window was set in a fashion where one would catch the perfect view of the garden. Luna turns back to her task. She scans the room, finally approaching the wardrobe. Opening it, she finds garbs of exquisite shirts. She picks out a striped shirt and a new pair of jeans, then closes the wardrobe. She closes her eyes, sighing.

The energy resonates once more. It seems to be coming from the nightstand next to Phoebe’s bed. Luna approaches it, pulling open the drawer.

Inside lies a small package, and a letter attached to it. She picks them both up and inspects them. They’re both addressed to her. She opens the letter first.

To my rosebud, Luna,

I hope this letter finds you well. If you’re reading this now, it means that your father and I have left you in the care of someone who had helped you form into the beautiful rose we know you’ll become.

I would like to first apologize for abandoning you. Your father and I had to give you up. We did not want to endanger you in any way, or meet the fates that we were destined to meet. It gives us both great sorrow that we could not be a part of your life, but we know that even without us, you will find a great purpose, like many before us. If you ever need guidance, Chloris will be there.

We love you Luna, and we know that there is something greater out there for you, even if it means we are not a part of it.

There is no signature, but there is a photo of a handsome man and a beautiful woman, smiling happily. A tear falls onto the picture from the girl’s face.

“I wish I could have met you…” Luna whispers before hugging the photo in her arms, letting out a sob. Shaking her head, she puts the letter and the photo back in the envelope. She then takes the small package and unwraps it.

Inside was concealed a small metallic rose pin. It’s roughly the size of her palm, with beautiful hues of blue, violet and magenta decorating the petals. Luna stares at the beautiful item before setting it back inside the paper it was held in. She took the parcels and the clothing with her, and decided to go clean up, grabbing a leather bag on her way exiting Phoebe’s room. It had been a long day…

~~~

‘You have found the heirloom, correct?’

It had been about fifteen minutes but Luna finally returned to the garden, having cleaned herself up. She now wears the new shirt and jeans, accompanied by a pair of worn sneakers. The rose pin now serves as a beacon of communication like the garland prior to it.

“Yes,” Luna responds. She points to the pin on her left side.

‘Good,’ the lily echoed.

‘I apologize, I never got to properly introduce myself, young one. I am Chloris, a spirit of nature. Your mother knew me as her aid at one point, and I have given her my word to aid and protect you as I have many along your lineage.’

“It’s very nice to formally meet you, Chloris,” Luna gives a small curtsy to the large lily.

‘It is time to begin your journey, young one,’ the plant bellowed majestically.

‘Come here, you must take the new colored blooms.’

Luna approached the ring of bushes, and came upon the crimson rose. She delicately put a hand under it, and it detached itself from the bush. It closed itself back into a small bud, which Luna put in one of the pockets of the leather bag. She turns to leave, but is almost immediately stopped by the final white rose bush, which bears a single magenta rose. Luna turns to the lily, with a slight knowing.

“I should take this rose with me as well, shouldn’t I Chloris?”

The lily expelled a little bit of magic that forms the word ‘Yes’ momentarily.

‘It will keep you safe and guide you.’

With a nod, Luna takes the magenta rose as well. Instead of pocketing it, the girl adorns her hair with it, and it gently wraps its stem around her ear for leverage.

“You’ll keep the garden safe while I’m gone, right?”

‘Of course, child. We will use magic to guard your home and ours.’

“Thank you…” Luna walks out of the garden and through the house towards the front door. She lets out a nervous sigh.

“Here we go to Mount Ebott, Luna…!” she said in a lackluster tone.

“...?” It didn’t catch her eye until now, but there was a golden rose in front of her. Above it hovered some sort of energy. She put her hand up to it.

*The daunting journey ahead of you has left you in fear, yet you are filled with HOPE.*

*FILE 0_ALPHA SAVED*

“Well, yeah! There’s animals and plants and...!” Delilah interjected.

Beatrice giggled a little.

“Okay, okay, besides those," Her tone turned wispy. “Long ago, humans and other beings lived on this Earth, together. Let’s just call the other beings ‘monsters.’”

“Humans and monsters lived together in peace and harmony for many years, until a war suddenly broke out between the two species. After a long battle, humans were victorious, and they sealed the monsters underground with magic," She looks around at the children.

“They say that those who go to the mountain never return…”

“What do the monsters looks like?” Luna suddenly asked. This surprised Beatrice. “Oh, uh, no one has seen a monster on the surface ever…” Beatrice scratches her head. “But you have to remember… it’s just a legend.” Beatrice lets out a sigh.

“But if it helps, think of... spooky scary skeletons and ghosts!” Beatrice gave a little chuckle, then stands up.

“Okay everyone, sleep well!” She leaves the room as the children lay down to sleep. ‘Monsters in Mount Ebott…’ Luna quietly thinks to herself as she slowly drifts to sleep.

Snow.

That’s all the little girl could see for yards in front of her, in a forest of pine and spruce. She looks behind her, only to see a large door, with some sort of rune at the top. She looks up to see an illusion of stars covering the ceiling of a very large chasm. The girl then looks back down at the snow.

“Hmm…” the girl picks up a handful of the snow and balls it up, only to place it back down on the snow. She gets another handful, a bit less than before, balls it up and places it on top of the other. She grabs a couple of nearby stones and places them on the front of the first ball. She smiles at it with tired eyes.

“What else…?” The girl looks around at the bottom of the pine trees. “Ah…!” She spots a couple of twigs and walks towards them.

*swshhh*

“...?” The girl looks at the spot where her little snowman stood. It had been knocked down; Luna stares at the small pile of snow. She frowns at the small pile of snow, and decides to continue along the snowy path. A tune pops into her head, and she walks to its pace, a small grin forming on her face.

*swsh swsh*

“...” The girl comes across a large branch upon the path. She simply hops over it, and continues on, walking to the music.

*CRACK*

“!!!” She spirals back in the direction of the branch… which had broke. Wide eyed, she turned back towards the path and continued again, her pace quickened. Eventually, she slowed back down a little. She seemed like she had calmed down a little. She looks back at the trail behind her uneasily.

“Huh…?” It seems a trail of roses are following the girl. She kneels to the level of one of them. It’s covered in snow, yet its white and cyan colors seem to compliment its surroundings. Her eyes light up a little with curiosity, but she shakes her head and continues down the trail instead.

*crch crch*

“?” the girl looks back, but she sees nothing. She continues forward, again quickening her pace.

*crch crch crch*

“?!” She whips back, catching a glimpse of a silhouette of… something, only for it to disappear with a flash of cyan. Only one thing pops into her mind…

...run.

The girl bursts forward into a sprint, her fear building with each step. Soon, she sees a distant gate; she pushes her tired body forward. Her breathing gets heavier as the gate gets closer.

“Almost… there-” she manages to huff out before tripping on the massive amount of snow.

“AUGH-!” She lands hard on the icy mass, her arm breaking her fall. She scrambles up, only to fall back down.

“It... hurts...!” The girl struggles up, pain shooting throughout her arm. She looks in front of her to see the gate, several feet in front of her. Holding her arm, she limps over, only to suddenly stop. She tries to move, but her feet feel too heavy to even lift…

The crunch of snow under feet returns, but the girl looks as if she’s given up. She collapses onto her legs, shivering at the pain and the cold. As the footsteps close in, she feels her body weaken more and more.

The footsteps stop…

* H u m a n . . . * D o n ‘ t  y o u  k n o w -

The pain is too much… Luna collapses onto her side.

* ?! * k-kid, you okay? * ...kid...?!

A few years passed. The orphanage saw children come and go. Luna grew like a blossom, though she never saw past the doors of the orphanage. Her beautiful garden of flowers and vegetation, used by the orphanage, kept her happy and at peace. Strangely, however, a peculiar ring of rose bushes lies at the core of the garden. Though they were colorless, there was something mystic about their presence, as if they were meant to be there for some greater reason…

Those years were quite active for the orphanage, for not only business, but for the sisters who facilitated it… and the tragedies that would befall them.

The first tragedy fell upon the eldest sister, Phoebe, on a Sunday morning…

May 17, 2009, 10:59 AM

“OH MY GOD!” Beatrice shrieked. She was loud enough for some of the children to hear. They rushed to the source from the dining hall to the source of the sound.

On the floor was the body of a woman. She had fallen from her chair at a table that supported a plate of scrambled eggs, bacon and a single pancake. There lay a fork on the floor, and stray chunks of egg around the face of the woman. Beatrice frantically shook the still-warm body, hoping for a response.

“DELORA, CALL 9-1-1 – PHOEBE’S NOT BREATHING!!!”

The body was rushed to the hospital, where the eldest sister was declared a lifeless shell of a woman, who bore integrity and kindness, because of cardiac arrest. Her funeral was held the following week, where sorrowful hearts stand as flowers amongst the plains.

The following months saw deterioration in the orphanage. Beatrice assumed the roles of her sister, despite it being Delora’s new responsibilities. The youngest sister tried to keep optimism for the children, though it was quite clearly visible that she was not okay herself.

“Miss Beatrice…” Luna confronted her one day.

“Yes, my little Luna?” The woman looked at the young girl’s distraught face with weary eyes. Suddenly, the girl hugged Beatrice, surprising both of them.

“I know everything has been hard…” Luna murmured, looking up at the sister. “...but I want to help you.”

Beatrice frowned at the girl. “Luna, no, you don’t-”

“Please!” The girl interrupted. “You’ve been doing too much, and- and-” She shakes her head, tears starting to form.

“I don’t want you to be the next to go…!”

There was sorrow in the woman’s eyes. With a shake of her head, she reluctantly agreed. “Okay… but I will have to teach you quite a bit...”

For the following month, Luna learned basic housekeeping skills, from dusting the fans and furniture to cooking simple foods like pastas.

For a small amount of time, it seemed as if the orphanage was improving once again...

...until Luna found Beatrice hung from the ceiling fan in the lady’s room.

Jan 9, 2010, 8:30 PM

The eleven-year-old experienced more trauma than the woman who had found her sister on the floor… as if she was having a nightmare she’d never awaken from.

Like her sister, the woman was rushed to the hospital, to have been confirmed dead, like her sister, by asphyxiation…

She was buried next to her sister the following week, a smaller group of children mourning the loss of the enthusiastic ray of sunshine that had been snuffed out of their lives.

With the death of Beatrice came a downward spiral into chaos, run by Delora.

The children were suffering under her oppression. Some ran away, never to return, others sought foster-care, where at least they would live better lives than the hell they were suffering through for several years…

...yet a select few sought to disappear to Mount Ebott.

June 5, 201X, 9:50 PM

“Mount Ebott? Why?” Luna asked the two girls, Laila and Delilah.

“Luna, you know we can’t stay here anymore…” Delilah answered. “Especially when SHE is running this hell-hole.” Laila nodded.

“But what about-” Delilah stopped her, the girl’s light blue eyes staring at Luna’s heterochromic ones.

“There’s nothing here for us," Delilah said, sorrow in her eyes. “Please… don’t try to stop us…”

“...” Luna looked crestfallen. But she shook her head and forced a smile on her face.

“Okay. I just hope you guys will be alright.” The two girls nodded, and turned towards their escape route, when suddenly Luna stopped them.

“WAIT! I need to give you guys something, what here!” The girl rushed outside to her garden, grabbing a pair of pruners. She looked for some flowers to give them, but found none, until she passed by her rose bushes at the garden’s core. On two of the bushes, amongst the white roses, were a single rose of a different color. On one grew a cyan rose, whereas the other grew an indigo rose. The girl took her pruners and snipped off the roses and ran back to the awaiting others.

“Here…!” Luna handed Delilah the cyan rose and Laila the indigo one. They both stared into their roses, then looked back at Luna with thankful smiles.

“Thank you!” The girls whispered, and gave Luna a hug.

“Be safe, okay?” Luna whispered back once she was released. The girls gave a curt nod, and turned to leave. Delilah adorned her hair with the rose, which accompanied her red ribbon, while Laila tucked hers in the loop of her tutu.

“See you on the other side!” The two girls bid farewell.

Having escaped, Laila and Delilah were never seen again…

Others followed them as the months passed. A pair of boys bearing fake pistols and a frying pan left 3 weeks later, who received a yellow and, strangely, an olive-green rose, respectively.

“Good luck to you!” They bid adieu.

And finally, a girl wearing cloudy glasses, and a boy, named Cameron, who wore gloves, were the last to leave. Violet and orange were the roses that found them that day.

“Stay safe yourself, k?” Cameron saluted as the other waved.

“I will…!” Luna responded.

A few years passed, and few children were left in the orphanage.

Delora neglected the children most of the time, leaving the responsibility of caring for and feeding them to Luna.

The only thing that kept the girl happiness at this point was her garden, with its multicolored center of rose bushes, save for two that continued to bear pure white roses.

August 17, 201X, 3:30 PM

Luna had wandered into the forest just beyond her garden. This was the day that she decided that it’s time to stop staying cooped up in that damned orphanage, and actually see what’s outside for once. The girl was gleeful with the things she saw: bluebirds hopping from branch to branch in spruce and oak trees, where small squirrels skitter up and down the trees in happy playing on the beautiful day.

The girl happens upon a stream, its bank holding sands and gravel. She nears the stream and sits down, resting her bare feet in the cool currents. She sighs with pleasure as she watches the flow.

*shff swff*

“?” The girl looks downstream, where a small object floated near her. It appeared to be a rather large bulb of some kind of flower… She reaches out and manages to catch the bulb in her hands. It was the size of her palm, soft and delicate. Gingerly, she steps out of the stream and treads back to her garden, the bulb cupped in her fragile hands.

“I’ll find you a home…” Luna looks for a suitable planting space for the bulb, and her eyes fall to the ring of rose bushes. She pads over to it, and steps to the center. She stares at the bulb again, then places it in the spot.

“Let me get you a trowel, and then I can plant you here…” She said to it briefly before pacing over to the shed.

“Okay let’s see…” she opens the shed and immediately darts for the drawer of trowels and pruners. She grabs one and exits to find a peculiar sight.

It seems that, while she was gone, a sort of pond had formed. It began from the center, and created a ring around the rose bushes. And at its center was a large unbloomed lily, rotating indefinitely as if there was a current. Luna simply stared in awe. To her, it seemed as if the garden was completed a little bit more… She checked the rose bushes, making sure none of them were submerged. The formation was so perfect that none of them were submerged. In fact, it had not only created a ring around the rose bushes, but the bushes themselves were set on a dry ring of dirt themselves.

“Wow…” Luna stared in disbelief once more before returning back inside the orphanage.

“...?” For a brief moment, she felt the earth under her feet vibrate, though it felt… unnatural. The feeling felt as if there was some sort of otherworldly force at work… or quite possibly…

...magic.

In a small town at the edge of Oklahoma, a cloaked figure appeared on the corner of two streets: Maine and Goldenrod. They edged through the shadows of the night, carefully guarding the bundle held closely and carefully in their arms.

As the figure edged through the darkness, they came upon what appeared to be an orphanage; the structure seemed nearly as large as a mansion, and appeared to be rather well-kept, save for some dead plants, an unkept and dead lawn, and parts of the structure slowly deteriorating.

One window appeared to have the soft glow of a light, emanating from a distance away from the actual window.

This will have to do...

The figure sighed, slowly approaching the door. The surrounding plants on the path slowly regained life as they passed by, almost as if by magic.

The figure’s hood fell to reveal the face of a woman. Her hair was as black as the night, seeming to have white streaks throughout, glimmering with small specks that seemed to be a part of her hair… her eyes were like beautiful emeralds in the moonlight. Yet her face was grim, her heart filled with sadness.

She looked at the bundle, the face of a small baby being revealed. It was sleeping peacefully in its swaddled state. It looked to be about a year old. The woman gives a faint smile as she approaches the door.

“I wish that things didn’t have to be this way…” She said, with as voice as smooth as silk, and as beautiful as a dream.

She set the bundle near the door, sitting near it for a few seconds. She took off a small heart-locket with a tiny crescent moon engraved on its front, hidden under her cloak, and a rose pin. She put the items in a small parcel near the child, putting a letter near it as well:

‘Please... take good care of my little Luna... she has so much unknown potential, and we are unable to take care of her... Please, do the best that you can to raise her up to be as extravagant as I believe that she can be...’

After she left the items, she hastily kissed the child on the forehead, and whispered “I love you… always and forever…” to her child. She pulled the hood up, rang the doorbell, and ran away.

That was the last that she would ever be seen…

It was discovered the following morning that there was a body at the edge of the forest near the town, shrouded in a black cloak.

The cause of death, it has been discovered, was many wounds through the chest, specifically where the heart was…

...she had been found impaled in the heart by a thick vine, covered in poisonous red needles…

“?!” A young woman awoke with a start to the sound of the doorbell.

“Who could be up this late…?” She looks at the nearby clock.

12:15 A.M.

“Uuuuugh…” she groaned groggily. She fumbled for the light switch and turned it on, lighting the whole room, making her strawberry hair and caramel eyes, which began adjusting to the light, visible. The young woman cringed momentarily at the brightness, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. As she got up, she grabbed a flashlight, slipping on slippers under her white nightgown. Slowly, she made her way to the bedroom door, the floorboards squeaking with every step. She tried to make an attempt to be quieter, but it was in vain, seeming to make the floorboards squeak longer. As she opened the door she turned on her flashlight, providing enough light to see.

Carefully, she closed the door and made her walk down the steps and to the front door of the orphanage. She turned off the light to see who was outside, only being met with the porch and the path outwards, which strangely seemed to have some life on its rims. Eventually, she opened the door.

“Hello?” she whispered to no one in particular. She looked down, and jumped back a bit. A baby was peacefully sleeping on the porch, babbling occasionally. The woman crouched down, leaving the flashlight on a small table, and picked up the bundle carefully. It stirred in her arms, but slept peacefully. The woman gave a small smile.

“Where might you have come from?” she whispered quietly. Despite how many times this has happened, she still isn’t used to the sight of small children ending up at her footsteps in the dark of night…

“Huh?” she notices the parcel and letter near where the child was. Slowly and carefully she picked up the items, putting them near the flashlight. She looked back at the baby, who had begun to stir once again.

“Don’t you worry, li’l young’n, you’ll be safe here…” she said, quietly closing and locking the door.

Picking up the flashlight once again, she held the bundle close to her, making a path to another room. Inside, several children slept in some rather nice beds. Near the end of the room, a few cribs were seen, a few of them occupied. The woman slowly approached one of the unoccupied ones, placing the bundle on the soft padding inside the crib.

“Now... you sleep tight,” the young lady whispered. “We’ll see what’ll happen in the morning…”

She left the room, quietly closing the door. She went back to the parcel and letter she left at the front door. Upon grabbing them, she immediately made her way back to her room. She carefully examined the parcel and letter, noticing a name on the parcel:

To my little rosebud, Luna.

And on the letter:

To whomever it may concern…

The woman put the items in a small drawer on the nightstand, resolving to wait until the morning hours to open the letter.

Her sisters would need to see this too…

“Aww, it’s so cute!!!” a spunky young girl said. She seemed rather hyper… (a little too hyper for her own good…) She had caramel-blonde hair and green eyes, and was still wearing her pajamas.

“Calm down, Beatrice…” a black haired girl said. She stared coldly at Beatrice with icy blue eyes.

“I can’t!!! The baby is so cute, Delora!!!” Beatrice said to the older girl. The baby, as well as the other children, were fully awake now. They were all looking at the newcomer in their crib, who had long since been un-swaddled by the woman, who had to tend to it through the night, and was now sleeping upstairs. The baby stared back at most of them with its brown and blue eyes.

“Is it a girl?” a small girl with ponytails said.

“No way! It’s definitely a guy…” an older boy with black hair said.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s super cute!!!” a young blonde girl said with a smile.

After a bit, the baby began to be a bit overwhelmed by the stares of the children, especially from Delora. It began to whimper. Beatrice notices this, and carefully picked up the child, cradling it in the crook of her arm.

“Shh, don’t you fuss…” She said, much calmer than before. She looked at the children surrounding them.

“Um… could you all maybe… back up a little?” she said quietly. They did not respond.

“HEY!!! BACK OFF!!!” Delora suddenly yelled at the children, causing the baby to wail. They immediately recoiled, walking back a few feet, seeming like they were about to cry as well. Beatrice tried her best to stop the child from crying; making silly faces and sounds, singing a little to it… eventually, the baby calmed down, listening to Beatrice’s voice. It reached up to her nose, attempting to touch it. Beatrice lets it, and it coos with happiness.

“Aww… what a sweetheart…” Beatrice said. She seems to be enjoying this…

“I see you’ve found our little newcomer,” yawned the woman.

“Phoebe!!!” Beatrice said excitedly. “Did you find this little one?”

Phoebe nods, still half asleep.

“I’ve got to show you two something…”

“OOH!!! What is it?” Beatrice said, slightly confused.

“Something to do with the baby…” Phoebe said as she approached the two. She looked out at the children, then at Delora.

“I thought I told you not to yell at them, Lora,” she said sternly to her sister.

“Sorry…” Delora said, rolling her eyes. She didn’t seem to care. “I didn’t mean to…”

Phoebe narrowed her eyes at her sister. She sighed and looked at the children.

“It’s alright, y’all… no need to be scared,” she said. They slowly began to calm down. Phoebe looked back at the baby, giving a little laugh at Beatrice, who made a silly face at it.

“I see that she’s awake…” Phoebe said.

“Darn…” the little boy with the back hair whispered.

“Oh, would you like to hold her, Phoebe?” Beatrice asks. After a few moments, Phoebe nods.

“I wouldn’t mind…” she responds. Beatrice hands over the baby girl to Phoebe, who handles her carefully. The child stares at Phoebe, as if it knew her. Phoebe smiled at her.

“Hi there…” Phoebe whispers to the baby girl. “This is your new home now…” Phoebe showed the child the surrounding area, while holding her in the crook of her arm. The baby looked back at Phoebe and cooed again. Phoebe put the child back in the crib.

“Now you stay there, little lady…” Phoebe whispered. “Me and my sisters are gonna talk for a bit.”

She turned to the other children.

“Now, you all play nice,” she said. “Me and my sisters are going to talk for a bit, then prepare breakfast for you all. Okay?”

“Yes, Miss Phoebe!!!” they responded. Some of the children began to play while a few played with the baby girl. The sisters left to discuss whatever was necessary.

“Don’t have too much fun without me!!!!” Beatrice said before walking out with her sisters.

“So, her name is Luna…” Delora said. Phoebe nods.

“Whoever left her to us, they left a letter too,” she responded, holding the letter.

“Did’ya happen to see what it said?” Beatrice asked, staring at the letter. Phoebe shook her head.

“That’s why I asked you all here,” Phoebe said. “I felt that it was necessary that all three of us see what it says.” She began to open the letter, and read it aloud. What it read seemed much different than what was originally written:

Please, take care of my little rosebud, Luna… I fear that you three are our only hope to preserve our daughter’s life. She has much hidden potential, but that is nothing that either of you should be worried about… We believe that you can raise our child to be the extravagant little rose that we know she is…

Whoever wrote the letter, they also seemed to have included the child’s birth certificate.

Name: Luna Sylverose Clearwaters

D.O.B: October 5, 1998 in Stillwater, Oklahoma

Gender: Female

Allergies: No

Special Conditions: No

The names for Mother and Doctor are scratched out, but the first names are legible:

Mother: C͠e҉l̨es̢ţe A̵҉҉̶͢b͏͜i̕͞ǵ̷̴͘͜a͜͠͝i̶̛̕͠l̸ C̴̢͏̛l҉̨̢͘͠ę́a̶̕͜͝r̶̴̸̀͘w̴̨͘͞͝à̴̸̷t̨͟͞e͡҉̨͟ŗ̴̀s͘͝͠ Doctor: B̶ren̛da҉n A̷̧͟͡l͝҉͘҉y̢̡͜x̵̧͜ C̛̀l̸̢̕͜͠e̵̴̵͜͠a͠҉̡̛͝ŕ̸w̴͘҉a͏̷҉̷t̢̛͜é͢͡r͢͝͠s̀̕̕͡

“How... strange,” Beatrice said. “Why wouldn’t they want us knowing who they were?”

“They usually never do…” Delora said melancholily. “But how did they know that there were three of us?”

“They’ve probably been here before and we didn’t notice?” Phoebe questioned, though she was still just as confused. She shook it off after a few seconds.

“Well, at least we know a little more about the baby!” Beatrice said optimistically.

“Only time will tell what other things we may learn!”

The sisters went back downstairs into the orphanage bedroom, and were immediately met with an extraordinary sight.

All of the other children, excluding the other babies, were huddled away from Luna’s crib, which had plants from one of the nearby vases inside of it. Somehow, they were playing with and tickling the baby, their stems elongated to reach her. The perennials and lavender were tickling the baby’s feet like feathers, while the roses and carnations tickled her nose, stomach, and under her arms. She seemed to be not only enjoying it, but laughing up a storm.

“What’s going on?” Phoebe asked the children.

“We- we don’t know…” one little girl with freckles said. “One minute, we were admiring the new baby and kind of letting it grab our fingers, and the next…” she gulped. “...the plants came to life again and started playing with her!”

“Ooooh, magic plants!!!” Beatrice said. She tried touching one of them, who recoiled at her touch. It seemed surprised and scared. Somehow, this caused not only the one plant, but all of the others to recoil, returning to their original positions, as they shivered for a few moments before returning to their semi-lifeless states. However, before all of the plants receded, one of the roses gave what appeared to be a small kiss to the child’s cheek, causing her to giggle. Startled, they all stared in simultaneous fear and awe at the child.

“Well,” Phoebe said. “That was… interesting…” Phoebe thought for a moment.

“Oh! The breakfast-” Phoebe remembered. She turned to her sisters.

“Could you two start preparing breakfast?” She asked. “I’ll take care of the children, then join you…”

“Okie Dokie!!!” Beatrice said, prancing to the kitchen. Delora followed, shooting a glare at the children, then leaving with an evil smirk across her face. She knew that they flinched, they always do; they’re terrified of her…

Phoebe gently picked up the baby girl, looking at the children with gentle eyes.

“There’s nothing to worry about… everything is alright…” she reassured them. Slowly, they began to calm down, approaching the baby.

“So, does she have a name?” a little black girl with a tutu asked. Phoebe nods.

“We found out that her name is Luna,” Phoebe said quietly. Baby Luna tried to grab Phoebe’s nose, revealing a very small crescent moon on her right hand.

“I can see why…” she said, looking at the birthmark.

Suddenly, Beatrice peeked her head in the room.

“Hey everyone, breakfast is gonna be ready in a few minutes!!!” She said enthusiastically. “What do y’all think of blueberry pancakes?”

Some of the children gasped with joy.

“Can some of us help?” A girl with a faded ribbon in her hair asks Beatrice.

“Oh, sorry Delilah, me and Delora have the mix all prepared,” she said sadly. “But maybe another time, okay?”

The little girl sighed. “Okay, Miss Beatrice…”

Beatrice left the room to continue preparing the pancakes.

“Okay kids, let’s go wash our hands for breakfast!” Phoebe said. All of the children rushed over to the bathrooms to wash up upon hearing her. Phoebe monitored them, making sure nothing bad happens. She looks at the baby girl cradled in arms, smiling.

“I know that you’re going to like it here,” she said. “It’ll be more fun when you’re a little older, though…” she gave a small laugh.

After a few minutes, the children finished washing their hands and began heading to the dining area. It was a rather large area, with several circular polished wood tables. In a nearby room was the kitchen. Though there was only eight children, the sisters had made enough to feed a family of 15. From the kitchen, the sweet scent of vanilla and blueberries wafts through, a faint scent of bacon following.

“Ooooh!!! That smells nice!” a little boy said. A little blonde haired girl nearby nodded.

“Today is gonna be great!!!” The little girl said.

“...this orphanage on Goldenrod and Lanester, known as ‘Allendale’s Orphanage,’ is very well known for the two sisters Phoebe and Beatrice, or Trishie, as some call her. These sisters have a special quality; Beatrice’s hyper and optimistic aura, and Phoebe’s hard-working nature. Though their other sister Delora is a bit outspoken, she seems to have a friendly nature similar to the other Allendale sisters. If any children had to be left in someone’s hands, let it be these sisters.” An interview from the Allendale Sisters of the Orphanage read.

“‘We wanted to give a home to children without a family…’ One of the Allendale sisters, Phoebe, mentioned. ‘But, it’s only temporary; sometimes, couples happen to come across our orphanage, and find a child they really like!’ Beatrice states. ‘After that, they ask us about the child, allergies, et cetera…’ Delora states nonchalantly. ‘After that, they ask, or not, if they can adopt the child. It’s not a very long process,’ She finishes. ‘But it’s always hard to say goodbye!!!’ Beatrice added.

“Throughout what I have seen in this place, the children are happy, taken care of, and healthy. I personally would rate this orphanage as a 4.5 out of 5 stars if it were a hotel… but I know that, with the help of the Allendale sisters, these children will be well taken care of before they get adopted!” -by Sandra Sylverbaque, Reporter for the Dept. of Oklahoma-

This report was released on April 15, 2009

It had been seven years since Luna had appeared on the Allendale’s doorstep. Some children had been adopted since then, and some had mysteriously disappeared…

Since then, the child had blossomed from the one year old she was found as to an extraordinary 8 year old…

The child was rather polite, yet shy… others wouldn’t usually interact with her. She didn’t mind… her time was often absorbed in the beautiful art of gardening. Naturally, she had a sort of green thumb; the plants in the front garden seemed to flourish only after a few day of being planted, instead of the weeks it would take for any normal plant, even a sapling, to grow.

It almost seemed as if magic had blessed these plants…

Of course, these plants had attracted more couples, often asking about the beautiful bluebonnets, forget-me-nots, and the vibrant roses, which seemed to occur more than the others.

Phoebe often helped the child garden, as well as a few other children and Beatrice. They seemed to enjoy the presence of such vibrant flowers and the flower child herself. Yet the strange thing is… no one introduced Luna to gardening…

March 15, 2007

“Okay everyone!” Phoebe said to a group of children.

“You have all noticed that every once in awhile, it gets warm and cool outside, right?”

“Yeah!” the children responded. They all seemed old enough to talk.

“And, you all have noticed that when this happens, the leaves change on some trees and the flowers also bloom, right?”

The children all nod. But they don’t know why Phoebe is mentioning this.

“Well, this happens when the seasons change!” Beatrice adds. One of the children raises their hands.

“Yes, Luna?” Phoebe calls the child.

“What’s a season?” Her bi-colored eyes glisten with curiosity. Phoebe smiles at the child.

“A season is something that happens every year; every three months, the weather will begin to change, and the plants and animals change the ways they act at a certain time. There are four seasons,” Phoebe holds up four of her fingers.

“Each of these seasons have a different effect on the planet,” Phoebe puts three fingers down.

“The first season is Spring. This is when all of the flowers and trees blossom with new leaves or flowers, and when animals awaken from a deep sleep called hibernation," She puts up another finger.

“The next season is Summer. It’s a bit like Spring, but much warmer, and the plants stop blooming for a while," She puts up a third finger.

“After Summer is Fall, or Autumn. In this season, it begins to get cooler outside as leaves change color and fall off trees, which are slowly going to a sort of sleep that animals prepare for, which leads me to the last season, Winter," Phoebe holds up four fingers.

“Winter is a time when all the animals and plants are not active, and are in a sleep of sorts. It gets so cold outside that snow can sometimes fall outside. This is the season we are in, but it’s slowly warming up outside. Do you know what that means?” she asks the small group of children. A hand shoots up into the air. Phoebe stifles a snicker at who it was.

“Yes, Trishie?” The group of children turned to look at her, not realizing that she had appeared.

“When it begins to warm up outside during winter, that means that spring is coming soon!” Beatrice says enthusiastically.

“Yes, that’s right,” Phoebe adds. “All the animals will be awakening soon, leaves will grow back on trees, and flowers will bloom once again. This happens every year, and we call this a cycle.”

The children gave a soft “ooo” after the conversation. They seemed enthralled in what Phoebe has said.

“That’s all for today everyone!” Phoebe said, and almost instantly, the children rushed out of the room, happy screams and cheers following their path.

Luna stayed behind, however.

“You okay, Luna?” Beatrice asked, surprising the child.

“O-oh, I am okay…” the little girl said. She got up and approached the back door.

“May I please go outside to look at the plants?” Luna asked.

“Oh, of course, sweetheart, but someone must go with you, okay?” Phoebe said. Beatrice smiled at her sister.

“OH! OH!! Can I go with her?” the giddy sister said. Phoebe sighed.

“I’m sorry, Trish, but you’ve got some work to do, and so do I,” she said sadly. She looked at Delora.

“You don’t mind goin’ with her, do you?”

“......” Delora thought for a moment. She absolutely hates the kids, especially Luna… but maybe she could ‘stage a little accident’ for the kid.

“Alright…” the middle sister said flatly. She looked at Luna, sending a shiver down the girl’s spine. Luna shook it off and excitedly hurried to the small garden outside.

It was a little chilly outside, but the eight-year-old didn’t mind…

“It’s gonna be Spring guys!!!” she yelled excitedly to her garden. The plants perked up, as if looking at the girl.

“Do you guys know what that means? You’re all gonna be really pretty again!!!”

The blue-bonnets wriggled in their place, while the forget-me-nots clapped their leaves the best they could. Seems like the garden was excited for spring as much as any plant would be-

“What in the-”

Luna forgot that the woman was supposed to be watching her… the flowers stood as deathly still as the girl, save for a light breeze that made the plants sway...

“I-I’m sorry. W-what’re you talking about…?”

The girl turns her head slowly, and looks at the middle sister with a wide eye. Delora narrows her eyes.

“Weren’t you just talking to the plants?” Her tone was harsher than a blizzard.

“No…! I was talking to, uh... myself! About how Spring is coming, you know.” She turns to face the woman. Luna shivers a little as she stares into the woman’s piercing eyes with her own wide eyes. There’s a long moment of silence as Delora just stares at what she sees as the runt of the orphanage litter. Delora just walks off, dismissing the little girl’s supposed shenanigans. Luna breathes a sigh of relief. She heads to the tool shed at the far right of the garden, takes the lock off and opens it up.

Inside, various gardening tools are concealed: watering cans, a lantern, a pair of shears out of reach of the girl, a long, pointed shovel, a large rake, a drawer of trowels and some pruners, a lawn mower too big for her to move, a rolled up garden hose, a pair of loppers, a hatchet, and an edger. She gets out one of the trowels, and dives into the drawer of seed packages.

“Now, let’s see…” The girl browsed the various seed packages of many fruits, vegetables, flowers, and a few tree seed packets.

“Carrots, no… daffodils, maybe summer- huh?” Luna found a single packet of seeds buried amongst the others that she hadn’t seen before.

“Roses…?” The girl picks up the package. It seemed warm, strangely. She stares for a long time at the package. It seemed out of place among the others, which were all the same brand. This one, however, didn’t even have a brand. In fact, it was just a small parcel that said, in flowing cursive, ‘Roses.’ She felt that these were the right ones to plant today. With a smile, the girl turns towards the exit of the-

*SLAM*

“?!!!?!” Luna yelps in alarm as she is shut inside the shed, in near-complete darkness. A woman’s laugh can be heard, with the clanking of metals at the door. Luna runs towards the doors and bangs desperately.

“LET ME OUT!!!” The girl barks. Tears begin to well up in her eyes as she bangs her hands against the door.

“PLEASE…!” she sobs out. Over the slamming, the crunch of dirt fades away. Luna’s slamming becomes more desperate. After a few minutes, the girl weakens, and slides to the floor, whimpering.

“I… I didn’t do a-anything wrong…” She says to herself, sniffling. “So why… why me?” She bursts into tears once more.

* hey. hey kid. you okay? * i know you can hear me. i wouldn’t be here if you couldn’t. * there’s somethin’ special ‘bout you, something that could be life-changing. * but you have to do one thing, no matter what. * y’know what that is…? * you’ve gotta have HOPE. * understand? * everything’ll be alright as long as you’ve got that with ya… * i promise, kiddo. everything’ll be alright...

“Luna?” A soft voice called out from outside the shed.

*knock knock knock*

“Hnnghm?” Luna seemed to have fallen asleep a while ago… she lets out a yawn.

“Hello?” The voice echoes.

“Huh? Is someone there-” Luna remembers she’s in a shed.

“Hey! Can you help me?”

“Is that you, Luna?”

“Yeah, who’s this?” she asks.

“It’s me, Laila!” the girl replied.

“Laila, hi-” Luna looks around, then pushes on the door. It doesn’t budge.

“Laila, I think I’m stuck in here- can you go get help, please?!” Luna is a little frantic now.

“Yeah, hold on-” There’s clinking of metal at the door, and in a few moments, the door is opened to reveal a girl in a tutu. Luna immediately hugs her.

“Oh my goodness- thank you Laila!” Luna sobbed a little.

“Oh, no problem!” Laila smiles, and pats the little girl on the head with her free arm.

“Phoebe and Beatrice were worried, so I thought I’d help look for you- I love your garden by the way!”

“Luna lets go of the girl. “Thank you- OH YEAH-” The girl runs back into the shed and grabs the trowel and package of rose seeds.

“I was gonna plant these, did you wanna help?”

“Um, I think we should actually go in and tell them you’re okay. They were pretty worried…” Laila suggested.

Luna looks a little disappointed. “Yeah, you’re right…” She sets the trowel and package on the ground and heads back inside the orphanage with Laila. She quietly wonders how long she was in that shed, and how she fell asleep in the moment.

Who was that in her dream, anyways…?

“You were locked in the shed?!” Phoebe looks down at the two girls, and Luna nods.

“I was getting out one of the little shovels and a package of seeds, and when I turned to leave, the doors were shut in my face!” Luna sighed.

“I didn’t see who it was, though…”

From the hallway, Delora stares at the scene, a smug look on her face.

“The kid doesn’t have a clue. She’ll be easy to-”

“Hey whatcha talkin’ ‘bout?!” Delora jumps away from the wall and stares at her little sister, wide-eyed.

“Trishie, don’t do that!” Delora scolded, but Beatrice only smiled.

“So, whatcha talking about?” She asked again. Delora looks away.

“Nothin. Just worried about the kids," She lied.

“Eheh, yeah…” Beatrice laughed, a slight hint of nervousness could be heard. “They found Luna, right? I wonder what happened…”

Delora only stares at Luna with narrowed eyes.

This was just one step of a new plan...

After a long battle between the final human, Asgore was finally, and unfortunately, victorious…

The human’s SOUL was taken from their body, and encapsulated in the final capsule, with the six other SOULs.

It was later announced, that day, that the final SOUL was taken, and that Asgore would use them to shatter the barrier and wreak havoc on the human race.

It was a grim day for several monsters, who had befriended the human, upon hearing this news…

That day, all of the monsters came to the capital to watch Asgore shatter the barrier.

Toriel, disguised in a cloak, unlocked the door to the Ruins that day, to see if Asgore would accomplish his horrid goal…

“The time has finally come…” he said. “Let us free ourselves from this prison!”

Monsters cheered the brief statement from their ruler.

“Dr. Alphys, if you will…?”

“Y-yes sir…!”

With the press of a button, The SOUL capsules appeared on the area, and were released. Every monster gazed in awe as their king, Asgore Dreemurr, absorbed the SOULs…

...and transformed into a godlike being.

With his newfound powers, he made a brilliant strike upon the barrier, making the whole mountain quiver momentarily, as if an earthquake occurred. The cave ceiling gave way some debris that could have killed a portion of the crowd, if they had not moved in time…

They all stared at the Barrier.

It had cracked, still quivering at the force of the blow…

...only to reinforce itself in seconds.

They all were stunned… it seems that not even the power of all 7 SOULs was enough to shatter the barrier…

...but it was enough to crack it; a major achievement in the eyes of many…

Moments later, the godlike figure that Asgore had weakened, and collapsed. The SOULs separated themselves from him, and before they could dissipate, were recaptured and returned to their respectful capsules.

“How could this be…?” one monster said.

“It wasn’t enough to free us?” said another.

“The prophecy wasn’t fulfilled!!!”

“We’re going to be trapped here forever!!!”

Like a wildfire, murmurs in the crowd began to become more and more distressed. After a few moments, King Asgore had regained enough strength to stand once again.

“Please, everyone…” He said quietly, at first. He then cleared his throat.

“Everyone calm down!!!” He bellowed. It was enough to silence the crowd, save for a few whimpers from a Whimsun…

The king gave a sigh. He seemed to have lost almost all hope. “I’m very sorry everyone…” he simply stated. “You may all return to your respected homes…”

Pity. That was what every monster felt for the king. It filled the chasm, infecting everyone and everything that could feel it. Slowly, monsters began to file out of the area. The hooded figure that Toriel had disguised herself as stayed for a few moments. The king and the former queen made eye-contact for a brief moment, for it to be broken by her leave.

‘Tori…’ the king thought.

At this moment… he felt as if his heart were to shatter completely…

The monumental event seemed to steal away the HOPE of the Underground…