Masked Death

Undefeated mask

This is ridiculous

This was what the masked figure thought as he fought effortlessly. Yes, he was fighting. He was fending off daft enemies.

Come on bring me better enemies!

Aggravated as he was, he slammed his balled fist into an in impending adversary. He wore a mask. A mask with two dark, transparent eyes portrayed smoothly on the mask. His body was fine, and had ripped muscles. There was nothing on him with intricate detail, except his arm.

Yes, his arm. His arm was quite peculiar, as peculiar as a vague enigma. It was black, unnaturally black, and purple, visible veins coursed through the arm. It gave him extraordinary capability, or powers. Which are unknown to the limited human mind. Not even I know its capability.

At his midst of dissatisfaction, his heart leapt at the sight of a peculiar adversary.

At last...

His opponent was someone who was as peculiar as him, but not quite as peculiar as the masked man. The masked figure saw a man who has a sword, and a mark of experience in his countenance.

They both smiled then everything went dark. The lights dimmed as if there was never going to be a world. Then their obscurity finally rose. The spell of the dark was finally departed, and who was left standing?

The masked man...

* * *

Nobody could stand against the masked man. This was obviously correct. But spying and cloaked in the murky shadow, was a heartbroken countenance. Then it vanished leaving moist drops of water.

Not water, but tears...

Chapter 2:

His climax, and his Melancholy.

Perhaps man isn't the precise term, but teen is. He was 18 years old, and studied in college. He is studying astrology. He wonders what the stars, and how luminous they are. Unlike his heart, and mind. It is very dark, very shrouded. Why? Because destiny took his fair lady, now he grieves over her with despair, and anguish. Now he perceives that he is a shame from protecting her. Why? He just stood in his position, while destiny's malevolency sufficed. So he now conceals his face with a mask that covered his countenance, which he is shamed to have.

He usually writes poems about them. He is very adept in this art of his. Nobody taught him. It just came from his somber heart, like a new page of unknown. His life went on just like the same old story. It was monotonous, and recurring. He was contented in this, but who knew his story will soon reach its climax?

One thing happened that was out of his monotonous life, he met someone. A particular someone that made him reminisce his fair lady, or her remnants.

He was walking in the hallway of his college, carrying his telescope in his bag. He took several turns, but who knew which turn was the uprising of his climax? One turn led him to a back street of the college building; he usually goes there for a shortcut. Nobody else went there because of the gossip of a criminal living down there. Not just a criminal but also a murderer, also a snatcher.

He trudged down the path, as confident as a proud tiger. Then out of the darkness came a hand that snatched his telescope. The masked man was not primed for this assail. The snatcher, whoever he or she was, took his telescope.

The snatcher took off instantaneously, as fast as a running cheetah. He ran after the convict, as fast a she can. His mask shone on the sunlight as he ran, making his head look flashy.

The assailant sure ran fast. The assailant veered abruptly. So the masked man pursued the turn, and unknowingly collided on a girl. They both plummeted downward, hitting the floor hard.

They both sat up after the crash, and the masked man was about to strike after his assailant, but then he perceived the girl he slammed into. For a moment they gazed at each other with unknown sentiments. Then the masked man spoke...

" Sorry. Real sorry..."

" Your welcome, but why would you run in a college hallway?"

" I was pursuing someone who stole my telescope..."

" A guy came here earlier running too..."

" As I said I'm real sorry, let me clean this up for you... uhhh..."

" Yvonne, Yvonne Colfer. Call me Yvonne..."

For a minute they stared at each other. Yvonne... He noticed her elongated, black hair, with strips of faint red. Her face was attractive, and she had light green eyes. Something in her eye vexed him; there was a masked emotion inside those eyes: Calmness, mostly, a hint of fondness, and a buried sense of obscure sentiment.

They broke the connection by a series of " Excuse me" statements, and a touch of blabbers.

" So do you have a name?" asked Yvonne.

" Emrys, just Emrys," he said as he cleaned up the mess of papers. Then distant thoughts came back to him. First was the fact that someone stole his telescope, and the fact that they were conversing sitting in awkward positions at the cold floor.

" Sorry Yvonne but I have to go get my telescope," he said as he hastily cleaned the papers on the floor.

" Oh, I'm coming with you," she said abruptly as he collected the papers.

" You sure?"

" Yes"

" It's going to be a wild run..."

" Oh, don't worry about that." She said. Emrys didn't want her to come because, it was going to be a wild run, and he is concerned about the fact of troubling someone else. Also because of the fact that she is wearing a skirt, Emrys thought it might be a bit hard to run with that on.

" You sure, I mean you don't have to..." he insisted.

" Your not going to change my mind." She said with a wink.

After three seconds, they shot up like bullets, without warning.

That was a happy moment for Emrys and Yvonne. Emrys forgot about the world, and them. It was just he and she. Later that night, he sat in his chair thinking. Then he looked at his telescope safely secure in it's bag.

He forgot about all the combating he did, all he cared about was "her" and his new world and the dawn of his climax.

An idea struck him, and started writing.

Chapter 3:

Two friends, Two lovebirds.

The morning shone lively, and eager, as eager as Emrys to go to school. He put his telescope in a secure area, where some cloaked assailant can't tug it out.

It was early in the morning, and he would be too early to school if he rode at once. So he decided against it. Instead he fixed his mind in taking his new friend for a ride. Yesterday, built much of amity between them. Unlike his melancholy routine he veered to his destination.

I think I'm going to have a little load...

There he saw a girl walking through the side-walked. Inside his mask he smiled gently. The sun shone on his mask, giving him a stately figure. He saw her face, as beautiful as a blooming flower.

Again she saw those deep eyes, of emotion. He took no notice of those sentiments, and rode his way, with his bike, toward her picturesque figure.

She turned around, and saw Emrys' mask glinting in the sun, as usual.

" Hi Yvonne!" greeted Emrys.

Yvonne stirred herself up a little, and replied:

" Oh, Hello Emrys. How come you're here?"

" I'm riding to school, and it was too early, so... I decided to go this way."

Yvonne beamed at him, and said:

" Really?"

" Actually no... you want to hitch a ride with me?"

At that request, Yvonne's face lightened up and sat on the handle of the bike.

" No problem?" asked Yvonne.

" No problem" replied Emrys.

Both of them just smiled, and Emrys rode away. They were both so jovial that they laughed out loud, in the streets with a high momentum. They cared of nothing; it was just they, and nonentity. Except the glinting mask, that had a blank expression.

* * *

They arrived at school, with a couple of stares from people. They didn't fret; the people weren't in their world.

Emrys had never been more joyful in his life, except when in his past moments with his lost fair lady.

While in the real world, rumors were already spreading of them two, but nobody dares confront Emrys. They believed that he has dark entities in him, so they stay away from him. Therefore the rumors were not much of a nuisance.

At school they skipped classes to meet each other, and to be pleased. They had a few chases from the teachers, but they were to fast. They gave the teachers a hard time, and being gleeful about it was the good part.

Their had an intense longing for each other, and each encounter brought them up to more than friendship. It was more than that now. They are like lovebirds, always longing for each other. They dramatically brought up their acquaintance to something that they called love

Chapter 4:

Cygnus, and Tragedy

It was night, the stars were bright and the two lovebirds held each other close.

They were sitting at a bench in a park. The telescope was mounted on the round to sight a beautiful view of the sky, as beautiful as Yvonne.

" Yvonne take a look..." Emrys offered.

Yvonne didn't think twice and peered through the telescope. She saw a constellation like a bird. She looked up in wonder, and asked:

"What is it?"

" It is Cygnus, also known as the Swan. It is in Greek mythology, a tragic story of Apollo's son, Phaeton. He loved riding the chariot. But one day, Apollo warned him not to drive near the Earth lest he will make it burst it in flames. He lost control of his horses, and veered towards Earth. Zeus quickly threw a lightning bolt down at him, killing him instantly. The wild horses veered up making a fiery path that became the Milky Way. Phaeton's body fell into river Eridanus. Cygnus a bird tried to find his body but failed. Because of Cygnus' hard effort to find Phaeton's body, Zeus blesses him, and turned him into a swan. It is a tragic story of Phaeton, so unfortunate and he was blinded by his passion for his charioting, he was conquered by passion."

" Well, that's well told. A tragic story..." she complimented.

They were silent for a moment, and then Yvonne spoke:

" Do you think passion makes us blind?"

" Yes, why?"

" Because if our relationship is blind, then..."

They both went grave, until one of them spoke.

" No, don't think of that Yvonne. It's just a story." Emrys said.

" Then why do you think God created that story? Or that constellation!"

" To prove to people that passion makes you blind." He retorted, "but that doesn't mean that our bond is going to be struck by a lightning bolt. A story can penetrate our bond, never."

Emrys hold her arms tight, that it would break if any more force were exerted, then said passionately, "Nothing is between us except our love."

Yvonne digested the information, and looked at him coldly, and said, " except your mask."

" No!" he howled, reminiscing the loss of past fair lady.

" Our love can't be complete when one is hiding something."

Emrys didn't want to take of his mask. Why would he, this was the mask that covered his shameful memories, his scars from destiny. It was the mask that gave him powers to continue, and struggle through mankind, and destiny.

" Please Emrys, if you can't take it of yourself, then... I'll take it off." She said so sweetly, and smoothly.

Emrys watched in horror, then he calmed down. The mask slid dramatically off his face. Then their faces drew together. They kissed smoothly. Yvonne's lips were smooth, and soft. It was heaven; it was only they and nonentity.

After several minutes, they drew away, and looked each other in the eye. Emrys saw the hidden sentiment inside her. Then he felt Zeus' lightning bolt in his heart. But this time it was cold steel. Emrys looked at her face in horror.

She drew back, appalled of what she did. Emrys looked at her eyes, there was revenge! The cloaked sentiment that he disregarded, it was now staring at him with a satisfied expression.

Then he fell down, staring at Cygnus. Yvonne looked at him shocked, and transfixed. Finally Emrys succumbed to death.

She checked his heartbeat, it was void, and gone, as if there was no heart there at all.

Yvonne reached in his pocket, and read a folded piece of paper.

In my world, somber and sorrowful,

Nothing was there to unfold, nobody to communicate.

Then someone came tapping at the door, which was woeful.

Then I met fate.

There was a fair lady,

Not the one that made me nightmarish.

It was another fair lady.

Her splendor has left me nourished.

My dear Yvonne,

The most radiant lady in this world.

Just like Phaeton's chariot,

Which was overflowing of the merit of gold.

We had our own world, just us...

Naught but our zeal for each other,

Naught but our jollities,

Naught but our love, and fervor.

Yvonne wept out loud, and the world harked a cry of agony. They had a world that was amiable, and desirable. Then ... then...

It was ruined by destiny...

Yes, destiny she thought. The weaver of our stories, and end them pitilessly. She let out another cry, but now it was a cry of anger, and vehemence. She threw the paper down at Emrys' black arm. She sat down.

She grieved, and cursed at the innocent air. After a couple of hours of her hysteria, she had a strong urge to read the poem. For some reason she read it again, but... it wrote something different, something horrible, something peculiar, something frightening, that made the hairs on her back stand up. She read...

Naught but our love, and fervor.

Hello, Yvonne...

Revenge is a sweet thing,

Ain't it?

How does it feel to kill?

Yvonne?

Not enough space for vehemence to fill?

Yvonne?

But don't worry; I'll always be there by your side,

Our love is very strong, not even death can stop us...

Just look around and I will be your guide.

Yvonne?

You still there?

Or are you gone?

Yvonne?

Now that you have sufficed your taste for vengeance

Nothing will stand betwixt and between us...

Yvonne?

Will you come with me?

Or will you be gone?
and never again to perceive glee?

Yvonne?

Are you still there?

Or are you far?

Yvonne...

Will you join me?

Yvonne gawked at the paper, and mostly the words. She felt horrible, panic-stricken, aghast, and perplexed.

She read it again, which only amplified her terror.

How could he have written that when he was dead?

She looked at Cygnus, and then at the Emrys' body. His mask was back on, the purple veins of from his balck hand flowed freely to the ground then to the paper then to her, and the blood was gone. She then smiled.

She realized the reality of the situation, which is unknown to me. Yvonne, not aghast but calm, gazed at Cygnus and closed her eyes.

That moment was completely taciturn, and peaceful, the wind seemed to hum a tragic but serene tone. Everything went silent except the wind.

After a hundred heartbeats she looked back at Emrys' body, it was gone. Yvonne smiled and asked the air:

So how are you Emrys?

She closed her eyes, and heard a voice in her mind:

Just fine...

Chapter 5

Fight against destiny

After that day, Yvonne was happy. She has sufficed her revenge, and also her love. She left town without notice. Nobody knew anything about them, not a fact. But I do know one thing...

Everyday they live with smiles on their faces.

Everyday in our lives they stride together.

Everyday "Death" cannot stop their unyielding forces.

And this will last forever.

Together they will fight against destiny, for their story is a tale of revenge. Together they will struggle for their quest for destiny, and to end destiny's story. To put a stop at his pen. To give the world liberty from destiny's clutches. But that is another story to tell.