User blog:Akasha1908/PREQUEL: The Tower of Mirrors: Cloud Mirror X Agent

NOTE:  This is just chapter 1 of this fanfic. To continue reading, click the link!

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10729274/1/PREQUEL-The-Tower-of-Mirrors-Cloud-Mirror-X-Agent

This story is a prequel to a tower event concept that I'd like to pitch to Zynga in the future. It stars the Anima daemon Cloud Mirror, along with a few players I've met in the game. I hope you enjoy!

<3 Aka



CHAPTER 1 

She rode as fast and hard as she could, silently praying that her horse would live long enough to deliver her to safety. She’d been on the run for days, rarely stopping; never sleeping. She ran, and he chased.

The pins holding up her hair had long since fallen out; her pale blonde locks whipping madly around her gaunt face. She needed to find food and water soon; otherwise, starvation and dehydration would claim her life long before he did.

The ear-splitting whine of his black stallion shattered the misty night. It was so loud she could hear it over the howling wind rushing past her ears. This was the closest he’d gotten in weeks, and as her horse began to pant and wheeze, she knew the animal wouldn’t be able to carry her much further. She spurred the horse on for one last burst of speed straight towards the nearest tree line. They were nearly there when the animal slowed, staggering several times before collapsing to the ground.

She managed to roll free from the horse before it pinned her legs. The dying beast’s sides were heaving; the most heartbreakingly wretched sound coming from its flared nostrils. She desperately wanted to put the animal out of its misery, but there was no time. The horse was destined to die, and if she didn’t get moving, she’d share its fate.

She grabbed her bag, trying to free it from the saddle. Her hands were cold and shaking, and the moisture in the air made the metal buckle slick with dew. Again, the shrill whine of the man’s horse echoed through the air. She gave up on the bag, picking up her skirts and running for the trees.

The woods were close and thick with underbrush. Tiny branches sliced into every bare patch of flesh, causing tiny beads of blood to slide down her sweat-soaked skin. With every step, her legs became heavier and heavier; her breaths shorter and more painful. She stumbled over an exposed root, barely catching herself on the trunk of a tree. A tiny sob slipped from her lips, and she immediately clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound.

<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">She huddled against the tree, sinking into the shadows of the forest. She could still hear him; see the small globe of golden light shining in the lamp he carried. She all but stopped breathing; silent tears streaming down her dirt-covered face. There was nowhere to run. If she moved now, he’d surely hear her. She was trapped, and her only hope was that he’d move past her hiding place.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">She clenched her teeth shut, trapping her sobs in the back of her throat. His footsteps drew closer; the light growing brighter. And just when he was no more than a few feet away, the footsteps moved past her, and the light grew dim once more. She breathed a sigh of relief, but as the tiny sound slipped through her trembling fingers, the light of the lamp was blown out.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">There was no sound except her muffled weeping. When she could take it no longer, she chanced a look around the tree she was hiding behind. A scream tore from her throat as a pair of glowing blue eyes met her own...

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Cloud Mirror shot up from the bed. She was covered in sweat, her blonde locks plastered to her forehead. She was gasping for air; her tiny frame shaking from head to toe. She swiped a damp strand from her eyes, looking around her ivory and sage colored room, trying to draw comfort from the familiar surroundings.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">This wasn’t the first time she’d had this nightmare, nor was it the first time she’d woken up in a cold sweat. With each nightmare, the details became more clear; the experience more real. She could feel what Isadora had felt in those moments; the fear and panic, the heartbreak and betrayal. All were emotions that Cloud could relate to and understand.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">It had been 6 months since Isadora’s glass jewelry box had come into Cloud Mirror’s possession. And for exactly 6 months, she’d been having the dream. It was clear that Isadora was trying to show her something, but Cloud never made it past the part of the dream where Isadora finally came face-to-face with her pursuer. Either Cloud wasn’t ready to see it, or Isadora wasn’t ready to show her…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Isadora Hale was a white witch from the 16th century, and despite her… unusual background, she lived quite a normal life. She had all the same hopes and dreams that girls her age had back then:   Marry a good man, have a few children, build a life together. And for a brief moment in her life, Isadora believed she would have all that and more.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">When she was 18 years old, she fell in love with a clergyman who’d been sent to take over the small church in the village where she lived. It was love at first sight for both of them, and, in exactly 3 weeks’ time, Isadora married the man of her dreams.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">As time passed, their love grew. And when talk of having children became more than wishful thinking, Isadora knew she had to tell her husband the truth. She came from a long line of witches, and any daughter she had would be born with the gift as well. It was one thing to hide her own powers. After all, she was a practiced witch. But a young girl with blossoming powers; powers that would take time to control—there would be no hiding then.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">So, on the night of a full moon, Isadora told her husband the truth…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">His condemnation was immediate. He disowned her, and in the same breath, betrayed her to the church. Isadora was forced to flee for her life, spending weeks on the road as the man she’d vowed to spend the rest of her life with, led a group of men to hunt her down and kill her. How Isadora escaped, Cloud still didn’t know.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">In the years that followed, Isadora lived with the pain of losing everything she’d ever known and loved. The details of her heartache were painstakingly documented in a small leather-bound journal she’d kept. Cloud had read every word in that journal, and despite all the trials and tribulations she herself had gone through, it was nothing compared to what Isadora had faced.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">But all was not lost. Isadora found a way to free herself from her pain. She discovered a way to get rid of her powers and all the horrible memories that went with them. She cast a spell. One final spell that wiped her slate clean and gave her a chance at a normal life.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">And that’s exactly what Cloud Mirror wanted. A normal life. If she could get rid of her skill…   If she could purge her heart and mind of all the agony that it had caused her…   Then she could start over, too. She could finally leave the Guild, and build a new life without all the constant reminders of her failure as a daemon.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">The answer lied within the jewelry box. Isadora had used the nondescript item as a mini-portal to the “other” side; a kind of spiritual dumping site for all things unwanted. She’d placed within it both her powers and all the memories and emotions that tied her to a past she could not change. When it was all said and done, Isadora finally found peace. All Cloud had to do was figure out the spell Isadora had used and recreate it. Then she too would have peace. Until that day, she would simply have to endure…

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Cloud took a deep calming breath, making her way to the bathroom to wash up and start her day. It was 5:00 am, and she still had to clean the shop before the doors opened at 8. Breakfast was simple; a slice of toast and a cup of tea while she read the most recent edition of the Guild Gazette. At 6:30am she was cleaning the shop, and by 7:59 she was unlocking the door.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">It was a slow day, and around lunchtime, she took a seat behind the counter to enjoy a small afternoon meal. She’d just taken her first bite, when the front door opened. As quickly as she could, she swallowed her food, gently dapping at her mouth to make sure there were no unsightly crumbs. She hopped off her stool and walked over to greet her customer.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“Good afternoon.”   She said brightly. “Can I help you find something, or do you need a moment to look around?”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">The visitor was male and certainly not her usual type of customer. He was tall and well-built, with lovely a shade of chestnut brown hair. Cloud assumed most women would find the man attractive and fashionable; his black suit perfectly tailored to his form. He regarded her with pale green eyes as if wondering where she’d suddenly come from.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“Are you Cloud Mirror?”    The man asked, taking a step towards her. He had a smile that would melt even the coldest of hearts, and the sight of it sent her heart fluttering unexpectedly.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“I am.”   She replied, deciding then that he was indeed attractive. Very attractive...

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Maybe it was the husky tone of his voice, or perhaps it was the way his coat pulled tightly across his muscular chest when he moved. Either way, Cloud could feel the blush slowly rising in her cheeks.

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“My name is Ian. Professor Yata sent me to pick up an item that you procured for him.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">Cloud blinked, the butterflies swirling frantically in her belly falling flat. He was there for business.

<p class="MsoNormal">''<span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"">Hello, Cloud! Get it together! ''

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">“Y-yes, of course! I’ll go and get it for you.”

<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"">She spun around and walked quickly to the back room before he could see the flush in her cheeks go from pale pink to crimson red.