Short Stories/Moonlit Sonata

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Artemis ran desperately down the dimly lit sidewalk of southern Athens, Amelia clutched tightly in one hand as she ran along behind, with Artemis clutching her sword tightly with the other. It had been a few days since Frisk was dragged off by that older man. Artemis tightened her jaw. She hated that she'd just watched from the shadows instead of running in to help him. But she couldn't focus on that now. For now, she had to get out of Athens.

"Where are we going?" Amelia asked, her emerald-green eyes practically glistening in the tiny sliver of moonlight.

"Away from here, from the city, where it's safe." Artemis replied without looking back.

Athens was a cold, hostile place. She thought back to a time when a man had been beaten to death out in the middle of the day on a sidewalk, and those walking by just averted their eyes and walked faster, hoping to not get involved. A pang of fear ran through Artemis as she imagined Amelia in the beaten-man's place.

*No. That can't... won't happen.*

She looked back over her shoulder to see if anybody was following. Looking back ahead, she could see the edge of the city and the start of the southern tree line of the South Hellenes Forest.

She was almost out. The pack on her back rattled as she hastened her speed. Finally, Artemis ran past the last building and onto the road, where a light she hadn't seen before reaching the road blinded her. The light was swiftly followed by a horn and the skidding of tires on asphalt. In the few second that followed, the bumper of a car knocked lightly against Artemis's legs, and she stumbled backwards, falling to the ground and pulling Amelia with.

"Hey!" the driver yelled. "Pay attention, you bloody idiot!"

Artemis paid the driver no mind, quickly standing back up, pulling Amelia up to her feet, and running across the street into the forest beyond as the driver slung curses at them.

Within the forest, the sisters continued to run, crossing another road as they ran. After some time, Amelia collapsed to the ground, and Artemis stopped running.

"Are you okay, Amy?" Artemis asked, gasping for air.

"Y... yeah." Amelia said, gasping as well. "It's so dark out here, where are you?"

Artemis didn't understand what her sister meant, at least until she'd actually looked around and found herself blinded by the darkness of the forest.

*Was it this dark while we ran?* she thought.

Artemis shook her head, focusing back on more pressing matters. "I'm here, follow my voice."

Amelia stumbled through the darkness until she fell into her sister's arms. Once the two collided, they both sat down at the base of a tree, Artemis shifting the scabbard of her sword up so it wouldn't be in the way. The chilly near-autumn air bit at their skin as they sat, mildly shivering.

Resting her eyes for a few minutes, Artemis re-opened them to seeing what was around her, as though the darkness itself had vanished. A feeling of restlessness surfaced in her mind.

"Come on," Artemis said. "let's get going."

The sisters stood back up, and they both continued on their journey. After a few more minutes, they both stumbled out into a clearing by a lake, its bank looking to be entirely desolate. Looking back at her sister, Artemis could see that Amelia was caked in street-filth.

"Come here a second." Artemis said. "We're gonna take a quick bath."

Amelia groaned but let Artemis strip off her green dress and grey undershirt, though she herself removed her grey shoes. Approaching the water, Amelia suddenly leapt back.

"What is it?" Artemis asked, worried that something nasty might be lurking inside.

"It's really cold." Amelia said.

Artemis sighed. "Alright, give me a second to strip."

Immediately, Artemis placed her katana and pack on the ground and pulled off her own black shoes. With those out of the way, she then slipped off her tattered blue jeans and grey hoodie. Naked herself, she took ahold of her sister and they both entered the bone-chilling water. Scrubbing as much dirt and grime off as possible, the sisters exited the water, now a bit cleaner.

Artemis's jaw clattered like shattering china, and Amelia wasn't doing much better. Slipping their clothes back on, Artemis felt a wave of heat envelop her as she grabbed her katana.

"Here, grab this." Artemis said, handing an end of the sword to Amelia. Grabbing hold, Amelia quickly stopped shivering. "Come on, let's take a moment to warm up under that tree." She then said, guiding her sister to the base of a tree.

Reaching the trunk, they both sat down, holding the sword firmly in their hands.

*What am I doing out here?* Artemis soon found herself thinking. *Damn it, Frisk. What were you gonna do out here?*

Sitting still beneath the tree, her thoughts dwelling on her lost friend, Artemis felt here eyelids grow heavy. Before long, they closed completely, and she drifted off to sleep.

"Artemis." a silent voice called out.

Artemis groaned, cracking her eyes a bit.

"Artemis." the voice said again.

Artemis drew up her hands and rubbed her eyes. "Who is it?" she mumbled.

"Open. Your eyes."

Artemis brought her hands back down to her sides and finally opened her eyes to a bright, emerald-green sky.

Now, Artemis had seen the sky be many colors. Blue, most of the time. Red. Orange. Pink on a few occasions. Black at night. But never green. Immediately, she shot up. All around her was a near-perfectly reflected landscape of what looked like water, which reflected the green sky. Looking down at the water below her, however, she saw no reflection of herself. Only a great sea of sand, with a chain of massive islands of green stretching across its surface, breaking up the monotonous yellow sand.

Surrounding Artemis was a great many massive, curved swords, each much like her own. Each sword had its point driven into the water, making them all look like great towers jutting up from a green ocean.

Looking around further, she soon caught sight of another person, who kneeled on the water, with their hands placed on their knees. Not knowing where else to go, Artemis approached the figure.

"H... hello?" she said as she approached.

The figure didn't respond, nor did it make any sign that it had heard her.

"Are you the one who was calling me?"

Still no response.

Soon, the distance between them had fallen to six feet, and Artemis stopped approaching. From where she now stood, the fine details of the figure could be discerned. It was heavily armored, with blue plates decorating the figure's chest, shoulders, and legs in the form of a plate-skirt. Its forearms and hands were wrapped in cloth and leather, with plates covering the outer-part of its forearms. Around its neck was another plate, with its neck covered in cloth as well. The helmet the figure wore was like that of a man, though blue, with a green emerald emblazoned on its forehead. The eye-holes were cold and empty, with a golden metallic mustache between its blue nose and lips. At the top of its head was a golden crescent, with blue cloth that draped down behind the helmet. On the armored figure's lower back was a sword, sheathed within a dark wooden scabbard.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak again, but was cut off, startled by one of the giant swords in the distance erupting from the ocean and flying her way, shrinking as it approached. Quickly, the sword had shrunk to the size of Artemis's, and had plunged itself into the water between the figure and Artemis. After a few seconds, the figure stood up, and drew its sword, bringing it down in front of it, with its handle held fast in both hands.

In response, Artemis reached for where her sword would normally be, but found nothing. Without missing a beat, she drew the sword in front of her and held it out the same. Immediately, the figure shot forward, knocked Artemis's sword out of the way, and stopped just an inch from Artemis's throat, all within a single, swift motion.

"You want to protect your sister," the figure said, with the same voice that spoke before. "but you are now dead. Beheaded by one with greater experience." The figure drew away from Artemis and sheathed its sword.

Artemis, who was breathing heavily, dropped to her knees, grabbing at her chest. She could feel her pounding heart beat against her ribcage as she shook violently in fear.

"What do you mean I'm dead?" she asked through gasps.

"Figuratively. Had it been a real fight, you would be dead. This is all just a dream. To you, anyway. In reality, you are still cuddled up next to your sister below a tree near Lake Sullivan, sleeping the night away."

Artemis sighed in relief, and her speeding heart slowed a bit. Looking back at the figure, she spotted a familiar green emerald embedded in the sword it carried.

"Wait, that's my sword." she said, reaching over to grab it.

The figure stepped back. "Your sword? But you have your sword, there in your hands."

Artemis looked down at the sword she drew. It looked just the same. Looking around at the giant swords around them, all of them looked exactly the same. She looked back at the figure.

"Who are you?"

"Hah. A truly intriguing question. One that is written in my reflection." the figure gestured down to the water at its feet.

Artemis looked, seeing a heavily disformed figure. The hands and feet of the reflection—despite being where they should be—weren't connected to the torso, and the head was barely recognizable, but Artemis guessed it could possibly be a skull.

"Of course, that likely isn't the answer you're looking for." The figure then said. "Perhaps the question you meant to ask was what my name is. There, your answer lies in the hilt of that sword."

Artemis looked down at her sword again. The leather around the hilt was twisting slightly. Opening her hand, the leather straps pulled themselves away to reveal a silver hilt beneath. In the metal was written a word, though the language was written with sharp lines, dots, and circles that she couldn't read.

"What does it say?"

"Huzntadmir."

"And this is your name?"

"In a fashion. It is the name I have gone by for centuries, serving your ancestors."

"Then you're... then you must be the Guardian Spirit my mother told me about."

"Yes. The Spirit of the Sword that safeguards your family. The Hemlocks, as you're called now. I will admit, Atara's decision to come to this land was a surprise to be sure, but once she was here, it was only inevitable that she would go to Mount Ebott. But listen to me ramble. We need to safeguard you, now don't we.

"Listen carefully, Artemis." Huzntadmir brought up his hands, and the surrounding ocean began to shift. "I will teach you all you still need to learn. That boy, Frisk, taught you quite well, but the survival skills you have now are still quite novel. And at this time, you still lack some necessary items."

When Huzntadmir finished speaking, the surrounding ocean had shifted into a dark building filled with survival equipment.

"Where are we now?" Artemis asked.

"Technically still in the same place. You are only seeing an illusion I'm putting into your mind. The place you're now seeing, however, is a survival shop in Athens. Closed right now, with it being night and all, but I'm sure they won't mind us browsing. Now, what you're looking for is a waterskin, a proper backpack, a compass, and a knife."

Artemis stepped through the store, looking for the items Huzntadmir had instructed her to find. After a few minutes, all four items had been selected.

"Excellent." he said. "Now, Artemis. Within the next few minutes, I'm going to wake you up. The items you selected will be organized, and the waterskin will be filled with fresh water. Wake up your sister after you have awoken. Everything that is yours will be organized in the pack you have selected. Pull out the compass and put on the pack. Once this is done, head east."

"What's east?"

"Something. I'm not too sure myself, but it calls to us now. On this journey, no matter what happens, do not stop. Do not speak with anyone. Just go."

And with that, Huzntadmir disappeared, along with the store and everything else, leaving Artemis alone in a dark, empty void. A few minutes later, a tapping on her chest caused her to wake up. Her sword was tapping on her chest. Reaching up to grab it, the sword dropped into her hand, and she brought it down to her side. The backpack she had selected back at the store now sat at her feet. Artemis looked down at Amelia, who was holding tightly to her.

"Hey, Little Rose." Artemis whispered. "Time to wake up."

Amelia's eyes slowly slid open. "What time is it?" she asked, stretching a bit.

"Still night. Come on, it's time to go."

Standing up, Artemis approached the backpack. Everything that was in her old pack had been placed in the new, though the old was nowhere to be found. Already knowing where the compass was, she reached into the pocket and pulled it out, pulling the backpack on right after. As soon as she'd found east, Artemis began walking, closely followed by Amelia.

"Where are we going?" Amelia asked as they started walking.

Artemis sighed. "I'm not sure, but something calls us this way."

And so the pair walked, all through the night.

It had been about week since the sisters had fled Athens. The late September air was cool as the pair trudged through a mountainous forest. Shade enveloped every inch around them through the leaves of the surrounding trees, to the great continents of clouds soaring above. Though they'd managed to eat a few critters within their travels, neither sister had had much to eat whatsoever in the last couple days. It was becoming more evident that they'd have to stop soon each passing second as Amelia, who hadn't been feeling her best when they'd left in the first place, was beginning to feel worse than ever.

"We're almost there, Amy." Artemis reassured as Amelia stumbled along close behind. "At least I hope so..." she then mumbled.

Artemis was sure of where they were going and where they were. She wasn't exactly sure how, but she had a feeling Huzntadmir had something to do with it. She *was* close, she could feel it. Yet the sickness overtaking Amelia, greater now than before, was making her doubt whether making this journey before her sister was back up to full strength was the right decision. She thought back to the time a few days ago when Amelia had coughed up a few droplets of blood. Her mind then wandered to the what-if she feared, and she quickly ran the thought from her mind.

*It **won't** happen.* She reassured herself.

Continuing on their path for a few hours more, the sound of rushing water rang clearly through the forest. A moment more of walking saw the pair come to a small meadow with a river junction near its center, where a singular green island at the converging of two rivers into one stood proud, seemingly ignorant of the eroding effects of the rapids between it. Approaching the island, Artemis spotted small points of land, footsteps apart, leading straight to the island.

*This is it.* Artemis thought, which she then spoke aloud. She turned to Amelia, who was shuffling close behind, suffering another coughing fit, with the back of her hand she used to contain the cough getting flecked with blood.

Artemis quickly crossed over the small steppingstones and placed her backpack on the island. She then recrossed and picked up Amelia, crossing back to the island.

Placing Amelia down on the other side, she then looked around herself, then felt a bit silly. There she was, surrounded on all sides by water, on a small piece of land just barely able to fit the pair of them.

*What am I doing here?* Artemis asked herself, sitting down on a rock. Or, at least, it *looked* like a rock, but it was too bumpy. Looking down at its mossy face, Artemis felt around on its surface, finding many intricate grooves that covered its face. And not just grooves, but a small recess that went under the face of the rock, as if it were meant to have a hand there, or to be lifted from there. Artemis stood up and grasped the recess, lifting as hard as she could. In the following moments, the rock-face lifted, revealing a manhole beneath.

*This is it!* Artemis looked up at Amelia. "Come on down!" she said excitedly, grabbing a ladder just inside and climbing down into the manhole.

The stone room below—lit by a beam of light from the manhole—was rectangular, the far wall looking to be at least ten feet away from the ladder, with only four feet between the side walls and the ladder. Stepping down the rungs, Artemis suddenly found it a bit harder to breath due to the musty scent of mold that permeated every part of the air. Reaching the floor of the bunker, Artemis turned around and caught sight of something that made her jump. A skeleton, sitting in a chair as if nothing were wrong, with its head tilted one way. Little flesh remained on the mold-blackened bones, and tattered rags of cloth were strewn across its ribcage and legs. Wrapped in the arms of the skeleton was a large pot or urn. Curiosity getting the better of her, she approached the skeleton, seemingly fascinated by the bones exposed to the air.

When she'd brought her head down near the skeleton's skull, the skull moved up, facing itself straight at Artemis, which caused her to let out a scream and jump backwards.

"Do not be afraid." the skeleton said, its accent so distorted, it barely sounded like English. "As you see me now, I am dead and cannot hurt you."

Artemis calmed down a bit, but still grasped Huzntadmir.

"Through the gift given to me by the Piece of Aiōn, the one we call "Madās", I have seen your arrival, and have left you a message. Though Madās restricts what I am allowed to say, know that I am one that seeks to help you. The sword you grasp now in fear is no normal tool of Man. It was created by those sealed within, newly freed in your time. Within that blade lies the secrets of magic. Trust in the mind of the blade, and you will unlock a great power, one you can use to survive."

"Who are you?" Artemis asked.

"Now is no time for questions, young Human named after the Goddess of the Hunt—Artemis. Your sister, Amelia, is gravely ill. If nothing is done, she will soon meet with Charon, and be forever lost to you."

Artemis turned back to the manhole above. *She didn't follow me down!?*

"Do not go yet, or your sister will surely die." The skeleton warned. "In my state of foresight, I prepared medicine for your sister. Take it and give it to her. It will be bitter, but if she does not take it, she will die."

"Where is this medicine?"

"Here, in this vase. I have sealed it against the ravages of time, but if it is not taken immediately after the seal is destroyed, time will take it back, and it will be lost forever, as will your sister. You will have but a minute. Bring your sister down here and destroy the vase with your sword. Sword made by the hand of Aster in his hour of grief, break this seal, that those you protect may survive."

Artemis grabbed hold of the ladder and began climbing.

"One last thing, Artemis. At your time, I am dead and, as such, can no longer make use of this buried home. Make use of it as you wish. And please, if you would, bury me beneath the sun."

Artemis finished climbing the ladder back out onto the island. Amelia was lying face-down on the ground. When Artemis reached her and lifted her head, blood caked the moss where her head was, and droplets leaked from her mouth.

"Amelia!" Artemis said. "Come on, I've got medicine for you."

Amelia tried to lift an arm but failed after it was barely an inch off the ground. Artemis immediately lifted Amelia from the ground and pulled her to the manhole, carefully bringing her down into the dank room beneath.

The skeleton at the side was inactive again, the skull hanging back down to the side. Artemis placed Amelia down and drew her sword. The blade, even in the darkness, flashed orange for a fraction of a second, and Artemis swung at the vase, shattering it to pieces.

Inside the vase, a small wooden bowl lay. Pulling it from the remnants, Artemis opened the bowl. Inside was a fine powder, with a piece of cloth folded neatly on top. Opening the cloth up, inside was a simple message.

"For your sister. Feed her all of it, lest she perish."

Artemis placed the cloth to the side and ran to her sister, who was lying sprawled on the ground again.

"Amy, I need you to open your mouth. I got some medicine for you. It'll help you feel better."

Amelia didn't respond. Instantly, Artemis lifted Amelia's head and forced her mouth open. She then poured the powder in just as the wooden bowl began to rot. Within moments of it entering her mouth, Amelia started coughing. Artemis didn't stop, continuing to pour the powder in until all of it was inside Amelia.

"Come on, swallow." Artemis urged, grabbing her waterskin and giving Amelia a bit of water. After a few seconds, Artemis pulled it away and waited. Amelia coughed a few more times before going limp.

"Amy?" Artemis said. "Little Rose? Come on, don't do this. It isn't funny."

Amelia didn't move.

"Amelia, come on..." Artemis said, shaking the limp body in her arms as tears began pooling in her eyes. "Talk to me. Please."

Still no response. After a minute, Artemis placed her head against Amelia's chest and cried into it, her tears staining the front of her sister's dress. A sudden coughing drew her attention away from crying as Amelia's belly shot forwards, facilitating her coughing.

"That was awful. Never give it to me again." Amelia said, wiping a couple drops of blood from her chin.

Artemis laughed a bit before embracing her sister, tears streaming down her face. "I hope I never have to."

Artemis looked out over the pile of rocks where the burial happened. The strange skeleton who'd looked into the future had gotten his wish. Yet all Artemis could think about was magic. Magic. It was magic that allowed that skeleton to speak to her and save Amelia from however many centuries in the past, and she never even learned his name. It was magic that allowed Huzntadmir to exist, to help her learn magic of her own, and wilderness survival. Of course, there was also Frisk's book, which Artemis had found buried deep in the backpack. She wondered if Huzntadmir had taken it as well when he'd taken all the other stuff.

Artemis looked back away from the grave to where Amelia was playing nearby. It had been a few weeks since she'd nearly died, and yet Amelia now had more life in her than ever before. She had always been sickly, Artemis remembered, from the time Amelia had been born, she'd always been strangely vulnerable to illness. But out here, wherever "here" was, she seemed free of those chains. Whether it was being outside Athens, or perhaps even that powder-medicine, Artemis didn't care. She loved to watch Amelia dance around and help in ways she couldn't before.

"You're distracted again." Huzntadmir brought Artemis's focus back down to her magic training.

"Yeah, sorry." Artemis said, gripping the sword tightly once again. "Let's go again."

"Excellent. Now remember, I'm only bringing out the magical energy that dwells within you already, and helping you learn to use it on your own. The work is on you. Focus."

Artemis breathed in slowly, then exhaled slowly. Then inhaled, then exhaled. On her next inhale, Artemis swung her sword at the river with all her might, sending out a thin blade of fire that barely made it to the water's edge.

"Good, good." Huzntadmir congratulated. "You're definitely getting better."

"Doesn't help that I'm slow." Artemis said, who'd been hoping to make a column of steam with that strike.

"Everyone develops at their own pace. The fault is not yours. Relax, and keep practicing. You will make that water boil sooner than you think."

Artemis sighed, and made another attempt, this time getting a little bit of steam to rise.

"You see?"

Artemis fell forward onto her knee, sinking the sword a bit into the dirt.

"Hey, careful now. Why don't you take a break, let your AURA regenerate."

Artemis nodded and leaned back against a nearby tree, opting to watch Amelia play in the meadow.

"Hey Huzntadmir." Artemis said after a minute. "I've been wondering. If you're a sword, how do you see and hear?"

"Interesting questions. The answer to which is quite simple. Magic."

Artemis rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious. What I'm teaching you has more versatility than simply lighting things on fire. For instance, I'm speaking to you with magic right now. Telepathy, where I transfer meaning directly into your SOUL."

"Can you read minds too?"

"No. That's impossible. The mind is a prison from which only you have the key. Nobody else can see what lies inside. Magicians of mind magic can, however, see patterns and guess at what you're thinking."

"So how *do* you see?"

As Artemis asked the question again, a fuzzy-looking black ball floated out in front of her.

"With this. It's called an 'auten', and it collects light like your eyes do.Â­ I hear through a similar spell called an 'auden'. These, however, are invisible to light, since they only collect vibrations in the air, which is what sound is."

"Alright."

"'Alright' indeed. Interesting tidbit about the auten is it technically isn't supposed to be black like this. Normally it's white, but when it's white, it doesn't differentiate between colors, and only shows a black-and-white image. I like my colors, so I put in the extra energy to see them."

Artemis looked up at the orange sky above. The sun was beginning to set.

"New moon tonight." Huzntadmir said.

Artemis sighed. "I know." She didn't like it when the moon was dark. The environment around her dark, and the unknown constantly just beyond her reach.

"Hey sis!" Amelia said, suddenly next to Artemis. Artemis inhaled sharply, then breathed easy.

"Hey Little Rose." she said, ruffling her sister's hair. "It's almost dark. You ready to head on inside?"

Amelia shook her head violently. "Nope. I wanna stay out here some more."

Artemis chuckled a bit. "Alright. But not too long, you hear?" She herself then stood back up and crossed to the island. It was much easier now, as both she and Amelia had—after a few failed attempts—built a sturdy wooden bridge over where the steppingstones had been. She then opened the hatch and climbed down inside.

Weeks before, Artemis would never have even thought of letting Amelia out of her sight in such an open place. But out here, it was different. Nobody around to snatch her up or take her away. Nobody around to harm her. Plus, it helped that Huzntadmir said he'd keep an eye on her. So Artemis just stepped into the bunker without hesitation or worry. Inside, she made for a freezing barrel, where a fish the two had caught earlier that day was being stored. As she pulled the lid free, a pillar of mist appeared as the magically cooled air inside the barrel met the warmer air outside it. Artemis reached in and pulled out the fish, which fortunately wasn't too frozen. Closing the barrel and placing the fish on a nearby table, she began cutting into it, getting ready to make a pair of fillets for her and her sister.

Midway cutting through the second half of the fish, she stopped for a moment, then chuckled to herself.

"Oh, if you could just see me now, Frisk." She mumbled, a couple tears forming in her eyes as she thought about her friend. "Barely able to accept a dead rabbit on that last day. Now look at me. Gutting a fish like it were second nature."

"So what's for dinner?" Amelia asked, climbing down the ladder.

"Fish. That one we caught earlier."

"Yummy!" Amelia looked over at the empty fireplace. "Can I start the fire?"

Artemis looked over at the fireplace, then to Amelia, in consideration. After a moment, she smiled. "Sure. Do you remember how?"

"Mhm!" Amelia nodded, running off through a doorway to grab some tinder. When she returned, she immediately got underway trying to start the fire, fiddling with the flint and steel Artemis made a few days earlier to try and make a spark. After a few minutes, a fire finally started, and she placed the burning tinder into the fireplace. "All done!"

"Thanks a lot, Amy." Artemis said, stroking her sister's head before placing the fillets on a stone and putting it over the fire. The sisters then sat at the makeshift table they'd made the previous week, waiting for the fish to cook.

"Did you have fun playing today?" Artemis asked after a minute.

"Mhm." Amelia nodded. "Yeah, I pretended I was a strong warrior, fighting off a bunch of monsters." As she spoke, she waved her arms around, showing off her faux swordsmanship.

"Monsters, huh. I hope you beat them all."

Amelia nodded again. "Uh huh." She then looked up at her sister. "I also watched you for a bit. It's so cool you can make fire with your sword like that. Do you think I could try sometime?"

"Wha!? I mean... uh..."

"I wouldn't mind." Huzntadmir said. "Under correct control, magic is perfectly safe. You would have nothing to fear."

Artemis contemplated it for a minute. "Yeah, alright. Tomorrow, yeah?"

"Yeah!"

"Now, let's eat." Artemis pulled the cooked fish from the fire and gave Amelia hers before turning to her own.

*I really wish you could see us, Frisk.* Artemis thought, staring down at the fish. *We did it. We're doing it. We are survivors.* Artemis then dug into her own fish. It was more juicy and delicious than anything she'd ever tasted in Athens.