), I haven't written in quite some time, so hopefully this isn't too terrible. My way with words seems a tad rusty though, so feel free to tell me so. Any advice, suggestions, or criticisms are most appreciated, let me know what you think!___________________________________________________________
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Prologue: Memory’s mysteries
“A darkness carried in...”
Memories meandered lazily throughout Denn’s mind. Slowly gliding through the convoluted corridors of his imagination, they sometimes twisted back on themselves, overlapping and intertwining, melding seamlessly with one another, becoming one long, continuous tale; the tale of his life. Individual images, frozen for eternity, swirled upwards towards the surface of his mind, slowly becoming clearer, before fading into the murky waters of time once more. Faces forever untarnished by the ravages time’s passage soared majestically upwards, carried on the wind of their voices, fading echoes of what they once were. Ancient and half-forgotten laughter whispered along behind these phantasms, leaving Denn wondering when last he heard such a joyous sound. Battles of old raged back and forth, scorching a flaming gash through his happiness, creating festering wounds which refused to be healed, only accepted. Entire people from his past disappeared into these wounds; gaping maws which swallowed all those who perished within, closing only when those people had been claimed, and never again opening. Only after their due in tears did these wounds scar, and only then could they be accepted.
“...the heart cannot be cured by...”
Denn shuffled along a dusty trail, in a forest somewhere just east of Chorrol, completely detached from the present. His eyes were cast afar, his gaze penetrating leagues upon leagues, piercing the veil of time itself, until events of the far-flung past were cast before his eyes with clarity. Try as he might, Denn could not wrench his mind’s eye away from the terror of history. A prisoner trapped within himself, shackled by the chains of agony and struck by the dread lash of self-hate. Yet through all this... hope remained. Happier memories shone through the bloody haze of suffering, liberating him, blowing away the shackles as if they were no more than smoke, and the happiness a glowing breeze. A new conflict began within Denn, a battle between the diseased memories of pain and the golden memories of his new life. The battle for forgiveness began, and at first it seemed a hopelessly even struggle; every action of his new life countered by one of his old. Every life saved met with a life ended. Unconsciously, Denn’s walk became less of a shuffle and more of his old stride as forgiveness began to shine through. Justice and righteousness began to stab holes in the all encompassing shroud of misery. For the first time in years light could be seen, lancing through the pain, and at first it was even worse than the darkness, for it shed the light of truth upon the deeds of his past, but it also brought understanding, and with understanding, forgiveness.
“... moving the body from...”
Mid-stride he froze, his eyes opening for the first time in far too long. Denn noticed first that tears were streaking down his face, glistening in the gentle light of a new morning, of a new world. It was peaceful, only as it could be in the hour before dawn. Life was still asleep, lost in the curious realm of dreams... and Denn realized abruptly that he’d been lost within his own nightmare for years. Wandering through life as one lost, his thoughts almost always far away, and yet he had still managed some good, and for that he was proud of himself. And now he stood, tears on his face, looking with amazed eyes at a world he hadn’t seen in a decade or more. Early morning sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, bathing the world in a soft glow, caressing the land with golden fingers. Motes of dust were illuminated, spiralling in a celestial dance, seeming too beautiful for the eyes of man to behold, and yet there it was. Leaves drifted earthward here and there, tilting back and forth as they floated downward, until finally they lay at rest upon their brethren, those whom had fallen before. Birds woke in their nests, hailing the new day with their sweet songs, the flutter of their wings. In this symphony of life, Denn found new hope, and realized that not all was lost. He was not lost.
“...one place to another.”
With this new realization, Denn strode forward with purpose once more. Quickening his pace until he was almost running, boundless energy surging through his limbs, lending him strength, pressing him on to greater speeds until the forest blurred around him. Finally he escaped the forest, and found himself on a path, blinking as the full force of the sun hit him in the face, panting for air. Turning around to look upon the forest from whence he came, he fancied that in many ways it had been his prison... the trees like steel bars, the solitude and anonymity and safety had been like chains... almost as effective as the prison he’d been trapped within his own mind. He’d broken free of both jails this day, and he was once more a free man, the world once more a glorious and hopeful place. Life was his second chance, and he would not squander it, not this time. Turning his back on that old prison, he began walking towards Chorrol, curious to see what aid he could lend to anyone in need. The symphony of life still sang in his ears, and a new beginning was his to do with as he would... his second chance.