Day 4: Year C-009

...

During the midst of an unusually warm winter afternoon, the four escapees had gathered within the cabin’s only living room to cure the passage of time. They each huddled in a circle, making themselves as cozy as they could upon the grey, antique couches. Despite the warm feeling, dark thoughts of their upcoming advance toward Annie’s Road had plagued them all. Their expressions clearly filled with small hints of dread.

The Priestess sat with her hands folded in silence, troubled with her very purpose. She had come to terms with her title of ‘Priestess’ unofficially being revoked. However, amid her prayer, she had attempted to push away the dread of a deep depression.

‘Though I am no longer a Priestess, in spirit, my devotion shall never falter for O’ Death and O’ Life. I shall pray for my enemies to have a change of heart, for the people of this Island who could have been the victims of assassins, and for the safety of my new friends.’

Billiam was admittedly the least concerned of the four, but felt troubled with the Lady of the Lake’s overall prerogative.

‘As Father had preached since I was young, those crooked, backstabbing Royals should never be trusted... Yet, I can’t shake the feeling of dread when thinking of confronting the former Head Priestess at Annie’s Road. I will entrust Mikey’s safety for now, but if there’s one misstep during our departure, I shall gracefully bow out from this group.’

The medic remained skeptical as he played solitaire upon the small, cherry-wood coffee table.

Mikey sat alone by the fireplace, reading an old novel found in Chenille’s room with content. He was desperate to push away the anxious thoughts of his potentially deceased parents.

‘Michealstopholis the Great. I haven’t read my favourite series in a long while... I wonder if it’s aged as well as I hope? The humour’s a bit juvenile for me, but the magic incantation battles were incredibly fascinating to read.’

Meanwhile, Chenille had finished maintaining the kitchen after a well-needed brunch. They dusted off their black robes and opened the locked-off cabinets. A couple of old boxes were found containing classic board games, including a simple game of ‘Snakes and Ladders’.

‘I might need this game to ease the tension.’

Chenille reached for the game and calmly set the box on the main living room table.

“Hey, interested in playing a game?” They eyed the others in the living room, who appeared slightly confused.

“Ha, what’s in it for me?” Billiam chuckled as he momentarily looked up from his cards.

“Now, now, let’s not be so unnecessarily impolite. I shall happily spend some quality group time,” Zanna quickly finished her prayer and floated beside Chenille. “Furthermore, I believe you might not comprehend how to create an amusing game of Snakes and Ladders.”

Chenille let out a chuckle at Zanna’s overly ornate attempt at a taunt.

“Did you hear that, Airhead? The Lady here’s taunting your skills.”

Even Mikey couldn’t help but overhear the conversation with slight delight.

“Oh, is that a challenge, Miss Zanna? I’ll have you know I have been playing since I was a very young lad. Frankly, you don’t stand a chance,” Billiam taunted back as he took his seat at the opposite side of the table. “Take out those shoddy game pieces, and I will prove you should’ve never underestimated my cunning thinking.”

Chenille and Zanna happily obliged, preparing the foldable board, all six unique player pieces, and a grey, six-sided die. Mikey silently put his book aside and sat adjacent to Billiam.

“I’ll take the scholar-piece,” The Medium declared as he picked up the grey piece, shaped like a folding scroll, and placed it at the starting point.

“My choice is the rouge-piece!” Billiam declared as he lifted the vaguely humanoid piece, brandishing a tiny staff and placed it at the start of the board. “Perhaps the Lone Wolf over here would like to use the bottle-cap piece?”

“As if, Airhead! I had my eyes on the tiny knight piece." Chenille placed their piece down.

“...I shall play the Priestess-piece then,” Zanna calmly declared as she placed her piece and lifted the dice to determine the order. “Ah, I rolled a four!”

“...Five!” Mikey declared as he passed the dice to Chenille.

“Three,” Chenille called out as they passed the dice to Billiam.

“Ha! A six! I go first!” Billiam boasted as he smugly rolled the dice. “And would you look at that? I rolled a three, which means I get to climb the virtuous ladder.”

Chenille raised a brow at the medics’ unusual luck until they had a realization.

“Wait a second, Billiam, I know you’re using your accuracy magic to rig your dice-rolls,”

“Who? Me? Nay, I would never!” Billiam declared in a posh-mocking accent.

“Billiam, how could you?” Zanna sincerely gasped, to which Mikey rolled his eyes.

“Why are you surprised? Billiam’s not exactly a saintly medic,”

“Hmph! We’re not perfect beings, so why does my cheating matter?-”

“Listen, Airhead, have you considered it’s pathetic to cheat in a simple game of Snakes and Ladders?” Chenille teased. “Roll again, with your eyes closed, cheater.”

“Hmph. Fine,” Billiam grumbled as he closed both his eyes to roll, “I will show you I am still a professional without the need to cheat.”

“...You should’ve done that from the start,” Mikey quietly bantered.

Most of the game was an entertaining pastime of climbing “ladders of the Goddesses” and descending “snakes of vices”. The entire time, Billiam was forced to roll with his eyes shut to not activate his accuracy-casting magic. Zanna and Chenille adorably bantered, seemingly slightly more focused on their lively conversations rather than the game itself. Of course, Mikey was quite immersed in the game, attempting to manipulate the dice’s rolls through consistent hand movements, which was more or less a mediocre strategy.

By the final few spaces, the four focused on landing on the final 100^th spot on the board, attempting to roll for the exact number they were meant to achieve. After all, in traditional rules, if the player landed on the 99^th spot, they must roll for one and couldn’t exceed the limit.

“I need two...Luck don’t fail me now,” Billiam mumbled as he closed his eyes and hoped for a precise roll, “...Drat! Three! This game is so unfair to me.”

“At least you haven’t been stuck on the 99^th spot like I have for the past two turns,” Mikey sighed as he rolled a perfect one, “Oh! I won,”

“Congratulations, Mikey! You are granted the privilege to construct a wish in celebration of your victory! It is tradition after all!”

The others turned to the Priestess with confused looks.

“Ha, what tradition? Where did you hear a silly rule like that?” Billiam laughed.

“Surely, you have heard of the winner of a game being granted a single wish! Right?”

Zanna turned to Chenille with sparkly eyes, which made the Guard flustered.

“U-Uh. Sorry to say this, but that was never a thing when I played games.”

“Not with me either,” Mikey nervously added.

“A-Ah, I see... When I was merely a Priestess-in-training, my Mother and I would recreate fun activities. If I won, she would grant me a single wish!” Zanna recollected with nostalgia.

“And what sort of wishes did you use to ask for?” The medic questioned with a snarky remark. Chenille elbowed Billiam, to which he added, “I-I’m sure the wishes were fun and whatnot.”

“I recall one time on my fourteenth birthday... I had wished for friends,” Zanna smiled with a bittersweet tone. “To which, my dream came true, eventually.”

The entire group fell silent, unknowing of the Priestess’ seemingly lonely childhood.

“I thought you’d be the sociable type and have an endless amount of companions. You are from Grand Street after all, just as you’ve mentioned before.” Billiam recalled.

“W-Well, yes, I am from Grand Street. But for so many years, I had only Mother Dearest for company. No one else,”

“Not even the mailman was your friend?-”

“Knock it off, Airhead,” Chenille warned with a stern glare.

“Chenille, please do not be upset at his remark, we are having a wonderful time,” Zanna cleared her throat and clasped her hands together. “But yes, until I turned eighteen, my Mother was my only friend. Which is why I am eternally grateful to find good company among the three of you. I truly mean it when I say this, I believe you are the first friends I have had in a long while.”

“...We’re grateful to have you, too, Zanna. Never forget that,” Chenille warmly remarked, holding Zanna’s hand close to their heart.

The ex-Priestess let out a happy sigh and pulled Chenille in for a tight embrace. Within Zanna’s mind-space, it felt as if a ray of sunshine had peeked through the black clouds circling her mind.

“...I needed to hear that. Thank you,” Zanna whispered with a tone that felt like an angel to Chenille, who couldn’t help but embrace the ex-Priestess. “Now then, go on, Mikey, close your eyes and silently make a wish.”

The choir boy thought the request was childish at first, wondering if the game was completely made up. Though once he closed his crimson eyes, his anxious thoughts about the future crept to the front of his mind. What would entail at Annie’s Road? Were the group destined to fail? Why did the Head Priest insist Mikey would be safe with Zanna all those years ago?

‘Are my parents dead like I assumed yesterday?... If Zanna’s wish-making thing is real, then I want my Mother and Father alive and well. That’s my wish.’

A single tear flowed down Mikey’s pale cheek before he wiped it away.

“...Whatever you wished for, I earnestly hope it comes true, Mikey,” The Priestess warmly remarked as she pulled Mikey in for a warm hug.

The choir boy felt indifferent to the hug, but smiled in appreciation of the sentiment. He felt as if the ex-Priestess had truly tried reaching out to him properly for the first time.

“Alright, alright, whose turn was it again?” Billiam yawned as he fiddled with the single die.

The rest of the afternoon held precious moments of momentary bliss, playing board games and forgetting the worries of Grand Island. Even if in the back of their minds, they knew their troubles wouldn’t fade away.

That night, resting on the couch with the others close by in states of sleep, the Priestess folded her hands in deep prayer.

‘O’ Life, you have given me happy memories to rewind on O’ Death’s door, and for that I thank you from the bottom of my anxious heart. Seeing my cherished companions smile and laugh as they played during times of deep struggle was nothing short of a miracle sent by you. I only wish I could see them content for as long as thou and thy twin sister will allow it. Please continue to guide us towards your rainbows of promise and endless white roses... Hail to thee, Goddess of Life and Death.’

Zanna faintly nodded as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted into a dream.

...

It was the dark, hazy night she and Allucia had met for the first time, in the dead of night at a children’s hospital on an unknown street. In the black-painted room with one tiny window, the renowned Head Priestess gazed upon the small girl with pity, as the girl had been struggling with an aching burn within her lower legs. Not a single nurse or doctor was in sight as the child’s pleas became quieter by the minute.

“Pitiful child...The Goddess of Death requests your ashes at her doorstep sooner than needed.” The Head Priestess whisked toward the child as if on air and placed her cold hand upon the girl’s feverish head.

“P-Please. I want to see my beloved parents... Where have they gone? I need to see them for one last time,” The child quietly requested, as her pain intensified.

“Sweet, angelic little girl of the Heavens, your parents told me their cruel words and have tasked me to give you care in their stead,” The Head Priestess whispered in a saddened tone, “...You are my daughter now, and I shall not let the Goddess of Death take you so soon,”

The little girl’s tears did not stop.

“...Where have they gone?” She questioned with agonizing sadness.

"Their whereabouts are no longer a concern. They were villainous for abandoning you at the dead of a new moon. But by Heaven’s grace, I shall remedy your deep despair, and you shall live within the Temple of Obsidian, filled with the hopes and dreams of the people. You will become the most beautiful woman our Island has ever seen."

From Zanna’s memory, the young girl had fallen back asleep and awoke within Allucia’s old bedroom, feeling the safety of her new beloved Mother.

However, this nightmare had seemingly twisted that memory’s happy ending. Instead, the former Priestess witnessed Allucia’s face slowly melt away, as a blazing fire had started within the room. Zanna heard nothing but distorted laughter from the embers as she attempted to escape the room.

As she opened the red door, the assassin from the Temple awaited on the other side with a bloodied sickle in hand. The ex-Priestess let out a terrified gasp, as her nightmare faded away and had awoke upon the grey couch where she rested.