Again under the Winter Skies

The muffled screams of help ringing from a far awakened his consciousness, as the strong scent of burning flesh and the metallic taste of blood filled his senses. Slowly opening his eyes, as he struggled to move his weak body, to venture the source of such disturbance. At first, everything was white and blurry. Then, as he squinted his eyes for clarity, blurry figures began to appear. He could now tell, that there was a fire burning behind the blurred figures. As his vision improved, his horror and anger intensified.

The blurred figures, turned out to be two the rogue bandits who had been terrorizing the villages, setting them on fire while raping its women and killing its men.

And now such fate beholds the familiar figure lying helplessly on the crimson stained snow. Her blonde hair, like spilled ray of sunshine was stained with blood, as the rest of her ever immaculate white robes. Her beautiful face was a picture of pain and suffering but---


"Now tell us! Where can we find that goblin tengu?"
"You...can take my life..."
"Bitch!Tell us! Or we'll burn you alive!"

"I' rather...die than have him....suffer." Despite the horrendous fatal wounds she had, and the unimaginable pain she's going through...she was still...smiling.

He wanted to rush by her side and swoop her away to safety. He wanted to crush the skulls of these worthless lowlifes, and leave their rotting cadavers for the wolves and crows to feast on.

But--

His glorious black wings are bounded in a sealed cherry tree. He has no choice but watch in mute terror while the one he had treasured amongst all expire in the most horrendous way. He could only watch...helplessly...

The bandits saw her pure innocent smile, and thought she was taunting them. His eyes widened in pure anger and pain, as he watched in such still time, his beloved's head roll down the snow capped ground. Her crimson blood, pouring out of her lifeless body began to dye the ground in red. Unsatisfied, the bandits took her decapitated head and impaled it unto a rusty sword, while her body was thrown to the burning village.

Overwhelming pain, anger, and hatred began to rage inside him, ravaging his consciouness and senses. It was giving him enough power to break free. But---

"When we meet each other again, I hope it will be a Spring's season..."

Hearing her voice from a memory soothe his raging anger, numbing his pain. And as her distant voice faded away, his nulled senses began to succumbed into an eternity's sleep, with a heart believing in a promise.