Hell's Silencing: Forsaken Innocence

Flora's eyes refused to open. No matter how much she tried, she could not induce them to see anything beyond the darkness in which they hid. She was very cold and wet, almost as....if she'd been laying in snow from the cheeks up. More new cold flashes hit her body, so it was more than likely now. She'd always liked the snow, and for two reasons: one, it was obviously fun to play in, and two, where she happened to live, it was a very rare sight. And when it did snow, it usually wasn't enough to satisfy the urge to make even one snowball.

She was chilly, but her mind demanded warmth. It insisted she get up and find that warmth.

But...how was she to do that with those injuries present?

She was done for, and she knew that all too well. It was a reason not to get up at this point.

She heard that violin and harp play that sad, yet soothing melody again. Feeling her ears perk, Flora decided to go against the odds and at least try to stand.

The melody stopped, and was replaced with...a piano and violin. It was sadder than the first.

It actually made her want to cry.

Forcefully moving her right leg in such a way the hoof was on whatever she happened to lay on, the mare forced herself to sit up. The pain was miraculously gone. It was as though it never existed. The melody continued, and now she could notice the plucking of...strings? It made the melody that much sadder.

Now standing tall, Flora opened her eyes. She was still in that hallway, except...it had indeed been laden with snow. On top of the snow, autumn leaves lay scattered about. There were red leaves and yellow and brown and a few were still evergreen. A few tears slid down her face and hit a leaf, freezing immediately after.

This is new.

Flora could only agree. Snow in a building that didn't have any holes in its roof. Realizing she was shivering, she turned around to the room that had the shackle and trudged onwards, the snow and leaves crunching under her hooves.

A dead end. The room didn't exist anymore; or at least, that's what the mare thought.

But pinned onto the wall was... a red straw-person. Using telekinesis to gingerly put the straw person into her book-bag, she turned around once more and went forward.

Everyone, even Onikiri, was quiet. Nobody dared speak lest an argument occurred.

The melody grew increasingly louder as on the wall where the left side of the hall ended. Flora noticed it was bright now...as if something was guiding her here. The lantern was still aglow, so it helped greatly since it could help her pinpoint any of those flying things running amok. There were no monsters to be had and as such, the static was silent.

She was met with a door that bore an inscription. Pushing some snow off of it with a hoof, she got a good look at it before reading it aloud:

Lunar veils expose all forms of haven

As into the skies ascends a solitary raven;

With a flap of black wings and whisk of tail unshaven;

And carrying the burden of vengeance an omen is laden...

The door opened on its own accord. Flora was confused... a raven carrying the burden of vengeance? What did that mean?

Flora walked inside and found what looked like a padded room that also had the same snow problem. On a wall was a runic circle with a glowing sapphire flame on its left. In front of it on the floor lay a book and a key on top of that.

She ran over to the objects on the snowy floor. The key had a heart's shape. It was stored in the book-bag.

The book, however, intrigued her more. It was written in Japanese--a language Flora very much wanted to learn more about. Sadly, she could not read any of it yet, but she went and looked through it anyway. There were pictures detailing exactly six people...two of which looked like Tsuyu and Ren. One of the other people looked like a grumpy, old man who had a hat on his head and two more looked like pre-teenage children--a boy and a girl. The last was, quite simply, a toddler. The girl had...red eyes, long black hair, and pale skin. Flora thought this girl was a vampire, for crying out loud. For all she knew the girl could've been a vampire. That would explain the pale skin and red eyes quite a lot.

Between two pages--one with writing and the other without--lay a bookmarking card that had two pictures, one on each side. They were blurred and beyond recognition, so it was pretty much useless for now. But it didn't mean it had no use at a later time, according to Flora's reasoning.

The pages after the first blank were...also blank.

This is weird, sis. The book's been published, and yet, it's not completed!

Flora understood this too. "Perhaps its magical!" She cried in the back of her mind, "How else do we have horns?!"

Point taken. I think we should keep it.

The book was carefully put into the book-bag, and here Flora realized it could not hold any more items due to the holes it had. Damn overflow issue and the fact it was small to begin with. Lifting the...straw doll out of the book-bag and holding it to the circle, it vanished as well. A crimson flame was lit on the south-west star-point, just below the sapphire flame.

Another blinding flash of crimson. Like the first, it was short-lived. The circle was gone.

The static started ringing, but...Flora saw nothing coming at all. What was it, then, that had been setting the static off?