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Sorry for not posting in a while. sweatdrop Anyway, I decided to put up a complete version of everything so far. I made some changes, the majority of them are at the end. Also about the language thing, in the first paragraph of the actual story I added a line about how they all speak the same language. I know it's not that creative, but it would cause problems later on if they all didn't speak the same language. So, here it is.
The Cloudy City
Pre
A long shadow passed over the floor of the moonlit hallway. From the windows one could see the city below, covered in darkness except for the electronic lights that dimly lit the streets here and there. The shadow moved silently, slowly towards the giant metal doors at the end of the hallway. The sky was relatively empty, with a round moon casting dull pools of light over the “electronic city”. The world felt sleepy, and yet the shadow continued toward the door. If one looked carefully, one might even be able to see a face in the moon.
There is a legend the old people of Terrik used to tell, that when a person dies, one might be able to see the dead person’s face briefly reflected in the moon. But no one now actually believes in things like legends and stories.
The shadow opened one of the doors and slipped in. Then, very faintly, there was a muffled scream. The shadow reappeared in the hallway a moment later, his hands still trembling with the thought of the life he just took. He looked up at the moon, and just maybe he saw a face in the glowing orb.
Story
Rionelle, a girl with dark brown hair and side-swept bangs emerged from the iron door to her apartment. She walked down a street filled with grey concrete and dull light. She was but one of the many people living in Midgard, the capital city of the country Migtra. The Peoples Province of Migtra, as it was officially called, was one of the four major nations in the year 4037 B.D on Ea.Rth. The others were Bellininne, the United Nation of Terrik and the country of Shinra-I. Although separated in custom and government, they all spoke the same language. Together they made up the Council of Four and held the entire world’s political power. There were a few other small nations scattered about, but they held almost no political influence and were most often forgotten about.
As Rionelle walked along, she couldn’t help but smile to herself. The capital Midgard had two nicknames. The first was the “concrete city”, because every building in Midgard was made of concrete and metal. The city was like a machine; there were no trees and every inch of the city was some shade of gray. The second was the “cloudy city”, because there was never any sunlight in Midgard.
Rionelle turned the corner and headed down avenue No. 4. It was custom for her to visit Patsy’s church everyday. It took Rionelle anywhere from 15 to 25 minutes to reach her destination, but she always managed to arrive at the same time. She turned again, this time on to avenue No. 1 and then into an ancient, stone building that was the church.
The last of its kind, Patsy’s church was made of old marble slabs that had been stacked together by some unknown hands long ago. Inside were large windows full of depictions of holy scenes etched in stained glass. On either side ran a row of columns perpendicular to the entrance that held up the roof.
Rionelle walked through the rows of pews that lined the inside of the church. The quiet that enveloped this sanctuary always made her feel peaceful. She sat down in a row near the front and clasped her hands together. She was thinking about what to pray for, when she noticed a man hunched over in a pew a few rows ahead of her. Something about the man was not right. Rionelle watched for any movements he might make, but the man only sat there. After about five minutes, Rionelle decided to go over to the man. She carefully got up and made her way to him.
From behind, the man seemed to be somewhere in his thirties, but as soon as Rionelle approached him, she found that he was younger. His eyes were shut, but his face looked kindly, with an edginess that people only acquire through hardships. He had sand-colored hair which was not very long. Rionelle leaned closer to him so that she could still keep a quiet tone while speaking with him. “Excuse me,” she said, “Are you alright?” The man did not answer. “Um, you really shouldn’t sleep in church. It’s not polite.” Still the man did not answer. “Hey, can you hear me?” Rionelle touched his shoulder, but the man made no reaction. “Hey.” Rionelle shook the man slightly. “Hey!” The man swayed limply with her force. Rionelle leaned closer to the man to check his breathing. He was breathing, but very slowly.
Rionelle straightened up and looked around the church. She was alone with this stranger. Rionelle looked back down at the man and thought about she should do. As she was looking down at the man, she noticed something she had not seen a moment before. Near the center of his chest was a small, blackish circle. Rionelle narrowed her eyes and touched the spot. It was wet and when she pulled her hand away, there was a red substance on it. With an alarm, Rionelle realized the man was wounded. She tore off the jacket he had been wearing to see how badly he was hurt. Rionelle couldn’t tell how deep the wound was, but it was bleeding badly. She turned the man onto his back so that he was lying down. Rionelle reached for the man’s jacket to try and slow the blood flow. As she grabbed his jacket, she heard something fall to the ground.
Turning her head, saw a small metal card case lying on the floor. She picked it up and flipped the lid open. Inside the thin case was an I.D card. Normal citizens in any of the big countries were not usually required to carry I.D cards with them, but military personnel were. Rionelle examined the card.
Name: Caelum, Diaulus
Age: 21
Blood type: A positive
I.D number: 011475
Rank: Sergeant
Rionelle read through to the bottom of the card where an official statement had been stamped in red ink: “This identification card has been authorized by the United Nation of Terrik.” Rionelle froze for a moment, but quickly pulled herself back to the situation. Rionelle crumpled the man’s jacket into a ball and pressed it to his wound. She then took his right hand and set it on top of the jacket, so that the jacket wouldn’t fall off. “I’ll be right back,” she whispered even though the man could not hear her.
Rionelle ran back through the streets she had come down to get to the church. She flew through the doors of her apartment building and ran up the stairs to her home. Once inside, she grabbed gauze, antibacterial sprays, bandages and whatever else she thought might come in helpful, and shoved them all into a black shoulder bag. Then, with even more speed than before, she ran back to the church.
When Rionelle burst through the doors of the church, there were still no other people. Good thing too, she thought. Rionelle immediately began patching up the stranger. She tried to clean the wound as best she could and then propped him upright again. The bleeding was somewhat less than before and Rionelle was able to wrap gauze around him with relative ease. To finish her treatment, she wrapped a layer of bandages around him. “Whew…” Rionelle breathed out a sigh of relief and sat down on the pew next to her patient.
Rionelle looked back down at the man’s I.D card again. “Terrik, huh,” she thought out loud. “What on earth are you doing in Midgard…” she said as she looked back at her patient. Just then, the man began to regain consciousness. Rionelle jumped to her feet and bent over him. “Hey, can you hear me? Hey, hey, take it easy!” She spoke gently, as if she was addressing a child rather than a soldier. The man winced in pain as he straightened up. After a moment of peering around the church, the man looked up at Rionelle.
“Who are you?”
Rionelle smiled, quite relieved. “Rionelle. I’m the one that patched you back up! You better be grateful!”
Rionelle put the hand that was still holding the card case, behind her back. “So, who are you?” She asked casually. “And how did you get hurt?” She sat down next to the stranger again.
“Ah, that is…My name is Griff. I… I was minding my own business when a thief caught me off guard and tried to take my money. I resisted, and he shot me.”
Rionelle looked back at “Griff” with knowing eyes. “Uh-huh, and then you must of come here looking for help… so, uh, this thief, was it the one that’s been in the news lately?”
“Ah, ye-yeah, that’s right! It was that guy!”
Rionelle grinned. “Yeah, I don’t think so.” She pulled the card case out from behind her back. “So, would you like to start over?”
The man’s expression changed to one of exasperation and he started again. “It looks like you already know who I am. There’s no need for me to be repetitive.”
Rionelle took a minute to think. “I guess, but I want to hear you introduce yourself.” The man stared back with slight surprise and then shrugged his shoulders.
“Suit yourself. My real name is Diaulus Caelum.”
“Nice to meet you, Diaulus,” Rionelle replied. “And, what are you doing here?”
“I’m with my legion.”
“No you’re not,” Rionelle said with such bluntness, that even she was surprised at her tone. “You’re alone and wounded in my friend’s church. Please, I’m not stupid.” Diaulus sighed. “So why are you here?” She prompted.
“That’s… a secret.” He said, not looking her in the eyes. Rionelle looked intently back at Diaulus.
“You’re not here to harm Migtra, are you?”
“No.”
“… And you’re not here to kill the prime minister, are you?”
“Wha-no!” He said somewhat offended.
Rionelle gave a look of approval. “Okay. I trust you.” Diaulus began to say something, but a rumbling sensation shook the ground beneath their feet.
Rionelle ran to the big wooden doors at the front of the church. She opened one door ever so slightly and peaked outside. “Tanks.” Rionelle breathed out the word. Three tanks were driving down the street in a single file line. In each of them, a soldier was standing half out of the cockpit. In the first and last tanks, the men were holding wanted posters. In the second tank, a soldier with a megaphone was shouting to the citizens of Midgard. “Good people! There is a wanted fugitive running amok in Midgard. He is about 5’8 with blond hair and grey eyes. If you see this man please report him to the National Defense Force! Thank you! Good peopl-.” Rionelle closed the door and returned to where Diaulus was sitting. “You’re a wanted man!” Rionelle said with a smirk, standing in front of the fugitive. Diaulus lowered his gaze and said nothing. Rionelle sighed to herself. “Do-on’t worry. I’m not gonna turn you in.” Diaulus looked up at her with a surprised expression. The question on the tip of his tongue was “why”, but he couldn’t get the word out of his mouth. He didn’t have to ask though. Rionelle sniffed and said, “Unlike most of the people in this city, I care about other’s well-being, even if they are from another country and are very suspicious.” Diaulus let a little smile cross his face.
“Thanks.”
“Hmmm, you’re going to need a place to stay… at least until you’re healed.” Rionelle thought to herself.
“I’ll be fine. There’s no need to-”
“I got it!” She exclaimed. “You can stay with me!” Diaulus raised one eyebrow.
“… Isn’t that just going to look more suspicious?”
“Nah, it’ll be fine! My only neighbor is this little old lady and she’s as blind as a bat! Just, keep the hood of your jacket up until we’re there, okay? So no one notices you on the way.” Diaulus looked questioningly at Rionelle. He appeared deep in thought when she interrupted his starring.
“What?” She asked. Diaulus shook his head.
“Nothing. I just wonder if you’re really tricking me.”
Rionelle thought how to respond; her face suddenly looked very serious. “I’m not tricking you… that sounds very reassuring doesn’t it. Well, think of it this way: I have nothing to gain from turning you in. Not. A. Thing. Besides, I could’ve already done away with you if that was my intent.”
Diaulus narrowed his eyes. “…Aren’t you afraid of me?”
Rionelle looked very hard at Diaulus. “I said I trust you, didn’t I? Don’t disappoint me.” Diaulus nodded. “Come on then. I’ll help you up.” Rionelle bent down and pulled Diaulus’ left arm over her shoulder. The two hobbled toward the front doors until Diaulus was okay on his own. Then they set off for Rionelle’s apartment building.
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