The sirens are wailing.
The sirens are wailing.
The sirens are wailing.
The sirens are wailing.
The sirens are gone.

The skies darken. A gargantuan mass looms not far. A mass of twisted metal, blackened and scarred by erosion of blade and bone. Deep bellows drown the screams and shattering glass. Heaving structures bow at its arrival. Yellow ash.

Then, descending from the craft gliding as a dove does land, a heavily armored figure sets foot on the cobble paved road. It faces the direct end of the road and gazes at the surroundings without turning its head, swirling mist forming around the gold plates engraved so dear with fine long strokes indicating its history. Like a hero cast in stone.

'Burn it,' a deep tone sounds off the cast metal.

Cylindrical pylons at the craft's sides rotate slowly as the shifting gears moan their work, with the occasional one screaming from the torture of both weight and heat – the leaping flames boast the temperature of suns and threaten with death who dares challenge them. Ravenous for more fuel and about to engulf the place, but they were stopped.

'Someone is here.'

Immediately a figure emerges from the haze, landing on knee and foot as the earth beneath splits from the pressure. It rises, revealing its slender silhouette.

'Leave. You have no business here.'

It reveals a glistening line of silver, half tucked in a sheath hidden by its cloak.

'You know It no longer exists. You bond yourself to nothing.'

'Leave. Now.'

'You know It was toppled and taken down, never to rise again.'

'It is none of your concern. If you want to keep that chest of gold, you had better return to where you come from.'

'You tempt Artemis' judgment?'

In an instant the silver now glistens against the gold, the pure against the royal.

'No one courts Neveron's Guard.'

Black wisps leak through gaps in the armor. A stroke lightens and emits a pulse of light.

The craft disappears, as does the figure.

The street is as it was before.

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Review

For those who are are wondering what this has to do with the 'something I have been hoping to find out' for just about the entire week, it really helps if you analyse somewhat and don't simply read the passage as it is

But if you really can't bring yourself to it - there's a spoiler.

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SPOILER

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Q: First thing, the sirens. Why is the same line repeated multiple times?
A: If you have heard those war sirens before, you shoul know they usually wail in high and low pitches alternately (or at least they do over here). But still the sound is continuous. The main reason why it's repeated is to signify that people have had multiple warnings to evacuate before the craft came.

Q: What on earth is that strange craft? It makes no sense having a giant and damaged piece of metal floating?
A: In terms of the story, it's a warship - I think most of us got that. But look a level beyond - the scars signify the casualties wars have caused and the razed territories, while the fact that it is still up and flying allures to how wars do not stop despite the heavy losses sustained.

Q: The figure coming down from the craft - you called 'it' an 'it' but not a him or her? What's with the fancy set of armor? A: I'm sure you know they often say war takes away conscience and the humanity in people. Same thing applies here. The armor basically is part of a theme - it shows that this character is of esteemed background. 'A hero cast in stone' - the 'armor' weighs the figure down... again look one level further - the antics and customs of royalty and the like are restrictive. It can also be interpreted as to show the lack of emotion in the character.

Q: Okay I get those. But how do those pylons house such flames? You said the temperature of the SUN, you know.
A: Technology. Notice the difference between the high-tech craft and the not-so-modern armor? Compare that to the real world - military research tends to be focussed much more on (albeit usually in secrecy) and during war you notice a stark contrast between the technology of war machinery and the technology present in civilians' lives. The temperatures and flames reflect the strong desire to conquer more.

Q: The other character looks like a loser. A simple cloak and a silver sword? Hahahahaha!
A: That's not a question. > > Basically represents the humble. Gold is favored compared to silver and people flaunt their assets - like in the passage the first character boasts its golden armor. It also emerges from the haze and has a 'slender silhouette' - meaning it usually isn't noticed at all. Think about that in real life. Q: What are they talking about? I don't understand?
A: That will be revealed in another episode

Q: Huh? What happened in the end?
A: The first character is not of the flesh - the black wisps can be thought of as its blood. Wisps aren't corporeal - compare that to how people who boast power tend to be unable to backup their arrogance. There are 'gaps in the armor' - gaps in what people say? And it dies - killed by the other character. Just in case you haven't realised.

Q: What about the pulse of light?
A: With respect to the story, it is basically a distress signal. Notice that nothing was mentioned about the craft retrieving the body or helping the character? In real life, typically two things can happen to those wielding power when they pass away. One, they leave behind a legacy and are mourned. Two, people do not care at all. The dead figure apparently did not have the support of its kind when it was attacked... and killed.

Q: How come things return to normal?
A: What is 'normal'? In the context of the passage, you can say that fights and deaths are common in the event of war - although most of the time no one notices unless it's a huge scale battle or some important people are involved. Again, the same thing applies to this short prose. It suggests that things are always happening around us, but we fail to notice them. And even if we do notice them, we may end up completely forgetting.

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END OF SPOILER

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Just curious, should I write more of this?