Today, Four Hundred Years Ago, and A Future When We're All Gone

Shiona and Rin smiled to one another and laughed in appreciative admiration as they watched Riku from afar. The two children said something that surprised him, and he immediately stood then offered his hand to them.

“Aw, do you think they got separated from their class?” asked Rin.

“Probably. Look at him, being all fatherly,” smiled Shiona as she watched Riku instruct the small children to join hands.

“Should we follow them?” asked Rin.

Shiona shook her head.

“I think Riku wanted to be alone,” she responded as Riku took one of the children’s hands and pointed ahead with his cane.

His words could not be heard, but even from afar, his soft smile was noticeable. Rin and Shiona both watched silently as he spoke slowly to the children and limped away out of sight with the two of them connected to his hand.

“He’s a precious soul,” said Shiona as she watched Riku disappear.

Up ahead, Riku was slowly moving along the stone path at the castle’s exterior as he searched for a school group. Voices from crowds of people drifted through the trees that lined the perimeter, but no children’s voices were heard. Onward he went. One of the children was holding his right hand while he kept the cane in his left hand. Per his instruction, the other child held onto his friend’s hand.

Footsteps in gravel and tapping cane placements echoed against the massive stones that made the castle’s foundation. Hundreds of sakura trees lined the path in full bloom. Pink and white bursts of color enveloped the three of them as they continued their search.

“Are you here on a field trip?” asked Riku as his eyes scanned the surroundings.

“Yes! We are here learning about Hiro- hiro- hirosasa castle!” said the child.

Riku grinned at the squeaky voice and mispronunciation.

“Well, that’s good. Do you know where your teacher was planning-”

His words were cut off by the man’s scream. It happened so quickly, that Riku flinched in shock and surprise. The man’s voice seemed enraged and hysterical. It was a scream of desperation and violence. Then the other man screamed. Before Riku could process the noise and respond to the ensuing screams from the children, the Shimmers appeared in full visibility. A dozen men in full battle armor shattered into reality in front of them. Swords were drawn. Arrows hissed by and struck a man in the throat, sending a spray of blood and dirt into the air as the man let out a gargling scream of agony.

The children were screaming now.

“Holy shit! Holy shit!!” screamed Riku as he spun around in terror and shielded the children.

Shrieks of pain erupted around them. Slicing blades tore through the air with distinct metallic hums before clashing into armor and flesh. Screams continued as the world filled with the sound of bodies being torn open and organs spilling out onto the ground in front of Riku’s eyes as he covered the children in protection.

“Don’t look! Don’t look!” he shouted in command as he dropped his cane to use both hands as shields.

His feet slid from beneath him in the shock of the moment, but he steadied himself and grabbed the children, who were now screaming hysterically, and limped away as fast as possible. Behind him, the screaming continued for a few more seconds, then vanished as fast as it had appeared.

Tears were running down Riku’s face now.

“Help! Teacher?! Help!” he called out.

Through the trees, a woman’s voice called out.

“Children?!” she screamed.

Riku heard her and cut through the sakura to reach her. By now the children were screaming. Soon the woman was before them, running through the trees to meet her lost students.

“Oh! Thank goodness!” she cried out as she grabbed her screaming students.

“Thank you! Thank you!” she cried to Riku as she embraced the crying children from him.

Riku struggled to speak. 

"There was a Shimmer," was all he could whisper as he stumbled back.

His stomach felt hollow and heavy now. Tremors shook his body as he bowed to the teacher and left without a word. It was difficult to walk without his cane, and now that the adrenaline was gone, his leg felt weak. Falling forward, Riku hit the ground with a thud and gasp as he choked for air to calm himself from the shock.

“Oh shit. Oh God,” he cried as he wiped his eyes with trembling hands.

Swift steps crunched along the gravel path near the grove where Riku was hidden.

“Riku?!” Shiona called out from outside the sakura trees.

“I heard a scream. It sounded like him and like it was from over here,” said Rin’s voice.

Riku couldn’t immediately respond as his voice had yet to return. An uncontrolled cough left his throat as he commanded his body to calm, but it did not obey.

“I’m here!” he choked out in a barely audible gasp.

Footsteps rushed through the trees, and then Shiona and Rin were there.

“Riku? Riku, what’s wrong?!” asked Rin as she embraced her friend, who by now was weeping from shock.

“Riku, baby, talk to us!” whispered Shiona as she brushed Riku’s hair aside and held his cheek in her palm.

“I saw one. I saw a Shimmer,” choked Riku.

“What? You saw one for real?” asked Shiona.

“I was helping these children find their class, then a fucking battle broke out in front of us. It was horrifying. Everyone was screaming. Oh god those poor kids,” cried Riku.

Spasms in his back shook him in steady tremors as he tried to breathe. Rin was already on her phone. After one ring, Arata answered.

“Hey, come meet us at my location. Something’s happened. Riku saw a shimmer and is not well,” whispered Rin.

“On our way,” replied Arata before Rin hung up and returned to her friends.

Shiona’s hands were rubbing Riku’s back.

“I dropped my cane somewhere nearby. I was running, carrying the kids,” he whispered.

“I’ll go get it,” replied Shiona as she stood to exit.

Silent glances of concern between her and Rin spoke volumes. Rin knelt by Riku as Shiona trotted away. Seconds later, Arata, Kai, and Kureha were there in the trees with them.

“What happened?!” shrieked Kureha when she saw Riku’s current state.

Shiona returned with his cane.

“One second everything was normal. I was escorting these two lost kids, trying to get them back to their class. Then a Shimmer appeared, and a whole battle broke out all around us. People were being cut in two, guts spilling everywhere, screaming. The kids were screaming. I covered their eyes but I think they saw some of it. God, the screams,” whispered Riku as the friend group knelt around him.

"Is this going to be what it's like for the remainder of our days?" he asked in a hauntingly hollow voice.

By now, Riku seemed to be hallucinating. His eyes were blank, staring forward in an empty trance.

“All that violence. All the horror and suffering of war over thousands of years. All the hate and despair. All the hope. All of the progress. None of it mattered. Those poor kids. They’re going to die, and I don’t even think they know,” whispered Riku as his grey, unblinking eyes stared at the castle.

Kai and Shiona exchanged frightened looks as Kai knelt in front of Riku.

“One day they’re going to vanish, just like all of us. But do they even know that? That poor baby isn’t even aware of anything yet really, but those kids; they have friends. They play sports. They have homework. And they’re going to be torn from reality and disappear. It’s cruel, isn’t it?” cried Riku as Kai’s hands found his shoulders and embraced him in a hug.

“Shhhh, shhh, Riku, I need you to breathe,” whispered Kai as Kureha rubbed his back.

Unsteady breaths escaped from Riku’s lips and Kai began to inhale slowly and deeply.

“Breathe with me Riku. Everyone breathe with me. Inhale, hold, exhale,” said Kai in a calm voice.

The friends all inhaled and held for a few seconds then released. Then again. Then again. This continued for nearly a minute until Riku’s panic began to dissipate. After a few minutes passed, his mind began to return and he shook his head in heavy defeat.

“I don’t want to be here anymore. Can we leave?” asked Riku, to which everyone nodded.

Hands of help lifted him and returned his cane to its rightful place. Shaking legs were supported, and Shiona and Kureha kept their hands on Riku’s back for comfort as the six of them made their way back to the parking lot.

Behind them, the sun was starting to set. Orange and red streaks covered the sky as the sun lowered over the castle’s pointed roof, casting a long shadow from the foundation stones toward the friends. Arata noticed the shadow beneath their feet and couldn’t help but shake at the sensation that the darkness was following them, and would soon be above them as well.