This Life is Mine
Reborn from light,
Strengthened by darkness.
Burned in fire,
Frozen in ice.
A single flower blooms,
Within the twilight.
Among the ruins of a broken world,
The rusted machines,
And reclaimed land.
A memento of what was once here.
I shall rise to face what may come,
To defy fate,
To rewrite this story,
For this life is mine;
Chapter 0: Eshe
“I will never forget the day I first awoke into this broken and ruined world. The day I met my Ghost and learned of my first death. When I became Myosotis.”
In my first moments of consciousness, all was dark, an empty void devoid of light, of life, until I heard the echoing cries of a distant voice as a bright light broke through the dark. A light that brought me back to life. That was the moment I first met Oenothera, my Ghost. Within an old ruined house that was once my home. The place where I found my past and who had killed me.
She was lost, confused. Unable to recall a single thing except for emotions of fear, pain, and sadness. All while being spoken to by something called a Ghost. She wanted to scream yet was cut off by coughing fits. But as moonlight shone through the broken windows of that cold, dark room upon a long-dead form. Tears began to flow as she finally let out a scream full of anger and grief, as broken memories of him pointing a gun at her head and pulling the trigger. Casting her into the long and lonely sleep of death.
Despite what I had left behind in my old life, I still can’t remember my past. In those fragments, I found my old name, my first. As well as the names and the emotions I once had for those I cared for. So for them, I took the name Myosotis. The flower that means forget me not, how ironic.
Chapter 1: Three Words, Three Flowers
“Life is a fragile yet strong thing. A gift that should never be wasted for death will always find a way.”
Bang! The gunshot of the sniper rifle echoed throughout the EDZ as Myosotis hit her target, a Cabal Legionary from a remnant of the Red Legion. The Legionary’s fellow soldiers scattered to find cover. But even if they took cover behind the Phalanx and their shields, there was no safe spot from her vantage point. Bang! Another hit. Bang! Bang! Another and another went down till one enemy remained. A Psion prepared to shoot back at Myosotis, but she was faster. Bang! The sound echoed through the empty streets till they died away until only the scent of gunpowder remained.
“Oeno, was that the last of them in this area?” Myosotis’s Ghost, Oenothera, materialized, and her flower-like shell spun momentarily before answering her Guardian. “Yes. That’s the last of them. Well, till another group comes.” “As always.” Myosotis got up and finally stretched after hours of laying in wait. As she began to stow away the few items she had out, a call came across the coms. It was a message asking any Guardians in the area to head over to the old quarry, where the Red Legion were attempting to mine for resources. Without saying a word, Oeno dematerialized as Myo grabbed her rifle and began to head over to the old quarry. It didn’t take long to hear the sounds of fighting taking place. It honestly made it easier to find them. After finding cover, Myo looked through the rifle’s scope. She noted a fireteam of Guardians, two Titans, and a Warlock who were already in the thick of it, and she saw that a few Psions had their sights on them. Bang! Bang! Bang!
Myo didn’t wait to see if they spotted her; she ran and ducked behind a rusted old transport truck. Lying flat on the ground, she hit several more targets before they took full notice of her. She abandoned her rifle and grabbed her pulse rifle, shooting down the Cabal that ran towards her as she stood up. After that, it didn’t take long for the fight to end. No one spoke then as Myosotis returned to grab her rifle, clearing away the dirt as she began to walk off.
“Hey, wait!” The Warlock called out to Myo as they ran toward her. She stopped and waited for them to reach her. “I- I just wanted to thank you for the help.” Myosotis stood there as Oenothera materialized beside her, as she replied in her stead. “We were happy to help!” One of her team members called out as the Warlock was about to answer. “Lin! What are you doing?” The Warlock looked back to reply, but the Hunter was gone when she turned to face Myo again.
Once the two were far enough away, Oeno spoke up. “Myo, why did you leave? I know you don’t want-” Myo cut off her Ghost by putting a hand on her shell. “Oeno, not now, please.” “Then when?! You’ve barely interacted with anyone for what, 15 years now? Myo, you can’t do that forever.” “I know, I know. Let’s save the rest of this conversation for later. The shops will be closed if we don’t start heading back home.” Oeno spun and clicked her shell the way she always did when annoyed. “Alright, let’s go then.”
It was evening when the pair left the Last City again, along with several bunches of flowers that Myo had carefully picked out. The sun was setting when they reached their destination, six lonely graves in a forest meadow. They left two flowers, Freesias, and forget-me-nots, for their former fireteam and second family. And lastly, for the one whose ashes lay elsewhere, Myo left behind white Roses, Zinnias, and Amaranthus. Three flowers for three words she hadn’t been brave enough to speak.
Chapter 2: Fire Burning Cold Red
She found them huddled by a fire,
As if nothing had happened and the stains of blood were meaningless.
There was no law here, no rule,
No consequences for their actions,
Till she came for them.
Set ablaze,
She wasn’t afraid,
She didn’t care if they saw her.
Without thought, she cut them down,
Colder than ice, she felt emotionless.
They would come back, but she would kill them again and again.
They would pay, they would know their pain,
Her anger,
With fire, blade, and gun,
She would show them suffering,
Till everything was set ablaze and stained red with blood
For them, there were no tears
Chapter 3: Edelweiss, Fireweed, and Ash
Reborn from light,
Strengthened by darkness.
Burned in fire,
Frozen in ice.
A single flower blooms,
Within the twilight.
Among the ruins of a broken world,
The rusted machines,
And reclaimed land.
A memento of what was once here.
I shall rise to face what may come,
To defy fate,
To rewrite this story,
For this destiny is mine;
“I’m always afraid. It’s the reason why I’m alone.”
“Lair, coward, failure.” The words echoed through her mind as Myosotis awoke from the nightmare drenched in sweat and eyes wet with tears. Myo then realized that her helmet was on as she recalled what had happened before passing out as her ghost Oeno tapped her ghost shell against her helmet.
“Oeno, how long was I out for?” “Just a few hours, and now it’s the middle of the night.” “Let’s just go home right now. We can talk there.” Oeno hesitated but dematerialized as Myo quietly snuck out of the building and onto the rooftops of the Last City. Balancing atop walls and rooftops past night workers, late-night partygoers, and people sleeping peacefully in their homes. Till reaching a worn-down house covered in creeping vines surrounded by overgrown flowers, the place she and Oeno called home.
The door creaked as it opened and closed; once inside, Myo took off her helmet and undid the messy bun she kept it in, letting the blue-dyed hair freely fall across her back. The house was silent except for the floorboards that creaked as she walked and the old grandfather clock that stood vigil over the old house. Oeno rematerialized then and began to turn on some lights as Myo walked into the bedroom towards an old worn-out desk and a large mirror covered in numerous drawings. Looking at the reflection of her scarred face, mainly the burn that served as a reminder of her failure. In the light, Myo saw the blue dye in her hair was fading around the roots, meaning she would need to reapply the dye again at some point.
She sighed and took notice of a drawing tucked into a corner of the mirror’s frame. A sketch she once did of a pair of flowers, Fireweed and Edelweiss. It felt like only yesterday when she drew it inside that cave while waiting for a winter storm to pass.
Falling snow,
Burning wood,
The sounds echo within a peaceful cave.
Two forms nestled close together,
Strangers bonded by hardship,
Loneliness,
Hidden from the cold night.
Gentle and kind,
Spoken words are whispered,
Before the embers.
The scent of paper,
Old and worn,
As unspoken words are drawn upon its fading white.
Stories are told,
Sadness and joy,
Pain,
Are shared.
A smile,
A laugh,
As the wind dies down,
And the snow becomes starlight.
Nothing echoes within the cave,
As a promise is made and shared,
With unspoken words