Gods Eater Burst

"Tormented Seraph: Blooming Rose of the Rising Sun"

~~~PROLOGUE~~~

One Moment for the Change of a Lifetime

Every person has something to cherish because he needs a proof of existence. Every person has something to loathe because he is sinful. Every person has a flaw because he is imperfect. Every person has a dream because he is incomplete. Every person has a heart because they are alive. Every person lives because death waits. Every person has a home because he needs to belong. Every person has a name because he has a soul. Every person has a soul because he has an identity.

I had all of those once…before I lost them.

Run, run, and run…that's what we've been doing. My brother and I…we've been running endlessly. I don't know why and I don't think I wanted to know. All I know is that our lives are on the line…at least, that's what Big Brother told me.

"Hang in there, okay?" Big Brother said to me gently, still running. I only nodded even if he didn't see.

I don't know how many hours it took but we suddenly stopped at a cliff. I don't know if Big Brother did that on purpose. I don't know if it's an unwanted dead end. I don't know why Big Brother was smiling down at me so gently yet sadly. I don't even know Big Brother's name.

I don't know…I don't know…I don't know…!

I don't know if I really had them all, but I do know that I lost everything on that day. I don't know anything but my name. I remembered nothing but that day. I didn't see my Big Brother's face but I still knew it was my brother with me on that day. I don't know who was after us or why we were running.

I only felt my brother's wishing to escape and protect me.

He then embraced me, and then took me down with him after falling to his knees. The strong voices of the tides echoed below us as the waves attacked the large sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff. The green trees swayed with the intimidating winds. The moonlight revealed the early morning dews on the grass. The flowers were in full bloom and some of their petals fluttered elegantly with the winds. I remember Big Brother saying everything here is nothing but a fake. Everything is nothing more than a memory of what the world used to be. The current world is lifeless and empty. Humanity could barely hold on to whatever they have left. The gods abandoned them. That's the reality and truth that Big Brother always tells me. He doesn't want me to be fooled by any illusions.

For me, this is alright. Even if it's fake, I still like it. It's beautiful and I want to live in this kind of illusion. Big Brother doesn't mind my perspective as long as I still know the truth from lies. He loves me dearly, and tells me that over and over. He says he'll protect me from the gods that made the world lifeless and empty.

At that moment, I had a sense of déjà vu. This happened once before, but it wasn't us. It might have been us as different people. I never had the sense to doubt it, but for some reason, I started to feel scared instead of reassured just like how my brother's words usually do to me. I started to feel coldness instead of warmth from my brother's sudden embrace. My heart skipped beats that would've made me faint. My breathing paused as if the world stopped.

"I'm scared…I'm scared…I'm scared…Big Brother, I'm scared!"

That's all I could think about. I didn't know what I was scared about. All I knew is that I wouldn't like to hear what my brother had to say after that sad gentle smile on his blurred face.

My brother pushed me away slightly from his embrace. He cupped my cheeks with his smooth hands and smiled at me. He started to speak softly yet firmly,

"Listen to me very closely. I know I promised to always protect and look after you, and I plan to keep that promise. Sadly, things will never be the same for us."

"Big Brother, what—"

"Hush, Little Sister…"

My voice started to crack, "B-but, Brother…"

He embraced with more force than before. He buried his head at the crook of my neck, and my eyes widened as I felt my brother forcing down his sobs as he tightened his hold on me. He was terrified and I don't know what made my valiant brother this broken. All I knew is he needed me to keep his demons away. He told me these demons only go away when I'm there for him. He says I'm his guardian angel that keeps those demons at bay…so I embraced him.

I heard his voice speak again, "I'm sorry I can't tell you more. I'm sorry we can never live the life we've always dreamed about. I'm sorry for not being the perfect brother. I'm sorry I can't walk you down the aisle. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you any more than this. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

I wanted to speak but my words halted at my throat. I wanted to tell him that there's nothing to forgive, that he IS the perfect brother for me, that we have years to be able to fulfill our dream…I don't know why he was apologizing. I don't know why he was embracing me so fiercely as if I'll disappear.

All I know is that it frightened me.

Our current predicament terrifies me.

"Thank you for everything. I love you very much, Little Sister. I wish I had more time to make you feel so much more happiness than anyone in this world. I wish I could've seen you with your special person. I wish I could beat him to a pulp before handing you over like how a big brother would. I wish I could see the tiny versions of you running around and make me feel nostalgic. I wish I could see you grow to a fine lady and see those suitors gaze at you before killing them. I wish…I wish…I wish I could've given you a life that wasn't borrowed or owed only to be cursed."

I felt my chest constrict with every word my brother spoke. I almost couldn't breathe because of those words and his tight grip. I barely managed to hear his last whispered words.

What did he mean? Why was he acting like this? Doesn't he know it's scaring me?

Why was he speaking as if he's saying goodbye?

Who made Big Brother sad? Was it me?

Was I a bad girl?

"Thank you for loving me, Seraph. Thank you for being born as my sister. Thank you for keeping my demons at bay. Thank you for being a good little girl."

Big Brother separated himself from the embrace. I held to his shirt this time, and now I finally realized why everything was so blurry: I was crying and the tears wouldn't stop.

Big Brother caressed my cheeks again to wipe the tears away, but they only kept on coming. He continued to smile so agonizingly gentle that it felt as if his smile is killing me softly. I felt slightly thankful that his eyes can't be seen clear enough for me to see the emotions in them.

He then started to murmur words that he usually did to do his magic tricks. He usually did those tricks to cheer me up. They were all beautiful and also real, unlike the scenery. They always brought a smile to my face...but for some reason, I only started to cry more.

I never noticed that the snow already started to fall. The scenery was painted in white. Mine and Big Brother's breaths came out as smokes, and I started to feel colder. My nails started to dig deeper into my brother's shirt but he never flinched. He only held me closer.

Then, white was painted in red.

I heard a roar and voices. They were searching for us.

I looked around but something was wrong. Snow was supposed to be white but the ones near us are red.

Then, I felt something sticky.

I released one hand from my brother's shirt, and he tightened his embrace and sobbed. When the voices came closer, he pushed us towards the edge and we fell.

By the time I lifted my hand to view it, my eyes widened to see the same shade of red on the snow.

Big Brother kissed my forehead, and I felt his tears. Just a few more meters before we hit the water, he started to glow white. The red liquid became more apparent on his form as he glowed, and I saw them flowing down his face and was spreading fast around his body. He smiled genuinely this time, and then he turned into pure white light and warmth surrounded me.

"You are who you are, and never forget I'll always love you whoever you become. Promise me. Promise Big Brother: you'll never run away from living."

I then remembered what the red liquid was. It was blood. I saw them on my brother when he said something hurt on his body. I could only think about whether my brother was still hurt because I want to be there. I don't want him to be alone if he is. That's all I could remember feeling…before forgetting everything.

I don't even know if I even had the chance to hit the water. There was only unbearable pain on my shoulder blades before everything in my world went black as I wailed in despair. Big Brother disappeared.

I awakened at some beach with a red and silver necklace around my neck on that day. The lace was silver with black vine engravings, and the pendant itself was silver and red. It looked like a red rose with a crescent moon at the center on top of a silver cross. The silver cross is stabbed with what seems to be daggers on each of its distances in between. Engraved behind it is what I assumed to be my name. My clothes were ripped and covered me decently enough. I haven't dreamed of that day in a while. I clutched my necklace as my heart fluttered.

As I looked at the ruined city below the cliff that's so much like in my dream—or even memory—I had one thought in my mind: "Balanced on edge for one perfect moment before the fall. The secret is: 'One moment is the same as a thousand. You only need one.'"

As I murmured my thoughts out loud, the City of Mercy gave me a view to a magnificent sunrise as if to agree with me.

A/N: I had made a few changes but it's not that much. PLEASE R&R! This story focuses on Rosella Maria, and I'd like to inform all of you that all of my GEB fan fictions would be some kind of chain stories in which they are more or less linked together through story backgrounds with different protagonists every now and then. For now, here's Rosella's Profile for those who want it.

Name: Rosella Maria

Code: SERAPH

Gender: Female

Age: [Unknown]

Hair Style: 12

Hair Color: 4

Face: 10

Skin: 7

Top: 20

Bottom: 20

Voice: 9

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Gods Eater Burst.