Ice and Dark

Ice and Dark

Once upon a time, a simple peasant girl called Freedert lived in a village. There were two boys whom she was friends with when she was young, Elliot and Kael. The three of them were always together. However at some point, Elliot and Freedert fell in love with one another. Elliot was the son of a fedual lord who lorded over a great expanse of land. Due to the social difference between the couple, nobody around them would accept their love. Yet, their love only deepened, and no matter what others said, they were happy. They promised to be together forever.

However, war began, and Elliot was to defend the village. "I will definitely come back alive", Elliot told Freedert. Believing his words, Freedert gave Elliot a sword to protect himself.

On the morning Elliot was to leave, he asked Kael, his best friend who he believed could be trusted, to look after Freedert. However, Kael was also madly in love with Freedert, enough to make him hate his best friend.

Kael went to the work of art that had been handed down in the village -- the Second Hand of Time, believed to be the guardian of time, and made a forbidden wish.

"Please, stop Elliot's time. I know that I'm wrong to ask this, but... I don't want Freedert to belong to him... If Elliot dies in battle, I'm sure Freedert will..."

Elliot took a spear in the back and died in battle while protecting the last fortress protecting the village. That spear had the shape of a giant second hand.

Hearing news of Elliot's death, Freedert ran to the Second Hand of Time and prayed.

"Please give all of my time to him."

The artwork granted her wish. Freedert's time was given to Elliot, and he returned to life. Instead of a pool of his own blood, Elliot was surrounded by the scarlet roses that Freedert had loved. He returned to the village, where he saw a cold gravestone with Freedert's name carved upon it. This time, Elliot went to the Second Hand of Time and prayed.

"If it is her light that is giving me life, I return this light to her."

With that, Elliot drew the sword Freedert had given to protect him, and stabbed himself.




At the foot of the Second Hand of Time where Elliot had fallen, the sword emitted a strange light...













Kael's End

Kael never though that his wish would lead to the death of his beloved Freedert. He continually suffered from regret and dispair. Then, after writing the story "Ice and Dark" as a way to pass the story down, and as a confession, he was finally allowed to die.

Elliot's sword became known as the "Link Pin of Time" and went missing after Kael's death...











The Second Hand of Time

The Second Hand of Time cannot move time that had been stopped. All it could do was to freeze Freedert's time when she made her wish. Ever since, Freedert's soul and the Second Hand of Time exist as one, frozen within the artwork.

The Second Hand of Time saved Freedert from the clutches of death, while Freedert saved the artwork from being destroyed by its makers out of fear of the magic harboured by the artpiece. The makers were touched by Freedert's strong feelings, thus the Second Hand of Time was spared from its fate.

In the meantime, Freedert waited for Elliot, believing that he would return to her side someday. Though Elliot was already dead, Freedert believed his soul was still alive. It might be in a different vessel, but Freedert was certain he was searching for her...














The Fate of the Second Hand of Time

However, the Second Hand of Time was being worn down as time passes, and it reached the end of its time.

Just before Freedert disappears together with the Second Hand of Time, the Link Pin of Time was uncovered by the descendant of the Second Hand of Time's makers. In an attempt to grant the artwork's last wish, the descendant delievered Elliot's sword to the Second Hand of Time.

Freedert was dying within the Second Hand of Time when she saw Elliot falling through the air towards her. Bursting with joy that her wait was not in vain, she embraced Elliot, and they finally fulfilled their promise to be together forever. However, Elliot's soul was actually in the form of the sword, and it pierced through Freedert's soul, releasing a flurry of scarlet rose petals...

And the Second Hand of Time shattered...























No matter what happens,
never let go of the person important to you.

Don't choose death
in order to protect them.

No matter what happens,
you must live to protect them.





Humans tried to capture time, which has no shape, to make something.

So that humans, who are not eternal, can believe in eternity...

















*special thanks/credits to the subbers at #shounen.AI for the translation... this story was originally presented in japanese in an anime...













Caged Bird

高く　どのくらい　飛んでいったら
遙か遠くの　君が　みえなくなるの？

瞳　そらせば　樂になるのかもしれない
でも　いつもどこかで　見つめていたい

忘れることなんて　できはしないから
なす術もなく　空を見上げてるだけ
まるで籠の中の　小さな鳥のように
窗を探して　あてもなく　さまよっている

今すぐに會いたい　君が好きだから
傷つくことが　恐くて逃げたいけど
見えない柵に　翼　囚われても
それでも君は　悲しいほど　大切な人






takaku dono kurai tonde ittara
haruka tooku no kimi ga mienaku naru no?

hitomi soraseba raku ni naru no kamo shirenai
demo itsumo dokoka de mitsumete itai

wasureru koto nante deki wa shinai kara
nasu sube mo naku sora wo miageteru dake

marude kago no kana no chiisana tori no you ni
mado wo sagashite atemo naku samayotte iru

ima sugu ni aitai kimi ga suki dakara
kizutsuku koto ga kowakute nigetai kedo
mienai shigarami ni tsubasa torawaretemo
sore demo kimi wa kanashii hodo taisetsu na hito

Hitomi soraseba raku ni naru kamo shirenai
Demo itsumo dokoka de mitsumete itai







How high would I have to fly
To lose sight of you, so far away?

If I turn my eyes away, I might feel better.
But I want to always be looking at you from somewhere.

Because there's no way I could forget you.
At my wits' end, I simply keep staring up at the sky.
It's almost as if I were like a small bird inside a cage,
Searching for the window, aimlessly wandering around.

I want to see you right away, because I love you,
Even though I want to run away because I'm scared of being hurt.
If this unseen barrier around me should tear away my wings,
Still, you are so precious to me that it makes me sad.