Droplets of magenta and deep violet bloomed, rippling almost like water on pearlescent skin. He watched his veins come alive, flowing with hues of emerald and sky blue. Lips of white flourished with color, swirling pale pink until they were as flushed as they once were. His eyes fluttered open, the irises melting into a silvery, glimmering grey like a stormy sea on a cloudy day.
He wiggled his toes, feeling the soft, rich, squishy dirt of the forest. Leaves colored like fire sailed along the breeze, voyaging between gray and faded brown tree trunks. These trees reached high into the near-midnight sky. It felt like they could touch the stars.
And if they could, he would certainly climb his way up the rough bark to press his cold, pale fingers to one. Maybe it would feel like home all the way up there.
But his home was the castle in the distance. The tall ivory towers looming high, stark in contrast against the dark sky. His home was in the cold, lonely castle. Where his colors faded, muting themselves to match the melancholy of life there.
His footsteps clicked in tune with the slow pounding of his heart as he approached the castle. He took his time, examining the way the lanterns glowed with their blazing lights and the way the air chilled his bones even more with each step. Shivering, he drew his cloak closer, though it would make no difference.
He reached the final step just before midnight. The large clock chimed, and he glanced at the dagger in a dark figure's gloved hands. He took in a last exhale and gazed at the moon, full and powerful.
It was the last thing he saw before his porcelain skin was tainted with a waterfall of vibrant red.
