The crystal kingdom.
My shoes tapped against sapphire road as I looked up at the azure sky, my feet carried me towards the arena in which the event was being held. Ruby towers and ivory citadels looked down upon me as I walked in awe of the city I had lived in for so long. Looks… Can be deceiving. A phrase everybody had learned and known since childhood; the single greatest truth we had to teach to our own children.
This city was known across the world as the most beautiful, gazed on by the masses as a symbol of perfection, of utopia. That word, utopia, could not have been further from the truth. What people saw as perfection, I only saw as flawed, threatening. Those ivory towers were no comfort, offered no protection, they gazed down with certainty, with complete overbearing power. They confined us within, whilst smiling at the outside world.
I finally made it to the arena, and took my seat. The azure sky overhead was slowly turning pink as the rays of sunset cast themselves across the blue marble. In the centre of the arena, a young man kneeled before a soldier, the gun poised at his throat.
“This is for Ivora!” A simple bread thief, hungry and alone. His life was snuffed and his voice silenced. The best part? No body would ever know outside of this small town, they made sure that their reputation was never ruined, never tarnished. Looks can be deceiving, for even the most beautiful rose still has thorns.
