Wanderer in the Wasteland [ Vega // Dream of Doll DoT Lahoo ] *35pix*

The grey wasteland.

A city of titans.​

Grey clouds scud overhead, obscuring the weary sky. An infinite spectrum of grey, they march without a single break in rank. Endlessly they march onward; whither to, no one knows. Perhaps they only go because they can't help but go. Perhaps they go nowhere.

Beneath the unceasing clouds lies the city, once puissant and luminous, now sunk into decay and obscurity. Massive ziggurats spiral upward, intricate, lofty and regal. Ramparts and flying buttresses and suspension bridges, forged in adamant alloys and woven polymers, stand at attention. Once they rose toward the sky like a defiant gesture, but now they bow beneath the weight of time, eroded by the constant wave of the years. At their feet lie shedded chrysalides, but only of their own corroded bodies. No life will emerge; the only metamorphosis is in the face of decay. Buried in their own detritus, they lie forgotten.

Like glory, forgetfulness is everlasting.​

Only the clouds remain witness to the dying world, and even so they do not cease their migration. They care not.

And the Wanderer, who walks amidst the dust and attrition, tall and erect despite time’s heavy hand. Like the clouds, he is but passing through. Unlike the clouds, he lingers. Unlike them, he does care.

He remembers this crushed world, when it was still an empire of giants. Long ago, in ages now forgotten, he was their downfall.

So he walks and remembers, this world that he destroyed.​

(...cont'd...)​

 

(...cont'd...)
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(...cont'd...)​

 

(...last page!...)




















I have seen the rise and fall of manifold empires, witnessed the creation and destruction of universes. How can I not feel sorrow? How can I not remember?



That's it! Feedback/critique is very welcome. Thanks for looking!
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Update Oct 2022: I've finally moved the image hosting off Photobucket, and did a light photo editing of the original pictures.

 

Thanks, byouyuuken! Given that I shot this over Christmas Day and Boxing Day... no one was there except a security guard, and she was very chill about my messing about.