A Door to Darkness
I've come to observe a door to this world... Tied to the Nyxus... Soon to be...
I've come to observe a door to this world... Tied to the Nyxus... Soon to be...
Ash 13th, 125th Year, A.o.S.
The windswept tundra of the hills to their west had already beckoned the kiss of Frost, and so far it had barely even been a full two weeks into the season of Ash. While the Hills of Deception were far off from their position, that didn't keep Tailen and his older brother, Byron, completely out of potential risks with the elements, given the northlands were always so chilly.
The younger sibling had taken the precautions he had needed to be able to make this venture, of course, having packed his knapsack with a week's worth of supplies in rations, among other things. Donned in fitted leathers that were padded with fur, and loaned a steel dagger from the blacksmith in Hanz Villa, he had the bare essentials that were necessary to accommodate his brother on this task.
They had already covered a day's journey of land on foot, roaming the hills just south of the mysterious Nasim's Tower for herbs. Byron had requested that Malekai, the blacksmith, provide Tai with something simple for protection, even if the older brother didn't plan on him using it during their little venture. Naturally, the older sibling intended to hunt a few small game as a payment for this favor, to keep the good gesture of faith in their community strong for when they'd return.
But the herbs they were supposed to seek out weren't easy to find, especially now that their blooming period had passed and the later seasons would soon cause them to die off for the year. "You remember how to sort out different signatures of aether with your vision? Or has that remained difficult for you?" The brother checked with his bow ready as he walked onward ahead of Tailen, his eyes scanning the landscape as they walked, now that they were approaching some fallen architecture.
It looked to have been a minor fort or structure once, from the columns that lined their path as they approached the shell of what remained of the ruin, but that was just what it appeared to be on the outside as the sun nearly set over the horizon. "I..." He paused only slightly with a hint of a stammer, not wanting to sound incompetent to the one person he looked up to. "It's still difficult, really. I've tried engaging my senses before, but the contrast overwhelms me every time."
Admittedly, it hurt a little bit to acknowledge that, even with his older brother likely chuckling at the elaboration. "We'll likely get some good practice while we're out here. If this ruin remains safe, then we'll make camp for the night." Byron noticeably stalled in his pace with a slight turn of his shoulder, his ordinary gaze fallen on Tailen with a smirk tinged with confidence. "I'll give you some tips on things I've picked up on, see if it'll make it a little easier for you."
The prospect of learning more about his gifts with his brother excited him, so much so that Tailen nearly felt ready to bounce on his heels after hearing it. Aside from grinning ecstatically, however, curiosity continued to get the better of him as he eyed the stone columns in passing. They were smooth yet weathered to the point of cracking, appearing to have been carved from granite or some similar kind of stone. The remains of the building itself they approached were merely the base of the structure itself, the walls already long crumbled, save for what hadn't been knocked down by nature or time itself.
Moss and shrubs decorated the interior of the structure as they explored further within, the lack of any real door or entrance leaving much to be seen as a draft echoed through the hollowed remains. Part of this excited Tailen for some reason, and it wasn't just because of the fact he'd get to practice using his eyes with Semblance soon. No. There was something mystical and ancient to this mysterious place, and as he quietly followed behind his older brother, Byron's sweep of the immediate vicinity seemed to reach its conclusion.
"Okay," he muttered in a lower town with his shoulders kept firm, "doesn't look like anything undesirable is within the area." He then straightened his upper back a bit more, before turning to his younger sibling with a flicker in his eyes. "Should we set up camp first? Or did you perhaps want to get a look for yourself?"
"Heck yeah!! Of course!!" Tailen nearly exclaimed, before forgetting that he needed to remain quiet. Byron's lips crack another light smirk before he raised a finger, his bow arm tucked to the side as his Sembled gaze carried out to the room.
"Try to read the room with your own eyes first, tell me what your vision shows you." It had been several weeks since Tailen had the opportunity to test his Semblance in such a manner, and as eager as he was to follow his brother's instruction, the young villager knew he needed to first still his thoughts and concentrate firsthand. Thus, Tailen paused and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath as he focused on his mind's eye. The 'gateway' between him and his Runes, as he liked to refer to it.
Tailen felt the presence of aether all around him, even slightly stronger closer to him, but that was natural given his brother was right there. Slowly but surely, as his eyes opened, the alteration in his vision became clear, and his pupils shifted to resemble the Rune of Semblance that activated upon his intent. A whole new world of hues swirled and flowed around him now, a world he wanted to grow lost within every attempt he made at observing it. Yet already, the surplus of colors stimulated his senses, and Tailen already felt his head slightly ache as he whinced from the display.
"What you're seeing is the natural world in its vibrance, the signatures of aether that have become embedded within the landscape... and the remains of this forgotten place in turn." Byron elaborated as he noticed the gaze his younger brother held.
"There's... A lot of gray but with different variations of blue." Tailen observed as he gazed about the walls around them, noticing slow and subtle traces of ripples across the stone surface. He noted the moss and shrubs that had taken refuge within the interior of the ruin next. "The vegetation here is a bit more brighter, naturally, the greener coloration glows off from their leaves. But..." He nearly wanted to squint at some of the leaves of a nearby plant, noticing that the veins within them just slightly glimmered with a faint violet blue as well.
"These leaves have more than just a green hue to them. Why?" He looked from his current fixation to his brother for answers, mesmerized by the sky-blue aura that practically radiated off Byron's figure.
"Right now, the information you're gleaning is only of surface value." Byron elaborated with a gentle nod of his head in the other direction, his eyes facing forward as he led the young boy further into the ruin. Tailen had no doubt Byron was scouring the place with his own Sembled vision, gleaming every bit of detail necessary to determine whether or not danger lingered nearby. "Every signature you're reading is an imprint of aether, so every color a wealth of information you can learn to observe."
Tai's mouth opened in awe at that, his mind a sponge as he felt himself nearing a limitation. There was only so much he could observe after all, before the wealth of information around him became too much for his mind to bear. "In time, it'll become easier to read and focus on everything. You'll even learn ways to focus on specific signatures, once you've practiced enough with your vision that is."
Tailen couldn't wait until that time would finally come, especially since he wanted to be as good as his older brother already. Byron may not have known much beyond what he could share, but that didn't change the fact he was doing everything he could to guide and instruct his younger brother. Tailen would always love and admire Byron for that, so much so, that he'd sometimes grow oblivious of himself until he bumped into the older one. "Well now, that's certainly weird."
"Huh? Sorry?" It wasn't all the time but it certainly wasn't out of character for Tai to bump into Byron on occasion, especially when he'd grown lost in thought or merely distracted by something in turn. But no, Byron's sudden halt led the younger brother to lean around him and inspect the curiosity for himself, since there was no other determinable way of discovering what had caught Byron's attention.
"What is that?" The older sibling remarked as Tailen's eyes fell upon what looked to be a stone archway before the wall, the structure emanating a strange humming sensation as a black pool rippled within its space.
"Whoa!" Tailen's excitement nearly got the better of him again, and yet, Byron already pressed his other hand on the boy's chest to keep him from approaching so suddenly. "What do you see?! What do you see?!" The younger brother inquired earnestly with his gaze up to Byron's face, trying to determine what sort of reaction the elder brother was experiencing right now.
"I'm not sure..." There came a sense of wariness in his tone now, as Byron's eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the strange inky substance within the arch. "Stay back, though, I'll check and see if it's safe." Byron shifted his bow arm forward so that the wooden tool itself faced before him, in case he needed a moment to draw and knock an arrow from his quiver.
As much as Tai wanted to stay right behind him, he knew better than to encroach on his brother as this anomaly was investigated. For what would happen if he got in Byron's way and caused a stumbling accident on himself in the process? In moments of uncertainty like this, he understood the importance of letting his brother have space, which was why he stood several meters back as Byron drew closer to the mysterious blob before them. When he drew closer to the anomaly, Tailen's heart sank all of a sudden, as if the possibility of danger became increasingly certain the nearer one got to this unusual mystery.
"My gaze sees nothing beyond this arch..." Byron noted as he drew out an arrow from his quiver slowly, holding the feathered end carefully as he dipped the arrowhead into the ink pool before them. "It looks like what the Shadow-fiends are composed of, except..." Just the mere memory of those difficult times during the Black Winter set off goosebumps on Tai's skin, as he suddenly felt colder now than compared to when they first arrived here.
After Byron pulled back the arrow to see the ink pool rippling from it, he took only a single step back, his observant gaze shifting from the pool to his younger sibling. He noted the fact Tai had already started brushing his upper arms with his hands, the calm and careful expression his older brother held before shifting to an amused smirk. "What? Already grown chicken?"
"What?!" Tai scoffed in return with a sharp gaze at his brother. "Am not!" He refused determinably before he noticed a shift in the ink pool behind Byron, as a liquified limb with elongated fingers reached out grasping for the sibling. "B-Brother! Behind you-" As he screamed and pointed with a finger in shock, Byron quickly turned to realize what was already too late. The limb that had reached out to him had grabbed ahold of him from one shoulder to the other, ensnaring Byron as it yanked him within the pool of night rippling before him.
"Brother!!!" Tailen yelled as he witnessed Byron's own scream being drowned out by the pool, his brother's body swallowed by the dark matter that loomed within the archway. The younger brother panicked as he started to run, first toward, then away, then slightly back toward the pool as he yearned to do something. But what?! "Brother!!!" He called out desperately as his eyes started to well, before he heard the faint sound of laughter from behind.
"Who's there?!" He called out with a twist around to see, his pupils already transitioning to reveal the Semblance rune yet again. Adrenaline had taken over him at this point, so much so that he instinctively sought to discover who else was in the room.
"I've come to observe a door to this world..." A lone robed figure expressed in a plain, low tone; his voice icily flowing into Tailen's ears as the boy could only see the aura of this mysterious figure. It was as black as the inky pool behind him, feeling as cold as as the words the man spoke in turn. "This world has been tethered to the Nyxus... Connected through this and many, many more doors just waiting to be opened."
"What door? What Nyxus?" Tailen shouted as he slowly retreated from the figure, who kept approaching him in turn with slow and calm steps. But Tailen was the exact opposite of calm. His heart drummed loudly in his chest, so much so, that he felt the pumping of blood through even his ears. "Where's my brother?! Is he in the Nyxus?!"
"You do not yet know what lies beyond these doors. There is so very much to learn... too much for one so little as you." The robed figure continued as he marched forward, causing Tailen to inch further and further back until he drew near the doorway itself. Scared out of his life and cornered with no where else to go, Tailen reached for his belt to grasp at the hilt of the dagger that hung from it. Once he gripped it tightly, the boy gave the blade a yank from its sheath, and pointed it toward his oppressor with both hands wrapped around the hilt.
"Such a meaningless effort," the robed figure mused, "one who doesn't understand cannot accept what is." Though the mysterious man paused in his advance, he sluggishly raised an arm so that a bony finger pointed out from the fabric that covered his form. "But perhaps... It's time you learned."
Tailen's hands and legs trembled as he felt his breathing pace erratically, before the sound of ooze rippling behind him marked the disturbance of something in the inky portal behind him. He stiffened. Realizing that whatever had reached out to grab Byron had returned, and now, it finally wrapped its grip on Tailen as he felt his neck and shoulders grasped by something otherworldly. With a terrified shrill, he felt himself lurch backward into the inky substance behind him, as the robbed figure's menacing chuckles became mere echoes to the boy's ears.