Phalakros’ smile widened when he saw how happy she was at his response. He then happily followed Valiel. It was a pleasant change, having a traveling companion.
“Interesting,”he replied, truly intrigued by the thought of a year-round summer. He’d never encountered one before.
(I appreciate the courtesy :) and thanks for clarifying. He's not a dark character, just got a bad past. I thought we were about to get grimdark up in here XD you're welcome to start that when/if you like :) )
Valiel glanced up at him, noting he seemed at ease. "What's the weather like where you're from? The Hinterlands are always cold. The sun shines for looong days, but it's never warm. Then we have looong nights where everything deep freezes. It's a land of snow and ice and cold, and I much prefer this." She gestured at the forest around them.
(Grin, you’re welcome! Lol, yeah, just a dark past. De’Tearion might have a cruel streak, but he’s definitely not that bad. Thumbs-up, alright)
Phalakros hummed as she explained what it was like in the Hinterlands. He then shrugged.
“‘Tis temperate in the Ahkrethian Realm. It almost never gets very cold or hot. The clear weather does not change much either, unless one is near the River of Snakes. Then, there is sometimes Great Storms, and they bring a lot of rain, strong wind, and lightning. It only takes a few Great Storms to make ruined places almost disappear,”Phalakros explained.
Valiel's eyes widened. "Whoa… Great Storms? We get blizzards in the Hinterlands, but not storms, really. What's that like?"
They kept walking through the woods, the trees blocking out much of the sunlight. They passed various kinds of wildlife, who seemed to accept them as part of the landscape.
Phalakros nodded, then chuckled shyly, shrugging a bit.
“I have not seen an entire Great Storm, as it is usually too dangerous to remain outside once it arrives. Yet, the clouds become very dark, and stretch to the horizons. Then, the wind grows stronger until you can barely stand. Deafening thunder starts and lightning attacks the ground. The rain becomes heavier and heavier, almost enough to leave bruises. Sometimes the rain is actually ice, yet I believe that only happens in the worst of the Great Storms,”Phalakros described reverently.
Phalakros barely noticed how dim it was in the forest. Ahkrethians could naturally see in the dark, so it wasn’t much of a concern. Though, he periodically turned to watch the passing wildlife, fascinated, almost as if he were a little kid discovering new animals instead of the worldly individual that he actually was.
Valiel listened to his description of the Great Storms in awe. The Hinterlands blizzards had winds enough to blow small children off their feet, but nothing like that. "How do your people manage living in a place with such storms? Your homes must be carved from solid rock or something."
She smiled a little at the expression on his face as he noted the animals around them. She had lost that sense of a wonder a long time ago, when the drive to survive had pushed her to view them all as possible food. But she was glad Phalakros still had it.
Phalakros chuckled,”Ahkrethians live in caves. They were carved out in the first generations of Ahkrethians, and have since become cities.”
Phalakros didn’t notice Valiel’s smile, but he continued to admire the passing animals. He also occasionally caressed the trees they passed.
"Oh. Well. What a guess, huh?" Valiel giggled a little. She watched him a little longer, context making things make sense. "Is that why you're enjoying the forest so much? I can only imagine it's different from the caves."
“Indeed,”Phalakros replied, chuckling some more.
He turned away from a songbird he’d seen to look at Valiel. He then hummed, shrugging.
“I am truthfully unsure. I have traveled to many realms with Lucitius over the millennia, yet… I suppose I never really got to admire the landscape. I have always had a bit of wanderlust in me, and I think now is the only time I have ever done anything significant with it. Without Lucitius’ help, that is,”he explained.
Watching Phalakros talk about Lucitius made Valiel wonder some things. He held the person in high regard, clearly, and had counted on him as some form of mentor.
"So… who is Lucitius, exactly? Is he an Ahkrethian, or something else? You had a close relationship, it seems, but the way you talk about him makes him seem like some sort of deity."
A small, thoughtful smile crossed Phalakros’ lips as she asked him about Lucitius.
“Lucitius is… unique. He is both an Ahkrethian and not. He is the Creator of Ahkrethians, and he merged with an Ahkrethian after becoming ill, which saved his life. He is not quite a deity, yet nearly one. And, I am indeed close to him. I see him as a father, and he sees me as a son, though… sometimes more literally than figuratively. He is not truly sane.”
Valiel nodded, listening. "That seems…. you're important, huh?" She couldn't imagine a near-god wanting to hang out with just anyone, and the idea that Phalakros was that special just…
Well, he was the most down to earth important person she'd ever known.
Phalakros shrugged,”Not by bloodline. I am merely rogue-born. Yet, when Lucitius first appeared, he was working on creating peace between the tribes. I had information he needed, and I sought him out. I was attacked before I could get to him, and he saved me. Thus, I decided to give an oath of servitude to him. And, I had been the servant of Lucitius until he was fully merged. He then freed me of mine oath afterward, yet neither of us wished to part ways, thus he let me stay with him as family.”
Valiel was smiling along, until a thought hit her. "So… what separated you, then?" She glanced around. "Unless I'm missing something."
“I decided to explore. Lucitius understood and allowed me to leave. Yet, in a way, we have truthfully not separated. Lucitius’ home is still mine own,”Phalakros clarified calmly.
"Oh. So you're just out to see the world. Well." She smiled up at him. "I'm glad I found you, then."
A thought crosses her mind. "How long have you been out to see the world? Thinking you'll head home soon?"
The thought saddened her just a bit. If he went home, she didn't think he'd take her, of course, and she enjoyed having him around.
Phalakros nodded, then smiled back at Valiel, this time with a bit more confidence. He was truly happy to have met her as well.
“I have only been exploring for a year, possibly slightly over that. I was truthfully thinking of heading back within a few days, because the… shadows… have been increasingly active since I left. Yet… now, that I have met you, I may not return yet. They understand that you are protective of me, and will be more careful since you bested their lord, mine… dark side,”Phalakros mentioned, his gaze appreciative as he spoke about her victory against his alter-ego.
Valiel nodded slowly, as several things clicked into place. She'd had an inkling before that the shadows and snakes he kept talking about were related to the darkness, but now she was sure. The closer Dark-Phalakros was to the surface, the harder Phalakros would hallucinate the shadows and snakes. Which sounds absolutely miserable. Her heart went out to him again in pity over his situation.
She was gladdened to hear that he seemed to have some relief around her. It warmed her heart and made her burns hurt just a little less.
"So you could go back and get relief from the shadows?" she asked gently. "How far is your home from here?" While she was glad he had a bit of relief, Valiel also didn't want him to not get help just to stay with her.
“I could, indeed, for a moment. There is no cure for mine situation. Lucitius scares them, yet he long ago removed all that he could from me. And, the shadows have haunted me even in his presence,”Phalakros said with a sigh.
He then looked up, staring at the glimpses of the sky through the trees. A thoughtful smile came to him as he gazed upward, then he turned to face Valiel again.
“‘Tis not an exact distance. Yet, mine birth realm is nowhere near this one. The only way to get home is via a portal. Ahkrethians are naturally attuned to a specific type of portal, yet ‘tis invisible to those not attuned. And, if mine memory is accurate, I believe few other creatures are,”Phalakros replied.
Valiel nodded slowly. "Well… selfishly, I'm glad you're not going back just yet. " She smiled at him. His description of Lucitius had her a bit in disbelief that the near-deity couldn't just cure his problem, but… it made her more determined to help than she already was.
Her eyebrows shot up as he admitted to being an interdimensional creature. Valiel immediately realized how out of her depth she was. Skin-changers could do many things. Take many forms, mimic movements and habits, even occasionally copy powers, but portals and realm-travelling and that kind of stuff was way beyond her.
"Wow… so you-… that's…. wow." She trailed off lamely, not even sure what to say to such a monumental revelation.
Phalakros chuckled at her words. He was glad too, especially now that he had Valiel by his side. He did notice the light smell of disbelief, but he wasn’t sure what it was about, so he didn’t question it. It likely had to do with his shadow situation, and he was still timid about that subject.
Noticing her surprise, Phalakros realized that she had likely never really dealt with any otherworldly creatures. It wasn’t necessarily surprising, considering how few realms seemed capable of otherworldly travel. He just hadn’t known what sort of realm this was, until now.
“‘Tis indeed a lot. Yet, with your Ahkrethian form, you are capable of seeing and using those portals as well. They are not common, nor are they ever easy to reach, yet they are quite beautiful,”Phalakros mentioned.
And blue. Like your eyes.
Valiel was still got by his revelation. "So, I mean, how do they work? Do you just step through one side and come out the other? Or is it like some kind of tunnel you have to walk through? Can you remember it, or does it make your memories hazy? Can you control where you end up?"
She had so many questions, she didn't register what he'd said about her being able to use them till much later.
"Oh, uh, well, Skin-changers can copy the forms, not necessarily the powers of those forms. I'd love to see if I could, but… probably not." She looked down, imagining all the things she could do with power like that. Places she could go, worlds she could explore, people she could meet… I wish!
“It varies, depending on the type of portal, yet the ones Ahkrethians use are connected to a… ‘portal realm’? I am honestly not sure what to call it. Yet, ‘tis an entire web of tunnel-like portals, like a massive cavern. ‘Tis easy to get lost, yet when one learns how to navigate the realm, getting through the tunnels is simple. Time also flows differently there. A few minutes in the portal is only a few seconds here,”Phalakros explained.
He could honestly go on and on about portals, though he’d have to be careful. Some parts of the subject were, in a way, related to his… dark side.
Phalakros looked at Valiel thoughtfully when she spoke.
“‘Tis not a power. ‘Tis the nature of Ahkrethian eyes. All Ahkrethians, even Strangelings, can see portals. ‘Tis simply tricky to find them,”he mentioned.
Valiel listened, paying close attention to his descriptions. She stopped walking when he explained the eyes. "Wait, it's not a power??" She turned and stood on her tip toes, leaning into him, in order to look closely at his eyes. "I want to make sure I copy these right, then, because that sounds amazing!"
It started out as research, trying to check every detail of Ahkrethian eyes… but eventually she found herself lost in Phalakros's soft gaze. She could feel her excitement get pushed to the back of her head as she melted into him, leaning against his chest.
"You… You have lovely eyes…" she said softly.