But the figure had already dissolved into mist, the whispers fading into the wind. The fog cleared, and so was the way forward. Before them was the large circular room with three passages, mist clouding the way through the first two and leaving the third open.
Kali didn't like this one bit, she felt an intense off feeling about that one passage way that seemed darker and less mist covered it. But in the same way every molecule of her being was telling her to run away she felt that evan and the others had gone through that way, of course they had to go that way.
Usually darkness had always been her ally, and her friend.
But in that moment? It felt like her enemy.
"ignis…i think, they went through that one.." she nodded in the direction of the third door. Ignis could practically see how nervous she was.
Ignis followed the path. Irritated in his situation. He didn't like Air, nor any other prime elements. Sometimes he'd forget his hatred wasn't truly his. His grip on Kali loosened. From a tight hold to a soft embrace. Reminded Kali was nervous, "There isn't a power in existence that could stop me from protecting you." He giggled for a second, "I already made sure of that…"
She offered him a smile smile, "Thanks Ignis…" Even though she wished that comforted her, it seemed the effect of his words were put under water, muffled and only having some half way effective well effectiveness. She still held onto his hand, making sure she was as calm as she could be. She still gave it a sqeeze, holding it tightly.
Alister looked back at Evan. Clearly, he was in no shape to stand, much less get up and walk. He felt Noel, who had been gazing in silent awe at the glowing smoke, turn her head to see Evan before she said, "I'll walk."
"You sure?" Alister murmured.
"Yeah. I'll be alright."
Alister carefully set her down, and for a moment she had to lean on him to steady herself, but otherwise, she was standing without too much trouble. Alister flicked his wrist in Evan's direction, allowing a strong breeze to lift him into the air. He guided the wind to place the boy in his arms, and they were set. Looking at Evan, he felt his eyes water again as he whispered his own apology. Noel touched his arm in affection and sympathy before she led them along the smoke trail, eventually reaching a set of stairs with light shining down from above. They were out of the basement.
As they climbed the stairs, Noel attempted to lighten the mood.
“So I’ve passed out, Evan’s passed out…” She counted on her fingers. “Are we all just going to take turns passing out?”
Alister only smiled for her sake. “Hah, what I’d give to pass out right now.”
Evan was much heavier than Noel, Alister noted. Carrying him while climbing uphill was a workout, and he panted as took each step.
Eventually they reached the top. The smoke trail’s glow dimmed as the light from outside grew stronger. The tunnel opened up to an arched doorway, and when they passed through, a forest spread before them, as if they had crossed to the other side of the mountain. Tall pines and oaks somehow grew from the rocky earth, the mist seeping through even here. The siblings sensed something ahead, what exactly wasn’t clear.
“Is it alright if we just… stop for a moment?” Alister breathed. The exhaustion that came with sleep deprivation, his emotional outburst, and carrying Noel and Evan was overwhelming him now more than ever.
Noel turned from the forest before them. She looked just as exhausted, and the way she spoke only added to her appearance. “Yeah. Yeah.”
He carefully laid Evan down as he went into a sitting position, and moving the other boy’s head on his lap, letting out a sigh of relief. Noel moved over to them, sitting down and leaning on her brother. Sitting there together, they desperately tried to grasp a semblance of peace and rest, and logic to make sense of all that had happened.
(Hdgfkfmdjcnd I'm tired of waiting)
(I need a way into the air temple. Any suggestions?)
(Maybe he’s going hiking? And he sees the temple in the distance?)
(Your idea was the first one and I'm impatient so yes)
Earl let out a sigh of relief, flopping down by the base of a tree. "Getting back dow is going to be a pain…" He panted. Looking around for the first time since he had gotten up to the top of the mountain, everything seeing small. The plains in the distance, the other parts of the small mountain, and the temple. "Wait, temple?" Earl squinted at the structure from afar. "What…?" He felt a strong urge to leave the mountain and get to said temple quickly. "But why? What is it? And I just got up the mountain! Conscience, have you no mercy?" He sighed.
(Yeah sorry dude these things take a while ^^;)
Ignis and Kali kept walking in hopes to find the others. For a moment Ignis stopped and looked behind him, but continued walking. He snapped his fingers and a ball of fire floated around them. A small blue flame dancing around. His mind focused and silent. His expression serious.
"Walk along fire's heat, upon daylight you will meet. Walk too close to the flame, forever burned never the same. There's a child who danced inside, engulfed in fire day and night. Once he stepped outside the fire…let there be light"
It was a common story told to the people in the village. No one knew what it meant, nor did they care. It was thought to just be a child's tale. The way Ignis spoke it, felt more like a memory than a children's tale.
She walked with him as they entired into the dark passage way, and felt as if they were going down steps into a dark basement area…she felt like she could see crates or just boxes that were covered in dust, she almost froze when she thought she saw a bedside table with sharp edges, coated in dried blood, it just made her hold on tighter to ignis's arm though she was thankful when he held a flame in the palm of his hand, it provided light in the darkness that she so desperately needed, still, it didn't stop her from anxiously looking around at all the entry waves or staring at a corner until the flame revealed it to be empy.
She felt as if her step dad was following them, slowly but surely, she felt like she could see his eyes everywhere she looked and that anything at this point tended to look at him.
She was basically white knuckling her grip on ignis at this point, using all of her strength not to use her ability.
(Hey, is this modern-ish? I probably should have asked this before but I forgot hdfdkfdnj)
(Yes. It is in modern time.)
(Alright, thanks)
Frown becoming deeper, Earl grabbed his skis off his pack and placed them on his feet. "Well, no time like the present, like I always say." Stretching his arms, he studied the structure. "Still don't know why I need to go there…but the Conscience says so, so I'm going!" He said, pushing himself up and inching towards the large incline that would send him racing down to a cliff, or a rocky hill, a sudden drop…this could actually be a bad idea. "Oh well."
After what seemed like an eternity, Alister found his voice.
"You… you think the seal is through there?"
His sister merely nodded. A few seconds passed before she said, "Where are Kali and Ignis?"
Alister could only shrug. He then found the courage to ask the questions that had been nagging at him as they rested.
"Are you alright? How are you not dead?"
She put a hand to her chest as if searching for something inside. "I don't know. I can feel it, sort of. Circling. Heh. It's just staying there, it doesn't come out when I breathe out or anything. It's not doing anything either. Just staying there, circling."
He didn't like the way she spoke. She sounded so tired as if the gas was doing something, and how she was starting to sound like the voice. Air? He put his hand with hers on her chest. He felt something there as a well, a wisp of something foreign moving throughout her bloodstream, yet doing no harm. He took his hand away.
Noel glanced at her brother. He looked like he had aged ten years, but then, he was always told that he was mature for his age. For a long time, even now, he was the only person she could look up to. When she was younger, he had always seemed so strong, willing to do anything to protect her. He was still and fearful whenever he was the target of their father's wrath, but the moment she was caught in the crossfire, he didn't care what happened to him. Anything to keep her safe. After a while though, it had gotten tiring, especially when her naive image of him crumbled when she found him cutting in the bathroom and crying into his pillow. Lately, it seemed their roles had switched, in a way. It was an interesting change, but she hated seeing him in pain just as he did her, perhaps even more so. What he did in that dark, basement-like place scared her a little as well. She couldn't remember a time when his emotions had been so… powerful.
He stared at Evan's soft sleeping face, looking like he was about to cry again. She put her arm around him in an attempt to comfort him.
"He'll be okay. You've done all you could."
Maybe it was the wrong thing to say because she saw his eyes glitter with tears. "But if it wasn't for me, he wouldn't be like this in the first place."
"Hey, don't blame yourself. None of us knew what was going on until it was too late."
He sighed. Combed his fingers through Evan's hair.
"What did… what did Air mean? 'The girl must carry my burden, the boy must manage it'?"
She sighed too. "I'm too tired to think about it."
"Yeah… me too."
Ignis and Kali wandered for a while before eventually stopping. Ignis sat down, "For what feels like weeks of walking. This is getting us nowhere."
She bumped into ignis when they stopped, still holding his hands so hard her knuckles had turned white.
She sat down with him, clinging onto his arm as she did, feeling safety from his body warmth.
"mhm…"
Like an undending void…
The altar would be near them now, the wisps of smoke still drifting on, the smell of incense just on the edge of their noses.
Earl started zoning out. Blacking out. He would be at one part of the mountain, then the next.
"Am I dying? Or sleepy?" He wondered to himself.
The urge was growing stronger to reach the temple was growing stronger. Stronger.
Stronger.
Then, he blacked out again.
When he came to, he was at the bottom of the mountain, clueless as to what happened.
"Huh?"
Ignis smiles for a moment, "You know…" He lifted his finger and rays of flame appear around them "Even though Darkness rejected you, I'm surprised she recognized you as her own."
"Hm? Why are you surprised?' she looked over at Ignis, comforted by the flames on his other hand, though still paranoid glancing around she loosened her grip on ignis.
"N-nothing." Ignis rubs his head, "I guess I'm just tired. Don't mind my ramblings.."
"You know if you want to tell me what you want you can, then again i can always Guess, I'm not exactly people's first pick in things."
"i don't mind your ramblings…i like the sound of your voice.." she leaned into him.
"You're not a child of Darkness." Ignis spoke softly and seemed more relaxed, "Like adopted. From which ancestor you're from I'm not sure. Darkness died before humans were created. So there were no elementals for darkness for billions of years. Her power must've found something in you. Something special."