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The Hidden Source, Chapter 0: Souls of Sanctus
Jamation
Member, Alpha One, Adventurer
I only recently discovered this game after the preview of the early alpha 1 live stream, but I fell in love with the idea of the game and read up on as much of the lore that’s been revealed so far. I mention this because I may get a few things off lore wise, or things may be announced later on that go against what I write, just bear with me and consider it a little bit of creative license.
As a child, my grandmother used to trace stories across my back to help me fall asleep. She was a creative storyteller and she loved using silly voices to make me giggle. She may have been blind, but the way she described these fantastical beasts and lush environments, I almost believed we were there. The only constant in all of her stories was how the god of truth, Shol, would help guide the hero out of the darkness by telling them only the truth. Usually, at this point she would make a funny voice saying something like, “You’re such a brave boy, I believe in you,” which always made me feel special.
I clutch the bouquet of lilies I have in my hands. I don’t feel like a brave boy today as I watch the priest bless her body. My hands are shaking a little, but I hold my head high and blink my eyes. I always used to judge the people who would weep at funerals. I thought they were weak, especially the soldiers. Although my grandmother taught me to respect others customs and cultures, growing up in a militaristic environment teaches a person to conceal their emotions or risk judgment.
“She really loved you, ya know,” a familiar voice whispers behind my shoulder. I turn my head to see my best friend, Tallion, looking up at me. Her eyes are a little red and it’s clear she’s struggling to hold back her tears as well.
“She loved you too. Some days I think she wished you were her grandchild instead of me,” I whisper back. I give a small smile causing her to choke back a sob.
“Only on days when you forgot her at the market. I can’t tell you the amount of times I saw her sitting next to that little orange stand. Even then, she always still smiled. Always…,” her voice cracks at the end, but I could feel the corners of my mouth perk up a little.
I put my arm, that's carrying the bouquet, around her neck, pulling her towards me. I rub her apple-red hair a little with my free hand, causing her to playfully push me away. She stops after a moment and leans against me. We both stand silently as the clergymen perform the final Act of Returning. They lower her body under the tree where she used to sit on warm sunny days. I stand there silently as they carefully return the dirt to its rightful place. It takes them a few minutes to finish, but once they do they bow their heads and make their way back towards the city, leaving Tallion and I alone on the edge of the woods.
“Do you want to say anything,” Tallion asks.
I hesitantly step next to the fresh soil, almost as if I expect her to pop out and surprise me, but this isn’t one of her practical jokes. She’s gone. She’s never coming back. I kneel down, placing the lilies over her and press my palm into the loose soil. “Thank you. Thank you for being here,” I choke out between breaths. I try to stand, but it feels like my insides are compressing in on themselves and I can’t catch my breath. I look to see where the priest and his men are, but they are already out of earshot. I drop to both knees and put my hands over my face as I try to control my tears. I can feel Tallion’s arms around me now, her small frame offering as much support as she can.
I close my eyes and start to take deep breaths while Tallion rubs my back. She doesn’t say anything, and I don’t dare look at her, for fear she’s crying too. We’ve been sitting like this for a few minutes now and my legs are starting to cramp up. The pain diverts my attention and I can feel myself returning to a normal state. I lift my head and push myself up, struggling a little, as my legs feel weak and wobbly. Tallion gives me a few pats on the back before taking a step away and turning towards me.
She starts to smirk, her eyes dancing like she’s about to say something, but they quickly dart behind me and her expression becomes serious. I freeze in place fearing there may be danger, but her wide eyes turn to squints. Her eyebrows furrow, like they do when she’s trying to read something far away. My curiosity beats out my fear and I turn around to look in the same direction as her. I stare into the forest, but I don’t notice anything except trees and a squirrel burying something.
“It’s a squirrel,” I say matter-of-factly.
“It’s a wha-. No, not the squirrel you numbskull, there was something there a minute ago. Like a blue ball of light. Almost looked gho-,” she covers her mouth quickly. Her cheeks flush red and she glances at me from the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just wasn’t thinking,” she folds her hands together and stretches them above her head. “Maybe we should head back into town, probably just need something to drink,” she states.
I look once more into the woods before turning to follow Tallion who’s already walking towards the city. Even though I didn’t see anything, I smile a little at the thought that my grandmother’s probably still trying to watch over me. She’s always been protecting me. Even when she found out she was dying, her first thought was to prepare me for this day. We knew this would eventually come, but it still hurts regardless. I look towards the sky and watch the fluffy white clouds lazily float along the bright blue background. I take a final deep breath, use my fists to wipe my cheeks one final time before giving them a few pats, and I jog to catch up to Tallion.
“Let’s go get a drink. I think I’ll get an orange juice,” I say. I rest my head against my hands as I wrap my fingers together behind it while looking towards the sky.
“Orange juice sounds lovely, Majio,” Tallion replies. She looks towards the sky and blows a kiss. She seems pleased with herself. She takes this opportunity to tie her hair back into a ponytail, displaying golden hoops on her small pointed ears. My grandmother gave those to her on her seventeenth birthday and Tallion’s worn them ever since. She catches me looking and simply glances me up and down before continuing onward. I shake my head and chuckle to myself before returning my attention towards the dirt path towards town.
Chapter 0: Souls of Sanctus
As a child, my grandmother used to trace stories across my back to help me fall asleep. She was a creative storyteller and she loved using silly voices to make me giggle. She may have been blind, but the way she described these fantastical beasts and lush environments, I almost believed we were there. The only constant in all of her stories was how the god of truth, Shol, would help guide the hero out of the darkness by telling them only the truth. Usually, at this point she would make a funny voice saying something like, “You’re such a brave boy, I believe in you,” which always made me feel special.
I clutch the bouquet of lilies I have in my hands. I don’t feel like a brave boy today as I watch the priest bless her body. My hands are shaking a little, but I hold my head high and blink my eyes. I always used to judge the people who would weep at funerals. I thought they were weak, especially the soldiers. Although my grandmother taught me to respect others customs and cultures, growing up in a militaristic environment teaches a person to conceal their emotions or risk judgment.
“She really loved you, ya know,” a familiar voice whispers behind my shoulder. I turn my head to see my best friend, Tallion, looking up at me. Her eyes are a little red and it’s clear she’s struggling to hold back her tears as well.
“She loved you too. Some days I think she wished you were her grandchild instead of me,” I whisper back. I give a small smile causing her to choke back a sob.
“Only on days when you forgot her at the market. I can’t tell you the amount of times I saw her sitting next to that little orange stand. Even then, she always still smiled. Always…,” her voice cracks at the end, but I could feel the corners of my mouth perk up a little.
I put my arm, that's carrying the bouquet, around her neck, pulling her towards me. I rub her apple-red hair a little with my free hand, causing her to playfully push me away. She stops after a moment and leans against me. We both stand silently as the clergymen perform the final Act of Returning. They lower her body under the tree where she used to sit on warm sunny days. I stand there silently as they carefully return the dirt to its rightful place. It takes them a few minutes to finish, but once they do they bow their heads and make their way back towards the city, leaving Tallion and I alone on the edge of the woods.
“Do you want to say anything,” Tallion asks.
I hesitantly step next to the fresh soil, almost as if I expect her to pop out and surprise me, but this isn’t one of her practical jokes. She’s gone. She’s never coming back. I kneel down, placing the lilies over her and press my palm into the loose soil. “Thank you. Thank you for being here,” I choke out between breaths. I try to stand, but it feels like my insides are compressing in on themselves and I can’t catch my breath. I look to see where the priest and his men are, but they are already out of earshot. I drop to both knees and put my hands over my face as I try to control my tears. I can feel Tallion’s arms around me now, her small frame offering as much support as she can.
I close my eyes and start to take deep breaths while Tallion rubs my back. She doesn’t say anything, and I don’t dare look at her, for fear she’s crying too. We’ve been sitting like this for a few minutes now and my legs are starting to cramp up. The pain diverts my attention and I can feel myself returning to a normal state. I lift my head and push myself up, struggling a little, as my legs feel weak and wobbly. Tallion gives me a few pats on the back before taking a step away and turning towards me.
She starts to smirk, her eyes dancing like she’s about to say something, but they quickly dart behind me and her expression becomes serious. I freeze in place fearing there may be danger, but her wide eyes turn to squints. Her eyebrows furrow, like they do when she’s trying to read something far away. My curiosity beats out my fear and I turn around to look in the same direction as her. I stare into the forest, but I don’t notice anything except trees and a squirrel burying something.
“It’s a squirrel,” I say matter-of-factly.
“It’s a wha-. No, not the squirrel you numbskull, there was something there a minute ago. Like a blue ball of light. Almost looked gho-,” she covers her mouth quickly. Her cheeks flush red and she glances at me from the corner of her eye. “I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I just wasn’t thinking,” she folds her hands together and stretches them above her head. “Maybe we should head back into town, probably just need something to drink,” she states.
I look once more into the woods before turning to follow Tallion who’s already walking towards the city. Even though I didn’t see anything, I smile a little at the thought that my grandmother’s probably still trying to watch over me. She’s always been protecting me. Even when she found out she was dying, her first thought was to prepare me for this day. We knew this would eventually come, but it still hurts regardless. I look towards the sky and watch the fluffy white clouds lazily float along the bright blue background. I take a final deep breath, use my fists to wipe my cheeks one final time before giving them a few pats, and I jog to catch up to Tallion.
“Let’s go get a drink. I think I’ll get an orange juice,” I say. I rest my head against my hands as I wrap my fingers together behind it while looking towards the sky.
“Orange juice sounds lovely, Majio,” Tallion replies. She looks towards the sky and blows a kiss. She seems pleased with herself. She takes this opportunity to tie her hair back into a ponytail, displaying golden hoops on her small pointed ears. My grandmother gave those to her on her seventeenth birthday and Tallion’s worn them ever since. She catches me looking and simply glances me up and down before continuing onward. I shake my head and chuckle to myself before returning my attention towards the dirt path towards town.
6
Comments
“We don’t have to go today. It’s not a big deal,” I reply.
She stops to turn and look at me, causing a portly man to stumble into her. He nearly drops the boxes he’s carrying, but leaves after a few mumbled curses. Tallion looks him over as he leaves, pursing her lips and scrunching her nose. Most people think she’s a cute and harmless girl, due to her small size and soft features, but she can turn into a true nightmare when she wants. Her attention quickly shifts back to me, her face still frozen with judgment.
“We're going to get to that stall whether I have to crush every one of these people beneath me,” she says loud enough that a few of the people browsing near her, take a step away. She seems to know what I’m about to say and snaps her fingers before pointing at me, “You’re not funny, I’ll crush you too.”
I shrug my shoulders in compliance. Honestly, I’d welcome any distraction today and I think Tallion knows that. However, now that we’re inside the city, the air stands still and the heat of the sun starts sending drops of sweat down my back. I’ve never enjoyed crowds, but today the sight of so many people and colors swirling together is giving me a headache.
As I follow Tallion I try to look over the crowd to see if I can spot a clearing, but it seems like every stall and shop are surrounded by dozens of people waving their coins around. We make our way through the bustling marketplace, doing our best to avoid colliding with anyone. It feels like every time I step to the side for one person, I only manage to get squeezed between two other people. Suddenly, I feel someone grab my wrist and pull me backwards.
I must have been so concentrated on taking my next step that I completely missed our destination. Her hand is firm and rough from years of guard duty, but she holds my wrist gently as if she’ll break me. I can feel how sweaty she is and realize she’s probably more uncomfortable than me when dealing with crowds. She pulls me beside her before letting me go. She leans up against the wall next to the fruit vendor and wipes her forehead. I take a step towards her to avoid a mother who’s wrangling apart two children. Her shoulder presses against my arm making my shirt stick to my body even more. I try to position myself closer to the stand, but the woman’s children are throwing their arms around wildly and I have no intention of getting involved.
“Why if it isn’t little Majio. Well, guess I can’t call you little no more,” a familiar voice howls. I turn to see an older gentleman looking at me while holding a bag out towards the busy mother. At the sound of his voice she turns, smiles, and releases one of the boys she’s holding to take the bag. However, as soon as the boy is free he slaps the other boys forehead and darts into the crowd. The sudden jolt of movement causes the woman to release the restrained child as well, who quickly dashes after the one who slapped him. The woman thanks the gentleman before marching into the crowd while screaming after her unruly children.
“Hey gramps, business is booming I see,” Tallion says while watching the spot where the children ran towards. She stares for a few seconds more, her face serious, but then it relaxes and she turns her attention towards the man.
“I told you to stop calling me that. I’m still a spry young man and I’m most certainly nobodies ‘gramps,’” he replies while flexing his wrinkled arms. Tallion laughs, but she puts her hands up in surrender. “Anyways, what can I do for y’all? Need some more fresh citrus? I always make sure to save the best for you,” he says with a large smile.
“Thank you sir, but we won’t be needing you to do that anymore,” I reply.
“Oh it’s no trouble at all, why I-,” he begins.
“No, Victor, he won’t be needing citrus fruit anymore,” Tallion interrupts him aggressively.
His gaze darts towards her, but then comes back to look me over. I can see his shoulders relax and his face loosens from the usual tight grin he wears for customers. He nods his head and taps his lips a few times with his pointer finger. He turns to his stall and rummages around for a few seconds before producing a small wooden box.
“I know it’s not much, but your grandmother’s probably the only customer I ever actually liked. Take this to her next time you visit for me, would ya,” he asks.
I nod my head and take the small box. I look at it and it has some strange carvings on the lid that I’ve never seen before. As I trace my finger over the odd symbols I can feel Tallion trying to look at it too. I turn to show her, but as soon as she sees the markings she stiffens and pushes herself off of the wall. I can see her hand reflexively grab her hip where she keeps a hidden dagger when she isn’t on duty.
“Where did you get this box,” Tallion asks in Victor’s direction. He’s already dealing with another customer so he either doesn’t hear her or ignores her. “Hey! I asked you a question,” she says getting a little louder while nudging me out of her way.
Victor turns towards us, clearly confused by the sudden hostility, and holds up a finger. He takes a few coins from a skinny man and hands over a bundle of bananas. His aggressive smile quickly turns into a frown of annoyance.
“Listen here kids,” he says harshly, “I said I liked his grandmother. I’m happy to extend some courtesy to you both as a result, but that won’t apply for long if you interrupt my business or my customers. You can see how busy everything is ever since the disappearances started,” he says waving his hands towards the crowd.
Tallion takes another step towards him, her hand still on her hip. I can see her jaw muscles tighten as she tries to restrain herself. She opens her mouth, but I put my hand on her shoulder. “I think she just wants to know where you saw these designs from. It’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before,” I interject. I’ve known Tallion for too long to let her temper ruin one of the few relationships my grandmother had.
Victor doesn't turn his attention from Tallion, but says “I thought they were funny looking too. I’ve never been a huge fan of fancy things, but your grandmother gave that to me, said she made it herself,” he looks towards me before continuing, “And as you know, I wasn’t going to be the judge of what a blind woman could make.” He puts his hands on his hips and raises his eyebrows.
Tallion lowers her hand from her hip before quietly asking, “We’d like a few oranges for juice if you wouldn’t mind.”
Victor’s face softens again and after gathering the fruit into a bag, he hands it towards me. I dig into my pockets with my free hand for my coins, but Victor shakes his head, “Don’t worry about these today son, you go take care of yourself.”
I take the bag, but before I have a chance to thank him, he turns towards four people gathering in front of his stall. I look at Tallion, but she’s biting her lip and twirling a loose piece of hair which usually means she’s deep in thought. I test the weight of the box before sticking it in the bag with the oranges. I’m about to start walking towards home through the crowd, but Tallion stops me.
“We need to stop by the station,” she almost whispers.
I roll my eyes. “What did you forget this time,” I tease.
She stops twirling her hair and looks at me, her face unusually serious. “I think your grandmother knew something about the disappearances. That box-,” she says pointing at my empty arm, “Majio, where is the box,” she yells.
“I didn’t want to have both hands full, so I just put it into-,” I stop short as I open the bag. The box was missing and in its place was a bouquet of lilies. I pull it out slowly. Tallion grabs them from my hand, her face losing some of its color. She looks at me, her eyes going wide.
“You’re going to disappear and I don’t know how to stop it,” she says.
“I’m not going anywhere? What’re you talking about,” I ask. This is the second time today someone’s mentioned things disappearing.
She nods her head and looks around her. “Not here,” she says quietly. “We need to get you to the station immediately. My boss is going to want to hear about,” she gestures towards the bouquet, “all of this.”
Before I can question her any further she roughly grabs my elbow and begins to march me down the street as if I’m a criminal she’s taken into custody. Apparently I’m not the only one thinking it, because I notice a lot more people staring at us than I’m used to. I try to tug away from Tallion, but her grip becomes even tighter. She keeps glancing over her shoulder at me as if she expects me to vanish into nothingness.
She’s managed to pull us through the bulk of the crowd, so I take this opportunity to stop and snatch my arm free, “Can you knock it off? You’re acting weird and people are staring,” I protest a little louder than I intended. Tallion turns to face me and I notice her lip is bleeding a little from where she’s biting it. “Tallion, talk to me. You’re freaking me out now,” I say, my voice cracking a little.
Tallion sighs, but nods. “Something strange has been happening for a few months, but-,” she stops herself as a group of teenagers pass us by. I look around to see if I can spot a quieter place.
“Let’s go over there. It looks pretty empty,” I say pointing towards a darkened and empty alley surrounded by tall buildings. I start to walk towards it, but Tallion takes hold of my elbow again. I look at her, but she just motions for me to keep walking. I flick my gaze towards the elbow she’s holding and raise my eyebrow at her jokingly, but she just rolls her eyes in response.
Once we’re mostly isolated she releases me. “So, are you going to fill me in before we get to the leader of the entire damned military, or do you want to make it obvious I don’t listen at the rallies,” I say.
She starts twirling a piece of her hair again, but this time she’s smiling a little. I tap her on the forehead, but she just smacks my hand away in response.
“Knock it off, I’m trying to think,” she says.
“I know how hard that can be for you,” I tease.
“You’re not a funny man,” she replies. Her smile turns into a grin, but she continues to twirl her hair. “Okay, I’m going to tell you everything, but you have to promise me that you won’t let it slip that you know this information,” she says while holding out her thumb.
“Sure. Weird, but okay,” I say reaching out my own thumb. We touch the tips of our thumbs together, a promise symbol we came up with as kids. We never really use it unless it’s something we want the other person to take to their grave. I shove my free hand into my pocket and readjust the bag on my elbow.
She takes a deep breath, “So you know how people have been going missing over the past few months,” she asks.
“No, but go ahead,” I answer.
She stops herself from continuing in order to give me an incredulous stare. “Majio, you seriously have to start paying attention to the news. We don’t just announce that stuff for fun you know. We’re trying to keep the public info-,” she stops berating me as I take my hand out of my pocket to hold up in protest.
“Lecture me later. Just give me the short version for now,” I interrupt.
She sighs again causing her to drop her head a little, but she picks herself up quickly. “For the past eight months, or so, people have started going missing. At first, we didn’t think anything of it. The missing were usually young adults, so we just thought they ran away from home to search for freedom or find adventure. Only after the General returned from a meeting with the other Empyrean city leaders, did we realize this was happening on a much larger scale. People haven’t just been going missing from here, they’ve been going missing across the world,” she pauses to ensure we’re still alone.
“The thing is, none of the reports about how these people go missing seem to make any logical sense, like a box turning into a bouquet kind of strange,” she reaches out to hold both of my arms, “And the worst part is there hasn’t been any warning on when they disappear. They just vanish,” she says, her voice shaking a little now. She gives my arms a little squeeze, but lets me go in order to continue twirling her hair.
“So, you think I’m going to disappear like these other people,” I ask.
She nods in response, but seems to be deep in thought about something else.
“I mean sure, a box turning into a bunch of flowers is freaky, but it doesn’t have to mean anything. And if it does mean something it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s directed at me. You were there as well when it happened, and so was a hundred other people shopping. Maybe we just got mixed up in somebody's prank or something,” I suggest.
“I wish it were that simple Majio, but even Victor said your grandmother carved the symbols into that box. The symbols are the one linking factor between every disappearance. No one, except high ranking military officials, knows about this. So I don’t know how your grandmother could’ve carved them without knowing something she shouldn’t have,” she says biting her lip again.
I can feel a headache forming and I press my hands against my temples. I trust Tallion of course, but my grandmother would never get mixed up in anything dangerous or illegal, which is what Tallion is making it sound like. I don’t know what any of it means, but Tallion seems to be worried about my safety. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.
“Well, I don’t understand anything about this so we might as well go talk to your boss so I can go home and take a nap. It’s been a long day for me,” I say.
I feel Tallion’s hand grab my arm again, but this time she isn’t nearly as rough. I open my eyes as we begin the long walk towards the General’s location. I pray to Shol today doesn’t get any worse. I just wanted some orange juice.
As I stand before the tower that pierces the skyline of our city, I can feel my legs growing weak. For years I avoided joining the military under the guise that I had to tend to my grandmother; which wasn’t necessarily a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth. However, now that she’s gone I have nothing stopping them from forcing a gun into my hands and marching me out towards the nearest battlefield. I tighten my grip on the sack I’m holding and continue my prayers to Shol. Unfortunately, my headache continues to get worse the closer we get to the station.
“Remember, let me do all the talking. Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to,” Tallion whispers as we approach the front doors. She pulls her ponytail into a bun, takes her earrings off, and tries her best to smooth out the wrinkles in her shirt. I can tell she’s almost as nervous as I am, but she’s doing her best not to show it.
I can feel myself slowly drifting behind her while trying to make myself smaller, but with how short Tallion is, I’m still mostly exposed. As we approach I can see the tower is busy, the doors never remaining closed for more than a few seconds. Messengers run in and out with scroll bags filled to the brim.
“Is it always like this?” I ask.
I can see her shake her head. “For the past few weeks we’ve been dealing with rebellions in some of the smaller villages. It’s nothing serious, but it’s forcing us to thin our ranks further than we’d like to,” she replies.
She continues to talk about the skirmishes and battles she’s been dealing with recently. I realize as she talks, I hadn’t even noticed she’d been gone. My attention was focused on my grandmother and making her last few moments as comfortable as possible. I shake my head realizing I can’t walk into the headquarters of the military teary eyed so I focus on Tallion’s stories. By the time we’ve reached the front entrance I feel like an expert of military strategy.
Tallion stops close to the entranc,e causing the guards standing out front to stand tall and salute. She responds in kind, but quickly puts her hand down and walks past them into the building. I follow close behind her, but both men’s eyes follow me as I enter the building. They don’t say anything, but I can tell they’d slit my throat if I made a threatening move. I swallow my fear and enter the stone building.
It takes a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the dramatic shift in lighting, but it’s much bigger than I imagined it to be. From the outside the building seems tall, but thin. However, from inside I can barely see the opposing wall. I’ve felt insignificant before, but never as much as when I looked up and saw the stairs that seem to spiral into the heavens themselves. I’m quickly brought back to my senses as a courier slams himself against me to get inside. I stumble and nearly fall, but catch myself on a nearby desk.
“Steady there boy. Nearly caused me to spill my ink,” an older gentleman grunts at me without looking up.
I apologize and start to back away, but run into someone behind me. I hear a loud thud and turn to see a woman, much taller and muscular than me, scowling at me with a few books scattered at her feet. She gestures below her before barking out, “Well? Pick them up!”
I flinch a little, but put my sack of fruit down and pick up the books she’d dropped. They’re quite thick and heavy, but I can’t read what the titles are as I hand them over to her. She snatches them from me and puts them against her hip. I’m about to bend over to grab my things and try to catch up to Tallion, but the woman places her hand on my shoulder roughly.
“Tak no Shal vic soon tol ni,” she whispers into my ear. Before I can ask her what she said she pushes me away and storms off into the chaos of the crowd.
I stand stunned for a moment, but quickly realize I’m alone. I look around for Tallion, but for a group that praises how structured and rigid they are, there sure is a lot of disorder on the ground floor of their building. It looks like there are a lot of make-shift desks placed on the ground floor with uniformed officers taking statements or writing reports.
I see a flicker of color out of the corner of my eye. Thinking it might be Tallion’s hair, I head towards the center of the building where I saw the flash. However, as I approach the area where the staircase is, I think I see a faint blue shimmer floating up the stairs. I continue towards it, taking the stairs up towards the next floor. As I walk up the stairs, the noise of the chaos below starts to fade away, but I can hear a laugh that seems familiar somehow coming from above. I continue up the stairs until I reach the second floor. I look across the room for Tallion, but all I see are rows of desks, maps, and stressed uniformed men and women. I realize I’m just wandering around a secure military base and turn to head back down the stairs and ask for assistance. Unfortunately, as soon as I take my first step a rough voice calls behind me, “Can I help you lad?”.
I slowly turn to look at who’s speaking. A man who looks like he uses tree trunks as toothpicks stands before me. His arms are crossed across his puffed out chest, while his eyes stare menacingly towards me. “This floor is off limits to civilians. Requests and reports are all made on the first floor,” he says.
“I...I’m here with my friend, she-,” I try to explain, but he stops me.
“Well you and your friend can make your requests or reports on the first floor, as I’ve already said,” he repeats aggressively. He uncrosses his arm and puts one hand on his hip. I recognize the move from watching Tallion enough so I nod and start to take a step down when a familiar voice echoes from behind.
“Stand down private. He’s with me,” Tallion says. I look to see her trying to stay composed, but her cheeks are red and she seems a little out of breath.
Upon seeing Tallion the man stiffens and performs the same salute as the men outside. “Forgive me Major Kalaiwa, I meant no disrespect,” he said softly.
“At ease,” she responds, “If you’ll excuse us, I need to speak with General Tetun”.
The man steps off the stairs and back onto the floor beside us. Tallion walks past me, continuing further up the stairs. As I follow her I notice a few other people watching and can feel their stares as I walk past their floor. Before I have a chance to say anything to Tallion she stops between floors where the wall of the stairs blocks us from view. She takes my hand and twists my thumb into my shoulder, pinning me against the wall.
“What the hell are you doing?” she hisses at me.
“You’re hurting me,” I squeak out.
“Good! Do you know how much trouble you could’ve gotten in? What were you thinking coming up this far on your own?” she questions. She releases my thumb, but continues to press my shoulder against the wall.
“Listen Majio, this is my job. My livelihood. You can’t just wander around wherever you please. It’s not just you that’ll get in trouble,” she says.
I can feel her starting to calm down, but I can tell she’s enraged.
“It’s only the second floor, I thought I saw your hair in the direction of the stairs and then I saw a blue shimmer and heard a familiar laugh so I went up the stairs. I realized you weren’t here so I was about to go back down,” I explain.
Her brows furrow before she replies, “Majio, we’re between floors nine and ten right now. What are you talking about?” She releases my shoulder in order to twirl her hair again.
“What? I only walked up one flight of stairs. I thought the military is supposed to be the pinnacle of order? Who labels things and skips two through eight?” I ask jokingly.
“Majio, I’m serious. The floor we just passed is one of the strategy rooms. Civilians usually are blocked from even taking the stairs so I don’t know how you would’ve managed to get to the second floor, let alone the ninth,” she says more to herself than to me. She continues to twist her hair, but the sound of footsteps snaps her out of her trance. She puts her finger to her lips and motions that we’ll continue walking up the stairs.
The rest of the journey we walk in silence. I try to look at the floors we pass, but after a few rooms filled with scary looking people I turn my focus towards trying to keep my legs moving. My thighs feel like they’re burning with each step I take and I’m struggling to catch my breath. I look towards Tallion, but other than her rosy cheeks, she seems to be fine. The amount of respect I hold for her continues to grow with each step I take.
When I feel like I can’t take another step Tallion stops and turns towards a darkened floor. I notice this is one of the few floors we’ve passed that has a door.
Tallion takes a deep breath before turning towards me, “Remember. Let me do all the talking. The General can be…,” her mouth scrunches towards one side, “...a bit much.” She takes a moment to straighten herself out again.
I hadn’t realized how quiet it’s become until I’d caught my breath. However, that silence is quickly broken by Tallion knocking against the heavy wooden door. The sound seems to echo throughout the entire building, but we’re greeted only with silence.
“Maybe he’s not-,” before I can finish my sentence the door creaks open and a pale and skinny boy stands before us. His clothes suggest he’s a servant of some kind. I glance towards Tallion, but she seems more annoyed than anything.
“Major Tallion Kalaiwa, I have urgent news for the General. It’s of the highest severity and cannot wait,” she says. Her voice sounds deeper and more commanding than it usually does.
The boy looks her over and clicks his tongue against his teeth. He closes the door and I can hear Tallion huff in response. She shuts her eyes and drops her head mumbling something. I can only hear enough to realize that whatever is happening occurs more frequently than she likes.
As soon as the door begins moaning in response to being opened, Tallion reflexively snaps into position.
The boy from before opens the door all the way and gestures for us to enter. I can hear Tallion take another deep breath, but she walks off of the stairs and onto the floor of the dark room. I follow swiftly behind and resist the urge to hold onto her.
Sorry the updates are slower have been slower than I'd like! I've recently been accepted into college and between preparing for the Fall semester, moving to a new state, and finding a new job I've been super busy. However, I do have an outline for this story up to chapter 5 already so I should be updating this soon enough! Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy, and sorry about the wait!
Bookmarked.