Hollow Atraxia

Precursor-

The waters ran deep, a brilliant blue glow emitting from water too pure and clear. The light reflected off the luminescent cavern ceiling and rugged walls, bathing the pure onyx veins in light strangely synonymous to the darkness. An image unfitting of the world torn to abstract nothingness beyond the caverns entrance. A world where hope did not exist, where good had fell, and even evil became non-existent without it’s counterpart as comparison. Where lives dimmed and grew less and less, holding no value even to their growing rarity. No omnipotent force existed to guide the tragic souls, even that belief of hope lost in the dark even darkness shunned.

Such made it easy, this decision of finality. An end to anything good, but also to the worse. All individuality had been lost with the commonality of mind, of hopelessness, of hollow tragedy… By this, all would question the existence of soul, yet who other held explanation for the energies those here gave towards the oblivion willingly, perhaps even anxiously, brought? The many here, a pitiful seven, yet holding numerically a large percentage of the remaining world’s, of life’s, population, formed something they not understood. With that forming, they gave not their meager lives, but their eternity. The pool, impossible existence, not of water, glowed brighter still with each of their wills given. He was the last to drop into the watery pit of eternal end, an oblivion every existence, evil or naught, feared. His comrades already gone, his last piece was the key, and as his body fell forward to melt softly into the blue, the lock clicked open, and no white, no black, nothing… nothing showed.

Chapter One

In a scene of only white, water rushed. A soothing sound, but altogether a rough sign of life. Water overlapping water roared with the sound of it, and gradually, through the countless minutes… for what seemed too long for time, the roar grew dim. And slowly, the whiteness transcended, fading into the background of something grander.

It was to this something that he opened his eyes. The noise of the water was still present, but other sounds could now be heard. A winged creature glided overhead, passing him by without offering him notice. It landed nearby, upon one of the many trees on either side. The sensation of the water running through his clothes and armor was chilling, but refreshing. Something he had forgotten long past. The bird, a creature he had only heard stories about, disappeared from sight as the river he floated upon carried him away. Reaching for the bottom of the river, he felt no ground. Odd… he thought without heart, I could have sworn… I had already sunken to the depths…

Eventually, the sun appeared directly overhead, shining brighter than he had ever imagined it could. Heaven? Could this be the existence that awaited him after his death? But… he didn’t believe in heaven. Thrusting his arm above him, the water dripped onto his face as he grasped to hold the sun. Something unachievable, but so enticingly provoked. Would he start to believe in this place as a heaven? Even if he was unsure if he believed he had a soul? And if so, where were the others?

These questions came to mind, and a normal person… no, a person not born of his world, would have cared. Those thoughts slipped away with the current, and he could almost believe his sins did as well. But there was darkness on him no light could wash away. And so, he drifted. And he drifted… The water soothed him to sleep at some point, leaving him with the curiosity that if he were to awaken again… would this all be gone? Or, would he be gone?

There, he found himself awake, situated on a hard surface, no longer flowing freely. Water would pick his hand up periodically, but otherwise he was dry. Warmth soaked its way through his clothes and prickled along his skin. Though allotted to memory of terrible times, it still held comfort. For a time, he lay there, listening for sounds, refusing to open his eyes, lest he find the light gone. Vibrations ran along his back, disturbing his peace. Never having any hope to start, he opened his eyes. And once again… they found only darkness.

But he picked himself up, as he was used to doing, and shifted to look at the surroundings. The first that caught his eye was the light, and his heart moved. Ignoring all else, he clumsily stood and walked to bathe in the brightness. The moon was the source, also the many sparkling stars in the sky. His knees gave way, and he sat there, staring up at the beauty, tears rolling down his cheeks. Hope smashed into his mind, and into his heart, harder than anything had before. In all his life, nothing ever touched him in such a way. Staring at his hands, that hope pervaded. If I exist… then so does, now, the world? Confused, and without knowledge of this new world, he slumped against the side of a wall… and he smiled.

Her steps hit the floor with minimal noise, her heavy breathing sounding heavier than her run. Fleeing from only Atraxia and the Seven know what, she wound her way through the ancient temple, sure of something close behind her. The brown stone walls, and similar floor and ceiling, were rooted with plants, overgrown as befitting of a temple older than countries. With a misstep, her hand sought support from the green of a vine clinging to the wall. She found none, as her weight easily pulled free the delicate vine and she crashed to the floor, earning a few scratches and bruises in the morrow that would pain her for days. If she lived long enough to see those days, she would welcome the hurt of living. The unmistakable sound of claws ripping over the stones interrupted the sound of her heart beating in her ears.

Afraid that this would be her last, she dove quickly through a doorway near her, and prepared to make a run again. But when she looked for her way, she found only water running through a natural path in the ground of a room with only one entrance, and a broad opening in the ceiling in which the moon shone in. A sound caught her ears and she quickly turned in alarm towards the doorway in which she came. Expecting a beast, she found only an odd man staring at her from his spot against the wall near the entrance to the room. His eyes spoke volumes about him and his past, but his gaze nor posture left any impression of strength. The clothes he bore were heavy armors; chain-linked mail and leathers covering all but his head where hair with the silvery glow of the moon fell in rough waves to his shoulder. The colors of the armor were of a country she had never seen, black and midnight blue.

Before any questions could be asked of each other, she heard the ominous sounds of her pursuer close the distance. A blackness not like the mans armor shrouded the beast that stepped through the doorway, piercing her with a savage and bloodthirsty stare, even though the thing held no eyes. Terror gripped her as she stepped back, doom shrouding her hope. But as the beast stepped forward to lunge at her, it’s prey, the man stood with movement faster than anything she had seen and grappled the thing to the ground. He was unarmed, but after a minute of struggling, there was a loud snap and all went still.

A sharp intake of breath fanned her hope to flame yet again as the stranger heaved the creature aside and stood. She was at a loss for words, as this beast had been done in easily and expertly by this unarmed person, where she had imagine many with weapons would have failed. He stared blankly at her, with an expression she could not read, and he made no move, as if lost in his own reality.

So she made her own move, a mixture of relief and happiness, gratitude and friendliness for her saving. Also was the anger, moved by the event and fueled by confusion. “Who are you?” Those words came out harsher than she would have liked, yet not without reason. “This place is sacred, no man may enter here. The only entrance is guarded, how have you come here? Why?” So many questions, all spoken with a flare of temper, which did nothing to promote the stranger’s communication, nor did it affect the man in any way. Least, he was now paying attention to her.

There was a long time of silence before he startled her with a fit of laughing. She felt her face redden, saved and then laughed at. “What?” To her own surprise, she asked with less of a temper now.

The man managed to put his laughter down, but his face held a smile in which she was just now finding distinctly attractive. His features spoke of a people she had never seen, nor heard of. “Oh,” his rich voice was a sudden batter upon her senses, melodious and deep with strength. “It’s just, this is a strange predicament I’ve found myself in, is all. Here I was, accosted by confusion as to how I was made to be in this place, then came along a helpless damsel chased by a weak little beast. Next thing I find myself being lectured by that very damsel I saved as to how I am trespassing on supposed hallowed ground, so I shan’t have been here to save you.” His smirk irked her, “as for the comment about any man being forsaken here, well, who’s to say I’m a man? I’m far too pretty after all.” Undignified, he picked up the hem of his chain-mail shirt and swished it to and fro, the perfect imitation of a tavern whore, even giving her a flirtatious wink that she could find a hilarity in itself.

But she put a mask on her emotions and kept the humor bottled up as she used the small part of her that was angry to set her tone. “Nonsense.” In a manner of disgust, she turned away from him, her sleeveless white dress swirling with her. With noble dignity, she strode out of the room.

Even as he was wholly confused, he set such feelings aside as he hurried to follow the ‘lady’. But even as he stole glances at her shapely figure, a form he thought no man could resist, he could not help but feel troubled over the beast he had just slain. One of his many nightmares of the past, a dark creature. Fortunately, it had been one of the lesser types, something he could deal with easily. Well, he thought as he followed the girl, keeping his sight above her waistline, I am no mere man.