Ellie panicked in the darkness as pain like she had never felt before burned in her ears. She cried, while holding back the urge to throw up. Yet in the darkness she could not hear herself scream, only a dreadful ringing sound that slowly subsided into silence.
The world, her world, had shifted only moments before. An unknown force had gripped reality in its teeth, rending it apart. She watched as time and space bent, shattered, and reformed.
Her senses had somehow blended as she didn’t hear but felt Charles call her name. He had held her tightly until a strange force separated them. Just as quickly as the universe seemed to explode around them, the cosmos reasserted order and gravity returned.
Ellie gasped and her pupils dilated. A towering darkness surrounded her. Inhaling deeply, she took in the scent of rich alpine and fresh dirt. Deaf and almost blind, her fingers reached out searching, desperate to feel anything. Tears trickled down Ellie's cheeks as she sobbed.
She had never felt more alone.
A series of shadowy figures flitted above, and Ellie sank to the floor. Kneeling low, she felt around for her surroundings. Her hands clutched at the earth, pleading for more information.
Pine needles? She wondered.
Expanding her search, Ellie's hand unexpectedly plunged into an icy pool.
She reeled back in surprise at the sudden unexpected sensation.
“Charles?” She called out into the dark. “Karn?”
No response, just silence. She couldn’t even hear her own voice. But she knew she was making sounds because she could feel the vibrations reverberate within her chest.
With hands shaking, she felt around her sore ears, touching the remnants of dried blood. Pain tore through her throat as she screamed. “I can’t. I can’t!” she wept.
Strong arm grabbed her from behind and Ellie flinched, screaking. Fear gripped her and constricted her chest, making it hard to breathe.
Ellie coughed.
Breathe, she forced herself to think, Breathe, girl!
Her mind raced, and then she remembered Theos lessons.
Instinctively, she heaved her weight and toppled over, sending them both backwards. They hit the floor hard and the thing in the dark released its grip. Ellie broke away from the creature and rolled away. Scrambling to her feet, Ellie fought against the instinct to panic and lifted her arms ready to protect her head.
Slowly backing away, she fought against the urge to run.
Pain shot up her leg as something sharp dug into her calf. Screaming in shock and agony, she fell under her own weight.
An icy hand grasped her wrist and hauled her forward.
“No,” She cried.
Strong arms pulled her into an embrace. Ellie gasped. Sudden realisation. Comfort, familiarity. A scent that her mind connected with warmth, tenderness, and a sense of belonging. She smiled, sobbing softly into his chest.
“Charles.”
She could feel the vibrations of words coming through his embrace as he said something.
“Charles, I can’t hear. I can't….” She cried. He raised a finger to her mouth, and she quieted. He soothed her, stroking her red hair as she tried to see more of her surroundings. Her eyes were adjusting more to the darkness.
Charles took her hand as they stumbled through the forest tentatively, feeling their way between looming pillars of trees as they clutched one another.
A shimmer of light danced in her peripheral vision.
She sharply turned her head to catch a look at whatever it was but found nothing. Charles kept guiding them both, but somehow, she couldn’t shake a strange feeling. It felt like something was watching over them.
The shimmer flickered again. The iridescent glow hummed in the dark. Ellie froze in place, flooding Charles with concern. He looked over her serious expression as she reached out an arm, pointing at the light.
“Charles.” she whispered. “I think that's Karns stone. It’s the same glow.”
His mouth moved as his voice vibrated through her. She couldn’t understand a thing he was saying, so she took a tentative step towards it. Charles shook his head and tried to stop her, but Ellie was determined. She could feel that something lay ahead of them. Looking up into his face in the dark, she whispered, “we really need a light.”
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Charles continued to hold her hand as she pulled them both towards the source of the glowing.
Kneeling over it, she could now see more clearly. It wasn't Karns’ stone. It was different. Karns’ stone was some sort of weathered granite that glowed a distinctive shade of blue. This stone, however, was clear and looked like a quartz crystal. It lay in a small pool of water and was emitting a flicker of pure white light.
Ellie turned to Charles. She could now see him clearly. He was covered in dozens of cuts and was eyeing their surroundings intently. Somehow, his eyes drifted past the light as if it weren’t there.
How can he not see this thing? She thought.
The pure light was like a shining beacon within the blinding darkness. Ellie yanked on Charles' arm and pointed towards the pool of water, yet he continued to look about blindly. Sudden realisation dawned. Perhaps only she could see the light.
Even more curious now, she braced herself as she drove her hand into the pool. It was so cold that her fingers went numb from the contact.
Pulling the stone free from the icy pool, she gasped as light flooded the area with a pure white light. Charles flinched as the forest blinked into view. It was if her very touch ignited it.
He looked around in shock and mouthed the words, “What the hell is that?”
She smiled as she read his lips.
“It’s a stone like Karn’s,” she said.
“You can hear me?” he mouthed again.
Ellie shook her head, pointing towards her damaged ears. Recognising the surprised look on his face, she pointed to her eyes and then touched his lips. He nodded as comprehension dawned on him.
“Good. You can read my lips then,” he said as moved closer into the glow of the crystal she held. “Are you okay?”
She nodded weakly, “My ears sting, but I’m okay.”
A pained look overtook his features as he watched her intently.
“Really, I’m okay,” she lied, then asked. “And you? Are you hurt?”
His eyes then scrutinised her face, his gaze meticulously scanning for any signs of injury, no matter how minor, beyond the telltale traces of blood trickling down her ears.
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about me. Where are we?” Charles asked, reinforcing his words with hand gestures as best he could.
She shrugged and whispered. “I don’t know. Did you see Karn in that… weirdness?”
He shook his head and gently clasped her hands within his own.
"No," he replied, his voice filled with concern. "It looked like Karn had a seizure while holding the book," he concluded.
Ellie nodded, wondering if something terrible had happened to him.
“I’m sure he will be fine,” Charles quickly added while squeezing her hands.
Ellie smiled as she watched his lips move, reassuring her with each silent syllable.
Suddenly, the crystal seemed to jerk in her hands. She looked at Charles. He had felt it, too. They grinned at each other as she loosened her grip on the stone, allowing it to move of its own accord. Ellie wasn’t sure why she trusted the stone to guide them. She just did.
The pair steadily moved, following the directions of the stone. It was an arduous path, over large roots and across shallow ditches, stumbling along with only the rock for light. Their morale was kept up by the ability to communicate despite Ellie’s apparent deafness.
Each time the crystal’s light would dim or pause Ellie would pick it back up, seemingly recharging the stone until it was ready to continue to guide them.
After an hour of navigating through twisting paths, they found themselves in a wide clearing and were rewarded with an unexpected sight.
In front of them loomed a colossal stone structure, its form fashioned by the careful arrangement of massive square blocks intricately carved to resemble an ancient pyramid. The sight triggered a sense of familiarity, yet it deviated significantly from the depictions they had witnessed on television. The unfamiliarity stemmed not only from the unique architecture but also from the composition of the stone itself. A peculiar brown rock, etched with intricate lines, comprised its material.
Upon closer examination, they could see that the apex of each stone block was adorned with a lush green carpet of grass, creating an unexpected contrast against the weathered surfaces. Vines and weeds had fearlessly claimed thousands of cracks on the vertical faces, weaving an intricate tapestry throughout the structure. As if defying the odds, a handful of trees had even taken root and thrived, sprouting from the pinnacle of the structure, their branches reaching towards the sky.
Clearly, the structure been abandoned.
Charles pointed.
There was an opening at the base of the pyramid. Stone steps led to a doorway beneath the ground. Ellie eyed the entrance with suspicion, then searched the area for any disturbances. She turned, spotting their footprints. The ground was soft. A layer of moss covered the damp soil, making it almost impossible not to lay tracks.
The only footprints in the area were their own. Ellie breathed slowly while watching the clearing in silence. After a few moments, she was certain. They were alone.
The stone in her hand tugged towards the pyramid.
Ellie turned to Charles. “It’s wanting us to go down there.” She said, pointing to the entrance.
He returned a grim expression and nodded. “Should we?”
Ellie surveyed their surroundings once more. With a resolute nod, she took a confident step forward, her foot breaking through the delicate mossy groundcover. Charles followed suit, matching her every move as they crossed the open clearing.
As Ellie's foot slipped an inch, a damp sensation seeped through her shoe. The earth beneath them was saturated. With each step, they teetered on the verge of stumbling, their arms flailing like windmills in a desperate attempt to maintain balance. However, instead of frustration, Ellie found herself grinning, a flicker of nostalgia washing over her. It reminded her of their ice-skating dates from a time before the invasion of the Reapers. Each time Charles flailed his arms, she couldn't help but burst into giggles, the sound escaping from her lips.
Charles chuckled ruefully, his laughter mingling with Ellie's mirth. In a moment of shared amusement, his grin mirrored hers. As they continued their unsteady journey, their laughter filled the clearing, an infectious symphony of joy cutting through the air.
She only wished in that moment that she could hear it.
Fortunately, despite their near tumbles, they managed to reach the stairway without accumulating too much mud on their clothing. This stroke of luck was particularly valuable since they had lost their packs containing spare clothes and essential supplies back on Earth.
As they descended into the ruins with the glowing crystal lighting their way, Ellie and Charles felt an odd mutual warmth of reassurance the deeper they delved into darkness.