Ionyr’s hand trembled as he ran it across the warm stone, confirming that this was no nightmare - this was reality. The entire tunnel, from top to bottom and side to side was plugged with giant, hot boulders. They must have broken off the walls and ceiling by the tremors.
"Ionyr?" Rayza asked, placing her hand on his shoulder. Ionyr could barely hear her voice over his racing mind. Every last warning, all of which he failed to heed, came back to him all at once. He’d been warned about the dangers too many times to count. And what did he do? Laughed them off and recklessly forged ahead anyway.
Now look. His selfish curiosity might be what costs Rayza her life. His heart began beating out of his chest. She would have been better off staying at home after all. He should not have taken her with him. It was his fault she would...die…
Ionyr felt light-headed. Faint, almost. As he fell, his back hit the rocky wall. The spiky protrusions dug through his clothes and into his skin. Yet those punctures were nothing, nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He felt Rayza’s hands touching his cheeks and tilting up his head, gazing into his eyes with concern.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled. His broken voice was barely audible to even himself. The growing fear in Rayza’s eyes forced him out of his stupor. Wait, this was not like him, he thought, and neither was it the time for this nonsense. He shook his head, violently dispersing those useless thoughts of self-loathing.
How often had they been backed into a corner, only to come out alive and well? In a situation like this, his mind had to be his ally, not his enemy. He thought of all possibilities. The rocks were too large for the two of them to clear, so that option was immediately out the window.
Wait for help, maybe? No way Rudd would be able to clear this wall on his own. It would take too long to fetch the townspeople, if they’d even be willing to help. Besides, how would they call for help, anyway? That left only one option.
“We should head back down.” Ionyr said, barely able to keep his voice steady. "Maybe there’s another exit." It was an absurd idea. Yet what other avenue was left to them? Most others were figuratively, and some quite literally blocked off.
Rayza lowered her gaze and bit her finger, herself pondering all their options. When she realised this was probably their best bet, she nodded and held out her hand. He took it with no hesitation, and she pulled him up.
"Let's go." Ionyr gave it a tight squeeze before leading them back down into the depths. Hope was slim. But had there been a time when it wasn’t? In all their adventures, how high was the chance they’d find any sign of the Creators? And still, how often did they dive into these kinds of dangerous situations anyway?
“Then again, there’d never been a cave-in before.” Said a voice at the back of Ionyr’s mind, “We haven’t ever been in a situation this hopeless.” He shushed the voice and kept pressing forward.
Deeper and deeper they went, ever further into the dark. There were no landmarks upon the stone to orient themselves, nothing even close to that mural. Ionyr was starting to think that it might have been a fake. As his thoughts drifted, so did his hand absent-mindedly find its way onto the hilt of his sword hanging on his belt.
“Come to think of it,” Ionyr thought, “its placement and design had been awfully convenient.” Close enough to the entrance, to lure them further in. Reminiscent of Rudd’s story about the Stars, to give it a fake legitimacy.
Had this whole thing been an elaborate trap? A rockslide was a convenient and easy way to get rid of people. Maybe they had some sort of contraption in place?
No, wait. This made no sense. Why would they go that far to get rid of them? Why not just leave them in the fog?
“Ionyr.”
Or why not attack them all at once, in town? Easier than setting up a trap like this.
“Ionyr.”
Unless…those bastards feared him…as they should. He may not be a fighter, but he was strong enough to take on that town of wretches. If he ever gets out of here, he’ll…
“Ionyr!” Rayza shouted. Startled, he turned to look at her. “My hand!”
“S-sorry.” He stuttered, immediately letting go. When did he let his grip get so strong?
“You okay?” Seeing her concern, he relaxed, letting go of his sword’s hilt.
“Y-yeah. I’m fine.” This heat was getting to his head, to the point he was losing control of his own thoughts. It didn’t help that their water had run out too. And to top it all off, the lantern was starting to lose its glow. Time to spark it up again.
Ionyr avoided eye contact as he took out the red gem inside. The lantern usually lasted around six hours - considering they entered at noon, the sun had to be setting by now. His hand trembled as he weakly dragged the gem along the wall, attempting to spark its light back to life.
His arm was heavy. The full weight of his recklessness was beginning to weigh on him – what wouldn't he give to go back and slap himself. To tell himself to listen to reason.
No, Ionyr thought, shaking his head. No time for such thoughts. He had to be strong for her. He vowed to protect her - from fear, from nightmares and from danger.
…like the very danger he so thoughtlessly put her in. His dream…wasn’t it the reason their lives were at stake now? Him having this dream, and chasing it - did that by itself break his wedding vow?
Alas, there was no going back - no running from the guilt.
Finally, there was a spark, which lit the gem in a bright red hue. Placing the gem back into the lantern, he then took her hand once more. There was only one thing he could do in this situation. One way to atone. And that was to lead them deeper into the dark.
Heh. Ironic. Only place to find a ray of hope is in the darkest pit of hell.
Chasing such a faint hope…perhaps that was the only thing he was ever good at. Though with every step they took, that tiny sliver of hope shrunk a little more. Besides the echo of their footsteps, the journey into the bowels of the earth was remarkably silent.
Not like they could talk much. The heat had parched their throats to the point that it hurt to even breathe. It had never lessened, instead only ever increasing in intensity - the rocks beneath their feet were so hot they were starting to scorch their leather boots. They couldn’t keep this up. If it got any hotter, they might combust right then and there. And yet, Ionyr kept pushing forward, chasing that faint, faint glimmer of hope.
"Ionyr, look!" Rayza suddenly shouted, before coughing. Her voice was raspy and scratchy. As he turned to check on her, he noticed her pointing ahead. Following her finger...there, further down the tunnel...there was light. Finally, there was hope on the horizon.
"See, I told you it would be fine." He coughed. Dammit, that hurt. Yet still, he gave her a cheeky, albeit shaky grin. "Come on, let’s go!" He said before taking off. His legs and feet were reinvigorated, excitedly charging towards freedom.
He felt like a child again, remembering all the times they had raced back home for dinner after a long day of playing. He’d always been first. On the odd day that Rayza joined their table, she’d be second. Ielus was always dead last. Then again, Rayza had the comfort of being carried by Ionyr. Some things never changed.
Pulling her along in his shaky, weak sprint. Making sure to slow down so she could keep up. Constantly checking behind to see if she’d tripped. It all was just like it was, in those good old days. Even that light ahead, he could almost see his childhood home in it, his mother in the doorframe calling his name. Man, the heat really was getting to him, he thought as he chuckled. Good thing they’d be able to leave after they get through this dead end.
Wait. A…dead end? Dead…end.
No, this can't be, he thought. He reached out, his hand finding the same rocky surface that surrounded them from all sides. Gems. The light came from gems. The same type of gem, he realised, that lay inside his lantern. Some were red, others a light blue, yet others a pure white. Granted, they seemed to make the area a little cooler, but in the end, it didn’t amount to much more than a false hope.
"Why...why did you stop?" Rayza asked. He could hear her coughing as she tried to catch her breath.
Ionyr blinked a few times, hoping that it would change something, anything about the reality of this situation. Maybe this was a nightmare after all. Surely, they couldn’t die like this, right? Not like a bug trapped under a mug. Anything but this…hopeless despair.
But every time he opened his eyes, he was greeted by those same gems. He felt mocked by them. Showing him his childhood…was that their way of saying that it was his time? To have his life flash before his eyes? Dammit, he thought, there has to be a way out.
He searched the walls with his lantern. Nothing but rocks. The ground? Stout and hot. The ceiling? More of the same.
The more he looked, the less he found. He eventually felt a hand on his shoulder, stopping him. As he came to grips with the reality of their situation, he slowly turned around to face her. Seeing her sad, caring blue eyes, he forced a weak smile onto his face.
"I'm sorry..." A singular tear streamed down his face, evaporating with a hiss as it hit the floor. "It's a dead end."
"Yeah…" She glanced at the gem-speckled wall. “It’s the end of the road.”
"So it is.” He slumped against the hot wall. “So much for the light at the end of the tunnel." The heat seeped through his cloak, beginning to burn his back. "It's my fault. If I hadn't run in so recklessly earlier..."
Rayza knelt down and put a finger to his lips. "It's okay." After kissing him on the cheek, she moved him to the gem-speckled wall. Ionyr felt his back cooling off as she hugged him, resting her head against his cheek. "You were trying to be strong this whole time for me, weren't you?" She caressed the back of his head. "Thank you."
"Don't.” He muttered, shaking his head and gritting his teeth. Clenching his free hand into a tight fist, he slammed it into the wall behind him.
“Don’t thank me! I killed both of us!" With each word he spat, his voice cracked more and more. He had been arrogant, and was willing, even happy to deal with the consequences. But Rayza...! She was always there for him. From the start, all the way to the end. She didn’t deserve this. There was so much for her to live for - a family awaiting her in the future. What did he have? "It was my mistake! You shouldn’t have to pay for it!"
"Ionyr.” Her voice, albeit coarse, was calm and steady. “I chose this life with you." She pulled back, and looked him in the eye. Only tender love for him filled those caring blue eyes of hers.
"I knew you were reckless. I knew full well that we’d be risking our lives.” She said, stroking his cheek. “Nothing has changed - I still want to be at your side. To protect you from yourself…and to love you, as you should yourself." She gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. When she pulled back, she put her forehead to his, and stared into his eyes.
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"I don't regret a single second I spent with you. Never have, and never will. In fact, I enjoyed every last one." She sat down beside him and softly ran her hand through his hair. "You’ve protected me for so long. Been a rock for me to lean on." Stroking his forehead and wiping away the sweat, she gave him a gentle smile. Slowly, tenderly, she guided his head towards her lap. “Let me fulfil our wedding vow…as you did.”
"My ‘gentle breeze’...?" Resting the back of his head on the soft skin of her thighs, he immediately relaxed. All tension left his body.
"Your ‘second wind’, yes." Rayza corrected him. It made him smile, weakly so, these warm memories lightening his heart. All things considered…this wasn’t so bad.
"I prefer ‘gentle breeze’..." He said, making her sigh.
"Then a ‘gentle breeze’ I will be.” He thrust his arms feebly into the air.
"Hooray...!" She giggled, but Ionyr could tell that it was weighing on her mind, too. The words she left unspoken.
“Until death do us part.”
"You know, that speech made me melt.” He said, trying to fill the silence. “Unfortunately, this damn heat is trying to steal credit for your work." Her giggle turned into a dry laugh, before becoming a forceful cough. To be honest, he was trying to play cool, but he was starting to feel faint again. This might be their last chance. It might be the time to get everything off his chest. He sighed and attached the lantern to his belt.
"Rayza, I am sorry. For not giving you the family you always wanted."
She paused before returning to caressing his hair. “I know you tried your best. Besides, maybe it was a bad idea to begin with. Unless we gave up these adventures, she would've become an orphan."
"I would have given up my dream in a heartbeat for our child.” Her dream was a hell of a lot more important than his - though he was certain she thought the same way. “And who said it would’ve been a girl?"
"Woman's intuition." He chuckled, then sighed. Ionyr's thoughts drifted to his brother. Perhaps this is what people mean by the life flashing before one's eyes. All his regrets are flowing through his mind and pouring out his mouth.
"I wonder how Ielus is doing. Haven't seen him in a decade."
"Not since he joined the Order." Her face tensed. She was furious when she first found out - called it a deep betrayal.
“You still don’t agree with that, huh?” Couldn’t say he blamed her. Ionyr would be just as angry with Ielus if he were in her shoes.
“Not one bit. I’ll haunt him in his sleep.”
He chuckled. “You keep your grudges for too long.”
“Maybe.” Rayza gazed at the ceiling with a distant look, as if attempting to peek through the stone and see what Ielus was up to. “I do miss him though.”
“I do, too.” Ionyr sat up and rested his head upon the cool stone. It wasn’t as comfortable as her lap, but it gave him the chance to return the favour. He guided her head to rest on his shoulder. As she did so, he tenderly kissed her forehead before placing his head on hers.
This was a nice position to die in, he’d wager.
Their tiny red light was starting to dim. Probably didn’t spark it strongly enough. Or perhaps it was his own vision going dark. His voice was becoming more hoarse, and his head felt lighter and lighter by the second.
"I still can't understand.” She sounded honestly hurt. ”Why would he work for those slavers?"
"Rayza….” He said, sighing. “Their heart’s in the right place. Everyone deserves...a second chance, right?"
"Yeah..." Her voice was growing more distant. His ears were failing. "Even criminals...deserve it....but the price...too high." She leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Ionyr..." She whispered into his ear. Her voice was clear as day, this close. He could feel her trembling as she tightly gripped his hand. "I'm scared."
He put his hand on hers. "I know." Nuzzling his head into her hair, his eyelids fell shut, too weak to stay open. Unable to physically gaze upon it, he summoned the image of her beautiful face into his mind. If he was going to die, he wanted it to be the last thing he saw. The blue hue of her eyes, and the stunning sky he saw in them.
"I'm scared too." Scared that he’d never see Rayza’s face again. He felt her trembling grow stronger. No, hold on. It wasn’t her that was shaking. It was the ground.
Like before, it quickly started rumbling stronger and stronger. Ionyr pulled her close, and she wrapped her arms around him in kind. If this was their fate, they'd face it together. The sounds of crumbling rock surrounded them, cascading upon one another until the earthquake culminated in another great rockslide.
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By some miracle, they were left unscathed in the chaos, though clouds of hot dust filled the entire tunnel. Rayza spent some time coughing as it settled. As the clouds cleared, a small ray of light fell upon her weary eyelids.
She opened her eyes, and could scarcely believe what they were showing her. Right there, in the caved in ceiling was a hole to the outside. The golden light of the sun setting shone into the cave. There, at the end of this new tunnel. Words failed to describe how she felt.
"Ionyr!" She cried, excitedly shaking him. "There's a way out!" She shot up and tugged on his hand.
"So there is." He replied, dumbfounded. Ionyr looked at the hole with his good eye, the other having gotten dust in it. While attempting to stand up with slow, heavy movements, his knees buckled and gave way. His last energy reserves had been exhausted by all the running he did earlier, it seemed. "Give me a minute." He choked out, panting.
"No." She said sternly, pulling his hand with all her renewed vigour. "Get up.. We need to get you some water!" She put all her weight into pulling him to his feet, but he was just too heavy for her.. "Come on!" She heaved again.
Suddenly, a cracking sound, followed by a massive rumble sounded from below them. Not even moments later, the floor beneath his feet opened into a massive hole - and Ionyr fell right in. She screamed as his fall pulled her down with him, scraping her knees and elbows on the hard, steaming hot rock.
The hole revealed a massive ravine that stretched too far for her to take in. At the bottom, light emanated in a sort of yellow-whitish glow she'd never seen before. It appeared to be a large river of...something hot. Whatever was down there at the bottom, it bubbled with sounds sounding sort of like a gloop.
Dry, hot air surged past her. This had to be it - the reason why this damn cave had felt like a furnace. Cursing, Rayza grit her teeth and bore the heat while trying to pull him up. With Ionyr dangling above hell, her arm was like a slim silk thread from which his life was hanging. If she let go...no, she couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She'd rather fall along with him.
"Give me your other hand!" Rayza shouted, before violently coughing. Damn it, her throat was still parched! The dust and hot air weren't helping either! Almost made her lose her grip! "Quickly!”
Ionyr looked up at her. His eyes were glazed over, yet a small, loving, almost delirious smile found its way onto his lips. "Ah...there are those beautiful eyes..."
"Ionyr! I can't hold on much longer!" She shouted, panting heavily. Damn it, why was she so weak?! Come on, pull, you stupid bitch!
He chuckled. "Don't worry, my dear...I'll be fine."
"No! Don’t you dare!" She yelled, wincing in pain. The whole front of her body felt like it was on fire - and the smell of her burnt flesh didn’t help either. It hurt to hold onto his hand - her body was yelling at her to let go and cool off by the speckled wall. But her mind refused. Despite it all, she held on.
"Your hand! Give me your other hand!" She said, feeling the urge to cry from the pain - though her body lacked the water to produce tears at this point. Suddenly, the ground she was lying on cracked and burst to pieces, dropping into the ravine. The sudden shift in footing made his hand slip from hers. “No!” She cried out.
Watching him fall into the ravine, that same smile on his face, something inside her snapped. She dove after him, grabbing his shirt and pulling herself close to him. Hugging him tightly, she glanced at the hot, glowing river they were headed for. So this is how she died.
It was a good death, she’d say. Closing her eyes, she embraced their end - together, as it should be.
Rayza waited. And waited. Yet it didn’t come. Cracking open a single eyelid, she found the two of them floating, hairs apart from the river of death.
It parted before her eyes, opening a big, round hole right in below them. Beneath the liquid heat was another dark tunnel. Its sides were speckled with gems, bigger than any she'd ever laid eyes on before. Their light pulsed rhythmically, like blood pumping through a vein. As though it was guiding them even deeper into the pits of hell.
There was little time to ponder before they fell again. They passed by dozens, if not hundreds of these gems on the way. It was hard to tell. They were falling so quickly that the individual gems turned into unrecognisable, colourful blurs along the walls.
Eventually, some unseen force began slowing them down as they reached a wide open space. Thankfully, it was much cooler than the cave above. But without the glow of the gems to guide them, they were left in darkness on all sides. As they arrived on what seemed to be the bottom, they were daintily placed on the floor. With the light of the lantern, she could see a small area around them.
The floor was made of a hard material that was as smooth as marble and blacker than the darkest night. It was entirely foreign to her. As she ran her hand across it to inspect it, the gem inside the lantern shone brightly. A moment later, the light shot out in the form of a red ball, leaving the gem’s glow fading. The light hovered in the air before shooting into the stone, vanishing entirely. Both the light and the two of them were swallowed by the dark.
"Well...that's that." She said, dropping herself down next to her exhausted husband. "Can't...see anymore, either."
His breaths were even, but increasingly shallow. Hers weren’t much better. She wrapped her arms around him, snuggling up close. The only sense left to her was touch. And despite everything, she wanted to feel his heat - knowing that her sense of touch, as well as his warmth, would soon be taken from her.
"Hey...Rayza..." Ionyr whispered, his voice strained. He was delirious and slurring his words, seemed to gain enough presence of mind to piece together his thoughts - one last time. "What would you...have named...our child...?"
"I wonder..." She put her head on his shoulder, feeling the last of her strength leaving her. "No use...thinking about it...now..."
"I love...you." He said, before letting out a deep exhale.
"I...love you...too." She replied. Soon, it would be her time too.
It began as a tiny light. Rayza noticed a dull red glow, shining through the floor beneath. Pulsating in a steady rhythm, it became stronger and stronger. With each pulse, the light intensified, quickly becoming large enough to light up the whole space around them.
Was she hallucinating?
It was a massive hall, built entirely out of the smooth black material. The red light flowed through the walls. Undecipherable symbols appeared in them, similar to the symbols that were on the mural earlier. In the dead centre stood a massive stone statue. Only its hunched over upper body was visible, its lower half was submerged in the ground. Its head was nestled inside its great wings, akin to the great hawks of the north.
The guardian of the afterlife, maybe? Or maybe she was hallucinating after all.
"It is too early for you to die." A voice boomed through the hall. Can’t hallucinate that. The walls shook as it spoke.
There was another great rumble, and a small blue light rose from the floor. It slowly floated towards them. As it hovered above them, it split in two and engulfed them. Within a flash, all of Rayza’s aches and pains were gone. Her throat was no longer dry. Her heart was beating calmly and steadily. Her body was full of energy and her mind racing with questions. Shooting up, she looked around.
This…was real. What was this place? No, wait. More importantly…
“Ionyr!” She grabbed his collar and shook him.
“Mmh…five more minutes…” He mumbled.
“Oh for…wake up, idiot!” She slapped him.
"Ow!” Ionyr opened his eyes. “The hell was that for…” They widened, seeing what was going on. “What happened here? What did I miss?!"
Before she could answer his question, there was another rumbling sound. Turning around, she watched as red light shot from the floor into the statue. It cracked as the light travelled up its body, trying to burst free. Dust and ash fell from its surface as it began to shake. Slowly, surely, it moved.
First it raised itself proudly, stretching its head and chest upwards. Its body resembled a muscular man, yet its face was more akin to a bird of prey. A sharp beak, accentuated by two large eyes. It had an odd piece of headwear to grace its magnificent features - similar to a crown, but very thinly wrapped around the head. Also, there was an empty space upon the forehead, where there would usually be a gemstone of some kind.
Finally, it unfolded its arms and wings, of which there were three pairs each. Its arms were human, but the hands belonged to different creatures. One pair was human, another was closer to a bird's, with one talon extending longer than the others. The third pair was an exception, as it was entirely a thick tentacle, suction cups and all.
Its wings belonged to different species as well – the lowest belonged to a falcon, small and slender. The middle set, larger and majestic, was an eagle's. The top pair was largest of them all, bearing a set of three sharp claws, right where it bent downward. Rayza immediately recognized it as that of a basilisk, a fearsome beast of the North.
Rayza and Ionyr were akin to ants standing next to this giant. Two houses stacked on top of one another may not even reach up to its chest. Its skin, if one could call it that, was made of the same stone that they'd seen when they first entered the tunnel. Yet now, after the light perforated its body, the rock was cracked, melting and moving, revealing a glowing orange-red core beneath the surface - not too dissimilar to the hot river earlier. Its movements started off stiff and awkward, but became more fluid by the second.
"Humans." It said, although its beak didn't move in accordance with its words. It placed its human palms together whilst crossing its other arms. The empty space in its crown lit up in a golden hue as a third eye opened upon its forehead. "You have done well to make it here. Welcome to our Sanctuary of Fire."