Water dripped along in the distance. At first, Leon thought he'd gone into the room of his dreams again. Then his fingers scratched against a rough, stone surface. "Huh?" Leon opened his eyes, sitting up.
He flinched as he felt someone stir on his back. It was Katie knocked out against him. Both of their clothes were completely drenched from being swallowed by the whirlpool. The sore pain in his hips told him she never let go... to extreme lengths. Even now, she was still holding him tightly. Thankfully, nothing was broken. He shook her shoulders gently. "Come on, wake up," he whispered.
She groaned, holding him tighter. "Just five more minutes..."
"This isn't a... Alright, fine," he said, leaning back on the floor.
It was a long, uncomfortable five minutes on that cold, wet stone floor. If she wasn't so warm he would've cut this cute cuddle short. Not that he didn't enjoy that part of it. Once they finally got to their feet, they both started wiping off the grime from their pants. "That current was stronger than I thought it'd be..." she muttered.
I thought we were dead... How did we end up here? Leon thought, looking around. "For a person who's never been here, your dad sure knew what he was talking about. Would've been pretty awkward if that entrance actually killed us."
"Strangely I had a feeling he was telling the truth. I don't know much about him... but, I don't sense that same coldness that I do from my mother," Katie said, frowning. "I don't know whether family or duty is more important to him, but perhaps after this, life will be different at least."
He turned to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Maybe you'll get that happy family you've been dreaming of yet. We've just got to keep pushing forward."
Katie looked into his eyes and smiled. She stroked his cheek. "Well at least I have a part of it already."
After a moment, they turned to look at their surroundings. The room was pitch black, the floor partially flooded. It was too dark to see much. The material was strange however, with several different blue or purple tiles all around. He pulled out his phone and groaned. Naturally it was broken. That anger of that was enough for his hand to ignite. As his eyes wandered to one of the pillars around them, he grabbed a torch off one. He set it ablaze with a single touch.
"Pretty handy," he said, taking a deep breath so his embers would subside.
"That's for sure."
Their eyes scanned, but the fire didn't provide enough light to offer much. There were no signs of an entrance or a hole to fall through. Leon's eyes narrowed. How the hell did we even get here? This room should've been flooded a long time ago. Just how does magic work? Or is it something more? Or at least it should be if that's how we got here.
Several tall pillars were scattered throughout the room, reaching to the infinite dark void above. Particles of dust fluttered about. His nose began to itch. He sneezed. "Shit... How old do you think this place is?" Leon asked quietly, looking around them.
Katie placed her hand on one of the pillars. She whimpered as she tried shaking off the cobwebs. "Could be centuries... I'd heard of ruins scattered throughout the world, but none of them were underneath the ocean. Ugh, I don't think this was an experience I needed to have."
He chuckled. "You and me both."
He turned his torch toward their left. His eyes locked on what seemed like a person hiding behind the pillar. They froze as a little blonde girl walked out in front of them. Her violet eyes were eerily wide as she wore a worn out, gray trench coat. She was clutching her bleeding shoulder, her lips quivering. "Who... are you?" Leon asked, taking a step back. His free hand was already reaching for his sword. This girl was familiar.
image [https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AP1GczOzDeTWeYwojIa8tKPNlFAJVenT5bkuxQ86Z4pi3GvRduPc2h-Ns1-0uwt33KltKGOQ15ZHaG20mlrwNQkgNQF-p9Hp0IpgIQb6KViuaB4vgeNyQ_XPqZuUDx-WxYOfOSJqlKP81fJ9_S61TZsjBBnVX_3fcZyXbxsOMRCG-bpv1PFHMKOelsNKll_Zcvtr0yuj9MWckwbXR3g2t0WRMfw-oRltzklrNtrb9YjmZJ2Vjr0M3tQ9CUU_UQ8p5pgrXYCkYKh_ZsC4tFB0P5zZKNkvtE3ib7-Up7HRejy4tc_lyy0n8a8Pwpcq4tT-cWTWoM6P8bu4m1KMDzHhFXTE-j_K4CbUjtTCVSNf3XmyZKU44x363vjZknXIWiGnfa5E_ZQTKDZCv4nkbWCVtTzvEe7HEdWQcQtCkuEVj37xflajq7dPRKkNr927Sc71Ydmhmzi_96u5Lpd2bx5okQ6fxGXE7YThdPuLFuGXDr9OyvOEEDtoN7KlnfoodckDH1PG2ZTNAZ95fGV9mWuKNpljzPCz9LneJUqDOnCjRPMCYBZLd7-RLrfRf_Ad-33g3x6OzoHAhHULL7otwa0Q1oVTmlX5I4GFu5QoyJAs8haSqM4OquEs3T6gMXBLwfjxPSG-aokwtedUcg8FkhIrZvr3FyJQE6lbv3gfgRvFQUIY4EpxqMiAm6KZVJAaN0GJfHYqLnlu2kis3Cxlf3If5qHbzvCuwFwhr8RCwAB6tz0zwvrjTLfSL0hCIHQnKoBmPZ89YQQBNtX9FvKPkD_h3OglSslb1WGQMH6zze0GELAj_xW-xvUMDbX63KbOpFy32kI58tjmSUpJCY4TrEali3cRqMXj-dDPmhfOxOSnTVumXluu9a5FaWfHlfAufpH5k2O9z0PMo4-h5JhAS8D_ewOqi7yQvXbR-pbHG6jnjBHO-99_yKQK-84Rc6knKB09l92k=w654-h654-s-no-gm?authuser=1](Concept of the girl and the room)
They flinched as an ear splitting scream filled the room. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" Her eyes grew eerily wide.
Blood fell down her cheeks and lips.
Snow began to fall from above.
A crimson red moon pierced through the darkness.
What?
Static shocked his head.
He screamed.
"Leon?" Katie tugged his arm, but he didn't hear her.
His heart clenched. Like sudden guilt plagued him at the sight of this girl. Shocks ran through him and he kneeled. It was like the fog in his dreams. A giant boulder slammed down beside them, shaking him from his thoughts. "Run!" Leon shouted, twisting around.
Violent winds and howls followed as stones crashed all over the place. They sprinted and avoided being crushed as best they could. It felt like this room went on forever when suddenly, almost instantly, it stopped. Part of them was afraid of turning around, but when they did there was nothing. Apart from the scattered debris and dust. The danger at least had been real.
There were no signs of the girl they'd seen. Leon felt chills down his spine, grimacing. What the hell was that? ...I've never seen that girl before, have I? He turned to Katie, but his eyes were looking past her. Part of him felt like he did know her. In no feasible way did it make sense, and yet in the corner of his mind he knew she wasn't a stranger.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
"... Do you know who that was?" Leon asked, clutching his head. "Where did that moon come from? The snow-"
Katie shook her head. "Wait, a moon? Snow? I didn't see anything other than the girl... Are you alright? You're growing pale."
He took a breath and it came out a gasp. Almost as if he'd been holding it in. There was more to those visions than he understood. He didn't want to wait to speculate. "I... I should be. We should move on."
Seeing no other choice, she silently agreed. They made their way down the aisles of pillars. Her eyes wandered to the corners of the pillars. Her grip on his arm was almost painfully tight. The floors and walls had several patterns that reflected off of Leon's torch. None seemed to form any sort of specific pattern. Reminds me of the tribal paintings you'd see from history books. Like the Native Americans or the Aztecs... Leon thought. But these symbols aren't anything like that.
"Was that some sort of spirit? A vision can't do things like that, can it?" Leon whispered, squinting. There was no end to this room in sight. There didn't appear to be any walls either.
"I'm not sure... I've studied spirits like Deogen or Raijin, but that girl was more than just some sort of demon. It almost seemed as if her energy resonated with..." Katie's voice drifted off, making Leon turn to her.
"Resonated with? Why did you pause?"
She sighed. "It felt like it was connecting with yours. For just an instant, I felt... a connection."
Leon stopped, frowning. "Is something like that even possible? I've never been here before..."
The first thing that made him think of was Iris and the flooded cavern they'd awoken in. He had no idea of knowing how long they'd existed or how long they were asleep. What could've happened before we woke up?
Cold mist came from their lips every time they breathed. The freezing air pierced like needles along with their soaked clothes. Katie took his hand, looking into his eyes. "We shouldn't worry too much. There's not enough to go on for us to get our heads in a twist. Let's just keep moving forward, okay?"
It was kind of a subtle shock for her to be the one consoling him. He didn't dislike it. Leon grinned. "Crazy how throwing a few punches can give you some confidence, isn't it?"
"Did I really seem so frail before?" she asked, her cheeks burning.
Leon shook his head. "I never saw you as frail... but, you do seem stronger. I'm proud."
She had to look away before he could notice how much that made her smile. "L-let's keep going, shall we?"
"Lead on, Commander Rose."
Katie's eyes widened. "C-commander?" The idea of her leading troops dressed like her mother, barking orders, made her giggle. It also terrified her. She shook away the idea.
They continued to chat here and there, distracting their minds from the earlier shock. Despite that, they stayed vigilant of their surroundings. The way onward seemed endless. When they turned to look behind them, there was no way back either. Everything about this ruin felt wrong. Almost like it wasn't supposed to exist. He snapped to attention as Katie tugged on his arm.
"Leon... was that door always there?"
He turned to see there was indeed a door. It was made of stone, the handle a jagged rock. He froze as images flashed through his eyes. Subtle whispers tickled around him. It almost made him question if he was truly awake. This isn't... that dark world, is it? Leon swallowed, trying to calm his trembling. His eyes narrowed as the sounds dulled when he walked toward it.
He almost jumped out of his skin when Katie grasped his hand. That calmed him immediately. He wasn't alone, and he'd be damned if whatever awaited them hurt her. Leon reached for the door knob. He didn't grip it too tightly. The jagged edges looked like they'd cut his skin like butter if he wasn't careful. When he tried to open it, it jammed. "Of course it's locked. Now what?" he muttered.
It was like the door wanted to force him to hold its handle tighter. Pay a price to open the door? I'm thinking too much. Leon shook his head.
"Leon? What are you waiting for?" Katie asked.
He sighed, taking a step back."This door isn't normal."
Above the door were letters of a language Leon had never seen. ðiː pɹaɪs foʊɹ ˈnɑlədʒ ɪz peɪn. Whatever it meant, it sent chills down his spine. "Katie, do you know what that means?"
She looked up at the letters. Her eyes widened. "This is an extremely old language... The only reason I know about it is because my mother forced us to learn as much as she could find. I believe this is the language of angels," Katie said, leaning up on her toes to see it. "The price for knowledge is pain. That's what it says."
"Angels had their own language? But your family all spoke English? Is there a reason for that?" Leon asked, frowning.
Katie shrugged. "According to my mother, I'm the last true angel. Any others are either long dead or hidden within the world. My sisters are only half angel, and that language is long forgotten. If our mother never forced us to learn from ancient texts, it would probably be lost forever. As for us speaking 'English', our mother just referred to it as the common tongue. The universal language most of all creatures know, but most have their own as well."
"That is interesting... Based on how sharp this knob is, I guess it doesn't take a genius to guess what it wants," he muttered, preparing to grasp it.
She grabbed the other half, making him look at her. "Together. I won't let you feel this pain alone."
Leon chuckled. "I suppose sharing is caring. Alright then, grit your teeth. This is gonna' hurt."
They both winced as they clenched their palms on the jagged edges. The moment it sliced into their palms and dripped onto the knob, the door gave in effortlessly. With a loud groan, it slid aside.
He winced as Katie took his injured hand with her own. It had a perfect circle bleeding heavily on their palm. A green mist emitted from her arm, their blood beginning to shine. It sank back into the cuts. The pain subsided. "Better?" she asked, looking at him closely
"Better. Thanks, Katie. If we aren't careful, people might start thinking we're one of those edgy emo couples who cut themselves for fun," he said, grinning.
She put her index finger on her chin, turning her head quizzically. "Emo? Edgy? What does that mean in that context?"
"Like they try too hard to be overly emotional, or try to look cool by doing things that are over the top. They try to make some sort of philosophical or deep reason to hurt themselves when they're just being stupid," Leon explained. "It's usually for no reason, not to open a sadistic magical door to get inside a temple ruin thing. Does that make sense?"
Katie nodded slowly, her eyebrows furrowing. "I think I understand. How... strange."
They turned their attention to the room beyond. What was inside had them speechless. It was a narrow pathway, leading to an emerald green canal. At the edge of it, awaited a small boat. The water was shining with bubbles and sparkles, so bright it almost seemed like acid, yet it was clear. Compared to the dark foreboding of the endless room they'd entered from, this one felt refreshing.
"How is this possible? We're under the ocean aren't we?" Leon asked.
She walked forward, examining the walls. Her fingers ran along some grimy cobwebs. She cringed and shook it away violently. "It has to be magic. Extremely powerful to keep this place from being swept under the sea."
The water reflected a shifting light off of the stone walls. When they moved toward it, the door behind them slammed shut. When they turned to look, the door was gone. Nothing left but a blank wall. "You don't suppose the door got lost too?" Katie suggested.
Leon sighed and then chuckled. "Who taught you how to make jokes like that?"
"...You did."
"Gosh, I love you. If we make it out of this alive, we're getting a house."
Katie blushed as he slowly walked toward the boat. "What kind of house?" Katie asked, her eyes turning to the waters. "...Can we have a pet?"
"Hmm... A cottage in a forest would be pretty sweet. Preferably with some sort of lake or overlooking a hill. A cat or a dog would be nice... Are there any sort of fancy animals that are well known in these supposed monster countries?"
Her eyes looked at the water suspiciously. Picking up a rock, she threw it high into the air. They both jumped as a flash of light burst and blew up the rock. "So much for flying over... Guess taking this boat is all we can do. As for a pet... maybe a baby T-Rex or a Velociraptor?"
"First off, how did you know to do that? Second, that's a thing? Fuck it, I'm down."