Halcyon's hand rested above her chest before dropping to her side. She glanced around at the barren, graveyard stretching endlessly… she gazed onto the ruined arounds. As the wind swept through her cloak, pulling at her hair. There were, no more creatures around who were watching nor Nyxirath.
Shouldn't be alot more…as they spend all there times in graveyard born to overseer, the dead keep the graveyard dark.
"This was too simple," she muttered, as she brushed dirt from her clothes. "Should've acted faster. They almost got away… That shouldn't have happened."
She exhaled, her breath misting in the cold air. "Well, one thing's certain… fiends will never look at us the same. We've dropped from eight billion to three. Hunters fight, bleed, die… and still the creatures multiply. Real win for us, huh?"
The thing was she were stronger than most creatures in the past hence now her current weak body… She wasn't. That, despite being associated with the Crimson Organization, Halcyon's origins are tied to human blood.
Her gaze returned to the graveyard, scanning the ruins carefully. The relic was here. It had to be. If the organization hadn't found it when they scoured the area before, then it was buried… hidden beneath rubble, time… maybe the corpse of its owner.
Reaching the Ebonhaven Underworld had taken her months. Each step into its depths had been harder than the last. But something she felt deep in her bones told her the journey wasn't for nothing. She felt a pulsed like it's calling to her… she wasn't going let Nyxirath stop her now.
How has the Ebonhaven Underworld come to be such a place of despair and silence? What ancient forces shaped its creation, and why does it continue to draw those who seek the relics buried within its depths?
Halcyon stepped forward, the air was thick, heavy, filled of lingering spirits. Faint whispers even brushed her ears… murmurs from the long-dead who refused to rest. She was dejected, as she always had the feeling inside her.
Despite, the groan of the rusted gates, half-torn from their hinges, echoed softly behind her.
"Ekk!"
There were the occasional scream of lost souls, and the distant sound of chains dragging across the ground.
"This treasure can't be that hard to find… If it came from human blood, it should respond to me. But I don't know who it's owner is… or how I'm even supposed to find it."
She wasn't a relic hunter, though she came arocss them during her journey's with Lucian and Lazarus.
So as she walked, her gaze was on the tombstone, before it settled on something she didn't seen before… Her brows arched up.
At the center of the graveyard lied a shallow stagnant pond, filled of water that reflected the sky above.
She tapped her, finger against her arm. "That's a weird pool... I've encountered portals like that, but reflections never show up in them." She muttered.
Before she decided, to walk away, she noticed the pool twisted, and distort…? The water in the pool seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, and it shimmers with an unnatural glow.
She didn't know it yet, but this was a Weeping Pool… once meant to honor the dead, now cursed to reflect the deepest regrets of those who linger near. Many who came here never left, it even caused their sorrows to fed the curse.
How many people came here to mourn the dead still? How long has these pools been here? Why are there so many? What are there uses?
The further she walked, the heavier her steps became… That even her thoughts about Lucian crept into her mind.
"Such a dangerous place… and I'm alone." she whispered.
For years, she had been drifting farther from him. Now they reunited for the first time in what felt like ages, she found herself feeling… something. Warmth?
She shook her head. She decided to ignore it as she felt torn… She ignored it in the past and now… As a result.
Why does it hurt more this time? I never wanted to be alone like this again... What do I do now? I wouldn't be in this situation if I'd just listened to Lucian and had him come to. But no, I had to go on my own.
Would Lucian fight harder for Halcyon if he understood how much she is struggling in silence? Does Halcyon feel guilt or regret for pushing Lucian away, or does she justify it as a necessary act in order to survive?
A While Later…
Finally, after several more minutes of wandering, she stopped. Arcoss a dirt ditch was a massive tombstone… no, a structure like a building carved from obsidian stone?
"Here we go," she whispered, tucking away her gear.
She took one last look at the ruins, then stepping forward, into the tombstone, she passed on the stone marking the name, not noticing it named.
The Immortal Oat.
At the same time, above, the green mist that had drifted over the tombstone suddenly rushed inward? Drawn inside.
Inside the tomb, she rubbed her icy hand, from the cold air. Each breath fogged up before her… It had been a long time since she felt cold.
This place is enormous... Who in the world is the real owner of this relic? What kind of person deserves a tombstone like this?
Is Halcyon truly ready to confront the truth about herself, about the relic, and about the Crimson Organization? Will uncovering its secrets give her peace, or will it open new doors to darker truths that she's not prepared for?
As Halcyon walked, for some minutes passing by and reading the countless inticate marks on the dirt stones walls.
"How do these creatures not know about it? I guess they've kept it a secret for centuries, worried it might expose their weakness. But who cares? The Crimson Organization will swoop in and claim it, and then the whole world will be in on the secret."
As she finished spoke, suddenly she halted and cluched her chest. "Whh! Damn it. It's claws are digging deeper with each second… I can't let it win, I won't. My speed may be failing, but I'll make it through." She wiped, her mouth… as blood was on her lips.
During her walk of the tombstone, she took out a small notebook and started writing things down. "If I make it back, I could ask Lucian to decode these symbols... He would've cherished the chance to record them, and I would have relished sharing it with him…"
However, as she finished speaking Lucian name she couldn't help but say. "Lucian and I used to be on good terms... It was just me and him, closer than anyone else. While they both was always off planning, he was a loner at heart… despite being the same. Ha, funny how we both ended up that way."
Then she remembered, why she heard about Lucian did before her departure that made her shiver, even she felt dread about what she could do if she meet back with him.
Crimson... all the bad and good we've done, and now they're here, right beside me and Lucian. I can't help but wonder where it all went wrong... Why can't things be like they used to be? Are we the monsters now, just like the creatures we once fought?.
How has the Crimson Organization's influence shaped the world, and how long can it last? Are they a force for good, or are they merely another part of the decaying system that perpetuates the cycle of violence and despair?
Halcyon shook her head and focused back, so she continued walking until she stumbled upon a three-way path… she felt ominous presence from all around him.
"What a strange place... If I had to guess, one of these paths might lead to my death. Whoever built this had to set traps to keep the creatures away, but I wonder if there's something else hidden here…"
As she spoke, while looking around when she looked up, to the sight of another, weeping pool…. but, why was it upside down? It seemed like another part like portal.
A sense of unease settled over her, though she couldn't pinpoint why.
"Now, I'm able to see throught. Where does it lead. What's that…"
As she spoke, she noticed the water in the suspended pool shimmered, twisting like liquid glass. A shape appeared… a figure cloaked, falling right down at him… before she could move.
The figure crashed down, slamming into her with bone-rattling force.