I don't think my body was still entirely ready for what was on the other side of the portal but we all wanted to investigate. Right as my foot stepped through, I felt the intense cold of something soft. The area was completely covered in snow. Although the temperature dropped to a severe level, it wasn't the sheer coldness of Modus. This was the climate that all magic users were trained to survive. The gauntlet stopped producing it's mysterious light the moment I had fully stepped through the portal. I took a strong deep breath to make sure my temperature was controlled then took a knee to analyze.
Scouting around, this area was clearly on a mountain top with several edges and cliffs. Perhaps I didn't know this planet all too well to notice a snowy mountain. This was beyond what we were supposed to investigate. If the Platform knew where I was then they could even consider this abandonment. It didn't help that Nex doesn't even know. He's going to completely be enraged when he wakes up that I'm not there anymore. With just as much efficiency as I thought, the object that Eliza had placed on my ear started to ring with her voice pushing through almost like cognitive magic.
Eliza: Arc, do you read me?
Arc: Loud and clear. What is this peculiar device?
Eliza: It's a long range communication device. It's used by our species but this one is special. Unlike the ones that are at home, this one has a range that spans the entire planet.
Arc: How did you do that?
Eliza: My robots of course. This is what we established on this planet to make sure we knew where was a good place to set up constructions that didn't have bad electric fields or faults. Now I'm using it to listen to whatever it is that is happening with you. I've geo locked onto you with my computer.
Arc: Where am I?
Eliza: All the way up north. Millions and millions of miles away from Talos. What happened? I barely saw what was happening.
Arc: I'll explain later. Right now, I need to investigate why the portal opened here of all places.
Eliza: Alright then, I'll be here to listen
There was no path whatsoever, everything was being pelted with mounds of snow, and I didn't have a good sense of direction because of the portal. Just as I was about to make a move, there was a huge storm like noise coming. Before I could mentally react, my body ran towards the trench in front of me. My training suddenly just kicked in and as I looked up, a torrent of snow stormed through! A blast of loud crashing was all I could hear while I tucked myself into the trench. Looks like it's not a particularly good day to be here.
A few more seconds passed till I could finally grip myself out of the trench and towards where the torrent came from. A path towards something is better than nothing. Walking through this snow was no easy feat even for people like us. Work is work and it never changes. Though it is harder than usual with my body still trying to recover. It's almost comical to me that I was the one that wanted this in the first place.
Dredging towards the peak of the mountain, my feet could barely move as fast as I wanted it to. The snow was getting deeper and deeper. I could barely see as the storm started to manifest an even greater blizzard.
Eliza: How are you doing, Arc? Give me a sitrep.
Arc: It's cold.
Eliza: That's it?
Arc: It's a mountain, Eliza. There's nothing much here besides the cold. If there was something else out here then I would've said something by now.
Eliza: Sorry, this is just something new to me. I haven't even begun to wrap my head around what Peter could be doing.
Arc: And that's why we're here aren't we?
Eliza: I didn't want to drag you into this. You're still a child after all.
Arc: I think that's long gone already, Eliza. I'm a soldier. You didn't even hesitate when you saw me curious about the portal.
Eliza: Again, I'm sorry.
Arc: Don't be, this has something to do with the Platform anyway.
Eliza: Will you resent me?
Arc: No, I won't.
Eliza: Why?
Arc: Because I'm a soldier. It's what I'm made to do. Follow orders. Like it or not, this is who we are, Eliza. Even Nex. The faster you understand that the better.
Eliza: It's still hard… You too look far too young not to…
Arc: The earlier the better.
Just as I was starting to feel another torrent coming, I heard something from a distance. This noise wasn't something like snow crashing. Before I could even look at it, another blizzard was about to crash. I began to fuel up my surge and see if I could control this snow to tear itself apart. However, just as I was about to finish up. Someone had grabbed me by the back causing me to fall down a trench. Instinctively, I tucked my head down and heard the hard crashing above me!
Eliza: Arc! Arc! Do you read me? That sounded even deadlier than the other crash!
Arc: I'm good. But what the hell?
As I opened my eyes, something or rather someone was in front of me. This was an odd one. A person here in the snow? Though what was more strange was a feature of the person. Their eyes were glowing a distinct color. However, this color wasn't something that I could describe yet I could. Curiosity. Strange how that comes to mind. The person let go of my garments then moved back to another part of the trench to make some space.
Their figure was slender and clearly looked a bit more feminine. I could barely make out what this person looked like because they were wearing some kind of poncho or cape and hood to cover their body. Eventually they removed their brown leather mask that seemed connected to their outfit. It looked to be a girl indeed. The blasting sounds of the air above us made it feel strange. This isn't my first time seeing a local that's curious about us. She held out her hand, reaching to my face. Her eyes changed colors to a dark blue.
Girl: It really is you…
Arc: Huh? What are you talking about?
Olley: Oh right… I'm Olley.
Arc: What did you mean that it's really me?
Olley: Sorry, I didn't mean anything by that. I just thought it was someone that I knew a long long time ago.
Arc: Strange.
Olley: I know right! What kind of weird coincidence would that be!
Arc: Thanks for the assis back there. I didn't want to have to face that blizzard head on there.
Olley: I thought you would've handled that but I just didn't want to leave it to chance.
Arc: How would you know?
Olley: You look strong. But blizzards are scary y'know!
Arc: I don't usually talk to locals but I'm Arc. 24th Arc of the Platform.
I reached out to give out a handshake but the girl looked a bit reluctant. However, eventually she did reach out to shake it. Must be weird for her to see someone here in the snow. Though I guess I could use her if she knows a way around the area. Though it is still quite astounding to see someone with not even gear to be up here in the cold. She was only wearing a brown poncho, a hood, and a mask. It could also mean that she could be trained herself. I held the gauntlet up, it was getting cold. The metal would erode if I stayed out here.
Arc: Hey, do you know anything about this area? Is there someplace we could go to? I need to get out of this snow.
Olley: I know a perfect place! Though you're going to have to keep it a secret.
Arc: Why?
Olley: Just keep it a secret, okay?
Arc: I don't trust this.
Olley: You can trust that I saved you from the blizzard.
Arc: I guess… Where is this place then?
Olley: Just a bit further up the mountain. It's a facility.
Arc: A facility!?
Olley: It's abandoned by the owners a long time ago. I've been using it as a hideout here in the snow.
Arc: You're not a fugitive are you?
Olley: Don't think so.
Arc: Then what are you? Why were you here in the first place?
Olley: Call it a coincidence. I just want to help.
Arc: Alright then… Lead the way. Eliza, keep tabs on me. I think we might have found a point of interest.
Eliza: Roger that. Be careful.
Olley: We'll get going once this blizzard subsides. Until then, let's just try to calm down…
What a strange person. Minutes have finally passed and the woman named Olley wore her mask then trotted up with me following closely. She seemed to have some kind of vision to know where to go as she moved through the snow with confidence. I could barely keep up with her till eventually after minutes of walking we made it to the facility that she spoke of. Standing from the outside, I could barely make out the shape because of the dense snow. The place was designed to camo through the snow to avoid detection. If I went alone searching for this, I'd be lost without a doubt. The only thing visible about this place were the dark tinted windows that piqued my curiosity.
Almost to memorization, Olley led the way to a black metal door with locking mechanisms riddled with snow. It wasn't locked as she just pried it open then hurried inside. My senses were still a bit dulled but there didn't seem to be some kind of danger inside. The moment I placed myself inside, the insulation warmed me up. There was nothing inside the first room but the remaining metal desks of what appears to be desks or devices. The ceilings were low enough for me to jump and reach but never did try. Despite the warmth, there was a certain coldness in the air. Following Olley to the other rooms, this place was indeed abandoned by whatever it was in here.
There were broken beakers, rotten pieces of papers from files, and even small corpses of small animals. Not even the rodents could survive this winter. We made our way to the hallway that had a view of the mountain range then sat down by a makeshift fire. The hallway had nothing but broken glass and debris that created an uneasy atmosphere. What the hell happened here. The metal walls only made things more disturbing. At the end of the hallway was a door that had been barricaded with numerous items. As Olley began to start a fire, she grabbed my hand to prevent me from venturing to the door.
Olley: That place is off limits.
Arc: Why?
As I looked at her, her eyes were sharp and for the first time felt as if I couldn't win against someone. What was this overwhelming feeling? I tried to make her let go of my hand and eventually she did. That sharp expression didn't look like a joke or anything of that nature. To calm the tension, I sat opposite of the fire with my eyes on the door.
Olley: It's off limits. Don't even bother.
Arc: But why?
Olley: There's something beyond that door that we don't want to unleash onto the world.
Arc: A creature?
Olley: Of sorts.
Arc: I don't quite understand.
Olley: You don't need to.
Arc: …
Olley: So tell me, Arc. What have you been doing in this snow?
Her expression finally lightened up, almost like the one from earlier. This woman sure is some kind of double faced creature. Though I didn't want to feel that aura from her again. I better give her some answers that she would want. Tucking in my legs, I let out a deep sigh.
Arc: Searching. Not sure what yet but even so it's a bit confidential.
Olley: It has something to do with spatial magic isn't it?
Arc: How the-
Olley: It may not look like it but I know something about magic. Though not without a price. This place has been tarnished with that kind of magic.
Without any other words exchanged, she took off her hood revealing all of her. Olley had long pink hair but something was wrong. There was almost like a static consistency around it or rather imbued into it. Curiosity filled my system as she pulled up her hoodie once again, covering the mysterious anomaly around her.
Olley: You might not know it but the path towards spatial magic isn't something to just jump into.
Arc: You Adamian?
Olley: No… I'm not. Far from it. I belong to this planet. Plaux…
Arc: Then how could you possibly.
Olley: Listen! We don't have much time. Just listen, please. I know you're not the type to listen to people Arc but just listen to me. I know there's not a lot of facts that I could give you to make you trust whatever I have to say. But I have to try. I need to…
Arc: …
Olley: Thank you…
Her face changed. Deep sorrow. I know that I shouldn't trust a local but something about her was different. There were just too many things going on, all I want are answers. Maybe this was the step in the right direction. Her smile made things even more unnerving. This coldness in the air was different. The snow from the outside rattled through the hallways.
Olley: Things are going to change. But there'll be some good moments along the way. I'll be happy to know that what's coming your way is going to be something else. Spatial magic allows people to have these moments like some kind of sick joke. Sometimes I wished it was easy to adjust the chaos theory but that would be obviously stupid. Here you go, this is what you need.
She reached over to hand over what seemed to be a black chip. Though the weight felt massively deceptive to its size. I had no clue what I was holding in truth. She stood up from her side of the fire then moved towards the blocked door. Getting up to follow her, she stopped me one more time.
Olley: This was a pleasure, seeing you again, Seth.
Arc: Seth?
She moved towards me slowly with pain in her eyes then reached for the gauntlet. With a single touch the item reacted violently causing the item to produce the same energy as before. What the hell was going on!?
Olley: Spatial magic is dangerous, Arc. I'll see you again.
Arc: WAIT! What is this for? What the hell is going on! You have to tell me!
Before I could reach out to her, the portal opened in front of me. I was already sprinting towards Olley that my momentum pushed me forward. Before I even realized it, I was back at the kitchen again with Eliza on the table with her computer. Her face stoic. I held out my hand back to reach the portal behind me but it was far too late. Olley on the other side smiled as the portal closed. Looking at my hand, the gauntlet began to break apart with several of its pieces now cracking open including it's core. Reactively, I took it off, as its metal clanged on the floor, the item broke. Eliza rushed over to me then saw the gauntlet.
Eliza: What an experience.
Arc: Did you know any of this would happen?
Eliza: Not a single clue.
Arc: Then what just happened!
Eliza: I wish I knew but what we do know something.
Arc: And what is that?
Eliza: What Peter is clearly working on. This is just a prototype.
Arc: Spatial technology… Never thought it would be possible. Did you hear everything?
Eliza: Not entirely, once you entered the facility, there was nothing but static,
Arc: Figured. We got some answers at least. Though I got more questions than ever. What the hell is even on this [lanet?
Clutching the black chip, I felt more confused than ever before. One thing at a time. Eliza, brought over some blankets to cover me but I was somewhere else to notice anything. As she tapped on her computer, I sat there thinking it over again.