[A/N: Chapter soundtrack: Fall Out Boy - My Songs Know What You Did In The Dark]
A faint, golden light...
It was the first sign of any source of illumination since their eternity long descent.
"Seems like our luck is turning around, dear brother."
"Indeed." Aybel replied conflicted.
"Hmm... What is it?" Caine asked, seeing his new acquaintance stare off into the space below.
"..."
"The light? I've been searching for a source ever since we started this never-ending fall... On the other hand, it's not like we can see the darkness even with this tiny speck of light, now can we?"
"No... we can't. But still..."
How did I not notice this sooner?
Aybel sighed realizing he had been staring at Caine for long enough to forget about their dark surroundings.
Of course it had been there for a while. Maybe we're falling closer to the center of this Realm.
Turning to face Caine who was falling only a few meters away. As if he hadn't just witnessed some great revelation, Aybel stared blankly at the boy.
It was strange, almost like his vague features had become a bit clearer now.
Definitely taller, dressed in all black, he wore a baggy hoodie and slim-fitted jeans with a pair of sneakers.
He was incredibly lean and more masculine than Aybel yet with similar soft features and a disheveled white hair that seemed to completely cover his eyes.
But what stood out to Aybel the most was the black studded earrings he wore, and what appeared to be a tattoo of a compass rose on the back of his right hand.
Meanwhile, the boy in question spun around, this time in a laid back position, his mouth turned up with an apparent permanent grin slapped across his face.
...His flippant attitude and playful demeanor irritates me. But I have to admire his sense of self-confidence. He's certainly worth keeping around for entertainment.
Then again, his unpredictable nature means that I always have to be on my guard when talking to him... How bothersome. He's also incredibly stubborn, annoying even.
But there's something else about him that's difficult to read... Underneath that messy hair, what exactly is he hiding?
However, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the light slowly increasing in intensity, below him.
Aybel could now make out some details in the gloom that were previously hidden.
Surrounded by an unimaginably wide expanse of space, the two boys plummeted through the air.
The wind howling in their ears, threatening to rip away their clothes.
My, my. This place truly is endless... how can something so vast exist?
Slowly, shapes began to appear in the darkness surrounding him.
Vague structures made of a glossy, white material dominated the skyline, stretching till infinity.
The size of each structure, akin to pillars, dwarfed the tallest skyscraper of any city he'd ever seen.
The faint golden light casted ominous looking shadows on them.
What a strange place this is. Amazing... The sheer scale of it all.
Staring at the towering structures beside him, Aybel thought to himself.
Whoever created these pillars must've been incredibly powerful in order to build something like this.
I think it's fair to assume that we're inside some sort of enormous structure now. But surely, there's more to it than just being some giant, empty space...
Despite being in the midst of all this, the faint light from below, it was hard not to be drawn to it.
As his eyes shifted back to the source of light, although it was difficult to see from the distance, he noticed something different: The light, it's coming from that massive... chandelier?
Indeed it was, seemingly suspended in mid-air, with crystal chains that extended from its base: a luxurious pulsing chandelier.
But how is it floating...?
Soon after, the light rescinded, coating everywhere in darkness once more.
Hmm...
Aybel continued to stare at the source of light as it began to pulse slowly, bathing their immediate surroundings in a renewed, warm glow.
Strange... he mused. It's like someone turned up its brightness, all of a sudden.
"Oh?" Caine, suddenly interested, sat up, staring hard at the light.
"You're right~ It does seem brighter. But that's not possible, is it? Unless..."
We're... No, that's too ridiculous... But there's no mistaking it. I guess in this situation, it's probably a good idea to keep an open mind. Alright.
"Caine, listen closely."
Unaware he had previously thought aloud, with a bend of his finger Aybel gestured at the other boy.
"The light pulses brightly for a few seconds, then fades off for a few more." He began.
"Mhm, like a heartbeat."
"That's... an uncomfortable yet oddly accurate comparison."
"Makes you wonder if this place is alive somehow, huh."
"...I would rather not 'wonder' that. Anyway... as you can see, the light is pulsing again." Aybel pointed at the large ornament floating in the darkness below.
"I think our distance to it is what's affecting the intensity of its light."
"Hmm..." The taller boy rubbed his chin. "That does make some sense. After all, it's not like anything changed on our end."
"Right. We were pretty far away from the light at the start. And as we fall closer to it, it becomes brighter. So that explains why the light was non-existent before..."
"Interesting... But now that we know this, I guess we can take advantage of it, right, right??" Caine chirped, his face filled with a childlike excitement.
Aybel cringed back. "I swear, for someone as old as you, it's like I'm talking to a..." His voice fell off.
I see... She's guilty of that too.
"A what?" Caine asked, cocking his head to the side like a confused puppy.
"You really do have a simple mind in there, don't you?"
"A simple mind?"
"Well, don't bother. But yeah, I suppose we can, theoretically, only if we can control our fall."
"Fascinating..." Caine nodded in approval. "Although, I do wonder how exactly we're supposed to do that in here."
"By using the air currents within the pillars..."
"Hm?"
"You see those cracks and holes in the pillars?" Aybel pointed at an opening in the wall of one of the pillars.
"They're letting out some sort of upward draft." Earlier, he had noticed this while falling.
"So if we can control this draft, then we can use it to guide ourselves to the chandelier."
"Ah, I see. That could work... We just need to find a way to create enough drag."
"Exactly, maybe we can use a piece of our clothes..."
"Hmm... That's a creative solution, I like it..." But suddenly Caine sighed, almost disappointed.
"Alas, It seems we are not just mere free fallers then... Very well. It's your call, brother. I'm game if you say go." He responded, looking at Aybel expectantly.
"I mean, I don't think it's impossible."
It IS technically a viable option. And it's not like I have a choice. This is our best chance of not dying.
However, that doesn't mean there aren't certain aspects of this idea that I find less than appealing.
"Alright. Let's do it then."
Aybel decided, slowly removing his jacket while Caine took a moment to think about the idea again, then suddenly a malicious gleam appeared in his eye.
"Or... we could just take it all off!"
Halting in his tracks, a blank look appeared on Aybel's face as he turned back to Caine.
"Come again?"
"Oh, don't worry, I'm not serious," Caine, waved his hands dismissively in the air.
"As I thought. I am most certainly not getting naked in front of you."
Caine began to laugh at his response, which quickly turned into a coughing fit as his amusement became uncontrollable.
Aybel could see him struggling to catch his breath, but he was still able to mutter some words in between gulps of air.
"I... was only... joking..." He managed to say, his face turning red from the effort of laughing.
Fully recovered from his laughing fit, Caine placed his hands on his hips then he let out a sigh.
"Well, then... I suppose I'm not getting naked, either."
Is it just me or is he disappointed?
"Yeah, let's stick with the original plan." Aybel said cautiously.
"Anyway. I think I know how we can do this now. If we sync how we move with the pulses of the chandelier. We can use it as our guide. The time period between pulses is approximately... ten seconds."
Caine nodded along with his explanation. "Mm... during the period the chandelier doesn't pulsate, we'll be in complete darkness..."
"I'm aware of that. That's why we'll need to rely on our memory of the chandelier's position while it's dark."
"Mm, so what you're saying is that you're going to try and memorize every last detail of this place?"
"If possible, then yes. And as we get closer to the chandelier, the light will get brighter and brighter, making it more difficult to see. So we also have to be careful not to get blinded."
"Amazing... so, it's our literal ally and enemy, our beacon of hope!"
Hope...
"As I was saying, if there is indeed a ground beneath all this... One wrong move, and we're both dead. Do you understand?"
"Well said. I think we know enough now," Caine looked at Aybel that wide grin never leaving his face. "Shall we try?"
"Just don't lose your bearings while we're in between pulses. When the light intensity reaches its peak, that's our cue to jump towards the chains..."
"Ah! One last question! How do you suppose we 'jump' towards the chains?"
"Caine..."
"Hm?" The other boy responded while looking at Aybel with a confident smile.
"Have you ever played leapfrog?"
"Leap what?"
To Be Continued...