*Tap* *Badump* *Tap* *Badump*
Atlas's heart beat everytime he took a step. Unknowingly to him, he was closing in towards the edge of the building. But right now, there was nothing more he wanted than to go down there and touch the Acacia, his mind too preocupied with the voices that were calling his name to fear. Akin to sweet nothings on a hot summer night, the voices had him bewitched.
But before he could even jump down, something obscured his vision and hugged his face. Then a sudden bout of coolness filled his mind.
- Wake up! - a similar voice to the one calling him on the ground vocalised behind him - Atlas.....That is....no good...
- Chorus? How....But you... - Atlas pointed in front of him.
Chorus shook from side to side before answering with the same words as before - No....good....That down.... there.... dangerous.....
Atlas did not need to ask why it was so. Looking upon the Acacia, he was once again filled with a sense of familiarity and belonging. Danger was a sentiment far removed from the "Acacia" in front of him, but it was this that made it dangerous.
Another bout of coolness travelled from the object hiding his face - the wooden mask that he had previously lost to the sudden wind pressure created from the falling "Acacia's" debris. It wasn't until he felt its pronouced ridges with his fingers and his mouth took a deep breath was he able to quell the trembling in his hands, for he understood that he had almost been bewitched again.
*Badump* *Badump*
Atlas took another picture with the camera in his hands, making sure he didn't look at the creature in front of him more than he needed to, before turning around to leave.
Yes, creature, for whatever it was, Atlas believed it to be sentient and to be alive. Otherwise, what was it that was calling his name now? No more importantly, how did it know to call this name?
- Atlas.... Atlas..... Don't go.... please..... - Its voice becoming even more pleading and obsessive the larger the distance he put between them was.
Then, a third time.
*Badump* *Badump*
Atlas cursed as a chilling sensation travelled from his head to his torso and all the way to his toes, calming the unsettiling rhythm of his beating heart.
Atlas nodded towards Chorus, a silent thanks that the latter appreciated dearly as implied by the manner in which it hovered around Atlas all the way to the outside of the capital.
To steer his mind away as he escaped to the outside of the dome, he analysed the events of the last few days.
Like others before it in the outer ring of the Empire of Litae, Duskae had fallen suddenly, the reason being a malfunction of the functions of the Tree of Life. But no sane person could think of something like that being a possibility
- "The Acacia in this place is nothing but one of the roots of the original one" - it was common knowledge that apart from the one in the most holiest of places in the inner rings, all the ones in Domes were all but its roots and this Acacia had been in great health the last time Atlas laid his eyes upon it.
Which begs the question: How was Nochae and the other Domes breached?
- "Was is parasitized perhaps?" - It was a thought that occured to him after remembeing the golden tree that had replaced the root of the Acacia. - "But even then, the question of how remains...."
"So many questions and none of the answers. Anyways, let's just hope that the photos taken are enough to spur them into action"" - he thought before crossing the Dome's pristine and immaculate open gates and into the depths beyond it. To the place known as the forest of Quanta.
***
A figure observed Atlas from the high walls of the capital of Nochae; remaining unmoving until the former's figure dissapeared into the horizon. It was only after it made sure that Atlas was not returning did it spur into action - starting by fixing the collar of its esmokin.
But it did not stop there for after doing so, it moved down to other areas of its apparel - smoothing down its impeccably tailoured jacket and straightening its crisp white gloves; every line and crease in exact order before he went to meet the lady.
The figure looked around it, before its gaze stopped at the space in front, the latter holding nothing more than air.
The capital's walls stood at a staggering 20 metres in height yet it did not hesitate to walk across the edge. But just as the figure was about to fall into the nothigness beyond, the space around it trembled, a peculiar but familiar feeling engulfing its body. Then, after less than it took one to blink, it found itself back in front of the golden Acacia.
*Tap* *Tap* *Tap*
It walked forward slowly and unhurriedly, taking care not to step into any of the moonflowers - it knew how much she cared for them - before deeply bowing down.
As if awaiting him, a small vortex appeared in the centre of the golden Acacia. After a beat, it started sucking in some of the surrounding light.
Piece by piece it pooled into a shape, forming a figure woven from threads of pure light. Slowly, it was taking on depth and substance, the light condensing into flesh and skin. The hair, like strands of silken starlight, shimmered with a pure soft glow akin to moonlight before settling naturally. Then with a final faint ripple, the figure stood, wholly human.
The figure in a esmokin then slowly approached the being that had been created by light with a cloak in hand. It draped it around the figure of the latter, in the form of a young woman in her late teens to early twenties, hiding her previously bare flesh.
- Kaelor va'reth, kalan Mara - the figure said with a ghastly voice after bowing in front of her once more.
The cloaked woman opened her mouth and let out a series of scales in response, each note rising slightly higher, the tones sliding smoothly like steps up a winding staircase.
After a some continous coughs, she then said - Speak in human tongue Siegfried. We will be entering a human settlemet after this. Practice while we still can as any errors will not be tolerated.
- Understood, your highness. - he hissed as the blue fires he had for eyes flickered with intensity.
The woman, who the monster known as Siegfried addresed as your highness, observed the latter, the intensity in her gaze showing her intent - Understood, your highness - he answered after understanding, but different from last time with a shallower and more controlled voice; still, a faint twitch in his cheek betrayed the storm simmering beneath his facade.
Her senses were keen, so she felt the faint ripples within him yet she decided to ignore them. She of all people understood that this was a tall order, even more so for him, thus she decided to move on.
The golden Acacia behind her pulsated with vitality. It brought a faint smile to her otherwise aloof face. But even that was short lived for after she touched it she felt a hint of grief.
Why would that be? She wondered.
- Did something happen while I was not here? - she asked Siegfried.
- Nothing of importance - then a thought occured to him. It was a minor occurence, but something that might interest her highness nonetheless. - A human male was here a moment ago. Took pictures of everything around with an old camera before leaving.....
The woman raised an eyebrow as she asked - And you didn't catch him?
After a slight silence, Siegfried answered - I couldn't catch him.... Much less see him. If I had to describe it. It was as if the fog was hiding his very presence.
The woman embraced the tree, gently caressing it while humming a soothing, comforting tone - like she was soothing a crying child - while she was listening to Siegfried. But after his last words, a gentle spark danced across her skin, making her motions stop.
- Could you... elaborate? - she asked, her voice careful and measured and laced with a barely noticeable hint of hesitance, a hint of fragility.