Adrian's steps crunched against the snow as he advanced toward the robed figure, each one a declaration of defiance. The eerie silence of the field only amplified the sound, echoing back to him like a taunt. The figure remained still, its glowing teal eyes locked onto Adrian, the swirling tendrils of darkness around it seeming to pulse in time with his pounding heart.
"Where's Vermi?" Adrian demanded, his voice stronger than he felt. "What have you done with him?"
The figure didn't answer immediately, but its eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle movement that sent a wave of dread through Adrian. The robed figure then extended a hand, long and slender, from within its ornate sleeves. A faint glow emanated from its palm, and as the light grew stronger, Adrian saw something taking shape within it.
It was Vermi.
The cat was suspended in the air, floating above the figure's outstretched hand. Vermi seemed unharmed but dazed, his eyes half-closed as if in a deep sleep. Adrian's breath caught in his throat at the sight of his beloved companion, held captive by whatever dark force this was.
"Let him go!" Adrian shouted, his voice cracking with desperation. He took another step forward, but the figure raised its other hand, and Adrian felt an invisible force push him back, hard. He stumbled but managed to stay on his feet, glaring at the figure with a mix of fear and fury.
The figure's voice came again, soft yet resonant, carrying an air of inevitability. "You have crossed into a realm where the rules of your world no longer apply, Adrian. You are here because you were chosen… and because you chose to seek the truth."
"Truth? What truth?" Adrian spat, his fists clenching. He could feel the vine tattoo on his wrist tingling, its glow matching the intensity of the light surrounding Vermi.
"The truth of who you are, and of what you are meant to become," the figure replied. "This mark," it pointed to the glowing vine on Adrian's wrist, "is your key to unlocking that truth. But first, you must prove yourself worthy."
"Worthy?" Adrian echoed, his frustration growing. "I don't care about any of that! Just give me back Vermi!"
The figure seemed to consider him for a moment, its eyes piercing through him as if weighing his very soul. Then, with a slow, deliberate movement, it lowered Vermi to the ground. The cat landed gently in the snow, still dazed but unharmed.
Adrian's relief was short-lived. The figure took a step back, and the ground beneath Vermi began to shift. The snow parted, revealing a dark, gaping chasm that seemed to stretch endlessly into the earth. Vermi wobbled, his tiny paws struggling to find purchase as the ground beneath him gave way.
"No!" Adrian yelled, rushing forward. But the figure raised its hand again, and the force that had pushed him back before now held him in place, invisible chains binding his limbs.
"You cannot save him, not without embracing your destiny," the figure intoned. "The choice is yours, Adrian. Accept what you are meant to be, or watch as those you care for fall into the abyss."
Adrian's mind raced. He had no idea what this "destiny" the figure spoke of was, or what it wanted from him. But the thought of losing Vermi, the only true companion he had ever had, was unbearable. He struggled against the invisible force, his heart pounding in his chest.
The vine tattoo on his wrist burned with a sudden, searing heat, and Adrian cried out in pain. The light from the tattoo grew brighter, the vines seeming to come alive, writhing around his wrist and up his arm like living tendrils.
"What's happening?" Adrian gasped, his vision blurring as the pain intensified. The force holding him in place began to waver, and he felt something else—something within him—stirring, awakening.
"Do you feel it?" the figure's voice was almost a whisper now, its tone laced with a strange mix of anticipation and satisfaction. "The power within you… It is the key to your survival, and to his."
Adrian's vision cleared just enough for him to see Vermi, still teetering on the edge of the chasm. The cat's frightened eyes met his, and something inside Adrian snapped. A surge of energy, unlike anything he had ever felt before, coursed through his veins, radiating out from the tattoo on his wrist.
The force that had been holding him back shattered like glass, and Adrian lunged forward with a speed and strength that surprised even him. His hand shot out, and the vines on his arm extended, growing and twisting in the air as they reached out to Vermi.
The vines wrapped around Vermi's body just as the ground beneath him crumbled away completely. With a swift, powerful tug, Adrian pulled his cat back from the brink, collapsing to the ground as the energy drained from him.
Vermi meowed weakly as Adrian cradled him in his arms, his heart racing with a mix of relief and disbelief. The vines retracted back into the tattoo, leaving only a faint glow behind.
The robed figure watched him silently, the swirling tendrils around it growing darker, more intense. "You have taken the first step, Adrian," it said, its voice filled with a strange reverence. "But your journey is far from over. The path you walk is fraught with peril, but it is also the path to your true power."
Adrian looked up at the figure, his eyes blazing with a newfound determination. "I don't care about your path or your power. I just want Vermi safe, and I want to go home."
The figure tilted its head slightly, as if pondering his words. "Home is not where you think it is. You will understand in time."
Before Adrian could respond, the figure began to fade, the tendrils dissolving into the air like smoke. The chasm in the ground closed up, leaving no trace of the danger that had been there moments before.
Adrian was left alone in the snow-covered field, Vermi safe in his arms but the weight of the figure's words heavy on his mind. He didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was certain: he was no longer just a boy in an abandoned city. He was something more, something that the figure believed was worth testing, worth challenging.
But if that was true, then he would meet those challenges head-on. "I don't even wannaaaa!!!" Adrian complained to Vermi and whatever else.