Cursed Odyssey

Zephyr

*Snap*

…

*Snap*

…

*Snap*

…

*Snap*

…

Flanked by the still soup-drenched guard, we navigated the dim halls still illuminated by flickering lights and lanterns.

The look on his face was quite disgruntled, like he was ready and holding himself back from snapping my neck at any second, yet my eyes wandered elsewhere.

The ceiling, the walls, the cells of other fellow inmates, and across the bars that separated me from the vast hole, and past even that at the other side of the prison where halls spiraled both up and down for as far as my eyes could perceive in the dim orange flicker.

To a normal eye, these halls seemed monotonous, copy-pasted from one another. But to mine, the differences were stark. However, I still needed to see more— I've been keeping a mental note of everything and mapping it in my mind, and it's far from complete…

"Get in, brat!"

As the door cracked open, a frigid blast of air assaulted me, stinging my flesh. Goosebumps ran against my glass skin, and a chill ran down my spine. Instantly, I began to shiver, then looked back up at the guard's shadowy face.

"I SAID GET IN!!" With enough force to nearly pop my shoulder, he shoved me in and locked the door behind me. "Don't die on me okay? Piece of shit…"

Once again, all I saw was darkness… However, this was far from the solitary confinement I found myself sat in prior.

It was slightly more spacious, and the ground made for a better seat as it pricked less against my skin, but the temperature, which felt nearly freezing, was the stark difference. I could feel the cold seeping into my bones.

I took several deep breaths, and calmed my circulation through my meridians, though, it only alleviated the cold slightly.

I needed to explore, but more importantly, now, I needed time alone away from that cell…

After all, it was more than likely that there was a traitor among us. The people that went to see Alton? I had more than enough reason to suspect as much. And out of all my cellmates, I already had my prime suspect… An image flickered in my mind… the one who seemed a little too… perfect.

*CLANK*

An abrupt sound snapped me out of my stupor.

'What was that!?'

Instinctively, I raised my left hand and took a deep breath… I could feel the smoky, chilling mist strike against my hand, as I projected my arcane energy outward…

'Temporal Echo…'

The room around me shimmered faintly. The darkness peeled back, replaced by rough outlines of shadowy white mist. The echo shimmered into existence, and whispers of the past few moments replayed before my eyes.

My pupils darted frantically, from ahead, side to side, above, below, then finally behind… Where I saw it—

'W—what…'

It was a mountain… a mountain of obscure thick dark shadows of abnormal consistency, it's colour sickening, as though composed of a miasma of filth I could almost taste. It was unlike anything my temporal echo had ever shown me.

"Almost complete… Kill and throw him in with the rest…"

Below, stark against that mountain, were three white shadowy figures around the same height— clearly human outlines.

"... Huh!?"

Something flew out from one of the figures and struck the outline of the wall—

*CLANK*

Then—

"AHHHH—"

There, the echo abruptly stopped…

*SNAP*

I snapped, again Immediately, again and again, yet no matter how hard I tried, I could not activate it. My energy reserves were too low and depleted from overuse.

I slammed my head against the wall and strained my ears and tried to listen, but I did not hear anything no matter how hard I tried. Behind this wall lay another room, and that room must have had some sort of sound-cancelling effect that my temporal echo seemed to bypass.

Giving up on my futile attempts, I began to process what I just saw. Then, it all clicked—

No… Arthur's words… My eyebrows furrowed slightly, 'It seems like time is really running out… I must prepare…'

The reality of the existence of this prison had finally started to become clearer. It was more like an ever-tightening noose around my neck.

Slowly, this puzzle was piecing itself together piece by piece.

I took a deep breath. Gradually, I laid my head back onto the wall, and began whispering to myself in the darkness…

*Snap* *Snap*

__________________________

Day 10:

The next morning came like a flash, and once again, all were forced to go back to the tedium of the mines. The dull clink of pickaxes against rock filled the cavernous space, a rhythmic backdrop to their thoughts.

Though reduced, the grim atmosphere remained, tense and seemingly all-enveloping.

This was true for nearly all, except for the particularly unique case of a single boy…

"Heyyyyy!! Arthur Look!" Gwynn smiled, pointing towards the entrance of the mines, as a lone figure strode in, "Zephyr's back!!"

"Damn… He's not looking too good… Wasn't the smartest thing he did last night eh, Arthur?" He chuckled.

"Arthur?" He asked once again, taking a slight glance.

"Oh yeah… What an idiot…" Arthur finally responded.

"Cheer up! Flynn would definitely make fun of you if he saw you like this!"

"Huh… I suppose so… I really wish I had your energy Gwynn…" Arthur put on a smile then laughed.

*CLANK*

"That's the spirit!" Gwynn beamed, attacking the crystals with renewed vigour.

Again, he glanced at the entrance. Zephyr had grabbed an empty wheelbarrow and began making his way deeper into the vast mine. It was then that Skylar suddenly, yet nervously rushed toward him. For a few seconds, they talked, before they parted ways with her reluctantly pointing towards Rayah's location.

"What's up between those two?" Gwynn thought out loud.

"No clue…" Arthur's disinterest was as thick as the mine dust.

"Think it'd be a good idea to stack up on crystals, then try and break my anklet with a rock… Use the hidden crystals as an energy source then force my way out!?"

"Possibly the worst Idea I've ever heard…" Arthur deadpanned.

"Yeah, I suppose…" A nervous laugh escaped Gwynn— Another brilliant scheme yet again crushed.

"Well—"

His heart halted—

…

t h e a i r f r o z e.

…

"…escape while you can…"

"…don't let them take you…"

"…they never let you leave…"

Voices, sweet as morning dew, and soft as silk whispered a chilling tingle in his ears…

Gwynn gulped as time seemed to resume its normal flow. "Did— did you hear that!?" He looked at Arthur with eyes aghast.

"Hear what?" Arthur raised an eyebrow…"

"You didn't hear that—"

"…you can change this…"

"…fight back…"

"… I a m w i t h y o u …"

"There it is again!!" Gwynn's hands trembled and looked at Arthur's confused mug. "No way you didn't hear it this time…"

"...twin tails…"

"... time is running out…"

"... 10 sparks remain…"

"THERE IT IS AGAIN!! Arthur did you—"

"It's faint… but I think I heard it…" Arthur gulped, sweat trickling down his visage.

"SEE!! Do you have any idea what those words mean?! Who is it?"

"I… have no clue…" Arthur responded.

"HEY ZEPHYR!!" Gwynn shouted at the passing boy. "Did you hear that!?"

Joseph's head snapped, startled by the sudden voice. "Yeah... I did."

There was a flicker of apprehension in his red eyes as he answered.

"So, it's not just us…" Gwynn leaned in closer towards Joseph.

"Sorry, I don't really have much time to speak. I have to go to the other side of the mines and help Rayah before she eats me alive… " He turned and quickened his pace, words tumbling out in a rush.

"Good luck! Let me know if you hear anything more after!" Gwynn waved, almost whacking himself in the face with his pickaxe.

Gwynn was jittery as ever, his tone and mannerisms switching on a dime.

"Arthur… Do you think that was the voice of a demi-god or something…"

"I'm not sure…"

"Well, what else could it have been!?"

"I don't know…"

"Do you even care Arthur!?"

"I promise I do… It's just I really don't know what to think…"

"How about you Skylar!?"

"EEEKK" She jumped up in surprise from behind a rock… "H—how did you know I was here?"

"I can recognize your footsteps from a mile away! So did you hear it…"

She gave a small, trembling nod, "Well, yes… I did… It's… I don't know…" she swallowed, words tripping over themselves. "But sorry, I really have to go… bye!" She waddled off into the distance, hiding her face.

"What's got her in such a mood?" Gwynn shook his head.

Arthur and Gwynn exchanged puzzled looks as Skylar hurried away.

…

*...Snap…*

…

*...Snap…*

…

*...Snap…*

…

*...Snap…*

…

As Joseph made his way to the other side, he found Samsara mining in his stead assisting Rayah, just as they agreed upon.

They exchanged a few words, Rayah scolded and beat him for the inconvenience as he expected, before he switched places with Samsara, mining for Rayah in her to fill her barrow.

As he mined, Joseph kept his ears peeled.

"Bro… What the hell was that…"

"Why do you keep looking over your shoulders?"

"I don't know… I just got the chills… First someone dies, and then this!?"

"Calm yourself, it's probably nothing. Or some sick prank from the warden."

"But what if it's some all powerful spirit? Or even a Demi-God!? It said it can help us escape so—"

"Yeah yeah, nice imagination, now keep mining and keep your mouth shut before a guard gets the wrong idea…"

Those odd words within the mines did not go unnoticed.

As the day wore on, the whispers among the prisoners grew in intensity, though quietly, wary of the ever-present guards. Though not all heard these otherworldly whispers, enough did for it not to be a mere rumour. The cryptic messages seemed to have touched a nerve, sparking both hope and fear. Some clung to the belief that the voices promised escape, others feared retribution for even contemplating such a thing.

Unlike most, Rayah seemed to be in her own world— she heard all those whispers, but she seemed not to care in the slightest. As soon as her quota was met, she wasted no time leaving the mines to go back to the cell.

To Joseph, it was like she lived her day-by-day like awaiting an unknown, yet inevitable countdown to end. The more the days passed, the more hollow she became.

The day soon ended. As the mines emptied and Joseph trudged back to his cell in the dim halls, hands bound in clinking long, connecting chains with Samsara and others, watched by a lone guard.

It was then, they stopped, as one of them abruptly spoke—

"Sir, would it be possible to go pee?"

It was Joseph's voice.

"Pee? Now? Why didn't you do it before!?"

"I don't know sir! It just came and I—"

"Yeah yeah whatever… Just don't take too long…"

"Thank you!" Joseph's bound hands fumbled as he darted to a shadowed corner. The urgent splash against rock was embarrassingly clear in the silence. Then, thirty seconds later, a hurried return to the group, the chains rattling as they resumed their march.

_______

"DID YOU GUYS HEAR THE VOICES!?"

That night, an odd energy crackled around Gwynn. Every breath he drew, without exception, was related to the 'voices', and all attempts from his cellmates to hush him fell on deaf ears as he endlessly continued.

"I went around after and asked a bunch of other people! A lot of them heard it! And—"

Joseph looked around… All his cellmates, barring the sleeping Rayah, had a perplexed look upon their visage from what they had heard, but none were as overt about it as Gwynn.

As the night progressed, silence drew over them— even Gwynn's boundless energy was swept by exhaustion.

They all held their bowls of soup and sat against the walls, trying to gulp it down.

"Ten…"

"Ten…"

*Snap*

"Ten…"

"Ten…"

Joseph began muttering and looking at the ceiling. Arthur's eyebrows raised, as he leaned in and asked with a blank look on his face.

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Ten sparks remain… That voice said that… Do you have any idea what that means?"

For an instant, Arthur's eyes flickered, before he sighed and shrugged.

"How in the world would I know?"

"Yeah… Sorry… stupid question…" Joseph smiled, then looked down at his half-filled bowl of salt.

He took a gulp, gagged slightly, and then threw it once again against the cell's center bars. And just as it happened last time, it splashed on another unsuspecting guard patrolling, and he was forced away once again into solitary confinement.

"Again? This can't be an accident, right? Did Zephyr go crazy after what Rayah did to him the other day?" Gwynn's voice was hushed.

"His actions… They're manic, but why do I feel like he's not crazy?" Arthur chewed his lip.

"Well, he's gonna get himself tortured or killed if he keeps this up…" Gwynn muttered.

"After the warning the warden gave to not touch our cell, I honestly doubt it…" He pondered aloud. "But if he's doing this on purpose, how far is he willing to push the limits? If he's not snapped into insanity, for what purpose?" He took a glance over towards the silent Samsara peeking from the shadows. "Do you know?" He paused, letting the words hang in the air, "I've seen you two together more often lately… Didn't take you for the talkative type at all…"

This was the first exchange between them since entering this prison. There was a long, unnerving silence as they bore down on each other.

It felt like an eternity before finally, she responded, her tone as cold and cutting as a winter gale.

"It's none of your concern, Valentine. I am simply using him for my own benefit… If you have a problem with that, you're more than welcome to try…"

"No, that's quite alright. Do as you please," Arthur shrugged, then looked towards Skylar who had her head tucked within her legs.

"And you Skylar?"

"Hm?" She slowly peeked up slightly.

"Do you think Zephyr has gone mad?"

"How should I know…" Her voice was monotone, "We haven't talked for days…"

"I see…"

"Ah…." Arthur let out a long breath.

He felt sudden drowsiness in his eyes as he leaned back and looked up towards the ceiling.

Twin tails… 10 sparks… Those words replayed in his head. 'If only I was earlier… If only your birthday was slightly later Flynn…'