Night of the 25th of spring, 520 AV
She was walking down a long, white hallway; the floor was marble, cool beneath her bare feet as she walked noiselessly. The walls and even ceiling were marble as well, the ceiling arching far above her. If she looked up, she could see twinkling crystal chandeliers, catching the light and throwing off prisms of rainbows along the pale walls.
The walls had high, arched windows, but when she looked through them, all she could see was an endless expanse of clouds, tinted pink and orange by an invisible sunset. Why was she here? She couldn't remember.
There were a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway, so Aster kept walking. The hallway was light and airy with silence; it felt like a wisp of cloud rather than a thick and oppressive fog. As Aster continued to walk along the marble floor, her gaze was drown to the left.
Up ahead, embedded into the wall, was a door. It was made of stone as well, but the glossy black of it contrasted the pale hallway so greatly Asterope wondered how she hadn't seen it before this moment.
She drew closer, moving towards the door as if drawn by a magnetic pull. Standing in front of it, she could see her own wide-eyed, startled expression staring back at her from the polished jet black marble. Her hand reached for the stone knob hesitantly; her fingertips brushed it, and with a grating sound that echoed and reverberated down the whole hallway, the stone door swung inwards.
The room behind it was a void of blackness, but it felt familiar. Aster stepped inside, and the door shut behind her with a loud thud, the echo of it more echoed inside the dark room. A moment later, a hanging lamp on the ceiling flickered to life, the flame casting wavering shadows as the lamp swung gently.
Aster recognized the room she was in. It was small, or perhaps infinite; she couldn't see anything past the light that encircled the main two components of the room, a rickety set of shelves and a bubbling cauldron. The light faded past that, fading into an impenetrable darkness.
She knew what to do. The cauldron bubbled quietly, smoke drifting from it and falling thickly to the floor, swirling around her ankles; she could see the shimmering of the multicoloured liquid within it from where she stood. The opening of the cauldron gaped at her, a hungry maw waiting for sacrifice.
Aster approached the set of shelves. As it had been last time, it was filled with all manner of strange and wonderful and grotesque items. But one shelf in particular caught her eye; it was a shelf full of most of the few items she owned. It mimicked the small set of knickknacks she had in her room at the inn; the handful of sea glass from Imogen, the cat skull from Jala, a white dove's feather that she'd found walking around the Outpost, and a sunflower she'd bought. Her dagger was there, too, the curves of the flametongue blade glinting in the flickering light.
Grabbing a cloth off one of the other shelves to serve as a makeshift bag, Aster plucked a single piece of pink sea glass along with the other items from the shelf; the feather, the skull, the flower, and the dagger were all bundled up with the sea glass. Content with her choices, Aster walked over to the cauldron.
One at a time, the items went in. First she dropped the feather in; it floated on the surface for a moment before being sucked into the liquid. The sunflower followed, slowly swallowed up, and then the cat skull, plunking gently into the cauldron's brew. The sea glass sank immediately, and lastly, Aster gently slipped the dagger into the shimmering liquid, watching it disappear beneath the shifting colours.
The cauldron bubbled fiercely, the smoke billowing more thickly, and Aster took a step back as she waited for it to stop. Gradually, it slowed, and the liquid in the cauldron seemed to drain slowly before finally it was empty. Peering inside, Aster's brow furrowed. She could barely make out the items at the bottom; they were semi-translucent...ovals? There were ten of them, if she counted carefully. Reaching in, Aster plucked them out one by one and slipped them into her pocket. She could examine them further when she left, but for now, she was done in the room and with the cauldron.
The stone door grated open behind her, agreeing with her. Aster straightened up, making sure she had all ten little delicate ovals in her pocket, and left the room. The door shut with a boom behind her. Back out in the hallway, all of the chandeliers had gone out, leaving the white expanse shadowy and dim.
It made the back of her neck prickle. Wrapping her arms around her torso, Aster hurried down the rest of the hallway towards the double doors at the end. When she heard echoing footsteps coming from behind her, she didn't dare look back; instead, she broke into a sprint, her bare feet still silent on the now icy cold floor. She threw her hands out in front of her, shoving the doors open as she bodily hit them.
The walls had high, arched windows, but when she looked through them, all she could see was an endless expanse of clouds, tinted pink and orange by an invisible sunset. Why was she here? She couldn't remember.
There were a large set of double doors at the end of the hallway, so Aster kept walking. The hallway was light and airy with silence; it felt like a wisp of cloud rather than a thick and oppressive fog. As Aster continued to walk along the marble floor, her gaze was drown to the left.
Up ahead, embedded into the wall, was a door. It was made of stone as well, but the glossy black of it contrasted the pale hallway so greatly Asterope wondered how she hadn't seen it before this moment.
She drew closer, moving towards the door as if drawn by a magnetic pull. Standing in front of it, she could see her own wide-eyed, startled expression staring back at her from the polished jet black marble. Her hand reached for the stone knob hesitantly; her fingertips brushed it, and with a grating sound that echoed and reverberated down the whole hallway, the stone door swung inwards.
The room behind it was a void of blackness, but it felt familiar. Aster stepped inside, and the door shut behind her with a loud thud, the echo of it more echoed inside the dark room. A moment later, a hanging lamp on the ceiling flickered to life, the flame casting wavering shadows as the lamp swung gently.
Aster recognized the room she was in. It was small, or perhaps infinite; she couldn't see anything past the light that encircled the main two components of the room, a rickety set of shelves and a bubbling cauldron. The light faded past that, fading into an impenetrable darkness.
She knew what to do. The cauldron bubbled quietly, smoke drifting from it and falling thickly to the floor, swirling around her ankles; she could see the shimmering of the multicoloured liquid within it from where she stood. The opening of the cauldron gaped at her, a hungry maw waiting for sacrifice.
Aster approached the set of shelves. As it had been last time, it was filled with all manner of strange and wonderful and grotesque items. But one shelf in particular caught her eye; it was a shelf full of most of the few items she owned. It mimicked the small set of knickknacks she had in her room at the inn; the handful of sea glass from Imogen, the cat skull from Jala, a white dove's feather that she'd found walking around the Outpost, and a sunflower she'd bought. Her dagger was there, too, the curves of the flametongue blade glinting in the flickering light.
Grabbing a cloth off one of the other shelves to serve as a makeshift bag, Aster plucked a single piece of pink sea glass along with the other items from the shelf; the feather, the skull, the flower, and the dagger were all bundled up with the sea glass. Content with her choices, Aster walked over to the cauldron.
One at a time, the items went in. First she dropped the feather in; it floated on the surface for a moment before being sucked into the liquid. The sunflower followed, slowly swallowed up, and then the cat skull, plunking gently into the cauldron's brew. The sea glass sank immediately, and lastly, Aster gently slipped the dagger into the shimmering liquid, watching it disappear beneath the shifting colours.
The cauldron bubbled fiercely, the smoke billowing more thickly, and Aster took a step back as she waited for it to stop. Gradually, it slowed, and the liquid in the cauldron seemed to drain slowly before finally it was empty. Peering inside, Aster's brow furrowed. She could barely make out the items at the bottom; they were semi-translucent...ovals? There were ten of them, if she counted carefully. Reaching in, Aster plucked them out one by one and slipped them into her pocket. She could examine them further when she left, but for now, she was done in the room and with the cauldron.
The stone door grated open behind her, agreeing with her. Aster straightened up, making sure she had all ten little delicate ovals in her pocket, and left the room. The door shut with a boom behind her. Back out in the hallway, all of the chandeliers had gone out, leaving the white expanse shadowy and dim.
It made the back of her neck prickle. Wrapping her arms around her torso, Aster hurried down the rest of the hallway towards the double doors at the end. When she heard echoing footsteps coming from behind her, she didn't dare look back; instead, she broke into a sprint, her bare feet still silent on the now icy cold floor. She threw her hands out in front of her, shoving the doors open as she bodily hit them.
