"Yo. You ever meet a witch?"
Nico didn't respond. Instead the only noises were their steps along with the occasional dripping of water.
"Hey I'm helping you out. At least repay the favor."
Another bout of silence continued before Nico finally opened his mouth.
"No... My sister did."
"Yeah, that's the one. How much do you know about her?"
"She only told me that she could do magic with reflections. Nothing else."
Naren clicked his tongue.
"But..."
He raised an eyebrow.
"But?"
"...the witch said: 'Tell him to go to heaven'. Whatever that means."
Naren continued walking, this time upwards along a staircase. His face sinking deeper into his scarf.
"That's where she thinks she'll end up?"
"What?"
Naren paid him no attention. Instead he stopped where the stairs did. Above them a thick wooden trapdoor was laid closed. Naren pressed up against it to no avail.
Nico nudged his back.
"It needs a key, where's the one from the guard?"
"I kinda threw it away."
"You did what?!"
Nico grew agitated.
"Woah calm down. I didn't know we'd need it again."
"Obviously we'd need it! Why would they leave the entrance unlocked!"
Naren pushed his bottom lip upward, trying to deflect blame. Muttering: "It'd be convenient."
"Ugh what'd we do? It's a solid wooden trapdoor."
"It's just wood. Not that white stuff?"
"Hm? It's not bone, but just wood?"
Naren held onto the walls of the stairs to keep his balance in the dark. In one swift motion he threw a side kick straight upwards, his foot going right through the wood, striking right where the hinge would be connected.
Naren dusted off his hands, despite his legs doing all the heavy lifting.
"There. Problem solved."
A twilight glow seeped in, finally illuminated the two: Nico was a lanky kid, almost as tall as Naren. He had dark short hair and striking green eyes. A couple scratches lay on his olive brown skin, but he looked pretty normal. Except for the deep resentment in his eyes that is.
Nico looked at Naren with a look of bewilderment.
"What are you?"
Naren's eyes glimmered as the light illuminated familiar cat-like eyes and shaggy black hair.
"Hey you look just like Vera."
"Vera?"
Naren waved his hand up to his waist.
"A little girl, bout this tall. You have a long lost sister?"
His eyes grew brighter as a smile crept onto his face. Naren pushed over the trapdoor, pulling his body out of the underground staircase.
"If you're related. This must be Atlas!"
They emerged right in the center of town. Foot traffic all around them. Voices rushing into Naren's ears. He raised one side of his mouth.
"So loud."
Naren looked around. A wide, open plaza filled with floors the same pale white as the cell bars. Market stalls lined the edges, each surrounded by people: Haggling, eating, laughing. Tight currents of people of all ages squeezed through.
A woman bumped into Naren, walking off without even looking back. Another almost step on his hands while he was on the ground.
"What's wrong with these people."
Nico stepped out right behind, struggling a bit more to pull himself.
"This isn't Atlas."
Naren massaged his right shoulder, wincing a little. The pain was dull but still there. Evident that his shoulder was still messed up somehow, not that he understood what. Though, now his focus was only on the fact that his sister wasn't here.
'Delusional enough to think you'll end up in heaven.'
"Where's shrimpy? I gotta teach her—"
His thoughts were cut short as his eyes landed on a huge statue in the middle of the town square: A hunched over figure, with six arms. Something like a human, but not quite. It would be closer to say it was like the land itself. What looked like mountains erupted from it, etched in the skin of the figure.
Its head was sunken into the skull. Six hollow holes, reflecting nothing but emptiness, acting as eyes. Its jaw split open in several spots, three mouths hung open. All stuck in between a scream and a breath. Shackles adorned every part of the creature, its neck, legs, arms. As for arms, it had six of them stuck into its abdomen. Two of them clenched together as if holding something not there anymore. The other four raised up into an open palm.
The statue was completely untouched, not a single person even mistakenly touching it. Even though it was so oddly shaped and at least four meters tall.
Though, the sheer outlandish shape of the statue didn't catch his attention. Nor was it the numerous arms, eyes, mouths. No, it was just a single eye. The middle left eye was slightly different from the rest. It was carved just a little different from the others, reducing the perfect statue into something more human. The middle left eye held regret.
Naren gazed at it for a second longer than he should've. The eye was strangely human and drawing. Like the feeling of meeting an old friend after a long time apart. Something nostalgic.
He took a step closer, crouching down to read the base of the statue: "HOLD UP THE SKY."
Pressing off his thighs, he got back up to his feet, just in time for Nico to reach him.
"Who's this statue of."
The boy stared off absentmindedly. The rage he felt wearing off, he only felt empty now. The melancholic feeling that he would never hear his sisters nagging again.
Naren shook his hands in front of Nico's face, grabbing his attention.
"Hm?"
"The statue?"
"That's...I'm not sure."
Naren sighed slumping forward.
'Looks interesting.'
"Looks interesting."
It wasn't his voice. He whipped his head to his left, a shorter hooded figure right by his side. He was so focused on the woman, that he didn't hear her appear.
The hooded figure looked onward toward the two in front of them. A sleeve of a coat reached out from the cloak, shaking two fingers.
"Right?"
Naren stared at her fingers shaking. As it meant something important. He tilted his head. He just couldn't put his finger on it.
"I got nothing."
The cloaked figure clicked their tongue before muttering something under their breath: "Heads as dull as the scarf."
The figure took a step to walk away, but Naren's hands blocked the path.
"Wanna call my scarf dull again?"
"That's new."
Just then, a loud ringing reverberated around the domed settlement. Crowds began to disperse as the foot traffic died off. As if they were all running fromsomething.
Naren immediately grabbing his ear in pain. Three chimes in quick succession that could be felt in the bones leading him to fall to a crouch wincing.
"You're pretty sensitive."
Naren pulled his gaze towards the hooded figure, not able to make out their face. The only thing he could see was a strand of dark-blue almost black hair peering out.
He opened his mouth to speak, but instead felt a hand grasp his head. Peering up, a tall, bulky man stood. His broad shoulder bulged through a white robe. His wide eyes displayed a warmth on his plain face as he smiled at Naren. Short blonde hair cut neatly into a low buzz.
Gloved hands bearing brand — A curved rib, with six small marks drawn perpendicular at various intervals — sat on Naren's hair.
"Poor child."
Naren's golden eyes glimmered, staring at the man through half opened eyelids.
"Who're you frog-face?"
Nico stepped up grabbing the man's hand.
"You fucking bastards! You sent her away knowing she's weak!"
A second, shorter man touched down at that moment. He was riding a top of a fleet of several long pale serpentine creatures, filed along in a congregation to make a platform of sorts. Their eyes completely blotched in black, as if no thoughts existed beyond their purpose.
"She did that on her own."
Nico's eyes wavered for a short period, he lump stuck in his throat.
"In the dungeon...I...how are you here?!"
The man had dark skin with a similar white robe that hung shorter. He walked with precision, each step deliberate and painfully heard. Blonde curls swayed atop his head, giving his sharp face a contrast.
Completely ignoring Nico, he focused his attention on Naren.
"Heya fellow aspirant. You interested in submitting yourself?"
"I'll pass. Unless you have something interesting to offer."
The short man pondered for a little. Curling his hair in his fingers.
"I changed my mind. If you're looking for something in return you're not deserving."
"Bummer. I woulda turned for a bit of food."
Nico grew dangerously sharp as he pulled the taller man towards himself. Curling his other hand into a fist he drove it right into the man's face, but his hands went right through.
"What the—"
The man ducked under a drove a knee into Nico's stomach letting him fall to his knees, grasping for air.
"I am Theron, Pleased to be back my lady."
Naren pressed off his thighs, reaching only the chin of the man.
"Yo I'm a dude."
A few steps behind the shorter man bowed as well.
"Dione, My lady."
Naren pursed his lips, crossing his arms.
"You wanna check for yourself."
The hooded figure clicked their tongue.
"You're back already...devils of heaven."