Wither of Thornes

Chapter 5: Tempus Castrum

Darkness is an illusion to infinity. Though Arine couldn't think of that statement when she was trapped in darkness, no way to see where it ended.

One second Arine was rolling down the slope, and then she blinked into darkness. 

Arine was sitting on...a floor? A ground? Was she outside or inside somewhere?

Arine got up and tried to find something that had light in it. She looked down and saw that the watch on her wrist had a dim glow. It made no change to visibility in the dark. It might as well have been off. Then the watch glowed brighter, and it didn't make anything fully viewable, but Arine could explore safely with this amount of light. 

Arine decided to walk straight into the dark. It seemed that there were no walls. Arine shivered at the expanse of eternal space.

Arine always had a weakness of fear and overthinking. So when she realized that she didn't know how to go back home, she started running everywhere. There wasn't a path she was going, she might have just ran in circles, but she ran in fright and anxiety. 

Then a loud crash filled her ears. She jumped, covering the light from her watch with her hand tightly. She looked to find the source of the sound.

Someone let out an exasperated sigh. Arine followed the sound to hear closer. 

She heard the words "This always happens" and a small dot of light was turned on.

Arine had a sinking feeling inside her stomach. Someone else was here, in the dark, and could be dangerous. But the tug inside her felt tighter, felt like she was closer to Marvin. But the words from the person sounded more feminine. 

Arine wanted the shadows and dark to wrap around her. She wanted to be back in her Kingdom, back home and without the tug in her chest. She didn't want to be the one to find Marvin. She didn't, she didn't, she didn't. 

The tug was trying to lead her exactly where the person was. Arine fought to tolerate it. Arine closed her eyes and rocked back and forth, standing.

"Who are you?" she then heard, the person's voice much more audible than before.

Arine screamed. She pushed the person aside and quickly scanned where she was. A lantern was on the floor, which was the small dot of light she saw before. She was somehow where the person was. She didn't know how, or why. She didn't move at all. That was exactly what she was avoiding.

The person let out a little 'ow' and rubbed their shoulder. 

With the light of her watch and the light of the lantern, she saw that it was a woman, around her early 20s, 23 or 24. She had pale blonde hair with strands of brown in it, and stark blue eyes. She was wearing a black cloak that fitted her thin body and her expression was blank, but the furrow of her eyebrows showed that she was not too happy.

She looked up at Arine. "Are you a Tempus Praestes?" she asked.

"A...what?" Arine breathed out.

The woman looked confused. "You...aren't? Or perhaps you haven't lived in the Tempus Castrum? Are you lost?"

Arine words were shaky when she replied. "I-I don't know what Tempus Praestes are. And I think I've heard the word 'Tempus Castrum' before but I'm not sure. And I am lost," Arine looked down, and whispered "Can you help me?"

It was the most pathetic thing Arine had ever said. She was asking a stranger, from this dark place for help. But the woman came up to her and touched her shoulder softly. "If you weren't a Praestes, you wouldn't have been able to pass here. You may be those who have been hidden in the Earth world. I will help you get away from this darkness."