Wither of Thornes

Chapter 7: A Hole That Leads To Everything

~Writing has always been a hobby for me but I have never written a story this long or with this many chapters. How am I surviving, you may ask (probably not but we're going with it.) Hamilton and Burr sass, Dear Evan Hansen quotes, books that make me wanna cry and die, procrastination, ice cream, yogurt, and you guys who read and enjoy this story.~

-TazTree

A few days passed (or it felt like days to Arine) where she stayed in the Tempus Castrum with Eden. It was quite strange being in a capacious castle and there being only 2 people there. Few guards came here and there, but they were mostly in the hidden darkness. 

Arine had asked Eden about the dark and why it was there. 

"It's for safety. We make sure that people who enter our world are only Tempus Praestes so the Dark as you call it only lets in people of Tempus. And not all are good, so we need to interrogate them to know if they can be allowed in." Eden had said. 

Eden had given her old clothes Eden over grew to wear. Most of them were light dresses, not like the intricate gowns she had to wear in the Kingdom. She missed the clothes she wore in the Kingdom and tried to get used to the clothes she wore now. 

The food was different too. Back at the Kingdom, large, rich delicacies were served to everyone. The food in the Tempus Castrum wasn't necessarily plain or inferior, but there wasn't much variety in it. 

Arine didn't complain about it, though Eden did acknowledge her wariness of the unfamiliar lifestyle. 

"Many people don't stay in one castle," Eden said smiling one day. "There are many castles in the Kingdom. This is one of the smaller ones, so only really 2-3 people stay here. So things are less luxurious in the smaller castles than the larger ones. The smaller castles are mostly a refuge for Praestes."

"Wow, that makes more sense." Arine was always fascinated at everything she learned about the people of Tempus. It made her learn about herself in a new way she did not expect when starting this journey.

As for her mission to find Marvin, that tug inside her didn't change. It was the same tightness she felt when she had first came to the Dark. Nothing felt looser or tighter. In the few days that had passed, she roamed around in different rooms, to see if Marvin was there. Marvin wasn't in sight anywhere. 

"By any chance would Marvin be hidden in the Dark?" Arine asked now to Eden.

Eden was clearing up the table when they had finished lunch. She shook her head. "I don't think Marvin would do that. I believe he's aware that someone will find him one day, and the Dark would make it very difficult to find him. Also," Eden looked at her with amusement. "He was quite afraid of the dark when he was little. I do wonder whether that has changed or not."

Arine laughed. "After all, it may be safety from people but is it safety from fear?"

After Eden was done cleaning the table, Arine went out of the room and headed to the backyard. This was the place where Arine first learned she was different from normal people, that she was a Tempus, one of the Greater Families. 

Arine enjoyed exploring here because of the garden that was similar to the one in the Kingdom. It made her feel more at home. And there were more places here where Marvin may be hidden. 

Arine walked past the garden today, and walked further to the left of it. Arine was wearing a light sweater now though it wasn't needed. The Tempus Kingdom had no seasons. When Arine queried Eden about why the clothes she gave her were so diverse for each season, she had chuckled and told her there was only one, or no seasons in Tempus.

The path she took had colors of white and pink, as the whole castle did. The floors were white with light splotches of pink. There were massive statues, both white and pink, with the one on the right glowing brighter. Underneath were plates that had names written on them, determining the names of the statues; Nox and Lux. Lux was growing brighter, which Arine figured it signaled the daytime.

It was the morning on Earth, as Eden had called it, which meant a new day. Arine wondered what her parents and what the people in the castle were doing. Or feeling. We're their conditions of winter getting better or worsening? Was Arine's absence a growing concern for them?

It was something she always thought of whenever she was outside or sleeping here. She was torn between which world to live in. The Earth world was risky for her, but was her home. Tempus was a new world that would separate her from everything her past life had been close to. 

Eden didn't push her to stay here, though Arine could tell she would prefer for Arine to stay with her in the castle. And Arine would, if there was a way to have the best of both worlds. If she could still keep a bit of the lie and a bit of the truth to create her life. 

She was distracted by all her thoughts that she didn't look around her surroundings and explore the wonders Tempus offered. And she was distracted enough that she didn't notice something on the floor that made her foot trip over and fall. But instead of falling on solid ground, she was sliding into a hole. 

Panicked, she tried to grab something for her hand to fit in as she was descending and let her feet hold onto the edges of the hole. It worked, for a while at least. The bumpy rock she was holding on to broke, making her feet wobbly and slip on the edge. She screamed as all four of her limbs were free falling down. She was falling down the hole. 

.................................

She landed chest first on the ground. It was not pleasant fall. She sat up, folding her knees, both hands holding onto her chest painfully.

She remembered how big the hole was. And how deep. How did she not seen it before? And why didn't Eden warn her of it?

Arine struggled to get up, so she stayed put on the ground, studying her surroundings. There was enough light from outside for her to see the rocky material inside the hole. Arine looked up and her teeth clenched together. The hole was too deep, too deep and big for her to climb. 

Arine looked at the watch on her wrist. She could use her powers to get back! She started closing her eyes, thinking of the white and pink castle...

When in the corner of her eye she saw light gleaming. Arine's eyes fluttered open and she spun her face to the person making the light.

It was a grayish light, making the person, who was a boy, face dark. But Arine could recognize the face even in the dark. With his red hair messed up in places, gray eyes shining, and face grinning, Arine knew she was facing Marvin Graydown.

"Hello there Thorne," he said cheerfully. "Looks like you found me."