Droplets On Heliotropes [Wanderer x Reader]

IX

That the possibility of this being a trap was extremely high was clear to both of you, so you had obviously entered with suspicion. You had carefully observed your surroundings. However, that the temple was more than just a temple - it had been turned into a whole, gigantic machine inside and out - was not what you had expected at all. You realized your mistake the exact moment after you had entered the ruin. Only a slight noise had foretold the movements of the walls and thankfully both of you were extremely attentive, so you managed to escape getting squished by them, but neither of you was able to prevent the wall between the two of you from shutting in an instant.

And now, you were separated. Wanderer was trapped on one side of the wall and you on the other, and both of you were cut off from the entrance. Your attacks didn't even dent the material, and you supposed it was just the same for him, as you didn't hear even a small noise from the other side. You also got no reaction to your calls of his name. Nervously you bit down on your thumb. You'd have to reunite with him as soon as possible, so you'd be able to make sure he was alright. Illium's look when he first saw Wanderer didn't leave your mind. You knew that something was going on with that. Something wasn't right.

You had to hurry, and the only way was forward, into the unknown inner parts of the building. You took off in a sprint, right into the dimly lit hallway.

The route was very straightforward, there were not many partings in the way, and if there was, one of the two tunnels usually ended in a dead end rather quickly. There were some walls that were obviously movable - they looked just like the one that had separated you from Wanderer, so Illium had probably created the way for you. So that you'd end up exactly where he wanted. Goose bumps covered your skin.

It felt like hours as you wandered through hallway after hallway, even though realistically speaking it was probably not even half that time. Then, at one point, you ended up in a room filled with circles of the same small devices you had seen at the first temple. The ones with the children in them. These seemed much more elaborate, more technologically advanced, though, and they were closed off much tighter.

A bad feeling rose in your chest as you approached the capsules. You tried to open one, but you didn't find a way, so you resorted to brute force. Putting the edge of your spear in a slit you tried to make use of leverage and leaned your whole body weight on the other end of your weapon. After some tries, a crack formed, which made it much easier for you to continue forcing the machine open.

When the crack was just broader than a fingernail, suddenly a stench filled the area. You covered your mouth and nose with the back of your hand and tied to keep yourself from gagging.

"Please, no!" you whispered desperately, but the gods didn't listen to your request.

❊

The room that Wanderer finally stepped into, after walking through the temple for some time, was like a box. As soon as he had stepped foot into it, the wall behind him closed up. Even though he immediately turned around and attacked the closing wall with Anemo, he was too late and there was no use. Somehow all of these walls and devices seemed to be immune to elemental powers. He scoffed and faced forward again.

The box had a transparent wall, so he could see where exactly it was situated. It was like a hallway leading into a massive hall. Every wall was covered in some sort of cables or devices. It was clear that this was the heart of the whole building, the center where all the energy that was pulled from innocent children ended up - for what reason, though, was still unclear to him.

Wanderer summoned his powers again and attacked one of the walls, but just like he had feared, there was no effect. He gritted his teeth. There had to be a way to escape.