A Raven's Blessing | Vax'ildan x OC | TLOVM

The Scales of Order

Warnings: Strong and Sexual Language; Violence, Gore & Death. Mentions of abuse and torture. Reader discretion is advised. 

It was dark when they entered back into their realm. The moon was their only light source.

"Where are we?" Keyleth questioned as she was the first one to look at their surroundings.

Around them stood the empty shells of houses overtaken by nature. The wind gently breezed through them, creaking coming from the old wood. The stone road beneath their feet had grass sprouting between the cracks almost completely covering it. There was a quiet air around them. Everything or rather everyone was gone. They all felt a sense of sadness that they couldn't explain.

"Of course, he would drop us off in the middle of an abandoned town," Percy remarked, pushing his glasses up in frustration.

Vax took a few steps toward one of the houses. Slashes were marked into the wood though he couldn't tell when they occurred. At least several years. He went up to the door that was titled due to the growth of weeds. He tried to push it open with his hand but it didn't budge. With two hands he pushed the door with all his strength ripping through the weeds. The door fell over, no longer having support holding it up.

Vax let out a gasp at the sight. The long decayed remains lay in the room before him. His eyes flash a vision flicked in his mind. Two humans, one male, and one female, held each other as the door flung open. With whom could only describe as an iron suit of armor towered into the room. The man pushed the woman behind him as their intruder held up their sword stained with a heavy red. The couple shook in fear as the sword slashed through them. Blood spattered Vax's vision as he returned to the present. Heavy breaths came out of his mouth as he stared at their skeletons.

"Brother, are you alright—?" Vex stopped as he came up beside witnessing the skeletons before them. Dark red almost brown spots were scattered around their remains. "They were murdered."

"No. This whole town was massacred."

"But why?"

"We don't have time to wonder. This happened a long time ago. We need to find the others first. Regroup. Find the other vestiges."

Vex nodded in agreement as they stepped out of the house. Percy and Keyleth came out of the house beside them with sad expressions plastered on them.

"The people they were just—," Keyleth stuttered out.

"Horribly so," Vax agreed, "But we need to move on. There's nothing we can do. Where's The?"

Percy and Keyleth looked at each other before looking back at the twins. "She was just standing out here," Percy gestured to the spot directly in front of the houses.

"She didn't want to come in. She said that she would just wait out here," Keyleth added.

Vax quickly bolted down the road before any of them could comprehend his movement. He followed the road into the center of the town. The houses changed into more storefronts with the windows completely shattered and vegetation spewing through their openings. As he entered the square, he spotted Athena before a statue looking up at it.

"Athena," he called out to her ignoring everything else. She immediately turned around to him. A sense of sorrow had overtaken her expression.

"Sorry," she quickly apologized casting her gaze downwards, "I shouldn't have gone off like that."

"You're alright. That's all that matters. But what's wrong?"

The others came up from behind Vax slightly out of breath from the quick sprint and still recovering from their fight with Saundor.