RISEN || The Keepers of Astraela #2

2.2 || EMRYS

|| CHAPTER 2.2 ||
|| EMRYS ||

THE HALLS WERE EERILY SILENT. Emrys' footsteps echoed through the corridor. Even his soft, measured breaths ricocheted in the silence—a stark reminder of his loneliness in the vast expanse of Amaya's castle. It wouldn't have surprised him if someone could hear him blink.

Despite the rustle of small, luminescent critters that flitted to and fro, racing between cracks and crevasses in the stone walls, life was scarce. Aside from the goddess and himself, he hadn't seen another humanoid soul since he arrived. With the majority of the Celestials asleep, the realm had fallen into deathly stillness—one almost more suffocating than the one caused by Astraela's blight.

Emrys supposed he was thankful for the silence. It allowed him to take in the realm uninterrupted during his walks, an opportunity that any mortal would have killed for.

The castle was breathtaking, perched above blush-colored clouds and far out of reach from the Corrupting realm below. Lavender light filtered through floor-to-ceiling windows that spanned the corridor, giving a breathtaking view of the endless skies beyond. Bellus sat atop the horizon to give its evening goodbye from behind the fluffy clouds.

Even the stars, ever-present and always within reach, twinkled beyond the crystal-clear glass. Their mischievous glint was enthralling, beckoning for someone to reach out for them—just as Emrys had on his first night. On the balcony outside his chambers, low-hanging stars speckled the perimeter of its stone railings. While the outside air was so thin he could hardly breathe, he had braved the atmosphere for a chance to caress one of them, only to find that their temptation came with a price. Scars still raced across his left hand from the split second of contact.

The farther Emrys traversed through the winding halls, the stone lightened to a stark white that reflected the waning light until he could hardly stand it. Nocturnal eyes were not meant for such harshness.

Squinting, he veered around another corner into a hall that led him toward the center of the castle, where windows would no longer blind him.

Emrys glanced up at the walls, all plain, undecorated, and lifeless. But a small chip in a stone—the third one from the ceiling, just above a crackling hellfire lantern—made him sigh with relief. The labyrinth of winding corridors were easy to get lost in without guidance. He tried to never wander beyond the few paths he knew by heart, but every so often, the sun's glare would lead him down halls he shouldn't have been in.

As he made one final, sharp turn, a white, stone door loomed at the end. Its intricate carvings of lightning bolts and wispy clouds shone with a soft blue hue.

The floor rumbled, and the door opened of its own accord, assaulting his ears with the harsh sound of stone upon stone.

The dining hall beyond was as empty as ever. Only one guest occupied the room that had once fed dozens: a woman with stark white hair, sitting at the end of the table with her back to him. Her hand rested above her head in a soft wave meant for the door's command—not a personal greeting.

"Timeliness is not your strong suit."

Emrys let out a huff that reverberated off the walls.

Amaya had yet to fully turn around, her head angled instead to show her sharp profile. Tinted windows protected their eyes from the sunset's assault while casting a soft, lavender glow across her face. It illuminated the pierce of her icy eyes as Emrys padded along the marble floor. Behind him, an increasing rumble signaled the door closing once again.

The dining hall, much like the rest of the castle, was wasted emptiness. Few trinkets and embellishments adorned the gray walls, with the only show-stopper being a crystal chandelier that spanned the length of the monstrous table. The room would have been plagued with the same suffocating silence as every other room had it not been for three crackling hearths at the far end of the room. Their orange hue broke the monotonous tones of gray, blue, and white that covered every inch of Amaya's home, but it wasn't enough to shake Emrys from his irritable stupor.