Starbits

The Angel and the Dragon Prince

Jericho again finds himself completely surrounded by darkness. This time, he runs immediately, looking for the angel he has seen before. He is scared to make a sound, feeling like those Smokey dark hands could be right behind him. He chooses to throw caution to the wind and shouts "Hello?" Hoping to hear her voice. A light glistens in the distance. Jericho runs to it, but he realizes it is not the same angel, this one looks... different. Her face, it's not like the other one... because this is a... statue? But it's alive? "Who are you?" Jericho asks. The eyes of the angel statue sharply look at him, the grotesque smile on its face not changing in the slightest. Jericho takes a small step back. "Ok, not terribly talkative are you?" The statue's gaze remains locked on him. Jericho notices an engraving near the foot of the statue, "Elegy" is all it says. Jericho makes eye contact with the statue, as hard as it is to face it with that horrid smile stretched across its face. "Do you know where the Angel is? The one with the red wings, in the tattered yellow cloak?" The statue remains silent. Behind him, Jericho hears an urgent warning. "Don't turn around!" A small voice says. Jericho looks over his shoulder, averting his gaze from the statue for a mere second. In that instance, the statue hops forward, almost landing on Jericho's feet! He stares at the statue that looks back at him, those large, wide eyes not blinking or moving at all. The small voice says. "Walk backwards." Jericho still doesn't say anything, just listens. The voice guides him back until he bumps a wall, the voice tells him to feel for a door handle. "When you find it, enter the room behind you and shut the door. Elegy can't come inside." Jericho feels the door handle... he takes a deep breath and swings the door open. As he turns to enter, he can hear Elegy hopping quickly towards him! He shuts the door and the room is pitch black.

He can't see his hand in front of his face, he leans against the door he just entered through. The little voice speaks to him again. "Do not answer me, just move your head. You are seeking the Angel?" Jericho nods his head. The little voice says. "You can't see it, but in front of you is a seal. Once you cross it, you will be unable to wake until you reach the other side of this room. If you would like to wake up you may do so now, but I warn you. If you wake now, your connection to this place will be permanently severed. Do you wish to awaken?" Jericho thinks on it for just a second and shakes his head. The voice continues. "Very well then. You must be completely silent as we cross the room. The Maker of Moons watches from just outside, he mustn't see you. He is moving around from window to window, he knows you are here. I will guide you away from his sight." Jericho's legs tremble with fear, as the voice instructs him. "Step to the right, slowly... now walk forward...STOP!" He remains perfectly still for a few seconds that feel like hours. The voice continues. "Walk forward, but start walking to your left...you will feel vegetation touch your head, you are walking under a plant... STOP!" Jericho stands directly under some kind of tree, a leaf sitting directly on his head. He hears what sounds like rain hitting a metal roof, lightning then strikes illuminating the room. It was so quick, but Jericho saw all he needed to... a carpeted floor in a design pattern he could not describe, A large chair off to the center of the room of unusual architecture, and a face, made of what looked like Marble peeking through the window.
Jericho doesn't know if he can move anymore, he feels frozen in place. "Walk forward" the voice says "You are almost there." His legs feel like they weigh a ton, he looks down to see his boots turning to the same marble like substance the face was made of! "Don't let that scare you! Focus on making it to the door." Jericho, getting heavier by the second, reaches the door. He places his hand on the door handle and hears "STOP!" He remains perfectly still, as he feels the marble climbing up his clothes. Another bolt of lightning strikes as the face looks through the window again... "Open the door, hurry!" The voice says but, it doesn't sound right... like someone imitating the little voice that has been with him. So he does nothing, he remains still. He then hears the little voice say. "Now, open the door." He does and steps through to the other side. The marble is gone. As if it disappeared the minute he stepped through the door. The little voice says. "I am impressed, You knew that first voice wasn't me! You have crossed the seal now. You will awaken soon, but I will first illuminate the room for you." The lights come up, the architecture is unlike anything Jericho has ever seen, the walls lined in marble faces.