The Altar is the one that gives power.
If I am not given a power and die, so be it. I'll be seeing June soon. If I am given red magic, I will find those who killed her, and make sure they don't see the light of day. If I get orange magic, I will hide it until the next Seeing and pretend I had obtained the powers then. If the Altar refuses the early Seeing, well, I guess I'll be seeing her soon.
The cold wind battered against my face, the large flurries blinding my eyes. The snow had covered the land rendering the ground pure white. Each step I took required more and more effort. Only determination, no, desire for revenge kept me going. I will avenge her.
A small cottage became visible on the horizon, barely lit. As I approached it, it became more visible. The little house was made of nothing but wood and was not lit by normal lighting. It could not be reached by the government; this is next to the northern border. Past the border lies nothing but vandals and raiders, the outcasts of society. No one with common sense would live here.
I didn't grab any food before coming here, and all I have is my blue windbreaker. Maybe I could ask for supplies. I approached the door and knocked. Nothing but moans and creaks came from the house. No one must be home.
As I turned around to once again continue my trek to the Altar, the door slid open and the voice of an elderly man welcomed me, "Come in." I guess I have no choice. The floor complained under my weight as I walked through the doorway.
The house was a mess. Books and scripts covered the table and dirty dishes remain uncleaned. "I'm in the living room." The hallway wasn't better than the kitchen by any means. The floor had been polished by dust. The first door on the left contained the bathroom, which cannot be graced with words. The first on the left revealed a bedroom with a king size bed. Next to it on the nightstand, there was a picture of a old woman whose face had been crossed out.
The second door on the right had a small room with two chairs next to each other. In one of them sat the elderly man. "What took you so long?"
He was very pale and his body looked extremely frail. He obviously did not leave the house often. His hair had turned as white as the snow outside. This man would have been killed before he would have turned this old.
"Well, are you going to answer me?" His voice was light and quiet, but extremely forceful.
"Y-yes sir," I stuttered. "W-Who are you?"
"Not important." His voice had a force in it that did not match his appearance, yet was still caring. Something was off. "Why are you here."
I couldn't answer. If we was a supporter of the government, then he would turn me in. I lied, "I'm lost." It was very possible for him to be an official. Government officials often live off the grid, just in case of a rebellion, even though they had the police to stop a rebellion should it happen.
"What, ya' have more determination in lying than you have the truth?" How could he know? "Are you heading for the Altar. If so, I ain't stoppin' ya'."
"Fine," why lie anymore, if he was an official, he would have killed me by now. "I'm heading for the Altar, would you mind if I stayed the night here. The Sun's about to set and I don't think it would be best if I stayed out in the cold."
"I've only got one bed, but I can give you supplies. Not many, but it's enough to get you to the Altar." He stood up and started walking towards the kitchen. He opened the fridge to reveal a sloppy mess. In it, meat was rotting and cheese was molding. The smell almost made me hurl. "What do you want? Ham, soup, leftovers?"
None of this food was truly edible. "No thank you, just some water."
"Don't have any. Ain't a well for miles." His face showed a surprised look, as if he hasn't been asked that in a while. "We normally have water bottles, but we ran out yesterday. Damn merchants don't carry 'em anymore. If I really think about it, they haven't been here in a while."
I felt an uneasy chill set in the air. Fear? No, something much worse. His face turned blank, absent of expression. "Well, I better not stall. If I'm not staying overnight, then I better get as far as I can," I said as I began to leave. Suddenly, my muscles locked up, as if someone had petrified me. I fell to the floor like a rock, unable to move.
"Where ya' goin' so soon." His voice lacked either empathy or kindness. What's happening? "You forgot your leftovers!" His voice, it no longer was threatening, but was that of the old man I had met earlier.
"That's all, really? I really don't need them." My muscles had not relaxed yet, and I have the feeling that they won't for a while.
He placed a plastic bag next to me, and my body relaxed. What was that? I turned to face the old man, but he was nowhere to be seen. I need to get out of here now. I burst out of the front door and began running. I had no idea where to go, all that surrounded me was the white snow.
All except a white pillar of light to my left. I went as fast as I could. It was the only place to go. It was the only place to go.
