Spellbound

.:1:.

These goddamn 'directions' didn't make any sense.

'Speak with the raven, and her earth-bound wings will lead you to your destination'

The young man shoved the wrinkled post-it note exasperatedly into his overcoat's pocket, wrapping his arms tightly around his body in an effort to fend off the icy winds as he trudged on, searching for a seemingly unreachable destination. October spun her snow-laden clouds high above the hypermarket's expanse, taking full advantage of the outdoor layout and the endless maze of stalls and shops, trapping both buyers and vendors in her icy grip. He exhaled slowly as he walked,  a wisp of vapour escaping his lips that soon dissipated into the cool evening air. 

The softest pastel pinks and yellows danced under the sun, her gentle golden rays giving life to October's deathly gray. The colours intertwined and spread among each other, dancing with more and more vigour until the most brilliant sunset was produced from their joy. Like living watercolour sprinkled with flecks of gold and painted on the finest silken cloth. What a pretty picture she made for him today.

Weary wisteria eyes flickered back and forth, searching aimlessly for whatever the hell his cryptic-ass clue meant. For God's sake, a simple shop shouldn't be this hard to find! Signs erected at regular intervals displayed vendor names - arrows paired beside them respectively - yet not one of them directed him out. Not 'out' as in away to home, but 'out' as in deeper. Further in than the average patron would ever dare to venture.

Yes, you had to really look beyond the conventional to find the outer edge.

At least, that's what that dancer called it. She seemed - the man paused, pulling his unruly obsidian hair out of his eyes and into a loose tie at his nape before continuing - to have slipped up somehow. The way she stuttered out the name seemed a little too forced, a little too rehearsed. Most likely just a petty secret within their group used to give a further mysterious air to their cult-of-sorts, but it still made him wonder. Curiosity had killed him before, so he decided to leave it be for now. He had sworn to never take advice from a glittery naked woman out in public ever again, but look at him now...

The crowd began to disperse as the sun sank lower into her nightly grave. Shopkeepers locked their doors and vendors began to pack in their goods for their off-hours. His brow furrowed in frustration. Would they even be open? Fuck, does a black-ish market even close for the night, or does it just keep operating in the meantime? He smirked to himself, concealing a half-chuckle at the thought of little stalls selling deadly potions and pre-butchered body parts among flower shops and bakeries. How funny...

The sunset's dance began to draw to a close, and both her light and brilliant colour began to give in to the overwhelming darkness of night. Lamp-posts began to illuminate, casting long, eerie shadows over the paths and crept tauntingly over corners. Time was running out, and like hell was he gonna be caught alone in a place like this. Boots scraped against stray pieces of loose gravel as his pace picked up significantly, anxiety spiking in the midst of the unknown. 

Time became blurred, and soon enough the sun bid farewell to the Earth below. Lost and alone, surrounded by shadow and who knows what else. He stopped in place, drawing in a shaky breath and checking over his shoulder, ridden with paranoia. Footsteps fell faster and faster, eyes dulling to a cool lilac as the shadows grew longer and the subtle noises echoing about the area grew longer and louder, taunting the poor man as they flew around overhead. Laughing and shrieking at him to just leave already.

Gritting his teeth, he pressed on into the night regardless of his instinct screaming to just turn around and run home. It'll all be worth it in the end...

At the end of the section a lone figure walked on, hands in their pockets and their deep hood shrouding their face from the harsh, artificial light of the lamp posts. The young man wrapped his arms tighter around his waist, refusing to let his fear show and to ward off the bone-chilling cold settling on his shoulders. They pressed on further, fully aware of his presence and his proximity to themselves; they drew closer and closer to each other, neither of them shifting over to allow the other to move past safely.