Tyranny: Onwards

Chapter 110- Sky

When the moon has risen in a clear sky of deep strength and is in pride at its height, the obsidian ridges are towering above us. I glance around at the others, Phoenix has a glitter in his eyes and a gaping grin as a child at Christmas, Aegis appears surprised and inspects it carefully, Rin is gawping and wide eyed, along with Hester. A sense of excitement and the feeling you receive when you've arrived home after many days away tingles from my fierce heart and goes down to my hands and feet.

The air is sweeter and calmer, warmer and humid.

"You weren't lying, they're amazing!" Phoenix leaps out of the snow and onto the dark stone, it seems like stepping out of the world and away from the mission and the sword when we cross the wall of snow into a world of obsidian and a lush valley.

"I don't understand it, but I don't want to either." Aegis claims and also steps over. The snow crumbs sizzle and melt which he finds curious also.

Glancing down I see Blaze eagerly staring about at the ridge, Dagwood is still asleep. I grip the back of the stretcher and when Aegis moves on I follow. Rin and Hester tag along while Genesis seemingly has an endless supply of energy, hoping and leaping, racing about, ecstatic to be back here.

"Here, I'll take the stretcher, you should lead us to the valley." Phoenix offers and I hand him the two poles and go up front. My legs aren't used to the lack of underfoot cushioning at first.

"Last time I went down a roughly formed staircase, but I don't think we should go that way this time." I think half to myself, wondering how to go about this, we can't exactly wander around a ton.

"Let's set up camp here while you go with Phoenix and scout out a route?" Aegis suggests and I nod.

"That's probably best," I help them lower the stretcher and set it on a flatter surface.

Aegis checks up quickly to see how the brothers are doing before standing and sending us off.

"Bye! Be careful and be back before sundown!" Rin waves and calls grinning as usual. I decide to wave back and grin a little in return. 

Phoenix high fives Rin and Hester energetically and they approach me to do the same, then he forces solemn and all too realistic Aegis to give him a fist bump.

"Off we go, to deep dark depths of the great unknown where red eyed beasts may lay or perhaps fairies!" He announces and starts skipping off, I wave to Aegis swiftly before turning to follow.

Phoenix takes my hand when I am right behind him and pulls me on, but I cannot dam back a smile of excitement and exhilaration. Genesis beats us to the highest peak which we come to quite quickly to my great surprise. Vast lands spread before us; maybe this is how a king feels or how his eyes see from his great gold throne of power. The difference is we have no control over anything and less than an army or city to rule, nor do we have the right to try and do so in such lands. Steep cliffs about us and a second ridge within view, the valley below where faint songs of water can be heard.

"The sky is perfect!" Phoenix points up and I follow, not a single cloud there is to carpet a navy perfection, and the oozing peace of silver stars and a white pure moon which now rides sleepily and calmly over the second ridge of strange stone.

"We made that over there to be a constellation of a phoenix you know?" He draws it with his finger and my eyes adjust to fix the invisible lines to connect the stars. I can't help but feel there's the possibility for messages to be in their patterns and shapes but dare not try to find any as there are simply some mysteries made to be left.

Standing here, with only Phoenix and Genesis, gives a sense of great freedom and wings, as though I'm just floating in the night sky gazing at the universe.

"Hey, over there," Phoenix directs me to a spot on our left as we face the second ridge line, there's a bit of a way down to a wider ledge where there seems to be some sort of cave or perhaps a tunnel.

"Come on, let's check it out." I grab his wrist to start his walking and easily make my way down to it with light easy feet.

Suddenly there's heat and an orange moving light from behind me and I see that Phoenix has conjured a fire in his palm and Genesis appears quite terrified at the magic appearance of flames. I nod in approval and move on into the dark mouth and realize the roof is very high above and begin to explore. It is then that Genesis decides to run off into the darkness.

"Come back! Genesis!" I call and the echoes are the only answer.

Why on Earth would she bound off like that?

I follow after where she was without another thought, losing her would be like losing half my human heart beating in my chest, she is most definitely worth any risk; so without any fear I move through the dark, using my knowledge and lifting my feet high to avoid unseen obstacles and staying only on my toes. With no sight whatsoever I plunge on calling out until Phoenix catches us with his palm fire.

"Oh shit.." I stop immediately and Phoenix yells when he hits my back.

There's Genesis, seemingly a tiny pebble beneath a towering, armored, violet, scorpion. It has it's tail raised, and makes a strange rattling sort of noise unlike the normal scorpion.

"Uh...okay, well I must admit, I've never seen that before..." Phoenix scratches his head beside me, the beast hisses at us, if I had to guess I would assume it dislikes light, especially fire, just out of my common sense.