Eyes Of Etro

Prelude Part Two

The minute Erik saw how big and dark the cave was on the inside,his confidence crumbled. He hoped it would be a quick get in and get out but after seeing all the pathways and different directions the cave went,he knew he would be here for awhile.
Erik reaches into his bag and takes out a flashlight,after banging the side a couple of times,the light came on and erik began his descent into the cave.
Erik got lost,a lot. He had came across several dead ends,having to turn around and backtrack and end up finding another dead end. After several attempts of this never-ending nightmare,Erik came across footsteps. Knowing they were Iwabe's he began to follow them.
As he followed the footsteps,Erik realized something. He hasn't heard Iwabe make a sound. Erik broke into a run. It wasn't like Iwabe not to make a noise while exploring. As he kept running,he heard the faint sound of fighting coming from around the corner on his left. Erik quickly turned a corner and ran through what seemed to be an entrance of sorts. Past the entry way,Erik saw Iwabe locked in combat with an older man. Iwabe seemed to be losing as the man knocked Iwabe's knife away and kicked him in the ribs.  Without a second thought,Erik ran towards the man and tackled him.

Erik heard the man grunt as he tackled him to the ground. The man kicks Erik off and he jumps back up on his feet. The man hesitates,then picks up his knife and rushes at Erik. Erik froze,it was if his body just shut down on him and all he could do was watch the man approach him. There were footsteps behind Erik then Iwabe jumped in front of Erik,his own knife in hand. The unknown man swings but Iwabe ducks and plunges the knife into the man's chest. The man gasps for breath as blood leaks out of his mouth. Iwabe staggers away,the man's blood all over his face.  The man looks at the both of the boys and seems to be muttering something incomprehensible and falls to his face,his blood spreading out. Finally being able to move again,Erik stands up and looks at Iwabe. Iwabe stood,staring at the man with a horrified expression on his face. As Erik cautiously walks over to him,he can clearly see that Iwabe is trembling. "I-i killed him.." Was all he managed to say. Erik looked at the dead man and back at Iwabe,he knew that he would have to be the rational one in the situation. "Iwabe,we need to leave." Erik spoke as calmly as possible. In return,Iwabe seemed to calm down as well. "Y-yeah,you're right. He softly spoke as he looked up at Erik. "Lets go"
The boys both start to leave when Erik turns around and glances behind him. He never really had the chance to see what lay beyond the mysterious man. At the other side of the room,was massive black rock. It was shaped like some sort of giant crystal. "Iwabe,what is that?"
The other boy turned around. "Beats me,you think the guy was protecting it?" Erik walks over to the crystal and examines it. He heard Iwabe speak up from behind him. "Don't touch it." Erik scoffs. "Its just some dumb rock," Erik says as he puts his hand on it. The second the boy's hand touched the rock,he was thrown backwards. There was a loud Thump as Erik landed on the ground. "Erik!" Iwabe ran over to his best friend and looked down at him. Erik looked up at him,then closed his eyes.
When he opened them,he wasn't in the same place. The cave he was in had melted away to a soft looking sky while the ground was just a reflection. Erik stood up and looked around,to his suprise he saw a woman far to his left. The woman looks at Erik and begins to walk closer. As she walked closer,Erik began to see her more clearly. She was relatively tall with jet black hair and a black dress to match. As she stops in front of Erik, she kneels down and looks in his eyes. "You must've been the one that woke me up" she said. Her voice was so soothing and smooth,all Erik could do was nod. She smiles. "I would be completely awake but,it seems that won't happen for some time." Erik tilted his head,confused. "And why not?" He asked. "Well,my heart isn't exactly complete" the woman said as she looked down,seemingly sad. "Then why don't you share mine?" Erik said. The woman gasped and looked at Erik with a look of disbelief.
"You mean it?" Erik nods and she smiles and hugs him. "Thank you but i must ask,what's your name?" Erik,not knowing what to do,hugs her back. "Erik"
"Such a sweet name,you may call me Etro." Etro pulls away from the hug and looks directly in Erik's eyes. "Don't worry,i won't intrude on what you do,i simply just want to see the world through your eyes" she said. Erik nods again. She stands up and folds her hands behind her back. "We'll meet again" Etro said. "But now,rest. People are waiting on you to wake up" Etro snaps her fingers,and everything fades to black.