Beneath the Dark Crystal

Chapter 2

A hundred years ago, the cracked Crystal was healed, and today a stranger has come.

Today, the secret paths of the castle moat bring no comfort for she knows her quest has barely begun.

Today, for the creature made of fire to save her people, she must commit a terrible crime.

~

The ball of fire continues to fall deeper and deeper into the forest, her flames catching some of the leaves on fire. "Nf!" The creature groans, slowly lifting herself from the ground. She looks around the forest in confusion. Where am I, she thinks.

~

Today, all of Thra shall become enmeshed in the fireling's fate.

~

She wanders around the deep forests, spotting animals of all kinds, asking them if they were gelfling. She sighs tiredly when none of them respond. She tried again with a tumbeloth. "Excuse me, are you gelfling? Please, I need to speak to one. I don't know this world. I've never been outside the firefast and ... and it's--," She lets out another sigh, "It's very difficult to explain, please. Let me show you."

The Fireling holds her hand out to the tumbeloth, who slowly stuck its head back into its shell. She softly laid her hand on the turtle's shell, welcoming the creature into her firefast: her mind, her memories, her feelings. Visions of her home flashed past as her voice echoed in the back, showing the tumbeloth her home, her people, her mission.

"The firefast ... everything's warm. Everything's bright. Firelings breathe in love of the whole clan."

She feels the poor tumbeloth wanting to cower away from the weird visions of her home running across his mind.

"Please--listen!" The Fireling begged, "Our wisest mothers, our oldest mothers, they sent me! They said--"

"Child, our world is dying

Only a sliver of the great light,

The great power from the outer

sphere can reignite the inner

fire. Without it--inside five days--

the firelings will be lost."

The Fireling pulled her hand back, downcasting her gaze towards the moss ground. "You see? Please. Please, will you help me?" She asked the tumbeloth.

She looks back up and watches as the tumbeloth runs away fearfully. She scoffs as her flames grow in anger. "Cowards ..." She turns around and groans even louder, exclaiming, "RrrrRRRrrr! Why won't anyone help me?!"

As she stomps away, a Crystal bat watches from afar with the great Aughra's eye, letting her see from the castle what it sees. "Hm! Bad! ... or good. Difficult to say," She speaks to herself. She turns to the tube-like polls, speaking into them clearly for the soldiers on one of the levels of the castle to hear from the other side of it. "You, down there! Rockspittle son-of-a-muckmaggot soldiers! Hm! Tell your commander! The intruder has gotten in through the moat! What are you doing--huh? Hm! Search the galleries! Bring her to me!"

The soldier stutters and says back through the tube, "R-Right away!" The other guard next to him whispers, "But we're supposed to be guarding the pilgrim's gate!" The first guard scoffs, "That was the Great Sage, mudbrain! Nobody's heard from her in years! Do you want to tell her 'no?'" The other guard sighs and shakes his head.