REQUIEM - [h.p]

I; change

| YEAR 1; CHAPTER ONE |
CHANGE

     HE FELT SICK. Whatever means of transportation they had used felt very much like they had been stretched and compressed into an uncomfortably narrow tube. It was enough to make anyone sick, and Edwyn decided with a firm grasp on his opinion, that he would never seek that sensation out ever again. A quick cursory glance around his surroundings proved that he was no longer in the orphanage, and most likely very, very far away from that dilapidated building. It brought forth a wave of comforting solace, knowing that he was no longer under the roof of that suffocating shelter; to be able to breathe the air without feeling as though he was being condemned with each step he took. Though to his surprise and consternation, it was also incredibly frightening. 

He wondered if Vincent would do alright without him, and while the thought made him feel a little concerned, he realized quickly that the boy would do far better without him by his side. He was nothing but bad luck, and everyone knew it. He quickly shook his head. It was fine. Vincent would be fine.

In an attempt to take his focus off of his thoughts, Edwyn looked around the large corridor that Professor McGonagall was leading him through, and if he had any more energy in him, he would be taking far more time to analyze what had happened during the day with far more tenacity than he had previously. For now, he decided to keep up with McGonagall, for he had a feeling that it wouldn't be at all wise to get lost in this... castle—at least that's what the structure appeared to be. Surprisingly, just the halls they had walked through alone had completely dwarfed the entire first level of the orphanage. Though, considering the sorry state the building was in as it was, he doubted that the administrators would ever be able to afford a building even half the size of this one.

As they continued to move along, Edwyn had to restrain himself from moving closer to the moving staircases. Was that also magic? None of the staircases seemed to obey a complex string of actions, they merely moved, stopped for a minute, then moved on again. It seemed awfully dangerous in his opinion. Then again, there could be plenty of countermeasures set in place in order to maximize the safety of whoever was using them. Turning back to the Professor, he jogged over to her side, he was already falling behind as it was and decided that for now, he should keep up with her pace. Then, perhaps, he could get to tour around at a later date.

It wasn't too long of a walk after that, where McGonagall had stopped in front of a dead end. Confused, Edwyn nearly voiced his thoughts before the professor spoke the name of what Edwyn thought he recognized as a candy brand. Why the woman wanted to talk about sweets with him, he had no clue. In the orphanage, they were lucky enough if they were served anything other than oatmeal during the mornings. Though, he and Vincent would occasionally pocket a few bars of chocolate if ever the opportunity arrived from within the local corner shop.

The statue that stood ahead of them slid out of the way, and it promptly brought him out of his musings. If it weren't for the professor's presence, Edwyn was fairly certain he would've run the opposite direction given he was here alone, and he had a feeling that most of the caretakers, Reyna in particular, would greatly disapprove of most of the things he's witnessing here, but he quickly dismissed the thought. They weren't here, and he was certain that they didn't miss his presence. Neither did he miss theirs.

They stepped inside the newly-discovered entrance, and Edwyn took the time to assess his surroundings. Odd trinkets and wonky items were strewn about the rather large office, and Edwyn's curiosity was growing in leaps and bounds. The feeling only intensified as he noticed the bookshelf packed with books of all sizes.

She continued moving, and Edwyn could barely contain himself from wandering the curious space. They made their way through the room, and Edwyn saw an old, white-bearded man sat at a desk. He was dressed in bizarre-looking garments, which he could almost say hurt to look at. Despite this, the funny-looking man reminded Edwyn oddly of Santa Claus. Perhaps it was the beard. He offered an awkward smile once they made eye contact.