What Lies Beneath

Chapter 1: Into the Unknown

I directed my focus to the skies above, and even further beyond. I imagined myself soaring into the sky, and into the far reaches of space.

"Great forger of stars, herald of creation. Your brilliance dwarfs all, a blinding light in the infinite dark. I beseech you, hear me and respond. For I want to find myself again."

I sat in the dark, eyes closed, hoping against hope that this time would be different, that he would transcend space and guide me. I sat there, my chest heaving with fervent belief that He would come. 

Quiet was the only thing that whispered to me.

The squeak of the mailslot opening jarred me from my stupor.

I looked over to see a letter squeeze through and flutter to the floor. I stretched my hand out, and the manila paper became wreathed in a blue fire. Slowly, hesitantly, it rose into the air like a fledgeling silverwing, spiraling and turning until it landed in my outstretched hand. It bore the university's seal, an intricate spiral of machinery perfectly replicated in glossy red wax. Underneath, neat letters formed the words, "CECIL".

A direct order from the headmaster? Hope flared in my heart as I spun around in my chair, bringing the head of my desk lamp up to illuminate the room better. A dingy room, the walls made of some aged pearlwood from Ionia's forests. A lived in hammock, sheets tangled like a rat's nest. Instant meal kit and coffee packaging overflowing from my bin like a colorful waterfall. A wooden desk, messy with paperwork and a lone clock, ticking slowly away at my sanity.

No place like home.

I cracked the seal and slid the contents out. A single sheet of paper and a paycheck for a hundred silver dollars.

To our distinguished Head of Exploration,
Please investigate a peculiar hole near the outskirts of Piltover, southwest of the Progress Day Plaza.

Best regards,
Cecil B. Heimerdinger

On the other side of the letter was a map, with a hand-drawn circle marking the spot.

I read and reread the letter, something sour welling inside my stomach. I put the letter away, a mixture of anger and bone-crushing sadness filling me like rain in a well. Closing my eyes, I got out of the chair and paced the room, anything to get away from the written insult.

A massive map of Runeterra pinned to one of the walls, numerous pins marking places where I had been before. The Slaughter Docks of Bilgewater, a place with too many smells and dead sea monsters. The gargantuan Galio statue of Demacia, dwarfing just about everything else with its glowy brilliance. Such days of glorious exploration were long gone now. A dusty plaque stood in the middle of the desk amongst the mess, taunting me.



Blue Moon
Head Of Exploration

The University Of Piltover

I felt like throwing the thing into the trash. If I were this "distinguished Head of Exploration" as Cecil said I was, WHY did I, of all people, have to investigate some random crater? Last week, I had to go out and look at about three weirdly shaped trees. They were just twisted with age, not even a runic symbol anywhere. They were sort of purple, though.

I reasoned with myself. A hundred dollars for a crater? Easy money, easy food. In and out, twenty minute adventure. I got up and retrieved my backpack, checking its contents. Collapsible brass telescope. Compass. Map. Cell phone. Moon and star chart. Tent. Lighter and waterproof fire starters. Pocket knife in my belt. Rappelling equipment in case I had to descend into the hole. Wrenching the half-broken mini fridge open, I took the few meal kits left and a few bottles of water, in case I had to stake the place out. With that, I slung the backpack over my shoulder and left, shrouding the room in darkness.

No one looked at me as I passed through the arching hallways and tiled marble floors. Why should they? I never left my room, and it wasn't like I had many other friends either. No one ever took the exploration department seriously, unless it was to retrieve another crate of cinnamon buns from John's on the other side of town. As I reached the great doors of burnished oak that made the academy's entrance, my distorted reflection looked back at me. A magnanimous cloak of embroidered stars and moons, covering a thin mage. A crumpled wizard hat sat at a jaunty angle about my head. A set of azure blue eyes looked into my own. Averting my gaze, I stepped through into the new adventure.

It was near starset when I found the hole, roughly near the gift shop of the plaza. It was enshrouded by a copse of gnarled trees. As I pushed through the barriers of thornweed and snakevines, an ethereal violet light caught my eye. Finally, something worthwhile. I stumbled through the woods towards it with renewed vigor. The glow grew stronger and stronger. The very air around me seemed to vibrate with a steady drone, like a hive of bees. It worked its way into my head, leaving my eardrums filled with nothing but the hum of powerful magic. It was my own hubris, or perhaps the influence of whatever secrets this place contained, but I felt no fear, no apprehension. Just keep pushing forward. I eagerly pushed through two massive leaves-

And almost fell into the hole. "Oh shit!" I screamed. Shock blasted away any hold my confidence had on me. I scrambled for a hold, a branch, anything to stop myself. I felt my fingernails dig ruts in the soil. I heard the crumbled dirt tumble into the hole. My hand happened upon a jagged rock and I clutched it in a death grip. Not daring to look down, I got a hold of my frantic breathing, my heart beating so quickly it threatened to burst out of my chest. My left foot was still dangling free, and I kicked until it found purchase on the hard earth. A litany of prayers fell from my mouth as I pulled myself to safer ground. I clawed my way upwards, away from the unseen horrors of the hole. I struggled onto the roots of the nearest tree, then collapsed onto it like a dehydrated monkey.
The scent of something coppery filled my nostrils. Probably the hand that was grabbing the rock. The bark of the rowan dug into my cheek, and drops of cold sweat had beaded on my brow. It occurred to me that I shouldn't be here too long. Pulling myself up, I ripped my backpack open and took a long drink from a flask. Looking up at the sun, I estimated about half an hour before sundown.

That should be enough time. Uncoiling the rope I had brought with me, I tied it around the length of the rowan, then around my waist. I gave it a strong tug, and felt no give. I sat myself down and pulled my notebook out. The violet light was still as strong as ever, and it was only now that I saw it pulse, as if it had a heartbeat. Something much more interesting than those trees. I smiled as I flipped to a fresh page, feeling an echo of the cold thrill run through my veins.

"Crater about 10 metres in diameter. Clearly of magical origin. Anomaly constantly glows with a pulsing purple light. Constant buzzing, growing with proximity. Possible audio cognitohazard. Reaction to external stimulus.."

Frowning with thought, I took a random pebble and tossed it into the hole. A second passed. Two seconds. I counted to ten before writing,"No react-"

Monstrous roars exploded from the hole. "What the f-" I couldn't hear myself over the calls of a thousand eldrich horrors. The ground around me rocked with motion, rolling and rippling. An earthquake? Now? The non stop shaking jolted me from my branch, leaving me on the floor. I thought back to the time where I rode that bull enulk back in the Freljord, except this was ten times worse. I couldn't move at all, being ragdolled left and right, stopping in jerks thanks to the lifeline. As long as I had the rope, I should be safe. I just needed to wait it out, then run and never look back.

The creaking of wood caught my attention. I could only watch as trees were pulled abruptly from their resting places. Trees crashed to the ground as the earth continued to tremble. A young oak, twenty paces from me. A elderly birch, fifty paces from me. A rowan tree-

Oh no.

My hand flew to my belt, finding the familiar grip of the pocket knife. Whipping it out, I sawed with reckless abandon at the noose around my waist. The rope started to fray as the rowan left the earth, jolting this way and that. Come on..

I was about halfway through when the tree rose halfway into the air, balancing on just a section of dirt. My mind went blank, and I could only stare, open-mouthed, as the tree defied the laws of physics, teetering on the edge of the abyss, frozen in time.

With one final creak, the tree broke from its restraints and slid into the hole. I could only watch in silent horror as the rope fed further and further into the gap. I knew what was coming, and yet I couldn't stop it.

The rope went taut, and I was snapped forward, tumbling end over end into the unknown.

The last thing I see is purple.