Hello guys and gals! My name is Tytonic, and I welcome you to story of renewed hope! This is actually a oneshot, not a story, so bear with me here. This is also my first oneshot, so my habit to elongate writing may make this slightly awkward. This will be better than anything I have ever written, for I am confident that this may be the best I can make, unless I have undiscovered potential. Give me any and all thoughts, they are highly appreciated! Enjoy the story!
Farewell, my friends,
-Tytonic
Disclaimer: I do not own any of The Underland Chronicles, only the characters I make up and the plot itself.
In the Swirling Darkness
Gregor kissed Luxa good-bye and climbed out into the park. Then she backed down a few steps and they held each others gaze until Gregor's dad slid the rock in place, parting them forever.
4 years later. . .
"You have suffered, so that your family may prosper, may thrive. But no more, it is your time now. You have lived for them long enough, now it is time to live for yourself."
Those had been Gregor's grandmothers final words. Words she had uttered in the last fleeting moments of her life. She had lived a long and wonderful life, and in her passing moments, she had blessed Gregor with a chance to experience the life he truly deserved, thus granting him renewed hope.
It has been four years. Four long and agonizing years, years in which Gregor had not lived, not truly. Four years ago, Gregor had left the underland, forced out by the cruel and twisted ways of life.
He had left much behind, so many cruel, agonizing, and horrible memories. Yet, they were among the things he desired the most, the things he strived for. The things he had seen, the things he had done; pretending that he never did those things, never saw those things, was far worse a fate than suffering from the memories themselves.
Running never helps, and yet, he had run for the past four years. Grief, pain, sorrow, and suffering were among the things that had killed Gregor. The once mighty warrior had been shot down, leaving but a hollow shell of himself, a soulless figure.
Despite this, his grandmothers words had shattered that hollow shell, they had broken through the thick armor. She had given him what he needed most, she had provided the spark, to ignite the awaiting kindling. She had given him hope, true as the river runs.
Somewhere deep in the endless, swirling darkness, a soft light flickered to life. It had been given its spark, and now was its chance to fight, to push away the endless, swirling darkness.
Elsewhere in the depths of darkness, Gregor's empty soul finally grasped the meaning of his grandmothers words. Somewhere deep inside of Gregor's hollow brown eyes, a soft speck of hope flickered to life, bestowing upon him a new light. His soul had returned once more to reclaim his body from the darkness within.
He had been submerged in the depths of the void, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into the darkness, but no more. The light had halted his sinking, and ever so slowly, he had begun to reemerge, to float back to the surface. It was a long and fitful journey, and before long, he would likely be overtaken by darkness once more.
Perhaps the light had always been hidden in the darkness, waiting for the right moment to emerge, or perhaps those watching over him had given life to his grandmothers words. Either way, it was time. It was time for Gregor to emerge, to reclaim that which he has lost. It would be immensely difficult, and without assistance, it would be an unendurable task. Now, however, it is time to seek out that assistance.
-O-
Gregor's eyes, hollow and lifeless, slowly flickered open. The luminous sunlight shimmered through the window, setting the room ablaze with its scintillant glow, enough to whisk away any foul mood. The light shone against Gregor's hollow shell in an endeavor to unravel the darkness within, but to no avail.
As Gregor slid out of bed, his movements were slow and tense, lacking a purpose. He slowly dressed in what little attire he owned, not bothering to look himself over afterwards. Accompanied by taut movements, Gregor made his excursion to the kitchen, where breakfast awaited him.
With bereft steps, Gregor tread to a chair, and ensconced himself beside the table. The entirety of his family had already settled themselves in, awaiting breakfast. As he settled into the chair, the conversation encompassed by his family members halted.
Gregor's father and mother both appraised him, sensing a diminutive change. Both Lizzie and Boots felt a shift in the atmosphere, and they began to evaluate Gregor with incredulity.
The new light that tenanted Gregor's eyes, however small, was noticeable on many degrees. His parents and siblings looked to be astonished. For four years, Gregor had not shown the slightest trace of himself, as if he had died within himself.
His mother gazed at him with bewilderment. "Gregor honey, a-are you okay?"
All of Gregor's family tensed, as they awaited a reply. Gregor had not spoken since he had left the underland, much to others dismay, and he had only communicated with gestures. As a result, his family didn't dare hope for a verbal response.
Without so much as glancing at his Mother, Gregor spoke. "I'm going back." His voice was hushed and raspy from deficient use.
The color drained off his mothers face, and her expression dropped exponentially. "Gregor darling, you cannot jus-"
Gregor's mother was silenced immediately when he looked at her. He refrained from glaring, but his eyes betrayed what he was thinking. He was not asking permission, he was informing her of his intentions. His mother appeared as though she was going to say something again, but paused when his father rested his hand on her shoulder.
His mother seemed to slide into a state of deep thought, and for several minutes she remained taciturn. Once she emerged from her state of thought, she did not shatter the silence. Rather, she gave a small, sad nod, as a tear crawled down her cheek.
Gregor appeared emotionless, but deep down, in the depths of swirling darkness, the light flickered, and grew by a diminutive amount. Without response, Gregor sat up with, and with taut movements, tread over to the door of the apartment.
Gregor opened the door and paused. He slowly turned around, and when he did, Lizzie gasped. Gregor's eyes were different, almost as if Gregor was fighting to break free of the swirling darkness.
Gregor looked at his family, for what may very well be the last time. "Goodbye." He uttered.
He captured their gazes for a few moments, before whirling around, and stiffly walking out of the door. Had he remained there, he would have been present to see Boots burst out crying.
Gregor made his way down the hallway of his apartment complex, to the staircase. Once he had arrived, he took the steps one at a time, and slowly walked down to the laundry room.
When Gregor got to the laundry room, he walked in without a second thought. He walked down the line of washers and dryers, and paused in front of the final dryer. The metal grate appeared as if it had been put through years of ware, rusty and beat up. Gregor crouched down, and gently opened up the grate, careful not to break its rusty hinges. White wisps of air curled around inside, signifying that the currents were active.
With a moment's hesitation, Gregor slid into the grate, and suddenly, there was nothing below him. Surrounded by nothing but darkness, Gregor fell, and allowed the currents to take control, trusting them in all of their entirety.
What seemed like hours may have been minutes, what seemed like minutes may have been hours. Gregor had lost all sense of time when he hit the ground with a hollow, bone jarring thud.
As Gregor began to regain his senses, he instinctively switched to echolocation to evaluate his surroundings. Once he had gained his bearings, he set off down one of the tunnels, a tunnel he knew led to Regalia.
For several minutes, Gregor walked, and had taken numerous turns. It was only when somebody called out to him that he stopped.
"Overlander! Stop where you are, I can take you to safety!" Called a voice from above him.
Gregor had been acutely aware the man's presence was for quite some time, he just hadn't acknowledged it. The man had a torch in his hand when he landed, resting upon an average sized brown flier. The man reached a hand out to Gregor, offering him a ride.
Without speaking, Gregor stiffly accepted the mans hand, and allowed him to pull Gregor up onto the bats back. The man seemed slightly surprised that Gregor was no scared, or asking questions. As the bat took flight, Gregor felt a familiar rush of air.
Somewhere deep in the depths of swirling darkness, the light doubled in size, and the darkness fought to extinguish it, to no avail.
As the underlander flew, Gregor relaxed slightly. The familiar rush of air and soft fur beneath him brought back many joyful memories, but with joy, comes sorrow. Not only did joyful memories rush back to him, but sorrowful memories returned as well, memories from the fleeting moments of Ares life.
Despite this, a wave of relief washed over Gregor. Confronting the memories was far better than running from them.
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light grew by a minuscule amount, and as the darkness raged on, the light held it at bay.
Within a few minutes, Regalia drifted into sight. It was bathed in the soft flickering glow of torchlight, making the city itself seem as if it were made of gold. The sight brought back pleasant memories, memories of his first moments in the underland, and however dreadful they may have been, looking back upon them, they can only be viewed as pleasant.
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light grew, and began to fight back, pushing the darkness away ever so slowly, but surly.
As the air blew through Gregor's hair, ruffling it, a heat wave seemed to crash into Gregor. The heat of the torches was rising to the ceiling of the cavern, where Gregor sat atop the brown flier, pointed towards the palace.
It was a pleasant feeling, the warmth, as opposed to the normal sweat inducing heat of a flame. Many of the citizens and fliers stopped what activities occupied them, as they became aware of an overlanders presence.
Gregor became acutely aware of guards in the highhall, who had prepared their weapons. As the flier glided in to a landing, Gregor could sense the guards relax slightly, as they determined that Gregor was not a threat, though they did not sheath their weapons.
When the bat landed softly on the ground, Gregor dismounted, and remained in place, lacking the knowledge of what to do next. One of the guards, a tall one with defined muscles, walked over to Gregor.
The man looked deadly, yet kind at the same time. "Greeting, overlander. Come with me, I shall escort you too the baths."
Gregor replied with a small, curt nod, and allowed the man to escort him through the labyrinth of stone tunnels and corridors. Within a minutes time, the soft gurgle of water began to flow through Gregor's ears, as they approached the bathing room.
Once the gurgle of water had reached its loudest, the man paused in front of a doorway, one that Gregor knew all too well.
The man turned to Gregor, and motioned towards the door. "Once you have completed your bath, I will be here, and I will escort you to your audience with the queen, overlander."
The word 'queen' demanded Gregor's attention. "Queen?"
"Queen Luxa of the Regalia, she oversee's all matters related to the overland." Replied the man. "Now bath, we haven't time to waste."
At the mention of Luxa's name, somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light grew slightly, and continued to push the darkness away.
Gregor shot the man a stern short nod, and walked into the bathing room. The soft gurgle of water practically calling out to Gregor's taut muscles. Gregor slowly striped of his overland clothing, and walked over to one of the many baths.
He settled down into the flowing warm water, and could feel his taut muscles begin to unwind almost immediately. The feeling of the soft warm water flowing over and around Gregor's body brought back memories of his many days in the underland.
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light grew slightly, and began to push back the darkness as a slightly faster pace.
Gregor could have sat there, relaxed and unwound, in the warm water for an eternity, but all good things must end, and eventually Gregor climbed out of the bath, immediately longing the feeling of warm water around his body once more.
A shiver ran down Gregor's spine, as he was met with the abrupt change in temperature. He slowly walked over too the bench, where he found a soft set of silky, sky blue clothing, which had replaced his overland clothing. Once he had dressed in his new attire, he sauntered out of the room, where he met the man, who was patiently awaiting him.
The man looked Gregor over, and nodded at him. "That will do. Now come, we mustn't delay your audience with the queen any longer."
Gregor nodded, and allowed the man to lead him through numerous stone tunnels and corridors. After what seemed like hours, but was truly minutes, they turned into a hall which had two guards on either side of the hallway.
The man leading Gregor nodded to both of the guards, and receiving a nod in return, led Gregor down the hallway. After passing a few doorways, they stopped in front of another doorway, one which had a heavy purple curtain in place of a door.
The man turned to Gregor, and grabbed his shoulder, preventing him back from entering the room. "I will warn you, be careful. The queen angers easily. Stress has clearly taken a toll on her, though she refuses to admit it. Do not do or say anything rash, and you shall be fine."
Gregor nodded to the man, and the man let go of his shoulder. Gregor was trembling with anticipation, on the inside, but looked emotionless on the outside, save his eyes. Gregor reached out with a steady hand, and pulled the curtain aside. With stiff movements, he walked into the room.
Gregor instantly recognized the room as the royal living courters. Despite the room being large, Gregor's eyes settled on one of the two couches. The couch was set so whoever occupied it could have a view of the doorway.
It was there, that Luxa sat. She was even more beautiful than Gregor remembered. She had allowed her hair to grow out once more, reaching all the way down to her waist. It was the same silver blonde color that it had been all those years ago. She wore a long and slim purple dress, the same shade as her eyes. Above all else, Gregor noticed her eyes. They were the same dazzling shade of purple he remembered, but they had a deeper look to them, as if they had seen things that should never be witnessed.
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light began to snap, crackle, and pop, as if preparing for something. The darkness raged onward, and yet, the light held it at bay.
Gregor stood still for a few moments. It was only once Luxa motioned for Gregor to sit across from her, on another couch, that he moved. As he ensconced himself, he could feel Luxa's eyes running over him, studying him.
Once settled he held up his head, so that he may look at Luxa. She remained taciturn for a few moments, as if sorting through her thoughts.
"Overlander. Would it be safe to assume that you have many questions?" Luxa asked. "We have time, I will do my best to answer your questions."
Gregor shook his head, for he did not have any questions.
"Yes, I have seen this before." Said Luxa. "You must feel like you are in a dream of sorts, correct?"
Gregor shook his head once more, and Luxa looked taken back, surprised. After a few brief moments of silence, which felt like hours to Gregor, Luxa's surprise subsided.
"Yes, okay." Luxa stated. "Overlander, what might your name be?"
Gregor felt like he had been shot. He had a deep feeling of disbelief, she forgot him, after everything that they went through together!
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light snapped slightly, and the darkness delivered a sharp blow, reducing the light's size exponentially. It remained but a speck of light, struggling to hold up underneath the darkness.
Gregor brought his eyes to meet Luxa's gaze, his eyes swirling with darkness. He could see a mixture of swirling emotions occupying Luxa's eyes, but above all else, he could identify stress.
"You already know, Luxa." Whispered Gregor, keeping hold on the eye contact.
Luxa remained emotionless, and kept gazing into his eyes. After a few moments a look of realization crossed her face. He gaze softened substantially.
Luxa looked at loss for words, and she seemed to tremble slightly. "But. . . No, that's impossible! He left me years ago, left us all!"
"And I have returned, Luxa." He replied.
They both stood up from their seats, and took a few steps towards each other. Once they were less than a foot away, Gregor saw a tear glisten in the corner of Luxa's eye. Luxa had a look of disbelief set on her face.
"Is it really you, Gregor?" She murmured.
Gregor gazed into her teary eyes. "It's me, Luxa."
Luxa inched forwards slightly, and threw her arms around Gregor. Without hesitation, Gregor returned the embrace. He could feel tears on his shoulder as he stroked her soft hair, but he disregarded them.
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light crackled, and began to grow at a steady rate, pushing the darkness away.
For several minutes, that is the position they remained in, entangled in each others embrace. Once the two pulled away, they remained in each others arms. Luxa had her arms around Gregor's neck, while Gregor held his arms around her waist.
There were tears running down Luxa's cheek, slowly. Gregor raised one hand, and whipped the tears away. As he did so, Luxa reached up, and put her hand atop his, holding it on her cheek.
Luxa gazed into Gregor's eyes, and he hers. He could see sparks inside her eyes, as if she was waking up from a long sleep.
"Luxa. . . Luxa, I love you." Said Gregor.
"And I you." She replied, before leaning in.
As their lips brushed together, Gregor felt a shift inside of him, as if he had become a new person.
Somewhere deep in the depths of darkness, the light cracked, snapped, and popped. With one last spark, the light flashed, before exploding.
Engulfed in a new light, Gregor's soul reclaimed his body once more, shattering the darkness hold upon Gregor. It was then, that the darkness was overtaken, and the endless world was set ablaze with a luminous, scintillant glow of light. Thus, a new age began, an age of light, rather than darkness, of hope, rather than sorrow.
A smile spread across Gregor's face for the first time in years.
Never stop looking, for it is in the darkest of places, that the brightest of lights can be found.
-Jack Schnabel
So, I hope you all liked it! Actually, I really hope you did, because I worked three days straight on it. I may actually make a story out of this, but if I do, it will be a long while before I do so. I think I have to take a break from writing for a bit after this, I'm worn down. So, please give me any thoughts about the story, I really want to know what you guys thought!
Farewell, my friends,
-Tytonic