BM - Chapter 5 - Arriving at the Hatchery
"We're almost there!" Kiara called out.
"Oh thank god…" Amelia said while she shivered from the cold. Kiara had tried to keep her warm during the trip, but it wasn't enough. Being multiple thousand feet in the air just made everything too cold.
"Should we close our eyes now?" Calliope asked. The Reaper was sat on top of the Phoenix with Amelia being carried in her arms. It seemed like traveling through the Underworld would be too time consuming or she just wanted to be around Kiara.
"Maybe, I don't really know where the field begins," Kiara said. Amelia took this as a yes and closed her eyes. It was hard to focus on anything but flying through the air, but after a few minutes she was able to ignore the sensation. She tried to focus on Kiara's warmth and thought about how Gura, Ina, and Emersyn were doing. Hopefully they were doing well.
"Wow, it's working!" Kiara yelled over the sound of the wind. This brought both Calliope and Amelia back into the world and they opened their eyes. It was true, the island had gotten closer and they were actually going to arrive there.
"Seems like the Atlantean was telling the truth…" Calliope mumbled to herself. Hopefully the rest of the information provided to her would be accurate as well.
The trio continued to approach the island until it was fully underneath them. Amelia tried her best to not look down and see just how high they really were. Thankfully, Kiara started their descent and within a few minutes, they were only a couple dozen feet off of the ground.
"Alright, gonna put you down now!" Kiara yelled to Amelia. The other girl looked up at her, confused. There was still a fair distance between her and the ground for her to land safely.
"WhaAAAAHHHHHH!" And Kiara just dropped her. Amelia continued to scream the entire way down. The ground shot towards her and she prepared to break her fall with a roll.
When she hit the ground, it felt soft. The grass here wasn't like normal grass. It cushioned her fall so much that the roll barely even did anything. Amelia laid down on the grass, sprawling out and hugging the solid ground.
"I am not leaving you again…" she whispered. A thud resounded from beside her. She looked over and saw the Reaper crouching down, having just landed. It seemed like she knew about the soft ground.
"KIARA! DON"T FUCKING DROP ME LIKE THAT AGAIN!" Amelia raged at the circling Phoenix. Kiara seemed to laugh a little before landing herself. The flaming wings on her back disappeared. Amelia hadn't been able to get a good look at how the Phoenix was propelling herself through the air. It looked impressive and powerful.
"Sorry, Ame," she teased. Amelia was not amused, but dropped the topic. They had more important things to focus on now.
"Where to now?" Calliope asked. Kiara looked around them. There were no buildings, no sign of civilization. It looked different from normal land, however. Besides the ground being soft, the trees wobbled slightly more in the light breeze. The air around them had a slight shimmer to it as well.
"This way," Kiara found whatever she was looking for and began to head in a certain direction. Amelia couldn't find whatever it was that tipped Kiara off that this was the correct way.
"How does she know where to go? Are we sure it's even this island?" Amelia tried to strike up a conversation with the cold Reaper next to her. Calliope didn't turn to face her.
"She is sensing the magic in the air. It will get stronger the closer we get to the Hatchery," she answered. Amelia accepted this, having no way to prove otherwise. They continued to walk in one direction until Kiara stopped.
"I think I know why we can't see it…" she said. Her voice was apprehensive, the first time Amelia had heard it like that. It made her worry for what was to come.
"Dark magic? What is it doing here?" Calliope wondered aloud, seemingly having detected the same thing Kiara had. Amelia looked at the other two.
"What's going on?" she said hesitantly.
"There are two kinds of magic, Light and Dark. Me and the Priestess use Dark magic, while Phoenixes use Light. The Atlantean had traces of Light magic on her, so I think I can assume that she falls into the latter category, too."
"So there shouldn't be Dark magic here because Phoenixes don't use it?" Amelia tried to understand the situation.
"Indeed, I have no idea why it's here," Calliope said as she began to slowly make her way to whatever it was. Kiara followed suit. Amelia stayed behind them, still incredibly worried about whatever this Dark magic was.
"You should start to feel it, Ame…" Kiara told the time traveler. Amelia tried her best to feel for whatever it was.
"The air had been shimmering since we got here. Is that Light Magic?" she asked the two in front. Kiara nodded.
"Yeah, but this is more like a dark smoke." Amelia continued to try and see whatever was in front of them. As they got closer, it started to make itself apparent.
A dark, smoky veil covered a large area in front of them.
It was absolutely massive, continuing off to the side for as far as they could see and going up into the clouds above. The smoke was faint, but Amelia knew that this was whatever was giving the other two chills.
"It is some sort of cloak, but I have never seen one this big," Calliope said in amazement. She looked it over before pushing a hand into the smoke. "It seems like it is just that, though. We can move through it." Calliope pushed the rest of her body through and vanished from sight.
"Alright…" Kiara said before following the Reaper. Amelia, not wanting to be left alone, followed with little hesitation.
And on the other side was the Hatchery.
"This isn't right…" Calliope murmured. Kiara held onto her friend's arm.
There were small reddish buildings dotting the landscape. Paths criss-crossing each other, connecting them together. Yellow and red trees flanked these paths, creating outdoor hallways to follow.
It would've been amazing to see…
If they weren't so run down.
Vines clung to the walls and the paths were cracked and broken.
It was like no one had lived here in centuries…
"Where is everyone?" Amelia slowly walked her way up to the other girls. Kiara's breath hitched for a moment.
"I-I'm sure these are just the outskirts. There'll be Phoenixes when we get closer to the center…" Her tone contradicted what she was trying to say. Her voice was shaky and weak, certainly not confidence inspiring.
Amelia gulped, nodding to simply accept that. Calliope's steely expression didn't shift. They began to walk towards what should be the center.
The buildings don't get any better. In fact, they seem to be getting worse. Piles of rubble that probably once were buildings begin to spring up. It almost looks like they were demolished in some kind of attack…
"What the hell happened here…" Amelia mumbles to herself.
The main building is still standing, thankfully, but it is just as run down as all of the others. It is tall, at least three stories, and is fairly wide. Amelia would compare it to a smaller version of the Hololive English HQ.
Amelia walked up to the front of it and put a hand onto the brick. Just like everything else in this place, it was softer than expected. They felt fuzzy, like a peach. The wall's overall structure held firm, though.
"We should look around. I don't want to walk into some trap that is here," Calliope said, breaking the silence between them. It startled both Amelia and Kiara. The silence had been so overwhelming, they both realized.
Not a bird chip, bug buzz, or distant howling.
It was like nothing lived here at all.
"But let's not split up, before anyone gets that horrible idea…" Amelia said nervously. Kiara nodded vigorously. Calliope sighed.
"Fine, we won't. It will be inefficient, but if it makes you feel better." Kiara pressed her face up against Calliope's to show her gratitude. The Reaper tried to ignore it.
They entered the building through the main entrance. Its door was massive, but was hanging from only one hinge. The inside of the building was no better than the outside. There were clear signs of a fight having taken place a long time ago. Scorch marks from fire and slashes from a bladed weapon were scattered along the walls.
Moving in further, the rest of the building seemed to be laid out like a regular office building. It was disturbingly similar actually. Long hallways with rooms flanking either side. Overhead lights that ran the length of said hallways.
In the middle of the building appeared to be a Phoenix version of an elevator. It was probably powered by magic, since Amelia couldn't figure out how it was supposed to work. Not that it would anymore, it was in several pieces at the bottom of the long shaft.
Thankfully, there were stairs on the ends of the building. Amelia would've laughed at them needing a fire escape since they were all Phoenixes, but that just felt uncalled for. No one in the group seemed up for jokes.
"I-I'm getting the sense that the Crystal is on the top floor…" Kiara said quietly. Calliope nodded.
"I think we should look around a little first. I don't trust this place." Amelia was concerned by the noticeable shake in the normally stoic voice of Calliope. If she was being creeped out by this place, something was very wrong.
"O-ok…" Kiara hesitantly agreed. Amelia only nodded. They ventured into several rooms to try to figure out what had happened here. More slash and burn marks covered the surfaces of the rooms.
Each room seemed to have been an office. A desk and bookshelf were in each, along with some other more personal touches by whoever had been in there last. Amelia picked up one of the books and brushed off the dust.
"I can't read this…" she mumbled to herself. A curious Kiara peered over her shoulder.
"It's an introduction to Light magic book," she translated. Amelia stood and turned around.
"This your native language or something?" Amelia held it up to get a better look at it. Kiara nodded.
"I can't speak much now with my memory loss, but I can still read basic stuff like that," she explained.
"Cool, maybe you can translate this for me and I can learn how to use some magic!' Amelia pumped her fist in mock excitement. She thought a little humor might help out the current mood.
"Unfortunately, Watson, I doubt you will ever cast a magic spell in your life." Calliope decided to rain on the tiniest parade. "Humans are notoriously bad at using magic. Usually, they need an outside influence, such as the Ancient Ones, to achieve any amount of magical ability."
"That's no fair…" Amelia pouted. Kiara patted her on the back.
"I kinda still want that book, though. Can you bring it back when we're done?" Kiara asked her. Amelia sighed.
"Fine, but I still want to know more about magic. Might help me use my time watch better in the future." She tucked the book under her arm and the three walked out of the room.
"Why not have a conversation about magic right now?" Kiara asked.
"It would probably be best if we stayed quiet. Who knows if we'll be attacked," Calliope said ominously.
"Awww, come on Calli. We haven't seen or even sensed another living soul since we got here. I don't think we'll be attacked any time soon," Kiara pleaded. She really didn't enjoy the silence between them. It put her on a nervous edge.
"Fine, but if I tell you to shut up you shut up. Got it?" Kiara pulled her hand up in a mock salute.
"Yes!" Calliope sighed and motioned for her to start talking.
"So what do you want to know, Ame?" Kiara started to walk closer to Amelia.
"Uh, I guess the differences between Dark and Light magic would be a start," she said after a moment of thinking. Kiara snapped her fingers and created a flame between them.
"The most basic thing Light magic can do is create light. Dark magic is just the opposite, creating darkness." She motioned Calliope to demonstrate. With a motion of the Reaper's hand, a shadowy mist formed in her palm. Amelia inspected both spells.
"So that's why you can teleport through shadow," she commented while looking at the dark mist. Calliope dispersed it and nodded.
"Yes, it is called Shadow Walk and it lets me move through dark places. However, if there is a large amount of light or Light magic I can't use it." She gestured to the shimmering air around them.
"I wish I could teleport like that," Kiara complained lightly. Amelia looked back over to her.
"Can you not?" Kiara shook her head.
"Nope, my speciality is fire and that can't really teleport me. That girl, Ina, specializes in corruption, so she needed to figure out a different way to teleport compared to Calli. I wish I could figure that out."
"So there are subcategories of magic, too?" Amelia felt her brain beginning to fry a little bit.
"Kind of, it is more similar to a specialization. The Priestess is a master of changing the properties of something, but can't manipulate shadows like I can. Kiara is a master of fire, however she can not bend light," Calliope explained. Kiara nodded to confirm her friend's explanation.
"Are there any other interesting specializations I should know about?" Amelia asked. The trio was coming up to the last room on the bottom floor. After this would be the stairs to the next floor.
"Atlanteans could manipulate water, right Calli?" Kiara leaned over towards Calliope.
"They could, but only with their tridents. It allowed them to channel the small amount of Light magic they have. I have seen it in action a few times."
"I wonder if Gura knows about that," Amelia said to the ceiling. She hoped her friend's trip was going well.
"She most certainly does," Calliope said just before they got to the final room, "I was surprised to see she did not have a trident in her possession, though." Amelia gritted her teeth. It wasn't for her to explain Gura's past to them.
"I'm sure she'll grab one while she's there…" Amelia avoided the topic the best she could.
"Calli here specializes in shadows!" Kiara poked her long time friend in the side. Calliope pushed her away.
"It is what lets me use them the way I wish to." She demonstrated this by stretching a shadow in the room. It was cast by the large desk in the room. The shadow was squeezed into a much smaller area, revealing the area once hidden behind it.
In that area was a skeleton.
"HOLY FUCK!" Amelia screamed out. Kiara let out what could only be described at a high pitched bird screech and jumped up a good few feet. Calliope just stared at it.
"Damn it…" she mumbled to herself. Kiara continued to screech until Calliope told her to shut up. Amelia just stared at the shadowy place where it was. Even though she couldn't see it now, she was very aware that it was there.
"W-w-w-w-w-what was that?!" Kiara cried out. Calliope walked over to it and crouched down. She inspected it for a moment before standing back up.
"It is some kind of creature I haven't seen before. It is probably responsible for chasing the Phoenixes out of here," she said. Kiara slowly approached, but Calliope flipped around. "We should head straight for the Crystal now. The cause of this destruction has been discovered, so we know that it is safe now." She walked back to the door, grabbing Kiara along the way and dragging her back. She didn't really protest, getting close to a dead body wasn't something she needed to do.
"A-alright…" Amelia said, turning to leave. She also didn't really want to be around any dead bodies. The last one she'd seen had left a very bad taste in her mouth. Those memories needed to stay buried right now.
The trio no longer spoke as they headed up the stairs to the top floor. Only a statement from Kiara confirming that they were heading to the right place broke the silence when they reached the top.
The top floor was a completely different layout. There were no windows, so darkness consumed every inch. Kiara sparked a flame to light to see.
The flame vanished as she let out another shrill screech.
Amelia and Calliope both saw what had caused this reaction.
There were even more skeletons on this floor.
They laid on the ground, surrounding destroyed desks and broken glass.
"More of them…" Calliope said. Amelia tried her hardest to not throw up. The small glimpse she'd gotten had burned its way into her eyes. She turned away from the darkness to avoid seeing the slight silhouettes she knew signified a body.
"W-w-w-what should w-we *hic* d-do?" she asked shakily. Calliope took a step forward.
"Unfortunately, we need to get past them. The Crystal is somewhere up here, so just try to not look at them while we go past." Calliope was even starting to become creeped out by the skeletons.
"C-can we take a break on the stairs?" Kiara asked. Calliope sighed.
"Sure, but we still need to get past them."
"I know, but I think me and Ame need to prepare a little." Amelia was very thankful that Kiara suggested that. They sat on the stairs in silence, just out of view of the top floor. None of them really wanted to go back up, but they had to.
"Calli, are you sure you don't know what they are?" Amelia asked, trying to ease some nerves. If they at least knew-
"No, stop asking," Calliope said quickly. She sounded extremely defensive. Was this that bad?
"O-oh ok…" Amelia backed off.
"I-I could check-" Kiara was interrupted by Calliope.
"Don't look at them. If I don't know, you sure don't either." Another fast, defensive rebuttal from the Reaper. Something was very, very wrong here and it was starting to freak out the other two really badly.
"Let's get this over with then," Amelia said as she stood up. Kiara nodded slightly and also stood. They all walked back up to the top floor and stared into the darkness. Calliope waved her arm out in front of her.
"I'll try my best to cover them with shadows. That way you won't have to see them at all."
Kiara lit a flame again, revealing the large shadowy spots that hid the skeletons. They all knew they were there, but not seeing them made it slightly more bearable. With a deep, shaky breath, the group walked into the room.
The damage to this floor was easily the worst out of them all. Splinters of wood and shards of broken glass were all over the floor. It made navigating the area very annoying. The crunch of glass under their shoes made Amelia and Kiara grit their teeth.
"It should just be a little farther…" Kiara whispered. They rounded a corner and saw a slight blue glow coming from around one more. They all hastened their pace to get to it a little faster.
Unfortunately, that made it extremely easy for Kiara to trip over something on the ground.
She fell to the ground, causing the flame to extinguish.
"Are you ok?!" Amelia asked quickly. Kiara snapped her fingers, creating another flame.
"Yeah, I'm-" she stopped her words immediately.
She was staring a skeleton right in the face.
"Shit…" Calliope mumbled before pulling a shadow over it. She had missed that one in her haste to get to the blue glow.
"Calli…" Kiara slowly picked herself up off of the floor. She slowly turned and faced the Reaper, her face barely illuminated by the flame in her hand. "What do you mean you don't recognize those skeletons?"
"Kiara, I don't know what you're talking-"
"Those are fucking DEAD PHOENIXES, CALLI!"
Author's Note: The story is finally underway and there's already been a massacre. What could those Phoenixes have done to deserve this... Why was Calliope hiding them...
I feel like my descriptions of the Hatchery aren't as good as they could be right now. I might come back and add some more detail to the description of the place, but nothing that would impact the story. Something similar might happen to the next chapter, as it is probably the one that I am least proud of so far. It just lacks the weight that I wanted.
After that though, Chapters 7 to 9 are my favorite pieces of writing so far. I feel like I've said that a lot, I guess I've just been improving that quickly :) I hope you all enjoy this section, as it is going to be some of the most important for foreshadowing future events and setting up future plot lines.
Next Chapter: The Harsh Reality
Any feedback/criticism is appreciated!