The air was cold, the wind was dry. The scent was of death and decay, fitting to what was offered to the naked eye.
Soren could hardly breathe, his chest tightening as he stared. Thousands upon thousands of gravestones…and a history that spoke of the despair.
"W-what is this place…", he wheezed, his pupils darting from stone to stone, from name to name. Some legendary, some forgotten, each stone topped by a statue. Some owl, some wolf, some bear.
"A graveyard." Ezylryb answered, his voice low, clipped, shifting on the rock he was perched upon. "What else does it look like?"
Soren opened his beak to speak only to snap it closed a second after. His mind was reeling. He could not focus on a single thought.
"W-what happened here?", he asked, finally managing to pry his gaze away from the resting place of thousands upon thousands of souls. The old avian's working eye was cold when their orbs locked.
"The greatest tragedy ever recorded in history.", the Whiskered Screech Owl answered, jumping off his seat, landing with a thud that seemed a bit too heavy for someone of his size. "The end of the world, basically. If it would have ended, that is…"
The Alba coughed as the dryness surrounding them caught in the back of his throat, gasping as he turned back towards the horrendous display of death. His wings were shaking, his gizzard was twisting within his body, and he felt as if his legs might give out any moment.
Why had he been brought here…? What was the purpose of visiting this place? What lesson…awaited him here…?
He…didn't know. He…didn't…understand…
Glaux…he was getting a headache… The longer he spent here, the worse his state of mind got.
"I…", once again, he broke off. He struggled to find the correct words. "W-what was it? I have…never heard of such…such devastation. There was nothing in the history books that spoke of…this! I don't…"
"Shut up!" The legendary hero's voice was a hiss, dry and furious. The other flinched, as if struck. "This is no place for ranting! The scroomsaws deserve their peace. They have suffered enough…"
Soren blinked, swallowing thickly as he watched Ezylryb hopping off the rock and walking towards one of the graves, choosing to approach one that was broken, its statue missing. He stopped in front of it, lifting one of his talons to brush over its icy surface.
Upon his touch, the dirt crumbled off, exposing several letters. Slowly, he revealed not only a name, but also a message. A message that made Soren feel sick, though he wasn't able to pinpoint why. He couldn't help but read it out loud, his voice quivering as he pushed the words from the back of his tightened throat. "Mivana the Bear. Fallen to the Shadows. May the void be kind to her."
The younger male breathed out, pure terror coursing through his veins as he began to stumble forward as well, stopping only a few feet behind his mentor.
For a few moments, nobody said anything. Then, a question was asked.
"Tell me, boy…" Ezylryb began, slowly twisting his neck to look directly at him. "Have you ever heard the story of the "Overshadowing"?"
Soren could only shake his head.