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Alessio passed the book to Virtus. Nithel stood quietly behind Alessio, waiting.

“I was looking for any maps or clues about this place. The most effectual means of finding a way out would be to accumulate resources and systemize a strategy based off that.”

Nithel blinked once, Such strange words. He had never met someone who spoke that way. Alessio hadn’t even spoken that way. He had changed his way, for this stranger, again. 

Nithel pressed his lips together, still as the new pair spoke back and forth. His heart was open to the new man, but still unsure. Prospecting.

The way Virtus looked at Alessio, he judging as well.

Nithel’s chest tightened, and felt cold. This place was wrong, so wrong. All his skin tingled. He wanted out. He needed out. But how? How did he come here? Did any of them know? Was it all a dream? That made sense.

How else could one fall through stone? Or how else could stone be held into a room? How else could mirror or book exist? 

Nithel started watching Alessio instead of Virtus. His friend, Nithel hoped he was real. Nithel’s heart began to throb with the drive, but he didn’t know.

Then something happened that nearly made him jump to the ceiling. There were pictures. Pictures in that book. His eyes widened. Breath no longer breathing, he stared. How in… I just had that in my hands? I saw no images, I know it. This... He dragged in air that scratched his chest. This can’t be real. Too many things are changing, too many impossibilities are happening. 

Nithel stared blankly at the images as Virtus flipped through them with abandon. Not even taking the time to seep them in. Art was for eyes to fully comprehend, or hands to feel, and he was wasting it. 

But perhaps he was looking for something more. The strategies or maps Eaziziun Wahid had mentioned. 

Vitrus’ eyes jumped up to meet Nithel’s a moment, and he blinked rapidly, stunned. But the eyes of the soldier had already moved to Alessio.

“It’s some kind of journal, or something, written to the reader.”

A what? And… written to the reader. Was that not…how it was done? Perhaps that wasn’t always certain? But… Nithel shut his eyes, and stopped trying to process every little thing man said.

“Look at this,” Virtus added, reaching for a table and dragging it nearer. . The screeching of the wood on stone reminded Nithel of the workshop and Amit. I wouldn’t be sleeping now. It’s the middle of a work time.

He opened his eyes reluctantly, though his insides were still trying to understand where he was.

“People.”

 

Alessio moved closer to Viruts, and Nithel’s stomach tightened. His feet moved him a bit nearer as well. Man had the ability to hurt, and Nithel didn’t want this man to harm Alessio. Though, what could he do?

“Aragorn,” Virtus spoke slowly, eyes fixed on the image.

A name? A place? Nithel swalllowed slowly, his panic subsiding bit by bit. A proverb of Jacine going through his mind, then the sadness that came with his friend’s name brought him completely to reality.

“Jadis. Who are these people?”

Names. Nithel swallowed. He didn’t know the meaning of Aragorn, but didn’t think it a good idea to ask for it at the moment. But Jadis… ‘Sorcery’, or ‘witchcraft’…. His stomach flipped, and his mind felt like it was being gripped.

That was what this was. How? It was outlawed in the Ten, was it not? Did not only the reaches of the Twin States practice such? How… We need to get out. There is always a way. He opened his lips, but no sound came out as another spoke-

“Worlds,”

Nithel’s brows quirked. “I beg your pardon?” Was that woman here? Did she wield the magic? But magic only came for those destined for death. 

Nithel’s chin shook the smallest bit. His mental struggle going on.

“Maybe we should write our names in there too,” Alessio spoke now, and Nithel’s soul nearly fell from his chest. Write you name in that book? No. no. no. no. no. no. Nithel wouldn’t let it be an option.

“we’ll probably join them soon enough assuming they all abide in the same afterlife.”

Oof. Nithel’s eyes widened, even as his heart felt cut. But then the eyes Alessio showed Nithel, caused him to realize the youth didn’t know what he was saying. And that brought some peace. But only a bit, What if he did wrong without realizing? 

“…in my highly optimistic viewpoint.”

Nay… he didn’t know. No one joked about eternity, unless they didn’t know the full meaning.

Another man then approached then, before an answer could be had. If Nithel had had a reply…

The newcomer was the man like Gabrel, but softer. Broader too.

He reached out and grabbed the book from Virtus, flipping to a different leaf. A man’s image was there, red the color of blood bathed the lead behind him.

The new man paused a moment, staring at it, then turned to the end, sliding the book back to Virtus.

Nithel took a step back, feeling like he was in the way, eyes sliding to Alessio one more time. He would not leave his friend. Ever.

“It’s a record. Dharin and Lytt were here until an hour ago.” The new man spoke.

“Just an hour?” Virtus asked, shaking his head. “But Lytt hasn’t been gone. She just went scouting. One odd thing was that…” he trailed off. “Oh wait…” Then his face tensed a second. “Wait, we should be in here,” Virtus spoke and began that rapid searching yet again. He froze the motion on an image of the other who’d fallen into the room.

Something glowed on his arm. How…strange. Nithel’s brows lowered. *thoughts*

The three other men leaned and looked at the scribbles around the image. Nithel waited, silent.

Then Virtus’ hand went to his side, and the other two men looked toward Brendin, the man in the image.

“Hey…Brendin.” Virtus spoke like one would to a calm anxious dog, or cat. “Is this you?” But a dog or cat that would become lunatic at any second. 

Alessio snatched the book before anyone else could. “I want to see something,” he murmured

“What?”

Silently Alessio ripped out the last pages. Nithel’s eyes widened, and he had to agree with the course of action. Though, why so slow? Why not shred out the pieces and rip them to oblivion? Perhaps a fire could be made as well.

Alessio’s fingers trembled, and Nithel again stepped closer.

“It’s nobody’s business,” he said, eyes lifting, and looking over each of them. Nithel felt like a stranger as his friend’s eyes passed over him. “Whoever you are, we’re all stuck together now, and if we start prying into the other’s secrets we’ll tear each other apart. Then we’ll all die, understand?”

Brendin snatched the book from him without another second, flipping through the many remaining pages.

“What are you – ” Alessio spoke, but was ignored.

Brendin flipped the book around to show them a page. The image showed a well-built man dressed in mail and a navy surcoat emblazoned with a pair of white wings as some sort of crest.  At his side was a sword.

He looked trustworthy. But even the darkest man could look like light. 

Eyes then stared at the page a bit more. Nithel looked over those around them.

“I told you,” Alessio’s tone was hard.  “we shouldn’t pry into others’ secrets-”

Nithel’s lips lost their firmness a moment. The last statement of Alessio, how true.

“Look around,” Brendin said softly. “He isn’t in the room.  But he’s in this castle.  Somewhere.”

Alright. Nithel didn’t get the point. Am I supposed to be afraid? A man with a glowing arm, seems just as fierce. A woman, with ruby lips, and hair dark as night, seems just as frightful. Why is he more to be feared than you?

Or any of them, for that matter.

The man who had yet to join their cluster, the son of Aden, should we not deal with the present problems, before worrying about the future ones?  

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