No I think I'll go it alone.
“I know what we must do. I need to go this alone.” You considered .”I’m sorry everyone. This is just another one of my tasks, as your protector. I have nothing more to give other than myself.” your eyes darted around for the perfect excuse. “Once I’ve unlocked the path moving forward, making sure things are safe, and figuring out what we have to do, then I will come back and open the tomb back up for you all!”
You suggested. The sentiment calmed their souls a bit more. They calmed down and took the time to think over your suggestion. They honestly had no other way out anyway. The path that you all had come through at first was now closed off, and for some reason, the only place you could have gone from there was forward. This clearly made them all uncomfortable, and still you were able to convince them of what you wanted to do.
“Okay. I trust you… Hero.” Barley was the first one to step up and give you the courage to move forward without them. Like an avalanche, the rest of them gathered around you, putting their hands on your shoulder to encourage you to move forward. The only one who was absent from the little display was of course Duke. Regardless of his doubt, you still admired him in a way for being able to detect your lies- for being able to figure out your deception. For that moment you were definitely proud of yourself for what you had done, though you did seem to feel a bit disgruntled from how you were deceiving them.
Before long, everyone said their words of encouragement, and you were standing right at the final doorway. It was decorative and passed straight through the muscular calves of the statue. At the last moment, you realized there was a bit of writing there, but by now it was far too late for you or anyone else to acknowledge what it had said. You took your time and passed through the threshold, not looking back as you heard it closing slowly behind you.
The darkness of the hallway before you engulfed you with the inky blackness, the shadows completely consumed you as you made your way further into the building structure. Soon, you could see a deep blue pulsing light- very similar to the one that you had seen all throughout the building. This time, it was coming from a massive centralized space. You knew that beyond you, just down the hallway was your goal. The thing you had been searching for, for so long was finally just within reach.
When you finally made it to the tomb, your mind started to turn with the morals and lessons you had come face to face with this whole time. For a while, you couldn’t help but think about what you had heard from the mysterious being who invaded your dreams.
“So… You’re like a battery… Right?” You asked yourself aloud. Before you knew it, a voice started to ring out into your head. You had no idea if it was just your own mind playing tricks on you, or if you were actually hearing the familiar voice you heard from your dream.
“Yes… This is for not only my people, but for the future generations living within the vicinity of this temple.”
“So… if I took what was inside, then there would be nothing left for them?” You asked in a solemn voice, figuring out what your next decision could mean for you.
“That is correct.” The voice answered. “In order to be able to enter, you must give me yourself.” He echoed, in the same manner as he did from your dream. Suddenly, you realized what he could have meant by that.
Before long, you found yourself opening up the tomb. Within it was a glowing body covered with all sorts of laces and decorative wraps. Your heart pounded as you noticed the same shapes of magical threading which you recognized from your earlier transformation. Instantly, you realized that this was just another one of those suits, and that the mission wasn’t just an assignment from your higher ups, but it was also a mission for yourself.
Your heart pounded with excitement at the idea of a new transformation but you were also concerned about the repercussions of your actions. Still, you felt as if you understood what he meant by ‘giving him yourself’
“Hey!” You called out for confirmation. “Do you mean… If I trade you, this costume with that costume? Then I can move forward?” You asked. For some reason, this time, you didn’t seem to get any responses. The voice was nothing more but an empty echo of your own in your head. At this point, you were left on your own to figure things out. For a moment, you rested, thinking, and smoothing your hands over the soft fabrics of the new material.
Written by Drifting Dragon on 03 February 2022