quinn

This was not your sky, and yet you were looking up at it. 

The sky was never so clear to the point where you could actually see them. The stars. At home, if you were lucky, maybe on the odd occasion you could spot a few blinking lights if you squinted and stared at the inky darkness for a while. Never had you actually seen them so vividly, except in pictures. Maybe that’s what made it hard to look away, when this was only the kind of sky someone would see if they were dead. Or at least, that’s how you pictured it. That, or they were far from the familiarity of civilization. 

Were you dead? Perhaps not, you thought, when you felt a cold breeze and felt a grainy substance beneath your fingertips. The scent of salt invaded your nostrils, confirming that you indeed were not dead, unless heaven or hell was a beach and you were currently lounging on it. That seemed like a rather foolish notion. If you were in hell, how far down would it be and how would you even be able to see the sky? If you were in heaven, how close would the stars be? Probably so close that it wouldn’t make for much of a view. 

Disoriented, you slowly pushed yourself up as you were met with a vast expanse of darkness. The moon cast its gentle glow on the world, reflecting upon the stretch of endless ocean that began in tides washing against the shores just feet away from your toes. 

“Where––?” 

It was night, and you found yourself on a beach with no clue as to how or why you got there. Unsurely, you scanned your surroundings as you sat up on your knees, and attempted to pat off the sand particles that stuck to your clothes. Clothes that were a clear sign that you were unprepared to be here, when all you had on was an old white t-shirt and a pair of shorts that exposed your limbs to the cold. As you continued to pat yourself down, trying to remember why you were here, your pockets felt strangely empty. Again, you pat the spot, double checking as you felt your heart drop. 

“No, no…!” 

The pockets where you usually kept your phone and wallet or any other spare change, were both devoid of its contents. Patting yourself down entirely again, led to the conclusion that you had nothing. No method of communication, no form of payment, no proof of identification. Nothing. 

Were you kidnapped? No, that didn’t make any sense. If you had been kidnapped, why were you left alone on a shoreline? Robbery was a possibility, although you began to doubt that theory when you confirmed that you still had your jewelry. So if robbery and kidnapping were checked off the list, then why were you here? 

The last thing you could recall… you couldn’t remember. What were you doing before? You knew who you were, where you were from, but you couldn’t remember what you were doing last! 

Just before the situation could fully sink in, out of the corner of your eye you noticed blue. Not of the water, no, this was a bright blue glowing like the stars. And there were two. In the distance, two small flickering fires of blue moved along the edge of the forest. The pair shifted and floated not too far off the ground, dancing within the shadows, but seeming to grow further and further away. As if wherever the source was coming from, was traversing deeper into the woods and away from the shoreline. 

Looking around once again, you saw you were alone. There was no evidence of civilization whether it be some type of building, a pathway, or a sign to conveniently point you in the right direction. All around you was the ocean, shoreline, and the forest. You could travel in one direction and hope you either happened across another person, or you could wait patiently in hopes someone would come searching for you. Of course, there was the riskier option of following the lights and pray it was a person and not something else. Currently, your options were limited. 

Not quite particular to the prospect of starving or freezing out in the open, you quickly scrambled up and chose to follow the lights. Your sneakers allowed you to run across the sand without sinking down, as you attempted to keep up with the lights. You didn’t dare speak out, because you still didn’t know what exactly the lights were! 

In any other situation, your fear would have never allowed you to just blindly follow two glowing blue lights in the middle of nowhere at night. However, this wasn’t exactly a normal situation. You’ve read stories of people foolishly pursuing strange lights which often lead them to either a wondrous new thing or a terrible fate. You could only hope that it wasn’t the latter in your case. 

By the time you had reached where the sand became grass, you were out of breath, but still forced yourself to carry on. Lingering behind the blue lights, as you kept your breathing quiet and remained cautious of any branch should you step on it and it make a noise. 

Speeding up, the ground became a bit easier to walk on when it was mainly grass and dirt. The lights kept low, visible in the tall grass that brushed against your knees as whatever it was weaved between trees at a swift and easy pace. As you got closer, you could verify that your eyes had been correct earlier. It was two blue flames. Two blue flames and a cat! 

It was the strangest cat you ever saw, with blue flames that came from within its two little ears. From behind it, all you could make out was its gray fur in desperate need of a wash and paws slightly damp with mud. The tail at the end of it was most peculiar, black and forked like a trident. Well, even if it was the strangest little kitty, it was much of a relief to see it was a creature that you could recognize. 

“Wait…! Come here, come here, it’s alright.” You gained the courage to speak, finding your voice as you attempted to catch the kitten’s attention and beckon it closer. Even if it was feral, maybe it could lead you somewhere. Feral cats had to eat, and some liked to rummage around the bins in the alleyways back home. Perhaps this one was the same. 

As you reached forward, the cat screamed in fright. It screeched, hair raising along its spine and tail standing straight in alarm. It didn’t scream like a cat, it screamed like a person with a voice, which in turn caused you to reel back and scream too. 

It did indeed have the face of a cat, but its eyes were highly unusual. Blue. Entirely blue, the same shades as the fire from its ears. The sclera of its eye was a light blue instead of white, and its pupil was like a cat’s, but the iris was an unusual shade of chathams blue. You had never seen anything with eyes like those! 

“Who are you?! What are ya doing following me?” 

It spoke. It spoke in a grating little voice that caused you to flinch. The feline looked just as tense as you were, as it stood on the tips of its claws with its back arched, staring up at you with those wide eyes. You half expected the thing to hiss at you. 

“A… A talking cat!” You exclaimed in pure shock, as you scanned your surroundings, in case someone else didn’t emerge from behind a tree and claim to be the voice you heard. But you had clearly seen the cat’s mouth moving and heard the words come from its mouth. Was this some sort of dream? It had to be. I mean, waking up alone in a foreign place, having no memory of why you were here, encountering a cat with fire ears and the ability to talk, it had to be just a dream! “Okay, I’ll play along.” Or at least, that was your current logic, as you willingly deluded yourself for your own peace of mind. 

“I’m not a cat!” The creature hissed, its back arching a little higher as if it were an attempt to intimidate you. It was difficult to be intimidated when it was very cat-like and small. “I’m Grim! Remember the name, because you’re looking at the next great archon! Now, I already asked who you were and why you were following me, are you not gonna answer that?” 

Taking a step back to not loom over him, you regarded him carefully, deciding not to press about the archon thing, whatever that was. “Oh, um… My name is (Y/n). It’s very nice to meet you, Mister Grim.” 

The-not-cat creature paused, slowly sitting as a content little grin curled below his whiskers. Grim preened, sounding much less threatening, “A human with manners and brains! Aha! Finally, someone regards me with the respect I deserve! Although I prefer Master Grim, but I’ll let Mister slide. I’ll take it easy on you. Now, stick 'em up, human!” 

Puzzled, you slowly did as he commanded, although you weren’t sure why Grim wanted your hands up. It’s not like you had to obey, but you did. 

Grim regarded your appearance and attire, scoffing as he straightened his posture to stand on his back two paws and walk like a person. “What bumbling little village are you from where you dress like that? Don’t tell me you’re so poor you can’t even afford proper clothes!” 

Furrowing your eyebrows, you continued standing with your hands up as you looked down at your own outfit. Yeah, it wasn’t anything amazing, but you wouldn’t say you looked poor. Slightly wounded, you looked down at the little feline creature. “What’s wrong with my clothes…?” 

“Everything!” The creature exclaimed as he gestured to multiple aspects of your current wear. “You’re practically begging to get all banged up and scratched with all that skin showing out here, and those pockets are too small to hold anything of value! Don’t tell me someone already got to you first and robbed you?!” 

Robbed? Yeah, that was the theory first, but it seemed like that was no longer the case. That wasn’t what happened to you. “Uhh… no? I don’t think so? Why?” 

“Because this is a robbery! I’m robbing you! Catch up!” Grim groaned in exasperation, no longer pointing a little claw at you. When his eyes went over you once again and he didn’t see anything of real value, he grumbled and averted his gaze down at the dirt. 

Peering down at the creature, you slowly lowered your arms back to your side as you tilted your head at the thing. It kicked a stray pebble before plopping down with his head hung low, only its ear twitched in response as you responded softly, “Sorry, I don’t even have anything on me.” 

“Yeah, I can already tell, duh.” Grim mumbled, not stirring even as you slowly sat across from him, just inches away from where he had flopped down. Not even raising his head, he mumbled bitterly, “What sorta stupid human are you?” 

“The lost sort.” Seeing that the small creature didn’t look about ready to sink its claws into the flesh of your leg, you took the moment while he was tame to explain your precarious situation. How you woke up here, can’t recall the events that led to your arrival, and had no idea where in the world you were. 

The entire time, his little ear occasionally twitched, but he didn’t really move. Grim sat like a person, his little paws sticking out as he kept his head down. It felt odd to be talking to a fiery feline, his blue flames flickering and illuminating the small clearing of the forest you two were sitting in. 

“So… what you’re trying to say is that you ended up here and you have no idea how?” When he lifted his head slightly, his eyes focused intensely on your hands. Despite claiming to not be a cat, Grim acted a lot like one, as he pawed at your palms. 

Tentatively, you nodded, letting the feline do as he pleased, as long as it didn’t involve his claws. You even unfurled your fingers further, just so your palms were more open. “I was wondering if you could tell me where we are…?” 

“Heartslabyul, obviously.” He answered, as if it was common sense. Well, for you, you didn’t recognize the name at all, which made you a bit nervous. It must be very very far from home, wherever you were. There was no time to even ask for clarification, because he pawed at your palm with more force. “What’s that on your hand? Is that––?” 

“My hand…?” 

Turning your hand over, your fingers trembled when you noticed a spot in the very center of your palm. At first you thought you somehow got pierced by something, but by Grim’s light, it became clear that it wasn’t some puncture wound. It was a mark on the flesh, along the creases and line of your skin, there was an oval shaped symbol. Intricate, but far too small to really make out all the details. Whatever it was, it wasn’t plain old regular ink like someone tattooed you while you were unconscious. This mark was glowing. It was very dim, but still, glowing black. 

Any fear you had been containing, escaped when your breath hitched as you turned over your other palm and saw the same thing. Inhaling sharply, your growing alarm became evident by your tone and expression as your voice raised a few decibels, as unsteady as your shaking hands. “M-My hands–– I don’t know what’s on my hands! I didn’t even know it was there! I swear, I don’t know what this is or what’s going––” It was dawning on you all at once, and you couldn’t delude yourself further that this was a dream especially when you felt a tiny prick on your flesh. Pain. You could feel the prick of pain. This wasn’t a dream.

“Why are you panicking? This is a good thing! A great thing! Count yourself blessed, mortal!” Grim cut off your panic, using one of his little pointed claws to trace the oval-marking without drawing blood. Any semblance of disappointment was dashed, and his grin returned as he explained, “This is a symbol from the gods! They’re very rare, not many of the archons use emblems anymore.” There was that word again: archon. “Wayyyy long ago, they used to be mainly used when an archon picked a mortal to use as a vessel and took over their body. Then the body would get a mark sorta like this one! That, or it was used as a branding kinda deal if a mortal owed something to an archon. Weird, I don’t even recognize that emblem. It’s not from me, I mean, I can’t do this yet, but one day I will! So, which archon do you belong to?” 

“I’m gonna get possessed?!” 

The feline scoffed, pouting as you quickly withdrew your hands that were shaking so terribly. “You don’t know why you even have that?” 

You wanted to cry. “I don’t know! I already told you…!” What kind of existence was this, where you lived your mundane life, ended up here lost and afraid, only to get told that you may be possessed by an archon? “I don’t even know what you mean by archon––” 

“WHAT?!” Yowling, he immediately jumped up onto his two back paws as he exclaimed in utter disbelief, almost offended, “You don’t know about the archons? That wasn’t just some wacky made-up story about how you ended up in this dump?” 

When you shook your head, you sniffled, trying desperately to keep your calm, but it seemed almost impossible in this impossible predicament. 

“Okay, okay, since I feel so bad for you, I’ll tell you. Then one day, if you’re still around, you can proudly say that you met the Great Archon Grim! You can brag like, I knew him! Isn’t Grim so cool? I might even remember you and accept your prayers, you can thank me now!” 

At his smug little expression, you relented, as you weren’t exactly in the position to make demands. “Alright, alright… Thank you, Great Grim. And I’ll thank you again if you can explain maybe a little more to me? Please?” 

“Fine, fine, if you insist.” Crossing his arms, he basked in the attention, appearing quite pleased with himself as he began, “Let’s see… here, I’ll put it so simple that even a baby can understand! There are seven nations, and each one has a god. These gods are super-powerful! I’m talking crazy-strong! Like they can level mountains and raise the sea type of miracles with their crazy magic!” 

Right now, you had no idea what to do or how to get home. However, if magic existed in this realm, then surely there would be some way to get back. There had to be, for your sanity. 

“Buuuuuut, I don’t recognize the emblem on your hand at all. It could be one of them? Chances are you probably won’t get possessed, because let’s be honest, what kinda archon would want your body? But, maybe if you pray to one of the archons, you’ll get an answer. But the chances of that are pretty much zero, because only idiots rely on the gods since they almost never answer. You’d have a better chance trying to actually meet with one of them and try to talk to them in person, but good luck with that!” 

Immediately burying your face in your hands, you groaned, shaking your head in misery. This was a world of magic and archons, things that were so unfamiliar, and you were talking to a demonic little cat! A cat was telling you all this! “This can’t be happening, this can’t be real––” 

Grim listened to your murmurings, blinking as he watched your mind unraveling. His little blue eyes glowed in the darkness along with the flickering light of his ears like dim candlelight. Sitting across from you in the middle of the field, his tail slid an inch to the side before tilting his head. Fireflies emerging from the underbrush floated gently, dancing in the breeze around them. Comically, one of the flying critters in particular levitated above his head, lighting up like a light bulb as an idea came to mind. 

“You know, we’re actually not too far from the capital of Heartslabyul.” A toothy grin took root on his short snout. “It’s this hugeee city where the god of pyro lives in this giant palace! One day, I’m gonna live in a palace ten times bigger than that one! My worshippers will build it for me, brick by brick, a towering temple that reaches the very heavens! It’ll make that palace look puny in comparison, but I’m getting ahead of myself.” Temporarily distracted by the fireflies, he didn’t even notice when you slowly lifted your head to look at him. He was far too entranced, pawing and trying to catch the light in his paws. 

“A city…?” A city was a good thing, wasn’t it? When you thought of a city, you thought of towering buildings and bright lights, but it’s entirely possible that cities weren’t the same here. Whenever here truly was. Either way, cities had a lot of people. People could help. “How far is it?” 

Swinging his paw through the air, he managed to hit a firefly that burst into a tiny flame. That was not a normal bug. It was an actual fire-fly. “I dunno, like… a few hours? The point is, I’m willing to offer you, pathetic lost sad human, the offer of a lifetime!” Hopping up onto his back paws, he waltzed right up to you and stood proudly with his little arms crossed in front of the white puff of fur at his chest. “I tried staking my claim there in their main city, but I was kicked out! Can you believe it? Me! They threw me out as if I was nothing! But they can’t keep me out forever! Here’s my amazing offer: if you help me sneak back in, I’ll help you… ah… what were you looking for again? I already forgot.” 

Furrowing your eyebrows in disbelief, you replied in quiet distress, “Uh… a way home…?” 

“Oh! Right! That.” Clearing his throat, he resumed, “Swear to help me sneak back in, and I’ll lead you straight to their capital where you can look for the Pyro Archon to ask about a way home! I even know a shortcut so you don’t have to walk all the way. Now, say thank you.” 

Grimacing, but with little choice as it was either follow the eccentric talking cat or remain lost and possibly rot in the wilderness of a foreign world, you replied unsteadily, “Thank you…?” 

Little white fangs poked out as he grinned, and darted into the tall grass. “Good enough for me! Come on, human, if we want to catch that short cut, we gotta do it before the sun comes up!” 

There was hardly any time to register what was going on or how quickly this was all going by. Right away you had to jump to your feet, stumbling after the feline. You could make out his path by the glow of his ears and the shifting of the grass as he occasionally jumped in the air to smack at the fire-flies. “H-Hold on, where are we even going?!” 

Grim smacked at another fire-fly as you were careful to avoid even touching them. He chased away the glowing embers, creating a path for you to follow in his trail. “The nearby port! Where else? We got a one-way ticket to the capital and that’s on the King’s ship!” 

Jogging to keep up with his quick pace leading to dense forest between the shores and woods, you did your utmost best to remain in his sight. It would be terrifying to be lost here at night alone. “I thought you said you were thrown out of the city! Why would their royalty let you on his own ship?”