#day122020

Day 12 -Escape @daily-writing-challenge​

Rhys raised a finger towards the night sky, playing connect the dots with all the constellations that were visible to the naked eye.  Not only did he know the constellation’s names, he knew the names of the individual stars that made up each shape as well. It was a habit of his now, to crawl up onto the barn roof in Westfall with a blanket, pillow, and cup of hot chocolate, then just relax in the best way he knew how. 

This had been his passion since he was young, it was his little escape from life in the orphanage.  Many a night he would sit outside with some of the younger kids or the volunteers and quietly stare upwards. He had realized then that perhaps it was an escape for many. The thought that this one singular world was such a tiny speck in the vast endlessness really put a lot of things into perspective.  

It was a difficult concept to grasp given the tiny view they were afforded on Azeroth.  How many of those named stars had life on them?  What were they like?  Maybe they were doing the same thing; staring up at the night sky and wondering which worlds were inhabited and by whom.  Rhys smiled and wrapped the blanket tighter around himself before laying back to rest his head atop the pillow.

Daily Writing Challenge Day 12 - Escape

It had been about a week now since Aerden showed up on the doorstep of his old home in order to confront his mother’s husband. Then, a couple days were spent in the clinic thanks to that encounter, and the rest of the time he remained in the safety of his own apartment. Sitting still wasn’t exactly his forte, but he was still sore and healing, not to mention he was a little anxious going out into public.

So he did his best to keep himself busy at home, much of the time in the security and comfort of the pillow and blanket fort that Phe and he had built a while ago. It was their little escape from the troubles and drama that plagued them. A place where they could just hide from the world and pretend that things were okay - when they definitely were not.

It had been about five to six months since Sana and he had that fateful conversation on his front stoop that completely upended their lives. The sadness and the anger had been so overwhelming at times that he just completely shut down and all he could do was sit there and stare blankly. Right now was one of those moments. Along with the hurt he still felt from the break-up, so much more had been slowly piling up on his shoulders.  

There was Pollux’s comments and advice that had helped to open his eyes and start shedding those rose-colored goggles. They were harsh words, but ones he needed to hear.  Now with him already shipped off, their conversations were brief and rare. He could use a good dose of Pollux advice right about now.

There was the fact that Pollux was shipped off, that meant something was coming soon. He himself had to get ready to be shipped off at any moment. The where and the why were up in the air, that was the most disturbing part of it.

Last but not least, there was also his mother’s husband who had recently returned to the city. The man he thought to be his father for years.  The man that left him in this broken and bruised state and had done so many a time before. The man that he had just found out killed his mother. He had yet to tell anyone exactly what happened, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to at this point.

It was so much to handle at once, and he didn’t have a clear path of what to do about any of it.  He decided that, for now, he didn’t have to do a damn thing. So he crawled into that blanket fort with his Captain Azeroth pillow and comforter, and curled up in the corner that housed the most pillows. His troubles were going nowhere fast, they could wait for him outside that fort.

It was on Argus, when her life was shattering in every aspect, that they escaped. They must have been working as a coalition. For all at once she was breathless in a wrenching loss she could not even comprehend. Realization crept through her like frost, while she gasped for breath and stumbled through the next moment, feeling  her loss blossoming in ever increasing fractals under her skin. Power she’d come to forget wasn’t her own, but only ever coerced or taken, suddenly left her body and soul tingling with magic evaporation. It stung and it burned.

 The bindings were gone and the demons were free.

Free to find her.

Free to exact revenge.

Free to fully break the bonds she’d formed.

But the death of the world soul had not only somehow loosened the links in the chains of her fel magic, it had also made the once-bound vulnerable. Made them frightened in ways they had not been in millenia.

Tinnaire prayed that fear manifested like a child’s sharp terror toward the monster under the bed. She prayed the demons previously stitched to her very soul pulled their feet up fast. Tucked under the covers.  Freedom to get out of bed was not the same thing as escape.

One thing she’d never known was that the monster, so tempted to clutch at ankles and pull, was frightened, too.

Day 12: Escape

Part Three: 

The young man was so grateful that this instructor of his took care of all the details concerning this apprenticeship. She wrote to the Academy and his family both about the circumstances, so he was free to embark on this journey with no real stress. Talthorn had written a letter of his own to his parents, explaining in his own words what he meant to accomplish when he was here sometime later. 

Weeks melded into months already for Talthorn under this Archmage's tutelage. And what an exciting few months it had been. It was if someone had taken off the chains for him to actually do so much more with what he had learned! And to not be hindered by age or rank to delve into much more advanced works too.

Archmage Starsinger was very encouraging. She required him to do a great deal of work, and it did not seem to have an end. However, it was all in that Talthorn wanted to study into and from. Exercises to look over advanced theories and correct the mistakes was very common. He was not always correct, but he was allowed to fail and try again. It was quite liberating for someone that had spent his days within rules and regulations of an institution for what thought was a very long time. 

He was required to watch and aid his instructor often, to learn from her examples. Before long, Talthorn was very proud about finding her mistakes and not only pointing them out, but improving on her execution of the incantation he saw. It was all a puzzle and a test to pass. He would be given new weaves of spells to figure out and experiment with. In short? There was no reason he could think of to go back to the Academy! Not with all the progress he had seen in just a few months.

During one of their days together, the Archmage is reading over a letter and speaking rather simply to her apprentice. "Talthorn? Did you send your parents a letter at some point?"

"Of course. Just a few days ago. Giving them an update on my time here." the young man tells her as he continues to briskly write more of his work down. When finished, he looks up and flashes a bright smile at her. "Is that a letter from them?" 

She stares at him with an unmoving gaze, the smile slowly coming to her lips. "Yes. It is. They are coming to see you."

"Oh? Hm." Talthorn wonders if they had calmed down since knowing of his suspension. He figured they were very upset at him still. 

"Well, we'll make time for that later. I think it is time we finish up your telemancy applications." she stands slowly, leaving the letter on the table.

His eyes widened with anticipation. "Of course!" He rushes over to accompany her. 

When they both settle in what was designated as a safe area in which to conduct these sorts of spells, she waves him over to the beacon. "Right here. Just as you practiced." her eyes glimmer in watching him. "I'll be able to communicate with you right after you reach the other side."

Talthorn felt the thrill of this, and with his skilled hands began to weave around the orb like beacon. He would open up this doorway and arrive at a junction point just as expected! He was there, until he was not any longer and found himself floating down from a high distance up! There was a rush of excitement, but also concern. This was certainly not where he had planned on being. The Archmage had described something much different. 

"Talthorn...?" her voice crackles through.

"Archmage! I think something was wrong in your calculations. I seemed to have ended up in an anomaly of sorts. It's very....distorting."

"Mm, I see. Well those pockets of space are rather unpredictable. Are you alright?"

"I am well right now. Are you ready to receive me on the other side?" he asks as his feet touch ground. 

"Not this time, Talthorn. I'm sorry."

The younger man blinks. "What do you mean?

"I mean, you broke our agreement. No friends or family, I'm afraid."

"I don't understand. How did I.....? You wrote both the Academy and my parents about me staying with you while I was studying with you."

Laughter comes through. "Oh, you sweet thing. I am afraid not. While your trust was very darling, there was no such correspondence. Our relationship here was one quite out of convenience. But it seems it has to come to an end early. A shame, really. You are exceptionally talented for one of your lineage." 

Shock takes him over and Talthorn looks over this area of nothingness. "You sent me here, to dispose of me? But....I can still be of use to you." he attempts to bargain. 

"You sent yourself there, actually. And I cannot be uncovered. Not with all of these beautiful discoveries I have been signing off as my own. It's better that you disappear. Everyone thought you ran away, most likely. Well that is until you sent that letter to your parents. We are both going our separate ways now."

"Wait! There had to be some sort of...!" Talthorn closes his eyes as he is subjected to the silence. As much as he wanted to be livid with the woman he put trust in, he needed to get back to where he belonged. His snaps open his eyes and snatches out his small pouch of things. He begins to conjure up new idea and concepts in trying to get out of this prison he inadvertently locked himself into! It was not going to end like this.

Weaving his hands in agile form, he starts with his first recall spell only to watch it fizzle and die. He had to make it back. What if his parents were in danger?!

Each spell brought him a little closer. Closer to the world he knew. He had lost his semblance of time here. Nothing started, nothing truly ended. It all felt weightless, and wild in this place. 

Again. Again. AGAIN. AGAIN!!

Every concept that he attempted to bring to practice, kept failing but he did not give up. There was something that would work! Folding in his understanding and finally! There was a spark. Something he could work with. A tether he could use! He just needed to give the spell a bit more mana, a bit more essence!

Hoping that vantage point, he was able to finally envision where he needed his spell to be. Using the rest of what he could through his rune, it begins to crackle away as he shakily channels all he had left into the small opening back to his reality. A final fight, and battle cry he thrust it open for just enough time to dive through and hit the ground roughly. 

The room spun and he could barely breathe, but he was back! He could hear the rushing of footsteps in the background and his name on the air. It was his parents. Huddling down, they inspect their son and his rather pale and dismal looking condition.

"Talthorn! What happened?!"

Snapping up entirely too quickly, the young man spat out passionate words."She thought she could make me disappear! But I won't let her get away with this. I'll report her...somewhere! No one should be allowed to do this, let alone an Archmage!"

"Son, there's no Archmage. We rushed here as soon as we got your letter because you listed a location. But there is no title with that name attached." he father looks over at him, very concerned.

The young man stares at his parents. "What? What do you mean there is no...."

His mother presses her lips together, trying not to get too emotional. "We thought you had run away because of your expulsion!"

Talthorn stares at them and feels his head throb. It finally all settled in him, about how naive he had been. And yet, he did not have hate that burned, only determination. Everything she offered was a lie. Except his training. He would get better, and one day he would find this person that tried to get rid of him. 

@daily-writing-challenge​

Daily Writing Challenge Prompt: Scourge Day 12 2020 Shortly after Arthas’ return to Lordaeron. 

Arthas Menethil. In the span of thirty one years, the human had rapidly ascended through the ranks of the Silver Hand, swiftly becoming beloved by his people, only to bring a tidal wave of death sweeping over his nation. Lordaeron - once the most powerful nation in the world - had been toppled from within, by its very own crown prince. Aidan mulled over that as he stared down at the armies of the Undead Scourge. Unholy legions that had already swept over the nation, wiping out most of it. Arthas Menethil had already plunged his runeblade through his fathers chest, leaving the throne spattered with blood.