The lights of dawn returned, illuminating the entire inverted world in a dim twilight haze.
Vera looked over the edge of the mountain, her eyes barely open. But sure enough, steam rose from below. Like the ground began to boil.
She shot back to solid ground, her chest heaving as she clamped her eyes shut, hands gripping the ground praying they wouldn't just disappear.
"Damn...you're tough."
A couple feet away Naren and Cairo laid on the grass, their hands interlocked as each was trying to push the other to the ground.
Naren's elbow shifted as Cairo's grip grew tighter...Then he finally gave out, letting his hands slam onto grass.
"You got some meat in you too, dawg"
Vera sat right beside them, completely bewildered looking at the two.
'When did they grow close enough to start arm wrestling.'
————————————
HALF AN HOUR AGO
Cairo stood over Naren right after dropping him. They carried him up the stairs after Vera led him to the mountainous pillar with steps. His gaze was focused entirely on the scarf embracing Naren's neck.
At the same time Naren woke with a start.
"Damn...Why'd that guy have to be so cool..."
"That's a neat scarf..."
They both stared at each other for a second.
"Cool?"
"Neat scarf?"
————————————
PRESENT
And somehow, just like that, Naren and Cairo were best friends.
Naren shook his wrist.
"At least hold back a bit."
"Why the hell would I?"
"Cuz its polite you candle."
Vera scooted closer to Naren, it was safer than being closer to Cairo. At least that's how she felt, but reminiscing on how Naren's treated her over the last couple days, she began to doubt herself.
"Did your parents really like seafood?"
The question snapped her out of her daze.
"W-what?"
"I mean, they named you shrimpy."
Naren began laughing to himself. Trying to keep himself from falling to the ground as he tried to hid it.
"Pfft...Nah that's—"
"That is what the jester calls me. My mother named me Vera."
Cairo looked a bit disappointed that she wasn't named after food, but accepted her answer.
"So, uhm Cairo. What are you doing here?"
Cairo tilted his head.
"Isn't it the same as you two. I'm tryna become a shaman."
"Actually she—"
Vera covered Naren's mouth before he could speak. She didn't want anyone else knowing she was a witch after all.
Naren pulled away from her hand.
"So...You looking for wi—"
Vera pulled him back, both hands now wrapped around Naren's mouth and eyes as he tried to pull her off.
"Nah I already spoke to one."
Vera pulled back.
"You have?"
"Sent me to find the Tomb of Atlas...Wonder why so many of them witches do this every year."
Naren tilted his head finally peeling Vera off.
"Aren't we already in Atlas?"
Vera pursed her lips.
"Not yet, I'm afraid..."
Vera stretched her arm out pointing west. Her eyes flashing with memories of distant past.
"...There..."
———————————
A tall woman in a dark coat was walking with a little girl in a dress. They both wore vintage clothes, so did everyone.
Vera walked in hand with her mom, shaking swinging their hands high and low, grinning.
"Mom! Mom! We can get ice-cream after right?"
The woman chuckled.
"Sure honey."
Then the girl blinked. Suddenly she wasn't holding her mom's hands anymore. She was alone. A deep gaping void in front of her, like the earth had split in two, one half falling into the abyss.
She staggered back, falling to the ground as her legs gave way. Breathing heavily. Shaking.
She shook uncontrollably.
Vera closed her eyes and held her hands over her ears, squeezing them shut. Keeping from hearing anything.
"Stop! Don't go! Don't go!"
"Shrimpy! We gotta go. It's night."
Vera opened her eyes. Naren was crouching in front of her, still shaking her, trying to wake her.
"Hurry up. I wanna see the city."
Vera looked aimlessly at Naren for a second before realizing what happened.
'Oh right. That was a long time ago.'
She was getting to her feet as Naren ran over to Cairo, shivering.
"Heat. Heat."
Vera looked over the horizon for a second. The darkness the same as the void that took her mother. This was the plan they made. Only travel at night, using Cairo's flames for heat.
She tugged on Naren's pants
"I wonder if you might...that is...would you be able to carry me down."
Naren lifted a corner of his mouth, a puzzled look on his face.
"What?"
"I find heights rather...disagreeable."
"Ohh."
Naren took a look at the edge over the stairs then back at Vera, yawning. He crouched down.
"I might throw you over."
Vera climbed on, sitting on his shoulders, slamming her eyes shut as they took the first steps down the steps.
Naren followed closely behind Cairo, trying to savor his heat in silence. Until Cairo spoke.
"I wanted to say."
"Hm?"
"What was you're name again."
Naren stopped moving as Cairo turned back.
Their eyes met, drowned in a beat of silence. Naren's face showed an emotion Vera hadn't seen before. Not that she could see it now. A look of disappointed combined with acceptance. With a tinge of loneliness.
"Naren."
"Gotcha."
Vera's eyes were still shut close as they continued moving. She prayed deep in her heart for two things:
She wished to reach the bottom safe and sound.
She wished to live safe and sound.
But quietly, another wish nestled itself into her mind. One that she wasn't quite sure of. One that surprised even her:
She wished for Naren to be safe.
————————
Unfortunately that wish never came true. It was unfortunate, as that wish was the one thing that would never come true no matter how many times Vera wished for it. After all, Naren was cursed.
Vera couldn't help but wonder why it had to be that way, why Naren's safety was something so impossible. Why no matter how much she hoped for it, it always ended like this.
Her face paled, as her amber eyes faltered.
Her legs buckled and Vera fell to the ground. Not that it mattered. After all, the beast already had it's yellow eyes locked onto her.
It snarled a deep guttural noise that made all her hairs stand on end.
Her breathing was haggard as she clutched to her chest. Expecting her heart to rip out at any moment. The quiet trance the beast had sent her in causing her to throw up in her mouth before swallowing it.
Too scared to let it out in front of the beast before her.
Though her eyes had long since moved from the beast. Instead it was focused on the body that hung from it's jaws.
Jeans to large for a boy of that stature. Arms pale as the blood dripped out of the abominations mouth along with the top half of the body.
A lone dull scarf hung low, swaying as lifeless as the owner it belonged to.