Darkness was something that Ikazuchi had thought that he experienced throughout his life. Whenever night descended or a shadow was formed darkness would naturally be formed. They could be considered everyday experiences for him and essentially any other person. What existed at the bottom of the stairwell wasn’t normal darkness. It was an absolute darkness that he hadn’t ever actually encountered before. There was a total absence of light to the extent that Ikazuchi felt as if his sense of sight had been stripped from him when he looked into it. It was discomforting for him, but the beckoning continued to lead him deeper..
He took slow and steady steps as he continued onward into the darkness. The movement of the air and sounds of nature disappeared in this place. All that he had were the sounds he produced. The slight sound of his breath, the faint footfall that was heard with each step, even the internal echo of his own heartbeat; these sounds felt as if they were all that proved his existence in this moment. Ikazuchi felt a sense of anxiety as the staircase seemed to go on and on. His breathing became more haggard as doubts began to form as he doubted his decision to go deeper..
‘What if this staircase never ends?’ ‘What if I can’t ever leave?’ ‘What if I die here?’ Ikazuchi was a normal person that naturally couldn’t leave such thoughts behind. It was because of an impulse that he was currently risking his life, and each step deeper caused a bit more regret to form. Still, for some reason, his steps didn’t stop. Some part of him felt that the beckoning wouldn’t be harmful to him despite not being able to understand it.
As he progressed further into the passage of darkness, he developed a strange sense assurance. It was as if someone was there urging him on, encouraging him to take the next step. It was strange, but it allowed him to calm down and press onwards more confidently after his doubts reached their peak.
Eventually the steps came to an end causing Ikazuchi to stumble forward a couple of steps. In that moment several symbols flashed in his mind. They were incomprehensible, but somehow the intent was conveyed. ‘Keep moving forward and don’t stray from your path.’ It was a vague command without any concept of time, but it gave him direction in his time of need. He considered turning around, but the intent made him feel that doing so was more dangerous than moving forward at this point. All he could do was hope that what awaited him wasn’t an unfortunate end.
WC - 440
Last edited by Ikazuchi on Sun Apr 25, 2021 6:44 pm; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : adding WC)