A call within the shadows

"And so the tale begins"

With a sharp flinch, Lumikki turned her head, batting away at the air like a fly buzzed too close to her ears. She hated that feeling—the constant nagging at the edge of her perception and the shadows flickering at the corners of her eyes didn’t help.

”Is it bothering you again?” Alvis asked with concern lacing his words as his hand moved toward her ear, hoping to comfort her. ”This has been occurring too many times lately. Are you sure you can’t entertain my suggestions to go see a doctor?”

The suggestion made her recoil, disgust evident on her face as she clapped her hands over her ears. ”I wouldn’t have that, no thank ye. Sides, I told ya I’m fine! Me aliment, if me guess is right, it something more….magical…” Her eyes darted around the street, as if speaking the words might conjure whatever was haunting her. As a Spellhowler, she knew curses when she felt them. But this wasn’t malicious—it was prying, as though something, or someone, was watching her.

”My Lady, I have no idea why you couldn’t just stay at the inn to rest. Leave the errands to me.” He sighed deeply as his patience was wearing thin and Lumikki couldn’t blame him. “I hardly need any help with fetching the remaining fabrics….but…I wish you could understand how much I worry…” His voice soften as he spoke, but the tension was still there.

She rolled her eyes, her own annoyance bubbling to the surface. The whispers had been constant for weeks, the shadows creeping at every turn, but she didn’t want to admit that Alvis might be right. “Fine,” she snapped, and then, more softly, ”come…walk me back. I know ye won’t find any peace unless ya do.”

Alvis’s expression softened with relief, his lips curving into a tired grin ”Very well! Let’s head back. And when I return later on, I’ll be sure to pass by the shop and pick you up some sweets to cheer you up. Just until then, please do try to relax my Lady.” She had no words to respond with, so she’d make do with nodding her head in agreement instead. Seeing that it proved enough for him, the pair would wander back just a short ways to where they stayed.

”I shouldn’t be but two hours my Lady, but if I risk needing more time, you’ll hear word of it by a raven.” Just as soon as the two entered the room, Alvis once again departed. The sooner he completed the remaining errands left to them in the city of Eyrrstad, the sooner they can return back to Fjallgard and Lumikk’s parent’s home.

Lumikki, now alone in the room, plopped herself onto the bed. She’d breathe another sigh of frustration as she adjusted her shadowy magic into something more comfortable. Her human appearance now melting away to reveal her base form as she isolated herself in the utter darkness of the four walls. ”What is going on!” She exclaimed loudly into her pillow. The fluff was muffling the yell until it was hardly a sound. She couldn’t even relax, not fully. There was a chill in the room that wasn’t there before, yet not by her making. At this point, she was contemplating if she’ll fall into paranoia but with much breathing to calm herself down. That was until she saw the note on the bed, a slip of paper that wasn’t there before. She was sure of that because Alvis fixed the bed just after she rose yet he never mentioned it.

The parchment was a deep grey on thick stock, as were all the others. There were no blemishes, no bends, no traces. The wise would share the occurrence with another, queuing the others around you in but….not Lumikki. Something like this would usually bring a person stress, but at this point it had been one of many. Just reminders of her madness unfurling along with the gnats agitating her senses, yet she couldn’t pin the culprits down.

Written in shadow like all the others was a message that often faded away shortly after being gleamed by her eyes.

”Do no be dissuaded when peering into the darkness, it only mirrors your own.

Your guides among the Abyss are with you.

You won’t walk the path alone any longer.”

This was perhaps the most starling of all the notes, being the most “clearly” and by far the most wordy. Where the others were simply mentions of her Demonic nature or phrases in Iceberg, this one felt more intimate than she’d like. But Lumikki didn’t want to dwell any other… Instead the Demoness would attempt to take a nap to relieve what was the little left of her mind.

"Just how much does one know about where they come from?."

The Awakening

"My eyes are open."

Nothing could be heard but the light crunch upon the snow with every step taken as he held Lumikki carefully in his arms. Normally, he would have reveled in his flawless silence, his ability to fade into the shadows as easily as breathing. But right now, none of that mattered. Not when the woman in his arms weighed more than just flesh—she carried the weight of something far deeper, something he couldn’t yet name but felt in the pit of his soul. Am I growing sloppy? The thought would cross his mind amongst others like it. Perhaps, he was only now beginning to realize that what he held in his arms was his weakness. Not just a being tied to the Abyss and the key to all the secrets he sought, but the woman who stirred emotions he thought long buried—tenderness, even fondness…I thought I could keep this professional, he pondered. This was the first time he wasn’t entirely detached from his work.Yet…yet I knew this would happen. The pleasure of killing and deterring every hunter, made enemy of this woman filled me with more profound pleasure than any other task I’ve ever taken—hell, I didn’t even realize my glee… A smile he couldn’t hold back broke along his face. It was like the realization set something deep within him free. Oblivious before, Maren now felt as though he had fallen into a bliss so deep, it was almost intoxicating.

The pair were not alone however, quite far from it. The ravens that answer the pull of the Demoness had long surrounded them. Encircling the pair and keeping a dutiful and watchful eye. Nor were they the only ones to do so either, the men under Maren’s command were also shadowing along and tailing behind the two. One even had the foresight to leave a message for the servant left in the city so as to not raise an alarm.

In haggard breaths Maren pushed forward. His goal was to close as much of the gap from where they were and the citadel. Hoping to get Lumikki primed for the moment she would stand before Seraphine and the rest of the Vetrvarða Stefnir. Of course, for the moment he wouldn’t mention a word of that. For now, she needed all the rest she could get.

Few hours pass by until finally the Demoness stirred. Tucked in some sort of cave with Maren hardly a distance away. She’d mutter to herself as her eyes blinked away the last remnants of sleep and her lids, if they could stand to stay open again. Oddly enough, it seems she felt for the first time in ages, her sleep had actually felt…restful.

”Our sleeping princess wakes at last. Welcome back to the realm of us mortals. I hope you managed to enjoy sweet dreams.” Maren’s voice was soft and calming, complimenting its low and richly deep sound. While his tone hinted at a playfulness that felt oddly subtle. Lumikki in her stupor missed the intricacies, rather focusing on the act of waking, followed by a defensive tension when she finally realized the situation she was in.

Maren, noticing every single expression, gesture, and flicker of her reaction, immediately rose both hands. It was a gesture to prove he meant no harm, but he’d afford her a moment longer to regain her capacities before speaking up again. The cave was dim, its chill clinging to her skin. The fabric between her fingers was soft, worn, and oddly warm—the kind of warmth that comes not from the cloak itself, but from the one who had draped it over her. Its subtle woodsy smell now tickling her nose, and some how it brought her a little comfort.

”Wha…” Lumikki began rather confused. Her hands clutched the blanket on top of her, bunching them in her hands. Finding the feel of the fabric odd, the mage pulled it up to expect it more and it was only then that she realized it wasn’t a blanket at all, but actually a long black jacket. Or perhaps cloak would have been the better word. Lumi’s mind raced with thoughts passing through her head rapidly, fragments of her memories and dreams now mixing together. All while her manipulation over the shadows condensed around her, forming somewhat of a protective shield in her panic.

”I see your lovely darkness is rising to protect you. Now while I won’t tell you to calm down, I will double down however. I mean you no harm Lumikki of the Hrútr. As a matter a fact, I’ve helped you just a moment ago from danger—if you can remember that far back right now, that is. It seems…our fates have enter-twine you see, and I just want to see it through is all….that is, if you let me of course.” His smile was faint, just enough to show he was enjoying the moment, but not enough to dismiss the seriousness of their situation. Lumikki, still at a loss, gave his words much thought as she slumped back toward the wall and crossed her arms. Her bright fuchsia and deep violet eyes now narrowing on Maren.

Now that she was fully awake again, she could see him more clearly. He reminded her of the stories she had read about the trickster kitsune—his sharp, pale features, his ever-watchful grey eyes. There was a slyness to him, yes, but also an unexpected warmth, like a fox curling by the fire after a long hunt. As if this normally unapproachable being was brimming with a desire for her to step closer. It was sort of magnetizing, but for the moment, Lumikki would choose to ignore it and save herself from his sweetly woven trap.

”How long have I be—“ Lumikki began, only to be cut off by an overload in her senses. Images flickered in her mind before finally smoothing out into a moving vision. One she couldn’t discern at first until it grew crystal clear. The vision shifted sharply, pulling her further from reality… Almost like she was living in some sort of future she would have never dreamed of. There were people she had never met before all facing her and calling out to the High Ja—the vision cut out and everything went black and cold. It made her shutter but she couldn’t understand why. ”The Norns have blessed us my Mistress….our tapestry is knotted together….” There it was…the voice from before in her dream. ”Lum—….Lumik—” Lumikki could make out Maren’s muffled voice, there was urgency in his tone that she wouldn’t have expected from him. And when she finally came too, she’d find her head clutched in her arms while his were trying to comfort her.

”What’s happening…” Lumikki murmured, her voice unsteady and confused, before she could get his answer, she’d feel the dark plunge her into the deep, what felt like Obscura was now overwhelming her. ”You’ve been touched by the Abyss, my Lady, and it would claim you if you let it….”

”Who are ye!” she growled, her voice rough and scared, though deep down she felt more lost than anything. Lumikki’s body was tense and stiff and all she could feel now was the storm of her mind which quieted just enough to feel the warmth of Maren’s arms. It was like a lifeline, pulling her back from the edge that threatened to claim her. ”I swear on the darkness in me, I’ll never let harm befall you…not unless it claims me first…” Lumikki could barely make out his panicked words in the noise of her mind, yet like a beacon it helped her find the way out. Grounding her back into the cave they shared, eventually Lumikki came to fully again and this time in his arms. It was very subtle, but she could feel him shaking though she couldn’t fathom why. He held her tighter, his own trembling barely contained, but the need to keep her anchored drove him to push past his own fear. Moving her gaze up, she’d meet his pained eyes full of worry and dark like the clouds of a roaring storm.

”I don’t understand.” Lumikki snarled with bared fangs, in all the confusion her anger was swelling. She shook him off and pushed him away. The darkness that curled around her before now made a wall between them and Lumikki bunched up his cloak and tossed it back to him. ”I’m getting very tired of the mind games!” As her voice rose, so did she. By aid of her dark magic, Lumikki stood up. Her bare skin the color of night was exposed and her cyan tattoos glowed within the dimly lit cave. Lumikki felt no shame about this however, more than likely it was a product of her absent-minded flight prior. She’d quickly willed the surrounding dark into a thinly short black dress.

In a flicker easy to miss, Maren looked pained by her rejection but he didn’t allow that to make him falter. Instead, it grew his resolve, which was bolstered even further as he watched her used her magic and reveal herself from the shelter of his cloak. Flustered and awe struck, Maren buckled but didn’t waver. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest and it granted him strength to pursue his mission to completion. ” You’re not alone, Lumikki. You’ve never had to carry this weight alone, but now…I can help you, we can help you. Let us guide you, and maybe you’ll find the strength to guide us in return.” A he spoke, he approached her wall and pressed his palm into her darkness. There was no strength behind his gesture, only a plea to let him in. Meanwhile his own dark magic coiled around him as if to hint that they weren’t all that different. It was hard to say which part of his approach moved her, Lumikki wouldn’t be able to say, but her wall began to cave slightly from his touch. Her mind screamed to keep the barrier strong, to keep him at a distance. But something about his words, or perhaps the calm in his presence, made the shadows falter.”Yer annoying me.” Lumikki remarked, but her voice was not as hostile as it was moments ago.

”My name is Maren Shadowtide and I work within the Valr Frostguard.” Maren cooed, trying to soothe her fury further.” We can help you carry this burden, but we also need your strength. Together, we can face the Abyss.”


   

"Swept into tales of what could be…."

The Frostguard’s Call

"Peel back the veil."

”Fates design?” Lumikki inquired, her voice was soft and thoughtful as she took in everything that Maren had been telling her. Her eyes remained narrowed and skeptical, keeping him in her peripheral view. It never occurred to her that things were far more complicated than she thought and she was taking a moment to seize her breath. Lumikki honestly didn’t know if she should be annoyed or flattered. She was often dragged into others affairs but it was never to this degree.

The two were finally departing the cave that acted as their shelter. Lumikki began shifting her form into something more human, expanding the shadowy dress she made just prior so that the hem now touched the floor. She wouldn’t take two steps however, before he approached.

Maren, now accustomed to her company, reached out and carefully tucked her loose pale white hair behind the left ear, his hand lingering for a few seconds before pulling back and adjusting his cloak. Lumikki, on reflex, narrowed her eyes. The slits of her pupils focused their gaze at him and the following moments, before softening again. Maybe it was in her mind, she wondered, maybe he means well for her. Thought she couldn’t be sure of that just yet, his protection in her moment of weakness compelled her to hear the man out.

”I can assure you Lumikki…there is no reason to hide yourself from me. Wouldn’t it far more comfortable if you just stayed as you were now?” In truth, Maren was enamored by her demonic form, though it was not yet her true appearance. He was simply awestruck in finally being in the presence of a Demon, and what more, be able to touch and speak to her so casually. It was like all the barriers and notions he studied in the past were falling apart and he’d find himself getting lost in her miss-matched gloam eyes. How could a being from the Abyss be so beautiful. I always read about how they could be so wretched…and yet here she is….my harbinger. His thoughts would elate him further, he could hardly breathe from his escalating passions, but his face dare not show it. He would keep all that tension to himself as he calmed his growing fascination to her darkness. ”Force of habit…” Lumikki sighed, she pulled all her hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face altogether.

”But yesss, though not quite. In our pursuit to study the magic of the Abyss and scry its powers, we may have tangled you into our affairs.” Maren turned away, a small tension in his movements as he picked up his hat, lingering over the hand that had brushed her hair and choosing to stay silent for a moment so as to give Lumikki a moment to think. He knew she was strong spirited, so he deliberately didn’t push her. Rather, he worked as he always had. Slowly dripping whatever information seemed important that moment and carefully direction the conversation so that the person felt as if it were all their idea. Of course he had to try even harder than ever before. Part out of fear for failure, but also because she herself was quite shrewd. Lumikki, giving his point much thought, found amusement by it. How mortals had a tendency to tangle themselves into things they don’t belong and how it hardly took any time before she too was seized by their chaos. In a way, it flattered. Feeding an ego she didn’t know she had.

”To my knowledge…if you don’t mind me inferring, of course. The tendrils of the Abyss have been feeling rather—overwhelming lately?” His hands moved around as he spoke, adding a more casual emphasis to his words and giving a matter-a-fact feel in his delivery. “I’m sure you could feel it acutely. That is part of our work here, you see. Not many Demons resided in this realm after all, but the presence of the Abyss doesn’t diminish any because of it. Rather, it tries the much harder to cling on what it deems their own. Saturating the being with its overwhelming presence to supplement the distance, you see. We in the Frostguard like to observe such things, among others, of the Abyss. And by nature of you being the only Demon available, it had crossed us in ways we couldn’t foresee.” Maren’s words carried a sense of authority, reflecting the Frostguard’s confidence in their knowledge of the Abyss.

Lumikki being a product of the Abyss, did not mean she knew it intimately. She could only infer from her experiences, the telling of her father, and the tid-bits her siblings supplied. And so the temptation of meeting them, even if it were to learn more of the Abyss, was compelling the Demoness to take his offer. After all, they spent their life’s work on studying this, or so that was what Maren sold her.

”I….see,” Lumikki stammered, the rest she bolstered from books and tomes, but even those were scarce. Her gazed when downward and her hand to her lips as she gave it more thought, it wouldn’t serve her to accept too quickly, nor did she desire to play hard to get. As she mulled over the offer, curiosity and skepticism wrestled within her. Her form drifted back to its demonic nature, a subtle nod to the comfort she found in his presence, though she remained guarded. Which brought a sly smile to his face that he kept to himself.  

”Whenever you’re ready, I can take you there Lumikki. I brought us most of the way here, it’s only a small walk now—But, just know that I never meant to take you against your will. I only wanted to make things easier for you, especially after the restlessness you had. So, what do you choose?” Maren took the first steps out of the cave, assuring the frost mage that this was still her choice to make. It always ways. As he reached the opening, he’d extend his hand, like an ultimate gesture to coax the Demoness more to his side.

Lumikki glanced at his hand, her expression on of slight irritation and yet she reached for his hand and took it into hers. She was annoyed that he took her hearing at all, but there was no way to assume he knew where she belonged, and she just was happy that he proved to be cordial in her sleep. ”Suppose it’s time to meet the rest of yer lot and see what they offer me. After all, sweet words aside, yer the ones seeking me and not the other way ‘round.” Lumikki soften her expression. What was at the cusp of being a snarl now became a smile. It was her choice, and for now, she played nice. It wasn’t like she was lacking options to escape, rather, ways to know more about the Abyss.

The moment Lumikki’s hand slid into his, Maren lowered himself into a deep bow. With a hidden face, she wouldn’t see the wild grin on his expression. Only feel the firm grasp of his grip before he rose, a merry look on his features. ”Splendid my dear. Then let us make our way to the citadel.” His voice was silky smooth and calm as he lead the way.

The deeper they traversed the Svartmire, the more the thick the marsh became until they were now carefully crossing the swamps before their path. Lumikki in all her grace and mastery, simply froze all that was below her feet to assure a solid step each time. While Maren would somehow position himself perfectly so as not to muck up his legs with the excess mud. As they neared the Frostguard’s citadel, the two continued to exchange words and thoughts; enough to garner an amicable air between the two. Yet the closer they got, the more Lumikki also became unsure of her choice to tag along. With eyes darting all about, she’d trying to gleam the hidden paths as a distraction. As Svartmire was the home of hidden raiders who carved and hid their tracks within the marshes rather shrewdly. Almost invisible to most eyes, Lumikki wondered how they fared in hers; and to a degree, she began to slightly spot the tells as subtle as they may be.

”Clever, clever” Maren finally chided after a few more of the branching pathways. The pair had to turn a bit while stepping through the marshes to proceed forward, but he could note from the corner of his eye that the Demoness was slowly walking more confidently amid them. Almost knowing just where to step next.

Lumikki pretended not to take notice of his comment, her face unyielding to the praise. In truth, she really didn’t care, but she welcomed it all the same. ”It has been a lingering curiosity of mine, the swamps and marshes really, to make out the routes used often. I’ve heard stories of vulpine raiders who disappeared as quickly as they appeared, making quick work of travelers should the be foolish to try their lot here. And I think….I’m finally coming to understand it….” Her eyes never stopped scanning the scene. Making note of every tree and mangled vine. But finally, a smile played upon her stoic face as she turned to Maren. ”Speaks of this so-called cults character to be found here, however. What is it really yer after?” Her voice was as cold as the surrounding air, smooth like a gale sliding along an icy surface. But Maren did not waver, nor did his features betray any distress. Instead, he appeared to be rather amused. With a playful spark in his eyes he'd glance her over.

”Perfectly reasonable that you'd be wary, my Lady, but I assure you we mean no harm. Perhaps you'd like to bind me to my word? I'm sure a Demon would have a way to go about that, yes?” There was cheekiness to his tone, but none of it was at her expense. Yet Lumikki's voice did not warm. "Ye would be so bold?" Her remark was as curt as her gaze was sharp, but she was not as defensive like just a moment ago.

”Lumikki I'd swear my soul to you.” The melodious playfulness of his words prior completely drained away as he made his remark. Maren was serious in his promise, and Lumikki could sense it. The taste of his sincerity was sweet on her tongue, softening her to the point of compliance.

"Very well Maren Shadowtide," the Demoness smirked enough to bare her fangs, "consider yer soul mine." Lumikki would mean those words and Maren knew it, but he welcomed it all the same. The very idea of Lumikki taking claim almost sent shivers down his spine, but he'd stifle those sensations now that they weren't all that far from the citadel now.

”Are you ready my Demoness?” His voice was the last lifeline before she stood before the council. Lumikki had nothing to worry about, but it was the ordeal of being wanted that put her in a diss ease. What more, their reason for seeking her. Yet she could not go on with the toil of the Abyss as it's been any longer. It was dragging her into madness from the fringes of her mind.

"As ever," she'd answer with a voice steady and clear, with no remnants of her nervousness. It was not long before the pair would reach the end of their path. It was an odd turn, just at the bend of the trees. But as they made it around, all that could be seen was the rock face of a neighboring mountain, one that looked just about like any other she's seen within Iceberg. Yet Maren continued, walking to the craigs as if there was passage.

Lumikki followed suit, choosing not to slow down in her pace as well. And before she knew it, everything right before her melted away. Like the images of a mirage, the mountain was no more. Instead replaces with another looming structure. What seemed like ruins were remnants of an older time. Perhaps structures made from the people of Harrogath long abandoned before the Gods had forsaken them. Lumikki would not know, but the buildings now seemed to be repurposed, and in some places, built anew to maintain its current residents now.

Just outside the vacuous entrance stood a large crowd arranged neatly in rows. It was a welcome that Lumikki hadn't expected and she'd attempt to tuck herself neatly into Maren's shadow, only if he had let her. Instead, he'd step to the side as if putting her on display. And in a single smooth and graceful move, he'd offer her a bow and usher her in. ”Remember you are our guest, and you're very welcomed my Lady. We have awaited you for what felt like ages, so let us earn your adoration and power.”

A pale and tall woman stepped forward from the crowd, surrounded by what almost looked like an odd assortment of people. Unlike the bulk of the others, they weren't as uniformly dressed, and as such, they stood out. All the while, she gave Lumikki the odd sensation of familiarity. The women's hair was tied back in neat braids that would arranged in a loose bun. She wore a long thick blue dress with white furs, runes and tradition patterns embroidered into the fabric. A headpiece, made from what seemed like ice, adorned her, and shimmered alongside her pale blue eyes. Her face was thin but not gaunt, and her features were pleasing to the eyes. She'd stop just before the pair, her gaze never wavering from the Demoness. And with a deep and humble bow, her steady, proud, and even voice graced Lumi's ears. It was in that moment she knew.

”Thank you for heeding our call, Greath Herald. We have awaited your arrival for quite some time.” It was the woman Lumikki had spoken within her thoughts and dreams all those times ago. The realization of the encounter brought out her ire, but Lumi would keep calm and steady to not displace her frustrations. Now more than ever, she wanted to know more.


   

"Inter-woven prophecy."