August Prompts - Ezekiel

There was, however, something that caught Ezekiel's attention much more than gossip. In the aftermath of the monster's death, the land surrounding the area of impact had darkened unnaturally. And that was something new and entirely different, from anything that he had ever experienced before. Through all of the scared and hushed voices recounting their own tales of this strange land, Ezekiel dared approach it. He did not enter it at first, no, but he studied it. How people travelled to it and disappeared, how those few who came back out reacted to their surroundings. Were they scared of what had happened within the darkness? What did they tell others, frantically, that none dared believe? With each passing day, his own curiosity grew stronger. He did not enter it, no, but he watched it carefully. He was not a fool. Although a few had survived their encounter most had died. There was no specific pattern yet, that he could track, of who lived and who died.

No, it was much safer to get more information. Perhaps, things in there could be manipulated. Or it could take his powers, kill him if he dared step a foot inside. So he stuck to visiting it frequently, travelling to villages in the area and listening to the rumours they spread, the tales they spun of what might be found in there. One was often dismissed, as if it had been a figment of their imagination, but he took note of it silently. Heartbeats. Easily mistaken for their own, and so most survivors were told as well as fear-ridden their voices were as they tried to convince their friends. Ezekiel, said nothing. Simply listened, noted things down. His curiosity only grew stronger, but he dared not enter yet. There was still much more to know, and he wasn't dumb enough to go in unprepared.