Spark in the Abyss

Andromeda has always loved the spirit of the holidays. That sense of magic, merriment, togetherness which the celebrations naturally invoke. She was especially interested in the ones with a rich history, those that have stories of old passed from generation to generation, each adding a new twist depending on what part of the worlds you heard it in.

Candleblight fits that criteria best of all. She knows well just about every fact and tidbit of information anyone could care to know about the holiday, and then some. Where the tradition originated, how it got its name, how many pounds of candy are sold each year just for the event… She eats it up the same way children across the worlds gobble down sugar during the festivities.

She takes a deep breath as she passes through the gates that read Candletown and drinks in every sound, sight, and smell her small body could possibly hold. White candles dot the entire scene before her, casting an ethereal motley of light and shadow over the town in a way that looks almost more magical than actual magic. The smell of freshly baked treats and spiced drinks wafts through her nose and makes her mouth water. Music, laughter, and the general sounds of a festival ring in the air.

Her attention is particularly drawn to a pair of Browbirds putting on some sort of street show. They dance around each other in vibrant costumes, one with a cape wielding white-hot fire and the other cloaked in dark feathers that swirl around them in a sickening aura. She watches them clash back and forth for a moment when something clicks.

Oh... oh! This is the story! How Candleblight came to be! Of the battle between the ancient hero who sacrificed his life to protect this very town and the consuming darkness that threatened it. It’s definitely one of the most dramatic and tragic tales she’s ever read. When the story reaches its crescendo and bittersweet end, the crowd erupts into cheers and applause. She claps along from her place off to the side, wishing she had a few extra stargold to toss their way for the impressive performance. Now, where to go next...

She’s learned that, sometimes, a city’s best features are found where others rarely look. So she departs from the main hub of activity in the heart of the city and heads to the outskirts, hoping to find adventure.

Instead of some kind of hidden trail or secret magical artifact, however, what she finds instead is a crowd of people gathered around a single Browbird with colorful hair and a huge backpack strapped over her shoulders. They look as if they’re having their own party away from the bulk of the celebration. She goes to turn away as to not disturb their fun when her ear twitches as it picks up a very peculiar phrase.

“...City of Ink…”

The City of Ink? Is that where these people are heading? Well she definitely has to stick around, now! How could she miss out on such a magical journey? She quickly learns the circumstances that brought them all together here: a mysterious and unmarked letter with nothing but a brief message and a location. She hasn’t received any such letter… but surely they wouldn’t mind if she tagged along with them, right? She shamelessly integrates herself into the group and her level of excitement grows with every step. The one leading the charge - Angea, she’s discerned her name to be - prattles on about their destination and the rumors surrounding it and Andromeda loves every second.

Eventually, they reach a cave. It’s dark and damp and her nose wrinkles at the smell of mold in the air but none of that deters her from the fairy tale she’s currently living. And what fairytale is complete without a strange creepy portal at the end of an equally strange and creepy cave? Perhaps not many, but that’s exactly what they find after traversing the long and winding tunnels. Andromeda doesn’t take the time to think about consequences before jumping through the tear in reality right after Angea.

The first thing that catches her eye on the other side of the twisting of space and time is... well, everything! The striking color of the crimson fields, the ginormous full moon that’s so close she feels as if she could touch it, the fact that they were standing on a floating island. And the buildings, so unique and intriguing they are in architecture. Some of them were even upside down! How did people live in those? Some kind of magic that keeps gravity inverted? Or is it all just for decoration and it just looks normal on the inside? She hopes she’ll be able to go inside them and find out for herself later.

Probably the most notable thing about the entire scene, however, would be the neverending swirl of inky darkness in which the island floated. She might have mistook it as the natural starry sky on a foggy night if it wasn’t for the ominous jitter that anyone unversed in Void magic gets while standing too close to it. Plus… was that a giant celestial squid that just flew by? No, no, that must have been her imagination. ...Maybe.

She’s so caught up in her amazement that she doesn’t notice the group moving on until Angea calls out to her. She hurries along, not wanting to get left out of all the fun of whatever lies within this ancient city. They don’t go very far, however, before something else stops the crowd in their tracks. What is it? She’s too short to see from her position in the back, so she squeezes through, muttering a quick “excuse me” with every twist and turn of her body. Finally, she makes it to the front and sees...

A Kitbull! Wow! She hasn’t had a chance to meet many of the cute feline-esque creatures before, which is a shame because she’s currently trying really hard to learn their “language.” It’s been a difficult endeavor considering she’s only really got text-based pronunciations to learn from.

She studies their appearance: dark fur with dotted streaks of lighter blue throughout their pelt. One of their eyes is obscured by wavy hair, and the other is large and round and a shade of red that matches the fields of crimson surrounding them. A singleclover sits on their head, likely plucked from the nearby grass (it gives her the idea of styling her own hair in a similar manner, almost serving a memento of her time here - but she would have to ask permission to pick any flowers first). They look perfectly at home in this dark and wondrous city with all the dark blues and bright reds. She can’t help but wonder what’s in that book strapped to their back, its pages black as the void and curiously seeping ink that never quite seems to drip to the ground...

She’s probably staring much too intensely at the Kitbull as she picks apart their entire being and concentrates on deciphering the clicks and chirps coming from their (nonexistent) mouth - she could make out their name was Cteno, at the very least - but thankfully they seemed too focused on Angea to notice.

Suddenly, the blue ‘bull scutters from person to person, pushing pamphlets of paper into the hands of anyone who would take them. She eagerly awaits her turn and happily snatches up the brochure with a cheery “Thank you!” Cteno nods in return, a proud glint twinkling in their eye as they trot off to the next person.

She strokes a finger across the image on the page, thinking about how much more vibrant and authentic it looks than the torn and faded picture she’d had before. Still, it was nothing compared to the actual thing she was experiencing right now in this very moment. Her wide eyes flicker from the paper in her hands to the cityscape standing before her. It’s beautiful in a different way than Candletown, and she loves it just as much. Maybe even more, given the cryptic and elusive nature of the realm. It thrilled her, in a way, to know she was one of the few non-Void users to be welcomed into this place.

She’s bouncing on her heels, barely able to hide her own excitement when the tour officially starts in earnest. They only move a few steps forward to what appears to be the first attraction: a small monument that lay in the center of a wreath of candles. She couldn’t quite read the text from where she stood, but her impatient curiosity quickly sated as Cteno began to speak again. She’s absolutely entranced by every word the Kitbull (or, technically, Angea… keeping up with Kitbull trills in live time is harder than she thought it would be) speaks about the legendary deity.

The God of Ink. She’s read about them as much as she has the rest of the city, meaning she only has a gist of their basic identity and background. She remembers seeing a depiction on the same text that brought her that torn and distorted image, an artist’s rendition of what the god might look like, but supposedly no one really knows. She’s hopeful that Cteno could help fill in some of the blanks she so desperately wants the answers to.

[If you’re lucky. You may meet the deity yourself during your time here.]

A thrill runs up her spine at the idea of coming face with an actual deity. Would they look like a blob of ink personified? What species would they be? So many questions she needs the answers to. And then, right as she thinks that thought, something small and black and gooey flickers in and out of existence right behind the monument. She doesn’t miss the way Cteno squints, just for a moment, wrinkling their nonexistent nose as if they’d smelled something unpleasant. It’s confirmation enough that she didn’t just imagine something there. The question lies, then… exactly what was it?

Could it be…?

She knew magic worked in mysterious ways. Sometimes, merely speaking about a specific thing or person could very well cause it to manifest. And they were just talking about the God of Ink. So then…! Of course, there’s no telling that’s the case with anything in the city… But maybe. It’s an exciting thought, at the least!

She decides to step a bit closer to the statue, partially to further investigate that strange creature but mostly to pay her respects as Cteno had done and encouraged. She kneels down on the cool payment, eyes briefly wandering over the gifts left here. Bits of stargold, colorful flowers, handmade trinkets… It’s clear how loved this deity is by the citizens of this city. The few places she’s been to across the Celestial Seas weren’t very religious in nature, so relics like this didn’t exist often outside the local churches. It made sense here, she supposes - this being gave the people a place to live, to be protected, to belong. She brings her palms together and closes her eyes as she ponders further on the matter. She’s sad to think they have to feel that way beyond the confines of this world, that they’re looked down upon or feared for something beyond their control. And yet, that’s part of the beauty of a place like this. A secluded paradise all their own. She wonders if she’ll ever be lucky enough to find that some day.

As they continue the tour, her mind races through every text and story she’s ever read or heard about this mysterious place. Most of it lines up with what Angea has already said on the trip to the cave earlier: a hidden haven for users of Void magic, generally thought to be kinda sketchy, super duper secretive. She never doubted it to exist, necessarily - she believes virtually everything she reads to be real in one sense or another - but she didn't expect it to be so… so… normal! Not that she ever thought less of anyone with Void magic - quite the opposite, in fact, with how fascinated she is by the aspect’s inner workings. It’s just, when there’s a world that mostly exists only in stories, that’s surrounded by so much enigma and secrecy, one would expect it to be like nothing they’d ever imagined before. And yet, here she is, watching normal-looking people go about their seemingly normal lives in a marketplace that looked like any other marketplace.

She was even more enthusiastic about exploring the stalls here than she had been in Candletown. Perhaps it was the knowledge that the time would come when she would have to leave, and she may never be able to come visit this place again. For a moment, the thought makes her sad, but she ultimately chooses to focus on the present and throw her all into enjoying every last second to the very fullest.

She wants to find the absolute perfect souvenir. Her first stop winds up being a particularly colorful stall adorned with all sorts of gadgets and gizmos. She isn’t sure how any of them work, but they definitely look neat! Next was a Satyr selling handmade crafts - scarves, mittens, and stuffed animals of various colors and sizes. Her eyes linger on the cute kettlecat plush before she decides she really should save her money. She tells the Satyr how beautiful her crafts are and moves on.

And so she goes, zig-zagging from stall to stall in a pattern that makes sense to none but she. She examines every art piece, sniffs every candle, plays with every small animal she sees. She even comes across a stall with free candy! She pockets some for herself later and passes on the rest to others she sees on the streets who look like they’re in need of something sweet.

As she passes by an alleyway, she thinks she sees movement flicker in the corner of her eye. She stops and turns to look down the dark and narrow space between buildings, only to see… absolutely nothing. She’s a bit away from the marketplace now, and no one else is around. Did she imagine it? Ever the curious ‘bird, she ignores the rationality of not wandering into dark and unfamiliar places alone and strides deeper into the alley. A stack of crates haphazardly leans against the brick wall and she crouches down to get a better look. Slowly, ever so slowly, she inches forward to peek behind the crates...

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A loud trill calls behind her and she nearly jumps out of her fur. She whips around and sees Cteno standing at the edge of the alley, making noises she’s too startled to attempt to decipher. It’s easy enough to tell by their flailing arms and general body language that they’re trying to get her to rejoin the group. Sighing from the fright she’d received, she called out an apology and chanced one quick look at the spot she could have sworn she saw something run to. But there’s nothing there except a puddle of… ink? It’s black and runny and she doesn’t risk touching it, but that’s what it looks like. Strange…

She puts the mystery in the back of her mind for now and catches up with Angea and the others. The memory is soon entirely forgotten as her excitement to see the rest of the city is properly rekindled.