A lost friend's journey

Chapter 12

Squinting her eyes, she noticed she couldn't see anything anymore. And she was pretty sure the shadow hadn't left; she would have noticed it. Could it be that the shadow had completely merged in the corners?

There was nothing there. The shadows didn't move anymore. Could she have really missed it...?

Just then, she saw movement again. A dark robe was the first thing she saw, and at this point, she knew everyone was seeing the same thing as she was. The black robe quickly turned into a black cloak, hood covering the face of the person who was now standing in front of them, seemingly looking at the floor, standing still. 

The room was silent, archons waiting for the figure to move, or to say something. One thing they knew for sure was that this wasn't any of the Three Shades. Their frame was much different than the one they had in front of them. This person was much smaller, not as tall as they were.

And the Shades would never stay standing in front of them like this. They would be moving around the room, probably mocking them, or talking about some great plan. Or perhaps they would give them a new order, ask of them to do something that was deemed necessary to the Heavenly Principles and their sustainer.

"Who the heck are you?" Murata whispered, seeming to have  come to the same conclusion as her.

The figure then nodded their head and moved. It seemed more like they were confirming something to themselves, rather than interacting with the archons.

The way they moved, it was strange. As if they didn't know what they should do, lost somewhere they never went. If Rukkhadevata had any doubt about this person not being one of the shades, it was now completely cleared.

The stranger stepped closer to the first throne on the right, Murata's. Then he summoned a sword, and they all visibly tensed, eyes wide.

"I don't want to hurt you!" The stranger's voice was soft, small, having obviously noticed their reactions. "But I don't have enough time to figure out how to get you out..." he explained. "Please don't move," he said while holding the sword closer to Murata's wrists.

It was obvious the stranger was a boy, a young one at that. Rukkhadevata wondered just how old he was, and why was a child in such a place. How did he even reach Celestia? How did he know of their whereabouts? This information served only to make her worry for the boy who's identity  was still unknown to them.

Rukkhadevata wasn't oblivious to the fact that they were all watching the stranger's every move. They knew they couldn't stop him if he tried anything, stuck as they were, but they also couldn't let him move around with a sword without knowing what he was about to do. It was also undeniable that he was helping them. Rukkhadevata knew they all burned with questions for the stranger, herself being the first, but she also knew none of them would waste precious time on things they could keep for later.

Postponing this kind of questioning was almost always a very bad idea, however as of now they had no choice but to stay silent and plan their next move.

When the stranger finished cutting Murata's bounds, she instantly got up, startling the stranger who stumbled a bit and took a few steps back. The Pyro Archon massaged her wrists, grimacing. Extending her hand, she grinned when it glowed with Pyro energy. Then came Focalors' turn. Before turning to Makoto, the stranger looked at the empty seat, upon which floated the glowing Anemo symbol - Barbatos'. Venti's.

She found it odd, the way he simply stared, standing in front of it, shoulders tense. Not that she blamed him - she knew that if she were to be in his place, she too would feel extremely tense and out of place. Even as an Archon, she wanted nothing more but to get out.