Celestia [Sesshomaru fanfiction]

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A great fog loomed all around us, making the steep journey an even more arduous climb, As we climbed higher up the mountain, white flowers bloomed into scarlets, dotting the edge of our path. If it hadn't been for the thick veil masking nature's beauty, I would've believed the rocky terrain was a sight to see. It was tempting to pluck one of them and smell it.

"Touch them, and you die." Sesshomaru's eyes looked down on mine. "The petals are filled with poison that could kill you in minutes."

I gulped. Death's door nearly opened again for the fourth time this week. It was a miracle I was even in one piece. As the steep land gradually flattened, we came upon another accessory decorating the mountain: statues.

The sculptures were a diversity of woodland creatures, demons, and humans. I had visited countless museums with well-crafted sculptures, but none could compare with the precisions of those that stood before me. They almost looked too real to be statues. I looked back at Sesshomaru. His gaze was constantly on the air, sensing - smelling - for any potential danger hiding behind the gray barrier. There was tension in his shoulders and his brows furrowed ever so slightly.

"So, mind telling me what's so special about the sword we're getting?"

"Believe it or not," he started, "humans possess what we consider as spiritual energy."

I blinked at him. "That did not answer my question in any way, but-"

"The sword we seek once belonged to a samurai with a prodigious amount of spiritual energy. If the sword deems you worthy, it will serve as a catalyst for you to strengthen your own spiritual energy and wield it to your command."

In any case, there was no guarantee I could even use this sword, either. "You really are hard to read, aren't you?" The more time I spend with this crazy prince, the more I wonder if he was the intelligent warrior that everyone claimed him to be. "What makes you so sure I can even control this sword, anyway?"

"I don't."

My point exactly.

Fields of skeletons piled at the entrance of the cave. The sight of it shriveled my own bones as the slow wind tickled my skin. I looked at Sesshomaru for a final confirmation; his eyes did not falter.

Impenetrable darkness slowly dissolved my senses, trapping me in wandering footsteps the deeper we went. I was, by no means, nyctophobic, but given the questionable decorations outside, and the hanging stalagmites replicating a monster's mouth, I couldn't imagine what sort of demon this labyrinth was sheltering.

"Stay close," Sesshomaru said as the last speck of light disappeared. I held on to his moko-moko tightly. The constant decline of the ground indicated that we were climbing down some sort of stairwell - a spiral one - and once we reached the lowest floor, a stone hallway lit by rows of burning torches greeted us.