A Foreboding First Meeting & More

A Foreboding First Meeting

 The sweet smell of wildflowers lingered in the air that warm summer evening, the light of the sun slowly fading as night began to creep on the horizon, yet within the heart of the forest not a single sound could be heard. While most nights in Suru were announced by a choir of insect calls and birdsong, this dusk was filled with deafening silence. It had been three days ago that South Nokrim, ruler of the forest, had called to all members of Nokrim and announced an impromptu family gathering, an unusual event considering that complete family gatherings outside of the set festivities and rituals that they'd always done were once in a blue moon ordeals. East arrived quietly, but hesitantly. While they were certain South had some sort of good reason for calling everyone to his home, they felt uneasy as they pondered what matter might have prompted this meeting. Peering down into the dark depths of the stairway that led to South's residence they sighed and began quietly descending, though with each step their unease grew even more. Leaving the grasp of the warm forest they entered the stairway, making haste to descend downwards and into the cool, albeit wet and uneven dungeon.

Around ten minutes later East finally stepped onto the lowest step, taking a moment to stretch after the long descent, though it was more for their own mentality than for their physical wellbeing. The descent had been filled with the same overwhelming silence that flowed through the forest, the only sounds being the occasional water drip and their own footsteps, yet every step they took had continued to heighten their sense of dread. They couldn't brush off the feeling that something was terribly wrong, yet now that they had reached bottom they found that the mood was strangely peaceful. Settling their nerves East made their way into the dark corridor leading inwards, walking with care as the stepped into the dimly lit grand hall of the old structure, to which they came to a somewhat familiar sight. The hall, as it had always been, was surprisingly small. Its curved brick walls towered above to about fifty feet, but the room itself was only really comparable to a small or medium sized church, which it may have been at one point. Simple in design and barely furnished, the only part that really stood out was its crown jewel of sorts, that being the carved out portion of the wall at the very back. Where there may have once been fine stonework there was instead a large, half moon like maw that cut into the earthen depths of the forest from which numerous large blackened roots seemed to spread, creating a wicked looking star like growth covered in oozing lichen and moss. Around the cavity a wealth of corpses, mainly humanoid ones, were piled up as if they were being offered to the tree-like star, their flesh pierced by the roots leading up to the center of the cavity where a figure they couldn't exactly make out seemed to rest.

Near the resting figure, standing before two tables laden with magical notes and ritual materials, were two huddled figures they instantly recognized as South and West, their kin, yet the two didn't even seem to notice them as they walked up. Clearing their throat as they approached them they grabbed West's attention, causing her to turn swiftly around, holding up her fan to cover her face as she did, though her eyes still gave away her somewhat malicious recognition. Smirking at them she spoke.

"Would you look who showed up late to the party? How's your business going these days? Too busy to let you come here on time?" She asked, though it was clear she didn't actually care as her eyes kept traveling back to South.

"My business is fine. And if you'd really like to talk specifics, I'm right on time. It's you who loves to arrive ten minutes early" they replied sharply. Hearing the conversation, South finally looked up from his notes and turned to East, a cheerful, though sinister looking grin on his face as he shifted himself to face them, one foot hitting one of the corpses with a sickening crunch.

"East, how wonderful to see you. How'd your travels go?" He asked. While his words at first seemed cheerful, his tone of speech had rapidly changed to flow more smoothly. While to anyone on the outside he might've seemed carefree and happy, East found that South's true mood continued to evade those around him. Sighing with exhaustion East made their way over to one of the wicked looking black roots that had made their way into the chapel and sat down. Staring at South with apathetic eyes they finally spoke.

"They were fine. More importantly, what made you suddenly call up this gathering? It's rather out of the way from our usual events, is it not?" They asked. Smiling as he listened South nodded his head, seemed to think for a few moments, then spoke.

"Well, first off..." he said as he wandered over to the maw it the wall and gestured dramatically towards it "I'd like to announce that we're going to have a new member of the family!". Peering closer towards the maw now that they were closer East could properly make out the sleeping figure, though the appearance of him surprised them. While it wasn't unusual for South to try and induct someone new into the family ever once and a while, this one looked different. Amongst the bed of roots lay a young man, one who looked no more than sixteen years old, his eyes closed and expression gentle. His skin, which had clearly been tan at some point before, had taken on a pale white hue far different from the blackened skin of those inducted before him. His face resembled that of a sleeping prince from a fairytale, his long black horns as jagged as his clawed hands and feet, and his long black hair writhed around him... Wait, black hair? East stood up suddenly and moved closer, grasping at one of the long strands of hair to examine it, though as they moved it closer to their face they gagged, stepping back and letting go. No wonder something had felt off, it was the hair.

"SOUTH! What is up with that guy? Why is-" they heaved, feeling wholly uncomfortable with this whole situation. Based off the man's appearance, he should've gone through about half of the magic ritual to induct him, but that hair didn't seem to have any of South's magic.

"Interesting, isn't it? I was wondering that too, which is why I've called you all here. At first I suspected that I made some mistake with the ritual, but after some closer inspection it appears that the ritual failed! Looks like Jareth's father, whoever he is, is strong enough to counteract my magic, seeing as his body begins to reject my interference whenever I try to sever that connection" he said, his voice cheery, but he was clearly rather bothered by this. West laughed.

"Looks like we tried messing with someone we shouldn't have. Anyways, what're we going to do if you can't complete the ritual? Isn't the deal you made with him to cut all ties to his past?" She asked, clearly more amused than anything as she glanced over to Jareth with curiosity in her eyes.

East glanced back too, their stomach settling. They couldn't forget the feeling they'd felt when examining the strand. They weren't even sure that stuff could even be called hair, especially as even when they had it they couldn't feel any real strains of hair. It'd felt cold and silky, more like something of magic than something of the living creature. Even now no light reflected off of the long locks, as if it wasn't even there, the ends trailing off in wisps rather than cut ends.

"I think I'll just let him join. I suppose I'll have to supplement the usual ritual magic with something that won't cause such a hostile reaction, though he'll probably end up as more of a half blood than anything. That innate power that makes him tick has already twisted and corrupted his regrowth to the point that I can't call it my work" South said before returning to his workstation. East leaned against a wall as they thought. South was right in that last statement as well, he noticed. Unlike the more natural looking exoskeletons their limbs had gained, Jareth's were clearly blackened and sharper in shape.

"I suppose that makes the most sense, though I have to wonder just what his fate is. I've never seen someone so wrapped in higher dealings" they said, taking a short bow before quickly making their way out, though their unease never faded until they had left the tower. It seemed to have not bothered South or East due to their natures and lesser knowledge towards the subject, but they had felt it. The feeling of something horrid, something divine behind those closed eyes.