First Encounter

I slowly opened my eyes to the sight of a hazy ray of light over a long forgotten settlement. I got up from the ground, careful not to fall over the shallow ditch I suddenly found myself next to. The air was cold and somewhat damp which made it hard for me to sleep any longer than I already did. I walked over the soft patch of moss that I had used as a bed for that night to collect what little I had off the ground and continue on my journey.

As I walked, I recollected fragments of the dream I had last night. A dream of my old world. As always, much of it was a blur, but there were some things I was able to make of it. The soft mattress I would lay on, the stairs down the hallway just outside my room, and my mother making breakfast before I head off for the day. My old morning routine. It was pleasant remembering things like this, though they seemed long gone from where I am right now. Still, I had to remember because I know that somewhere out there, my mother was waiting for me.

As I marched along the ledge from which the stone brick floor had collapse, I took in the still scenery that the dim morning light offered me. Again, more of the same dilapidated buildings covered my sight, though some of them were slightly different than from where I woke up. The structures here were much taller, more detailed, and densely packed. As I looked slightly up, small bridges strung across some the balconies of these buildings. Greenery hung beautifully off the dozens of ornate ledges carved into the worn out stone. Looking over the ledge next to me, just a couple meters below was piles of rubble, presumably from the collapsed floor and broken buidlings. Along the cross section of the ground that was revealed from the collapse were large open pipes. I small stream of water dripped from the pipes' jagged edges, leaving darkened stains on the rubble below. The sight of it left me feeling thirsty, so I did what any thirsty man would do. I slowly descended into the ditch, using the loose rock as a small staircase. Hopping over the rubble I made my way to the water's source. Standing head height at the open metal pipe, I cupped my hands just beneath it. Then a voice called out from behind me.

"Art thou so eager to drinketh that thou would partake in even the filthiest water?"

"What a strange way of talking." I thought to myself. The English was somewhat archaic, but not archaic enough that I couldn't understand. The voice was slightly deep and mature, yet had a caring and nurturing tone to it. I turned to see the owner of this voice to find a woman standing on the ledge from where I had descended. She showed off a modest wardrobe. Her skirt flowed down from her hips to her ankles. Her tall boots were just barely peaking through the bottom of her skirt. Her top was a long sleeve, button down shirt with thick frills down the sleeves and chest. Across her body was a old looking brown strapped, which connected to a large pack that laid against her back. She wore a headdress that simply looked like a semi-transparent piece of cloth was draped atop her head. The lucidity of the cloth revealed her light brown hair that was tied into a messy bun. Her entire outfit was a pure white, but has been torn in several places and dirtied into many shades of brown and gray.

I stared at her, dumbfounded at the fact that I had come across another person in a place seemingly devoid of people. I must have stared for a little too long since she decided to break the silence. "Cometh here, if thou'rt so inclined to share a meal." She said happily. I made my way back to the other side of the ditch and climbed back onto the uncollapsed ground. As I pulled my body back over the ledge, I found her sitting on the soft moss emptying her pack.

I sat down on the patch of moss across from her, patiently waiting for her to finish setting up whatever came from her pack. Between us, she had placed a tiny three-legged tripod that had a series of rings attached to the top of it. Suspended between each ring was writing of a language I couldn't read. The strange lady then pulled a bundle of small, red flowers from her pack. She held them in a pinch and placed her hand above the tripod so that the bundle of flowers were in the center of the rings. She began to mutter something I couldn't make out, then suddenly the flowers sparked and burst into a tiny yellow flame. The flame was somehow suspended in the air just above the rings. Then, she grabbed a small frying pan and held it above the flame. The markings between each ring began to glow a pale blue. She let go of the pan and it miraculously hovered over the fire. What came next from her pack was an assortment of vegetables and dry meat I couldn't recognize. She began to cook, leaving the air around us with a delightful scent.

I was shocked at the sight of her cooking apparatus, so much so that the lady pointed it out. "What? Has thou'rt never witnessed the miracles of gods?" She asked. I didn't answer and she mutually stayed silent, not prying further.

I stared at her for a time as she cooked, examining her features more up close. She seemed to be somewhere in her late twenties. Her nose was small but well defined, her lips were a soft pink and thin, her face was dotted with faint freckles against her light brown skin, and her eyes were slightly sunken in but big. It was her irises that were something to behold. They were a shade of brilliant yellow, like the petals of a sunflower. They had a faint glow in the light of the fire. It was yellow like I've never seen yellow.

In the middle of her cooking she broke the silence. "Tell me, what has thou been eating and drinking these past days?"

I thought about it for a bit and gave my response. "I've been surviving off of the wild fruits I come across, and drinking any water that looks clean.

"Hah! It's a miracle that thou hasn't met death. Some of the plants and water around here will leave you bedridden and in pain." She said in a laughing matter, though I wasn't laughing. The thought of dying at the start of my journey made me feel pathetic.

"Anywise, the way thou speaketh is strange and certainly not of this region, tell me, art thou of here?" She asked.

Her question made me recoil, as it was conformation that I truly was not from here. Still, I answered honestly. "No, to be honest, I can hardly remember anything. I just know I'm not from here."

"Hmm, no matter, of here or not we can all be friends. I'm sure thou shall claim thine memories back someday." She responded.

I finally found the room to ask questions. "So, who are you, and where are we? Why is there no sky and..." I cut myself off before I overwhelmed her with questions.

"Thou art a curious one it seemeth. Well, I am lady Magdaline and I was a priestess. Thou has probably figured by now as thou has witnessed mine incantation. Then again, thou seemed surprised at the sight of the gods' miracles. As for this place, it's the lovely city of Caelum, once a thriving populace." She answered.

"What happened to it?" I asked with concern.

She responded quickly. "And that is where mine memories become a haze. I haven't a single recollection of the fall of Caelum, but it has fallen."

"And the sky?" I asked again.

"Well, thou truly hasn't the faintest knowledge of this place. This metropolis was build within a  magnificent spire, so magnificent that it reaches the heavens itself. Back then, the city's lights illuminated this place, but now that there's no populace to tend to the light, the inner walls of the spire cast eternal darkness on all sides. By the grace of the gods we have still be granted the light of the heavens above."

The information was overwhelming to say the least. Still, I continued to ask questions. "Just how big is this spire?"

"It takes days to walketh its width." She responded. The answer shocked me, but now the unknown of the darkness surrounding us felt I little safer now.

"Lastly, is there a way up? To the other floors I mean." I ask in a hesitant tone.

Magdeline smiled. "Well of course, I am from an upper ground myself." She said confidently.

I wanted to continue my questions but she quickly cut me off. "Now, enough of the questions. Let us feast for now." She said.

She handed me a small wooden plate from her pack and a neatly carved stake. I looked up at her. "No need to be shy, it's mine treat after all." She reassured me. I used the stake to move the meat and vegetables from the pan onto my plate. I began to eat, nearly tearing up at the taste and aroma of a proper meal I had been missing for so long.