Skyward

Soon after we finished our meals, Magdeline and I continued our conversation. "By the way, what shall I calleth thou?" She asked.

I responded quickly. "Oh right, my name is..." Something blocked my name from leaving my mouth. No, it was more like there was no name to begin with.

"I... can't seem to remember." I said with obvious concern.

"So even thy name is forgotten. No matter, as I said before, thine memories shall return in due time." She said with sympathy.

After finishing our meals, I helped Magdeline clean off all her kitchenware as she packed away her magical stove. Once all her stuff was back in her pack, we both got up from the lush moss and looked at each other. 

"So, thou'rt seeketh a way upward. Have no more fear, for I shall guideth thee." Magdeline stated triumphantly.

"Are you sure? Don't you have anything you need to be doing?" I asked.

"No worries, I have already accomplished what I sought to do here." She answered.

Out of curiosity I asked. "And what would that be?"

She smiled back at me, but not a smile of glee, but a smile that hid longing behind it. "Just searching for an old friend, though I figured she wouldn't be down here. Doesn't hurt to try!" She exclaimed, attempting to hide the sadness in her tone. She continued. "Anyway, let us push forth, lest ye wisheth to be left alone."

I looked at her attempting to show my gratitude with a smile. "Yeah, lets go."

I followed Magdenline's lead, continuing on the path I was going to take if she hadn't previously found me. We came across a small archway with vines growing across its engravings. The other side of the arch lead into a tight avenue with small, dilapidated houses on either side. Each house had very similar designs to each other, being made of the same materials. The stone was the same material I had been seeing from previous buildings. Some windows had been shattered and cracked. The windows boasted a warped surface, making it hard to see through, and a black metallic frame that criss crossed over the glass. Broken wood was scattered across the stone brick road. Walking through, I had notice how much darker the area was now that the light was just on the other side of the row of houses. The growth of fauna here had also thinned out as it crept along the avenue. Magdeline lead me down many turns as the labyrinth of houses twisted with every step. She would always by a couple paces ahead and occasionally look behind herself to make sure I was still there. Eventually, the path turned into a wide open area where a beam of light perfectly engulfed the place. Judging from the layout of the buildings around, we seemed to have stumbled upon what use to be a town center. I gazed in awe as the dust particles danced in the brilliant ray of light. Staring straight through, I had saw it just on the other side, the thing I had been looking for. A large gap between the buildings ahead of us held a grand staircase that lead straight up. Tracing my eyes up the stairs I saw at its very end the rectangular hole that opens right into the floor above.

"There she is." Magdeline exclaimed.

I looked at her and slightly bowed my head. "Thank you so much." I said.

She giggled. "What have we, a farewell? Nonsense, I've decided I shall cometh with on thine journey. I've been alone for far too long, having someone to converse with shall maketh travel all the more interesting!"

I laughed. "You have a way with words don't you."

"Why thank you... Well then, shall we?" She said.

Without another word, we walked into the dazzling light and into the town center, stepping over the shattered wood and other bits of debris. As we neared the stairs, I noticed the many windows and balconies on the buildings that were on either side of the stairs. Their frames were the same black metal as I saw on the houses, however these were designed with far more elegance. The frames boasted many orderly curves and accents of black flowers that heightened their design. The walls of these buildings were just as ornate, showing off cravings of the same type of flower on each ledge. The stairs leading upward had just as beautiful craftsmanship. On each side, the handrails, though worn with time, were expertly curved into soft curves. Large cylindrical columns jutted out in intervals from the stairs and were attached to the bottom of the floor above. Soon, we walked passed the height of the buildings, and it was here I was treated to a gorgeous view. To my left, I had a clear view of the cities destruction. A large and seemingly bottomless sinkhole was open on the ground bellow, which had swallowed bits of buildings and long vines along its edge. A dense ray pierced through the stagnant air, revealing the devastation the sinkhole had left to the surrounding area. It left me with a sense of fear, yet awe and wonder.

I had to ask. "Hey, so you really don't know what happened here? All of this looks very old so shouldn't there be some recorded event?"

She pondered. "Old you say? Tell me, just how long ago does thou thinketh Caelum has fallen?"

"If I had to guess, looks a hundred years old?" I said.

She stared at me in disbelief. "A hundred years, old? On what nonsense planet does thou reside to say such a thing!"

She seemed offended for reasons I could guess. Still, I had to ask to confirm my suspicions. "Sorry if I offend you, but can you tell me how old you are?"

She gave me a serious look. "If thou must knoweth, I happen to be in my thousands."

It seems my suspicions were correct. I figured she might've been something other than human, though she looked like one. I asked to be sure. "So are you not human?"

Her face morphed into confusion. "Thou'rt truly a strange one, though entertaining nonetheless. Of course I'm human, and I still haveth a long way ahead of me!"

Her comment gave me a better sense of the workings of this world. From my memories, I felt as though humans only had an average lifespan of around sixty to eighty years. Perhaps the world I come from operates under different laws of nature. Needless to say, I was truly dumbfounded by her age, but I chose to hide my expression so as to not be anymore rude than I already have been. Still, I couldn't shake the thought, since I kept wondering how that would apply to me? Is the body I have now that of my old world or this one? Whichever it may be, how does that effect how I'll age here? It was a difficult thought, but I chose not to dwell any further for fear that Magdeline would notice my worries. The thought of my age however would soon subside, as a foul stench wafted into my vicinity.

Eventually we reached the top of the stairs and the view of the sinkhole below was blocked by the new floor we stood on. As the stairs ahead passed below my vision, I witnessed something ahead of me that answered a question that has been plaguing my mind since the very beginning. The question of what had happened to residence of homes I had seen. Upon smelling its foul odor, and witnessing the answer ahead, I vomited.