Chapter 1: The Temple of Sealed Voices

ACT I: The World of Silent Gods 

Shion’s steps, though tentative, roared thunderously in the soundless temple. The great structure was dark and impossibly quiet, without so much as a drop of water or a whisper of wind. And the building itself was impossible to determine the size of in the oppressive darkness.

“If only I had a light,” she signed to herself. It was that final sign, light, that the world seemed to listen to.

Just as her hand groped around on the wall for stability, a faint glow shot down her arm, to her fingertips, and finally into the walls, igniting several unreadable sigils that spanned long halls. She jumped in surprise and backed away from the wall, staring down at her hands. Once more, the shimmering light wrapped around her fingers. There was no way, right?

Slowly, her fingers moved to create another sign. “Dark.” She touched the wall again and the silver-white glow of the sigils faded quickly, shrouding her once more in cold darkness.

“Light,” she signed again, a little more confidence flowed through her as she placed her hand on the walls. Her eyes watched as illumination flowed down the halls. Whatever was going on, the truth was likely somewhere in this temple. Or perhaps this was all a dream – though this hardly seemed possible when she took into consideration the pounding in her head and tight feeling of anxiety in her chest.

She stood still for what felt like an eternity, willing her body to move forward. Drawing her sweatshirt closer to her frame, she began to walk. Where she was headed, she was unsure. She had yet to see an entrance which meant she must be in a back room perhaps.

Shion passed the first of several deity statues, taking in the beautiful, albeit sorrowful, sight. The was no more than four inches taller than her but there was an incredible power commanded by the figure. The god statue depicted a being with delicate features, hair tied into a high ponytail, and robes that left his or her gender a mystery. Interesting, this figure lacked a mouth covering, unlike the statues she had seen prior.

Every hair, every fold of fabric looked so real. And the eyes of the figure, positioned behind glasses delicately balanced on the deity’s nose, seemed to follow her every move. Or perhaps it was the cold hush of the temple walls making her paranoid.

She shook her head softly. She needed to find her way out, to find someone who she could communicate with; Shion needed to know where she was and how to get home. She turned quickly, fingertips brushing the stone statue as she did so.

Down one of the temple’s halls, there was a large crash and the sound of tumbling stone. Her instincts told her to run — just in case the temple was caving in. And so she did just that, quickly following winding halls that were illuminated until she found her way outside and into a mystical courtyard that instantly sent her into a daze.

Tomes and scrolls floated freely in the air, suspended but drifting across the early evening sky like autumn foliage. She looked around with childlike wonder, the burning in her legs from running disappeared in an instant as she took in the sights. Though she was long past needing proof, the sight before her affirmed what she had been thinking.

“Where am I?” She signed to herself once more.