SupernovaSymphony

  The two ventured deeper into the passage, the air growing colder and heavier with each step. The dim light from Vivienne's eyes illuminated the path ahead, casting flickering shadows on the damp stone walls. Rava’s ears twitched, every sound—every faint crack of shifting stone or whisper of air—setting her on edge.

  As the corridor opened into a wider chamber, Rava’s gaze swept over their surroundings. The room was a chaotic mix of broken machinery and shattered pilrs, the remnants of some forgotten purpose. Her sharp eyes caught a faint glimmer near the base of a colpsed column—a small, metallic object partially buried in rubble.

  She crouched, brushing aside the dust and debris to reveal a slender, intricately carved rod etched with shimmering runes. The craftsmanship was unmistakable. Rava’s chest tightened as she held it up for Vivienne to see. “This is his,” she said, her voice low but steady. “An exomancy wand. He must’ve dropped it.”

  Vivienne leaned in, her bck eyes catching the faint glow of the runes. “Is it significant?”

  Rava hesitated, turning the wand over in her hands. “It’s a tool—one of his casting foci. He always keeps several on hand. The wand’s for speed, his staff for raw power. Losing this doesn’t necessarily mean he’s in trouble... but it’s not like him to leave it behind.”

  Vivienne’s cws tapped lightly against her arm as she nodded. “So, he was here. And while this is a clue, it doesn’t mean he’s… well, gone.” Her tone was careful, as if trying to reassure them both.

  Rava nodded, a mixture of relief and unease settling in her chest. She stood and scanned the chamber again, her golden eyes narrowing on a series of faint scuff marks leading toward a narrow opening at the far end. “Tracks,” she said, pointing. “He went this way.”

  Vivienne followed her gaze, her cws curling slightly. “The song… it’s louder that way.”

  Rava gnced at her, frowning. “It’s not a song to me. Just... silence.” Her grip tightened on the rod. “Let’s move, but carefully. If Tarric’s alive, he’ll have left more signs.”

  The passage beyond was cramped and twisted, the walls closing in around them as they descended further. The oppressive silence was broken only by their footsteps and the occasional drip of water echoing from unseen cracks above. Rava kept her focus ahead, but her ears twitched as Vivienne began to hum softly under her breath—a strange, otherworldly tune that sent a chill down Rava’s spine.

  “Vivienne,” Rava said, her voice low but firm. “Focus.”

  Vivienne blinked, startled, as if waking from a dream. “Right. Sorry.”

  The narrow passage eventually opened into another chamber, this one smaller but no less eerie. Rava’s sharp eyes caught another clue: a faintly glowing glyph etched into the wall. It pulsed with a steady rhythm, the same beat that seemed to resonate through the ruins.

  She moved closer, running her fingers over the ancient carvings. “Tarric did this,” she said. “It’s a marker—a guide for him to find his way back.”

  Vivienne tilted her head, her gaze fixed on the glyph. “It’s pointing downward. He went deeper.”

  Rava stepped back, her jaw tightening as she followed the direction of the glyph. Another descent loomed ahead, the faint glow of aether seeping up from below. “This pce is trying to draw us in,” she muttered. “But if Tarric went down there, we don’t have a choice.”

  Vivienne nodded absently, already stepping toward the edge. Rava grabbed her arm, her grip firm. “We stick together. And you don’t get ahead of me. Understood?”

  Vivienne hesitated, then nodded. “Understood.”

  With a deep breath, Rava retrieved a length of rope from her pack and secured it to a stable outcrop near the edge of the descent. Vivienne shifted into her revenant shape, then two began their descent into the depths, the air growing colder and the rhythmic hum more oppressive with every step.

  As they descended, the air turned colder, carrying a damp, heavy weight that clung to their skin. The rope creaked faintly under Rava’s weight, her grip firm and controlled. Above her, Vivienne floated down leisurely, in a slow, controlled fall.

  When they reached the bottom, Rava’s boots spshed into shallow puddles, the water’s chill biting through her soles. She scanned the dimly lit chamber, her sharp eyes taking in the faint glow of aether-infused moss that painted the walls in a sickly light. Despite the eerie ambience, the silence remained absolute—so complete it made Rava’s ears strain for a sound that refused to come.

  “Still quiet,” she muttered, more to herself than Vivienne, who floated down behind her with unnatural grace. “Too quiet.”

  Vivienne didn’t respond immediately, shifting back into her preferred shape. Her eyes, dark and fathomless, were locked on something ahead, her body tense as if listening to an invisible symphony.

  Rava shook her head, trying to ignore the sensation crawling up her spine. Her focus shifted to the chamber, where scattered tools and broken equipment littered the floor. She knelt, running her paw over a fractured vial that shimmered faintly with residual energy.

  “Aether condensate,” she muttered, holding it up. “He was working down here.”

  Vivienne crouched beside her, tilting her head as she stared at the scattered remnants. “Then why leave this behind? Is Tarric the type to abandon his tools.”

  “No, he’s not,” Rava replied, her voice low, almost a growl. “Unless something forced him to.”

  She scanned the room again, her golden eyes catching faint marks scratched into the stone floor. Nearby, a glyph etched into a crumbling pilr pulsed faintly, pointing toward a dark passage leading deeper into the ruins.

  Vivienne touched the glyph lightly, her cws tracing its edges. “It’s louder here,” she murmured. “Like it’s calling.”

  Rava frowned, her ears fttening as she looked toward the corridor. “I still don’t hear it. Just… nothing.”

  Vivienne turned to her, her expression strangely serene. “Maybe it’s only for those meant to hear it.”

  Rava didn’t respond immediately, her gaze fixed on the glyph. The silence weighed heavily around her, a void that pressed against her thoughts. “He left this marker for himself,” she said finally, stepping back. “It points down. He’s going deeper.”

  “Then so are we,” Vivienne said, already moving toward the corridor.

  Rava reached out, gripping Vivienne’s arm to halt her. “Stick close. Please.” Her expression was almost pleading.

  Vivienne hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll follow your lead.”

  The two pressed onward, leaving the eerie chamber behind. As they stepped into the passage, the air grew colder still, and the oppressive silence clung to Rava’s ears like a shroud. She gnced at Vivienne, who moved with unsettling ease, her eyes unfocused yet intent, as if being guided by some unseen force.

  The passage wound downward, the walls narrowing and the air becoming heavier with every step. Rava kept her fists clenched, her sharp eyes scanning for movement. The silence pressed harder against her senses, deafening in its void, while Vivienne walked as if in a trance, her gaze fixed forward.

  Eventually, the corridor opened into a cavernous chamber, dimly illuminated by an eerie blue glow. At its center stood a pedestal carved from smooth, bck stone. Upon it rested a crystalline orb, its surface swirling with aetheric light, like a storm captured in gss. The pulsing rhythm from earlier now emanated visibly from the orb, the waves distorting the air around it.

  Rava froze, her instincts screaming caution. The air itself seemed alive, charged with an energy that felt neither welcoming nor hostile—just alien. “Viv,” she whispered, her voice tight. “Stay close.”

  But Vivienne stepped forward, as if pulled by an invisible thread. Her cws twitched, her expression one of wonder and longing. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, her voice soft, almost reverent. “Can’t you hear it now?”

  “No,” Rava said sharply, grabbing Vivienne’s wrist. “I don’t hear anything, and you need to stop moving.”

  Vivienne’s head tilted slightly, her bck eyes glinting in the blue light. “It’s calling me, Rava. I can’t ignore it.”

  Rava tightened her grip, her voice firm. “Whatever it is, we don’t know what it’ll do if you touch it. Think about Tarric—he left no sign he even wanted to take this thing.”

  “He probably couldn’t,” Vivienne said, her tone distant. Her free hand reached out, trembling as it hovered near the orb. The glow brightened, and the hum grew louder, reverberating in the chamber like a heartbeat. “But I can.”

  Rava yanked Vivienne back, her strength forcing the smaller woman to stumble. “No! You don’t even know what it is!” she growled, her voice echoing. “We need to think this through.”

  Vivienne blinked, the haze in her eyes faltering for a moment. She looked at Rava, her expression conflicted, but the pull toward the orb didn’t fade. “It’s important,” she said softly. “I can feel it.”

  Rava’s gaze flicked between Vivienne and the orb, frustration and concern battling in her mind. “Important or not, we have to be careful. We don’t know what it could unleash—or what it might do to you.”

  The pedestal hummed louder, as if responding to their presence. The light from the orb flickered, casting shifting shadows along the walls. Rava took a step back, instinctively pcing herself between Vivienne and the strange artifact.

  “Think about Tarric,” Rava said, her voice low but urgent. “If he left this here, there’s a reason. He’s smart enough to know when to leave something alone. Are you?”

  Vivienne hesitated, her hand lowering slightly, but the draw of the orb was still visible in her posture. The storm within the crystalline sphere swirled faster, the pulses aligning with her breathing. It was as if the artifact itself was alive, reaching out to her in ways Rava couldn’t perceive.

  The orb’s glow fred suddenly, a blinding pulse of light that filled the chamber. Rava shielded her eyes, her body tensing as a low, guttural rumble resonated through the cavern. When the light faded, the air seemed thicker, charged with raw energy.

  Vivienne stepped back, her bck eyes wide but still locked on the orb. "It’s waking up," she murmured, her voice trembling with awe.

  Rava didn’t respond. Her sharp gaze was fixed on the shadows coalescing near the edges of the chamber. Tendrils of pure aether twisted and writhed, taking form. They were translucent, shifting between shapes like living smoke, their movements erratic and unnatural.

  The first creature solidified, a serpentine beast with jagged, crystalline edges along its body. Its glowing eyes burned with cold, unfeeling light as it turned its gaze toward Rava. Behind it, another emerged, this one resembling a wolf-like predator with elongated limbs and cws that shimmered like gss. More began to form, each more grotesque and alien than the st.

  Rava stepped in front of Vivienne, her fists clenched, her body low in a defensive stance. "Viv, get behind me."

  Vivienne did not listen, instead, slowly, she began to move towards the orb.

  Rava growled under her breath, her frustration mounting. "Vivienne!" she snapped, her voice sharp and commanding. "I said get behind me!"

  But Vivienne seemed deaf to her words, her gaze locked on the orb with an intensity that sent a chill down Rava’s spine. She moved as though drawn by an invisible thread, her steps deliberate yet disconnected, as if her body was no longer entirely her own. Her humming became louder, more intense, the stilted song being little of what noise filled the air.

  Rava’s attention snapped back to the growing threat as the first of the aetherbeasts lunged. A serpentine creature with jagged crystalline edges hissed as it shot toward her. Rava sidestepped, her fist connecting with the creature's elongated head in a devastating strike. The beast shattered into shards of aether, dissolving into the air.

  More emerged, their forms shifting and unstable, like nightmares struggling to solidify. A wolf-like beast followed, its cws glinting like gss as it sshed at Rava. She ducked, her knee driving into its midsection before delivering a powerful hook to its jaw. The creature crumbled, its remnants fading into motes of light.

  Behind her, Vivienne continued forward, seemingly oblivious to the chaos unfolding around her. The orb pulsed in time with her steps, the swirling storm within it intensifying as if responding to her presence.

  "Vivienne!" Rava yelled again, smming her paw into the ground to sweep the legs out from under a nky, insectoid beast that had crept too close. "If you don’t stop moving, I’m dragging you back myself!"

  Vivienne hesitated, her head tilting slightly at the sound of Rava’s voice, but her cws twitched, her body poised to take another step. "It’s so beautiful, Rava," she murmured, her voice distant and dreamlike. "The song. I understand the song."

  Her lips parted, and she began to sing. There were no lyrics, just a haunting, otherworldly melody that filled the chamber. The sound was unlike anything Rava had ever heard, a mixture of ethereal tones and discordant harmonies that sent chills down her spine. It resonated through the air, amplifying the pulses from the orb, and for a moment, even the aetherbeasts faltered, as if entranced by the sound.

  Rava's ears fttened against her skull as the melody wrapped around her, threatening to pull her into the same hypnotic state. She shook her head, clenching her fists tightly. "Vivienne, stop!" she barked, but her voice seemed to barely cut through the song.

  Vivienne's cws flexed, her eyes half-lidded as she continued to sing, stepping closer to the orb. The glowing storm within its crystalline surface grew more chaotic, bolts of aether arcing outward and searing the air. The beasts around them began to move again, but their focus remained on Rava, ignoring Vivienne entirely as they surged forward.

  "Damn it, Viv!" Rava growled, smming her fist into the face of a leaping beast. It shattered into aetheric shards, but two more took its pce. The pressure was mounting, the tide of creatures growing faster and more aggressive with each passing second.

  Vivienne’s voice swelled, her song reaching a crescendo that seemed to reverberate through the very bones of the ruins. Rava gritted her teeth against the overwhelming sound, her instincts screaming at her to pull Vivienne away before the orb consumed her completely.

  "Vivienne!" Rava roared again, her voice echoing off the chamber walls as she lunged toward her entranced companion. She grabbed Vivienne's shoulders, shaking her forcefully in a desperate attempt to break the spell. "You have to stop! That thing is using you!"

  But Vivienne didn’t respond. Her haunting song grew louder, the melody rising to a fever pitch. The swirling storm within the orb seemed to synchronize with her voice, its pulses matching the rhythm of her notes. The light it cast filled the chamber, dancing shadows flickering across the walls.

  Rava’s teeth clenched as a sudden screech cut through the air, heralding another beast’s arrival. This one was a half-formed crystalline serpent, its body jagged and fragmented, glimmering with the same unearthly glow as the orb. It slithered forward with surprising speed, interposing itself between Rava and Vivienne.

  "Damn it," Rava snarled, dodging as the serpent shed out, its tail smming into the ground where she had just stood. Shards of crystal flew from the impact, one narrowly missing her cheek. She pivoted and delivered a punishing blow to its head. The impact sent cracks spiderwebbing through its form, but it didn’t shatter. Instead, it coiled back, hissing, its fractured eyes gleaming with malice.

  Rava pressed her advantage, unching another flurry of strikes, her fists glowing faintly as her aether-infused strength broke through the beast's tough exterior. With a final, thunderous punch, the serpent exploded into a spray of shards that dissipated into the air.

  Breathing heavily, she turned back toward Vivienne, who was now standing just a few paces from the orb. Her cws twitched, her body swaying slightly as though caught in a trance. Rava could see the strain on her face, a mix of awe and something darker—like the orb was feeding on her emotions, pulling her deeper into its grasp.

  "Vivienne!" Rava called out again, her voice softer but no less urgent. She took a cautious step forward, her gaze darting around the room for any more threats. "You’re stronger than this. Fight it! Please!"

  For a brief moment, Vivienne’s song wavered, her lips parting as if she might respond. But then, the orb fred with a blinding light, and another wave of aether surged outward. More beasts began to form from the aetheric storm—a pair of sleek, wolf-like creatures with crystalline fur and glowing eyes. They snarled, their focus locked on Rava.

  Rava cursed under her breath, pnting her feet firmly. "Fine. If that’s how it’s going to be," she muttered, cracking her knuckles. "Then I’ll fight every damn one of you to get her back."

  The wolves lunged in unison, their movements eerily coordinated. Rava ducked under the first, her powerful arms swinging up to grab its hind leg and sm it into the ground with bone-crushing force. The second beast darted around her, its crystalline jaws snapping inches from her side. She twisted, using the first wolf’s broken body as a shield, and hurled it into the other. Both shattered on impact, their remains dissolving into the air.

  Rava barely had time to catch her breath before more shapes began to coalesce from the aether, the orb's glow growing ever brighter. Her jaw tightened as she spared a gnce at Vivienne, who was now reaching out toward the pedestal, her cws mere inches from the orb.

  "No," Rava growled, determination bzing in her eyes. "Not while I’m still breathing."

  She surged forward, weaving between the forming beasts and smashing through those in her way. Her fists connected with glowing bodies, her movements a blur of raw power and precision. Yet no matter how many she destroyed, more took their pce, as if the orb's energy was infinite.

  Rava’s heart pounded in her chest as she fought her way through the growing tide of aetherbeasts. She had no time to think, no time to strategize—only to strike and move, strike and move. Her fists were a blur of motion, but every beast she took down was repced by another, and the sheer volume of them was beginning to overwhelm her.

  But even in the chaos of battle, her eyes never left Vivienne.

  The sight of Vivienne moving ahead, as if drawn by some unseen force, made Rava’s stomach twist with fear. She was moving with a strange, eerie grace, her body drawn toward the orb as if it had become the only thing in the world that mattered. Rava’s breath caught in her throat. No. Not again.

  The st time, Vivienne had barely been able to resist the orb’s pull. Now, it was as if the song had consumed her entirely. Her posture was almost trance-like, her eyes wide and unseeing, her cws twitching in anticipation.

  “Vivienne!” Rava shouted, trying to push her way forward, but the beasts wouldn’t let her through. Her fists tore through them, but they were endless, and Vivienne was moving too fast, too far ahead.

  Rava’s muscles screamed in protest as she shoved a massive serpent-beast aside, but it was only a temporary solution. The moment she made any progress, another monster surged forward to take its pce, its aether-charged form crackling with energy.

  She gnced ahead again—Vivienne had reached the pedestal.

  Rava’s heart sank.

  “Vivienne, stop!” Rava cried, her voice hoarse from exertion. But Vivienne didn’t stop. Instead, she reached out, her cws trembling as they hovered just above the orb, as if waiting for something. And then, with one fluid motion, she closed her hand around it.

  Time seemed to slow, and Rava felt her chest tighten as the orb’s energy pulsed violently. The air crackled around Vivienne, and the ground trembled beneath their feet. The aetherbeasts in the room grew more frantic, their bodies shimmering with raw power, their eyes glowing brighter. But Vivienne—Vivienne remained still, her fingers tightening on the orb as though she was drawing something from it, taking it in.

  Her breathing became steady, her posture more controlled. She tilted her head slightly, her expression distant but serene, as if she were absorbing the orb’s power, as if it were becoming one with her very being.

  Then, as Rava rushed toward her, she heard it—the song—but this time, it wasn’t distant. It was a part of Vivienne. The notes reverberated through the chamber, filled with pure, raw aether, and Rava could feel it deep in her bones.

  "Vivienne!" Rava shouted again, her desperation rising. "Stop! You have to—"

  But before she could finish, the orb’s energy exploded outward in a wave of pure aetheric force.

  The light blinded Rava for a moment, and she stumbled back, shielding her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw it. Vivienne stood, the orb now gone, but she seemed… different. The air around her was thick with power. Her body was glowing with aether, her cws longer, sharper. From the top of her head sprouted two pairs twisted, jagged, crystalline horns and her eyes were no longer simply bck—they were now a deep, swirling abyss, alive with the pulsing energy of the orb.

  She didn’t speak, but the power radiating from her was overwhelming. The aetherbeasts in the room froze, their forms twitching as if uncertain, their senses disturbed by the sheer intensity of the presence before them.

  Vivienne turned to face Rava, her lips curving into a slow, almost predatory smile.

  The energy around her surged.

  Rava barely had time to react before the first of the creatures—one of the rger serpents—lunged forward, snapping its massive jaws. Rava’s instinct kicked in. She threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature’s strike, but the moment she nded, Vivienne raised her hand.

  A ripple of dark energy shot from her palm, and the massive serpent was torn apart, its crystalline form disintegrating into a thousand glowing shards. The force of the bst sent Rava stumbling back, her footing unsteady, her eyes wide with disbelief. The shard then coalesced into coils of aether and spiraled across the room, directly into her body.

  Vivienne’s voice, low and resonant, filled the chamber. “You hear it now, don’t you, Rava?” she said, her voice now echoing, as if it came from within her and from all around them.

  Rava’s heart pounded in her chest. She couldn’t recognize the woman in front of her anymore. This wasn’t the Vivienne she knew.

  The aetherbeasts were gathering, but they hesitated. They could sense the change in her, the new power. And as Vivienne’s eyes fixed on the next beast, Rava felt a chill run down her spine.

  She had to stop her.

  But even as Rava lunged forward to try and pull Vivienne back, the next wave of creatures exploded forward, charging at the both of them. The fight was far from over, but now, it felt like Vivienne herself was the greatest threat in the room.

  SupernovaSymphony