Prince of The Abyss

The closer they got, the more the shape lost its illusion.

It wasn't a single house.

It was a village. Which made things even more weird, he could see a house not being painted on a map, maybe it wasn't that important, or just established after the map was made.

But a whole village, that was... strange...

For such a dangerous place like the desert, where finding a village could be considered a saving grace, for one not to be drawn on the map, there had to be a reason... or maybe it was just made after the map they got, which in that case it was them who got scamed, since who knew how many other villages were in the desert that the map didn't have.

Small, scattered, and barely holding together, as if it had been placed there without much care for structure. The buildings were uneven, some leaning slightly to one side, others half-buried in sand, their lower walls completely swallowed by the desert over time.

There was no clear path leading into it.

No road, no signs of frequent travel.

Just sand, stretching all the way to its edges, as if the place had simply been left behind.

This also just threw out the theory that their map was their problem; if it was that their map was the only one that didn't have it, it would mean that the others would still have it, and since it's a good distance between it and the start of the desert, he was sure people would have gone to it.

Maybe everyone just bought the map from the same person?

'Doubt it.'

Aether slowed his pace.

Something about it felt… off.

Not in the sense of danger.

Just wrong.

There were many things he could point out that made it feel that way, many he had pointed out before, but there were more.

The walls of the houses were made from a mix of materials, some stone, some wood, some things he couldn't even recognize at a glance. Which probably meant they were specific to this world.

Repairs had been done over repairs, layers built on top of each other without consistency, like whoever lived here cared more about survival than appearance.

Which made sense, after all, in a desert like this one, who cared to be pretty, if it allowed them to live, it was all that mattered. But also, this told him that most of the repairs and other stuff had been done by the people themselves... which made him wonder if this place had any connection with the outside world.

But even then…

There were no people.

No movement.

No sound.

Kade frowned slightly, stepping closer to Aether as they approached the first row of buildings. "Is it abandoned?"

Aether didn't answer immediately.

His eyes moved across the village, scanning slowly, taking in the small details. A cloth hanging from a window, probably recently put out to dry... which was strange, because how would it have gotten wet in the first place, and why?

A door was left slightly open.

Marks in the sand, human marks.

"Small chance, not only are there obvious signs telling me that there are people living inside, why would they spend so much time trying to repair and live in this place, only to abandon it? I doubt there is something that could kick them out of their home with the conviction they have," he said after a moment.

If it was abandoned, which he doubted, it had to be recent, and more importantly, there had to have been an amazing reason, maybe an attack?

And if it wasn't...

Then where was everyone?

A faint gust of wind passed through the village, carrying sand along with it, brushing against the walls, slipping through the gaps in broken wood and cracked stone. The sound it made was low, almost hollow, like the place itself was empty.

Aether stepped forward, crossing into the village without hesitation.

The sand changed slightly beneath his feet.

Kade followed behind him, quieter now, his earlier confusion turning into something more cautious as he looked around. His hand rested near his weapon, not gripping it, but close enough.

It made Aether chuckle internally, comparing him to the boy he was at the beginning, who had his guard down all they... now look at him...

They passed by the first house.

Then the second.

Still nothing.

No voices.

No footsteps.

No signs of life beyond what had already been left behind.

He even went as far as checking inside the houses, and what he found was even more confusing; some had their beds made, while others had fresh food opened up. They were also all clean, which just confirmed his theory... that this place was, in fact.

Not abandoned.

But if not, where had everyone gone?

This was proving to be...

'Very interesting.'

Aether smiled mischievously, which Kade saw... and knew that it wouldn't lead to anything good.

Aether's gaze shifted toward the center of the village, where the buildings seemed slightly more clustered together, as if that was where people gathered.

And yet again... it was hollow, completely empty. So

'What is going on...'

Yet at the same time, he did see something, a... bar, one that seemed to have its light on, what could that possibly mean?

Aether sighed, a little disappointed by the outcome of this whole mystery.

"So... they are drunkards... that the big mystery?"

And while Aether was annoyed by this fact, Kade seemed to be relieved.

...

...

Walking to the bar's door, Aether took a deep breath before opening the door of the bar.

Warm light spilled over them the moment the door opened, making Aether cover his eyes for a second because of how bright it was.

Inside, it was crowded, but of course it would be when the whole village was here.

Circular tables filled the space, packed close enough that moving between them required intent, each one surrounded by people leaning in, talking, watching. Waiters moved constantly, weaving through the gaps with practiced ease, carrying trays filled with drinks that never seemed to run out.

'What the heck is this place?' Yet, after looking around for a while, I was even more overwhelmed.

He noticed something.

At the center stood a raised stage.

A man stood upon it; he had a small wand in his hand, moving it around almost as if to capture the attention of everyone, before a fire appeared from its tip.

Aether's eyes widened as he saw it... what kind of trick was it?

And this wasn't the only trick he did; he did more, each time taking everyone's breath..., yet there was something strange... he seemed to do one with each element.

At first, Aether had thought that maybe the man had a Will. But ever since coming into this world, he had never heard of a multi-Will person. So then how was he seeing one right now? Something was up, but at the same time, it wasn't his problem.

He had only come here because the mystery interested him, and he wanted to get it done, but now that it was over, there was no point in his staying.

...

And yet as they were about to leave, Aether noticed something... the arrow on his compass... it was moving.

Turning back towards the stage, he noticed that it was pointing directly towards it... and to be sure, he even more towards the right and left side, and each time... it was pointing to it, moving.

...

'Damn it... this is going to be a nightmare.'

By what he was seeing at the moment, and it was really not that hard to notice it... the compass was pointing to the man... which just couldn't mean anything good.

He would have preferred it to have been a monster, since he could have killed it to take it from him. But humans... he knew he wasn't just going to give it to him, so it meant he was going to probably have to do something to get it.

How had he even found it?

That was the real question.

Aether glanced at Kade, who seemed very interested in the scene playing on the main stage, which made him laugh, not because of the boy, but because of the irony.

In his eyes, the man was a clear fraud. There was no way he could control all four Will's, so there had to be some trick. Heck, there was a chance the man didn't have a Will at all. By how well he was making tricks with all the others, he couldn't even tell which one was his real one, so what if none were?

Which is why it was ironic, for someone like Kade, who actually had a Will, to be so interested in this... fake show.

...

Actually, he remembered someone like him from his childhood, someone who used to do little tricks, even without his affinity.

What was he called again?

'A magician?'