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A rush of warm air followed by the sudden appearance of a young pale skinned, dark haired girl who looked a little bit like a bunny was quickly followed by panicked flailing. She’d seemed to have suddenly appeared in the void! Had she missed the plane and somehow landed in the blind eternities? What plane was she even aimed at? How did she end up in this lightless place? AND WHY WAS THERE NO AIR!!?!?
Now, many creatures can survive without air for a long time, or entirely. A half-dhampir half-moonfolk like Megumi was fairly capable of being okay for a little while. But she couldn’t see any sign of anywhere she could go. She couldn’t see anything. Not even her own hands. Taking her chances and willing herself to fly ahead, hoping to find some light, she bumped into what felt like a wooden surface after moving barely any distance, a little further than her flailing had been able to reach.
Rubbing her forehead and pushing against it she followed the surface along and discovered she’d somehow ended up in a box. It didn’t feel like there was too much on the box, or enough resistance that she couldn’t just push it open, so she did. Looking out she saw a tiny bit of light. Just enough to see by but not much more than silhouettes. She made her way over to the wall and kept following it along until she found a door, slowly adjusting to this strange lightless, airless, soundless environment. It was very creepy.
After following the wall for about 30 seconds she could start to feel a rhythmic vibration in the wall, about one big vibration every 2 seconds. Not knowing what else to do, Megumi kept travelling along, following the vibrations through this strange building.
The vibrations led her to a room with light, and rushing in, cause frankly light probably meant air, she came up to a short stop at the doorway. Standing in the room was a rather intimidating sight. What appeared to be some kind of Azra with wings, standing nearly 7 feet tall, large dark brown wings spread behind her, slowly flapping in place, their tail ended in an arrow tip covered in what looked like sharp bone plates. All these things intimidating sure, but kind of normal to Megumi. Well the wings and tail were a surprise, but still just a very tall brown-skinned blue-haired Azra. No. It was the metal left leg, the clearly visible robotic spine, the fact that they seemed to be hammering a very large and thick piece of metal into place with their metal right arm, which was causing the vibrations. And that the light was coming from in front of them, but didn’t seem to be blocked by them. The Azra was certainly there and blocking the light, but the room was bright as though they weren’t even there. No shadow. Even daddy kind of had a shadow. Light couldn’t pass by daddy even if they didn’t cast a shadow, if they stood in front of a lantern it would be blocked and not hurt Megumi’s eyes, but this Azra, it was like they were and weren’t there at the same time.
Oh and also judging by the metal plates around, a pile of those with dents and those without, this Azra had been here longer than Megumi, and there was still no air here.
Stopping for a moment the Azra looked up at the wall directly ahead of them before suddenly whirling around, staring into Megumi’s eyes with their own, one a solid blue, the other a robotic glowing white.
Nyxivaan let out a soundless, airless sigh for what felt like the millionth time as she hammered away at yet another dented plate. Of course she’d get stuck up here with no way of getting support. At least she’d long ago replaced her need for oxygen. She still got the phantom aches of the scars that gorgon’s petrifying breath left her with though. Partially calcified lungs were not fun.
Suddenly her docent, the little sentient orb like thing at the top of her spinal augment beeped to her, letting her know she needed to turn around. Nyx stiffened up in preparation, mentally switching on all of her combat routines and then whirled around, battlefist whirring to life as she prepared to smash whatever intruder was here into orbit. What she saw caused her to stop short though. It was a little rabbit looking girl with dark, curly hair in pigtails. She was also clearly scared, and judging by the way her chest was heaving she was running out of breath.
Nyx smiled, attempting for disarming and probably failing, she’d never been good with people at all, part of why she was up here, and with a thought to her docent she caused the atmosphere to return.
Megumi let out a loud gasp as the air returned, sucking it down greedily and moving slightly away from the now scarier looking Azra.
Nyx opened her mouth, appearing to try and talk for a moment before her face scrunched up in confusion, then snapping her fingers she remembered and inhaled deeply.
“Sorry about that. I forget sometimes. Hi I’m Nyx, who are you? Also how did you get here?”
Megumi stared at the Azra as her breathing slowed down and then rapidly explained her tale, kinda getting used to telling every new person she met about the cyclops monster hunting her, how she got lost from her mummy and daddy, how she didn’t know how to get home, about miss Sophi and Innistrad, and how the two of them got separated last time the monster caught up to them. Nyx patiently listened to the tale before gesturing for the kid to follow, going to what looked like a kitchen and pulling out a metal bottle and offering it to the child.
“Water. You’ll need it up here, the air gets very dehydrating very fast.”
“Thank you miss Nyx, but um, where exactly is here?”
“Currently we’re about 40,000 kilometres from the nearest astral body, in a place called Lightspace. Very dark for somewhere with light in the name, I know. We’re onboard the Sky Scorcher, my Voidship. A voidship is a type of sailing vessel that can generate its own atmosphere and propel itself through water, air, and the void with magic. And before you ask, no, it can’t travel the blind eternities.”
“You know what the blind eternities are? Are you a planeswalker?”
“I know enough about the multiverse to know how to recognise someone not from my realm. I’m not a planeswalker, but I have travelled to Ravnica once before.”
“W-would you be able to take me back to Kylem? You’re an Azra, there’s lots of people like you there, and I could get home to mommy and daddy then!”
Megumi got more and more excited at the potential way home, but Nyx’s apologetic look made that hope come crumbling down even faster than it had built.
“Sorry. The Sky Scorcher is in no condition to make the journey through the Phlogiston, let alone breach the crystal sphere around this realm and get into whatever sphere Kylem calls home. She’s not even capable of getting me back home to my wife right now. Though I’ll tell you what she can do, and by extension what I can do for you.”
Nyx trailed off and seemed to stare into the middle distance above Megumi’s head.
“Um, what can you do?”
Megumi was surprised by the sudden arrival of a familiar presence as Sophi materialised behind her, scooping her up into a big hug as she appeared behind her.
“Megumi! I found you! I managed to give that monster the slip, she’s not following, come on, lets keep going before she finds us in this place.”
Megumi looked back and could just barely make out a slightly distorted silhouette where Nyx had been standing, it seemed to be waving at her, and she heard a quiet voice in her mind.
“My wife’s been to Innistrad once, we’re called Tiefling by the way, not Azra. But I still think it’s safer to pretend it’s just you here, at least until you’re gone. Safe travels Megumi. I’ll send you a message if your parents show up.”
Megumi smiled a thankful look and with a nod towards the empty space she planeswalked away again, reunited with miss Sophi thanks to this strange miss Nyx.
Nyx sighed and switched off the atmosphere as soon as the screaming started after the other two left, watching the swirling icy winds that signalled the arrival of this “monster”, taking a stance her augments whirred to life, glowing blue along certain parts as she prepared for this cyclops that paralysed people with their greatest fears.
“I’ve already lived through mine. So how about a little experiment. How much force does it take to knock a cyclops into orbit. I’m thinking the force of a lightning bolt.”
The cyclops appeared out of her planeswalk, stepping right into Nyx’s oncoming fist charged with thunderous power.