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“Come with me. I want to show you something.”
Those were the words that kicked off a late-night adventure. A discovery was made, one so special that it was meant to be shared, even if it was technically against the rules. It was a bit of a cliché, really, the kind of thing they read about in books about legendary heroes and how they came to be. They have to go in through the back of the wizards’ tower, sneaking through the woods like a couple of vagrants, and push some grass aside to reveal a crevice in the tower’s brick-laid base.
“Are… are you sure this is a good idea?”
His trepidation is valid. Commoners like them weren’t allowed near the wizard’s tower like this, let alone trespassing through it in the middle of the night. But was that really wrong? It wasn’t like they were going to steal or something. Their intentions were wholly pure… although maybe only one of them really knew what they were getting into.
Besides, knowing what’s inside, it was really unfair to keep it hidden away in the first place.
“I won’t let us get caught, trust me. I don’t think even the mages in the tower know that this is here.”
And if that’s true, then whose fault is it really?
Weeds make way for brick, and the cramped tunnel makes way for a dark basement, almost too dark to see. They’re holding each other by the hand so as to not lose each other, one squeezing a bit more tightly than the other and receiving a squeeze back for reassurance. He meant what he said. He won’t let them get caught. And if they do, he will protect Izuku from any of the blame.
He was the one that so few people in town trusted, anyways.
Hitoshi leads the way through the tunnels, having memorized their layout as best as he could when he first discovered this place. It was daytime when he had, although the daylight didn’t provide much more light even then when there are basically no windows down here. It leads him back to wondering whether the mages really do know of this place. No sconces, no windows, no signs at all of any maintenance.
The hand in his grip relaxes a bit, and Hitoshi smirks to himself as he glances back behind him. He can hardly see Izuku in this pitch-black darkness, but he knows that his fear has transformed into awe. Just like him, Izuku has always dreamed of being granted entry into such a well-renowned place. These dark halls have to be centuries older than them. They’re sneaking through a piece of history.
Hitoshi guides them with his other hand following the wall. When he found this place before, he felt cautious fear as well as anticipation, more curious about what he could find than afraid of the consequences of being discovered. And what he had found was worth far more than the risk he had taken.
His fingers brush against a grimy old fabric, and he knows he has found it again. Hitoshi grins, pulling Izuku to a stop and then guiding him to the entrance.
“Watch your head,” he warns, pulling the drape back with another arm so that the smaller boy could duck in. The drape was gross to the touch, no doubt ridden with dust, moth-balls and the gods knew what else. It must have still made contact with Izuku, because Hitoshi hears a small sound of disgust from the boy. But that is nothing compared to the treasure inside.
Their footsteps echo in the chamber, bounding up to a high ceiling, hidden in the darkness. Hitoshi can see the faint outline of Izuku’s green-tinted hair, moving about as he tries to make out what’s in front of him.
“Is it… in here?” Izuku asks, his quiet muttering so much louder in the open, empty room.
“Yeah… just give me a sec.” Hitoshi walks past him, not trying to be sneaky about it, but he nonetheless touches Izuku’s back to avoid startling him. Walking towards what he knows to be the center of the room, he reaches around until he feels dusty metal. His hands search downwards until he feels a smooth, round object, and then he turns it.
The mechanism in his hand creaks with protest, like someone who had slept too long stretching their stiff limbs. The orb in his hand glows with a gentle red light, and then the rest of the construct comes to life.
There is a startled gasp from the boy behind him as more light pops up all around it, igniting the room in different colours. It was then that they could clearly see it; a large, spherical device made of brass rings, over top of which were the outline of the world’s continents and a series of those colourful spheres dotting those continents and connecting the brass rings. It stands at over twice Hitoshi’s height, and makes a painful screeching sound before it begins to turn slowly. It’s mostly covered in dust, but that doesn’t take away its splendor.
Hitoshi turns back around, face cast in darkness, the lights at his back, not disappointed by what he sees. Izuku’s jaw has dropped and his eyes are alight with wonder as the soft colours wash over his face. Blue, purple, yellow, red. Every colour complements his expression beautifully.
“It’s… a globe?” Izuku breathes.
Hitoshi chuckles. “And that’s not even the best part.”
A white orb within Hitoshi’s reach begins to spin past, so he reaches out and touches it. And that’s when the globe’s true nature is revealed. From his touch, the white orb glows brighter, then flashes as it projects an image that fills the room. Izuku jumps as their surroundings completely change from musty old brick and dirt to a midnight lake, the water near-black beneath their feet, save for the reflection of the full moon above their heads.
Izuku almost screams in surprise, looking down at his feet and the water rippling underneath it. He reaches down, and there is a flicker of disappointment. Hitoshi knows why—they aren’t actually standing on this lake, and what he’s feeling is the cold brick of the chamber floor—but that disappointment quickly disappears in the face of excitement.
“This is Moonshadow Lake!!” He exclaims, jumping back up with clenched fists. “They say that the light of the full moon on the lake can transport you to the Lunar Kingdom itself!! It-it looks so real… is this Moonshadow Lake as it is right now?! How is this…?! How did you—?!”
Hitoshi just laughs again, his hand still on the globe. It’s the only thing in the room that stays with them during the projection. “It can take you anywhere. Give it a shot.”
Izuku’s smile brightens even more, outshining the orbs on the globe and the moon in the sky. Hitoshi takes a step back as he runs up to it, the sound of splashing water following his steps. As the globe spins, a blue orb comes within Izuku’s reach, and he touches it. Like before, the orb glows and then flashes, replacing the image of Moonshadow Lake with something entirely different.
A bustling cityscape surrounds them, one with densely situated houses far grander than the ones in their little town. Beautiful gardens line the streets, and down one of the cobblestone paths they can see the statue of the famous paladin, Tensei Iida, his lance raised to the sky valiantly as his horse rears. Other knights in armour just as splendid and refined walk the streets, through the globe and past the two boys like a parade of noble phantoms. But there’s nothing eerie about it. It’s all the more amazing to Izuku.
“This is Ingenium, the Land of Knights!!” Izuku exclaims next, staring after the knights as they disappear from the globe’s perspective. “So many legends were born here… people from all over travel there to learn the ways of chivalry and justice and—”
“Sounds like it’s right up your alley,” Hitoshi says.
“What?!” Izuku grows bashful at that, waving his hands, but Hitoshi knows just how much Izuku would love to go there himself. “I-I mean, it would be nice, but I don’t know if they’d… do you think they’d have me?”
“You’re more noble than some of the nobles here at home,” Hitoshi says. But then he gives a teasing smirk, ruffling Izuku’s hair as he adds, “but then again, now that you’re a trespassing criminal—”
“Hey!!” Izuku bats his hand away, and then spins to where the entrance would be if the Kingdom of Ingenium wasn’t encompassing the room. “You… you don’t think…?”
“No way.” They aren’t exactly being quiet, and the globe makes all sorts of noise on their own. If anyone was remotely within hearing distance at this time of night, they would have been discovered right now. And if they do become discovered… well, Hitoshi had his gift.
Izuku nods, calming down a bit. It makes Hitoshi’s heart skip a beat, being reminded of just how much Izuku believes in him. He knew that if anything took a turn for the worst, Hitoshi would get them both out of trouble.
Getting back to the fun at hand, Hitoshi said, “You know there’s more than two of these things, right? Wanna see them all?”
“Y-yeah!!”
~
They spend the next couple of hours playing around with the globe, exploring all of the lands that it would allow them to travel too. The globe is connected to all sorts of places; not just cities and towns, but magical points in nature, and long-forgotten pieces of history that not even they had read about. They see a dark, eerie gallery of humanoid statues, an ancient maze with walls made up of bookshelves, the lair of a dragon that was asleep atop of a hoard.
The wizards’ tower is the most magical thing about their home, one that they had never been allowed access to before, but with this special chamber, they can get a taste of every other fantastical place that is far beyond their reach. Places that they have read about, dreamed about, and new ones to add to that list too. They touch every spot on the globe—some so high that Izuku has to sit on Hitoshi’s shoulders so that they can reach—and explore every place as best as they can.
As their excitement settles, so too do they, sitting on the floor of the chamber. Projected around them is a cavern filled with large crystals, all glinting pastel-coloured lights around the room and putting the globe to shame. At this point, the device is the only thing disrupting their immersion. Even the cold chamber floor lends to the illusion, resembling what would otherwise be the ground of a cavern.
Hitoshi glances to Izuku beside him. They are both sitting with their feet pulled up, hugging their legs. Izuku still has that look of wonder in his soft green eyes, drinking in the sight around them. Hitoshi knows exactly what is going through his mind; Izuku is envisioning being there in person, not as himself, but as a powerful hero and adventurer, just like the ones he idolizes in all the books they read and the stories they hear.
The wizards’ tower could have provided them with that opportunity, yet in a town filled to the brim with magical energy, Izuku has none. Such a circumstance set up a series of obstacles that Izuku is still constantly trying to overcome. Hitoshi relates, although only somewhat. His gift is one that many others fear, one that is favoured by those of darker, more evil intention, and that sets up tons of hardships for himself. Isolation and prejudice are something they are both accustomed to.
“You’re gonna see all of these places someday,” Hitoshi says, still staring at the boy.
Izuku turns his head to meet his gaze, his freckled face filled with optimism. For better or worse, everything he has faced in his life thus far has never deterred him from the dream he always reached for. “And you’re going to come with me, right?”
In the light of Izuku’s smile, a shadow creeps in Hitoshi’s heart. He supports Izuku’s dream whole-heartedly and even wants the same thing for himself. The chance to prove himself as a hero and as a person, someone with the power to help those in need, all while seeing the magnificent sights that the world had to offer. But as good and pure as Izuku is, Hitoshi has dark days, and his mind can succumb into believing the words of his naysayers. What if he is meant for evil? What if that’s what his gift has destined him for? If so, can he really stop it?
Maybe that is what led him to this place. It was a dark day when he had gone out and found the hidden passageway into the tower basements. He was curious, and he took a risk, but he almost dared himself to get caught, to prove to everyone that what they believed… was right. And if a guy like him was going to stay by Izuku’s side… wouldn’t that only hold him back?
He actually used to hate the guy. He believed Izuku’s kindness came from a place of pity, or from an ulterior motive. Acting nice to his face only to scorn him behind his back like everyone else. It had taken so long before he understood that they came from a similar sort of loneliness. After Hitoshi finally gave him a chance, they realized just how much they had in common, and have stuck together ever since. He prays that they can stay that way.
“Of course I’d go with you,” Hitoshi replies. “There’s no way I’d stick around here without you.” A flippant thing to say to distract from what’s truly on his mind.
It’s fine with him that Izuku doesn’t notice. He raises a brow instead. “Are you saying you’d just come so you wouldn’t be bored?”
“Maybe,” Hitoshi teases, and Izuku rolls his eyes. His tired eyes flick back up to the globe. “But I wouldn’t want to go to any of those places without you, either.”
The words sound a lot more personal coming out. The boys lock gazes as they blush, and when Hitoshi buries his face in his knees, it burns hotter when he hears Izuku giggle beside him. His heart beats faster at the sound, but he still dies inside, at least a little bit.
Warmth presses into his side, and Shinsou lifts his head. Izuku had scooted over and is leaning on him, head resting on his shoulder. The crystal’s lights dance on his curly hair. Through the gesture, it feels as though he is silently telling him one thing.
Wherever we go, we'll always stick together.
He closed his eyes as if to sleep, reminding Hitoshi that it must be getting very late. It was already dark out when they ventured out here, after all.
We’ll go home eventually… but for now…
Hitoshi puts an arm around Izuku’s shoulders, holding him close. The smaller boy smiles sleepily behind his knees and leans in a little more.
“Thank you for showing me this place, Hitoshi.” He murmurs. “I’m… I’m glad that we got to experience it together.”
Hitoshi smiles softly. He lowers his face, nuzzling into Izuku’s soft hair. He knew that they couldn’t stay the night here, but as he breathes in Izuku’s scent, the temptation to stay closes its comfortable grasp on him. Izuku makes no move either, staying snuggled into Hitoshi.
The lights of the crystal caverns and the globe still spin around them, washing over them, entrancing their minds. One day they would touch and breathe in all of the places that they got a glimpse of today, but for now, the forgotten planetarium was theirs, and only theirs.
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Fernweh (n.) - Wanderlust; longing for far-off places