Chapter Text
it was falling.
the wind ripped through its cloak like... like... it didn't have the experiences to compare anything like this.
the vessel had been falling for a long while now. it fell quite a few times while climbing up to that odd, bright light. falling didn't hurt. it was just boring. it was a bit disappointed, it really wanted to see what the light wanted, standing up all high and mighty above the vessel and it's siblings. even if the light hurt its eyes and made noises that scratched meaning through it's head, it was curious above all else.
the vessel felt its body slam against the floor. finally, it could continue its climb! it scrambles to its feet, and look around. it was one of the last still climbing. the others all gave up or died. either way, this only strengthened its will to reach the top. to find out what all this is for. why its siblings crashed on the rocks, shells cracked, oozing liquid void. it clambered up the rocky structures, climbing over the deep expanse of the birthplace below. it was a struggle without claws nor wings, but it made it. and it was sure to not slip this time.
...
it lands with a clank on the metal balcony, but the entrance was closed. where there was ground and walls past a door last time, now there was simply stone. this.... was frustrating. no, not just frustrating, but infuriating.
how dare the light, to leave it here! and not to mention the others. it climbs down; if the light left it here, it would just find it's own way to the truth.
the vessel drops down to the floor, and immediately stumbles and falls on the loose, shifting skulls of the floor. it looks up. where were the other siblings? surely they'd also gotten up after falling, right? it stumbles along the floor, its small feet struggling to balance as the skulls give way under it. it looks for some sign of life, but finds nothing more than the hobbling shadow creepers. those little creatures had each other, but it only had itself. another step, and the floor gives way! it didn't react in time. the ground had never fallen apart like so, and it scrambles to get back to the closest thing to solid ground it knew. it was futile, and the vessel falls back into the tunnels which each one of them climbed out from at birth.
this was only becoming more and more frustrating. so as always it just stands up and proceeds. the tunnels dripped with spilled void and shuddered with every movement the vessel made. it was dark, even for compared to the surface of the birthplace. it barely noticed as shell and void turned to stone and rock. the tunnel began an unsteady upward slope, with dips, drops, but substantially more ramps and cliffs it could just barely climb over.
eventually, it reaches the end... it stepped onto dark gray bricks and stared in wonder... dark hanging things that blew in the wind and wispy tendrils sprouting from the ground. it could see elegant, though cracked, arches. beautiful statues and engraved walls. it was so bright, brighter than any other room it had ever seen. reflective containers holding small glowing bugs lined the walls. a trail of void was evaporating in the light. was its siblings injured? it tries to follow the trail, but only made it a couple minutes before the trail was completely gone.
...where should it go now?
.... what should it DO now?
After a moment to think it over, it just continues in the direction it was heading. it's siblings probably wouldn't change their route... right?
It climbs up another cliff, and starts to walk down the only path there, but stops. it hears something, noises. not unlike those the light would make. sounds with meaning. but unlike the light, it only caught bits and pieces of what the noises meant. it slowly approaches, and sees creatures. creatures with voices. it had never met anything besides the light who had a voice. the vessel wasn't sure how safe it would be to walk out onto that bridge. What if those bugs were just like the light? filthy, abandoning, infuriating monsters. they could take like the light. They were tall like the light. what if they tried to kill it?
but there was no other way across, and so it does the one thing it can think of. It runs as fast as its little body could carry it, legs burning from strain as it speeds across. It hears the bugs shouting out back at it. It takes a sharp turn and tries to pull itself up the stairs as fast as it could.... but the bugs easily caught up and picked it up by the scruff of its cloak. it panics. This was the end, wasn't it? The bugs carry it up the stairs, and, surprisingly, sets it down at the top of the stairs, and sends it off with some words, a pat on the head, and a little push. It stares back at them... what was this? Well, it was at the top of the stairs now. So should it just go? It stares back once more, and it rushes off in search of its siblings again. That was odd.
The vessel walks into a room with a giant shiny gray cage. The cage was open, and had some odd contraption in the center… was this a trap? A way to capture it? It worries, but then sees the back stains on the shiny surface… One of its siblings was most definitely here. What if they were in trouble?
The vessel approaches the shiny cage and touches the dark stains. They could only be void. It knew what it was born in. it didn’t see the small incline while walking in and trips, falling against the odd contraption in the center. The cage squeaks shut, and it panics. It rushes to the door and rattles the bars. The cage begins to lift off the ground with a soft creak.
It was trapped.
It kicks the walls, but they do not budge. It can do nothing but accept the fate that awaits it at the top.
It waits in silence, as that was all it was capable of. The only sounds came from the creaking chains of the cage, as it steadily creeps upward.
It was half asleep by the time the cage reached a top, and was awoken by the jolting stop of the cage.
…There was no one there. No one ready to grab it and take it away. It just opened once again. The cage had simply carried it upwards, and was letting it walk free. This place confused it. It steps out, and sees… more stairs. Of course.
It tries its best to hoist itself up the stairs, and begins to hear a loud, crashing, constant sound... As it clears the last step and shuffles warily out from the tunnel into the main cavern, it sees something so odd yet so beautiful. Liquid fell from the roof high above and hit the floor with a loud crash. The liquid was clear, unlike the darkness of liquid void. It was almost shining in the light. It splashed to the ground in puddles, which it saw small bugs jumping in. The liquid flowed into holes in foot paths people walked on, and deep beneath bridges.
It was beautiful.
It was scary.
It was wonderous.
It was dangerous.
The vessel no longer felt alone, but still felt more and more lonely. It had never seen so many bugs, and its siblings were still missing. Did they stay, or leave as soon as they found a way out? Did they like the towering structures and fresh, cold air?
It could not be sure, but it surely loved this place. The cold, heavy feeling it felt as its cloak was drenched in it was oddly comforting, like the feeling of holding hands with one of its siblings, but still so new and different. It walks, without any real purpose. Some of the many, many bugs in this place gave it occasional stares or glances, but it didn’t mind. They seemed just like the ones that carried it up the stairs. Weird, and a little scary, but not dangerous.
It finds a hidden space between two large buildings, and stares at the puddles. It could see a vessel in the puddle, and it was confused. The vessel had thin curved horns that ended in two spikes each at the ends. So weird.
Watching bugs bustle about was pleasant too. it was curious. why were all of them here? what purpose was this place for?
As it began to doze off, it thought...
Maybe it could get used to a place like this.