Etched into Stone
They did it! They actually did it. The stone door had seemed almost impenetrable at first when they started work on opening it and Michael had wanted nothing more than to slam Kurt up against the rock to use him as a hammer because of his constant whinging. Instead, he had ignored him and shot his sister one of the dirtiest looks he could manage as she laughed at his expense. It seemed that neither of them had wanted to be the one to break into the seal and Evelyn had quite flatly told him it was his idea to begin with.
It seemed the entrance had been purposely closed off and what they'd thought was a door had actually been some form of seal to prevent anyone from entering. Obviously, Evelyn thought, times change and just like everything else humanity couldn't leave well enough alone. It was a little bit sad, in a way, to see something so important to a people's culture disappear over history. Rubble had fallen from the split in the stone, creating a small but reasonably human sized hole as a means to enter the structure. Michael was flapping his hand in the air to dispel some of the dust that had escaped from the inside, his face once clean had little bits of dirt stuck to it. They could hear whoops and cheers all around them and Kurt had sidled up next to the twins, arms pulling them both together in what could only be described as a death trap version of a hug. He laughed haughtily.
"Remind me never to get on your bad side, Mikky!"
"Only if you touch my sister, Kurt. Which…by the wa—" Without letting the older sibling finish, he flung himself away from Evelyn and his laugh shifted into this awkward little 'ha..ha..'. Kurt knew his friend was protective over his only blood family and he knew without a doubt that he'd follow through with such a threat, even if it was just an innocent little hug. Evelyn shook her head at the two of them.
"If you two children are quite finished," she took a few steps forward and gestured towards the rather imposing hole "care to explore?"
It was still raining. Mizuki scrunched his nose up irritably and stretched his long legs out in front of him. He could feel an almost imperceptible change in the air as the heavens stayed open and continued their onslaught on the lands below. He knew the same feeling would be felt by others, whether like-minded or not, and it was not a good sign. It had been too long since he'd felt anything remotely like the alarm he felt now, and he still hated the rain. Groaning softly the tall male began to leisurely pack away his belongings however meagre they were, stopping only do a once over of the space he had occupied for the last few days. He couldn't risk staying in one place for too long or leaving even a single trace of his whereabouts, and there was still so much more to do in preparation for the Eclipse. With a weary sigh Mizuki used his foot to slowly slide open the door, his hands flicking and twirling in an intricate pattern before a small pop! struck the silence. He smiled in satisfaction and stepped out into the rain.
It could have been a trick of the light, or even a mere illusion conjured by the drunken mind of an old man…but the simple inn owner could have sworn he saw the rain bounce off the former occupant of his home. He rubbed his eyes furiously. Nope. Rain was definitely bouncing off the disappearing stranger. He swore under his breath and went back inside, intent on finding the strongest alcoholic drink in the inn.
Life always had a way in returning things back to the land, whether it be trees deeply rooted around statues of old deities or ponds filled in abandoned buildings and teeming with fish. It all seems a bit like magic when you think about it and really, who's to say that nature isn't magic in itself? The beauty of a blooming tree decorated with soft pink petals has a way in infinitely creating that feeling of mystery and magic. What we see as humans, we take for granted every day of our lives and we never truly see things for what they are beyond what we want to see. So when the two Baker siblings ventured inside the open hole they'd created, they couldn't quite see what they had found because their eyes had not been opened yet. It had taken them at least two days to create a sizable hole after their first attempt and all so their team could start preparing the space for documentation. It had been quite a surprise when they'd first laid their eyes upon the walls inside, torchlight flicking back and forth from one end to the other. Illuminated on the surface were paintings, almost like cave drawings, but Evelyn knew better than that. These were too detailed and sophisticated to be mere primitive depictions of some great hunt. Upon further inspection she had noticed a pattern and curiosity got the better of her. They were fragmented, without order, and she hadn't a clue where to begin. The only thing she did know, was that the giant blocked archway at the far end of the cave held a significant importance to this place.
Michael sighed for the umpteenth time, the top half of his body hunched over the edge of his desk and a frown creasing his already hard brow-line. Beneath his fingers lay an ever-growing mass of pictures and chicken scrawl. Evelyn had decided to leave him to the documentation of the wall paintings, which conveniently included how to order the bloody things. He sighed again, frustration mounting. There were too many oddities with these paintings, and he had noticed it almost as immediately as Evelyn had. He remembered their exact conversation from two days ago.
["Michael, do you see the figures on these things?" Evelyn was looking closely at one of the depictions near their tiny entrance, her flashlight flickering between what looked like two humanoid images. Said brother squinted lightly and moved a little closer to her, fingers trailing softly over the vibrantly coloured outlines.
"They look a little strange..." She hummed in agreement.
"Look at the heads, they have animal ears! And those tails! These aren't human Michael."
"Maybe they're depictions from a festival or something. It's not possible they were real, I mean come on Evie! Even King Arthur is a myth." Frosty blue hues swept over him incredulously and there was a small hsst, as Evelyn took in a sharp breath between her teeth.
"Nothing is impossible, you know."
"C'mon sis! This isn't Ancient Aliens!" Michael threw up his hands with a boisterous laugh that echoed deep within the darkness. She wasn't impressed.
"I don't' know exactly what these things are trying to tell us, Michael...but Mum and Dad always told us to have an open mind when you come across something you can't explain." There was a small flinch when she spoke of their parents and it made him realise just what he had almost lost over the years since their death. They had been wonderful parents that had taught both him and Evelyn right from wrong and the essence of opening your mind to the unknown. He hadn't realised how much he'd strayed from that belief and how much Evelyn had embraced it. He let out a rather deep sigh, twisting his hand behind his neck to massage the tense muscle and conceded.
"Alright, alright. They'd be rolling in their grave if I didn't help you with this...maybe you're right--" she grinned brightly, " –but don't let it get to your head!"]
It brought the brunette back to his senses as he scanned the images sprawled all over the desk. In the far-left corner, under the weight of his coffee cup, a lone photo fluttered when a brief draft of wind entered the tent. His eyes flickered towards the movement, and he frowned, reaching for it. There was a mutter of 'what are you doing there...?' before his eyes widened on the image. A click went off in his head almost immediately and he scrambled to make some free space.
A large, hooded figure stood in the center of the painting, back towards the viewer, with a weapon in hand. They stood over something with no clear sign of what, but what stood out the most wasn't the figure...It was the fine image etched on the back of their robes. Michael flopped back into his chair and laughed, recognising that this had been the very first thing they'd seen and set to work at ordering the rest.