Fallen

When they woke up, nothing felt normal. Their body was weak, and it hurt. Goddess it hurt so much. They forced themself to move, each small movement stabbing knives into their muscles. Nevertheless they got up. Dizzily they reached for a wall, or anything to lean against. The footing under them felt loose, like it was moving and swirling underneath them. Groping in the dark they found a wall, falling onto it and breathing heavily. It was too dark to see anything. They stood there, breathing deep and trying to get their bearings. 

"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" They called out, looking to see what they thought was up. It was impossible to tell. "Hello! Anyone!!! HELP!!!" They started to scream, however they were only answered by their own echo. Nothing. Not a single voice or sign of life. "Fuck fuck fuck…" They muttered, panic setting into their bones. "I am going to die… What the fuck.. ANYONE HELP ME!!! PLEASE!!! KAERU!!!!" Only their own voice responded. 

Time did not feel real as they continued to call out. Their voice became dry and nothing more than a simple wheeze. They felt they had no tears left, nothing. That is until suddenly something warm brushed up against them. They froze, holding their breath and closing their eyes. Not that it made a difference, but it felt like they had at least a little bit more control over the situation. Suddenly whatever it was stopped moving, right up against them. It moved, and they felt a rush of hot breath in their face. 

"Who are you." It was more of a statement rather than a question. Kumako opened their eyes, nearly bending over at the sudden flash of light. It was blinding, though perhaps that was simply because they were so used to the dark by now. "Answer me please. You are taking up my precious space. It is rude to invade someone's home and not even introduce yourself." 

"Kumako… I--" They coughed, rubbing their eyes to try and get their eyes to focus. Eventually, after a good deal of strain, they were able to see who was speaking to them. A bear. A giant bear, with fur that looked as white as clouds on a summer day. At least, that was who they assumed was speaking. There was not really room for anyone else to show up. 

"Kumako…. Kumako, kumako, kumaaaaakkkoooo." The bear's changed each time they said their name. It sounded like there were multiple voices within this one creature. "Hmm.. You smell gross. How long have you been down here exactly?" The bear asked. Kumako just stared at the bear, unable to fully respond. "Oh, you don't know." Silence followed. "This is awfully boring. I will tell you what… I am incredibly bored. So if you can figure out who I am, I will help you escape from here. If not, I will kill you" It grinned at them. Kumako slowly nodded, processing their options at this point. They were already dying at this rate. Waiting around to die seemed a lot less appealing. At least if they tried… there was a chance they could see their sister again. She must have been worried sick, and they didn't want to leave her like that. After all, it was their own fault. "Do we have a deal?"

"Yes. I'll figure it out. It's not like I really have a choice." They said, to which the bear almost seemed to clap in cheer. 

"Oh wonderful! That makes it so much more fun~ Since you are such a good sport, I will even give you a small hint. You already know who I am. I have known you since you were very small." The bear then disappeared into seemingly thin air. A small light shone where it once stood, and Kumako found themself beginning to wonder if they had any chance. For a hint, it was incredibly unhelpful. Anyone who would have known them from their childhood on would have been family, or a tribe member. For the first time since waking up they were able to take a good look around them. This cave wasn't as dark and grim as they had expected. If anything, it was kind of beautiful. Gold shimmer in the walls, swirling upwards like smoke painted onto the surprisingly flat walls. The ground, which had felt like bones and gravel, was actually covered in little statues, treasures, jewels, and more. They bent down, leaning against the wall as best that they could, and picked up one of the statues. It had been worn down by time, but clearly it had been done by a master. The delicate lines were damaged, yet the beauty of the figure was still clear. A woman with calm eyes and strange marks on her face. It was the goddess, a common depiction of her at least. It was easy to tell based on the faded gold crown upon her head. It was common to find in graves of the old world. When they were little, along with Kaeru, they had found an old grave not dissimilar to this one. The tribe had scolded them however, since it was considered a grave moral sin to impede on the rest of a soul. 

"Wait, is this the same grave that I fell into when I was little?" They asked, hoping this spirit was going to be kind enough to give them some answer. Yet no one answered. They swore under their breath. "I am sorry if I bothered your grave. I didn't mean to." That was enough to warrant the spirit's response, apparently. 

"Don't apologize. You have other things to be focusing on." It said, this time it's voice seemed to float around them. Kumako almost felt annoyed at this spirit. It was kind of rude. They were trying to be considerate and it felt like it was just playing around with them. They continued to look around, though the light was not nearly strong enough to see the further corners of the tomb.

"Can I move the light?" They asked, not particularly waiting for a response as they reached towards it. As they came close to it, it moved slightly away from them. They grinned and began to usher the little light towards the back of the cave, so that they were better able to see those small details etched into the walls. Once they got close enough with the light, it became incredibly clear that this was not a normal tomb. There was a throne carved into the wall, made of a stone they had never seen before. It reacted to the light as it got closer, glowing brightly as if suddenly coming to life once more. Kumako tilted their head, walking towards it before they sat down on the throne. It was hard to explain what pushed them to do so, however it felt like the right thing to do. As if something was compelling them beyond themself. A wind began to twist and turn behind them. It was as if suddenly the wall had disappeared. The wind grew and moaned, whipping around them and turning into whispers as it passed their ears. 

"Sitria. Your name is Sitria. You are the goddess." Kumako spoke, though their voice did not feel like their own. The bear reappeared in front of them, standing and morphing into a young woman. Her hair was like the night sky, deep blue with stars gleaming from it and streaks of gold. Her skin was almost translucent, as if reflective water made up her skin. She looked young, with eyes of gold that seemed to glow in the dark. She tilted her head, staring at Kumako with an amused expression. 

"Well, you made quick work of my little game. How disappointing.' She said, though it did not feel as if her words were genuine. "I am Sitria, and currently you are sitting upon my throne." She said, walking towards Kumako and placing her hands on their cheeks. "As you can tell.. I am no longer of flesh and blood like you. It is sad, isn't it? I created this world, saved it from chaos and this is what has become of my body. Dust, completely gone and forgotten by my beloved humans." She wrapped her arms around Kumako's head, and with her embrace all of the exhaustion and pain disappeared from their body. It suddenly felt as if they had all the energy in the world, as if they could conquer chaos by themself. 

"What type of goddess plays this sort of cruel game? You knew I was here and dying… and yet you just let me sit there in the dark. To what end? Why even bother at that point?" Kumako felt their rage grow. The fear they had disappeared with their pain, and now it was replaced with healthy rage. Sitria just smirked and laughed. She laughed, the sound like bells in the wind. It infuriated them. She seemed to notice and she forced herself to stop. 

"Oh you poor thing. I do suppose that was heartless of me. It simply has been so long since I have had someone so close to me… I wanted some entertainment. To be frank, I had a lot more planned. I simply decided it wasn't worth it." The goddess mused, picking up one of the statues on the ground and dusting it off. "You can be angry all you want. Regardless, you are alive and fine. Be thankful you have that gift." 

"Thankful? You really expect me to be thankful?! You stupid wicked old hag! You lured me out to those woods, didn't you? Aren't you all knowing?! My sister is probably worried sick! My whole life, my whole tribe, is getting destroyed and ruined by the chaos that you have failed at controlling! Then you have the guts to sit there and say you wanted to be 'entertained' at my expense?!" They raised their voice, standing from the throne and wanting nothing more than to kill her. This goddess who abandoned them, their family, was mocking the pain she had put them all through. Years of rage and regret had built up and seemed to be exploding. 

"I understand your rage, but I promise that I did not lead you here. I cannot leave this tomb. That was part of the deal." She yawned, throwing the statue she had been staring at to the side. "I am not even supposed to be awake, so all of those problems with you and your tribe have nothing to do with me. But.. maybe we can use this anger you feel to be more productive, hmm?" She then touched the sides of the tomb, causing the streaks of gold to glow. "For me to be awake means that someone has broken the seal that I created to imprison chaos. Perhaps another spirit realized this and thought to send you to my resting place." She phased through the wall and reappeared sitting upon her throne. "It is troubling. I did not really sense you for a few days, at least. Time is hard to tell here. But you clearly aren't a normal human either. Most would have died the moment they entered here, yet you didn't. That in itself is remarkable." Sitria twirled her hair, as if deep in thought. "That doesn't matter though. No no, it doesn't matter. What matters is getting out of here. Listen, little angry one. I am going to give you a blessing. No, don't make that sour face! Just listen! I am going to give you a blessing, and then I want you to take me to the chaos. There, we will reseal it and you can go back to your life as it was. Seems good, yeah? You will be a hero! Doesn't that sound fun?" 

"Why in hell would I ever agree to that? I just want to go home! I don't care about being a stupid hero for a stupid old hag who can't even get out of here on her own. I am right, right? That's why you 'tested' me, to see if I could handle carrying your sorry butt out of here. I don't really care about being a hero so if you would kindly just bug off and let me go--" Kumako started to walk away only to get pushed back by an unseen force. Sitria now was the one making a sour face. 

"Oh don't be like that! You are childish! You were brought here for a bigger purpose. Even if I could get out of here on my own, which I absolutely can, shouldn't humanity take care to protect itself rather than depending on me? Since when did you all become so, so--" 

"Maybe I would care if you also weren't acting like a spoiled rich child! What sort of goddess treats her people like this?" They glowered at her, to which she glowered back. 

"Fine! We will sit here then, both of us stuck and humanity will die around us. Does that sound appealing to you?" Sitria stuck her tongue out and crossed her arms. 

"Yup, and I am the childish one. Do you not see how absolutely ridiculous you are being? Why am I even arguing with you.. This is ridiculous. This whole situation is ridiculous.." Kumako sat down, pushing the jewels and fanfare away aggressively before they started to cry. Sitria blinked, almost as if in disbelief over what she was witnessing. She tilted her head to the other side, and then looked around as if searching for an answer. She found none. 

"Okay okay… Please stop crying. I want to get out of here too. If you look underneath the seat of the throne you'll find a box. Inside is a weapon made from my bones. You should be able to use it like a key to get out of here. There, happy? Will you please stop crying now?" 

Kumako looked at Sitria and smiled pleasantly. They stood up and walked to the throne one more, lifting the seat and finding what seemed to be an axe made of a spine. It was… gross. But, if it would work, they were willing to try almost anything. 

"This is the key…?" They asked, holding it with the edge of their shirt. "Who bloody took a corpse and did this…?" 

"I asked for it to be done. Have you not heard that relics hold power? I thought it would be a shame if I were to die physically and nothing was to be done with my most beautiful bones." 

"But an axe…? Why an axe?" They asked, their face scrunched in disgust. 

"I thought it looked the coolest. Now stop with those ugly faces and open this damned prison up." She was also making an ugly face. 

"Don't rush me! Where is this key hole? It's so bloody dark in here I cannot see for --" Kumako suddenly noticed that right in the center of the throne was a large crack. It almost looked unintentional, until they compared it to the bottom of the axe. Without waiting for Sitria to comment they inserted the axe into the hole and carefully twisted it so that they did not cut themself. It broke apart the wall, leading into a leaky cavern with a dim shine of a light at the end. 

"That… wasn't… Well I suppose it doesn't matter, it worked! Good job." Sitria moved gracefully, her hair almost floating and ripples disrupting her skin. Kumako shot her a look however they continued to move, taking the axe with them. 

"Don't complain. We are getting out." They swung the axe over their shoulder and began to walk over the broken wall. "This must have been close to falling apart anyways, if it broke so easily." Sitria made a face at their comment, however she walked along anyways. The cavern felt far more natural. It was wet, and cold, and the walls were jagged and rough with no gold. Little pops of green moss littered the floor and vines were growing up the walls, a clear indicator this place got enough light that life could grow. The drip of water into small pools comforted Kumako. This felt far more real, far more, well, human. Sitria huffed, suddenly twisting back into the white bear shape she had taken previously. Kumako glanced over at her, raising an eyebrow. 

"I would rather not go around bringing attention to myself. Besides, this form is far more comfortable for me. It fits your name too." She hummed, licking her lips as she walked along. 

"I would not say that this doesn't stick out as well but whatever suits you. Actually, I don't recall saying that you could come with me. So you just decided since I opened the wall up that you'd follow me along?" Their hair felt so gross, all they could think of was taking a hot bath once they got back. That and eating. Goddess, they could have eaten an entire stew all by themself if they were given the chance to. A nice cup of tea also seemed rather appealing… they wanted to be home so desperately. 

"I have to stay with you if I want to leave. I don't have my own physical body, if you didn't notice. You are currently carrying the only remnants of me left. Besides, I will help you get back home. It is part of that blessing I was discussing. Whether you like it or not, you and I are now bound together. Well, you will see once we get out of here." 

"What is that supposed to mean?" They really hated this. Regardless they forced themself to keep walking, thankful that she had at least enough decency to heal them. The light ahead of them got brighter and brighter, until finally they reached the end of the tunnel. Kumako ran out then, taking a deep breath and closing their eyes. The sun was warm, and even though the air was cold, it felt wonderful. The air was no longer wet and stagnant, and they felt alive again. Truly alive. The familiar woods surrounded them, the fresh snow untouched by animals or humans alike. A grin crept up onto their face as they ran ahead, wrapping their arms tightly around a barren tree. It was rough, and sticky, but that didn't matter. Not at all. It was not stone. 

Sitria sat down in the snow and immediately rolled around. She then stretched her paws out, yawning and laying down. She looked like a normal bear, minus her eyes which still were golden. Her fur was white and fluffy, and her paws large with sharp claws at the end. She was rather round too, like a bear normally would during hibernation. The snow stuck to her fur and began to melt, making patches of her fur wet. 

"You seem happy." Kumako noted, almost to themself. It was nice, after being caught in that dark cavern. They appreciated the sun a whole lot more. 

"I was in that darkness for a very long time, Kumako. What do you expect? I missed this feeling soooo much." She almost sang the last words, rolling around once against before she stood up and shook the extra snow off. In her wake a rather ugly brown patch of ground was now showing. "Thank you. I couldn't have left without you. Let's get you home. You must be hungry. I know I am." She said, walking up to Kumako and nudging their hand. She was soft to touch, and warm. It was nice. 

"I suppose you are welcome… You are right though, let's go. I don't want to be out when it gets dark. That is when the chaos is at its worse." They nodded, walking side by side with Sitria. They failed to notice the slight shimmer of gold on their hand, peeking out from their sleeves. Sitria thought it best not to point out for now.