The fall felt like an eternity, my surroundings spinning in circles.
The damp stone of the ancient cavern enveloped Kaelith as she hit the ground. She felt pain flare up in her shoulder and despite the weariness pressing upon her, she forced herself to get up. The whispers of the caves echoed something from the past. Her breath came out in pained rasps, limbs feeling heavier from the impact.
"Jareth?" A soft voice called out, a whisper laced with exasperation.
"I'm fine," he answered, albeit with an edge. Clutching the ledger closer to him, it seemed as if he prioritized it over his own vitality.
A nearby sword clattering caught her attention.
"Corven?" The tightening of her heart felt odd for a second.
"Here." His reply came quickly as he emerged from the shadows brushing some dust off himself. "That trap wasn't built by amateurs. Someone knew we'd come this way."
Kaelith turned her sight to the walls that had old ravencourt symbols carved into them. This wasn't just any subterranean cave.
"Don't tell me you were serious," Jareth spoke incredulously.
"A tomb?" He followed, his words merging together as he eyed her skeptically.
The strange sensation of the air humming beneath her feet was almost alluring, enticing her to stay as she moved towards the center where a stone sarcophagus lay. A sigil decorating with a ravencourt circled in chains rested on the lid.
"She was the first assigned to our House, but later erased from our records. Exiled, too powerful and feared."
"Corven" she whispered. "And they buried her here, under the holy ground, in secret."
Then, she ignited the runes scribed around the tomb. Not in anger, but benevolently, to spring forth.
Kaelith put her hand on the tomb and felt a strange warmth surge through her, allowing its lid to part as it sank deep within her soul.
"... The scroll... the crown…"
Ravencourt was intricately stitched into the serpent emblazoned on the scroll.
The legacy being offered felt empty.
"How did this come to be mine?"
The foundation truth was compelling enough to solidify their bond.
But before they could escape, darkness dressed killers initiated pursuit.
A bomb seemed to spiral through the earth, illuminating fractures in the dome ceiling.
"Jareth," she barked while gritting her teeth, flashes slicing through the pitch black.
Dancing with despair, her heart filled with curiosity. The last remnants of freedom whispered through the cracks.
Jareth pleaded, "this isn't a drill! Move."
With every tug towards consequence, she felt an ounce of liberation ready to break free, yet also something larger holding her back.
If unheard whispers pull anymore in, she would follow without reserve.
"I don't know what this means yet," she said, "but I will."
As dust settled from above, the chamber erupted in a furious roar.
The past lay dormant.
Now, it sought to be unearthed.