They both pressed their hands upon the book, and it flashed with a brilliant light. Time seemed to still, and an earthy metallic smell filled the air once more. They awoke to a chill morning inside an alleyway between two stone buildings.
Adam looked around and found himself in different attire. He wore a simple brown tunic and pants with a black cloak draped around him.
Sophia gasped and grasped at her shirt. Her armor was gone, her sword nowhere to be found. She searched frantically across herself. She wore similar clothing in the same muted colors and continued to panic as she walked further down the alley.
Adam caught up to her.
"Sophia, calm down. We can't afford to be in shock about things like this. We'll probably find ourselves back in our original clothing when we return. We have to figure out what's going on."
Sophia froze and looked down. To Adam, she seemed almost insane, panicking over armor and stressing so much about everything. It was exhausting.
He grabbed her hand and led her further down the alley.
"I want to see what's happening around the city. If you can't control yourself, let's meet back here later."
She stopped and stared at his hand. At first, it was comforting, but it carried the bitter reminder and guilt of what she could never be.
"Let go of me. I'm completely fine. We'll go together."
They stepped out and stared in awe at the gargantuan city before them rising stone towers and immense structures. Heroic statues stood watch over the streets in every direction.
Adam stopped. Amazed, he had no idea places like this could exist. But then he noticed: much of the city was empty. It was almost ghostly. Wind swept through the cobbled streets, and ash drifted down from the sky. There were no clouds and no smoke. It was an eerily silent moment.
They walked toward the city's center. Still no people in sight. Sophia clutched at his shirt. She seemed weak, afraid without her armor almost like a different person entirely.
"Is everything okay, Sophia? You don't seem like yours"
She interrupted him.
"Please, please, Adam. Not right now. I just need one moment."
He paused and looked down at her. She was afraid a fear that reminded him of himself. She clutched his tunic and made herself smaller, her golden eyes lowered to the ground. She seemed anxious, almost crushed under the weight of it. He kept moving and searched deeper into the city.
Nearby, an injured man lay slumped against a wall beside an open market stall. The soldier looked up at them, his tabard drenched in blood, his hands shaking.
"Please… whoever you are. Flee with all your heart. Run to the woods and don't stop running, even if your feet bleed and your heart gives out. Even if bodies lie before you and rivers turn red don't stop, don't ever stop. She whispers her death wherever she walks. Please…"
The light in his eyes faded. His hand slipped to his side. His voice fell silent, his blood settling into a stream along the cobblestones.
Adam closed his eyes and reached for Rain.
"Rain, do you know what this man is speaking of? A whisper of death?"
No response came. Rain had shut himself off.
"Damn it."
Adam looked toward the castle at the city's center, but for now, survival mattered more. He searched the man's garments.
Sophia wanted to speak but remained silent, keeping close.
Beside the soldier lay a spear, its pole blackened and coated in dust. Adam flipped the man over and revealed a gash torn deep into his back, crawling with maggots. The sight was horrifying.
Adam reeled back but steadied himself. He picked up the man's helmet and broken spear, then handed them to Sophia.
"Take these. It's not much, but you like things you can hurt people with, right?"
She looked up at him and caught a slight smile on his face. His laid-back, eager approach unsettled her more than it reassured her. A world like this was not one she felt could be handled that way.
"Thank you. My armor is my refuge, and my weapons are my solution. Life in this world is hard without them. Are you sure?"
Adam glanced at himself. He had never worn armor, and the idea of something so heavy weighing him down sent a chill up his spine.
"Yeah. Neither of those things make me feel safe. Maybe I'll find a weapon one day, but that's far off."
He closed the soldier's eyes and prepared himself. The streets were empty, but in the distance, flames consumed homes.
A scent lingered, thick and choking the smell of rotting flesh. It clung to their clothing and filled their lungs, growing stronger the further they went.
As they turned a corner, they stopped. Piles of corpses rotted near the gates of the castle wall. Grotesque beasts prowled among them horrific behemoth wolves with skeletal limbs clawing the ground and bare skulls glowing dimly.
Sophia pulled Adam into a nearby house before the creatures noticed. She closed the door silently. They looked at each other, horrified.
Adam whispered.
"What the fuck were those things?"
Before Sophia could answer, swords pressed against their throats. From the shadows of the house, armored men in cloaks surrounded them.
"They are monsters, servants of death. Are you?"