The Ensnared

Confusion passed over Umbra's face, and he took a cautious step backwards. He turned his head, his breath catching in his throat. A black, crackling barrier blocked the exit. Umbra returned his attention to Tails, who had his hand raised.

Umbra's heart pounded. Was this chaos magic? What had he gotten himself into?

“You can't go yet,” he murmured, heaving himself on top of the tomb. He ran his fingers down the runes, tracing the powerful spells that were inscribed.

“Umbra, I'm not the first emperor of my people by a longshot. There's been a whole bunch. But there's one thing we all have in common: we all have the same council ordering us around.”

Umbra moved closer to Tails, but remained guarded.

Tails’s voice was calm, almost too calm. The tone was disconcerting, unnatural. “They ignore me. My council could care less where I go and what I do. I started to get curious about my heritage, and my caretakers weren't there to answer my questions. So I went to the royal library and studied the classified section of books. It was hard, but eventually, I managed to understand most of them.”

“I found an ancient atlas and discovered this place. I didn't think much of it, until a couple months ago. I was really upset and ran off from the temple to be alone. I remembered this place and figured it would be a good place to let out some steam. I curled up in this room and cried my eyes out. I thought no one would hear me, so I was safe.”  

Tails suddenly paused in his story, pulling his head up. “Umbra, in your classes, did you learn about Coatl?”

“Yes…” Umbra murmured slowly, eyes trained on Tails, “He was an evil god, sealed away by his people. Everyone knows that story.”

Tails snorted. “I guess you could say that. That's the story everyone is told.” He narrowed his eyes, frustration lining his face. “That's the story the Council has written down in my people's history.”

Tails slid off the coffin, his bare feet scratching against the stone floor. He shrugged sadly at Umbra.

Umbra drew back, every instinct in his body screaming for him to run. He peered out of the corner of his eye to confirm that Tails’s barrier was still erected. Trapped, Umbra pulled up his shoulders and dropped his brow in an attempt to intimidate Tails.

“Don't feel bad,” Tails said, “That's what I believed too. And why wouldn't I? The Council's had me under their thumb my entire life. I used to believe every word they said to me.” Wistfully, his threw his head back to the coffin, “But that all changed when he started talking to me.” A genuine smile came to Tails’s lips, and for the first time in a while, he looked happy.

At that statement, Umbra’s blood ran cold. Finally, all the pieces fell into place: the coffin, the mural, Tails’s behavior, and the entire temple itself. Umbra's head seemed to spiral in circles as he struggled to focus on Tails.

“Is...is Coatl in there?” Umbra rasped, a shadow falling on his face. He almost dropped his cellphone.

Tails’s reptilian eyes flashed. “He won't be for long.”

Author's Note- i updated twice in one day. do i get a medal?