Mirai

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Each step I took echoed in the darkness, and each step I took made me wonder if I would miss the step and fall down the remaining stairs. It was also cold, far too cold. I couldn't see it, but my breath had to come out in a mist.

It reminded me of the darkness of the Maze, only even more sinister. That darkness had only been impenetrable. This darkness felt like it sucked your soul out.

I walked about ten steps when I realized how silly I was being for walking in the dark. I could still use magic, if I wouldn't have been able to, there would have been a shift in the energy within me.

I held out my hand in front of me with my palm up towards the ceiling. I whispered a spell that bounced off the walls, making the incomprehensible words even more so than usual. Fire erupted in my palm.

Feeling slightly more at ease, I walked on.

The stairs weren't that long, maybe thirty steps in total, but it felt immensely long. The cold ate on my skin and the pathway was narrow, so it felt like the stone walls pressed on me. The steps themselves were uneven, so to not fall, I held a hand towards the wall. It was also cold, but at the same time wet and in the light from the fire, I saw insects crawl over it.

It was a relief to reach the bottom. Everything was as grim, but at least I didn't have to fear I would fall.

I held the fire high above me to try and cast light over the corridor. I wanted to know how far it stretched on. The fire didn't illuminate much of it, but in the far distance, I thought I could see something else. Something that wasn't stone. Something that could be a door.

I ran forward. My feet splashed in small puddles. My chest burned by the rapid breathing of the icy air. The fire that was still in my hand shifted the darkness around in a slithering fashion.

My heart pounded, but I didn't think it was because of the running.

The metal door came in full view. It looked to be iron. Big, thick, and solid. But I pushed the handle down, pulled on the door, and wasn't surprised by the fact that it wasn't locked.

My heart skipped a beat and a weird sound left me, a mixture of my rapid breathing, a sob, and a gasp.

She was in the same position I had seen her in before. Her arms outstretched by chains that were stuck to the walls. Her feet were cuffed to the ground. She wasn't actually standing, though. Her legs had given way and the restraint was what stopped her from being a pile on the ground. Like a chained rag doll.

Of what I could see of her appearance in the faint light, that description fit her all too well.

She wore a dress in a rough fabric that had several holes. Her hair was a bushy mess. And the dirt and filth... It covered her completely.

I took a slow step towards her.

"Tamah?" I whispered, but she did not react. Her head hung like the rest of her body so I couldn't even tell if she was even awake and aware.

I took another step forward. "Tamah?"

Still no sign of life from her except the mist that formed to tell me she breathed.

I moved forward again, let the fire in my hand levitate above me as I used both hands to hold her head up. Her eyes were open and they stared straight forward. But they looked dead. Completely empty.

"Tamah, what have they done to you?" I asked, and the stinging on my cheeks told me I was crying. "I'm so sorry, so, so sorry. I know I'm late. But I'm here now to fulfill my promise."

I wanted to fall to my knees and cry some more. Seeing her like that was too much. Broken. No, not even broken. She was a shell.

But I could not break down. I needed to be strong enough to carry us both.

"Okay, Tamah, I'm going to get you out of here," I said and swallowed my tears. Then I went on talking because the silence felt too dense. "Hopefully an easy spell will release the chains. Going to have to hold onto you when I do it, though. Don't want you falling to the ground. Oh, do you remember me, by the way? I'm Mirai, I was here quite long..."

Her eyes moved. It was a tiny movement and one I would have missed if I hadn't been completely focused on her. But they moved. They went from blankly looking somewhere by my nose to focus on my eyes. There was no other change in her, but that was enough to send me the strength I needed.

I smiled at her. "Do you remember me? I hope so. Well, I'm going to hold onto you now, okay?"

I put one arm around her and pressed her body to me. Then I focused on one of the chains and mumbled a spell.

A loud crack resounded as the metal broke. Her arm fell from its position and hung by her side.

I repositioned slightly and then did the same to the other.

"Alright. Your feet now," I said and took a firmer hold to support her weight, but that proved unnecessary. Her legs moved and her feet landed on the ground. She straightened herself, but a big part of her weight was still on me.

"Here we go," I said and cast the spell a third time. Releasing both of her feet from the cuffs.

I let go of her a bit to look at her. My arms were still around her, and I held up a lot of her weight, but I moved just enough to see her face.

The emptiness had disappeared even more now. She blinked a few times as her eyes roamed over my face. I let out a sigh. Closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against hers.

"I got you. I finally got you."

Something touched my cheek. It was cold, but to me, it felt warm and soft. It made me smile. I opened my eyes again so I could look at her. I saw as her lips parted, saw them tremble, saw them form a word that came out raspy and barely audible.

"Mirai."