The mountain seemed to groan as strange winds swept through its hollows and cracks, they dug their invisible fingers into hidden cracks and cackled when dust and pebbles fell towards the ground.

Aurnia stood with her hands on the walls and listened. Deep within the heart of the world Aurnia was able to survey the land and all the creatures that roamed free within it, the song that had once threaded itself between the worlds was slowly growing quieter and endless hatred seemed to simmer from within. Once light and sweet, the world's song was filled with deep grumbling and clashing. A jumble of notes clashed deep within the heart filling the world with disorder and hate.

Aurnia grumbled and closed her eyes, odd shapes and sounds floated across her mind, each one trying desperately to break out from restrictions that held them back. Gently she reached out with her mind and felt for the threads of peace that wrapped around the world. Each thread screamed and flashed when she approached them, carefully she reached out and grabbed one, immediately her mind was filled with shouting and a throbbing pain. When she had first started her mother had warned her about the importance of certainty, one moment of hesitation could unleash terror upon the world.

It trembled in her hands and sent bitter feelings tumbling in her stomach, one word was all it took to relieve it of its sorrow and Aurnia clenched her teeth as the troubles flowed into her. Behind her, the world's heart seemed to sigh as its leaves rustled. The sound of glass tinkling cascaded across the room as a single shining branch broke off as tumbled towards the group. Dark oozing rot seeped out of the gaping hole and dripped on the ground. Each place it touched because dark and soft as it ate into the silent stone.

Dismay jumped through Aurnia as she opened her eyes to take in the damage, no matter how hard she tried she was just too late. Weariness climbed through her body and Aurnia sighed before pushing it away once again. Gone were the days when she could just collapse back in bed after a long day of training and ignore her mother's teachings.

The wall felt cold as she removed her hands and made her way towards the centre of the room. Glyphs lit up as she passed by giving off small rushes of electricity, they fizzed and rang. And high above in the air the stars continued to move, oblivious and never-changing as they were. The tree hummed as she approached it and Aurnia eyed the cracks racing up its spine. The bark was cool underneath her hand and she grimaced as a weak pulse rose to meet her fingers.

She closed her eyes and pushed gently on the bark, it groaned and her breath hung in the air as she muttered a spell. The wood squeaked as she guided the pieces back together. Each crack shimmered with a green light before sealing up again and Aurnia felt something tug at her heart; she fought to keep her mind focused as it drifted back towards her mother.

The Great Mother gifted the world with a tree for a heart, yet she failed to explain why it was slowly changing. Aurnia' eyes flew open and her finger traced the thin slivers of glass that ran throughout the tree, if she still her heart she could just make out the sound of singing along with a flash of colour. Her nostrils flared as the smell of oranges filled her head, she jerked her hand away and it faded into nothing. Disappointment clung to her heart and weighed her mind down.

Her amber eyes scanned the chamber once again. Scores of shimmering glyphs spiralled up the wall where they met where they met in the center of the cavernous domed ceiling. Once there had been a spectacular mural depicting the ancient wars but one of Agrona's famous tempers had sent the precious stones flying through the air. No amount of effort would fix it.

A map. She knew she needed to begin planning for the journey ahead. The mountain had secrets and twists large enough to swallow things up but Aurnia was smarter. Over the years she'd picked up on small things here and there, and one place she was certain she could find one was in her mother's study. A strange endless map that grew with time and new discoveries.

Aurnia tapped the tree with her finger before spinning around to face one of the doorways carved in the stone. Two stags stood proudly in the opening that had been hewn into the walls, their marble antlers shone in the soft light illuminating from the glyphs. Neat purple stones had been placed in their foreheads, they fractured the light and sent it scattering across the walls. The air around them crackled and popped gently. Gold inlays traced their broad shoulders and spiralled at their chest, once they had begun to chip off but an afternoon of careful prodding sealed them back in place.

The Northern door had always been her favourite.

When she peered through it the hallway seemed to extend for miles into the mountain, the ancient torches had stood the test of time and not once had they gone out. Even the wind that soared freely through the chamber didn't dare to venture through the opening.

Aurnia huffed and made her way towards the door, she stopped in front of a stag and raised a hand to its nose. It felt surprisingly warm underneath her palm. Her mother had once told her that during the Great War the Nimbu had risen to the heavens to aid the Great Mother in vanquishing the demons that spewed from Esyn's chasm. Two bucks had jumped and shielded her when Esyn fired a bolt of lightning, they disintegrated before she could utter a word of thanks. Indebted with gratitude, the Great Mother gifted their spirits with the power to control the power of the skies.

Aurnia pulled her hand away and frowned, unless her eyes were deceiving her there as a thin layer of moisture hidden within the cracks of her hands. She wrinkled her nose and wiped her hands on her shirt, the last time she'd checked there was no possibility for rain to form indoors. Gently she ran her finger along the rest of its face, it came away dry.

She shuddered, muttering a small blessing before venturing through the doorway. The cool dry air swept past her wordlessly, once she had found the never flickering torches eerie but now she enjoyed their constant presence. Within her ever changing family, there were the only ones who stayed.

Her fingers traced the intricate carvings that graced every free surface. Years of changing time had not damaged the colours or the feeling of peace that radiated from them. Countless animals, both dead and alive seemed to jump from the wall. She felt the buzz of power shifting beneath her fingers, whoever had painted these made good use of the available materials. Precious jewels, pretty yet useless in the long run studded the walls to accentuate the influence that the Gods once had. The Gods were depicted as towering beings of grace and mercy, they were anything but.

"A running tapestry for a dead dynasty..." Aurnia's voice sounded hollow in the deep empty hallway. She walked past several crumbling doors on her left and couldn't resist the urge to peek inside them, some branched off into further corridors while others contained dusty rooms stagnant with time. In one of them she found a few broken desks, rotting with time stood silently in the corner. Dust seemed to cake every surface and several scrolls lay cumbling.

Sadness gripped her heart as she caught sight of the shattered lanterns lying forgotten in one corner, coloured glass jutted out of the walls. Aurnia clucked her tongue and shook her head, the recent years of conflict had reduced this place to a spark of what it had once been. Perhaps she would have time to restore it to its former glory once she'd achieved her tasks.

And then she saw it and the memories came flooding back.

A tattered painting hung on the far wall, the women depicted within it had her face slashed. Even still, Aurnia was able to make out the single ring on her finger. That cursed foul ring of warped silver and stolen blood. Once she had admired the craftsmanship, a ring carved from a single stone was no easy feat. Bile rose in her throat and she felt her breath catch, she had congratulated her sister on that day.

Slowly, she wandered over and leaned on the old door frame. Stone cracked and she coughed as dust showered down from above. Her feet seemed to move on their own and before she knew it she was standing face to face with the women she loved.

Duty and honour had always been part of her life. So much so that she'd begun to forget about her own desires. Her mother had always told her to serve the people, yet Aurnia wasn't blind to the longing in her mother's eyes. There were days when she regretted not speaking up.

Now she stood alone. Forgotten and lost. The world would move on and she had no one to speak to, forever a servant of the duty she had sworn to keep. Tears welled up in her eyes and she tugged at the canvas, it ripped with a satisfying tug. Arunia stared at the cloth in her hand, the ring glared back. The man who'd commissioned it knew what he wanted, the shape of irises and orchids formed the majority of ring and single blue stone, no bigger than a child's tooth had been set in the center.

She hated it.

She summoned her power from within and grinned as she felt it burning under her skin, her fingers went numb as green flames jumped from her palm. The smell of burning cloth filled the air and Aurnia bared her teeth. She watched it blacken and curl up into a tight ball, several threads broke away and drifted slowly towards the ground.

She turned on her heels and stormed out of the room, dust crunched beneath her feet and she felt the sole of her shoe give way as she stepped on something sticky. "Darn it" she muttered and yanked the shoe off, the stone felt cold beneath her feet. Not wanting to be unbalanced she took off the other one and surveyed the empty hall.

Her feet ambled slowly as her thoughts drifted freely in her head, before she knew it she was running. Her feet pounded on the grimy floor, colours and lights rushed by her head and she could not shake off the feeling of being watched. As the air rushed by it brought the smell of sweet flowers with it, Aurnia growled and shook her tears away.

Down the darkened hallway she went, desperately trying to outrun her fears, the unmoving torches remained silent and ever watchful.

She swerved at a corner to avoid a large section of the wall that had come loose. The pitiful face of a minor god looked back at her.

Her feet came to a stop in front of an intricately carved door, various ancient animals raced through fields and sat proudly while the Great Mother stood peacefully within the center with her hands outstretched. Old glyphs had been carved in the corners to form a wild whirling pattern of power and protection. In her palms there was a round carving that had been hollowed out for a key.

Aurnia sighed.

The keys, of course she'd forgotten about the locks on the doors. A mother with many secrets ensured that most things were out of reach. She traced the outline, feeling for any inconsistencies. Her fingers came away dusty and without answers. She inspected the nearby walls for hidden groves, excitement flooded her mine when she felt a small square nick in the wall. One small push and a rumble later revealed a small hollow filled with dead spiders. She shuddered and closed it back up.

She murmured a few spells in hope that they would shake off any traces of magic concealing a clue when nothing happened Aurnia cursed and kicked the ground with frustration.

She had seen the key before. Once long ago the endless night failed to bring sleep to her heavy eyes. She's gone for a wander down the empty hallways and ended up right here. Her mother's careful footsteps shuffled gently down the hall and she'd followed out of pure curiosity. That night there hadn't been a door, instead it was blank space hidden around the corner of a long hallway.

But she'd listened as her mother sang a haunting song that reverberated down the walls and gripped her bones with sorrow. The empty wall had shuddered and ripped with a strange wild energy, and she watched as a heavy wooden door emerged from the slumbering stone.

She'd seen her mother's hands move to gather the blue green sparks that were rapidly appearing around her, it was a dance of control between a woman and the energy around her. Slowly but surely, a small swirling orb had appeared in her hands. One click into the hollow and the door had rumbled open.

She'd watched her mother hide the orb in the wall. The question was, where was it now?

More scratching at the walls failed to reveal anything useful, frustration welled up within Aurnia and she felt her powers gather beneath her skin. Hot and itchy it raced across her spine and filled her head with a dull red glow. She would not allow herself to fail once again. Fire spilled out of her palms like gold from a hot furnace, it spilled onto the ground and rippled with her heartbeat.

She hissed and flung it at the door. Nothing happened. The Great Mother remained smiling and peaceful and Aurnia spewed curses at the door. It looked like she would have to find a normal map before returning with the key. Her mother's voice floated through her head filling it with irritating "what ifs" and "don't you dare".

The only other person who would know that song would be her brother. Her perfect insufferable brother with the golden smile and cheery demeanor. 10 years later the experience still stung and left a bitter taste in her mouth. She contemplated hunting him down and forcing him to give her what she wanted. But what was the point, no amount of begging would clear that smug smile off his face.

Gradually the cloud of anger cleared and the cold damp air rushed to greet her once again. There was a room of maps somewhere in the mountain but it was down the other side. Aurnia sighed and started to make her way back to the tree. She imagined the stags looking down and laughing.

She really was nothing but a foolish little girl.