forum Runner's Start (Private)

Started May 19, 2019 by Deleted user

tune

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"Quite likely, yes." Arachne turned to look at him, her eight ruby red eyes bright despite the gloomy atmosphere. "It's kill or be killed here. How do you think I earned my throne?"

"Your dashing good looks?" he offered weakly, shrugging. "Asking politely? Diplomatic maneuvering?"

"She slaughtered the last queen–who slaughtered the one before her, and so on and so forth," Tessa said flatly.

"Eh," Runner said, shrugging. "I was close enough." I wonder when they'll start answering our questions.

Tessa smirked. "Yes, oh so close."

Arachne led the group to a towering castle made of black bones.

"Great devour," he pointed out sarcastically. "Vlad the Impaler would be so proud of this."

Tessa rolled her eyes. The other women chose to ignore him as they opened the great double doors and headed inside the castle. The group entered the vast main hall.

Runner spun around as they walked, taking in the what was probably the biggest room he's ever been in. "It looks a lot homey'er on the inside, I'll admit it."

"Don't be fooled, boy. This castle is built of the bones of its previous masters," Arachne said. The group stopped in the middle of the room, and Rhianon turned to face Tessa and Runner. "You may now ask your questions," she said after the boom of the large doors closing echoed through the hall.

Runner raised his hand, and didn't even bother to wait to be called on. "Who are you, how are you related to me, and why were we attacked by a horde of demons?"

Rhianon sighed and pushed off her hood.
Perhaps the most striking feature was her eyes. Instead of the typical white sclera and black pupil, hers were reversed. Her irises were also black with a white ring around them to separate them from the sclera. The black whorls continued up her sharp-edged face, highlighting her prominent cheekbones and angular bone structure. Her silky hair was as long as she was tall, and was black with natural streaks of white. The fingers that had pushed back the heavy flap of cloth bore clawed full finger rings with decorative chains. Looped around her head was a chain headpiece with real gems. Elegant earrings dangled from her delicately pointed ears that poked through her hair, betraying her Fae heritage.

"Everything will be alright, my son," Rhianon said, kneeling in front of her son as he tied his shoes. His chin quivered as he stopped mid-loop and looked up at those inverted eyes that everyone else found unnerving. 9 year old Runner just found it sad.
"W-Why do I have to go?" he asked, sniffling pitifully.
"Because bad people are coming," she said, taking one of his hands in her's. "They want to hurt you. And if your around me, they will succeed."
"Will I ever see you again?" A single tear ran down his cheek, which his mother wiped away.
"As soon as you turn 17, I will find you," she promised, planting a last kiss on his head before lightly guiding him to the portal she opened.

Hundreds of emotions balled up inside of Runner's throat, making it nearly impossible to speak. Anger she made him leave, sadness from the same, and intense relief that she was back. "M-mom." he managed to choke out. "Y-you're a little late."

Tessa raised a brow and stepped back a bit, eyes darting between Rhianon and Runner. Arachne pulled Tessa to the side and suggested giving them some space. They soon disappeared down one of the many halls.

Rhianon looked sadly at Runner. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"Why?" he asked looking down at his feet. "Why did you make me leave? Why wipe my memory?"

"There are terrible enemies out there," she said, spreading her hands palm-up as she spoke. She didn't dare step closer to him. "I had to take precautions to keep you safe. Wiping your memory was one of those precautions. If they had gotten a hold of you…" she closed her eyes and took a calming breath. The very thought seemed to terrify her. She opened her eyes and started again, slower. "If they had gotten a hold of you, they would have used your memories against you. Without any knowledge of me or your past, you are of no use to them. I needed you to be as far away from me as possible. I'm sorry you hurt, but I had no other safe choice."

He frowned the more and more she spoke. He knew she was right, but couldn't help but still be upset. "Who was after you?" Runner asked, looking up from his feet.

She seemed to be chewing on her words, thinking over them carefully before she divulged this information. She had promised to answer all of their questions. "A demon king named Agdrin and his ilk. By the orders of his superior, he wishes to use me and anyone of equal or similar power to his gain."

(It's funny. With the way Runner's magic works, he can theoretically be the least powerful and most powerful being in the universe in the span of 2 seconds)

He frowned even more. "Okay….but how does that apply to me?" he asked. "I'm nowhere close to your power."

(Now that I think about it, that's accurate. And weird)

"You have my blood running through your veins, pardon the pun, and have the potential for greatness. You just need to harness that potential."

It took him a while to process this information. A good 5 minutes, maybe more. By the end of it, he only had one more question: "Can I get a hug?"

(he's such a hugger)

The one corner of her black-painted lips twitched upwards. 8 years and he still liked hugs. She spread her arms out for him, wordlessly.

He closed the space in barely a second. It was weird for him, considering he was at least two inches taller than her now, but just her smell comforted him beyond belief.

She loosely wrapped her arms around him, then sighed as she spotted his ears. "It still disappoints me to this day that you inherited your father's looks. Though, I suppose it helps you blend in."

"Do I look like him?" he asked, leaning back slightly. He never got the chance to meet his father before he was killed.

She nodded. "Very much so." She reached out and brushed a tuft of hair from his face.

He scrunched his face up playfully, but didn't move away. It was a familiar gesture she always did when he was little. "I'm happy you came back, Mom."

She smiled kindly. "As am I." She gently grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back at arm's length. "Now, down to business. Unless you have any more questions?"

He shook his head, smiling happily. "None at all. What are we doing here?"