The 2nd Step- Part 4
Falling through the clouds, looking into nothing but milky whiteness, had a strangely calming effect on me. The panic cleared for a moment, allowing me to look at everything objectively. I retracted my grappler and readied myself. Then, I broke through the clouds and the panic intensified.
Tremors are earthquakes of a sort, but they are not exactly earthquakes either. Earthquakes occur due to the shifting of the ground beneath us, the very roots of the Aeon. Tremors, however, were caused due to the Abyss somehow pulling in the ground. Like a black hole. That is why the Tremors usually occur at the Edges of the world. That is also why they are so many times more dangerous than a normal earthquake.
I dropped out of the pure white sea above, and all I saw below was the Aeon crumbling into the Edge. A Tremor so big had hit that the Abyss had started swallowing the heart of the city. A part which I had been in only moments ago. My mind went blank. My senses dulled to a point where all I could process was the whooshing of the wind. Then suddenly, a rock came whistling at me and scratched my cheek. It was a deep scratch and immediately started bleeding. The sharp pain snapped me out of it. But the panic was not yet gone.
I closed my eyes and my mind to everything around it to calm myself. I was extremely high up, so I definitely had the time. Not too much though, or all that would be left of me would be splattered on some debris. I took a deep breath, and went to the one place I truly loved.
The night sky was a sea of stars, shining above me with the brilliance of a thousand suns. The moon was full, and it glowed with an inner light, almost like silver. A light breeze blew across the landscape, stirring some willow trees to make a soft, almost eerie sound. I sat atop my little hut, surrounded by a crescent-shaped thicket. My entire body tensed up, then relaxed as I let go of my breath. With this, I opened my eyes.
The adrenaline was pumping in overdrive, but my heartbeat was calm and measured. I precisely swung my arm, aiming for a collapsing building still close enough for me to reach. I would have to make it quick. If I didn't, it would mean certain death for me. I swung myself towards the building, shooting and retracting my grappler until I got close enough to use my gravity boots. I struck the wall and started running downwards. The Abyss gaped its maws at me like it was alive. The swirling blackness was almost entrancing, inviting me to touch it. To be one with it.
I shook off my hysteria and jumped off the wall, using my grappler to swing towards another building. I was slowly but surely making progress towards the Edge. But then, a piece of rubble fell and grazed my legs, hitting my feet hard enough to mess up my gravity boots. Now, all I had was my grappler and my visor telling me the optimal path to take. Time to show why I was in the Vanguard.
It was significantly harder without my gravity boots. Nonetheless, I made fast progress. Swinging from one building to another, running along the crumbling ground, jumping through windows. All this really tested the limits of my stamina. But then, the end was in sight. The solid Edge was only thirty feet away. All it would take was a good swing, and I would be safe. I shot my grappler and started swinging. But then, halfway through the swing, another Tremor hit. This time, it was a ripple caused due to the initial tremor. My grappling hook broke, and I fell into the swirling Abyss, only meters away from safety. My last thought was that Edgerunning had been fun.
Nothing but silence remained.
Then came a scraping noise, as a grappling hook slid across the ground, fixing itself on a rock.
Tremors are earthquakes of a sort, but they are not exactly earthquakes either. Earthquakes occur due to the shifting of the ground beneath us, the very roots of the Aeon. Tremors, however, were caused due to the Abyss somehow pulling in the ground. Like a black hole. That is why the Tremors usually occur at the Edges of the world. That is also why they are so many times more dangerous than a normal earthquake.
I dropped out of the pure white sea above, and all I saw below was the Aeon crumbling into the Edge. A Tremor so big had hit that the Abyss had started swallowing the heart of the city. A part which I had been in only moments ago. My mind went blank. My senses dulled to a point where all I could process was the whooshing of the wind. Then suddenly, a rock came whistling at me and scratched my cheek. It was a deep scratch and immediately started bleeding. The sharp pain snapped me out of it. But the panic was not yet gone.
I closed my eyes and my mind to everything around it to calm myself. I was extremely high up, so I definitely had the time. Not too much though, or all that would be left of me would be splattered on some debris. I took a deep breath, and went to the one place I truly loved.
The night sky was a sea of stars, shining above me with the brilliance of a thousand suns. The moon was full, and it glowed with an inner light, almost like silver. A light breeze blew across the landscape, stirring some willow trees to make a soft, almost eerie sound. I sat atop my little hut, surrounded by a crescent-shaped thicket. My entire body tensed up, then relaxed as I let go of my breath. With this, I opened my eyes.
The adrenaline was pumping in overdrive, but my heartbeat was calm and measured. I precisely swung my arm, aiming for a collapsing building still close enough for me to reach. I would have to make it quick. If I didn't, it would mean certain death for me. I swung myself towards the building, shooting and retracting my grappler until I got close enough to use my gravity boots. I struck the wall and started running downwards. The Abyss gaped its maws at me like it was alive. The swirling blackness was almost entrancing, inviting me to touch it. To be one with it.
I shook off my hysteria and jumped off the wall, using my grappler to swing towards another building. I was slowly but surely making progress towards the Edge. But then, a piece of rubble fell and grazed my legs, hitting my feet hard enough to mess up my gravity boots. Now, all I had was my grappler and my visor telling me the optimal path to take. Time to show why I was in the Vanguard.
It was significantly harder without my gravity boots. Nonetheless, I made fast progress. Swinging from one building to another, running along the crumbling ground, jumping through windows. All this really tested the limits of my stamina. But then, the end was in sight. The solid Edge was only thirty feet away. All it would take was a good swing, and I would be safe. I shot my grappler and started swinging. But then, halfway through the swing, another Tremor hit. This time, it was a ripple caused due to the initial tremor. My grappling hook broke, and I fell into the swirling Abyss, only meters away from safety. My last thought was that Edgerunning had been fun.
Nothing but silence remained.
Then came a scraping noise, as a grappling hook slid across the ground, fixing itself on a rock.
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