Chapter 2 - Far Away
The Arctic White Eider glided effortlessly through the glistening expanse of ice and snow, its feathers gleaming like frost against the pale sky. The journey was long—its path etched across the endless tundra, past jagged cliffs, frozen rivers, and desolate wastelands. The bird’s wings beat with powerful grace, cutting through the biting winds that howled from the frozen heart of the world. From the distant reaches of the Runiverse Arctic Circle, it carried with it a weight that few could bear: a message from the frozen hells, the secret ice prison beneath the Long Black. A message that had to reach the only one who could possibly understand it—Enchanter Tengukensei.
With each wingbeat, the bird moved farther from the bitter cold of its home, the relentless landscape shifting beneath its wings. Yet it did not falter. Its path was set, guided by an ancient knowledge known only to the creatures who called the northern realms their home. The skies grew darker as it crossed the abyss of the world, the air thick with the remnants of magic and secrets buried in the ice. The cold would not stop it. It was in its blood, its nature, to endure.
The journey led south, past glaciers that gleamed with the sheen of forgotten gods, and across the ice floes that split the oceans with their frozen rage. The bird’s sharp eyes spotted distant mountains—the jagged peaks of Mt. Kirama, rising out of the earth like the spires of a long-lost temple. The snow-laden slopes of the mountain glimmered in the distance, promising shelter and warmth in the summer palace of the Tengu.
The Arctic White Eider, bearing its message and carrying the weight of the frozen world on its wings, approached the northern summit of the mountain, its flight becoming more deliberate, more cautious. It soared gracefully, its black-tipped wings cutting through the air like a shadow, until it finally descended toward the grounds of the palace. The wind whispered in the trees, the mountain groaning beneath its ancient weight, as if aware of the bird’s arrival.
Tengukensei sat cross-legged on the tatami mats of his low teak table, a peaceful air surrounding him. His morning meditation had left him in a state of serenity, the stillness of his mind as clear as the sky above Mt. Kirama. He had just finished the ritual of silence, the soft echo of the morning wind outside carrying the last remnants of his inner focus away. The scent of incense curled upward, blending with the aroma of the tea leaves steeping in his teapot. It was a moment of calm in the ever-shifting tides of his life. The only sound in the room was the soft hiss of the tea as it flowed from the teapot into his black China cup, the liquid a deep shade of amber, reflecting the sunlight from the open wooden window.
The view before him was breathtaking. From his position, he could see the northern summit stretching beyond the clouds, the jagged mountain chain cutting across the horizon like the spine of some ancient creature. The silence of the mountain was broken only by the occasional rustle of the bamboo groves and the distant call of birds. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, breathing in the rich aroma of the tea, letting it center him.
It was then that a sudden flurry of movement caught his attention. A loud flap of wings interrupted the stillness, followed by the unmistakable thud of something landing on the wooden window ledge.
Tengukensei turned his head, his calm expression shifting to one of curiosity as his eyes locked with those of the bird. The Arctic White Eider, a magnificent creature, stared back at him with an intensity that seemed almost… purposeful. Before he could say anything, the bird let out a loud, piercing QUACK that echoed through the room.
Tengukensei raised an eyebrow, his gaze flicking from the bird to the silver band that adorned its webbed foot. It was a messenger, and a scroll holder dangled from its leg. He could feel the weight of it—the burden the bird carried was not just physical, but magical, wrapped in ancient powers that made his senses tingle.
"Hello, friend," Tengukensei spoke calmly, his voice soft but firm, acknowledging the bird’s unexpected arrival. The Eider stared down at its foot, seemingly unconcerned with the interaction. Another loud QUACK broke the silence before the bird lowered its gaze, its attention now fully on the silver band, as if awaiting something.
Tengukensei, understanding the meaning, rose gracefully from his seated position, placing the teapot back on the table with a soft clink. His robes rustled as he moved, the serenity of the room momentarily disrupted by the arrival of this messenger.
Approaching the bird with cautious reverence, he reached out and gently unfastened the silver scroll holder from the bird’s leg. The weight of the message was immediate, as though the very air around it held the secrets of untold ages. His fingers brushed the edges of the scroll, feeling the magic thrumming softly through the paper. He knew that this message had not come without reason. The time had come for him to face something greater than his own understanding.
The Eider watched him, its feathers fluttering softly in the cool mountain air as if content to simply be in the presence of the Tengu master. Tengukensei’s gaze softened, but his thoughts were already turning toward what the message could mean. Without hesitation, he unrolled the silver band’s message.
As the words unfurled, the weight of the secret, frozen in time from the world beyond, came alive. The runes carved on the paper glimmered faintly in the light, their meaning heavy with the silence of the ice prison. Something had happened there. Something… had broken free.
Entered by: 0xe9a1…78d3
The Prophecy of the Long Shadow
The wind howled like a wounded beast as it tore down the jagged cliffs of Mt. Kirama, its fury shaking the ancient cedar forests that clung to the mountain’s eastern ridge. Snow whipped through the air in blinding flurries, swirling in the storm’s merciless grip. Somewhere within that chaos, a solitary figure pushed forward, his robes snapping like banners in the wind.
Tengukensei’s breath came in ragged gasps, each step an act of defiance against the storm’s wrath. The cold bit deep, sinking its frozen fangs into his flesh, but he pressed on, his keen eyes locked on a barely perceptible opening veiled by ice and jagged stone.
With a final, forceful stride, he stepped into the hidden crevice. The howling storm fell away as if swallowed by the mountain itself, leaving only an eerie silence. He stood still for a moment, catching his breath, watching as the entrance sealed behind him beneath thick frost.
The cave yawned before him, a great and hollow thing, its air heavy with the weight of ages. He snapped his fingers, conjuring a small, flickering flame at his fingertips before pressing it to an old, resin-coated torch. The fire leapt to life, casting golden light against the walls, revealing the vast cavern’s bones—jagged rock, long-forgotten carvings, and the shimmer of ice-laced crystal.
Tengukensei walked forward, deeper into the womb of the mountain, his torchlight sending shadows stretching and writhing across the walls like spirits eager to speak. The air grew thick with the scent of ancient magic, a charged stillness that raised the hairs along his arms.
Then, he saw it—the crystal wall.
It loomed before him, its surface a swirling mass of color and movement, as though frozen lightning had been trapped within. The moment he stepped closer, the wall came alive. Sparks danced across its surface, forming lines, patterns, something ancient and deliberate. Then, from the heart of the crystal, three shadowed figures emerged—tall, robed in flowing darkness, their forms blurred as if seen through smoke.
The Oracles.
Their voices rose as one, a sound that was neither whisper nor thunder, but something woven between the two. Their words wove a tale of the Prophecy of the Long Shadow, of the encroaching darkness that would stretch its hand across the world. They spoke of Tengukensei’s stand against it, of his power, of his place at the Ceiling of the World—the only force that could halt the shadow’s advance.
But then, the voices fell silent.
For a moment, the cavern held its breath, and Tengukensei’s heart pounded like a war drum.
Then came the final words.
"The Tengu at the Ceiling of the World may stop the Shadow… but in time, he will become it."
The words struck like a blade to the chest. The torch trembled in his grip, its light flickering wildly as his breath came sharp and shallow. His throat tightened, his vision blurred.
"No…"
It was barely a whisper, a breath of disbelief. His long fingers curled into fists.
"No… No, that’s not—"
His voice cracked, raw with something deeper than anger. Hope—no, certainty—had lived within him that he could change the prophecy’s course, that his will could defy fate. But the words had not changed. The truth remained unshaken.
The cavern, once vast, now felt suffocating. The shadows cast by his flickering torch loomed taller, stretching toward him, swallowing him whole.
His knees struck the frozen ground with a dull thud. A single tear slipped down his red- cheek, vanishing into the cold stone below.
Then, from the depths of his soul, a scream tore free.
It was the cry of a warrior brought to his knees, of a man who had fought against the tide only to realize he was drowning in it. It echoed through the cavern, shaking the crystal, rattling the very bones of the mountain. His hands shot to the sky, trembling, reaching as though he could grasp something—anything—to pull him from the abyss of fate.
But there was nothing.
Just the cold. Just the silence.
Just the truth.
Entered by: 0xe9a1…78d3
