Warning: Mentions of Blood
Sevron gasped as he sat up. The sky around him was dark, covered by smoke. The gateway he stepped through was gone, replaced with only air. Air that smelled like smoke. Sevron sat up, pushing his hands into the ground. He only felt dirt and small creatures squirming under his hands. He looked around and noticed the large factory sitting in front of him like a squatting beast. Smoke poured out of the smokestacks like blood from an open wound. The lights in the factory were on, and Sevron could see figures inside moving around. Behind the factory was a town. All of the houses were painted shades of black, with pointed roofs and metal bits sticking out of the top like exposed vertebrae. Sevrok shuddered at the cold. As if to prove the thought, black snow slowly fell from the sky. Sevron sighed and got up, walking over to the town. As he got closer, he began to see golden light turning on in the windows of houses. As he walked onto the street, he began to notice the sidewalks emptying of people, rushing to their homes.
"Hey-" He tried to speak to someone, but they pushed past him. He sighed and continued onwards. Soon, the street was empty and he was alone. Sevron scanned the street for any sign of a tavern, but there were none. Sevron spoke to himself. "Guess I'll go look for an alley to sleep in."
Suddenly, Sevron's blood rushed to his head. It felt like something was about to happen, a crescendo to an unknown note. And it did. In an instant, a single yellow shrieking note flowed through the town. Sevron fell down in pain, clutching his ears. A yellow mist began to flood the town, pouring out of a large manor situated on the top of a hill, overlooking the town. He hadn't noticed it before. He cringed as he made to stand, gritting his teeth in pain. He felt something sticky in his hands. He looked around, searching for a way to get out of the fog and sound. He spotted an alleyway that the fog refused to roll into.
The screeching music continued, pouring out of the red manor at the top of the hill. Sevron began to crawl on the cold, wet cobblestone to the alleyway. A figure walked out of it and offered their hand to him. He looked up to see a figure dressed in all black, except for a red bandana tied around their mouth. Their ears were tightly held underneath a formerly tricorn hat, one side ripped out to make the impression of the hat pointing forward like an arrow. They wore a long black trenchcoat, buttoned up. The sleeves were torn away, revealing the skinny arms underneath it. At the end of the arm was a gloved hand. The figure offered Sevron earplugs. He took them and put them into his ears. Sevron stood up. The figure made eye contact with him and motioned to him to follow them. They ran off into the mist. Sevron followed them to the alleyway he had seen before. Safely tucked away in the alley, the figure motioned to the wall between two buildings. They looked at Sevron, then traced a rectangle against it. A glowing door appeared, leading to an unknown place. Sevron stepped through, entering
an underground station. Brick arches and walls surrounded him, but most of the area was open. The figure had already shrugged off the coat and thrown it onto a nearby spinny chair. They had tugged the red bandana down so that it hung under their head. The figure was leaning over a table that had several computers placed on it. One displayed a fluctuating line, another displayed the street he had just left, and another displayed what Sevron assumed was the inside of the manor. A sleeping bag was placed on top of several blankets.
"Thank you," Sevron spoke first. The figure turned around, revealing her face.
"No problem." She smiled, pulling off her hat, braided locks of hair falling onto her face. "Names Yirix." She pulled off her gloves and offered her hand to Sevron for a handshake. Sevron shook it. "You?"
"Sevron."
"What were you doing out there at night?" She looked down at the display of the street, flooded in yellow smoke.
"I just got here. I had no idea."
She smiled. "Well, you're lucky I found you!"
Sevron looked around at the room around him. "What is this?"
"A safehouse."
Sevron eyed a mark on the brick wall: a stylized P. "What are you doing here?"
Yirix opened a notebook and started to jot down notes. "This music. It's been happening every night for years now. We're trying to figure out who's making it."
"We?"
Yirix looked Sevron up and down. "Hmm." She paused. "The Parcion. I'm a field agent. And...that's all I can tell you."
"The Parcion. You're a Keeper?" He dropped his voice in disgust.
"Keeper? Wow, hardly anyone uses that name. We stopped using it a while ago."
"I'm not particularly fond of you guys." Yirix looked up. "But, you did save my life, so I can't hold that against you. "
"Why don't you like us? Why not? We keep the realms safe." Yirix gestured to her computer. "Heck, we're doing it right now."
"Sure, at first you will. But then, some enterprising Director or Researcher will decide that this kind of warfare works well against creatures with ears and brains. And then blood will be spilled." Yirix began to speak. Sevron held up his hands. "Look, like I said, you saved my life. I can't argue with that. I also can't argue that you've done a lot for Yggdrasil. I just don't agree with how you do it."
He looked around at the endless arches around him. "Uuhhm. How do I get out?"
Yirix pointed to an arch. "You should wait until the music is done. You'll start ear bleeding again."
Sevron sighed and walked back over to Yirix's desk. "Fine."
The silence drags on.
"So? You don't have any questions?" Yirix leans back in her chair.
"I assume it's classified. You can't tell me."
"Mm. You're right. Ask about me then. Not as a "Keeper". As a person." She smiled.
"Fine. What are your hobbies, Yirix?"
"Well, I like science. I like to make things, usually chemically. What about you?"
"I like to read."
The silence dragged on.
"That's it?"
"I answered the question."
"You wanted-y'know what? The music's stopped. You can go." Yirix sighs.
Sevron visibly sighs. "How do I leave?"
"Press the p." He presses it. The door unlocks in front of it, closed.
"I am leaving now. I hope we meet again under better conditions."
"Me too."
