[House of Broken Mirrors] Truthseekers [Vizyous]

[Hadrian]

Vizyous' quick response brought surcease to his own suffering, and the pain quickly damped out, leaving only the tug of the chain between them, although it allowed them a bit of leeway if they needed it. Having acknowledged the bond, at least within the House of Broken Mirrors, they had been left with merely that physical reminder. He coughed before he could speak; though it may have been an illusion, his body still reacted the same as if it were real. The chain was an illusion too, an illusory manifestation of the relationship they were beginning to see develop. "I'm fine," he said, not responding to the praise. Anyway, he wasn't amazing to his own mind. It had just taken him a while to draw on previous experience of illusion to deal properly with this one. As he stood up, he turned so that Vizyous' arm wrapped about his shoulders. He stooped just a bit to make it more comfortable for the Symenestra, who was not quite so tall as he. "Everything will disappear once we get out of here, unless we inflict some kind of damage upon ourselves or each other. Whether Ionu is toying with us or someone else, it seems to want us to own up to the bond that was created when I drank your blood. But... that was too easy. I imagine it won't get any easier the farther we go..." He glanced at Vizyous, and there was that intensity in his gaze again. It wasn't affectionate, exactly, but it seemed to include Vizyous, pull him under his wing even as Vizyous had his arm around Hadrian. "We are in this together, Vizyous. We will get out of here together."

[Vizyous Aconitum]

The sliding of his arm across Hadrian's tall shoulders caught him off guard and made him wonder if his imbalance had been that noticeable, or if the human was being extra cautious about their distance apart. The bond created when Hadrian drank his blood, as much as a "mistake" as it was, Vizyous knew now he couldn't treat it as such in the slightest. Perhaps this wasn't only a unfriendly reminder from Ionu, but a word of advice from Viratas also.

"I imagine it won't," He agreed, "it would almost be dissapointing if it doesn't get more challenging." Even though the experience had been excruciating, the most uncomfortable and almost most painful he'd had, Ionu surely had more tricks up his sleeve. Still, there was a small part of him that would shamefully accept if no more tricks were to come and they walked out of the House that moment, however that voice was silenced by Hadrian's gaze.

The human was lowering himself more to the Symenestra's height, Vizyous' long, sleeved arm resting across Hadrian's shoulders. The words in conjunction with the thoughtfulness of the human's actions made a brief, small smile of warm appreciation appear, lasting for only a moment. Lingering long after the smile had left was a calm expression, worry having been cast away by Hadrian's reassurance and logical thinking. Although no spoken response was given to those simple but powerful sentences, the reply had been one that could be understood even without voice.

Vizyous' mind soon returned back to the matter at hand, though, remembering that even though their chain was an illusion, it had caused them a great amount of pain, as had Hadrian's unnamed attacker. His searching gaze traveled from the man who was helping support him to the mirror that had been ignored even as it's darkness swam beneath it's reflective surface.

Whether or no this was the only mirror that was so huge in the room, this one demanded attention, a feeling of anger emanating from it. Not many objects took on a life of their own, but in Alvadas some did, mostly those that were devious. The shadows beneath the glass, a deep, pitch black, stilled when Vizyous looked into it, until suddenly light began shine within the mirror.

Even though the light had been bright enough to shine through the complete nothingness of the mirror, it was trapped beneath the glass and didn't blind them nor reflect against any other mirrors. Vizyous could only spectate in curiosity and well deserved caution about what the light would reveal, muscles unconsciously tensing should more danger threaten them. It was when no darkness remained in the mirror that a voice boomed throughout the House, sounding deep and masculine with a confusing mix of squeaks and high pitched, feminine tones interlaced within it.

"You seek truth," It was neither threatening, superior, nor friendly, "you shall squeak! find it." In an instant a high-pitched, deafening sound rang, drowning out any echo the voice would have. When Vizyous recovered from the ringing in his ears, he opened his eyes hesitantly to see what had happened. In front of them was the empty frame of the mirror, large double doors in place of the glass that had imploded and been cast away. It's sharp shards had disappeared before threatening them with even a scratch, not a single piece on the ground nor embedded in either of them.

"Excuse me." The Symenestra muttered to the human, turning his gaze away from the doorway.

Carefully, Vizyous removed his arm from it's position across Hadrian's shoulders, eyes glancing towards the chain wound that was no longer a wound but a miraculously painless exit for their physically-manifested bond. Bleeding, itching, nor pulsing red it was, but that had been no fun experience and the Symenestra didn't want to cause his companion any pain or discomfort. He watched the chain that extended between them with a tense, concentrated frown as he lowered his arm to his side slowly, making sure that the glass wasn't too short for him to do so nor looped or being tugged.

When his arm was successfully and painlessly by his side, chain slack and long enough to allow them small room apart, Vizyous turned his attention back to the doors before them. He didn't say anything to the human, just gave him a long, meaningful look as to what they needed to do, before beginning a slow walk towards the doors. Who was to say that the mirror had just appeared to implode, that the doors weren't actually beneath the surface?

Keeping these questions in mind as well as the sensitive, light glass between him and Hadrian, Vizyous continued towards the doors that no doubt led to a destination that Ionu must have felt important.

[Hadrian]

This time Hadrian saw and heard all that Vizyous did, and when the Symenestra recovered himself and drew apart from Hadrian, he didn't object. He wasn't the most touchy-feely of young men, despite the whimsical gesture that had bonded them in the first place. They stood side by side, linked by a chain, but bearing no wounds, and no pain. A look passed between them and Vizyous began walking. Hadrian wasn't far behind. He considered conjuring up a ball of water, but elemental magic seemed a waste of energy when combating illusions. That might change if there was an illusionist behind it all, like Curn, but that seemed unlikely. As they approached the door, he waited for Vizyous to take the lead and walk through since he obviously felt the impulse to use the door. Hadrian, on the other hand, was still looking around for anything he might have missed, though really it seemed as if the House was being rather blunt with them so far. "After you, then?" he asked with a weary chuckle. Illusions did tend to take it out of him.

[Vizyous Aconitum]

"I suppose," Vizyous replied with the quick flash of a grin before stepping forward to grasp hold of one of the door handles. He readied himself to pull the door open, expecting that unless the wood was as thin as paper it should have been very heavy considering it's size. Instead, his two hands linked together over the door handle pulled far too hard and his hunched over form fell gracelessly to the ground when it opened easily, without a single resistance even in the form of a creak. The door had opened halfway, allowing the human who was standing in front of it a glimpse inside the new room.

The Symenestra landed on his behind, an embarrassed grin appearing rather than any pain from the tumble. Not much could faze him in the hurt aspect after feeling his veins being tugged, and thank Viratas the chain hadn't been in the way of his fall. "What's in there?" He asked before gathering himself and standing, closing the short distance he'd traveled from Hadrian quickly in case danger was within.

[Hadrian]

Hadrian would have helped Vizyous up had the door not swung open and hypnotized him with its impenetrable blackness. Even with his Auristics engaged to their utmost, the threshold was utterly opaque. But he could hear things: whispers, laughter, noises of unknown origin. There were shivery feelings going up his spine, but he wasn't sure that this fear wasn't natural rather than put upon him by some outside force. He grabbed Vizyous' hand. "I think it's our fear of the future," he whispered. "At least... mine. I see nothing, but I hear... things. What are they saying?" He shook his head as if trying to shed the whispers from himself. "I suppose there's nothing to do but forge ahead, right?" he asked reluctantly. Tearing his gaze away from the doorway, he peered at Vizyous for moral support, something he never did.

[Vizyous Aconitum]

The look on Hadrian's face felt distinctly wrong, the intensity of his eyes as he stared into the blackness that Vizyous had quickly begun associating with Alvadas twisting something within the Symenestra. Vizyous felt sick, the whispers of the darkness faintly in the back of his mind however his attention was on the human in front of him who was in a trance.

That expression didn't belong on Hadrian's face, it shouldn't have been there; Hadrian was not vacant, he didn't show fear so easily. The sudden gripping of his hand only made his sickness twist once again, and the Symenestra realized it was guilt. Oh Viratas, it was mind numbing guilt for what he'd exposed Hadrian to-- but was that it? Whereas the whispers spoke of the future to his companion, he heard words from past nights of blood spilled and lies spun.

Vizyous tried to pay attention strictly to his companion, hand firmly holding the others out of both worry and nausea. When the human looked to him in hope with a shadow of fear evident in his eyes, the Symenestra remembered the words he'd just been told.

With determination, all shakiness disappeared from his voice, "We're in this together, I'm not letting anything happen to you." After a moment, Vizyous let some of the emotion the whispers had evoked in him surface, his eyes darkening and becoming more vulnerable. "Believe me, I feel it too. You aren't alone. The illusion plays on our fears..." This time Vizyous looked at Hadrian with hope, "...but I don't want to be scared anymore. You don't want to either, right?"

[Hadrian]

Of course he didn't want to be scared anymore, but he always was. It was a faint thing, hidden in the background, but it was always there. Fears welled up: that he would never prove himself worthy to his father, that he would never amount to anything, that nobody would ever love him, that he would be hurt, crippled, mutilated by his magical experiments, that people would laugh at him, that he would prove worthless. In fact, he could invent any possible reason to be afraid. He just hid it well. Most of the time. He bit back the fear. Vizyous was there, and between them they could master this house of illusion. Hadrian wasn't long for Alvadas anyway. He would return someday, but he needed the perspective. He would need perspective from this experience, too. Hand still gripping Vizyous', still linked by the illusory chain, he steeled himself and nodded. "Into the dark, then?" he asked.

[Vizyous Aconitum]

"Into the dark," He repeated in agreement, knowing that as crazy as they must have looked about to step into an abyss of nothingness, the best choice was to face their fears. Seeing that Hadrian had prepared himself as best he could for the whispers that lay behind the partly open door, Vizyous began a slow walk forward, feeling the already chilled temperature of the House dropping the further he continued.

The surface of whatever lay beyond the doorway seemed to be flat and smooth, like that of a marble floor, however there were uneven parts that made Vizyous' heart skip, made him feel as if he was about to fall into a never ending pit. The space around them denied his Symenestra blood, making him even more on edge than he'd already been-- after all, he'd never truly been in the complete dark, always able to depend on his sight. Not even the deepest cave in Kalinor could compare to this impenetrable darkness.

His freezing hand still grasped Hadrian's out of paranoia of losing him and a search for warmth. Were they inside a mirror or where they within another room? Did the mirror not exist and simply cover up the door way, or were they still standing frozen by fright and guilt before the mirror? The echoing whispers grew louder and the distinct feeling of eyes boring into him came from every direction; in his peripheral vision, Vizyous could see glints of light, as if distant mirrors were shining like beacons, beckoning him towards them.

"Do you see them too?" He asked Hadrian even as his head swung left and right, catching the shining reflections that seemed to be appearing more the further they walked. "Mirrors, reflecting..." He trailed off, suddenly feeling that the temperature had risen from freezing to almost... warm.

His gaze that had been staring off into the obscure distance turned towards Hadrian, a puzzled look on his face. The warmth began at the rough soles of his feet, moving up to the skin in between his toes that was rubbed by the thong of his sandals. He sighed in delight, until it moved well past his ankles and traveled up to his knees.

A sweat broke out on him, and that was when Vizyous knew that something was even more wrong than it was before. His lower half began burning up, the feeling rising both throughout his body and in temperature. The lights flashed faster now, seeming to have some sort of rhythm to the shadows that danced across them. "It's above us," Vizyous gasped out, his gaze turned upwards, head tipped back.

It took a long moment for the Symenestra to recognize what city it was being reflected in the hundreds of mirrors shining and twinkling above them like stars, vision blinded by orange and red flashing down at them. Fire was devouring buildings, people, animals-- the shifting vision of the mirrors even jolted from the city to the wilderness, and then he recognized it: the Sunset Falls on the outskirts of Syliras, Bronze Wood set to ablaze like never before.

Dread couldn't begin to describe the feeling that filled Vizyous, the mirrors continuously flickering, filling in parts of the scenery they painted with other cities, other races and species from all over Mizahar. His gaze didn't move, a tenseness in his throat alike choking coming and making the Symenestra realize that tears had begun to fall. What was there to do but watch as everything perished?

[Hadrian]

When they stepped into darkness, Hadrian could still feel Vizyous and the chain between them. It was certainly cold, even with his winterbane coat, and Vizyous hands were suddenly like blocks of ice. When the darkness did not abate, he lifted up a free hand, cupping it as he poured his djed up into his palm, converting it to res, which glowed. The problem was he could not see it. Even as he felt it responding to his will, floating above his hand in a perfect sphere of djed tuned to change into an element. There should have been light, but he could not see it. He sighed, assuming that Ionu, or whoever was behind all this, didn't want him to see. But then he started seeing flickers of something. "I see them too." But they weren't reflections of his ball of witchlight, so he let it dissipate, slipping back into his aura. Then the lights grew, and the heat rose, and they were watching Syliras' surroundings burn. It was a strange sight for him, his hometown burning, but it struck a fear in Vizyous that he could not share. This was not happening. It was winter, too wet and too cold for a fire to take the Woods. Were this Mura, he might imagine that Avalis would show them a prophetic vision, but... "I don't understand."

[Vizyous Aconitum]

Hadrian's words shattered the portrait the mirrors painted, the screams of those burning in it's flames silencing. The ceiling suddenly went blank once again, but the whispers of darker, hidden emotion remained, almost seeming to be within Vizyous' mind rather than speaking within the room. The Symenestra couldn't say he understood why the mirrors reflected the cities burning, and could only guess it was a test to see what got under their skin.

Dark as it was, he could still clearly see Hadrian, and it was surreal, as if a spotlight was on them. Had they really stepped into what Ionu portrayed as nothingness? It would explain why the darkness didn't obscure themselves, why Hadrian's sphere of light didn't illuminate the area around his hand, and why Vizyous' usually perfect night vision didn't help a bit.

"I don't either," He said in response, looking over to his companion, "I feel like we're the mice, and the House is a cat toying with us." It's trick were light, a prod there and a poke there, just to mess with them a bit. "Toying with our brains, anyways."