Preludes of Chaos (Peregrine x catalyst)

[catalyst]

As Spawn chased after the frog, excitement built in Azi's chest and he couldn't help but cheer her on. Giggles echoed in the stone temple as the frog won the first few rounds, but finally it was captured by the giant that was the girl. Azi gave a triumphant hoot. It always felt good to see his friends smile, especially Spawn. She couldn't experience the wonder that was the outside. She couldn't sit with the elders in Kesa and learn to weave colorful fabric or play tag with him and the other kids. So, he brought what outside things he could to her and she was always happy to receive them.

That's what made it so hard to take those things away. He eventually learned how to not feel sad about it, but right now... something about the frog was different with Spawn. Among the melancholy, a pang of guilt hit him.

"No, you can't. I'm sorry, Spawn." There was no way they could get away with a live creature in the temple. Even if the Wardens chalked it up to it accidentally hopping through the slot during a mealtime, they might reinforce the slot or its magic to not allow anything but their food through. They couldn't risk cutting off outside things she could experience when it was already so little.

Not only that, but the frog needed bugs and plants and water to live.

"One day, you can keep things," he said suddenly. "Or maybe we can sneak you outside! I'll figure out a way. Promise."

 

[Peregrine]

Spawn didn't dare look up, didn't dare meet the little sliver of Azi's face she could see through the gap in the wall. She could barely even see the frog in front of her now she was so lost in thought, even as her fingers continued to gently, mindlessly stroke its belly.

The frog could not stay.

It did not belong in this small room of stone, where there was nothing but hard rock, green moss, metal chains, and that one small sliver of sky. It needed so much more than this little room could offer.

Nothing belonged in this room except her. She was destined to be all alone in here, forever. While the frog would get to go outside in the end.

But she wanted... she wanted... she wanted...

Lost in her thoughts, Spawn didn't feel the heat of her chains, didn't see the faint, cherry glow that began to radiate off from them. Her fingers twitched around the frog, head bowed so that her cascade of hair completely covered her features.

She wanted... She so very, very, very wanted to...

The chains around her chest suddenly constricted, cutting off her breath with near violent pressure. Spawn gasped, choked, coughed, and the glow began to fade from her chains, vanishing in only a couple of heartbeats.

This was her home. The frog left, and she stayed. It was as simple and easy as that.

"Thank you for bringing me the frog, Azi." Spawn's voice was slightly monotone, standing in strange contrast to her words of gratitude. When she looked up there was a slightly absent-minded smile on her face. "It was so nice to get to meet it."

 

[catalyst]

Bouts of silence weren't all that uncommon with Spawn, but something was different. Azi softly called his friend's name only to once again not receive a response. And then, something was really different. Red light appeared from inside the temple, from the chains, painting Spawn's dark hair a deep red. Like the color of wine that sometimes stained his parents' lips. Pretty.

But scary.

"Spawn...! Your chains are glowing!" But the girl, again, did not respond and instead began to act like she was choking. Azi felt helpless as all he could do was call for her... and then it was over. She thanked him for the frog, and this time it was Azi's turn to stare at his friend.

"What just happened??"

The chains stopped glowing, and Spawn was fine but... different. Different in a way Azi couldn't quite put a finger on. "Spawn, did those chains hurt you? Why did they glow?" They had never glowed before like that!

 

[Peregrine]

"No, the chains didn't hurt me," Spawn continued, still sounding peacefully vacant. "I didn't see them do anything. Did you imagine it?"

Spawn had always wondered why she needed the chains. They were heavy and cold and uncomfortable, and even now they sometimes woke her up when she was sleeping if she rolled in the wrong direction. They seemed more than a bit redundant to her. After all, she had everything she needed in this tower. They brought her food and water, the ceiling sheltered her from the rain, and the tiny window let in more than enough light for her to see. She was happy here. There was no need for chains.

Shuffling forward slightly, Spawn moved closer to the wall, lifting her hands up as high as she could with the frog still upside down and still in her hands. "Can you reach it?"

 

[catalyst]

Thick brows furrowed in confusion as the boy rubbed his head. Did he imagine it? There was no way Spawn could have missed it, so maybe...

No! No way. Azi got lost in daydreams sometimes, but he never saw something that wasn't real! It had to be magic. But why was Spawn acting so weird? And the way he had this sinking feeling in his gut....

Quickly turning, the boy scanned his surroundings, focusing on the quiet of the woods around them. Spawn's question barely registered as he breathed in slowly.... and out. Another breath, and then the flapping of wings in the distance caught his attention. A flock of birds scattered from trees not too far from the temple.

"Oh, no."

Azi turned back to the door and stuck his entire arm in. "Spawn, hurry! I think that magic alerted the Wardens!" Panic built in the boy, his chest tightening as the children struggled with the handoff. Why did he have to bring a frog!? A slippery, slimy, fast, hopping thing... of all things! "Spawn, just toss it up! I'll catch it, hurry!"

In what felt like too long of a time, he finally had the small creature in his hands. He made sure he had all his belongings, leaving nothing suspicious behind. "Be well, Spawn!" He hurriedly whispered. "Till next time." And then he carefully scampered off, light on his feet and avoiding the paths he knew the Wardens took, praying to the stars above that he was not discovered.

 

[Peregrine]

Obediently, Spawn tossed up the unresponsive frog, watching it fly as though in slow motion, small limbs flapping through the air. And then the green creature was enveloped in Azi's hands, drawn out from the small gap. Gone. Back to the outside world, where it belonged.

The outside world.

It didn't matter. This was where she belonged.

"See you later," Spawn replied softly, sitting down on the floor, one long strand of hair falling between her fingers. She rubbed the soft strands carefully, a small smile on her face.

This was enough.

---

Outside Spawn's small window, the world continued to move. The warm breeze cooled, bringing with it crisp rain and the brightly colored leaves Azi tossed through the gap into her space. And then they vanished, replaced with white snow and a cold breeze that left her shivering some nights, huddled under the faint warmth of her chains. Spawn liked it when the snow piled on her window ledge, because sometimes it would topple into her cell, and she could play with it and shape it until her fingers grew cold and it melted.

And the seasons continued their rotation. Time seemed to blur together, one day after another, distinguished and special only because of the half of Azi's face that was visible through her window, and the little gifts he continued to let her catch glimpses of. They were all beautiful.

Both Spawn and Azi had gotten taller. Her hair had gotten longer, too. Once, it had reached her waist. Now, if she curled up, she could almost use it like a blanket. Azi no longer needed to stand on tip-toes to look inside. It made it easier for them to pass the gifts back and forth. But they still couldn't use the door.

She wanted... she wanted...

She wanted her chains to stop burning so much. Their heat used to be mild and comfortable, enough to keep her a little warm in the winter, and only rarely heat up. Now, it was like someone had put fire in them. Spawn knew what fire was. Azi had once brought her a match, and she'd almost burnt her finger on the beautiful, bright light. But her chains didn't glow, they were just hot.

Once, she'd complained of the discomfort to the people outside the door. The Wardens, Azi called them. But she hadn't called them that. She'd simply complained on and on and on until they finally responded. Told her that they were getting hotter because she was growing more evil, and it was sucking the evil out of her.

So of course they burned. She was locked up in here because she was evil. It was her fault. If she was less evil, perhaps things would go back to how they used to be before. But Spawn didn't know how to be less evil. She could only hope it would happen soon.

"Hi Azi!" Spawn greeted cheerfully, the corners of her eyes lifting slightly as he came into view through the window. She'd grown good at hiding the discomfort of the chains. The one time she'd mentioned it previously, Azi had looked so worried. But there was nothing he could do, she was just too evil. So it was better not to worry him.

"What did you bring today?"

 

[catalyst]

Years passed, and Azi's world grew in ways he was barely starting to fathom as a young teenager. Kesa didn't grow much bigger, but he understood it more - knew which streets connected and which neighborhoods housed certain characters and how the Knights patrolled some more than others. He learned more about the forest and how to navigate it and what kind of animal noises he could mimic.

Academically, he thrived. He learned about other factions and how much bigger the world was outside of Kesa. He learned how to feel the Spring and the energy that flowed to and from. Up until about a year ago, lessons were mostly foundational. Then, they gradually added functionality beyond just the basics, and Azi practiced nearly every day. He was mostly praised for such a hard work ethic, except when it was during times it distracted him from chores.

And, of course, he stayed on top of the Wardens' schedule as much as he could. Spawn's patrol slowly grew over the years, something the boy always chalked up to her getting older, and maybe stronger? At some point, he taught her about the Spring and even echoed some lessons, but he was very careful about her trying anything functional because he knew how unstable energy could be. But he entirely stopped encouraging her to try when the chains burned her in response to the magic. Not only was it an alert to the Wardens, but it hurt her.

It hurt her beyond supposed superficial burns and temporary pain. It dulled her. Every single time the chains glowed and whirred in magic, it was like a blimp in Spawn's energy. She was fine, but different. Like the day with the frog.

She told Azi about the pain only once, but it was enough to solidify a desire - a truth - within the boy.

Niyazi's world was bright and big and beautiful! And it could be so, so unfair.

How he longed to tell someone about his wonderful friend, Spawn. How he wished they could play together, not separated, and away from the only space their friendship knew. He wanted her world to grow as his did, for his friends and parents to meet her and see how not evil she was. How unfair it was that her world was limited to the four walls of the temple and the tiny goods of the outside he brought her! He wanted people to see how badly the Wardens treated her, how badly they were wrong. How all of it was wrong.

So, on this day, Azi looked through the open slot with an excited smile. "Hey, Spawn. Today, I'm finally gonna do it. I'm gonna break you outta here."

Neither of them ever attempted to open the door throughout all these years. It'd been too risky, too crazy - too impossible. But Azi had been practicing unlocking seals for years, and this risk was worth taking.

"I have it all planned out, Spawn, don't worry," he said in case she had doubts. "I mean, if I can open the door, I don't think getting those chains off should be too difficult. Then we'll run away, give ya a disguise, and tell my parents that you ran away from home. They'll have questions, but," he paused and shrugged. "We can wing it."