Wicked: Of Trials and Tribulations [IC]

[Sir Salty]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The First World[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]Chapter 1: Winter's Command of the Wicked[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]If power was a corruptible source, than it certainly was now of all times. The children stepped onto the circles, and they felt ancient magic flow through them. It was not a kind process. In truth it had killed heroes before they even arrived into the world of Noxium. Power coursing through their blood, fire through their veins and pains of agonies, the whispers that had spoke to Slumber laughed, seeing which children would fall to their knees and die. To be packaged and arrive in the same world as the others, but to arrive as a corpse. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]When the children came to the world of Noxium, their bodies fell onto soft green mold, and piles of foliage in a chilling forest. That had more common appearance to a cemetery than it did a forest. Slumber gave the children a gift of sleep and they all curled up on the soil, falling asleep to any prey that may linger in the woods.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]While the children slept, there was a rustle in the canopy of the Rosarium Forest. As ravens with unusually black feathers and bright orange eyes that looked more like magical orbs stared at the children with curiosity.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hellllooooo" an unkindness of ravens spoke. Their voice echoing like a high pitch child mimicking speech patterns.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hellllooo"[/BCOLOR]
​

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Helllooo"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Hellloo"[/BCOLOR]​

[BCOLOR=transparent]One after another. Were they speaking to each other, or were they speaking to the children? The first to wake from his slumber was Victor. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Dirt between his nails. Power given to him made him feel weak and exhausted. Visioned double over. He stared into the eyes of ravens staring down at them. Head twitching in curious matters. Watching them with curiosity. There were lights in the distance too. Blurry lights hovering above overgrown tombstones. The forest was unusually chilly, despite a bit of sun peeking out from the canopies. His breath rising towards the tree tops. His head throbbing with pain. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He at first thought he awoke in a nightmare. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Seeeee yoou" the ravens called out.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]They squawked and flew off, leaving feathers and leaves to rain down on them like snowflakes. They were elegant and seemed slowed in a bitter cold that made his chest feel like it had iced over. He coughed. His vision coming. To see the other children all lying around in a circular clearing, with a pentagram woven into the soil.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]The others were fastly asleep, but Victor scrambled up off the ground. Dizzy and unbalanced. Scattered among them were things, a bow, a stone lay where he had laid. Theodore was stilling holding onto that damn book.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Victor felt panic begin to set in. His breathing becoming unstable, in a place that was already too hard to breath in.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Everyone!" Victor called out. "Wake up!"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]He was practically whimpering for the rest of them to wake up. This was all, a crazy dream right? Did they actually get taken into the book? What about that thing that called itself Slumber? The magical circle light was bright in his memories and he remember it hurting. He also remembered a voice before entering the Sanctum. Something had laughed at him. Tugged at him and pulled out his insecurities. He saw Theodore begin to stir. How would Theo take all of this? Staring at his little brother, who blinked a few times.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Theodore opened his eyes slowly, blinking order to focus his vision better. Everyone else was sleeping, but they should stir soon too. His chest hurt though, and not from the cold. It felt like something had grasped at his heart tightly the whole entire time. Holding onto his chest for a second, he stared at the book. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Pick me up[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. The book whispered to him. Theodore did so.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Alas we have arrived our destination, to a true fea world." Theodore spoke more to himself, than to his brother Victor.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"You aren't even a little worried about this?" Victor asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Theo gave Victor an airy, spacey look.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"No, was this what we wanted." Theo responded. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"I thought it was merely a jest." Victor retorted, "Why do you look so pleased?[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"We have done it," Theo began, he twirled making sure to avoid stepping on any of the children, "We have truly traveled to another world. Not one made of imagination. But one that truly exist."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Quit playing 'round!" Victor shouted. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Theo gave his brother a quick sigh, but began to investigate his surroundings. A lush green forest, with a chill that wrapped around you like grasping hands. The trees have grown over tombstones, lit by lamp light, ravens scattered through the forest and he noted several passages to take. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]While Victor took the time to try and wake the others. Making sure they would wake and hadn't expired. He remembered the eerie voices in the Sanctum. That wished them all to die. He shuttered at the thought, chill running through his spine.[/BCOLOR]
[BCOLOR=transparent]"I wasn't playing 'round," Theo responded a bit later, "I was merely keeping the spirit alive."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Well the spirit is gone. This isn't fun any more!" Victor snapped at his brother.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Oh quit that, your bellyaching is only going to ruin the adventure." Theo told Victor.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Victor only frowned, scowling at Elliot. The scowl was meant for Theodore, but it honestly made it look like he was scowling at the other children. How did Theo manage to stay so weird through something even more weird than him? It pissed him off. Couldn't Theo once behave scared? [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Theo looked over the book. Pages empty. His chest uncomfortably tight, his heart slow to beat, and the cold made him shiver. It felt like he was already dead.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Seems there is several paths to take." Theo remarked to Victor, "We should wait for the others to stir. And decide where we should go from here."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"How about the path with the light?" Victor retorted.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Ah, but that would be nowhere near an adventure." Theo responded with a smile. Theo plopped onto the ground, and tore out a piece of paper from the book. [/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]Owwww[/BCOLOR][BCOLOR=transparent]. [/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Sorry." Theo apologized.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"What?" Victor asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Nothing." Theo said, "I'm going to make a quick map."[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"With what? Mud?" Victor asked.[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]"Uh huh,"[/BCOLOR]

[BCOLOR=transparent]Gathering some soil with his fingers, Theo began to sketch a rough map. While the other children too began to stir. [/BCOLOR]