This story is part of the Wanderer series.
Bringing a hand up to his chin, Lev rubbed his fingers as he stared up at the ledge. “It would appear the castle is abandoned.”
Chiyoko did not reply.
“What do you think, Chee-yo?”
Dropping his hand, he looked over at her, realizing she was concentrating. However, not too long after, she opened her eyes and stood back up, finally becoming present again.
“Abandoned… does not describe it well,” she objected. “Perhaps… inactive.”
“Ah, yes.” Dipping his head in agreement, Lev drew a hand up and waved a pointed finger in her direction. “Well put.”
Chiyoko glanced at Lev, then turned her attention skyward. A view split in half by light and dark, the cloudless blue sky and the shaded cliff overhang. The distant howling of the storm still filled their background, but here in the epicenter the atmosphere was eerily still, as if all of its vigor had been channeled away.
Beside her, Lev had raised his gaze as well. “What are you thinking? Shall we ascend?”
“No,” she succinctly declined. “Root your castle. We move on our own.”
Lev furrowed his eyebrows and flattened his mouth, dropping his face back down to Chiyoko. “However shall we climb up?”
However, his voice faltered as he spoke, realizing the answer as he watched his companion grip her hands together and start resonating her power. Gradually, both her and Lev’s silhouette began to glow bright teal. They became light on their feet, lifting off the stone allure. No longer holding his weight, Lev deftly eased his legs, letting his knees bend and his arms wing as the two of them took to the sky.
Their glowing silhouettes quickly scaled the height of the cliff, similarly dozens of meters above the castle. Right at the ledge, Chiyoko slowed them to a halt, approaching right underneath. Hunching forward, bending her arms and legs, she moved them closer, letting her fingers touch the stone. After a pause, she surfaced her head above the ledge, peering around with alert eyes and parted lips, ready to duck down at the slightest sight of danger. Next to her, Lev managed to extend his neck to peek his wide eyes just over the ledge, blinking a few times. Given he was not in control of his levitation, it was the best he could do.
There was a stone brick pathway. Cleanly cut, with a little bit of dirt between the crevices. Not a brick out of place. The path appeared newly set were it not for its bleached-out surface, giving it a pale, ashen color. The pathway encroached right up to the ledge, with no parapet or guardrails. Lining this path were neatly rectangular structures with doorless openings in the middle. Apparent domiciles.
Where they happened to surface was a junction, a wide path splitting the rows of buildings, leading to a narrow perpendicular stairway. Hugging the wall tightly, the stairs climbed up to a higher ground level hidden beyond their vantage. Glancing right, Chiyoko saw the path continue along the perimeter, with several more buildings following it until another break a few blocks down. Another apparent junction. Glancing left, the same sight. This layout repeated to the horizon until the path curved out of their view.
Despite the residential-looking features of this sector, there was not a soul in sight. Not a sound. Not a movement. Despite the ash-colored stone, with no activity or breeze, even the dust did not stir. Completely abandoned. Completely dormant.
Lev glanced around with her, his neck retracting and extending a few times as he strained. Chiyoko, on the other hand, hunched into her shoulders and pinched her brows, staring blankly at the stone right in front of her as she took in what she saw. Flicking her eyes to her side, her companion’s movement eventually caught her attention, drawing her to straighten again.
“Perhaps… a peek.”
Lev nodded to her. “It is why we are here after all.”
Pulling them up to the middle of the path, safely away from the ledge, Chiyoko released her resonance, allowing themselves to land. Briefly putting his hands on his hips and glancing at the closest domicile, Lev started his investigations there, casually walking over. Taking a step after him, Chiyoko glanced one more time over her shoulder at the outstretched path, then across at the stairway before following.
Gazing into the doorway, deep into the shadows, Lev saw what it held. Nothing. Paved with the same bricks as the pathway, it held nothing. Not a stone, not a furnishing or any other object. It was a windowless clay structure. Staying outside the doorway, Lev peered around the darkness with furrowed brows. He then crouched down as Chiyoko came up behind him, placing his fingers at the threshold and hunching his head forward, observing the floor. Chiyoko too flashed a puzzled look before promptly leaving his side, walking over to the next building. Placing her hand on the doorway, she peered in and saw the same thing. An empty structure.
For good measure, Chiyoko went further down to check another building and found the same result. Empty structures containing nothing. She did not stare for very long before backtracking to her companion, who was still crouched at the first doorway.
“There is nothing,” she curtly spoke as she came to a stop by his side, seemingly urging him to move on.
“Seemingly so…”
“Then what are you gazing at the floor for?”
“I reckon there would be a seal or something.”
“There are countless cottages here,” she impatiently expelled. “We cannot possibly inspect them all.”
Lev nodded, standing up. “You have the right of it. The more interesting treasure must be deeper within.”
Chiyoko gave him a skeptical look as he walked back to the junction. Then, wiping her face of emotion, she moved again, concentrating on her surroundings.