Allis awoke soaked with his own sweat, his hands and feet bound loosely behind him. A moment of struggle removed the ropes that constricted him and allowed him to move freely. Struggling to his feet, his muscles screaming with pain, he looked around his surroundings, hoping to find something familiar. It looked like he was in some kind of vast chamber, with thick marble walls that were crumbled and torn. It was if some mighty beast had torn the place apart. Stars and strange symbols were carved into the walls, and in some places the symbols gave off a very feint glow.
There was no ceiling to the chamber, nor any visible exits, and looking up at the beautiful twilight sky that loomed above him made him feel dizzy. He noticed, however, that there were several stone steps that led up to an empty doorway. Deciding that his best action would be to gain higher ground, he stumbled across the cool stone floor to the first step, his footsteps shaky and unsure like that of a newborn deer. Occasionally he could feel something smooth and hard shatter under his feet. However, it was too dark for him to see what it was exactly and so he decided it would be better for him to focus on reaching the staircase.
Reaching the bottom step, he let out a long sigh, a mixture of relief and exhaustion. He was cold, tired and confused, and wanted nothing more for this dream - for it must be a dream - to end. Climbing the staircase was agony for his tired legs, and when Allis finally crested the last step, he retched from the pain. He had to practically drag himself through the door, clinging to the walls and shuffling through. The doorway led to a balcony, and the view from it took away the little breath Allis had left.
The sky was an explosion of colour. Purples, reds, yellows and pinks blended and swirled as a fat, blazing sun sunk beyond the horizon to his left. To his right, a beautiful jewel of a moon had begun to rise, the sky turning into a deep midnight blue as it did so, stars twinkling into life as if on command. Below this spectacular sky lay a dark forest, where strange violet and blue fir trees grew, the forest stretching to a strange part of the horizon where everything seem to fade out of existence in a thick haze. The sun and the moon before him were huge, and the sky felt strangely close, as if he could reach out and touch the heavens itself.
Suddenly, as the last bit of sunlight vanished beyond the fog of the distant horizon, he heard a loud thunk, and the moon stopped moving. The very night itself came to a standstill, even the wind had ceased. Allis broke out of the spell he was under, and remembered to breath.
Before him, jutting out of the balcony, sat a lever. A thick, ancient piece of technology, with intricate details carved into its marble handle. It had stopped half way, with what seemed to be a small bone jammed into it. Leaning down, he plucked the bone from the mechanism, and the lever slammed back into its starting position, and as it did, the moon slid quickly back beyond the horizon. Allis gasped in shock, jumping back from the lever. Had he done that? What kind of trickery was this?
Cautiously, holding his breath, he approached the lever again. He gave it a gentle touch, then another, and then finally, he grasped it with both hands, and pushed it with all his might. It was impossibly heavy, resisting his efforts with an incredible force. He was determined, however, and tripled his efforts. Sure enough, it began to give in, the lever moving agonizingly slowly as he pushed, the moon slowly rising back into the sky. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead, the the tanned skin of his face going red with the sheer effort it took. Finally, the level clicked into place, and the moon held in the sky, the stars blinking back to life and beautiful azure clouds swirling into view.
Allis collapsed, his energy spent, and he fell into a deep sleep.
Discord
Light Style