The world was dark at the beginning. Then there was a burst of light and everything became alive. Worlds of wonderful color and amazing coincidences. And life began that way. Darkness, and sudden light. However, nobody knew how it ended. It was a question pondered by everyone. The truth is, life ends the same way it begins. Darkness and a burst of life. All the souls experience this. Adeline Pearfly was no different. However, when she awoke in this strange new world, she remembered nothing but basic information. Her name, her family, who she was. Why she was there was a mystery. Upon waking from the burst of light she found herself in a strange and unfamiliar land. It was barren and the color of ash. Despite the sky being pitch black, she could see she was alone for the time being.
Adeline groaned slightly, sitting up on her elbows and looking around at this environment, her dark brows furrowing as she looked around nervously. Her lips parted slightly and she cleared her throat. "...hello?"
Her words seem to echo as if she were in an invisible tunnel. Her touch to the ground seemed to make it glow a soft white. The texture was soft and dust like, and shifted as she moved but left no residue. It took a few moments before a grumble sounded from no specific direction, but it sounded somewhat distant in the otherwise silent realm.
She took a deep breath, standing up and folding her arms carefully. Her eyes were wide as she looked around before she began speaking to herself. "It's okay. This is okay. It's alright. You can do this. C'mon, Addy. You can do this..." She reached up and tied her hair back as she spoke, her hands trembling.
The moment she stood another grumble would sound just behind her, as well as a vortex of light. A massive beast erupted from this portal, emitting a high shriek as it glided quickly above her, its bird-like wings extended out as it landed a bit ahead of her, causing the dust to stir.
Adeline gasped, her scream caught in her throat as she backed away with wide eyes, looking around desperately for a place to hide.
There was nothing but the land around her, but the creature, which stood on all fours, hardly seemed to notice. It was almost like dog, horse, and bird, combined into one larger beast. The feathers on its wings shone a vibrant blue, and the ominous, yellow eyes looked around curiously. One of the more noticeable things, however, was a figure on it's back, which held a staff that a lantern hung off of, emitting bright light to see. It hopped off, looking in her direction ominously. The face was hidden, dark goggles over its eyes and a black cloth over the mouth and nose. The hood was pulled over its head and it appeared to have some kind of weapon on strap hanging on it's back. It looked like a gun.
Adeline watched, blinking slightly to make out the figure through the gloom. She hesitated, her dark brows furrowed as she stepped cautiously forward, her hands in fists at her side. "...hello?"
It was silent. She would be able to tell it was observing. After a moment it slowly the staff down, taking the gun and raising it, aiming it toward her. "Don't move," it said, its voice low and calm.
She was terrified, her green eyes staring at the gun, and she raised her hands in surrender. Her words, full of skepticism, bubbled up in her throat instinctively, and she listened to herself speak in astonishment. "Chill out, dude. I'm clearly not up for any attacks any time soon."
His finger pulled the trigger shot rang out. She would feel the bullet whiz past her head and hit something behind her, which let out an inhuman groan. Upon turning she would find.. something. It was a monster of sorts, but looked hideously deformed.
Adeline's eyes widened and she exhaled slightly, observing the monster as her breath hitched in her chest. "Oh... *squee!*..."
The figure put the gun away, picking up the lantern and approaching her. They pulled up the goggles, revealing light, hazel eyes and pulled down the scarf to show the rest of his human face. "Adeline?"
For some reason, the sound of her name was the most shocking part to her. She whipped her head around, looking at the boy with wide, terrified eyes. "Adeline... yeah. Yeah. That's me."
"This is very disorienting," he said gently. "I would explain to you what is happening but that will have to wait unless you would like to encounter another one of those."
She took a shaky breath, looking around for something familiar. "What... ugh... okay. Uh, what... what do I do?"
She exhaled, looking back at the monster for a moment, her brow furrowing as she followed him. "You aren't able to talk and ride at the same time?"
"It gets awfully windy," he replied, going to the beast and gently petting its nose. "You probably wouldn't hear me." A small frown crossed his face as he hopped up, holding on to the ragged fur that was the beasts mane. He offered a hand to Adeline.
She hesitated, looking around nervously before taking his hand, her brow furrowed. "Where are we going? Who are you?"
