Cursing under his breath for Exile's stinginess, Noel was about to follow him with furrowed brows before he blinked once and looked down at a shadow that appeared suddenly beneath his feet.
It wasn't a meter or two.
It encapsulated the whole area in a shadow.
He took a step back in shock, as his neck snapped to the sky, his eyes open wide-pupils diluted, body trembling as his body froze in sheer terror, his dopamine and adrenaline surging at the sight before him in the sky.
He straightened his back subconsciously, his hands that were crossed slipping out of their position, rubbing Noel's face is disbelief before he looked once more.
He didn't need to speak; Exile raised his head with his indistinguishable expression as he also gazed at the sky for a moment, a nostalgic chuckle escaping his lips, as his eyes sharpened.
"Alas, it has finally appeared after two centuries, it seems."
"What ... what in the seven hells is that? Is that even a 'that'?"
Noel voice trembled, his eyes glued to the sky, unable to accept his new reality.
Something flew in the sky, covering him with 'its' shadow.
Something that made his blood run cold.
A slithering creature in the cloudy sky that stretched longer than the length of what three
football fields would be on earth, a serpentine form like a leviathan carved from moonlit
ice.
"... The White Death. Previously known two hundred years ago as the Birther of Snow."
It's translucent skin pulsed with veins of liquid silver, revealing organs that glowed like
drowned stars in the vast emptiness of the VOID.
Its spine was long and silver, running a ridge of fin-like protrusions, revealing an organic
look to it as if it was a sea creature yet merging in sync with the clouds in the sky.
But its wings, its wings were the true horror. They weren't feathered, no.
They weren't leathery either. They were protruding Insectile, six pairs of crystalline
membranes, each larger than a sail, stretched from its sides, its head indescribable in
human words.
The creature had no eyes other than its jagged sharp isosceles triangle white teeth, as it
flew in the sky in a wave like motion in a slow yet organic movement, before clouds that
were in the sky slowly dropped slowly as if they had suddenly gained weight.
The clouds obscured the creature that hovered in the sky, the last of its teeth disappearing
in the obscurement of the white fog that appeared like a mist.
Exile chuckled hollowly once the being was out of sight as he twirled his Mustache.
Noel stood still, his eyes not moving from the sky as his eyes lingered on it with no visible
emotion.
Exile who was watching the spectacle neutrally, finally let out a chuckle, as if the presence
of the being had stolen sound itself.
"It is said to wake up every two centuries, but for the last millennium, it's waking up
schedule had gotten messed up. Seen randomly every now and then. A miracle I got to
see it again after those two centuries of my age. Haha, perhaps I've used up all the luck
left in my life"
"Anyways boy, let's get going on out way. We have a long journey to go."
Noel did not respond, his eyes still on the sky as if processing the image that was burnt
onto his retina in thoughtfulness, before lowering his head and walking towards Exile who
had just turned his back.
"Exile"
Exile who was about to properly walk away, stopped and looked over his shoulders with
a raised eyebrow that had turned white because of how cold the weather was.
"How may I help you?" he said neutrally.
Noel hesitated for a moment before he gazed at Exile with a serious expression, his eyes
maintaining contact for the duration of a few moments.
"Would you tell me more about all I need to know about this world?"
Exile stood silent for a moment before exhaling and leaving Noel behind in the snow.
However, he spoke suddenly as he brought out his pipe and lit in this cold weather.
"Ask."
He raised his pipe in the air signaling him
"But be aware, our destination is near, so ask all you have before we reach there. After
that, I will have to talk to you about your position that you took instead of ... Elias. And it
will not be light. Your life will be a gamble at that point."
Stressing his last words, Exile continued walking in snow. Noel's eyes did not move away
from the older man's back, before he followed him, slowly increasing his speed to match
Exile's.
He decided that it was enough of playing right now, and that his priorities were more
important to attend to.
Just the appearance of The White Death had caused him to feel as if cold water had been
poured onto him; bringing him back to the reality of this world.
He was too small here, insignificant. Too insignificant, it had stopped long ago being pitiful.
Unlike modern earth, it was kill or be killed here. The lack of one small piece of information
could spell the term 'death' in the clearest of black inks for him.
So the most important thing he needed now?
Information. Something he keeps on trying to ignore, to try on staying optimistic as long
as possible. But optimism wasn't going to keep him alive. Information would.
He took a deep breath, closing his eyes as if blocking out all the sources of disturbance
that could disturb his mind, organizing his priorities. Opening his eyes slowly, his lips
parted for the first question.
"Then let me start with the first question, Exile"
In response to him inquiries, Exile nodded his head in acceptance, blowing grey smoke in
the air that was a bit different colored than the greyish air of the winter.
"How old are you exactly?" Noel inquired as he recalled Exile's earlier words.