The Unknown RP

Chapter 41- Kairys

Kairys's POV 

Having spent all of my life in the open forest of Ellond—though not, I supposed, if you counted the few infant years lived in the Citadel of Angels—it was odd looking up and not seeing the sky. It was strangely suffocating and I kept reminding myself not to look up. The yellowed walls seemed to be constantly pressing in on me. 

I didn't have time to go through the shock of running for my life to crashing through a Portal to jumping through another one, landing /outside the universe with a group of unfamiliar armed people and being chased by a demon—or was it two? through an ugly city of spiralling metal and stinking wood. I couldn't afford to complain. And I had nowhere else to go, so I stuck with these faeries, who didn't seem to object to my company. They seemed at ease in Mundanus, or as at ease as you got when a demon was trying to kill you. 

So I stayed quiet and listened. We were in what was called a church, though the word had no meaning to me, but the building wasn't entirely of Mundanus origin. There was something off about it. From the moment I stepped through the doors, my skin had pricked uncomfortably and my throat had itched sorely. It was like the building wanted to keep me out, which made more sense when I saw the paintings and statue of angels. If a 'church' was something like a Mundanus refuge to Angels, then of course it would try to keep out someone with Tainted blood. 

While the others argued, I tried to figure out their names, but soon gave up and wandered around the back area of the church. There was a small room at the end of the hallway, nothing but a large mirror and two oddly-shaped white basins inside. I stepped in, purposefully leaving the door wide open, and let my eyes adjust in the dimness. I wondered if all mundanes had night vision, or what would they do in their squat little buildings come nighttime? They didn't look like they were strong enough to contain a fire. Unless there wasn't a night in Mundanus...

I stopped trying to wrap my head around the absurdity of this world and instead cast my eyes around the small room. The white basin at the far end was tall, with the top half flat against the wall, and the bottom half sticking out in a hollow rectangle, a square hole in the bottom. The basin closest to me was a weird ocular shape and also stuck out of the wall. Various vials were balanced on the rim, and two silver dials stuck out atop the basin. I turned one; to my surprise, cold water trickled out of the silver stuck at the centre. Water pooled in the basin, the sound reminding me of Lyr Terin, something rather comforting. 

I took out the two vials in my pocket. There was a big dent in the side of the lavender one, but they were both intact. I uncapped the aquamarine and poured a bit into my hand, massaging the colour into my scalp. I had to work fast. My hands fell into rhythm with the running water and then there was my hair, dark and soaking wet. I used a bit of my magic to run air through it, drying it fast like I had always done in Ellond. 

I left the glass vials in the small, cramped room. My hair was now a bright marine colour with the ends a dark purple. I figured my pink hair stuck out a bit to the demon, so they might have a harder time recognizing me with my new hair colour. They likely didn't want me dead anyway—it was probably one of the faeries...

As I rejoined the others, I spotted a girl with dark brown hair exit the church. "Follow her," the commander was shouting. 

Without hesitation, I followed the faeries outside, trying not to breathe in too much of the stinking air. We arrived at a house that seemed to have been ravaged by fire. I turned to the faerie beside me. "Who is she?"

"Hmm?" she grunted, turning to face me. I recognized her; Celaena, the rather unnerving one. Every time I glanced at her, she had this look like she was seeing and hearing everything, and moved with a sort of silent grace that made me want to turn around and make sure she wasn't sneaking up on me.