Before Thames could realize, his room escaped from his sight, along with Ode lying next to him.
Snapping awake, he looked around.
His surroundings were bare, a white monochrome space with a chilling wind hitting him from all directions as he looked across the rolling hills devoid of details.
Where am I?!?!
He attempted to ask out loud, but his voice wouldn't leave his throat, a feeling of sorrow climbing into his open mouth.
Almost instantly, Thames found tears forming in his eyes as he stood, looking around again.
The sky, like the hills, was a pure white, contrasted only by a black star looking down on him.
Deciding standing around wouldn't do him any good, Thames started to walk down a hill.
He quickly found himself going up another hill, the travel escaping his thoughts, but he wasn't confused. It was as if this was always his life. He couldn't recall where he just was, and he wasn't trying to. The memory seemingly escaped him.
The only thing that remained in his mind as he traversed the white hills was the black sun above him. He found himself imagining it without consciously thinking of it.
The sorrow never escaped him either, the tears continued to flow down his pale face, dropping on the hills.
With each drop, an audible 'drip' could be heard.
What... Am I doing?
Thames asked himself, but he couldn't answer it.
He blinked a few times, wiping the tears from his eyes. On the last purposeful blink, the rolling hills vanished, and he reappeared at the bottom of a wheat filled bump.
The wheat was shades of white, and just past the crop was a building resembling a log cabin.
Turning towards it, the black sun peaked just past the roof, the only constant.
What...?
Inching closer to the building, a being snapped into existence just outside the cabin, looking down towards the still crying Thames.
They were mostly blurred, everything below their neck masked by a grey static. Their head, however, was a floating eye. With grey pupils, it focused on Thames, adjusting every so often.
"How. Are you here?"
The person spoke with a collection of different familiar voices, but none stuck out in particular. They all blended into a strange symphony.
His tears stopped instantly, and he found himself able to speak.
"Where... Is here?"
His voice, desperate for answers, brushed through the wheat.
"That would make sense."
The person doesn't answer, appearing just in front of him.
"Who are you??"
"You may call me 'E'. As for your first question. You are everywhere."
"What?!?"
The eye appeared to look sorry.
Thames stepped back, confused, and slipped through the ground. A blur of whites and greys entering his eyes as he fell and fell.
He fell for what felt like an eternity, the colors eventually turning to a pitch-black shade.
The only way he knew he was falling was because of the terrible wind against his back.
Everywhere??? What does that even-
Before he could finish his thought, something hard hit his head, his consciousness fading instantly.
He awoke back in his bed, stretching out his arms to search for Ode, but he wasn't there. Confused, he rubbed his eyes and looked to his side, but it was empty.
Did I doze off...?
He groggily asked himself, climbing out of bed and moving to his window.
It was night, the streets of Ariao were empty, and the stars were hidden by smog.
"I slept the day off... Ode must've left for his room."
He removed his shirt, scratching his toned body, and went to look in his suitcase.
Grabbing a black long sleeve knitted shirt, he quickly pulled it over and turned back to his door.
I'll check for any Emergents.
Heading out, he quickly passed through the empty inn and entered the equally empty street. The moonlight broke through the smog and glared down on him, but he continued to walk.
Choosing to remain on the street, he had much less view of the city compared to his rooftop view, but Thames figured he'd be able to react quickly to Emergents or other magicians this way.
He went on with walking for a while, eventually passing 'E's Art Corner', but he continued to look around.
The alleys, although dark, lacked anything worth mentioning.
Guess there's no Emergents today...
Most major cities had Emergents under control, either using lots of lights or having people on standby to deal with them. Ariao was likely the latter since they had less lamps than Lino.
Suddenly, breaking the dark street, a cloaked figure with brilliantly colored hair passed him.
Huh?
Stopping dead in his tracks, he watched the persons multicolored pastel hair flutter through the wind, walking further and further away from him.
"Hello?"
He asked out, taken aback by the only other person in the street with him.
They turned towards him, but their face was covered with a grey wrapping.
"Oh. It's too late for you to be out."
The woman giggled as she pointed out towards him, her pink nails sticking out in the night.
"What?"
The air stiffened around him.
Huh?
"[Bladed Assault.]"
A white light shined above him as he noticed pointed shadows become projected around his feet.
Wha-?
Ode immediately appeared out of nowhere! Throwing himself and Thames to the side away from the light.
"So, ya just great at findin' Constellations??"
Ode jokingly asked as Thames looked back, seeing twelve swords launch from the white crack in the sky and impale themselves into the street.
"Tsk. Where did you come from?"
The woman asked annoyed, pointing at the two.
"Nowhere!"
Ode cheerfully answered, standing up and cracking his knuckles.
"[Blitz.]"