After I cleaned up and rushed out of my cell I headed towards the outer wall. Again the shift passed with nothing new. It was different now though. I wanted the creature to return. I was overwhelmed with a need to see it again.
I must lay my eyes on it.
I sat near the fire of the outpost where every shift took place, contemplating if I should act or wait to see if it would come to me again.
While it may come again it is not guaranteed. I must act now. I need to.
I grabbed my sword that I had laying next to me and walked to the edge of the outpost. I peered into the darkness. I could only see the grand roots faintly in the distance. No movement. Action must be taken.
I wonder if I would be discharged if I left my outpost? Eh, I'm already infected.
I vaulted the half-wall of the post. Slid down the great wall it sat upon. Landed on the ground below, the base of the roots. Crust of the Irminsad. Leaving the post felt wrong but this was something I needed to do.
I must stay silent so I can hear if the creature is close. Hand over hand I started climbing the great roots. Up I went. The Hollow above was endless, I couldn't see the top. It was as if darkness surrounded me.
Looking back, I saw the fire atop the outpost. The light it made was a speck in the distance. It made me reconsider my actions. The flame was flickering as if warning me to not wander in the Hollow.
I reluctantly climbed down the roots. Headed toward the post. Climbed the wall. Sat near the fire once more.
And then…there it was again.
"Tokarn, come to me, I need you." A voice hissed, "You are to be a prince of Mir'Av Orun, King of the Second Sun."
"Where are you?" I shouted, desperate to put my eyes on the creature.
"Come to the darkness and you shall be heir to the second sun." It hissed again.
I caught a glimpse of its eye in the shadows. Deformed, eyes everywhere, a mass of chitin and legs, it was unrecognizable. I could only describe it as a serpent with many legs and many eyes. Every one of those damned eyes were piercing.
"Why would I become a prince to he who defiles the God I serve? Do you believe me to be that thick? I would never betray Koutso like that abomination, Mir'Av."
"So be it, when the time comes you will be his anyway." It whispered and faded away into shadow.
Only a moment passed and I heard the noises of the next shift coming. I would see Mirela again. I must tell her what I have seen. She will believe me.
She approached like usual before the others. A smile on her face, I think she appreciated the kiss I gave her from yesterwatch. I would not dare ruin her joy, for there was little of it here.
"Tokarn, how was the watch?" she said with such a softness as to not be ruined.
"Just as quiet as ever." I responded sheepishly.
Before I made my way beneath the wall I grabbed her shoulders. Our faces flushed and I kissed her lips as if it would be the last time I would see her and left her with a few words.
"Never listen to the whispers of the shadows."
And below the wall I went.