Anthony woke up slowly to nothing but the constant deafening whooshing sound of a cold wind, drowning out even his own thoughts. His senses were so dulled as he came to, he couldn't even tell which way was up and which way was down, all he could feel was the cold wind as it shot past his ear and the freezing snow that his face appeared to rest on.
It was bright, too, almost overwhelmingly so. Anthony groaned as he shifted his weight, he attempted to lay on his back and was immediately met by a cloudless sky centered with a bright sun. He ached, squinting as he attempted to raise his hand to shield his eyes. Everything hurt, his muscles felt as if they were being torn apart by strain even at the slightest of movements but even after all of the pain he managed to sit up.
His teeth chattered as slowly climbed to his feet, attempting to get the gist of his surroundings. Before him he could see a thick layer of snow on the ground, some of the landscape underneath seemed rocky, some with dirt and scattered trees that seemed to grow needles instead of leaves.
Looking out, all he could find were mountains as far as the horizon stretched, peaks covered in white with sparse small valleys laced by rivers below. Anthony's eyes widened and his eyebrows furrowed as he finally took in the scenery before him, it was entirely foreign, he had no idea where he was. His breathing quickened as his arms raised, hands clasping his temples, scrunching his dark black hair.
You okay kid?, said a voice calmly.
Anthony's breathing suddenly stopped, startled by the voice before he began looking around, frantically searching for where the gruff masculine voice must have come from.
Woah! Woah! Settle down, take a deep breath. Trust me kid, no matter where you look you aren't gonna find me. The voice said to Anthony. Anthony could hear it clearly, almost too clearly. The voice didn't echo in an open mountain range, it didn't appear to come from a specific direction, in fact it felt like it was inside his head.
Anthony stumbled back as his eyes darted back and forth before he called back "How can I hear you? Where are you"
As for your first question, beats me. Your second, everywhere? I guess, maybe nowhere? I'm not exactly in the know on the details myself
"What does that mean?!" Anthony said, exasperated despite the voices seemingly calm even playful tone. "What are you!"
Well first and foremost, I'm a cool dude ⎯ the voice paused, as if waiting for a laugh ⎯ But, uh, as far as I can tell I'm a disembodied voice that's kind of like, one with you, in a way? I don't see through your eyes really but I do experience the world through you. I've only been conscious for a few years but I think I've been here the whole time but I haven't been able to actually talk to you until now. You should've heard me. I've just been shouting random things at you for years, it was kinda funny.
"What are you talking about," Anthony said, tired and overwhelmed by it's rambling, "I'm so confused, what is going on? Who are you? How are you here? Why are you here? How did we get here? Why are we here?"
Well that's a lot of questions, I don't have a lot of memories but I'm like ninety-nine percent sure my name is Nate, I think I might be connected to your magic because I know how to use it, but other than that I don't know how or why I'm here. As for how we got here, I think after the fight I left you with a mana overflow that honestly neither you or I could control, and the mana brought you someplace familiar.
"What do you mean familiar?" Anthony asked, scowling.
Like another place with the same mana? I think? That's where it brought us.
"Another place with the same mana?"
Have you not- I suppose you must not have that great of a mana sense yet. If you look behind you you'll see what I'm talking about.
"What are you-" Anthony couldn't complete his question as he was immediately taken aback by the astonishing sight. Built into the side of the mountain behind him, caked in snow and hidden by the wind, laid a magnificent temple.
The temple was built with marble with carefully carved glowing golden crystals adorning the edges of the entrance and two mosaics on either side. The Mosaics were also done in gold, seemingly depicting a swordsman in a cloak, kneeling as he planted his blade in the ground.
Opposing him was a woman laying on her side but with her torso propped up by an arm. She was shrouded in long flowing hair and a head that seemingly displayed long pointy horns. But the entrance itself was larger than any Anthony had seen before, maybe thrice his father's height and wide enough to fit an elephant but it was not filled in by any door.
Seemingly overtaken by curiosity Anthony began to slowly approach the temple. It looked ancient, yet peculiarly familiar, Anthony's neck craned back as he gazed towards the top of the entrance which towered over him. Despite his mouth remaining agape, his legs trudged forward in an almost trancelike state.
As he crossed the threshold into the temple it felt as if he passed through a mysterious energy. The atmosphere changed on the inside, almost drastically, Anthony's arms ceased to shiver and his teeth no longer chattered.
While it may have been warmer the interior was dark, full of shadows only lit from the outside. As Anthony's eyes slowly shifted their focus from one end of the temple to the other he could see the wear and tear, vine growth, and discoloration worn in every shaded corner and on the grand pillars beside him.
Yet ahead of Anthony stood something so prominent it seemed above a force so feeble as time. At Anthony's feet there were stairs leading up to a flat stage whose center stood a sword, blade embedded in the floor.
Anthony approached the sword but stopped as he glimpsed an inscription, chiseled into the wall behind it. Despite his schooling, Anthony could not read the strange characters lofted above the blade.
Here lies the Blade of the Great Dragon Khaos, placed here to rest after her death, to one day be discovered and wielded by the successors of her power.