Story Seed - What Lay Within

Image Source: http://4dpaul.deviantart.com/art/Crystal-egg-round-mist-fire-196187086

This Story Seed follows up directly from Unexpected Find.

Lorugan and I basked in the golden light for a while, I think we both lost track of time. Occasionally he would utter "wow" but otherwise there was just quiet and the sound of wind outside. Quite until I heard something, a tiny voice, calling out to us.

"Hey," I said, "snap out of it." Lorugan shook his head, looking confused. "Do you hear that?" I asked, "That little voice?" He shook his head. I listened, shushing him as he tried to ask what I had heard ... it was coming through the golden barrier through the astral. No wonder he couldn't hear it.

"Wait here. I don't think we can take it down, but ..." I looked up at him, "you're not going to like this, but I think I can go beyond it in the astral."

"Like hell," he snapped.

"What could possibly be of danger beyond a barrier like this?" I asked, stumping him into sullen silence. "Thought so, I'll be back soon." I settled my rucksack and then faded, merging completely into the astral.

"Be careful," I heard him say dimly.

In the astral the voice was much louder, stronger, and very clearly coming from the chamber beyond. The barrier here was not solid, but still glowed with a clean and healthy light that was as warm as I had ever been in my whole life. If grandmother had been able to play entire days in sunlight like this I could see why she and other old folks wept for the lost world before the war.

The old stones were alive with power here, with even the most worn of the old sigils blazing with power. The room beyond was bright with the golden light and stepping into it made me feel uncomfortably hot, and yet it felt good, revitalizing. It took my eyes a moment to adjust to the brightness, and I was still left squinting. This room had probably once been an armory, or storage, I saw no other exits, and the walls were lined with empty shelving.

The center of the room was far from empty. A large egg, nearly a pace and a half tall, took up a large portion of the room. It was broken, a section missing, but still it radiated power and warmth. It wasn't the source, but it was saturated with the same light. On the floor curled up among the shards of its egg was the source of the warmth and light, a celestial child. It looked up at me and asked for help.

Suddenly the warding stone seemed like a paltry trinket.