The First, The Storm, The Halls
Descending from the sky was a deluge the likes of which had never been seen in the city as he walked. Water blanketed everything within its limits. Coupled with a dense fog that served to further shroud the area. When all was said and done, it would be a miracle to see anything that wasn’t the obnoxious, pandering neon lights of the signs businesses left and right set upon their buildings. Never before had the sky let down such miserable weather. And much to the dismay of he who walked these streets, it did not seem as though it would let up any time soon.
The fog moved with the wind, and it seemed almost to the walker as though it had made a path for him. Dense, intangible but opaque walls of grey coated two possible paths at an intersection. All that seemed to remain was the path ahead. It showed itself as the straight and narrow. Rapidly now the rain seemed to fall faster and harder. Larger drops, more frequent drops, as though it was pressuring the walker to move forward. He soon found that his walk had become something of a jog. Until he began running under the pressure of what he could only imagine were the tears of the heavens. Before he knew it, he had emerged into a full blown sprint.
It was then that he saw the place that would be his destination for the night. A building that was there as long as anyone could remember, the place known only as The Hollow Promise, lay before him. The Hollow Promise was a large manor, one that could’ve belonged to the richest of the rich. None knew how it got its name, only that it was indeed the name. Though many tried, none could ever find themselves able to enter its hallowed halls when the sun did not shine. Neither could the walker. He thought it best to turn around, forget this place, and seek refuge elsewhere.
And then the lightning struck. Piercing the dreary grays and muddled fog that blocked the way, a flash of white lighting seemed to bar the way he had come from. His overwhelming fear of the Hollow Promise now clashed with his fear of the heavens above. Was this a message of some sort? Was it his destiny to enter that cursed place that none could enter, and that none knew why? No, that would be foolish. He simply knew that his mind was playing tricks on him tonight.
Knowing better than foolish superstition, he took his first step in the direction away from the Hollow Promise. Lightning struck once more, seeming to warn him against continuing on the path he was on. Succeeding the lightning, the fog seeped into the path he had taken, and the rain once more spiked in pressure. Whether it be nature, the heavens, or something more, the walker had no doubt what he must do.
Like it or not, the walker would take his next steps beyond the metal gates, and into the ruined manor. He did just that. Upon his first steps inside, the water dripping from his very being marking the floor where he stood. Almost as though it was marking him as an outside presence. One who did not belong. One that should be hunted out just as quickly as he was forced in. The walker raised his hood, and removed the dark blue cloak he wore, revealing a dark silver armor, a black under suit, and most importantly, a horned mask covering a face of machinery.
The man-turned-machine, Nyran Altair, walked the halls aimlessly, looking for somewhere that would be suitable for rest. Then he felt it. Even in here, the realm where the outside world seemed completely foreign, the winds howled, kicking up storms as though he were still outside. When the wind cleared, he saw the face that should not have been there. The face shone like the brilliance of chrome, but missing from its smooth perfection was a crescent section, approximating the appearance of an eyeless jack o lantern given a large smile. This face, this form, was that of StormingKnightNyran, the first to appear within the enigmatic Hollow Promise.
The figure who mirrored Nyran said no words, only waving at him before the winds appeared again, absorbing him in their fierce gales. When they cleared, the Stormy Knight was gone, leaving Nyran alone. Or so it would seem…
