ORIGIN

Curiosity had drawn him all the way back to the tower in Orion. He wanted to know if his telescope had survived the elements - what few elements there were in this stagnant, sterile cave - or if some other Gembound had stumbled upon it and decided to dismantle it. He almost wished that he had gone back and retrieved the lens before disappearing into the deep innards of the cave. It was a useful gift, unexpected, and he doubted that if he found the creature that had bestowed it upon him it would have another. Then again, Bartos didn't understand many of the strange creatures that lived in the cave alongside the Gembounds. Like Senka, or the one that gave him the lens, Totum. They must have been Gembounds too - it was strange that they were nothing like them.

His tail habitually sat high above his rump, curled slightly at the tip, long hairs wispy in the subtle breeze as he walked. Deep cobalt eyes scanned the room, cautious for any sign of danger. It was out of instinct that he pricked his ears for the sound of hooves against the rock; his heart, still confused, couldn't know whether to leap with joy or sink with dread if he should ever hear the sound again. Even Astraea couldn't lull him back into comfort. No matter who belonged to the sound, he knew it would be important; Hasira, Clover, Astraea. He didn't know how he felt about it anymore.

The tower loomed up ahead, and Bartos quickened his pace to reach it, whiskers twitching as he sniffed the air. It was musty as ever. Even as the prospect of finding his telescope became fully realized, Bartos lacked verve for it. That feeling might change in the next few moments. It depended on whether or not the telescope, or the lens, was still actually there. He quickened his pace as he reached the tower and ascended the hazardous, rocky steps.

Taking his first step into the highest room of the tower, Bartos almost expected to see the telescope in shambles, or dismantled, the metal scraps strewn about and the lens shattered. But in fact, it was quite the opposite.

The telescope stood strong and tall, its metal legs having never even quavered; they were sloughed with a slow accumulating rust, but it seemed that was the worst of the damage, something that could quickly be reinforced and amended. The lens sat flawless in the rocky claws that had been formed around it, hoisting it up at the perfect angle to examine the distant crystals and their patterns in the high vaulted roof of Orion. Bartos paused at the entrance of the room, staring at the telescope, taken aback with how it seemed virtually untouched. With Hasira haunting the room, Bartos didn't expect the telescope to last long. But maybe the tower was outside of Hasira's attention. Was it even worth the effort to climb it and take it apart? Did he even know it was there?

Slowly, the cat walked towards the telescope and crouched in front of it, taking a peek through the lens for the first time in what felt like a hundred years.

It was positioned on one of the last constellations he and Quintus had looked at. Rrevalk. A shiver ran down the cat's spine and he slowly adjusted the telescope, pointing it in a different direction.

Orion, one of the two rooms inside Origin Cave he often frequented in. It was his second favorite place to be at, so many memories had been created in this place. To this day he continued to keep him in his mind; there was a time he would attempt to forget about him and everyone else to keep him from hurting but despite how much he wanted to stop the pain all the good times they had would continue to replay inside his head. "Bartos..." It angered him that he didn't even know the whereabouts of the one Gembound he called his best friend, what if he is dea- He would profusely shaking his mane in an attempt to cease thinking of such a grim thought but even then he continued to ponder. If you truly are dead, where are you now?

The memory of him asking Bartos a very similar question during the funeral would flood inside his head, and the anger in his heart would only grow as he began to remember the answer the cat had given him. Lonely? Are you lonely my friend? As expected no answer would be given to his question, all he could do was stand there and hope that his best friend was alright and in a better place if there was such a thing. As he continued to think back on that day, he would slowly start remembering what Bartos had said after that, "Maybe it is liberating after all," a sad laugh would follow after the words. He could not help but think it naive and foolish despite the short lived feeling of hope that now flared inside of him, I hope it is for everyone's sake.

As usual it felt strange being here even now that Hasira no longer lived to dictate what happened in the room of stars, usually when he would see the fake stars sitting up on the ceiling of the room he felt happy but right now he couldn't even tell how he felt. Upon viewing the tower looming up ahead, the Gembound would being recalling how he had met his best friend and the need to climb the tower once again gripped him. Every time he would come to Orion, Quintus would climb the tower and reach the very top just to look at the 'stars' through the telescope he and Bartos had built, it was how he kept the memory of is best friend alive.

Eventually reaching the destined location, he would quickly ascend the various hazardous steps of the tower. With all the times he had climbed them, he was confident that he wouldn't miss a step and fall, then again perhaps that's what he was trying to do, maybe then I can see all of you again. It seemed that fate had something else in store for the suicidal Gembound for he would reach the very top of the tower only to see quite the familiar image. Quintus's temper would work quicker than his recognition memory, and a guttural snarl would break the once peaceful silence in the room, "Don't touch that!"

It was then that he had realized just who was standing in front of him, no way, he refused to get his hopes up, to believe. He had seen things like this before, this cursed cave had a way of kicking someone when down but he had made it his mission not to fall for it's cruel tricks again. Uncertainty and fear clouded his thoughts and despite how much he would warn himself to turn around and run the other way he would continue looking at the frame of none other than his best friend,

"B-Bartos?"