ORIGIN

Attikias hooked his thumbs behind the straps of his backpack like it was a pair of suspenders. He'd come prepared- a little over-prepared, maybe, but he didn't know what a Trial entailed. It... Unlocked, something of your's? What did it test? Attikias had some sort of combat in mind, not entirely certain about the specifics of it. Was it like Hydra..?

In any case, he tightened his armor as he continued around Polaris, standing tall as he looked for-- a door? Some part of his memory recalled it, about it being opened with magic? But, what if he didn't do magic? So, he'd put off actually taking some Trial, uncertain if he'd need to know magic for it.

But, this would be fine. He wanted to talk to- who was it, Emuh?- anyways, and he was already fiddling with his bracer again, worrying. Would he have to cast spells? He wasn't good at spells. He could make something (he should have made something) but maybe it was like the Collector- not a show and tell, and rather a request.

In truth, he didn't know much about Trials. But, as he stopped before the door, Attikias hesitated. He wanted to learn, but with how little magic he actually used, it set a dread in his heart. What would Emuh ask him to do? He couldn't reliably cast for them. He just wanted to get it over with, really, and he could feel his hands clasping together as he paced a little.

"Emuh?" It took a little bit to work up the nerve, calling out into Polaris proper for the being.

Attikias was... uncertain. He didn't like the utter dark of the corridor, and as he called into it, he frowned.

He'd twisted around to get the torch he'd made from his backpack as Emuh noticed him, not seeing the eyes until Emuh was on him in moments- and he winced at the wind, startled. His head whipped around, pack open, torch in hand and he let out a small noise, stepping back. The immediate crowding was intense, and he held the torch between them, longways in half-defense.

But, he paused as Emuh looked over him. Well, this was Emuh. "I-- don't need a coat. I'm Attikias, and I wanted to take a trial." He cleared his throat before fixing his stance, standing up taller and holding up the torch. "I make things. I figure- I don't know what a Trial entails, but if it-- makes you better?-- I'll take it."

For emphasis, he opened the vent of the torch and pointed it to the ground, his other hand pointing down to it. Magic had begun to unconsciously flair, and golden bracers slowly curled around his existing ones, a halo of feathers raising from his pack. Defensive instinct, maybe?

Attikias blinked hard for a second, trying to gauge Emuh- was this-- did he need magic? His jaw set as he grit his teeth, shutting the torch off and hooking it back to his belt.

But, perhaps it would make him better. Standing a little straighter after his concerning glance, his hand followed Emuh's wing- it moved much like Attikias's hands did, when he was into a conversation, and yet. Yet, there was something about the bird, something that, as they spoke, a rising sense of unease came into Attikias.

And then, he was gone. Attikias took a hesitant step forward to follow, but he was gone, and-

Attikias squeezed his eyes shut, feeling as though he were stumbling in place and yet not moving at all. The Trial was beginning. Giving it a moment, Attikias flashed his eyes open when the bright light hit his eyelids, and he gave himself a moment to adjust. Blinking hard, he took in the room, kneeling down- crystal? His eyebrows furrowed as one hand ran over the surface, before he raised it up to the wall. An opening, it looked like, and briefly he reached his hand through to feel for it. Something needed to go there- he needed to place it there?

Standing, Attikias took a small step back, looking below him. It was... intricate, and Attikias's eyes went wide as he traced the myriad of walls. 'There's no way I'd make it through all that,' he figured in his mind, trying to trace pathways through. He'd get lost, certainly. How did he-

He raised his head when he noticed the alien being. 'Oh.' His heart dropped. 'Oh, no...' Was this being alive, trapped in here, damaged for his Trial? Or was it fake, an illusion of magic warped in by Emuh's will? Either way, Attikias took gentle steps forward, his weight light on his feet as he approached, hands out to show that he meant no harm. Of course, he couldn't even harm them up here- they had the floor (or, their ceiling?) between them.

Instead, he resorted to talking. "Hey," he uttered out, his voice low as he knelt on the crystal. A gleam, and from this angle, he could see-- something. Did he need that, for the Trial? Was that the goal of this..?

Waiting for a moment, calculating what he needed to say, Attikias watched. They were hurt. That much was clear- and they were wallowing. Which- that may be fine, with here to... What, comfort them? Steeling himself before taking on the warmest expression he could, Attikias pressed one hand down on the barrier and smiled warmly to the strange being. "Hey, hey there," he cooed, "it's alright. I'm here," he promised. A gentle tapping of his fingers, and he waited for the being to look at him to continue- or, if not, he'd keep going anyways after a few moments.

"My name's Attikias. We'll get through this, okay? I think I know a way for me to help, but you're going to have to move-- can you do that?" Despite the warmth of his voice, there was a fear in the back of his mind- even if he'd comforted many beings before, this was-- different. What could he do, if they only went further into despair? "It will hurt, but I promise you I'll make it better. There's an opening-" and he pointed behind himself, towards the barrier with the slot. "And there should be a way up. You'll have to listen to me to get out, okay?"

Attikias nodded down to them, leaning down further as he planted his hands on the floor. They were getting there, and he smiled and nodded encouragingly more down as they stood. "I promise. It will hurt, but I know what it's like- you'll have to hurt more to get rid of it, okay?"

He shook his head. "Don't think about the bad, okay? Think about the future, about how you're going to get out of this, about the good parts. I'm here- I'll help, every step of the way, okay?" He glanced back, looking over the maze- it was... expansive, and he traced outlines, blocking out ineffective paths in his mind.

He looked back down at their other words. "Go this way, I think. I'll go slow- can you follow me?" Kneeling back up, he watched- they said something, and while he didn't hear, the tone wrenched his heart out. He frowned, briefly- they had to get out of here. "You're doing very good," he injected in an encouragement, peering down and nodding.

Steeling himself, Attikias stood and turned, looking out over the maze. He'd have to lead them through this, past all the traps, past everything to the end. A path was starting to form, but was it the right one? "Take a right here," he said as he stood over an intersection, pointing to the tunnel.

Throughout all this, he tried, so hard, to project an air of confidence. He had to know what he was doing. The being didn't, and he had to be there for them- he had to.

He'd wait, ever present, watching and giving time to look through roads. "You're doing good," he kept on, trying to smile down to the stranger. They were getting into the rhythm, and he kept on, looking ahead and peering past a wall they could not.

When he glanced back, they had trailed behind further than he'd realized. "Are you okay?" He asked, gently, before- what's what? Attikias's head tilted, and he focused, listening.

It sent a curl down his spine.

"There's not much farther to go. If there's something I can see it from here, and I'll tell you where it is, okay?" He knelt for a moment before knocking on the barrier, offering his warmest face down to the being.

"We're almost there. I believe in you- you've made it this far, okay? We'll get through this."