Submission (#8113) Approved

Roaring thunder echoed through the sky like mountains colliding in the distance. Lightning split the dark sky, illuminating the dense forest in blinding flashes.
“We should find shelter quickly,” Harun said gently, but alarmed, his voice calm even through the chaos of rain and wind.
Jirai was already running a few steps ahead of him, soaked but undeterred.
The kittom turned back with an eager flick of his tail. “I told you this way looked promising!”

The storm had ambushed them mid-journey; what began as a pleasant foraging trip had turned into a frantic dash for safety. The sky had opened up with such sudden violence that it felt less like they were caught in a storm and more like they were being chased by it.

“Over there!” Jirai suddenly called out, pausing just ahead. His big eyes almost glowed in the dim forest, uncaring about the rain. Harun caught up to him and followed the direction of his outstretched paw.

Through the twisted trees and sheets of rain, a tall ruin emerged from the forest gloom. A long abandoned castle, wrapped in ivy and shadows. Thunder rumbled again, but here, before this looming structure, it felt quieter. The very air around it seemed still.

“Are you sure about this?” Harun asked softly, his eyes narrowing slightly as he scanned the silhouette. Something about the castle was off. Still... they were running out of options.

“Beats being out here.” Jirai grinned and didn’t share Haruns concerns, before heading towards the castle, looking for an entry, paws kicking up muddy splashes. “Besides, it’s an adventure! We can explore!”

Harun gave a long, quiet sigh, brushing his soaked braid over his shoulder and following with careful steps. Whatever was waiting ahead of them was probably better than trying to spend the thunderstorm out in the forest.

The overgrown grounds of the castle weren’t easy to cross, but Harun soon spotted a shattered window tucked behind a crumbling archway. With some effort, the two of them squeezed through, just as the thunderstorm was right above them.

Inside, the world was muffled. Harun lowered his ears and carefully looked around. They had landed on thick, lush carpet, which dampened their steps as they further explored the old castle. The silence was unsettling; the broad stone walls swallowed every sound from the outside world. It was darker inside than Harun would’ve thought but the windows and everything else around them was covered in a dense layer of dust. The odd stray dried leaves were scattered on the floor here and there, indicating more hidden entries to the castle somewhere. 

“It’s… quiet,” Jirai whispered, not in fear, but in awe.

Harun nodded. “Feels like the castle’s holding its breath.”

Though every surface was dusty and draped in cobwebs, the castle’s structure remained mostly intact. Faded paintings hung on crooked walls, and timeworn tapestries stirred in the occasional draft. The roof, surprisingly solid, offered much needed shelter.

“This will do for the night,” Harun murmured, shaking rainwater from his fur.

Jirai was already ahead of him, roaming through a corridor. “Come on! Let’s see what’s in here!”

The two of them explored carefully, calling out softly if they separated by more than a room. Though abandoned, the castle still held traces of its old grandeur - crumbling chandeliers, cracked stone statues, and furniture that had only begun to rot. At the end of a long hallway, Jirai pushed open an intricately carved wooden door.

“Whoa... Harun, come look!”

The room they entered was vast and silent. Along every wall were glass cabinets, each filled with pristine crowns. Paintings hung above them, grand portraits of unknown elnins wearing the same regal headpieces that now laid behind the glass.There they were, each and every one of them sitting on individual pristine cushions in the cabinets - dozens of crowns, an exquisite display of diadems, each a masterpiece of traditional craftsmanship, created by the hands of master metalsmiths and somehow still untouched by the centuries that had passed.

Harun stood at the entrance of the grand hall, taking it all in for a moment. The air was cool and filled with the faint, earthy scent of moss and stone and something he couldn’t put his paw on. “These are incredible…” he whispered. “How odd, leaving something like this behind…” 

Jirai was already running from one display to another, tail flicking with excitement. “Look at this one! And this one! Oh - this one has tiny dragons!”

Harun smiled softly as he came closer, eyes tracing the delicate arc of a golden circlet etched with vines and embedded with emeralds. “It looks like something the forest creatures would wear,” he murmured.

“I bet you'd look amazing in it,” Jirai said offhandedly, lighting a nearby wall torch he had somehow found. “Hold on, this place needs some mood lighting!”

Before Harun could ask where he’d gotten it, Jirai scampered around the room, lighting the sconces one by one. Soon, the grand hall glowed with flickering torchlight, and the diadems sparkled like stars. When he was done, Jirai plopped down beside Harun and gave him a proud grin.

“There,” he said. “Now it feels like a treasure hall.”

Harun chuckled gently. “You did well.”

Together, they wandered the room. Harun admired a heavy silver crown adorned with sapphires, marveling at how the interwoven metal looked soft and flowing despite its weight. “This one… it almost feels alive,” he murmured.

Jirai darted to another display and gasped. “Oh! This one looks like it belongs to a fire prince!” He pointed to a red and gold diadem set with blazing rubies and a central crystal shaped like a sunburst.

“You’d like that one,” Harun said, amused. “Bold, bright… a little dramatic.”

Jirai puffed up. “Hey! It’s got character! You don’t think I’d rock that crown?”

Haruns warm gaze lingered on him. “You’d shine in any crown, little star.”

Jirai turned away with a tiny “hmph,” but the swish of his tail betrayed how pleased he was.

[...]

The hours passed in no time. While Jirai moved on to admire the paintings - giving each figure his own wild backstory - Harun remained among the crowns, quietly captivated. The craftsmanship, the preservation, the sheer beauty of these forgotten pieces… it stirred something melancholic in him.

One diadem in particular held his gaze; a platinum crown glittering with every gemstone imaginable. Rubies, diamonds, emeralds, sapphires, and amethysts shimmered in perfect harmony. It looked less like jewelry and more like the colorful night sky in Silveil.

It made Harun’s heart ache. “Why would someone leave all this behind…?”
He whispered the question to no one, not even expecting an answer.

[...]

Later that evening, they made a small camp in the adjoining room, where an old fireplace still stood sturdy. With dried wood gathered from inside the castle and some clever torchwork, Jirai got a fire going. The warmth was immediate and comforting.
They built a nest of blankets and forgotten pillows. Harun lay curled around Jirai, his long braid falling over his shoulder as he watched the flames flicker in the dark.

Jirai read aloud from a crumbling old book he’d found, his voice lively as ever. Harun rested his head on the kittom’s back, occasionally humming in response, his thoughts drifting back to the crowns, to the silence of the ruin, and to how even in forgotten places, beauty endured.

As the storm raged outside, within the castle, all was calm.

And in the morning, Harun knew they would talk again - about the crowns, about what should be done, and about the strange magic of lost things waiting to be seen once more.