Chapter 58.4

Soon enough, Tadhgán was dressed and ready to head back outside. Nick let him keep the same jacket he’d been wearing, instead grabbing a backup for himself, and then the two men left the apartment. Another look at the sky revealed they had a bit of daylight left, but Nick wasn’t sure what to do with that time.“Say, Nicholas,” Tadhgán said. “You said you were studying architecture, and that you want to design buildings. Do you have a favorite place on campus? I’ll bet you know of all the best spots if you’re here to study that kind of thing.”

Nick nearly tripped over himself in excitement. Not only was he thoroughly enjoying his time with Tadhgán, but now he was being asked to gush about his favorite building?

“I know just the place!” Nick said eagerly.

Ten minutes later, after walking at perhaps a faster pace than was needed, they arrived at the Arts Campus. “Alright, so, the reason I chose to come to Aurelius University is that the entire campus is an anachronism. The design of the campus, and many of its buildings, doesn’t really match up with the surrounding area. Much of the area was built using materials that don’t naturally occur here, and there are design sensibilities that also seem quite out of place.”

“Why do you think that is?” Tadhgán asked.

“Well, no one really knows. The official explanation is that the founders of the school simply wanted to be unique, but I think it’s more complicated than that. We learned recently that this campus was actually built because of this area’s natural overlap with other planes, and I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some kind of magical reason why things were designed this way.”

“You think the materials came from other planes?”

“It’s impossible to say, really. Even if they did, some of the design choices match up with architecture styles from other places in our world, which implies humans were responsible for everything. Anyways, the absolute pinnacle of all this is right here.” Nick slowly came to a stop, and a massive smile appeared as he looked up at the magnificent arches of the building in front of him. “This is the D’Ambray Chapel.”

Tadhgán whistled as he mirrored Nick’s action. “I see what you mean. It’s beautiful, but even I can tell it’s quite different from everything else around here.”

“Trust me, you haven’t seen the half of it!” Nick grabbed Tadhgán’s hand and pulled him towards the impressive double doors that made up the main entrance. “The entire building is, as far as I can tell, authentically gothic, a style that typically isn’t seen in this part of the world. Do you see the design work around the windows? That pointed arch style is present in nearly every aspect of this cathedral.”

Pushing open the doors, Nick walked into the chapel as he continued talking. “Originally, it was built for religious purposes, but nowadays it mainly serves as a performance space for musicians. If you look at the ceiling, that arch pattern is repeated in here, which gives the main hall a brilliant reverberation that sounds incredible.”

As Nick finished speaking, echoes of his voice bounced around the cathedral for a brief moment before vanishing.

“Wow, look at that,” Tadhgán muttered.

Walking forward, Nick guided Tadhgán through the many rows of pews that lined the floor, leading him to the small, raised platform in the back of the chapel. “The original podium was built into the floor, but when the chapel officially became part of the University, they removed it. There’s now a portable podium in back that they’ll sometimes use for performances, and on the rare occasions church services are actually held here.”

After Nick jumped onto the stage, he held a hand out towards Tadhgán and helped him up as well, knowing his leg was still a bit wobbly from his fall. Once on the main stage, Tadhgán turned and looked over the seating in the Chapel.

“Hello!” he called out, smiling as his voice bounced around the walls. After his initial test faded, he took another deep breath and, surprisingly, started to sing.

Nick hadn’t expected this in the slightest. He’d just been trying to show off his favorite building, and he loved the way the acoustics of the Chapel helped to reinforce his point that the entire place was remarkably well made. While he understood that this was primarily a space for performance, he rarely experienced it being used that way, other than the handful of times a friend of his—normally Vee—performed here.

Tadhgán sang with a voice as clear as crystal. His decadent Irish accent gave his words a charming, rhythmic lilt which he accented by occasionally patting his leg. As best Nick could tell, the song appeared to be a folk tune from The Wilds. Words that danced from Tadhgán’s mouth referenced forests and streams, wind and rain, friendly beasts and dangerous creatures, all thriving in a delicate balance under the light of the guiding moons. Nick gathered there were three moons in total, that they all represented different facets of belief, and that their light was pale lavender as opposed to the cold silvery-blue of Earth.

The longer the song continued, the more entranced Nick became. Images of The Wilds formed in his head, so vivid it was as if Tadhgán’s song were magically sharing his memories. He grew so enraptured that, when Tadhgán finally finished his song, it took Nick several minutes to snap back to his senses.

His eyes lingered on Tadhgán, on how well Nick’s clothes appeared to fit him, on how effortlessly his voice filled the Chapel. His gaze wandered from Tadhgán’s sort dark hair to his delicate jawline, to his deep, brown eyes that—

“You alright there, Nicholas?” Tadhgán asked.

Shaking himself back to his senses, Nick pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning against. “S-sorry, that was… you have a beautiful singing voice. I guess I got a little lost in your song. You sure there’s no magic in your words?”

“I can’t sing up a picture of us, if that’s what you mean,” Tadhgán said with a chuckle.

“Fair point,” Nick said. “Hey, I haven’t even shown you the best part of this Chapel yet!” Beckoning Tadhgán closer, Nick led him to a small door near the front of the building. This door, much like the impressive double doors at the entrance, was made with rich dark wood and thick iron banding, and students weren’t allowed inside. However, Nick had long ago figured out the trick to opening the door, and it only took a moment to push it open.

“Where are we heading?”

“If you remember our view from the outside, this chapel has a spire that doubles as a bell tower, and this is how we gain access to that.” The room they walked into was incredibly cramped, containing little but a small wooden landing that gave way to a narrow staircase. This wooden frame spiraled higher and higher, eventually leading to the massive bell that hung at the top of the tower.

Small gears and other pieces of ticking clockwork surrounded them as they climbed. The face of the chapel, in addition to its massive entrance and gorgeous stonework, also had a large clock that helpfully chimed at every hour. Although Nick knew far less about timepieces than he did about architecture, he always appreciated how elegantly the clockwork had been integrated into the larger building. Not only had they managed to keep the original staircase mostly intact, but the surrounding brickwork as well.

The top of the staircase didn’t lead directly to the bell tower. Instead, Nick and Tadhgán needed to climb a small ladder before exiting a trap door built into the floor. Nick made sure to open the door carefully, and a burst of cold air raced into the staircase as he did. As the two of them exited the trapdoor, they found themselves near the back of the landing, which itself was roughly thirty feet across.

Six stone pillars sat at each point of the hexagonal landing, while intricate stonework railings roughly three feet high stretched between them. The pillars angled towards each other as they supported the top of the tower above them. In the middle of the pointed roof, no more than ten feet above them, hung a massive bell and its accompanying frame work. No ropes of any kind were suspended from this bell, and the stone floor that had originally been built now existed beneath a thin, secondary wood floor that served to cover up several small gaps in the stonework.

“Here it is: the top of the bell tower,” Nick said as he closed the trap door. “My favorite place on campus.”

Tadhgán walked over to the edge of one of the stone railings, looking out over campus with starstruck eyes. “Nicholas, this is incredible. I can practically see the entire campus, not to mention that glorious sunset. I can’t remember the last time I’ve had a view like this.”

Joining him at the edge of the tower, the two men leaned against each other as they appreciated the view. The sun was barely visible at this point, having almost completely vanished behind the horizon, but its influence had yet to fade. Countless lines of orange, purple, and pink stretched across the sky, staining the clouds with the last gasps of the sun’s brilliance. Behind them, the deep purple of night had already appeared, and it was only a matter of minutes before the light vanished completely.

Another gust of wind appeared, surrounding the chapel and ruffling both Nick and Tadhgán’s hair. It stuck around for longer than Nick expected, and he even saw the clouds above them shifting as they waited. His gaze, however, drifted away from the clouds and over to Tadhgán’s face. He caught himself staring yet again, and it took all his strength to tear his eyes away lest he risk making Tadhgán uncomfortable.

Nick looked down, examining his hands as they gently gripped the stone railing in front of them. The cold stonework felt surprisingly nice; crisp and refreshing compared to the stuffy air that had surrounded them in the staircase earlier.

His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden loud gong. The clockwork underneath them whirred to life, ringing out a reminder of the time for everyone on campus. As Nick appreciated the pleasant tones of the bells, Tadhgán seemed confused by something. He turned around, looking up at the massive bell above them, then down to the floor.

“Nicholas,” he started, “I’m confused. I hear the sounds of bells, yet the largest bell above us seems to be completely inert. Is this yet another piece of magic-that’s-not-magic?”

With a quiet chuckle, Nick turned around as well. “No, there’s a massive collection of bells and chimes inside the tower underneath us, and that’s what we’re currently hearing. The bell above us was the original bell of the Chapel, and you can even see slots in the floor which previously accommodated the ropes needed to ring it. However, ages ago, probably at least a hundred years back, the bell started losing its integrity. I don’t remember the full story—I think it was a combination of corrosion and a series of micro-fractures—but there was enough damage that they decided to retire the bell. The infrastructure that rings the bell still exists, mostly because removing it would cost too much money, and there’s no real reason to.”

“That’s a shame,” Tadhgán muttered. “Such a beautiful bell, fated to never ring again.”

“Nothing lasts forever, right?” Nick said, turning back towards the horizon. “Take this sunset. It’s beautiful, but the very thing that makes it so is its fleeting nature.”

Tadhgán turned around as well, both men leaning against the railing again as the last rays of the sun began to fade away. In less than a minute, a thick blanket of night eclipsed the sky, and the clouds now filled with the light of the moon instead of the dull embers of the fading sun. “Aye. We don’t get views like that where I’m from, but we’ve other things that are just as beautiful. Maybe I can take you there some day, show you around. I’d love to explain what we consider magic,” he added with a laugh.

Nick laughed as well. He stole another glance up at Tadhgán, and for some reason, a conversation from last week popped into his head.

His face flushed with warmth as he recalled Tessa’s words, and his next look at Tadhgán held much more purpose than his previous one.

“You know, Tadhgán…” Nick mumbled, trying to find the words. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this nervous about talking to someone. “I have to admit, today was a lot of fun. I know it sucks that you got pulled away from your home, but I’m really glad I met you. You’re kind, and sweet, and I feel like I can be myself around you in ways I sometimes struggle with. I don’t suppose you’d, um…”

“Look, what I’m trying to say is that I’m attracted to you,” Nick blurted out, nervous to look at Tadhgán before he finished his thought. He even reached out for Tadhgán’s hand, squeezing it gently to stress his feelings. “I’m wondering if you might feel similarly. And if not, that’s totally okay!”

Silence.

Nick grew nervous, wondering what Tadhgán might be thinking, and he looked up into his new friend’s dark, beautiful eyes. Instead of looking at Nick, they were locked on the sky. The clouds parted, and thick beams of moonlight drifted down across Tadhgán’s face, making him look even more ethereal as they landed. Nick continued holding Tadhgán’s hand, but in that moment, he noticed that Tadhgán’s grip was unusually tense. In fact, it seemed like he was holding onto the railing for dear life.

Tadhgán’s eyes went wide, and he pulled away from Nick as he attempted to pull his jacket open. “No, no, NO!” he muttered furiously.

A sharp pain shot through Nick’s chest. “Tadhgán, hey, it’s okay. I didn’t mean anything by it, I was just curious. I didn’t mean to upset you!”

His words fell on deaf ears. Within seconds, Tadhgán had torn off Nick’s jacket, and he now fiddled with the small circles Nick had previously seen hanging from his neck. As he watched, Tadhgán returned to the railing and held them up before closing one eye.

It almost seemed like he was measuring the size of the moon.

“Nicholas,” Tadhgán muttered, his voice deadly serious. “RUN!”

“What? Why on Earth would I—” Tadhgán suddenly seized. His body fell to the ground, shaking and convulsing as he tried to crawl away, and Nick ran to his side in a panic. “Tadhgán, what’s happening?!”

“GET AWAY!!” Tadhgán shouted. His voice no longer held its peaceful Irish cadence. It was now painfully aggressive, almost as if he were growling.

A terrible splitting sound filled Nick’s ears, and when he looked at Tadhgán again, he saw his clothes had ripped at the seams. Horrible, resonant cracking followed next, and at first Nick didn’t understand what he was hearing, but when the sounds returned, he pieced it together.

It was the sound of bones snapping and breaking.

Tadhgán’s arms and back were reshaping themselves, growing at unnatural speeds and accelerating with each painful seizure. The clothes on his body ripped even further, beginning to fall away entirely, and Nick watched in horror as thick, gray fur sprang up in their place. Tadhgán slammed his palm to the floor to attempt to steady himself, and Nick saw his hand had warped just as much. It was now twice its normal size, covered with the same gray fur as his back, and powerfully thick claws had grown to replace his nails.

In a panic, Nick pulled out his phone. Opening the group chat as fast as he could, he began typing a short message, desperately hoping Amara was paying attention. As he typed, he caught one last glimpse of Tadhgán’s face.

His eyes, previously a peaceful shade of dark brown, now held a sinister dull orange glow. His face elongated, snapping and breaking in a hundred tiny ways, and thick fangs replaced his previously humanoid teeth. His hair transformed into a massive gray mane, then the coloration shifted to match the light of the moon. His ears grew taller, sprouting fur as well, before they twitched in Nick’s direction. Tadhgán snarled, his panicked voice soon giving way to a horrifying growl, and he turned to look at Nick.