When Good Loses Its Grip {Grishaverse Big Bang 2021}

Chapter 11

Leoni was worried. 

For the past one and a half weeks, Dimitri had been subdued. Over the year they'd gotten to know each other after defeating Calamity Volcra, Leoni thought that she and Dimitri had become much closer. She thought it had meant something, that maybe the gods had worked in her favour after all. But now, Dimitri was drifting away. He was becoming distant. 

Leoni felt hopeless. It was like Dimitri had reverted back to when she'd met him one-hundred years after the Calamity was over; unsure of himself, quiet, and with only a few memories of what had occurred. Now though, it was like Dimitri was burdened with some knowledge he seemed unwilling to share. 

The two trekked through the ruins. Here, green crystals glowed, and Leoni smiled softly, observing them. She stopped walking and snapped a picture of the crystals with her Sheikah slate. The princess wondered if the Zonai had used the crystals to power their tablets. 

As she took photos of the crystals and noted down the properties of them, Leoni was vaguely aware that Dimitri had moved further away from her to collect ingredients. She huffed to herself. She knew he hadn’t spoken much before the Calamity because of the burden placed on his shoulders as both Hyrule's champion and the Triforce of Courage, but it was like the Dimitri Leoni knew had been wiped, and now the Dimitri she was stuck with was a clean slate. Leoni didn't know what to feel except numbness. 

When the knight set up a place for lunch, Leoni knelt down beside him, notebook open on her lap. She didn't like how the silence had become uncomfortable lately, so she began talking hurriedly to fill it. 

"The crystals have some sort of liquid inside them that makes them glow. We can experiment on some in order to see if it's poisonous, or if it's safe. I'd rather it be safe than not - otherwise, we'd have no other resource for food and medicine, depending on the internal properties the crystals hold." 

"Mhm." Dimitri was looking at the cooking pot. Leoni watched him, tense. Please say something other than that, she silently begged. 

When the  princess received no other response, ● Leoni pursed her lips. "You're not telling me something," she declared. Dimitri looked up, and Leoni watched as the knight stared at her. "Maybe I'm not," Dimitri replied. Leoni's eyes narrowed. 

"Tell me. I need to know what you found." 

Dimitri's eyes widened. "How did you know about-" 

Leoni waved a dismissive hand. "I know because I'm very good at reading people," the princess spoke. She got to her feet. "What did you find?" 

It was Dimitri's turn to purse his lips. "The logger on the tablet. I know who it is." 

"Who?" Leoni asked. 

Dimitri opened his mouth to answer, but was interrupted by an inhuman screech. Leoni got to her feet, grabbing her bow as Dimitri unsheathed the Master Sword. The two stared around, Leoni audibly gulping when she heard hissing. She remembered the black serpents with white eyes and huge jaws that she and Dimitri had encountered, back in that cave with the book. 

"You know," Dimitri said as he moved forward towards the hissing, "maybe these monsters are trying to tell us something." 

"Yeah, telling us they want to eat us!" Leoni exclaimed. Dimitri was about to respond to Leoni's reply when she yelled, "LOOK OUT!" 

A serpent jumped out at Leoni, and she fired an arrow made of light. The light pierced the serpent, and it opened its mouth as it screamed in pain. Leoni's eyes widened as its jaw was revealed. "Oh Nayru," she whispered with wide eyes. 

"Leoni!" 

Dimitri pulled Leoni back and cut the serpent in half. It disappeared into black smoke, and Leoni shuddered.

"Thanks. Are there any more?" the princess asked, turning around. Dimitri nodded. 

"Only one...but I think I badly wounded it." 

"I'll finish it off," Leoni said. She summoned light in her hand and walked towards the monster. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dimitri grab the Zonai tablet and use it to scan for any signs of more monsters. 

Leoni approached the serpent as it writhed, silver blood spilling out of its tail. Leoni grimaced at the sight. She was pretty sure she wouldn't have to kill it - the monster was losing blood fast. 

Leoni knelt down beside the monster as it hissed in agony. Dimitri was right when he said the monsters were trying to tell us something. The monster looked up at her and spoke, its white eyes fixed on her form. "They will return…" the serpent hissed. 

"Who will?" Leoni leaned over and grabbed the serpent's fins. "Who will return?" she asked desperately. The monster's eyes rolled to the back of its head. 

"The last will...return…" 

"The last?" Leoni whispered. "What does that mean?" She shook the serpent. "What does that MEAN?" 

The serpent didn't answer, and Leoni sat back on her heels, breathing hard. She turned to look at Dimitri, who was staring at her, Master Sword still in his hand. 

"What did it say?" 

"It said…'the last will return.' Leoni got to her feet. "Do you know what that means?" 

Dimitri went quiet, as if he knew something Leoni didn't, and turned away, as if hiding from her, and put away his sword. 

"I have no idea."