Of Love and Death.

The Past Chapter 14: Party Time! Pt. 2

Fire was pretty sure that everyone was watching him carefully. By everyone, he meant the other Nexus Force's and Light. "Are you sure everythings going to be okay with Cold?" Sky asked tentatively. So, yes, everyone was watching him carefully. Because they did not trust him to control his temper. Which may have been valid. He was having a hard time keeping his heart from beating faster and faster.

In a few moments, Fire was going to come face to face with Cold. For this first time since learning what she did to Mind. And he was going to have to be civil about it too. Find a way to not leap for her throat. Because he'd been strictly told that he was not allowed to have another fight with his sister. And he intended not to. Violence wouldn't solve anything. At least, that's what Fire had been chanting to himself since he got to the entrance to the Orb.

There were a lot of places to enter the glowing ball of light that Fire lived in. But most were small hatches or doors. Not suitable for hundreds of shadows to all enter. So, here he was. Standing with his comrades in the middle of the walkway to the Marketplace. Hoping that the remaining rubble and wreckage was less obvious than he knew it was.

Giving Sky a smile, Fire tried to sound confident. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he reassured. But he wasn't sure whether or not he was lying through his teeth. It looked like Water was about to say something, but then Light stiffened up. The draconic sun puffed out his chest and tried to hold his gaze steady. It...looked ridiculous. But Fire wasn't going to say that now.

Because the shadows were here.

The black-eyed forces blended in with the largely dark sky. Even those that were a bit more colorful just looked like tiny stars. But, it was undeniably them. Fire felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. As much as Mind hand proved to him that the shadows were good, there was still something about this. Something about seeing a horde of people he'd learned were his enemies about to land on his front door. He was ashamed of it, and tried to force the feeling down. But his nerves were still on high alert.

With a resounding thud, Dark landed right in front of the five of them. There was something strange about seeing the other dragon here. Dark was made of nothing but darkness. Inky black that seemed to suck in your soul. The shadow was the opposite of the gleaming white around him. It was worse than sticking out like a sore thumb. It felt unnatural to see something so dark against all of the light.

"Dark," Light declared.

"Light," Dark answered.

Both leaders had spoken so calmly. So cooly. Their words had been even and measured as the two brothers greeted each other. It gave Fire hope. They were being diplomatic. Hopefully the other shadows and suns would follow the dragons' leads. But then everything about Light and Dark left Fire's thoughts, replaced with a combination of fury, hurt, and maybe fear.

All four of the shadow's Nexus Forces had landed. Two on either side of Dark, mirroring the suns. Three of them had outfits that Fire had a sneaking suspicion Fashion had made. They'd probably slipped costumes for the shadows to Sight when Mind sent one of his letters. But, interestingly, the one who wasn't extraordinarily dressed up was Cold. Fashion hadn't betrayed a certain shadow.

But Fire wasn't really worried about that just yet. He could see it. He could see it on his sister's face. The maliciousness and the hate. The want for power and control that he'd always known was there. What he'd first seen when she'd lept at him in the chaos of the early universe.

Now it seemed worse. Cold seemed to be lashing with some form of fury that she was keeping tramped down. Fire really wanted to mention that. To let her know that he knew she was a monster. But that would start a fight. Which said he wouldn't do. But he was still staring his sister down. Still watching, making sure that Cold wouldn't step out of line. Because she had to have guessed where Mind had gone by now. Either that, or she thought the shadow was dead.