Sky: The Travels of Nirabata

[7] USHERING STARGAZER

    Calesti felt her heart tighten a little as she discovered that Isle of Dawn was shrouded in mist. There was no pretty, green landscape welcoming her. She still remembered the helplessness she felt when the chaos started and she just couldn't do anything to stop it. Her duty was to go back to the temple and be safe, while everyone else died.

    Calesti had to admit that back then she felt deeply resentful of herself, however, she now knew that her very survival had been for its purpose, as Nirabata was proof of that. If a child of the Light remained alive, it meant there was still hope.

    "There was a story on some walls." Nirabata mentioned, as he walked next to the elder. He hadn't been too curious about it, but now that he had someone to talk to, he might be able to get answers. "Do you know... what happened...?"

    Calesti stopped when she knew that she was at the edge of the islet where the temple was located. If she concentrated a little, she could imagine the old look of Isle of Dawn. Despite the time, the memory of it was still fresh in her mind.

    "I remember, but...there's not much I can say," she said with a sigh. "I was petrified with the hope that someone would survive so that I could do my job."

    "Job?"

    Calesti smiled. She still found it curious not to hear a call coming from Nirabata when he said something. She continually had to turn to him to read his words.

    "How would you like to see Isle of Dawn without all this fog?" she said instead, not wanting to burden the little boy with too much information, at least not yet.

    Nirabata nodded and looked curiously at the woman.

    "You must have awakened at least one spirit. Two more to go."

    "Yes, the man who made candles."

    "Alright. There's still one more down there."

    Nirabata followed her gaze in the direction Calesti was pointing, however, there was nothing to see.

    "How am I supposed to get back there?"

    "Flying."

    Nirabata remembered the wind that had pushed him towards the temple. He knew he was on high ground, so if he jumped, the wind would probably give him the lift he needed.

    "Just be confident." Calesti said with a brief nod to the little boy.

    Nirabata didn't give it much thought and simply jumped, extending his arms and holding his cloak open, discovering that it allowed him to maneuver while he flew; he felt excited, as if flying was something he had wanted from the first moment he began his existence, however, the taste did not last long. The wind suddenly blew him down. Nirabata jerked his arms around trying to take control again before landing hard on the sand. He was beginning to think that he would have to get used to those falls.

    When he tried to get up, he realized that he was on the edge of a...cliff? And below, several meters away, there was a bright blue light that must have belonged to the other spirit.

    Nirabata dropped down again, but this time he only glided a bit thanks to his cloak and landed near the spirit. He did not delay in invoking the flame within himself and bringing it closer to the rock in the form of a person, which lit up and released the spirit.

    It was a woman with a ponytail who began to walk next to a man, both seemed to be talking animatedly. Nirabata limited himself to following them, since he did not have where they were going from. Suddenly, in the distance, the sky lit up and both characters ran in the direction of that light, and Nirabata did too.

    Approaching what had descended from the sky, they realized that it was a child, and then, spirits disbanded and floated towards the rock where they would finally finish awakening the spirit.

    The vision of this spirit was short, in it he could only see the two spirits approach the child and see the moment when he woke up and raised his head.

    Nirabata did not understand what he saw. The spirit, like the previous one, remained wandering through the mist as if it knew exactly where it was. The little boy thought of following her, but the dream had taken him by surprise and he simply fainted.