cascade | kotlc

37. As Light Rain Falls

tw: bl/od

 The soft mist clouded her eyes, shadows sweeping up and down her body as the moon shifted. Stars aligned, their dim glows reaching the ruins around her.

Luminaria had fallen, completely fallen. Shattered rocks and stones littered the floor, cracked metal decorating the debris. Jewels were lined over them like a flowering carpet, decorations snapped in half. A column groaned, screeching harshly, collapsing on the ground beside them, the elegant golden threads tracing around the pillar peeling off.

Water flooded the ruins. Large crevices were everywhere, the abandoned prison underneath, still completely underwater.

Tam lay beside her. A figure was clutching his chest, their tears mixing with the rain. Blood spilled down his wound, and a Panakes blossom was withering next to him, red tainting the blue flower.

The figure had long chocolate brown hair that tickled his wound. A soft green glow emanated from within, green lines curling around Tam's arm, wrapping around like bandages.

She swept her hair away, tears falling down again and splashing his wound. He flinched, retracting his shoulder slightly. Gentle snores echoed somewhere, and she could make out the sounds of waves crashing against the shore. Rain splattered the ground and Linh curled her fingers around something cool, something metal. It was an intricate golden butterfly, molding slightly in her grip.

"Biana?" she croaked, struggling to stand up, pushing against the collapsed pillar and propping her back against the smooth cylindrical surface. "He's..."

Blood was puddling around her, a drip of red reaching her tunic. Biana looked up, her eyes glassy, her cheeks wet, tearstreaks lining around her nose.

"He'll be fine," she whispered, repeating it to herself in a gentle hum. Linh scrambled over, feeling her muscles burn as she applied pressure to Tam's wound. It was much deeper than she thought.

Memories bit at her mind, yelling something incomprehensible. "Where's Dex?" Linh asked her, digging her nails into the dirt.

"Elwin needed him. Councillor Terik's hurt really badly. Something about his leg? I don't know. I don't really care."

More water soaked the ground, and Biana spun her ring, forming small butterflies that glowed in the night sky, emitting a gentle fragrance that smelled like honeysuckle. Tam's lips curved upwards like he was trying to smile, and he reached out his arm, touching Biana's chin with his fingertips.

"Please be okay," Linh muttered, glancing at her own hand. Viridiscent sheets coated her wound, absorbing the blood. The pain was stopping, and when she traced her finger over the wound, it felt silky and sleek. Water traced down her cheek, and she held her hand to Tam's forehead, making herself whisper the words she always needed to say.

"I don't know how I'll go on without you."

Tam tried for a smile again, taking her hand and letting Biana treat his wound with more crushed-up Panakes petals. The air tasted sour on her tongue, somewhat fresh and somewhat cool. She kissed her brother's cheek. It was a salty kiss, something bitter spreading on her tongue. Biana sobbed, leaning onto his body, and they shared their tears.

He swallowed, leaning back his head and watching the sky, blinking when a raindrop hit his eyelids. "I'll be fine, Linh," he told her after a while, holding up their entwined hands. "I promised I'd always be there for you."

"I know you'll be," she whispered, holding her brother closer.

"Wait," Biana suddenly interrupted, dragging her away as she held up her hand. Calla's ring was lighting up like a beacon, long beams of light passing through the air and reflecting off the ruins. The green lines reminded her too much of their underwater excursion, and with that came the same paralyzing pain. Her hand was on fire again, the translucent cloth wrapped around it tearing off. Water dripped down along with her blood, and her throat constricted, the water around her suffocatingly dense.