Runesight

15 - Silvi Petals

--- Netun ---

Somewhere beneath the earth, resting from a long night of travel, Netun felt something strange in the between realm. It felt as if perhaps a kindred soul was awakening. It was hundreds of miles away, in the opposite direction he'd been traveling and it faded after just a second, but Netun felt a jolt of energy from it, invigorating his mind and soul.

He opened his eyes and parted the soil around him, rising from the ground like a monster might in a horror story. Netun pulled his large hat over his face and gazed in the direction of Melor.

It was across several mountains, beyond cities and countries, but perhaps...well perhaps one of them had followed his same way on their own? There was a distinct possibility to Netun that this was simply a regular person, but even if it was, there would surely be things he could teach them.

His red eyes stared toward the far off person, and after a moment of thought, his legs followed that gaze, step upon step.

Somehow he knew that this journey would not be wasted. 

--- Fora ---

Snap.

Eliax watched weakly from the wrong side of a Silvi barrier. The golden runes danced in front of her eyes as the group on the other side hauled off Raendus with Niun following behind the procession. He looked...lost as he followed his unconscious brother.

Eliax would have cared, she would have been just as worried for Niun as she was for Raendus. But at the moment she was not Eliax. The person who was watching from behind those eyes was far more ancient.

When the memory was forced on her, it hit like a dragon lance, it was more intense and concentrated than any other memory that Eliax had ever gone through, it shattered her mental barriers, washing away the remains of the paint and leaving her mind bare for torture. All she could think was...I'm failing again.

I can't get to him.

I can't lose anyone.

Not again.

Which is... a feeling that no one really understands.

Once, there was a girl who looked at her life and said "I know exactly what this is and how to use it." I used to think I was that girl.

But she isn't real.

Aneles was just another guy really. He was nice, he made jokes sometimes, and whenever I was with him I felt as if the world didn't have to make sense. I felt as if I could just be. Whenever I was with him I wanted that to be my eternity.

But life is life. He was the captain of the city guard when I foolishly killed the king. Afterward he was thrown into battle after battle with no say in the matter. Princes and their sisters ordering his battalion about, assassinating each other, staking their claims on land, and starting little wars.

And then something happened that no one even contemplated, they all thought I'd just wanted Steris to be Queen, but it wasn't even me. A dragon used her wish and opened up the void, letting Aeinar consume the falling warriors.

I still don't know why, but she clearly didn't care who was in the way.

Neither did I, really.

There were a lot of deaths that day, I remember sprinting through ranks of soldiers that were melting from the inside, holding a sword that I didn't even know how to use. I remember feeling the void tugging at my own soul but the two amulets I held kept me in place.