The Smaller Things (Sky: Children of the Light)

Chapter 9: All for Nothing at All

The comfortable and familiar analogies of known things with diverse and incredibly vocabulary was always a great way for Vionn to calm down. According to stories and documentaries they had read a million times over, roses were a common garden ornament, often bred to look as bright red as possible.

Of course, the condensed crimson petals were known to many as the "standard" rose. But it was their rawest and most wild form, the kind with unafraid colors and sharper spikes, not cowardly to show in the cold, or any weather. The kind that grew wherever the soil allowed it.

The biodiversity for a single term was absolutely astounding. And, if Prairie Peaks became subjected to more common eruptions, then at least the durable but magnificent weeds would live to photosynthesize another day.

Despite the far more interesting line of wild roses, it was the common garden rose that Vionn recalled their old friend mentioning. They all looked exactly like his, back home. He seemed saddened at how his rose was not the most unique anyways.

Vionn wanted to argue that the genetical composition in any given life form can never be the exact same as another. The microbes, the DNA translations into RNA, the mitochondria and nucleus of a cell, the very direction which it grew, the width of its stem, the amount of thorns, the durability of the roots. Common garden rose or not, each one had differences.

But they held their tongue. The friend would not have understood a single term in that ramble, but they hoped that he had figured it out by himself.

Would he know, now?  Vionn inquired mentally to themself as they made their way down the cave-like corridor which lead to the Starlight Desert. They halted their line of recalling memories and asking odd questions. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he couldn't say, maybe it didn't even matter. Maybe he moved on from roses. That was fine, because Vionn had moved on from him.

A bright cyan light gleamed across moonlit sand dunes, a flock of birds circling it curiously. Vionn let themself slide down a steeper portion, allowing the work of kinetic energy and motion to keep them moving. Maybe it was slower, but... no, wait they were in a rush. They stopped sliding and quickly speed-walked to the light, which through the adjusting darkness, betrayed its omnipotent facade to show a rose with many petals to spare, as well as four thorns.

"Do you know where my friend is?" Vionn asked it. As per usual, every time they visited since their friend had departed, the rose remained silent. They wished it could speak again, to tell them. But they had made wishes like this before, and none ever came true.

Vionn shrugged and continued to the rose garden, a maze of assorted bush hedges adorned wish the signature plant every few branches. Though it never rained, to their knowledge at least, the plants still thrived. Maybe it could be something in the soil? But that was an archeological adventure they could have another day.

Whilst rummaging through the hedges to search of anything that would prove the Forest Elder's hypothesis, a sudden gurgling noise in the far off distance arouse. It was coming from behind. Vionn quickly exited the garden to see the glowing rose... and a... dark dragon?

Rarely, anything made sense in the realms. This was no exception, as this didn't add up. Dragons were found in the neighboring realms of Wasteland and Eye of Eden, and there had only been one other instance of a dark dragon in the Vault.

A shiver ran down Vionn's spine as they realized what this meant. The night their friend had to depart, he faced a dark dragon on the ledge of a wall. Neither of them came into contact. It was a horrifying half-minute of eye contact which was broken by the dragon calmly wandering off. Some many things could have gone wrong.

But one thing could have gone right. The dark dragon had not attacked him, yes, but if it did, that would have halted their friend's trip to the terrifying mountain to die, but to go home. Vionn could have helped him recover, and could have found a safer and less traumatizing way to return him back to his home rather than dying horribly. It was a long shot, but it could have worked it the dragon had actually attacked.

Why didn't it, then?  Vionn thought as they felt a surge of disappointment, and a tiny bit of anger. Why did this krill have to ignore its instincts and not attack what was obvious prey? Did it think it was a trap? No, it couldn't. Krill were instinct driven creatures that didn't hesitate. Did it make an exception? Was it not hungry? Did their friend get special treatment, as if he were Royalty? That dragon could have stopped it all, it could have ultimately saved a homesick kid from a less than desirable experience.

It could have stopped Vionn from getting their heart shattered. But it didn't. It threw its biological urges aside, almost to spite them. And now it was just yards away, roaming for whatever purpose.

This was what they had been looking for.