Find me way out there
There's no road that will lead us back
When you follow the strange trails
They will take you who knows where
If I found a way to stay with you tonight
It would only make me late for a date I can't escape
Way Out There - Lord Huron
-
May 14, 2950; Michipicoten Island, Earth
Azra slept by the fire, waking every few hours to re-bank the coals before drifting off again. Spark nestled himself in the crook between her neck and her shoulder and watched the night sky with a steady eye. The stars charted stately courses overhead. There were no Fallen.
The pair rose to a damp and chilly dawn. She woke the fire in true, left her gear by the flames to dry off the dew, and went for a swim. The water was icy cold and the rocks were slippery, yet she stayed in for nearly twenty minutes, laughing at the novelty of weightlessness and Light-given warmth. When she left, it was for her growling stomach.
Once dry and warm, she gathered her gear and hiked inland. She had nothing good for hunting small game and certainly didn't want to commit the rest of her day to skinning a caribou. Instead she settled for a breakfast of ramps and arrowhead tubers gathered from one of the inland lakes.
It was peaceful, and Azra took great pleasure in letting it wash over her. She found herself in meditative silence, thinking long, slow thoughts, turning her attention to the world around her instead of the turmoil within. The habits of wild-life were still settled deep in her bones. It was a part of her not even the Vex could quash.
The island was quiet. No ships, no Sparrows, not a single Dreg. It was nice. But like always, Azra grew restless. She needed to move.
-
May 15, 2950, 13:01; Contemplation, Old Portugal, Earth
The cliff never had a name in her time. It was just a cliff. Her cliff.
Now the map said 'Contemplation', and there were two cairns of stone. One was made from the crumbly rock of the area, built by her own hands just months after she'd first Risen. After 81 years, it was covered in lichen, but still standing strong. The other cairn was a much more impressive piece, made of Martian sandstone and chalky Lunar crust and a dozen other kinds of stone besides. It was a pretty cool grave marker, Azra thought.
The wind off the sea was the same as ever. Azra sat on the edge and let her feet dangle, and it could have been any other year. She could almost pretend, except for the pain still weighing heavy in her chest.
She turned her head to the right, back away from the shoreline. Somewhere in that direction was a little cabin-shack nestled among the trees. It was the only structure within walking distance. Perhaps she had lived there in her first life. Maybe it hadn't been significant to her at all. She'd charted its location but had never gone inside.
"Do you regret not?" Spark asked. This life now, after escape, seemed like a second chance. One couldn't help but look back at the first one and wonder.
"...Nah," Azra said. "What could be in there that could make me feel better?" What if she found skeletons? What if she found a perfectly-preserved diary, detailing her whole first existence? Even then, it would only be things she'd have to leave behind.
What if she found nothing at all?
"It doesn't mean anything unless I make it mean something," she continued. "And why bother? Won't make me stronger. Won't give me hope. Just more burned bridges."
"Alright," Spark answered.
They sat in silence for a while. It was always quiet here. The wind never stopped.
YOU ARE READING
You've Got Time ( a Destiny Story)
Fanfiction"No one can open the Vault alone. I opened the Vault. There was no one with me but I was not alone." A team of six entered the Vault of Glass. Kabr fought and died. Praedyth was captured. Pahanin ran. Two were cut away, and one hid. This story story...
