Solace and Nox: A New Light

Chapter 43

Cytra shook him lightly. Raiden's eyes fluttered open to see her smiling face. Raiden had never seen her this happy. It made him smile. He yawned, and sat up.

"Good morning," Cytra said, smiling brightly.

"Morning," Raiden replied, stretching.

He didn't hurt.

He looked down at his side, which was covered with leaves. His chest was too. His ripped shirt was still on, but the leaves were visible through the rips.

"What are these?" he asked.

"They're aspen leaves. The fairies applied them to your wounds, and they healed you. There's still a lot you need to learn about Turphia," Cytra explained.

Raiden chuckled a little. "Yeah there is."

The forest was still dark. There were a few more fairies alight than there had been when they first arrived, but the numbers still seemed low.

"How long have I been asleep?" he asked.

"You slept all night. I wanted to wake you a little early in case you wanted to see the fairies before they hide for the day," Cytra explained.

"Why do they hide during the day?" Raiden asked.

Cytra gave him a small smile. "Like I said, there's still a lot you need to learn about Turphia."

"So where are all the fairies?" Raiden asked. "There were a lot more when we came before."

"You're right, there were," she said. "Alayah and many of the other fairies went to help with the battle. A few returned last night without news of the battle."

"The fairies fought our battle?"

"No, they used their magic to help the Shodoni forces, and the other species that the Ciamas called to help."

"Makes sense. Where do you think the rest are?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

The two of them stared out into the horizon, waiting for the sun to rise. Where were the fairies? Were there fairy casualties on the battlefield?

That made no sense.

Especially since they didn't actually fight.

What happened to the fairies of Turphia.

The sun began to rise over the mountain, lighting up the forest. The fairies that had stayed in Turphia slowly disappearing one by one. Cytra and Raiden watched the sunrise calmly, letting the beauty show. Sunrises were always beautiful to watch. It was the birth of a new day. It was a sign of hope for a new and better day.

Suddenly, Cytra started squinting.

"What is it?" she asked.

Raiden squinted as well, trying to see what she was seeing. "What is what?"

She didn't respond. Suddenly, she gasped.

"It's the Ciamas," she said cheerfully.

Raiden squinted harder, the light of the morning sun blinding him. Eventually he saw the shape of the legendary winged creature. It rose with the sun, looking more incredible than usual.

Cytra stood, and ran through the forest towards the Ciamas. Raiden quickly followed. He was surprised at his strength. The magic healing that the fairies had provided worked incredibly well.

Cytra reached the edge of the forest first, where the Ciamas was waiting for them. He had his wings tucked in, standing tall and proud. The rising sun behind him made him shine brighter than usual. It was an incredible sight. One that no one had seen in centuries.

The Ciamas smiled. Raiden didn't think animals could smile, but he could.

"I'm so glad to see the two of you made it out okay," he said cheerfully. "I didn't know if you would make it out alive."

That was reassuring. A legendary creature, who was a symbol of power and peace and good, didn't even believe they would make it.

"How did the battle turn out?" Cytra asked.

The Ciamas frowned slightly.

The battle must not have gone well.

"The Shodoni army was able to stop the Kresallis, but their city is in ruins. Shodon no longer has its ruler, its military is diminished, and there were many citizen casualties. The Kresallis were stopped, those that survived fled the battle. Bagatyr, their leader, made it out alive, and he will not be happy that his army is gone. He will do everything he can to retaliate against Shodon."

"That wouldn't be good at all," Raiden said. "Even though they won the battle, Moldark still won. His goal was tear apart both kingdoms at once. Shodon got the worst of it."

The Ciamas nodded. "Prince Laris will take over the kingdom tonight. His coronation will consist of the unification of his brothers, and they will do everything they can to rebuild the Shodon that Lotharius worked so hard to create. After that, they will plan to destroy the Kresallis."

"Bagatyr will probably do the same," Raiden said.

"What happened to your armies, Ci?" Cytra asked.

Raiden knew what she really wanted to know. She wanted to know if Alayah was okay.

This was probably the most painful for Ci to talk about. He winced when she asked the question.

"The elven believe that after their victory with the Kresallis, they are more powerful than they really are. They are building their own army, and are planning to rebuild the kingdoms that they lost so many years ago. The gnomes are beginning to spread throughout the world, living among the humans. The trolls have gone back into isolation, but the goblins are getting cocky as well. The Goblin King is already terrorizing cities around Shodon."

"What about the species that came out of the Whispering Ocean?" Raiden asked.

"They are still loyal to me, and have returned to their homes in the waters," Ci explained. "They are awaiting my signal to return to the battlefield."

Cytra was getting anxious. She looked like she was about to burst.

"Ci, what happened to Alayah?"

The Ciamas lowered his head. It pained him to have to say it, Raiden could tell. He knew that look all too well. The doctor who had gave Raiden the news about Markis had the same look.

"Alayah, and the rest of the fairies have been captured," Ci said. "Moldark needed a trophy to take away from the battle."

Cytra gasped, and fell into Raiden's arms.

"Which is why I need you two to establish the Knights of the Revenant," Ci said. "We need to save all the magical creatures that have been captured. There is something even bigger than Moldark coming to Aleudia. And we need to be prepared."

Cytra's tearful eyes looked into Raiden's sapphire eyes. Raiden winked at her.

Raiden looked at the Ciamas and said, "When do we start?"

To Be Continued...