A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Tilvani Reunion (And Maybe Some Destruction)

The canopy explodes into flames. Pux and Sam leap to their feet, eyes wide with horror and fear. Ally and I are up in an instant, looking around and up with confusion and fear. I hear screams come from the clearing, and all of us immediately break out into sprints, hurrying back towards our fellows.

    The clearing is ablaze by the time we get there. Everyone is running around, trying to stay away from the fast-approaching flames. Ignis and some Giratina are nearer to the flames, trying to control them, to turn them away from the people. I see Alexis’s red hair and green eyes in the midst of the red and gold fire, bent over with extersion, pain flickering on her face as her hair bursts into silver fire.

    Other Giratina are crowding around Aqua, the water elementalist, trying to bring H2O to the land. Aqua’s hair, like his brothers’, is turning to flickering gold flame by the fire, his dark blue eyes scrunching up with concentration, hiding his ice and indigo pupils.

    Karlee stands in the center of all of this, trying to reach everyone. Mic’s helping, trying to get everyone to listen using his amplifying power. But it’s no use: everyone is running around, changed into wild beasts by the primal fear of fire.

Tapping into my power, I change shape mid run, and leap into the air. My wings pump hard as I soar into the sky, trying to get above the rising smoke. My keen eyes pick out each individual Iris, Giratina, Lupa, and other species with ease. My ears hear every muttered prayer and scream of fear. My nose smells every scent, from the smoke in the air to the urine and puke on the ground. My wings pump higher, higher, until the entire clearing is in my view.

Gold-red flames lick up the trees, crunching on the green leaves like they’re chips. The flames seem to sink in, toward where the victorious winners and destroyers of Sionic were celebrating. As if the flames had minds of their own.

Delving into my core, into my blue haze of power, I put the picture of the entire clearing into my mind, including the species outside of the Irises. I feel my power strain to reach everyone else's minds, since it’s strictly restricted to the Irises. The only other two minds I’m able to reach are Ava and Alexis.

I send a message down the fifty-one fiery cords connecting the other Irises, Alexis, Ava, and myself. Quiet! Quit panicking! Get into a circle! Tele, get ready to teleport. Down below, I see everyone move towards the center, where Karlee is, joining hands as they go.

I dive, shifting back into human form as I hit the ground. I shake the freedom of the dragon shape from my thoughts, and join hands with Ally and Yew, the blond-haired and gold-eyed man from underground. Mic’s power ripples across the circle, voiced in Tele’s voice. “Close your eyes! Do not let go, under any circumstances! We’ll be out of this chaos in a moment!” I close my eyes, feel a sharp yank in my gut, and feel the flames close in around us.

Tele’s voice rings in my ears, saying to open my eyes. I do, then immediately close them again because of the brightness. When I fully open my eyes again, I stare around in wonder.

Ice covers everything as far as the eye can see. White glitters like a million fallen stars all around. I see high mountains, turned gray by distance, breaching the horizon like jagged teeth. Beneath my feet crunches silver-white snow.

“Antarctica? Really, Tele?” I hear a few people groan, some cursing Tele. Tele snaps,”It’s Greenland, you big babies. So shut up and let me think. Don’t let go of each other’s hands.” Tele’s face, across the huge circle, scrunches up in concentration. I see her midnight blue pupils glowing beneath her lids. Another tug in my gut, and the world fades into black once more as I close my eyes.

Immediately, even before Tele tells us to open our eyes, I know we’re in a rainforest. I can feel the damp moisture on my arms, taste the sweet fragrance of tropical flowers, and hears the startled shrieks of macaws.