After Fate Fell

44

1 year, 3 months, and 17 days after it all
•ELLA•

The sky is dark and the ground is black. I take a step and it's solid, and I realize that the sand no longer resides below the soles of my shoes. I don't know where I am, all I can see is the darkness. I put my hand in front of my face, so close I can feel my hot breath on the palm of my hand, but I still don't see it. I call out, hoping somebody will hear me, come save me from this darkness.

"Anyone! Can you hear me? Where am I?" But no voice follows in answer. I am alone here.

I don't understand how I got here. Last I remember, I was still out along the coastline in the desert along with the others. We were looking for something, someone, I can't remember. Something came out of the darkness, except no, it wasn't dark out... something came out of the light of day and blinded me, something even brighter than the sun, or so it seemed.

Now I'm in complete darkness, no sun, no blinding light, there's not even sand below my feet. And I'm alone, so, so alone.

I hear a metallic sound behind me, and whip around to see what made it. I see nothing.

I hear a soft noise to my right, as if something is being dragged across the floor, and it's circling me, now it's in front of me, to my left, behind me, but the darkness is still too thick, the noise too soft. I call out again.

"Marina!" I don't know why I call for her, I guess it's just because she's the person I hold closest right now, she's the one who's always been there to protect me, to support me. I need her here right now. I need somebody to lead me through the darkness and into the light, someone to carry me to somewhere I know. I need someone to pull me through this and then out, and by out, I mean back home.

All of this is eating away at everything inside me and causing me to not even know where I should go or what I should do. Once I'm home, or at least on my way home, I'll know exactly what comes next. But now, in the darkness, and even when I return back to the sands blowing beneath my feet and deceiving my eyes, to the ocean and to the strange light out in the sea, I feel so helpless and so alone.

•MARINA•

Ella's sleeping body still shows no signs of waking. I sit next to her in the shadow of the dune, the soft sound of waves crashing out behind the dune, out of sight, taking over my senses. I bring myself back to here, to where I sit, next to my closest friend since day one, where she lies unmoving and breathing more slowly than I thought was humanly possible. Every breath she takes, I hold mine, worrying in the gap between hers, scared that I may not see her chest fall again and then rise once again, taking another breath.

Sam sits next to me, a serious look on his face. He's had a sureness in his voice every time he speaks, as if somehow he knows exactly when she will wake, exactly when her face will gain its color back and her body will rise up in sitting position, wondering when, where, and how she lost consciousness. Five is also here with me, he's been here since the start, when he helped carry her to the water's edge.

The others are out, beyond my sight, trying to figure out what the light is in the ocean, and trying to figure out if it is what we're looking for, if it's what is depleting Legacy's energy, choking her of her power. They may not know yet, but I'm sure of it, that this is exactly what we made this journey across the desert for. What else could explain it? Not only is it in the middle of the ocean, looking as inhuman as a Mogadorian, tattoos showing on their bald scalp, sword in hand, trenchcoat down to their ankles, but also, it possesses the power within it to make Ella faint, and fall into some type of coma-like state, where she's barely even breathing, her skin is pale, and my healing touch not helping revive her.