𝐋𝐄𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐄𝐑𝐃𝐀𝐒 {spirit animals}

14. The Weight of the World

Ylva didn't want to seem like a horrible person, but she genuinely couldn't care less about Sucia's death.

     She didn't even know the girl, barely exchanged any conversations with her since arriving at Greenhaven island. She hardly knew anyone here, and wasn't emotionally attached to any of them in the least. She was also quite sure that Sucia didn't exactly have many friends here either, so she wasn't sure when everyone seemed so solemn.

    "Not to ruin the mood," She muttered to Caspian, "But I'm bored. Why are we all here again?"

     The seven....Well, now the six of them were gathered around a table in the entrance hall, as Leila and Serik had asked them to meet here, no doubt to discuss the now missing Beast of Legend. Even that made no sense; Electro was a phoenix, wasn't he? Why wasn't he reborn from the ashes?

     "Don't be so insensitive," Caspian sighed, "Someone just died. Murdered, actually. Let people grieve."

     "About what?" Ylva snapped, "Do you know anything about her?"

     "Uh... Well, she's from Nilo... And, uh...."

     Ylva raised an eyebrow, "Point proven."

     Caspian didn't have a response to that, and slumped back into his chair. Varuna, the white caladrius perched on his shoulder humming quietly. Ylva looked at her own spirit animal, the winged stallion who was pawing at the stone floor next to her.

     The door opened, and Leila walked in with Serik at her side, both silently walking across the room to sit at the end of the table. Rizagul the serpent was coiled around Serik's wrist, glassy blue eyes staring blankly into the distance.

     "Thank you all for being here," Leila started, "We have much to discuss."

     The room was silent, and Leila continued, "Tragedy hit Greenhaven yesterday, with the arrival of the Darkcloaks. Many were lost, your friend Sucia included. I don't want to dwell on the past, as her death caused Electro to leave us as well. We must figure out how to go on from here."

     "Is that it?"

     Shen had spoken. He sat on the far end of the table, eyes downcast with a permanent scowl on his face. Ylva didn't think she had heard him speak since the previous day when Sucia was pronounced dead.

     Leila remained calm as she looked over at him, "Pardon?"

     "I said," Shen growled, "Is that it? Sucia is dead and all you care about is that stupid bird?"

     The greencloak was silent for a while before responding, "I don't have the power to bring her back. No one here does. I have seen dead over and over again in my time as a greencloak, and I've learned that dwelling on it does no one any good. The most we can do is to move on, and honor the memory of the fallen."

     Shen didn't bother responding, and Ylva suppressed an eye-roll.

     "I... I don't think Electro being gone is much of a problem," Talona said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper, "You see... Conejo showed me something last night. It was like a vision. About... Sucia's death."

     Leila nodded, "Conejo was the guardian of the mind in the old days of Erdas. You mean to say you saw a vision of the future."

     "Not exactly," Talona shook her head, "It was... More like a vision of the past. Everything that I saw happened years and years ago."

     Kolin looked over at her, "What did you see? How long ago was the vision?"

     "Centuries ago," Talona said, "When the Four Fallen returned to Erdas... Alongside the Chosen Six."