Nightspun (#ONC_2020)

Chapter 17 - Daybreak

The dull glow of the Gathering rune enveloped the room in an instant. 

Zaria and Amira flinched, desperate to get away from the light but they were already enveloped in its soft glow. Sybil breathed in the comfort, the heat and the thrum of life within it. But the reminder of her own stupidity stung deep within her heart and attempted to grab the light and shatter it in frustration.

But Rayner stopped her before she could even try. With a kind smile, he took her hand despite the risks and allowed her Sunspell to flow. Sybil could see the cracks of pain against his skin, the desperation in his eyes to stop but she knew they had to keep going. Together.

Bit by bit the light weaved into a tangible source, a thread of hope and Sybil took hold of the Gathering rune, allowing the stubborn Nightspell to finally rest. He collapsed only to be surrounded by a jackalope he had once shunned for eating his daffilillies. Now Dewdrop protected them all like he had done so many times for her, shielding them from the light they feared so much.

"It's alright now. Everything is going to be OK." Sybil said, quietly hovering the rune over the floor.

The Astral Three needles sprung to attention causing the Sunspell elf to smile as they threaded together with her power and began to knit the destroyed letter back together. Sybil couldn't help but think of her mother while she worked, her long hair tied up in a bun to keep it away from her face, the fact she hummed when she was happy and bit her lip when she lied. Even the smell of jackalopes reminded her of Siara and when her last words were finally restored did Sybil think of the perfect place to keep such precious artifacts.

"Guiding the way." She muttered, lost in her own thoughts as she gently unclipped the wooden necklace from behind her neck.

Her Sunspell hovered beside her, still clinging to the now discarded rune slowly crumbling under the sheer strength of the needles. With a swift slice with her Sunspell thread, Sybil artfully cut down the middle of the intertwined symbols and carefully modified the wood into something she could use. A pang of guilt at ruining something belonging to Amira almost made her lose concentration but she had to fix her mistake. She wouldn't let her Sunspell harm anyone ever again.

"Astaris."

Sybil commanded the Astral Three into the newly carved locket and sealed both sides shut. She hoped the beauty of Carver's design remained and helped protect both her and the responsibility she now carried. It wasn't perfect but she had hollowed out the wood enough to try and secure each needle into its respective sigils: Sun, Moon and Star. 

Suddenly, the exhaustion of her power and her earlier feelings of sorrow hit her like a truck. She sobbed, desperately trying to stop the grief in her chest as the Gathering rune crumbled into dust. Sybil keeled fowards in hysteria with the locket still in hand and tied it around her neck.

"I forgot Siara left me that letter. How could I forget? I-I thought she hated me, I thought she left that to spite me into- into, I...didn't realise it was important! I should've used it to- I should've…" 

The mourning Sunspell elf was cut off by a warm embrace which came in waves one after the other. Dewdrop supported her from below, growing three times bigger to help hold her weight while her found family clung to her tightly to help bring her back from the edge. Zaria had her arms wrapped around her like a child, gently smoothing her hair like Siara used to do when she was upset and Amira and Rayner pushed the table aside before flinging every cushion, blanket and comforter onto the ground until the space covered in feathers and soil.

No one said anything. No condolences or sympathies. No advice or demands. No responsibilities, worries or gripes to be had. They just sat and stayed in the gloom of comfort they had built for themselves. Eventually, they got a little tired and fell asleep or got bored and began to potter about or snack and swap stories about anything and everything. All the while, Sybil was still wrapped in their embrace and eventually she began to join in the nonsensical antics of the Nightspell elves.