How long he waits for Orion to return, he’s not quite sure. It’s enough time that he’s moved from the floor to the bed. Glaring at the wall is quickly becoming his new hobby. He’s spent each passing second trying to peel through the memories and paint them across these plain walls in his mind’s eye.
It hasn’t been that long. He knows that much. And even if it has, he shouldn’t have forgotten so much. A few things here and there, sure. But not whole pieces— entire people and events.
And trusting these people?
He’s not an idiot. There’s no way he’ll be fully behind this, absolutely not. But playing along just to find out information and possibly a way out? He probably should.
Something that’s easier said than done once Orion returns. The door opens and Zye stops looking at the ceiling to meet Orion’s gaze. His arms drape over crisscrossed legs as he leans forward. “Took you long enough. Could have at least left me with something to do.”
“I forgot mortals tend to get bored. You can touch the Mark’s head and it’ll create most things you can think of.”
“And the limits?”
“Things you haven’t seen or I haven’t approved in advance. At the moment if you’d like you can have clothes, accessories, or different sheets and pillows.”
Zye slowly begins to move. Legs over the side of the bed and eyes never looking away from Orion, he stands up. “That thing is still creepy. Don’t know how I feel about that.”
“Think of it as an extension of myself. It’s simply a piece of my power and I’ll make sure that one stays here at all times for you.”
Orion steps further into the room to allow the Mark in as well. It still unnerves Zye how it seems so empty yet perceptive. It only makes the want to go home more apparent. Home didn’t have all of this.
“Come try it out. While you get ready, we can continue.”
The Mark moves over to Zye, stopping just before him and tilting its head up. He knows he has to play along. While he places his palm on the creature’s head, he tries to focus and imagine just what he’d want. Anything is better than this bland attire that’s been picked for him.
All the while, Orion doesn’t stop talking.
“Those that reside here are Keepers. You are my Guardian and you’ll receive an extension of my power no different than the Mark does. Our job is to keep souls safe across the worlds, planes, realms, and so on.”
Zye is listening even as he steps away. His hand lifts from the Mark’s head. Nothing happens at first. The next thing it does is reach towards its chest as light sparkles there. It seemingly begins to pull out folded garments among other things. Each one is placed on the bed.
Orion shakes his head at the sight. “Nether are the solidification of a soul’s desperation to cling to something or someone in their life. They have to be purified or they can poison other souls.”
“And I have to do this?”
He grabs some of the clothing. It’s best to get what he can out of this thing at the moment. He’ll come back to it for items to spruce up the room later. Softer blankets would be nice to start with.
“You’ll understand soon. For now, we’ll start small and work our way up to introducing you to actual work. To start with, while you don’t need to eat or drink anymore, you do need your rest now and then.”
“Wait, are you serious?”
“All you need to do is cleanse after every mission you’ve completed.”
Zye grabs for the shirt he had made first. The black material feels good against his fingers, the slicker pleather sections on the shoulders and sides even more so. He stares down at it for a moment before lifting his eyes.
“So…is that codeword for shower?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Washing? A bath, shower, a good soak in some water to knock the sweat and dirt off?”
Orion turns around. “That’s what the cleansing pool is for. It can handle all of that. After all, your body now functions off of energy. Not material sustenance.”
“And if I ask if there’s a bathroom?”
There’s a pause as Orion steps out the door. “Would it make you more comfortable if I made sure you had access to one?”
“Maybe.”
“Then touch the Mark and I’ll have it done by the time we get back. Now hurry and change so that we can leave.”
Zye waits for a breath longer once Orion is out of the room. The door is left open, but he’s not there and that’s motivation enough to hurry. He’d rather not change in front of someone he just met. Out of the unfamiliar clothes, he scoops up the shirt first.
It only goes down to just above his belly button. The bottom hem itself is adorned with the same fake leather that acts as a belt with a thick buckle. Long sleeves tug down toward his knuckles from how the hole in the end, for his thumb, stretches it.
Underwear and pants next, the black material, with the lightly bleached front of the legs, drapes down over a pair of dark ankle boots. His only other accessory is a set of purple suspenders he hooks onto the two front belt loops and lets them hang for now.
They bounce against his legs as he moves away from the bed. He pats the top of the Mark’s head once more and tries to imagine his bathroom. If he can’t go home, yet, he’s going to get some part of it to have here then.
Zye pulls his hand away and drags it up through his bangs. Down the back of his neck, his fingers still. Hands go straight for his ears only to find none of his piercings are there. The sudden panic that wraps around him is like a stone sinking into the water. He can’t get to the surface fast enough.
The breaths come a little faster, a little shallower.
He can’t have lost them. It’s all he has left of Lyra— of her and his father. To not have them is like not having a piece of himself. He hasn’t taken them off for very long since he’s gotten them, if at all.
“Shit…no…no, they can’t just be gone.”
Before him, the Mark steps forward and reaches out. A small, slender hand presses against his stomach. It garners his attention instantly.
“What?” He waits only to have eyes stare at him— no sign of why or what this thing is doing. “God, this would be easier if you could talk.”
“Are you almost ready?” From the other room comes Orion’s voice.
“Stupid whatever the hell he is.” Zye pats a hand to the top of the Mark’s head, no different than he would to Xerxes, as he walks around it. “I’m coming, don’t get your panties in a knot!”
The Mark places a single hand on its chest. All while it moves to block Zye’s way once more. The palm it had to its chest reaches out, holding up toward Zye with something cupped on it. Since it won’t let him move otherwise, he looks down and is surprised.
There on the hand held out to him are his earrings. The little blue stars aren’t exactly like the ones he had. These are on a small chain with a little silver ball between them and the piercing itself. But they’re close and it has some of the anger slipping from his shoulders.
The true surprise is that it did it of its own accord. It has him wondering what it could say if it could speak. Regardless, he’s more than happy to accept the gift. It doesn’t take him any time to get them on his ear lobes— a fact that frustrates him. If he still has the holes then why can’t he have the earrings from the start?
Still slightly fuming, he leaves the room with nothing but questions bubbling beneath the surface. Zye doesn’t bring it up. It’s easier to try and let the irritation slip away while coming face-to-face with Orion once more.
He’s not much shorter than Zye. But it is enough to make the man look down at his so-called savior. “So, what’s the plan?”
“You can at least hold your own in a fight, yes?”
“Of course I can.”
“Good. Then follow along. Once you’re comfortable with wielding the power, you’ll be able to do this as well.” Orion demonstrates by summoning forth the portal that licks up off the floor like flames of black and blue and the barest hints of yellow tracing throughout it. “Just remember. The only reason you can do any of this is because you are granted a piece of my power.”
“Sure, whatever. Are we going then?”
Orion nods and begins to lead the way. To say Zye’s apprehensive over walking through a strange anything is an understatement. It doesn’t look weird, but he’s unsure of just how it works. Then again, trying to get away from these people won’t happen if he stays locked up where he’s at.
Hurrying in after Orion, he’s surprised to find that it’s like stepping through a threshold. It’s for the tiniest blink of an eye that there’s nothing before he can see again. There’s no tunnel to walk through. It’s more like it’s a rip through space and time.
Zye idles afterward. It closes behind him although all he can think about is where he’s at. The small town he’s in is like something he’s read about in books. Little cottages dirt paths, straggled stones around entrances, and a large well in the center of it all.
The moon is bright above them. It casts a strong light that pierces through the chill of night even if it’s only a half-moon.
Turning his attention from the scenery and to Orion, he watches as the man holds up a hand. From it, he produces a yellow orb of light. It glows before seemingly turning to liquid and hitting the ground. There it becomes lines that race out along the area.
It covers everything in the dim hue, making the town shimmer, before it seems to reach its limit. It’s then that it aims for the sky. The light fades away the higher it gets until Zye can’t see it at all. Once it’s settled, Orion turns to him.
“We usually only set up barriers like this when a dangerous threat is the target. But seeing as I’m not sure if you can control yourself or not, I’d rather not have you destroy someone’s home.”
“I’m not a brute, I know how to hold back.”
Orion walks over to him. “You know how to fight as a human. This is different. If you can’t tame the power fluctuating through your body, you could hurt yourself or someone else.”
“Fine, then how do I do it now?”
“Anyone under the protection of Noctis has one job. We fight Nether to cleanse them. The power released from doing so is usually enough to fix anything you break. Of course, I won’t be sending you on missions alone yet or that deal with higher-ranked enemies.”
“Nether?”
The name, it sounds familiar in all the wrong ways.
Orion nods and points over to one of the nearby houses. Beside a few potted plants outside the front entrance is what looks to be a mist of sorts. Not just one either, but three or four from what he can tell at this distance.
Zye visibly flinches at the sight. The heel of his boot digs against the dirt as he fights the urge to run. His first instinct is to haul ass in whatever direction takes him farthest from what Orion dubs a Nether.
“Yeah…yeah, I’ve seen them before.”
“I suppose it’s not uncommon. Especially the closer one gets to death.” He grabs the back of Zye’s hand. “Everyone has a different calling. It can also evolve with you, it’s not stagnant.”
The touch is like sticking his hand in a deep freezer filled to the brim with icy water. It takes everything he has not to pull away. Then again, the strength that races up his arm and into his shoulder is different. It’s a comfortable sensation that has him tightening his fingers around the air.
Air that becomes a hilt to a sword.
Just a hilt at that.
One that’s wrapped in black down to the guard. An interesting guard that has a piece sticking out in each cardinal direction. At the end of them is an opaque circle through it that matches the orb built into the top of the hilt.
Removing his hand, Orion looks up at him, “This is your weapon.”
“It’s uh…” Zye turns it over in his hand, again and again, looking at it with confusion. He really just doesn’t understand what it is. “It’s not anything. I think it’s broken.”
“Your soul creates what is perfect for you. Training will help you get accustomed to it.”
“So you don’t see that it’s just, uh, this? What do I do, beat the shit out of someone with it?”
The incredulous expression he gets in return certainly doesn’t help either. Orion simply shakes his head and presses his hand to Zye’s back. Flooding the taller man with a bit more power only takes a moment to have a flurry of energy coming out of the hilt.
The shape shudders at first, unable to settle on anything in particular. Zye stares down at the light green energy that ripples out to a medium length. Focusing harder on it seems to do the trick as it becomes a simple semi-transparent blade.
Shimmers come off of it when he gives a slight swipe through the air. It’s surprising, not as much as everything else, but enough to have him glancing back at Orion. “A sword? I’ve never used anything like that before. Well…maybe a pipe or a broom handle.”
“I don’t care to know. All you need to do is practice with this until it is a part of you.”
He steps away, beginning to walk toward the Nether that is gathered by the house. Black gloves tighten against his hands as he holds them out. Strings of glittering white wrap around his fingers. He slings one hand of them out and lassos them around one of the hovering mists.
Orion yanks it away from the others. Once it is, the strings slacken only for the ones from the other hand to arc down and slice through it. The once intangible, at least he believes them to be, creature explodes into a puff of what he can only imagine is glitter.
It’s white and soft, almost like snow, but shimmers under the moonlight. Much like a snowflake, they vanish before it hits the ground.
He half-turns back to Zye. Those bright green eyes have the man feeling uneasy— unsure that he’d ever be able to slip away from all of this. Still, learning a bit couldn’t hurt.
So he thinks until he takes a step forward. A second and a third have him passing by Orion as the man moves to switch places with him.
“You have the capacity to do the same, cleanse the remaining Nether.”
It seems doable from where he stands. Still possible even as one pulls away from the other two, floating over to him. It’s slow as it moves within swinging range.
Even in the hazy form, there are two piercing cerulean eyes. They bore straight into Zye to the point where he can feel a crackling sensation trace along his temples. A cold feeling touches the back of his neck and the hair on his arms rise.
Fear.
Zye doesn’t realize he’s swung the sword or that he’s panting heavily as the blade digs into the ground afterward. He swallows hard past it all— trying not to focus too hard on the memory that teases the back of his thoughts.
It didn’t feel like a good one.
“Passable. Now, remember you’re not a normal person anymore. You have no heart, but you do have a core. You have to protect it from corruption and serious injury. The next thing you’ll learn is how to project your power outward to shield the body.”
Zye glares at him over his shoulder, “Now what?”
“You can take out the remaining two.”
Hair shifts about his face as he whips his attention back to the mist-like enemies that seem to have finally taken notice of him. “Shit, this sucks.”
From the side, a portal appears next to Orion. The rip through the air vanishes as Ilista steps out. The smile on her lips contradicts the worry in her gaze.
“Throwing him into it so soon?”
Orion pivots and opens a portal of his own. “I don’t have time to coddle him. You can take over the basic training. Just don’t let him get hurt to the point where Celeste has to heal him. Otherwise, monitor him.”
His leave is punctuated by her huff of irritation. Not that Zye notices. He’s too busy slashing through the third one. This seems to have the last one riled up to where it moves quicker than the others. Zye knows he can catch it up on the back swing, he has enough momentum.
Before he can, a two-pronged spear sails through the air and the Nether. The points wedge into the dirt in front of his feet. Turning to where it came from, he’s surprised to see Ilista.
“I figured he wouldn’t let anyone help.”
That has her letting out a chuckle. Long, slender fingers wrap around the spear. She yanks it out of the ground and dismisses it, allowing it to fade away. “Having fun?”
Zye scoffs at that. He tosses the sword away. His eyes follow how it bounces once as the blade vanishes first. The hilt is the second to go once he levels his gaze at Ilista.
“I’m irritated and exhausted. What even is all this for?”
Ilista crosses her arms beneath her bosom. “Hm, alright I guess he’s leaving that part to me as well. Everything has a balance. We’re no different. Just like when the powers higher than us made us. Well, ahem, Orion and Celeste, anyway.”
“That’s some pretty basic bullshit.”
“There’s a lot to learn if you’re going to be working with us. But you’ll get used to this.” She gestures to him with one hand. “Your stamina will even out in time. You’re just new and overwhelmed.”
“Great, I can’t wait.”
She giggles again at that. “Oh, I’m going to like you. So you’re only goal is to protect him as his Guardian. He goes on a mission, you do. If he gets hurt, you’d better be on your last leg. At least, that’s what I’ve been told a Guardian does.”
Zye steps away from her, beginning to lightly pace the area. Every now and then his shoe catches a rock from the dirt path. It gives him something to kick around while he thinks.
“That mean you don’t have one?”
“Nope! Just Vespera. But Iris was a Star first. We’ve never had a mortal pop into this without training or anything. You’re special.” She strides to catch up with him, easy considering she’s close to his height.
A pat on his back has him wanting to flinch away, if only because the touch is so strange. It’s almost too easy to relax around her and that has him hating it more than if it wasn’t. He doesn’t want to like any of these people. They’re strange and none of this is where he wants to be.
“That doesn’t make me feel any better.”
“Hmm, well it just means you’re fresh from your world right? You should have plenty to tell me about it then. Come on, I’ll make it worth your while. I can get you food, clothes, objects, or maybe out of that stuffy place now and then.”
The way her elbow lightly rubs against his ribs joins with the barreling of information. Flustered, he tries to shoo her away. Doing so only has her turning somber. It’s a striking difference. One that has him unable to look away from her.
“I know this isn’t easy to do. And I know you don’t know me. So, really, you don’t have to believe a word I say but…you’re not the only one that would rather be somewhere else some days. My door is always open for you— literally. I’ll make sure my Mark lets you in if you show up.”
“I, uh, I appreciate it. Thanks.”
Ilista slaps her palm against his shoulder. It has him realizing she’s much stronger than him with how he has to keep himself from falling forward on his face. The toes of his boots dig into the dirt as he catches himself.
“Then say it properly next time with a story about where you’re from!” A wink up at him finally has him relaxing in her presence. “Besides, I am the great and powerful Ilista.”
“Right. I’ll think of something fun to tell you.”
“Good. Now let’s get you back so you can cleanse. Oh right, he probably skipped the full talk on that. Haa…some people are such a pain in the ass.”
Ilista calls forth a portal that Zye follows her through. It’s not worth arguing about. Not when her energy is commanding and charismatic. He can’t help but go along with her for now, no different than he would Shae.
Through and back to Noctis, he finds himself in front of Orion’s hallway. It’s there that she lets him take the lead with a wave of her hand. “Let’s go, only you can let me in.”
“Oh, sure.”
The handle is nothing special— it gives and the door opens. Stepping into the room, Ilista sidesteps around him with her hands on her hips. “Huh, haven’t been in here in well…never. Just as boring as I imagined.”
“Yours isn’t like this?”
She shoots him a look, “Heavens no. I’d go crazy. But that’s what Marks are for. Oh, did he tell you about those?”
“Kind of.”
“They don’t just get you things. Sometimes it’s nice to have some kind of company. Mine even does my hair.” Ilista strides over to the rug sitting before navy curtains. “And this should be the cleansing pool.”
She sweeps it open in a dramatic fashion. Holding it open, they both watch as light flares to life inside the large tiled room. Zye takes a cautious step forward. He’s unsure about going in, even more so when he steps over the threshold to see the glittering water.
There’s nothing else in the room. Just a large pool that glitters under the light. Lifting his gaze, he’s taken aback by the ceiling. Rather, the lack thereof. It seems as if it’s an open void of night sky except directly over the water. There it’s as if it’s a giant moon right there. The light is gentle and pure despite how bright it is.
“So blah, blah, blah the water is blessed and brought new with each glance of the light from the power of the moon in the cosmos.”
“That’s the moon?”
“I, well, not literally. Anyway, it can heal wounds and wipe away the residue from the Nether. All of the emotions they keep bottled up affect us when we fight them. Not as much as the Dark Stars, but it can still mess with our bodies.”
“Dark…what is that?”
“They’re the ones up in the daylight. We reside in the night light.”
Zye turns around and begins to walk away. That’s enough. “I’m not drunk enough for this.”
Ilista laughs as she follows after him. “I prefer having a bath, with the bubbles and sweet perfumes! But every Keeper has a different setup.” She pats Zye’s shoulder on the way to the door. “I’m off, see you later.”
“Is it normal not to remember your past?”
The words tumble about before he can stop them. Why he even asks he’s not sure. He does know that it has her stopping in her tracks. A reassuring smile flashes back at him, “It’s never happened that I’m aware of. Maybe it’s because of how you died?”
He lowers his gaze at that. Of course, it’s not and she can’t give him any helpful advice. Instead, he steps beyond the curtain at the sound of the door opening. The lighting remains on as the cloth swishes closed behind him.
From where he’s at, he can hear the hushed voice. If anything his hearing is still on par with what he ended with. He can still hear them even if he does have to strain a bit.
“What’s going on with him, hm?”
Orion brushes her off and continues to enter, footsteps nearly silent against the hard ground. “He’s fine.”
“Why would you bring in a mortal? That isn’t how things are supposed to work. Is this just what happens if we take a mortal on?”
“It’s because of the trauma of his death. Keep an eye on him for me.”
Stepping away from the curtain, Zye stops at the edge of the pool. The water is clear and inviting— he always did love to swim. Yet he can’t convince himself to feel comfortable. The gnawing feeling to leave is there and won’t be ignored.
The feeling that says he doesn’t belong here.
There’s a sinking stone in his gut that laces so well along the ridges of his rising frustration. The anxiety that’s stacking on top of his shoulders doesn’t help. Not when Ilista’s words stick with him.
“You should cleanse.”
Zye nearly jumps out of his skin— nearly falls into the water at that. He spins around to see Orion standing just inside the room. The sight of the shorter man has a glare settling in, he can’t help it. He wants answers, real answers.
“You said I wanted this.”
“Yes. You wished to live and I allowed it.”
“Ah, how very kind of you.” Zye walks toward him as he speaks, the sarcasm thick in his words. “Not that I think I believe a word you say. Can you give me any proof?”
“No, you’ll have to take my word.”
“Figures. And I’m just supposed to believe some weird alien that shows up to save my life?”
“What did you— Never mind. It’s my job to protect the souls of others. Including yours. Now, you should cleanse and cool off. We can talk more later.”
Stepping around him, Orion plans to guide him back to the water. Except he can’t with Zye’s hand on his arm. He grits his back teeth together as he stares into Orion’s eyes, hoping he can see something— anything— give.
“Dammit, we can talk now. What happened? Why did you really do this? I wasn’t…I didn’t want to leave my family.”
“I said you wanted to live and I granted that. You can’t be with them now.”
“Then what the fuck is the point!?”
“Calm down.”
Zye’s fist coils into the front of Orion’s shirt, yanking him closer. “Let me go home. I’d rather be dead without them— I can’t even remember them.”
Orion sighs. He places his hand over Zye’s, urging him to let go. “That’s your emotions talking. Even without your memories, you can still protect them from the very thing that killed you.”
Freed from the fingers that go slack, Orion moves around him. “Cleanse and meet me by the stairs for your next lesson. Ah, and you should learn to control your temper. It’ll get you killed.”
Zye stares out over the water. His knees want to give in and his chest burns. He’s mad at everyone— himself most of all. Change never has been something he likes. Change meant he lost someone in his life. This time he’s simply lost it all.
Biting back the tears that burn at the corners of his eyes, he spins around. Cleanse? Like hell. He’s getting this done with. The more he learns, maybe the closer he’ll get to restoring his memory. Death wouldn’t be so bad if he could hold onto those fleeting specks of his life.
Heels scoff against the tile as he hurries after Orion. It’s a quick walk back out of the room, down the hall, and to the stairs. He expects to see Orion there. Instead, it’s Ilista leaning against the railing.
“Hey there, done already?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, that’s pretty quick. Let’s go then.”
“Where did he go?” asks Zye as he walks over to the portal she’s summoning.
“Orion? He asked if I could show you some ropes. I usually do training sessions for newbies anyway. This is nothing new. We’ll start small unless you’re up for sparring at the end.”
Gone is Noctis as they step out into a quiet field of grass and wildflowers. There’s nothing but the soft glow of the moon and the gentle breeze passing by them. She spins in a tight circle before stopping to stand in front of him with her hands on her hips.
“I’d have taken you to the training area with the rest of the Stars, but I figured it’d be better to have some one on one without prying eyes.”
“Thanks.”
“So, let’s begin.” Ilista summons forth her two-pronged spear. “Can you summon yours?”
Zye gawks at her. He wants to shout to the sky that Orion is the one that did that for him to begin with. And just a little bit ago at that. It’s brand new. Still, that doesn’t mean he won’t try. Zye tries with everything he has to remember how it felt; the temperature, the weight of the hilt, or how the sword materialized out of thin air.
“Not bad.”
Opening his eyes, he’s more surprised than she is. “I…did it.”
It’s not just the hilt either, but the full sword. Ilista smirks at that, “Come on, that was the easy part. Now, first off I want you to close your eyes and focus.” Once he follows her order she continues, “One of the most important parts of our abilities is being able to sense other energy signatures whether they’re friendly or not.”
“And I should be able to do this, too?”
“It’s like seeing in your mind.” She holds her hand out to him. “Come here, stick out your hand.”
He gives her a skeptical look. Nonetheless, he raises his right hand to meet with hers. For a moment it’s just a handshake, simply holding her hand. The next and there’s a tingle— like catching the chill of a freezer being opened and then snapped back shut. The smile she gives him is warm and reassuring as she pulls away.
“I felt something.”
“Good, that would be me. So you’re not completely helpless, that’s a start. Now respond to me without talking, hm? Like this.”
She keeps her lips together yet he can hear it. It’s like a whisper carried on the wind. One that has his ears tickling as if she had been right there next to him.
“Can you hear me?”
When he meets her eyes, she knows he can. He’s just not sure how to do it in return while hurrying to shut his eyes again. At first, he tries to think of when her hand touched his. The spark there— whatever that tingle was. But no matter how hard he tries, nothing seems to happen.
Not that Ilista says. She tilts her head to the side, “Everything okay? You heard me right?”
“I…yeah.”
“Hmm…well that’s okay. We can keep trying. I’ll send you little messages now and then. As you adjust it might get easier. After all, the senses you had as a human are now heightened.”
Zye glances down at his sword. His fingers tighten around the hilt at that thought. Heightened? “Then maybe it just evened me out.”
Ilista stabs the spear into the ground and leans on it. “What do you mean?” she asks. “Unless you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Nah, it’s fine. It doesn’t really matter now, I guess.” Zye tosses the sword to his other hand. “I had a disease that wore down the body, the senses more than anything. The body can’t fight back fast enough.”
She stands up straight, plucking the spear out and taking a step back. “Did it hurt?”
“All day, every day.”
There’s a motion with her hand that calls for him to come at her. He doesn’t argue the point. Not when part of him wishes he could just beat into a punching bag right now. It certainly helps that when he runs at her the spear blocks his swing.
In fact, she doesn’t move at all. Not a flinch or the slightest inch pushed back. She’s rooted to the spot and is proud, grinning wide at him.
“What? Thought you could go get the upper hand because I’m a girl?”
Ilista shoves him back and twirls her spear before pointing it out toward him. The fact that she holds it in one hand, the pole flush up against the length of her arm, has him staring. There’s a flex of muscle as she takes a step forward.
There’s not enough time to tell her that he would never think that. That instead he’s just happy she’s stronger because it means he can let loose a bit— allow the emotions to flow out of him and into the shimmering blade.
He tries to watch her movements as she runs at him. Never does she push too hard. She allows him to take a swing only to quickly parry him back. If anything, she’s just letting him get used to the weapon.
When she’s had enough, Ilista catches the blade between the prongs on her spear. That’s all it takes to have her applying enough pressure and momentum to throw it out of his hand. The second it leaves his touch, the blade fizzles out.
Zye holds up his hands in defeat. “So what are you? I take it Orion’s the leader and you’re…?”
Ilista laughs. The sound is so rich and bold— she hides none of herself as she does so. It’s proud and beautiful. The spear vanishes as she claps a hand against her hip. “No, and yes? Orion and Celeste are at the top. Otherwise, we’re all equals. But I guess you could say in brute strength I can take the rest of my Keepers easy.”
“Then I’m glad I’m learning from the best.”
“I’ll give you some more tips next time. We’ll work on your form and execution. As well as figuring out if there’s any tricks to your power; boons and weaknesses.”
“So we’re done already?”
She strides toward him and pats his arm. “Oh, no. We’re going to fight some Nether now and push you to your limit.”
“And if I don’t want to?”
“Then open a portal back to Noctis and cleanse.”
There’s a small silence before he mumbles to her, “I can’t.”
Ilista steps away and opens a doorway for them instead. “Then off we go, hm? Oh and…I’m sorry your life was so hard. That seems really difficult to go through. If you ever need to talk you can come to me.”
He passes by her, eager to step through the dark swirls of color. “Don’t be. I might not have all my memories, but I know I had people that cared about me.”
Something that he’s going to cling onto as best he can. It just feels wrong to give up and fall in line— it’s not who he is and no one is giving him enough answers. Especially when he feels like he can reach who he’s looking for if he just tries.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
