Solarynth was knocked out cold, he was absolutely shattered, all his muscles were crushed from the effort of that final kick, all his starlight spent, he paid the price to avenge the dead and to save those who survived. That speed he reached was something beyond this world, a sheer magic turned into movement, it took a monster out with a single kick that sent him flying at impossible speeds.
There was a deafening silence around the battlefield, captain Louis was silent as he looked at the smoldering remains of the huge minotaur, his kick had absolutely devastated the creature, his armor plating was crushed and his bones turned to dust from the sheer impact of the boy's attack.
Swallowing hard, Louis finally looked up from the minotaur's remains, he was limping as he walked up to the unconscious hero. He knelt down next to him looking at his pale and tired face.
"Just who are you?" The captain asked, his battle worn eyes locked on the young hero's face, his tone held a mix of awe and something else.
The silence of the battlefield was suddenly broken by the sound of approaching footsteps, and clanking armor.
A single spartan soldier was walking up to them from the far edge of the battlefield, he was limping badly, his chest was heaving with shallow breaths. He shot a glance at the distant horizon before looking back at Louis.
"Captain, the enemy is approaching, we need to retreat now." The young solider said, his voice was tense as he looked back at the distant but definite sign of the enemy's approach. "Do we take him with us?"
The captain was still kneeling next to the unconscious boy, he looked up at his soldiers with a grim expression on his face. The boy had fought like an angel sent from heaven to slay the beast that threatened them all, and almost died doing so.
Carefully, Louis got to his feet, wincing in pain as he put his hand on his ribs, he looked back at the young warrior.
"We leave no one behind," Louis said firmly. "Let's go!"
Before their retreat could commence, the ashen silence of the field settled heavily upon them, as if the sky itself mourned the dead.
The few remaining Viking warriors stood around their fallen, hardened features masking the pain within as they dug shallow graves in the dry soil with rough hands, laying Ragnar and the three others to rest in a single shallow grave. There were no prayers offered as the warriors stood over the freshly dug hole, only silent respect for those who had fallen in battle.
One by one they placed a hand over their heart or ran a blade over the burial site as they paid their respects to the fallen before turning to face the horizon, their backs to the grave.
With the enemy at their heals there was little time to waste.
One of the great warriors stepped forward, hoisting the unconscious form of Solarynth with ease over his shoulder, carrying him back towards their waiting horses that stood nervously at the edge of the camp. The sky watched as the Viking rode hard, the wind carrying the scent of ash over the rough landscape, Solarynth's unconscious form secured across the saddle of one waiting horse alongside the tethered Spartans.
They turned north and rode hard into the setting sun, battered, bruised but whole.
HOURS LATER...
The heavy wooden gates of the capital creaked open, letting in the damaged vanguard.
This was the capital, the biggest and most influential city in the whole world. It was surrounded by an enormous, many-kilometer-long wall of slate-grey stone, constructed during centuries of relentless fighting, to become the most formidable bastion of civilization. This city was truly a sight to behold, covered in all kinds of military structures, with disciplined ranks of Phalangites and elite Myrmidons standing together with the ever-watchful Hipponkon cavalry and horseman Hippotoxotes.
The outer districts boasted a number of impressive camps and quarters of allied warriors from across the world, Norsemen, heavily armored crusaders, and other power players of the war-torn world, all brought together under one banner and secured by the Unity alliance, formed in the shadow of the capital to fight the coming darkness.
As they entered the gates of the great city, the vanguard could hear the steady clinking of smiths' tools, the shouting of soldiers, and the ever-watching eyes of the guards, who had fought in countless battles.
Meanwhile, carried by the back of a tall Viking horseman, the injured Solarynth slept soundly, his vessel soaking up the protective energy of the great capital.
The huge Viking pulled Solarynth's limp, starlight-emitting body from the saddle with a heavy thud. With the celestial in his arms, he marched past the grand hall's entrance and shouldered through the double doors, laying him down gently on a cot in Grace Valen's medical ward before turning and walking back out the doors.
Grace approached the cot, wiping the filth from her hands as she took in the young man's injuries. A strange mix of awe and adrenaline swelled in her chest as she took stock of the damage. He'd literally shredded himself, channeling raw magic into his body in the form of light-speed bursts, and in doing so, had pushed himself beyond his limits.
But as she worked her salves and starlight binding into his gashes, the thick, wooden doors to the ward remained unshut, leaving the chaos beyond in full view
The news of the young celestial's arrival had already spread to the outer sanctums, and civilians, merchants, and even off-duty soldiers milled in tight groups, peering through the open doorway, muttering among themselves.
"Look at that... Is that starlight leaking from his body?"
A merchant clutched at his robes, eyes wide as he edged away from the doorway.
"Where in the abyss did Captain Louis find that?"
"The red zone, probably,"
one passing scribe spat, his face drained of color. "I heard the vanguard pulled him from the ash wastes. Why in the world would they bring an outsider into Unity Alliance?"
"He looks like a non-human,"
hissed a civilian. "If he's from the forbidden borders, won't he bring the curse with him?"
From the stone-paved upper balcony, which looked down over a lively courtyard, Captain Louis surveyed the gathered crowd below with a bemused expression.
His arms were crossed over his bronze cuirass, as he stood relaxed and unbothered as tension was mounting up in the citadel. Flanking him on both sides stood his two Spartan students.
The older one, a well-seasoned veteran with a disciplined look on his face and an array of old scars running down his arms, narrowed his eyes at the opening of the mouth of the medical ward.
"Are you sure about this, Captain?" He said, sarcasm dripping from his every word. "Cause if the King finds out you brought him something with you from the red zone… He has been wandering there by himself for who knows how long and we have no idea what he is. You said yourself that he crush a minotaur in half with his kick with some incomprehensible quickness?"
Next to him, the younger one shifted from side to side, a reckless eagerness dancing in his youthful eyes. He had abandoned his post as soon as he had heard about a stranger that casually kicked a monster to death.
"So when am I going to fight him then?" The young one exclaimed, a big grin plastered all over his face as he looked down at the cot where the unconscious form of a stranger named Solarynth laid.
The older Spartan didn't give the kid a second glance. Just tossed out a heavy forearm, shoved him backwards by his chest plate, and released a lengthy sigh that would've put out a camp fire, if there had been one.
"Fight him?" older deadpanned, his expression of utter bewilderment not leaving his face. "Kid, do you even understand what're you talking about?! You would've been a footnote in the history books, no bigger than an exclamation mark! You wouldn't even leave a stain on those cobblestones - you'd be a pink mist!"
The kid just crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, refusing to be reprimanded, sticking out his chin in a proud gesture. "I'm just saying! My spear techniques are quick. Perhaps he did not see my good side. A real warrior tests his skill against the best -"
"A real warrior," The older Spartan tapped him lightly on the helmet with a knuckle. "knows the difference between a brave, but futile gesture and a very expensive mistake. The guy is currently leaking stardust and neon gas in Grace's table and you want to test your steel against him? In a sparring match?"
"Well, yes, actually," The kid muttered, scratching the nape of his neck, smiling sheepishly. "Just a little duel. With wooden practice blades."
"The only thing you're going to practice is your graveyard shift," Older said, rolling his eyes so furiously it was a miracle they hadn't popped out of their sockets.
Captain Louis chuckled darkly at their bickering, lowering his penetrating gaze back towards the busy courtyard below.
There was still a low buzz from anxious civilians and tense soldiers standing by the entrance to Grace's medical ward, staring at the unconscious star-being laying across from them in a cot. The unease of the onlookers rippled through the crowd, with wary gazes fixed on the open doorway and the stranger.
Louis let his arms fall from their crossed position atop one another, his calloused hand coming to rest on the stone balustrade of the balcony.
"Let them prattle," Louis said, the calmness of his voice slicing between the two bickering Spartans like a dagger. He narrowed his eyes towards the ward's entrance, watching as Grace bustled along side the cot, her hands sparkling with glowing restoration magic.
"The King and the council will have their say when the sun rises, and most of the alliance will then be screaming for answers," Louis continued, his smirk stretching dangerously as he glanced between the eager younger Spartan and the stern veteran. "So let the people panic and whisper. But out in the wastelands of ash, that stranger tore his being apart to stop us becoming corpses."
Louis shook his head, his keen eyes flicking back to regard the excited younger Spartan.
"So no battle for soon," he said, giving the older Spartan a heavy pat to the shoulder. "Instead, let us wait for what will come crawling out from the Red Zone."
Within the hushed atmosphere of the medical ward, the commotion from outside faded away to a dull murmur. Grace exhaled long and shakily, a small hand coming to wipe the sweat from her brow.
She gave the last few edges of the linen bandage a sharp tug as she smoothed it across one of Solarynth's torn sides. At once, the special woven fabric seemed to come alive, glowing softly with a calming blue light as it clung to the star-being's side.
The spilling light from within slowed it's leak, and Grace watched as the angry red marks grew paler. These bandages would not do miracles overnight, but the medicinal magic imbued within the weave would most certainly numb the violent pain ripping through Solarynth's vessel.
Her expression softened as her tired green eyes swept over the figure across from her, a mix of lingering horror and sympathy etched into her features.
"He really did almost kill himself." she murmured to the still air. Even in the famed and feared Unity Alliance, where the very warriors were taught to embrace death on the battlefield, she had never seen such reckless disregard for one's person.
The sudden gust of air sent the fabric of the medical sheets rustling, and Grace pulled her leather satchel closer as she watched the steady rise and fall of the strange man's chest. Whatever knowledge he brought from the Red Zone, and whatever the King and council would have to say when they found out, either one would change this boy's world, whether he woke up soon or not.
Grace let out a heavy sigh as she slumped back against the wooden chair, her eyes watching the pattern of Solarynth's breathing slow to an even pace.
Crunching stone announced firm footsteps approaching the threshold of the ward.
It was Captain Louis. He came to a stop beside the cot and gave a brief but appreciative nod to Grace, before lowering his gaze down to regard Solarynth.
The sight of the strange bandages that had his open torso show his physique and the raw, exposed feeling of a vessel not used to such mortals frailty had a certain gravity to it.
After all, the star-being hadn't owed them anything. Hell, he hadn't even known who they were, and yet had been willing to destroy himself to save a couple dozen strangers. As Louis studied the unconscious stranger, the only thought that crossed his mind was, he still didn't even know who the kid even was. Or what dangerous power lurked within his skin.
Louis turned away from the bed, getting a wooden chair from the other room and dragging it back while he sat down to wait before the celestial would awake.
"Don't mind me, Grace. I'll be here waiting for him to wake up," Louis said as he laid his arms on his knees.
Grace gave him a side long glance with a sympathetic indifferent look as he stood up and placed his medical tools on the supply table.
"Alright then, you keep watch over him as I get some lunch," she replied turning on her heels and walking out to the kitchen to get a meal and some drink.
As Grace went to get them something to eat and drink, Louis sat down beside the cot with a pensive look on his aged face as he gazed down at the unconscious being.
His thoughts wandered back to the same bloody conundrum, how was it that a kid like him was surviving in Red Zone? A place crawling with ravenous mythical beasts capable of ripping through an ordinary human or even a veteran warrior just as fast as they ran into the infested land. There wasn't a living being that could live comfortably in the forbidden ash wastes, save for the monsters that roamed it and things much worse than the beasts.
Yet, none of it made sense to him. The vanguard hadn't just wandered into the cursed wastes on accident, they had followed a certain classified scouting report, that had warned them of a big scale attack about to happen, which was a sight to behold itself, but the scouting party had somehow stumbled across Solarynth, in that barren land of death.
Louis shifted in his chair, laying his elbow on his knee and holding his thickened calloused palm on his chin like in the Thinker pose.
Why would a kid be out there? Louis thought as he narrowed his eyes on the young boy's bruised and pale face. Is he some kind of monster in disguise? A certain kind of shapeshifter meant to infiltrate our citadel?
He quickly shook the thought off, there wasn't anything that had eyes like that of a monster. But somehow, there was something so unnatural about the kid's presence here that made Louis get this strange feeling in his gut, like this was not some ordinary human that had stumbled upon them.
Louis leaned forward, peeling back the corner of the blanket to look at the boy's specialized bandages. He had seen his share of human wounds in all of his time as a soldier, but the faint magical resonance that bled through the boy's skin wasn't something he had seen before.
It all clicked in the Captain's head like a lightbulb suddenly turning on, a revelation so shocking he nearly jumped out of his skin.
By the gods... is he from the stars? Or is he one..?
The sudden sound of shattering glass rang through the silent ward.
Louis flinched at the sudden noise, tactical instincts flaring to life as he shot up from his chair, hand instinctively going to his sidearm. He turned around, piercing eyes zeroing in on the source of the disturbance.
A few feet away from him, Grace, stood stock still next to the supply counter, her wide amber eyes locked on the floor. Scattered across the stone floor were the remains of a glass bottle, dark medicinal tonic pooling over the broken ceramic. Her hands were raised, palms open in a universal sign of surprise, the vial still clutched in her fingers having fallen in shock.
Louis exhaled, letting his hand drop back to his side as he turned his gaze from the broken glass to the startled healer.
"Everything alright over there, healer?" Louis asked, clearly stating the silence that had filled the room.
Grace's cheeks burned as she shot the captain an apologetic glance mortified with her own ineptitude. She sighed heavily glumly staring at the misfortune causing she kicked one of the broken pieces away on the tip of her shoe.
"Im ok, it just slipped," she mumbled scratching the back of her neck, "darn it... that was my favorite bottle."
A low rumbling chuckle escaped Louis' lips as the tension in the air dissipated like smoke. He slumped back in his wooden chair shaking his head with a playful smirk.
"well, if you're going to war with liquor, at least have the sense to aim for the empty crates!" teased Louis crossing his arms over his chest. "go on, clean it up before you impale yourself on a shard. I'll keep an eye on him."
Grace released an exasperated sigh, plucking a small piece of cloth and a broom off the shelf.
"Very funny, captain." she muttered dryly as she swept the stray bits of glass into a small pile, wiping the spilled dark-toned liquid from the stone floor. "Some of us actually have things to do while you waste your time doing your little philosopher's ruminations."
She tossed the piece of cloth into the disposal bin and pulled a satchel over her shoulder. "I'm off then. Don't let him grow new limbs while I'm gone."
"No promises." Louis gave her a dry smile as she turned to leave, not bothering to turn his head.
The moment the doors to the room were sealed behind the healer, the oppressive silence of the chamber once more draped over the room, smothering the few sounds given off by the citadel beyond the walls. The steady rise and fall of Solarynth's chest was the only sound to be heard in the still air
Louis let out a slow breath, sliding his hand down to brace his chin as he locked his gaze on the unconscious celestial's features.
From the stars...
The notion was preposterous, laughable even. But there was nothing else to explain the sheer force of energy that had atomized an entire minotaur, the trails of starlight weaving out of the torn flesh and sinew of the young celestial's body, nor even the sheer power of will behind the ability that had incinerated its own user in an attempt to finish off a foe. If the child truly was a celestial that had fallen to the planet, the Unity Alliance was in very real danger. And that danger was not likely to remain a distant threat for long.
Minutes stretched on.
And then the dull glow of bioluminescence flared to life across the bandages covering his torso. The ambient starlight oozing from the celestial's body sudden, briefly growing brighter before his fingers twitched against the coarse fabric of the blanket.
Louis's eyes snapped to Solarynth's hand as soon as he twitched. His brows furrowed as he leaned forward in his seat, the sound of his own breath suddenly coming quick and shallow as he watched the boy's face, waiting for some indication that the pale lids would finally lift.
Before Solarynth could even twitch again, the great wooden doors of the medical ward groaned open.
A fellow Spartan soldier stormed into the room, the sound of his heavy armor clanking against the stone floor. He didn't bother giving Louis a greeting before he came to a stop a few paces away, his visor unreadable behind the folds of his helmet.
"Captain," was all the man said, his voice hushed so as not to raise too much volume in the usually hushed ward. "The king and queen have heard word of this stranger. They wish for answers, and they wish for them soon."
Louis did not turn to look at the other man. His eyes were fixed on Solarynth's face as the boy's bioluminescent markings slowly returned to a dormant state beneath his mangled skin. His fingers twitched again against the blanket covering his chest, but his eyelids stayed stubbornly sealed shut.
A sharp frown pulled the captain's brows together as he slowly pushed himself off the wooden chair, careful not to disturb the boy's healing state beneath the starlight bandages.
Facing away from the cot, Louis crossed his arms over his chest, his expression dark with distaste.
"The king and queen wish for answers," The captain growled, his voice coming out in a low grumble. "Tell them they'll receive them the moment this idiot decides to wake up from tearing himself up trying to save the vanguard of ingrates. As it stands, the only thing keeping this kid alive is the will of his vessel."
The messenger from the palace shifted uncomfortably where he stood, his hand unconsciously drifting towards the pommel of his weapon as he shot a meaningful glance at the cot where the stranger laid.
"With all due respect, Captain, the royalty is known for their impatience. The council has already begun discussing containment and execution protocols. They believe he may be a weapon of the Red Zone, or possibly a spy."
"A spy who managed to launch one of the minotaur's canons into a crater?" Louis countered, leaning forward a bit to glare at his messenger. "If he wanted us dead, we'd be dead. Tell the council to spare their spit, because until this kid can tell me who he is with his own tongue, no one is touching him or moving him. Is that understood?"
The Spartan soldier saluted rigidly at Louis's order, but as he straightened he found himself tilting his head in slight confusion by the crest of bronze that ran along the edge of his helmet.
"Sir, what do you mean by... vessel?"
Louis fell silent for a long moment, the hushed silence of the ward pressing heavily around them. He turned his head slightly away from his messenger, eyes watching the still form of the cot where the stranger laid.
"Apparently," the captain muttered grimly, voice as hushed as if he was telling a ghost story over a campfire, "he comes from the cosmos."
The word hung in the sterile air of the medical ward, suffocating.
The spartan messenger was waiting for his captain to deliver a punchline, a joke or even some kind of tactical explanation as to what new brand of siege magic they were dealing with now but Louis's expression was serious and his face set in grim determination.
The soldier turned his head slowly to look at the illuminated bandages that were currently wrapped tightly around Solarynth torso, swallowing hard in the process. The silence that followed was uncomfortable punctuated only by the crackle of a distant torch and the slow steady breaths of the boy on the bed.
"The... the cosmos, sir? Like... stars? Void?" the messenger eventually said, his voice low as he shot Louis an incredulous look with his helmet visor.
"I don't know the specifics soldier,"
The Captain replied darkly, fixing his stare on the pale and tired looking face of his fellow Spartan still lying motionless on the bed. He pushed himself off of the wall he had been leaning against and made his way back to the chair he had been occupying before, lowering himself onto it with a heavy sigh. "All I know is that a normal human body doesn't rip itself apart at light speed nor does it bleed liquid stardust."
The messenger took a step back, one hand automatically tightening around the grip of his blade. "If the King and the high council find out... if they believe that some celestial being is currently laying unguarded and vulnerable in the capital city-"
"They won't hurt him, Not if they think he is just some random wandering god that wandered into our borders and happened to be conveniently knocked out when we stormed in." Louis interrupted, a bitter chuckle escaping his lips as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and staring at his hands.
"The boy used his last bit of energy to stop the ash wastes from swallowing us whole. If the council wishes to take their chances and poke around inside what fell from the sky, then they'll have to walk right past those big double doors and do it over my cold dead body."
Before the messenger could respond, a sudden gust of wind blew through the open doorway of the medical ward, carrying with it the sound of frantic ringing coming from the central bell tower of the capital city, tolling out an emergency recall for the high commanders.
The resonant sound of the central bell tower's bell echoed through the stone walls of the citadel. The call had been sounded - the high command had assembled.
Louis released a heavy sigh, the weight of a dozen unanswered questions pressing down on his shoulders. Pushing himself off the chair, the young captain cast one last lingering glance at the unconscious figure tied to the bed. The blue glow had all but dissappeared beneath the bandages, leaving Solarynth to rest in a deep, if delusional, peace.
"I'll be back," He muttered, more to himself than the room in general. "Let's go."
With that, Louis turned on his heel and strode towards the double doors at the center of the room. Metal rang out againt stone as the captain's heavy boots pounded against the floor. The Spartan soldier was at his heals in an instant, falling into step as they marched out into the corridors of the capital, the tension of the city spilling out to meet them. They made their way towards the war room, where the council was waiting.
Left completely alone in the medical ward, Solarynth's physical form remained still. His mind, however, was far from idle
Within the vast landscape of his thoughts, the world around him twisted and turned, reshaping itself into something unrecognizable.
It was a vision, a prophecy perhaps, but as the young sorcerer looked upon the scene before him he was struck dumb by the sheer enormity of it all. The sky stretched out before him in rolling waves, the very fabric of the cosmos pulled tight and humming with the energy of a thousand stars.
In this world he was older, stronger, and most importantly he was in control. Power no longer ran wild within him, bled from his veins like poison, but was carefully shaped into something beautiful, something perfect. Every crackling spark of magic was a thing of gracefull beauty, a waltz danced in perfect time with his heartbeat.
From within the storm of light, a shadowy figure loomed impossibly large over him. His future self turned to face him and in that instant, Solarynth was overcome with an all-consuming feeling of serenity. The voice that spoke was like an all-powerful prayer resonating deep within his soul.
"Wake up."
Gasps of surprise flled the air.
With a sudden, startled jolt, Solarynth shot up off the cot, his heart pounding in his chest like a war drum. His hands flew to his mouth as he took a sharp, gasping breath. The young sorcerer's wide, golden like amber eyes snapped open as he looked around the room, the crushing weight of the universe all but squeezing his lungs shut. His specially-treated bandages strained against his skin as he twitched, trying to get more air into his lungs.
His heart was still pounding as he blinked away the stars behind his eyes, trying to make sense of where he was. Before his vision could clear, however, he heard the familiar voice of his nurse.
Standing at the foot of his bed, a damp cloth and bowl of water in hand, Grace stopped dead in her tracks as she took in the sight of him. A small, relieved smile graced her lips as she looked over his trembling form.
"Oh... your awake," She said with a soft, happy sigh as she walked up to him, setting the cloth down beside his head. "You were asleep for two days."
Solarynth's wild eyes snapped towards Grace, his mind whirling with everything he had seen. However, before he could gasp a single syllable, an excruciating pain shot through his optic nerves, as if trying to shoot white-hot sunbeams from his eyes.
He gasped as a sudden realization of his future self's memories crushed down on him, his mental state unable to process the sheer force of the information. His eyes rolled back slightly as all strength left his limbs.
His body thudded backwards onto the pillows of the cot, his hands coming up to press against his skull as he forced his eyes shut tightly against the pressure.
A low pained groan escaped Solarynth's lips, the sound strained and constricted as the dizziness of the vision pressed at his temples.
Noticing his swaying, Grace dropped the cloth and took his shoulders, coaxing him gently back down onto the pillows with a worried frown.
"Whoa... easy, easy," Grace said, leaning over him, her voice tinged with concern. "What's the matter? Tell me where it hurts... is it your starlight binding?"
Solarynth's eyelids fluttered open, his human eyes fighting against the white-hot pressure behind his brow
When they opened to reveal their contents, Grace's breath caught in her throat and she found herself slack-jawed in shock; her hands falling limply to his shoulders
Something was terribly, horribly wrong... and yet, impossibly right.
His human eyes were gone, replaced by impossibly beautiful, frighteningly eyes of brilliant turquoise-blue and cyan that seemed to stretch into the far reaches of the cosmos, containing flecks of dancing fire within their depths.
Swirling around the beautiful chaos of color was a band of rich, bright golden-yellow, the two colors blending dangerously together in vivid contrast, as though the very fabric of the universe had been split and reforged in an apocalyptic clash of powers. In the center of this striking anomaly burned Solarynth's slit-like pupils, adding to the frightful beauty of his exotic eyes.
Added to the striking contrast of his unusual heterochromatic eyes were intricate golden rings and fine golden filigree that spiraled out from the center of his pupils, forming magical sigils.
From the center of his eyes blazed a brilliant beams of light, intersecting themselves with thin bright slashes of illumination, giving his eyes an even more mystical appearance.
They were beautiful, frightening things... ancient powers bestowed upon him in an age long gone.
Grace found herself enthralled by them, unable to look away as though some deep, dark part of her had been enthralled by the mysterious power within his unearthly gaze.
Solarynth forced his eyelids so tight that his whole face was clenched and his forehead was stretched as if his eyes were to pop out of their sockets.
With a gasp, he opened them again.
The image of the monstrous proportions and the chaotic geometry of the ancient power faded away with remnants of afterimages, the turquoise and gold dissolving into nothingness. When his vision cleared, his now familiar golden eyes stared right back at him from the reflection in the glass, save that they looked far more human than they ever did before.
He let out a shaky gasp, his hand slamming against the mattress as he heaved a loud, heavy sigh.
The sensation of fatigue was truly overwhelming, but it was nothing compared to the dreadful echo inside his skull.
That was me?
He thought, his heartbeat hammering a single thought in his head. His other self stared right back at him, the image of flawless precision and power, the sheer will that told him what he would become one day.
Solarynth remained silent, his bleak sight fixed on the coarse wool of the blanket. He did not want to see the sharp captain's eyes because he knew that if he spoke and said the wrong thing, it would all end right there, and he would be back to his old, mundane life. The captain fell silent as well, and the tense stillness of the room made the youth let out a heavy sigh. Finally, he answered the captain's questioning stare.
"I came from... the beginning of time," he muttered in a rough, worn voice. "From a place where there was neither humans, nor any galaxies... Only the utter emptiness of non-existence, the absolute beginning of the universe. My name is Solarynth Caelaris."
Louis narrowed his eyes at him, and expected him to explain what ancient tribe he was from, or what border test he had failed, but the young man, apparently, had more to say.
"I came here because of someone... I think," Solarynth's amber eyes locked onto Louis's for the first time since he had awoken, and his voice seemed to have gained some strength. "I don't even know her, but she told me her name was Aditi."
The name fell onto the sterile silence of the ward like an anvil. Louis went tense as the blood in his veins turned to ice, and the captain's harsh questions died in his throat as he turned his gaze to the other side of the room. Grace, who had been silent until then, went rigid as well, her raised hand, in which she had been preparing to throw the strip of fabric, losing tension as the cloth fell to the floor with a soft plop.
The two humans stared at the young foreigner with the same, stunned, bleary expression.
Aditi.
The Goddess of magic, whose name almost every inhabitant of this world knew, the mother of their universe, the powerful deity in existence, worshiped and obeyed by every empire on every planet.
To hear her name, said by a blooded stranger who had appeared in their galaxy, and who claimed to have come from before any of them had been, was absolutely petrifying.
The dull, stifling silence stretched on for a moment before finally breaking up to the familiar cracks from the torch hitting against the stone walls.
Louis finally found his voice, though it was somewhat frayed and lacked its usual commanding authority as he took a small step closer.
"Aditi.." Louis trailed off saying the girl's name in a mere breath so as not provoke the heaven's ire at having to say it full volume, dragging a hand over his stubbled jaw to look down at the young man. "You're telling us a goddess sent you here on account of our war torn dirt?"
The captain let out an equally frayed breath, shaking his head.
"Tell me, then, if you are what you say," Louis said his tone firm once more as he narrowed calculating eyes at the blond youth. "So here's what my nights are filled with, kid. If one star fell into my medics, how many more are still up there? And are they all as reckless as you?"
Solarynth blinked at him, seeming momentarily taken aback before giving a slow shake of his head.
He frowned, rubbing the back of his neck, where it felt sore.
"I..." He paused, watching the others' faces before giving a reluctant, thoughtful shrug.
"She never mentioned anything about others being there. But then.." he looked around at the vast expanse they now sat on, eyes trailing down to his bare hands and to the endless black void they hung from "...given distance I'm guessing.. there very well might be."
Louis watched him carefully, taking in the sharp motion of the other's amber eyes and the tenseness to his stance in a measured expression before leveling a steadier gaze at him.
"I'll be speaking with the king, Solarynth." Louis stated, voice calm but firm and unapproaching. "And I will not be letting his people perform an execution on you..."
The captain's replied to the hushed question, his voice a dry rasp in the antiseptic stillness of the medical ward. Louis looked at the wound for a long moment, his expression dark with a certain resolute look that had nothing to do with all the hotchpotch intrigue and treachery that was currently taking place elsewhere.
A breath passed through the air and the ache at the middle of Solarynth's chest lessened if only by an atom. He didn't thank him, and in the harsh and implacable calculus of kings and soldiers a promise was worth all the gold in the realm.
"The king will not listen", murmured the spartan captain. "At least, not to the one person who might stand to benefit him."
"Leave the politics to me", Louis replied, and then turned on his heel with all the deliberation of a man who knew the road ahead was lined with wolves. The wood of the chair creaked as he pushed himself to his feet, the weight of his harness pressing heavily against the furniture. A hand hovered near the hilt of his pistol as he straightened to his full height, muscles tightening in his biceps. "You will remain under my protection until such time as you are fit to stand before the court. No matter what the council might have to say, no matter what the city might have to say, I will see you are heard once your body is ready"
The captain turned, and the broad slats of his back were revealed to Solarynth who watched quietly as the mercenary marched towards the exit. Heavy steps resounded in the narrow corridor and beyond the thick double doors the sound of murmured voices filtered back along with the muffled clatter of horse hooves. His body tensed instinctively as he neared the doors and paused only briefly as he turned around to cast a shadow over the man on the cot.
Then came a soft click as the mechanism at the center of the door disengaged and sent a dull metallic echo back into the room.
Grace exhaled, a hand resting absently on the counter as though recalling what brought her here. The young woman straightened, her fingers deftly capturing a bundle of surgical towels that she used to mop up the drying blood. Her emerald eyes were still fixed on the mercenary's receding back as her mouth quirked to one side in faint amusement.
"I do believe", she drawled softly, "that you are in good hands. How is our patient?"
Solarynth turned his head at the question, muscles relaxing as if he'd been holding his breath. Outside, the first golden streaks of dawn pierced the endless gray as the kingdom stirred to life. Blacksmiths' hammers rang out in steady rhythmic counterpoint to the swish of morning toilet-water past the barred high windows.
"I'm," the mercenary inhaled shakily, "alright, I guess".
Now the world waited for morning.
For judgment day.
For fire and blood...
To walk as one of the mortals is not only to possess their crumbling, fragile vessels of flesh, but to wrap around them their beautiful, dying doom.
To be born from the silence of the infinite void, but hide and curl inside the most fragile human insufficiencies is to wear your own, dazzling starlight as a mask.
After all, what is the most dreadful power to possess for the being of endless eons, but to forget, to lose, to bury oneself into oblivion for the sake of feeling the desperate pulse of another, dying heart?