Chapter 60—Trial By Fire |
The flight from Fallen Reach to the Cradle was a quiet one, neither Hiral nor Sera approaching the other. Really, she’d been good about giving him his space after their previous discussions. She wasn’t trying to be his mother overtly. She wasn’t trying to force him to talk to her, or even acknowledge her.
They were just two people going in the same direction.
Hiral knew he’d have to address what she did at some point. Putting herself in harm’s way to save him didn’t excuse how she’d treated him most of his life, but it probably deserved a “thank you”, at least. He could’ve done that at any point, but her overall behavior—along with the life-saving thing—had him considering a different question he wasn’t ready for.
They couldn’t be mother and son, that was out of the question, but could they be friends? Not now, and probably not soon, but in the future?
Sera had actually been accountable for how she’d behaved. Again, that didn’t make up for or erase her behaviour, but, should past mistakes define future choices forever? People changed. Learned. Grew. Not always for the better, but sometimes…
Hiral had been more than a little worried about her joining the raid group, half expecting it to be a vehicle for her to try and demand his forgiveness. He’d been wrong. She’d never asked for him to forgive her. In fact, in the few times anything even close had come up, she’d said she would understand if he never did. Of course she hoped he would, but she never asked.
And, really, she’d been a valuable member of the raid group. Near the beginning, he’d been frustrated with how capable she seemed. That had changed from frustrated to appreciative as they’d continued to travel together. She was good at her role, took it seriously, and very much kept things professional. Her choices and actions had helped keep his friends safer, even while they made it very clear they didn’t think very highly of her.
His friends were a bit protective of him, and they all knew just how much her absence from his life had affected him. Sera had taken the punishment without complaint.
Right up until she’d thrown herself in front of a death beam in an effort to protect him. From her words just before the blast hit, she fully expected she wouldn’t survive. Even then, she didn’t ask him to forgive her. Just to tell his sisters and father how much she loved them.
She hadn’t said the exact words, but the implication was there. Words he’d worked his young life to hear. That she loved him. It was kind of stupid how much a child wanted to hear their parents say that. Maybe stupid wasn’t the right word. Irrational? They were just words.
Except he’d wanted them so much. Then, he’d gotten used to the fact he would never hear them. Never be good enough. Not that it wasn’t his fault, or his parents, really. They’d believed it might have been, with how they did his Meridian Lines and tattoos, but there was no way they could’ve known he was a Builder, not a Maker.
All that was water under the bridge. He was happy with who he’d become after the long road. Who he was had helped save the world.
Just like who Sera was had helped save the world.
And, there he was, back to the question of whether they could be friends at some point. He did respect her as anybody other than his mother.
Thankfully, with the savanna coming into view—along with the mountainous region where the Cradle hid—he could stop thinking about it. Further in the distance, the unique formations of what looked like arcs of solidified, liquid stone that hid the Hanging Garden loomed in the darkness. Seeing the savanna, for once, without rain truly captured just how large it was. It stretched, and stretched, and stretched into the distance.
“This is where we’re going to part ways,” Finotol said over the raid chat. “We’ll tell everybody in the Hanging Garden what happened.”
“Thanks, Finotol,” Hiral said. “And, I hear you’re going to be leaving the raid group.”
“Nivian told you, huh?” Finotol said.
“Yeah,” Hiral said. “You’ll be missed, but I get why you’re doing it. If you need any help—with anything—just ask, okay? We’ll always have your back.”
“I’ll do that,” Finotol said. “And, just so you know, it’s not about you guys. After Nivian and his group saved me and Romin, I… it was a rough time. I wasn’t sure where I should be, or if I even deserved to be alive while the others… well, you know.
“I… was a little lost. Nivian helped me find my way. Gave me a way, when I didn’t have one of my own. A reason to keep going, until I could get my feet under me again. You all did, and being part of the raid group has been something special.
“You gave me a chance to make a difference. Which is why I need to do this. I want to bring up a new group who is going to do the same thing. It’s not going to be quick, but I’m going to do it right. Take some of the pressure off you guys, you know?”
“I know you’ll do a great job,” Hiral said. “And, really, we’ll all be happy to help any way we can.”
“How about you and Seeyela get some of those portals set up between the cities? Will make recruiting way easier,” Finotol said. “After she’s had some time with her kid, of course. She deserves that.”
“It’s on my list of things to do,” Hiral said. “Portals connecting the Hanging Garden, the Cradle, Trevallen, Fallen Reach, and more.”
“Good,” Finotol said. “Make sure you look me up when you come to the Garden to set up that portal. I may not be as much of a cook as Nivian is, but let me make something for you.”
“You’ve been with our raid group since it formed,” Hiral said. “If there’s one thing you must’ve learned, it’s that if there’s food, we’ll be there.”
“Especially pastries,” Finotol said with a laugh.
“Especially those,” Hiral said.
Finotol’s face turned serious again. “Hiral, same goes for you guys. I mean. I’m going to be working on my new group and all that, but if you need me. Call. I’ll be there in a heartbeat.”
“Thanks, Finotol,” Hiral said, then looked over at Romin.
“We’re not leaving the raid group,” Romin said, pointing from himself to Wallop. Then, he paused. “Unless… you want us to?”
“Hells no,” Hiral said. “You’re stuck with us. We need a good tank, and that’s you two. How long are you planning to stay in the Hanging Garden?”
“A few hours at most,” Romin said. “Just seeing family, then I need to go find Polis.”
“I’ll be heading to Trevallen around the same time. Travel together?” Hiral said.
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“Sounds good,” Romin said. “Just send me a message when you’re ready to go. I may need the rescue from my father anyway.”
Snuff, Wallop said with a sort of forlorn hopelessness.
“It won’t be that bad, this time,” Romin said. “I hope.”
Snuff.
“No, you can’t fake having an upset stomach.”
Snuff.
“If you do that in the Skybike side car, you’re cleaning it up yourself.”
“I won’t leave you two hanging long,” Hiral laughed. “Just let me know if you need me coming in RHCs blazing.”
At the comment, Romin actually considered it, even going as far as getting his notebook out to jot it down. “I’ll let you know,” he said with a straight face, then turned to the Rune-o sitting comfortably in the Skybike’s sidecar. “Let’s go. The longer we put this off, the worse it will be.”
Snuff.
Romin just rolled his eyes at the comment, nodded to Hiral and Sera, then turned and started slowly in the direction of the Hanging Garden.
“His dad is intense,” Finotol said. “He’ll be fine, though. He’s grown up a lot since we met you guys. His father will see that too. Anyway, he’s clearly waiting for me, and I don’t want to hold you two up. Thanks again for everything, and I’ll see you soon.”
Grrr, Rive “said” from her own sidecar beside Finotol.
“Take care of yourself until then,” Sera said.
“I’ll be in the Hanging Garden soon,” Hiral said. “Hopefully not too soon—because Romin needs rescuing—but we will definitely look you up.”
With the promises and goodbyes, the two Bonders and their companions pulled back on their Skybikes’ throttles, and sped off into the distance. Likewise, having slowed for the farewells, Hiral gave Drake a pat to get him really moving again, and Sera fell in off to his side.
It only took a few beats of the dracolich’s powerful wings to get them up to speed again, racing above the ground no more than a few hundred feet below them at that point. It hadn’t been that long since Hiral had burned the majority of the Enemy out of the sky, and already the ground was showing signs of change. The long grass was noticeably dryer, bending in the wind of Drake’s powerful wings. Trees that’d hung heavy under the constant downpour seemed to stretch higher into the air, though that was likely Hiral’s imagination.
The biggest change of all, though, was probably the bursts of new growth blossoming where the squids had fallen. The unique plant-life grew dozens of feet in the air, colorful flowers ringing them and already attracting the attention of wildlife.
Unlike Seena’s usual vines—especially those from her domain—these plants weren’t smashing everything that got close into paste. It was more the opposite, with ripe, heavy fruit drooping just low enough for enterprising Voltaic Plains Sprinters to rear up and snatch with their teeth. With herds hundreds of animals strong, it didn’t seem possible the plants could possibly feed them all.
And, yet, each of the plants had so much solar energy in them, the fruit fully regrew within a minute of being plucked.
“The plants are releasing some kind of pollen or scent over a wide area,” Sera said over the raid chat. “It’s coming up as a buff, with the sole purpose of leading the animals to food. Of course, that many herbivores in one place will ultimately bring carnivores, but that’s just the food chain.”
Hiral took a look at his status window, but he didn’t see any unexpected buffs listed there, so he said as much.
“I have an ability that allows me to detect buffs and debuffs at a distance,” Sera explained. “Each of those Voltaic Plains Sprinters has it. Do you know how long each of the plants will last?”
“A long time,” Hiral said. “It’s slowly burning through the energy the Enemy’s body had in it, while also pulling more energy in through the same process the guide-roots use. I suspect the growth rate for the fruit will slow, but never fully stop.
“I’m sure Gauto knows somebody who will happily study it and figure out the numbers exactly.”
“Academics will play an important role in this world going forward,” Sera said. “Everything will be new.”
“Not so long ago, Dad was talking to me about how he worried we were turning too much toward war, because we needed to survive,” Hiral said. “We thought we’d be fighting the Enemy and Raze for… generations. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but it felt like it would never really end.”
“It hasn’t ended yet,” Sera said. “We will still need those of you willing to fight. You said it yourself, the Enemy has not been completely expelled from Genesis, and even if it had, the world being new also means it will be dangerous. All the natural creatures that had congregated in the E, D, C, B, A, and S-Rank zones—if those even exist—won’t have magically vanished.
“There will still be plenty of conflict in our future, and fighters will be needed at each of those Ranks to secure those areas,” she continued. “While somebody like you could sweep in and make almost any area on this world ‘safe’, it would come at a cost. To the landscape, not to you, to be clear.”
“You sound like you’ve been talking to Left and Right,” Hiral said with a roll of his eyes Sera would never be able to see.
“I have not,” Sera said. “But it’s true. Your power comes with consequences. To avoid those repercussions, you would need to use less power, resulting in slower results. You would still be safe, of course. Just wasting your time that could be better spent elsewhere.”
“Getting us S-Ranks to do all the work would just hurt the others more than help them,” Hiral agreed. “With our PIMs, everybody has the chance to get stronger, to choose their own paths. That choice comes with risk, and we’ll all have to accept it.”
“It’s part of the reason I believe your father and I need to open a school,” Sera said.
“That’s what you’re doing to do?” Hiral said, Drake gliding along. They still had a few minutes before they arrived at the Cradle.
“Not that your father knows yet,” Sera said. “That’s my plan. Right now, we are set up too much like a military, pushing for that strength you and Elezad felt we needed. Most of what’s going on in the Cradle right now is following that ideology. Fight. Level. Survive. Not necessarily in that order.
“Now that we have the luxury of time, I’d like to make sure people have the tools and training they need to succeed. There are many things I’ve learned in my time with this raid group. Most of them, I wish I’d known before my life depended on them.”
“It’s kind of been a trial by fire,” Hiral admitted.
“Which some of us—such as yourself—are better equipped to handle,” Sera said. “We’re not all that lucky. I believe an academy-style education, especially with the abundant trials found within the Cradle would make the most sense. It would also give us the opportunity to better develop those who do not fall into an outright combat classification.
“People like Jzak or Osteo, as examples,” Sera continued. “As we see people with unique skillsets like they have appear, we can truly nurture them. It could also help train Academics—like those we will need to investigate the new plant life—in the skills they will need to survive out in the wilder world.
“I plan on bringing this before the council of Fallen Reach—with your father at my side—to make this a mandatory step for all our young. Hrm,” she said, clearly having another thought. “We should find a way to invite people from the other nations as well. It is something that could benefit everybody.”
“I think you and Dad have a lot of work ahead of you,” Hiral said. “But I also think it’s a good plan. I can even think of a few people who might make good instructors.”
Maybe it’s something Devison could be part of, after he’s had some time to heal? His experience—not to mention his actual fighting skills—could be a huge help for years to come.
“Definitely a lot of work,” Sera said. “And worth it.”
“You going to make Nat and Milly go through it?” Hiral said, only half joking.
“They’ll be some of the first,” Sera said confidently, then did something unexpected. She sighed. “I know it hasn’t been long, but I feel like I haven’t seen them—or your father—in forever. It’s been days that feel like years. Part of my wonders if they will remember me, even though I know it’s silly.”
“I was lost on the surface a lot longer than that,” Hiral said. “And they still remembered me then. You’ll be fine.”
“I know. As I said, silly.”
“What we went through in the Ascender’s Tower, in Trevallen, then on Terminus, none of it was small,” Hiral said. “I feel like we’ve been gone a lot longer than we actually have too.”
“Is your solar energy clone still in the Cradle?” Sera asked, suddenly changing the topic.
As soon as she asked the question, he knew what she meant. Hiral had used a lot of solar energy clones since he’d figured out how to create them. Using them for tasks ranging from Exchange points, to mobile explosives, to transporting and creating runic equations and circles, they were a very versatile ability.
However, he’d only created one semi-permanent solar-energy clone. The one he’d left in the Cradle before they’d left. His sisters had been worried about him returning, so he’d locked the clone in a Sealed bubble, promising Nat and Milly the clone would remain as long as he was alive.
“It’s still there,” Hiral said. “I can feel it. They know we’re coming back, just not when.”
Sera actually turned in her seat, a surprisingly sadistic grin appearing on her lips.
“What would you say to surprising them, then?”
Hiral’s grin easily matched that of the woman speeding along beside him.
“I’d say that’s a great idea,” he said.