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There once was a boy whose light burned so bright it lit the light of those who saw or passed him by. His eyes held his love and joy. His heart filled with excitement and longing. His mind was packed with the tales of the gods and their heroes, and the people they saved. His soul was etched with desire and burning for adventure.
Nonetheless, this World is cruel, and its people? Dark, and so the boy's light was snuffed out.
His soul lost its purpose and that loss took everything with it. His mind turned away from the stories that once brought him such joy. All that was once engraved on the walls of his heart were naught but meaningless writings on the now stone walls.
And his once effervescent jade eyes met a girl. A girl who was a flame, who burned so bright she made the light in the boy reignite. She taught him how to love again and in turn, he let her go so her light could reach all of those he kept her from.
There was no anger. No violent reaction. Nothing flew across the room in a burst of rage. The paper in his hands didn't even burn. He was just numb. And while those emotions were surely all there he no longer reacted how everyone expected. His taciturn demeanor was a hard one for all to accept. But like the rest of the world, he grieved and grew differently. And so his anger no longer went misplaced. He was alone at this moment and had been for quite some time. As the messenger who'd delivered the scroll had left hours ago but Echo's eyes never peeled from the words on the page and a swirl of adverse emotions overtook him entirely. Xylina, the name of his new partner, wasn't even the problem here. While of course that wasn't great it was the mission itself that was.
The Emberbloom Flower… he used to do this every Midsummer Festival with Aspin. His youngest sister had a knack for the agriculture of the forest. She knew every plant and animal by name and it seemed they knew her right back. His heart clutched at the distant memories which still felt like fresh wounds. And he dropped the scroll as if he were the one who had just been burned. He couldn't recall the last Midsummer Festival he'd been to. Or the last time he was sent on a mission within Thistlemoon. But most of all and what he feared was he couldn't remember his sisters’ voices.
He was starting to forget. And that terrified him beyond comparison because as the last of his line, he seemed like he was the only one who remembered them. Would their memory die with him? He rubbed his face from the stress plaguing his mind. Changed the way he breathed as his chest grew tight when he tried to remember the way they laughed. Argued. Joked. Walked. Ran… His mind had been haunted by their deaths so long that that was all he could remember clearly.
He needed air. He needed to see them first before seeing… her. He pulled himself together. Bathed. Shaved. And made himself presentable. Which he only did when he visited his family’s burial site or when Kyan summoned him. So the looks of pleasant surprise as he passed his fellow Fae by didn't surprise him. He had gone around looking rough for so long that it was a nice change of pace for him.
He stopped in the garden first to get their favorite flowers. A moment he thought was private. A moment he let his guard down as he lovingly found each bud he needed. Careful in his manner so as to not burn them from the natural heat he radiates. He was lost in his attempts to recall If he had any mementos of or from his family. But he knew… he knew everything he had of and from them had burned with his home that day.
He froze when she spoke. His stern cold face and harsh glare accompanied a sharp breath. He wasn't paying attention and was passing through the garden after getting the flower buds he needed. He also thought he was alone so she took him by surprise. Despite him unwittingly approaching her. He didn't pay attention to Xylina enough to know this was her station. Now thinking of it he actually hadn't seen this Fae since they were teens and she caused him to fail a major trail to becoming a sentry. He didn't recognize her honestly. And if she hadn't said anything he would've just ignored her. But once her words registered he could suddenly see that that girl he once hated had blossomed into a woman he still hated.
He grits his teeth. He didn't want to go on this journey again. Not without his baby sister. And certainly not with Xylina. But there was nothing he could do unless he wanted to disobey the King and betray Thistlemoon. So he held his tongue within his clenched teeth. “Sure.” He said through his teeth. “In a minute. I'm busy now.” He didn't want to explain. Nor did he feel he had to. And with that, he walked past her.
It'd been… way too long. “I'm sorry.” His breath was low and soft. Spoken like his words if whispered too loud would break the ground beneath his feet. He planted the buds taken from the garden with special permission. He planted a new flower every time he visited. And when he was done he rested on his knees. He'd stay here all day if he could. Hidden away. Hoping he would remember at least his parents' laughter. Or his Sisters’ smiles. Instead, his cloud of memories was shattered by the sound of her footsteps. Which of course didn't help how he hated her.
Somehow, he had managed to not even see a glimpse of her for centuries. And now it seemed he couldn't escape her. Maybe he should've explained what he was doing. Just so she would give him that privacy but she didn't seem the type to respect him enough in any event. His guard shot up as he stood. Once again holding his tongue solely out of respect for his family’s burial ground. He passed her once again. And once he felt he was far enough he spoke. But avoided what he really wanted to say. “The hardest part of this mission will be keeping the Emberbloom alive since neither of us can use water.”
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