The Codex of Whispers, Part 1
On this night, the Dreamer arcs his wing away from the planes, and turns instead to the winds of time, returning to a memory forgotten. We see the outline of the Beneret system, then zoom into the planet of Photon-9, to a newly-made crater in the rocky surface...
Ferro pulled himself up from the rubble, patting the dust off of his armor, only to realize it wasn't worth salvaging. The suit fell off of him with a few shakes, and broke into two separate pieces when it hit the ground. He could feel Tera on the other side of the-- Well, it had been a city square. Now it was just a clearing in the rock.
Revival was gone.
There wasn't a single building still standing. Even the outskirts had been flattened, the suburbs covered in the expanding dust. The center of the city was a plate of broken, brown glass. It's where the bomb had landed... Tera came into view, pushing a cement pillar up and off of her shoulders, her brow smeared with blood. It wasn't her's -- they didn't bleed red.
At the sight of her, a storm of emotions built within Ferro. Anger, but also betrayal, and pain, and sorrow.
Ferro: "Over three million people..."
Tera: "Don't you put that on me!" Tera stopped walking, so Ferro bridged the gap between them, their noses practically touching. Ferro: "Why didn't you give me the staff?"
Tera: "You know why."
Ferro: "I could have stopped--"
Tera: "You can't control yourself--"
Ferro: "YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE!" Ferro's voice exploded, carrying throughout the clearing, and echoing off of the rubble. Tera said nothing. Ferro couldn't stand to look at her face anymore. He turned, looking out to the fields of glass instead, and thought of all the lives that had been lost because of her negligence. Tera: "Take it." Ferro turned his head. She was holding their staff. It was made of hawthorn, a twisted branch from an elder tree, carved with runes in every language known to the Guardian Fae. It had been Tera's, before they'd made their vow. Now it was theirs to share, as his sword and bow were hers. At least, that's how it was supposed to be. The staff called to him. With it, he could've done so much. He could've sent the bomb away, or put a barrier around the city, or just annihilated the Gorgon outright. But when he'd reached for the staff... Tera had kept it. She'd done nothing. Just saved her own skin. Tera: "What are you waiting for? Take it. Solve everything! Do it all on your own!"
Ferro: "I don't need it anymore..." Ferro felt the souls stream past him. Watched as the first Death arrived, and carried their ward through the Doors. Ferro: "I don't need you anymore." At first, Tera didn't say anything. Through their bond, he felt the hurt and confusion flow through her... But then it became something else. Acceptance. Relief. Tera: "Fine. I'll go after Marcus on my own."
Ferro: "Fine. I'm keeping my sword."
Tera: "Then I'm keeping my staff." Ferro nodded. Tera scoffed. The two walked away, going in opposite directions, and didn't look back.
Tera: "Don't you put that on me!" Tera stopped walking, so Ferro bridged the gap between them, their noses practically touching. Ferro: "Why didn't you give me the staff?"
Tera: "You know why."
Ferro: "I could have stopped--"
Tera: "You can't control yourself--"
Ferro: "YOU DON'T GET TO DECIDE!" Ferro's voice exploded, carrying throughout the clearing, and echoing off of the rubble. Tera said nothing. Ferro couldn't stand to look at her face anymore. He turned, looking out to the fields of glass instead, and thought of all the lives that had been lost because of her negligence. Tera: "Take it." Ferro turned his head. She was holding their staff. It was made of hawthorn, a twisted branch from an elder tree, carved with runes in every language known to the Guardian Fae. It had been Tera's, before they'd made their vow. Now it was theirs to share, as his sword and bow were hers. At least, that's how it was supposed to be. The staff called to him. With it, he could've done so much. He could've sent the bomb away, or put a barrier around the city, or just annihilated the Gorgon outright. But when he'd reached for the staff... Tera had kept it. She'd done nothing. Just saved her own skin. Tera: "What are you waiting for? Take it. Solve everything! Do it all on your own!"
Ferro: "I don't need it anymore..." Ferro felt the souls stream past him. Watched as the first Death arrived, and carried their ward through the Doors. Ferro: "I don't need you anymore." At first, Tera didn't say anything. Through their bond, he felt the hurt and confusion flow through her... But then it became something else. Acceptance. Relief. Tera: "Fine. I'll go after Marcus on my own."
Ferro: "Fine. I'm keeping my sword."
Tera: "Then I'm keeping my staff." Ferro nodded. Tera scoffed. The two walked away, going in opposite directions, and didn't look back.
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