| [ah, the fire. the flames. the screams and the groans and the labored breaths of the dying. all of it is so familiar, so nostalgic, that it makes asahi think of home.
this isn't a homecoming, but the so-called warrior of light already feels as though he's returned to doma. rhalgr's reach doesn't have long grasses or the scent of the ocean on the breeze, no, but the imperials are slaughtering innocents, the encampments are being burned, and stragglers are running for their lives. old memories, lovely and faded and broken. people have thanked him for saving their wretched lives, but asahi doesn't even bother to keep up the facade of concern. they've all seen how he's unraveling, how he's been unraveling ever since the scions' operations entered ala mhigo and people began to speak in hushed whispers of zenos yae galvus. y'shtola has lowered her voice to talk about him when she thinks he can't hear; riol has been assigned to follow him from time to time, just to make sure that the vaunted warrior of light isn't so unstable that he needs to be put down. even now, when they have garleans to kill and resistance soldiers to save, alphinaud keeps looking anxiously over his shoulder at asahi's blank expression. asahi almost feels bad for the boy. it must be a jarring and horrible thing to realize that the savior of the savages is empty inside.
"what took you so long?" lyse cries when they finally near the northeast wing of rhalgr's reach. she pushes herself to a sitting position, nursing a broken arm while krile and alphinaud see to y'shtola's more life-threatening injuries. pipin and alisaie flank asahi, ready for battle alongside their friend, but asahi doesn't have eyes for them. zenos could sweep them aside like so much trash, and it wouldn't matter. zenos will sweep them aside as soon as he's given the chance.
asahi steps forward, his blade gleaming in the darkness, his dark eyes blazing with a love indistinguishable from hate.]
There you are, Lord Zenos.
[alisaie turns to look at him, her expression puzzled. she is distracted despite herself — this is not the asahi that she knows, but then he hasn't been the asahi that she knows for some time now. "'lord?' what do you mean by 'lord?' asahi, you can't be —"
coldly, he talks over her, ignoring her queries.]
How long I have waited for this... |
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