The next day, Ral worked until his manus abilities couldn’t stave off the feeling of soreness and exhaustion from his limbs. The dock itself had a decent amount of supplies simply left over from its usual operations. They combined it with salvaged resources from surrounding ships, boats and buildings - Yepla determined that they could probably survive up to a week depending on how many survivors joined them. Gardlo and Laell continue to make talismans tirelessly to give to any Gaians. Few of them slept very much.
Rask yearned to know how far the effects of the giant Gate had spread but it was too dangerous to send anyone out beyond the barricade or to drive a boat along the coastline to survey the area. They had dismantled a few smaller boats for barricading the streets and needed to keep one large one intact for their worst case scenario.
Ral wanted to question what the worst case scenario was, but practically speaking, it would be any scenario that didn’t have the giant Gate closing. Everything hinged on it closing. So in extension, everything hinged on himself and Aris succeeding.
But Aris still lay unconscious in their little meeting room. Laell, Verne and Camaz took turns monitoring her; Ral decided to relieve whomever was there after a long evening of lifting heavy stacks of wood and metal. He showed up with some stale bread and meat jerky with the intent of sharing it.
He found Mikol sitting cross legged next to Aris instead of any of his friends. Laell was in the room, as was Librarian; both of them were at their little table studying parchments filled with runes and schematics. But both women took one look at him and wordlessly gathered their materials and left the room. He opened his mouth, desperate to stop them but the Librarian casted him her emotionless stares and he knew it would be useless to protest.
Mikol kept his hood up but as he looked up, Ral saw that the mask that covered the lower half of his face was removed. Luminous eyes caught the light of the small fireplace they set Aris next to and they glowed blue at him. Ral considered telling him to leave. Instead he sat down wordlessly by Aris near her feet and shared his food with Mikol. They ate the terrible food in silence.
It was only after they finished when Mikol broke the silence. “I apologize again, if you will accept it,” he said quietly.
“My forgiveness is worthless in the face of all this,” Ral said. He stared down at the unconscious Aris. It would almost be two full days she’s been like this. So far with Laell’s incredible warding spell and the physical barricades, they have protected themselves from the worst of the large Gate’s effects but if it gets any larger, it wasn’t hard to believe most of the empire would be under its effects. Smaller gates would rip open from the fabric of their physical world and turn every Gaian into monsters and every non-Gaian into their prey. Some have raised the concern on the efficacy of the talismans if the large Gate should open.
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They were running out of time. Yet when he sat here with Mikol and Aris, it felt like time stood still as if the Part named Ankle had appeared again to halt the flow of it.
“Your forgiveness is everything,” Mikol intoned. Their gaze met and Ral saw the pain in his luminous blue eyes. Ral started - both at the blatant show of emotions and the fact that he just noticed how haggard the Yscian looked. Of course, they probably all looked rough, but when the firelight crept into Mikol’s hood it showed the deep set circles under his eyes.
“Was there no other way back then?” Ral heard himself ask. He couldn’t help it. “Was lying and deceiving me the only way?”
“There was no lie or deception at the start,” Mikol said. “Only when Trial began. And after.”
“You could have told me about it. You could have explained.”
“You would have…,” Mikol made a frustrated sound, trying to find the Gaian word. “Fought back. You would tell truth to Leaders. Demand justice.”
“Why wouldn’t I have? It’s the truth of what happened - your very own Wisdom told you to do it.” Ral felt equally frustrated.
“None of them would believe. Spirit of the earth should only speak to us, the Somas.”
“Right, and I’m not Somas,” Ral muttered bitterly. It always came back down to that.
“But Ralos, you have… bigger Trial to achieve.” Mikol pointed up towards where the giant Gate hung in the sky. “This is more important. More than Somas.”
Mikol meant that he shouldn’t be upset that he wasn’t Somas. That destiny had asked him to be a part of something bigger and more important than belonging. Ral hated that he understood what he meant. He hated that this was the same fate that Aris railed against not long ago. Hated the possibility that perhaps it was time to let it go.
Every place you go, you find something to tie yourself to.
He was no longer tied to the Somas. He had no need to as his family - his real family - was right here. Aris still lay unmoving on the mat next to the fireplace. The person that shared a womb with him and shared a sky with him was right here beside him. The moon to the sun, the night to the day. He suddenly realized he was no longer alone… or rather, he no longer felt like he was alone. The resentment around his heart eased.
“I accept your apology,” Ral said.
Mikol was still for a few moments, then nodded and stood. “If you will watch the little moon, I will go keep watch,” he said.
“If… if there is a chance we can take you out of here safely, I will arrange for your safe passage back south,” Ral said before he could leave. “I swear it that I’ll bring you back to the Somas.”
Mikol turned and gave him an inscrutable look. “I cannot return to the Somas,” he said. “I have abandoned my post as Champion. They will not accept me back.”
He left Ral sitting there, stunned. Before Ral had the mind to get up and run after him to demand an explanation, a soft croaking voice behind him made him whip his head around.
“You’re really in deep, brother,” Aris rasped out. “Can I have some water?”