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Author's Note: Hi! So- Uh- This is a short story from Leoleth's perspective regarding events of the past… more specifically the events regarding the black-ish scar over where his heart is (if you haven't noticed it, nws). There's going to be some serious violence, some gore, and character backstory spoiler stuff! Prepare for some love and loss with one of the local pastel goobers! All dialogue is in Shalota, but I'm only mentioning that here and not in the story so that you know.
I've got a long list of injuries, some people can and can't see. I wear them all with pride- except for this one. Like some others, it's a scar that has faint traces of magic. It's almost a remnant of a time long forgotten. A scar about as wide as a large hand over the heart that was given to me… a scar that most people would shy away from or find abhorrent; It's deep and inky black, oozing with remnants of Ordial magic… a painful reminder of that day. That day, I'll never forget…
It was a normal mission for us- or, it was supposed to be a normal mission. Things were supposed to go smoothly, and yet they didn't. There were five of us guarding the laboratory; Ammala, Llorein, Mellil, Somni, and myself. Five Kul-Merai in one place. It was a small place, a minor laboratory with only a few other Maraya inside of it… my sister Juleka Yllrona included. They were brilliant minds, working away from other people, alongside automata of course. Our job was to watch and guard… just in case. Ammala and Mellil had begun a joking argument, Somni at my side whilst Llorein was going to meet back up with us after their section of a quick perimeter sweep.
"I keep telling you, he could!" Mellil laughed, her deep blue tail wagging a bit even in the armor, "I would bet my good gauntlets on it."
"There's no way," Ammala retorted, their snickering echoing in their helmet as they adjusted it, "I call bullshit."
Somni hummed, "You two just haven't seen Leo fire off a gun like I have. There's a reason he swapped his gauntlets for a rifle."
I chuckled a bit, rolling my shoulder slightly, "You've seen me do a lot of things, Somni. You've done a lot with me too."
I could practically hear their flustered sputtering whilst the other two laughed, Somni piping up once they recovered, "Oh, hush!"
"I'm just saying!" I laughed, nudging them with my elbow, noting how their reddish tone grew even darker at the tips of their ears… I thought I'd hear about it later, so I continued, "That's what you said when-"
"Shut up!" Somni laughed, focusing back on the others and returning to the topic, "I bet Leo could still hit the top of the spire from here."
"Prove it," Ammala pointed upwards, "I dare you to try."
"I wanna get this," Mellil pulled out a data crystal, moving back to start recording, "C'mon, Leo!"
I rolled my eyes a bit, moving back to aim high above us at the spire's very tip. I remember still how fuzzy my sight in my right eye was as I got used to the prosthetic. Back then, I didn't have a silencer of any kind either… I didn't need it. I fired off with a BANG- the tip
coming off with a clean CLACK sound. It was followed by the whoops and hollers of the other three, but there was a different sound that also followed-
A scream… Llorein's scream.
The four of us snapped to attention, Somni immediately moving to trigger the lockdown sequence for the scientists inside just in case. Once we saw it initialized, the four of us ran off towards the sound. I took up the rear, readying my rifle. Somni was in front, a crystaltech shield at the ready whilst their blade rested in the other.
When we got to the site, there was so much in one spot- a ritual circle gone wrong, blood splattered around, an Ordial shade, and Llorein… or what remained of him. It was evident he had made this circle to summon something- that yearning from the occult… his curious yearning finally had killed him, just like I warned him it would. Whatever that shade was once, it wasn't anymore as it had torn Llorein apart at the ribs… hungrily consuming what it could from the corpse. I fired at it once- making it release a deafening scream that almost shook the area around us.
Then… it turned on us. Ammala and Mellil charged with their gauntlets, throwing punches that echoed with a fury I still can't forget. Somni remained by my side… as he always had… and I fired to protect them. This, however, did not deter the shade before us. Mellil was the first to fall, grabbed at the throat like a fox would snag a rabbit. The beast shook her until her head tumbled off… spine slipping out with it. Ammala was next, knocked over and torn in two… spilling open like a freshly cut open pomegranate. I remember the way they reached out… a faint word on their lips:
"...Run…"
And then the spark that drove them was gone. I moved to quickly send out an S.O.S flare, about to tell Somni to run-
But they didn't. They charged forward and slashed with the same precision and grace I knew. So I kept firing. I wouldn't lose them too… not my Somnirus. They were the one good thing I had gained from my time as a Kul-Merai, and yet…
Then the creature got them too. It tore through Somni's shield like there was no tomorrow… and through them too. I remember the sound as the shade removed their claws from Somni… that sickening noise as they fell.
…The only part I don't remember is right after that. Rage filled my senses, and the next thing I knew- it was before me and trying to claw into my chest through my armor too… and then once it's claws were around my heart-
…A clean shot… finally. Right between the eyes. That's all I finally needed before it seemed to succumb to the wounds and battle before us. I remember how hard I wheezed.. Going to cradle Somni with all the energy I had left. I screamed, cried, begged the dragons to hear me and to save Somni- my Somni…
But they didn't care… and it all went black as finally the shade's magic took me too.
…I woke up seven months later from the second medically-induced coma I've had. My sisters were all by my side… all of them exhausted and half awake as I gasped and hacked and coughed awake. Everything just hurt… physically and emotionally. I didn't even look around before knowing I was the only survivor… I had seen the carnage, after all. I knew I had lost them all. I cried… screamed… got violent… nearly took out Haleth until I was sedated…
It was a normal mission for us- or, it was supposed to be a normal mission. Things were supposed to go smoothly, and yet they didn't. There were five of us guarding the laboratory; Ammala, Llorein, Mellil, Somni, and myself. Five Kul-Merai in one place. It was a small place, a minor laboratory with only a few other Maraya inside of it… my sister Juleka Yllrona included. They were brilliant minds, working away from other people, alongside automata of course. Our job was to watch and guard… just in case. Ammala and Mellil had begun a joking argument, Somni at my side whilst Llorein was going to meet back up with us after their section of a quick perimeter sweep.
"I keep telling you, he could!" Mellil laughed, her deep blue tail wagging a bit even in the armor, "I would bet my good gauntlets on it."
"There's no way," Ammala retorted, their snickering echoing in their helmet as they adjusted it, "I call bullshit."
Somni hummed, "You two just haven't seen Leo fire off a gun like I have. There's a reason he swapped his gauntlets for a rifle."
I chuckled a bit, rolling my shoulder slightly, "You've seen me do a lot of things, Somni. You've done a lot with me too."
I could practically hear their flustered sputtering whilst the other two laughed, Somni piping up once they recovered, "Oh, hush!"
"I'm just saying!" I laughed, nudging them with my elbow, noting how their reddish tone grew even darker at the tips of their ears… I thought I'd hear about it later, so I continued, "That's what you said when-"
"Shut up!" Somni laughed, focusing back on the others and returning to the topic, "I bet Leo could still hit the top of the spire from here."
"Prove it," Ammala pointed upwards, "I dare you to try."
"I wanna get this," Mellil pulled out a data crystal, moving back to start recording, "C'mon, Leo!"
I rolled my eyes a bit, moving back to aim high above us at the spire's very tip. I remember still how fuzzy my sight in my right eye was as I got used to the prosthetic. Back then, I didn't have a silencer of any kind either… I didn't need it. I fired off with a BANG- the tip
coming off with a clean CLACK sound. It was followed by the whoops and hollers of the other three, but there was a different sound that also followed-
A scream… Llorein's scream.
The four of us snapped to attention, Somni immediately moving to trigger the lockdown sequence for the scientists inside just in case. Once we saw it initialized, the four of us ran off towards the sound. I took up the rear, readying my rifle. Somni was in front, a crystaltech shield at the ready whilst their blade rested in the other.
When we got to the site, there was so much in one spot- a ritual circle gone wrong, blood splattered around, an Ordial shade, and Llorein… or what remained of him. It was evident he had made this circle to summon something- that yearning from the occult… his curious yearning finally had killed him, just like I warned him it would. Whatever that shade was once, it wasn't anymore as it had torn Llorein apart at the ribs… hungrily consuming what it could from the corpse. I fired at it once- making it release a deafening scream that almost shook the area around us.
Then… it turned on us. Ammala and Mellil charged with their gauntlets, throwing punches that echoed with a fury I still can't forget. Somni remained by my side… as he always had… and I fired to protect them. This, however, did not deter the shade before us. Mellil was the first to fall, grabbed at the throat like a fox would snag a rabbit. The beast shook her until her head tumbled off… spine slipping out with it. Ammala was next, knocked over and torn in two… spilling open like a freshly cut open pomegranate. I remember the way they reached out… a faint word on their lips:
"...Run…"
But they didn't. They charged forward and slashed with the same precision and grace I knew. So I kept firing. I wouldn't lose them too… not my Somnirus. They were the one good thing I had gained from my time as a Kul-Merai, and yet…
Then the creature got them too. It tore through Somni's shield like there was no tomorrow… and through them too. I remember the sound as the shade removed their claws from Somni… that sickening noise as they fell.
…The only part I don't remember is right after that. Rage filled my senses, and the next thing I knew- it was before me and trying to claw into my chest through my armor too… and then once it's claws were around my heart-
BANG
…A clean shot… finally. Right between the eyes. That's all I finally needed before it seemed to succumb to the wounds and battle before us. I remember how hard I wheezed.. Going to cradle Somni with all the energy I had left. I screamed, cried, begged the dragons to hear me and to save Somni- my Somni…
But they didn't care… and it all went black as finally the shade's magic took me too.
…I woke up seven months later from the second medically-induced coma I've had. My sisters were all by my side… all of them exhausted and half awake as I gasped and hacked and coughed awake. Everything just hurt… physically and emotionally. I didn't even look around before knowing I was the only survivor… I had seen the carnage, after all. I knew I had lost them all. I cried… screamed… got violent… nearly took out Haleth until I was sedated…
"I'm sorry, Somni… It should've been me."
…That's the only thing my sisters told me I said. But now? I'd rather forget.
…That's the only thing my sisters told me I said. But now? I'd rather forget.
The end... for now.
