Within These Tangled Tales

Chapter Forty-Eight

—Tyr Na Vas—

There were so many voices echoing in the utter silence. Voices of friends, of those she had once held so dear. They clamored around her, eager to speak after so many years spent here in the hollow dark. She bowed her head, eyes shut as she allowed herself a moment to listen to them. Once, this place had been one of unimaginable beauty. It had been a joyous place, to gather, to reflect, to laugh, to revere, to learn. So many memories this place contained, so many precious memories that now only existed in the hearts of the few that remained from the old worlds.

How long before none remained?

And what of her? Would she still be there, even after all the others were gone? It was a thought that had crossed her mind more and more often as she waited in that tiny, suffocating box. The years had kept ticking by, no more than a fleeting blink of her existence, and yet, they had been some of the loneliest she had ever faced.

She understood why it had to be that way, of course. There was little in these worlds that could be hidden from the eyes of the Creator, and so, in order to remain undetected for so many years, it required her to remain locked up tight, where none could reach her. But it had been so long, too long, since she had been reduced to her original form, and the longer she remained thus, the more she had begun to despair. That feeling only echoed louder in her heart now that she stood in a place she had once loved, only to see it reduced to utter ruin.

But then, a hand touched her shoulder and all that uncertainty, all that despair vanished as she turned to face the loveliest sight in the universe. Zhar looked down at her questioningly, likely easily reading the emotions she always carried on her face, but with a shake of her head, and a happy smile, he nodded and reached for her hand.

"So, what's the plan, my star?" Zhar smiled, looking off into the distance with her.

With a tilt of her head, Sora blinked. "Oh. A plan? I was supposed to have a plan? A plan to...? Ah, yes, that might've been the smart thing to do considering where we are. But I don't have one. I figured we could improvise like we usually do."

Zhar chuckled, tugging her closer to kiss the back of her hand. "And that's why I love you. You like to do things the fun way."

His eyes were sparkling as they looked down at her in utter adoration. Sora was unable to stop herself. She grinned up at him just as stupidly as he was looking at her then. This man. This wonderfully, silly, ridiculous old man. How could he ever understand how utterly precious he was? He had saved her in so many ways it was impossible to ever fully explain it all to him.

"Let's go get ourselves into trouble, old man," she teased, squeezing his hand.

"As you wish, my star."

He tugged her toward the nearest set of stairs, their movements carefree as they descended into the ancient ruin. She had missed this feeling, the weight of his hand in hers, the accelerated rate of her heart in anticipation of the adventure that awaited them. How many years had they traversed the stars together? How many more were there to come? She would never tire of this feeling, of this freedom she felt at his side. Her silly, wonderful, ridiculous old man.

Their feet touched the bottom of the stairs and the ruin transformed before their very eyes. Above, they had looked down upon a barren expanse that been shrouded in shadow and silence. But it would appear that was just an illusion. As they reached the end of the staircase, they both felt the familiar feeling of magic washing over them as they stepped through an invisible barrier. The ruin suddenly sprang to life, revealing all that had been hidden by the concealment spell.