The Forgotten Paladin

Chapter 21: Grief

Laying back in Pidge's chair on the bridge, I searched through the data on the tracker. All the paladins were asleep, but I've never been much of a good sleeper. After seeing nightmares and memories haunt my dreams night after night, sleeping is more of a luxury to me. 

The luminescent screen reflects on my face, the rolling numbers scroll in my eyes. Taking another sip of the 'coffee' Pidge taught me to make, I try to keep my eyes open, waiting for my sister's signal to appear, glowing on the screen, lighting the hope in me. But I keep waiting. And waiting. I feel my eyes drooping with fatigue, almost closing until a tiny red dot blares in the darkness. Gleaming with hope.

Her energy signal, she's alive.

I grab my daggers, helmet and communication device and I run to the pods.

I should be back before they notice I'm not here.

The pod awakens and I jump in, setting a course for the glowing red hope. The large door opens, and I press on the power. Space welcomes me, the stars sparkling through the abyss.

I'm approaching the signal, slowly but surely it's getting closer. I approach the planet, it looks... demolished. Surely I'm in the wrong place? 

I land the pod on the grey ground, activating my spacesuit and I take a step onto the breaking land. Broken buildings echo around me, screaming of memories and stories. Cracked and splintered trees loom over me; the ground wavering under my weight. What happened here...

I rush closer to the signal, hurrying towards my hope. I feel myself tripping over my own feet, ignoring the obvious truth punching me in the gut, I hear ominous booms of thunder beginning to stir above me. I keep running. Closer, and closer I run towards the signal. But, what I find, is not what i wanted. 

'Here lies a soldier who died fighting to defeat the tyrant, Zarkon.'

Only one grave amongst the piles of ash and dirt. Ellaria. No surname, no age, no nothing. Just some withered roses leaning against the ancient stone plaque.

Y/n: "no...no... NO!" I fall to my knees, in front of my destroyed hope. Grief and anguish fill my chest.

Y/N: "why..."

Pain consumes me. Vibrating against my torn heart. Thunder booms above me as tears seethe through my skin.

I hit the ground in anger, then something opened on the grave. A small, black box.

I sniffed, pulling back the tears, but they kept flowing. Shakily, I reached into the box. A small, marked stick. I lifted it out, holding it in my injured palms.

Y/n: "I- I don't understand..."

I looked back into the box, no letter, no nothing.

I must have sat there, crying for hours, I don't know. Once I finally lifted myself from the ground, my eyes were red, hands bleeding and dry, arms burned and charred, I have no recollection of using my strange abilities... how did that happen?

I ambled back to my pod, slumped in my seat, I took off my helmet, H/C hair falling over my shoulders. My tears had left me, but the pain had not. I set the course for the castle of lions. The trip went quickly, I could see the luminescent glowing of the castle in the distance of space. 

The door whirred open and I let the pod slowly land on the ground. I grabbed the strange stick from the seat next to me, holding it in my shaky palms. I released the door above me, climbing out of the pod slowly. I ambled out the door, down the corridor, all the lights were still off. Slumping back into Pidge's chair, I watch the red signal slowly fade away on the screen, dissipating into nothing, just like my hope.