Ethereal Fall [Undergoing Major Editing] | #Wattys2016

Chapter Fifteen

As I reached the forest on the other side of what was left of the Inner Village, which was salvaged somehow, I wondered, where could the other rebels' hideout be? I mean, they must've survived.

I stopped and closed my eyes. I had to think like Lance. I had a few puzzle pieces in front of me. That should be enough to envision the whole puzzle.

Okay. The forest is basically the only thing that wasn't torched, so they must've sheltered away somewhere in the forest. But on the other side is the whole East Outer Village. If they torched that village too along with the Inner Village, there was a chance that the fire would've spread and burnt down the outskirts of the forest. So... I opened my eyes, my mind set on a target. The dead center of the forest.

Taking a deep breath, I readied my mind to meet the rebels. To tell them what became of their leader and what kind of person he was to me. And I entered the forest.

Weaving through the trees, I ducked overhanging branches and jumped over rushing creeks. As I ran, I heard voices getting louder and louder. My heart soared at the sight.

I broke through the trees to find myself staring at a large clearing that I never remembered being there. Roughly three hundred rebels were sitting on logs under a canopy - presumably stolen - seemingly in a heated discussion. There was a large pile of rocks, three Recharge Chairs - most likely stolen too, jars of medicine, and a pile of makeshift bags. One of the rebels, a raven-haired man, looked up and met my eyes.

He stood up immediately, rock in hand. "Who are you?" he demanded.

The other 999 pairs of eyes directed their attention towards me. I raised my hands in surrender and defense. "I am Asteria," I introduced myself. "Former citizen of Ethereal. I managed to survive somehow, and I would like to join you in your rebellion."

One of the women stood up. I immediately recognized her as the blonde herbalist. I gasped. "It's you! How did you survive?"

The blonde seemed equally surprised. "What happened to you? I thought you refused to join us?" She stepped forward. "And I thought Lance was with you? Where is he?"

I lowered my head, heart pounding at the memory. "He's gone..."

There was a collective gasp from the other rebels.

The blonde's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean by gone?"

I walked forward and sat down in the center of their circle, all eyes on me as I told my story. My eyes started tearing up as I recalled everything: my circuits snapping, my emotions, being constantly on the run. Hiding in my office with Lance, breaking down at the sight of my village burning to the ground. Being discovered by Xapham, and him being drugged and taken away.

As I finished, the clearing was dead quiet.

Then, one of the men spoke up. "How do we know you're not lying? How do we know you didn't just kill him yourself and made up that whole story?"

A chorus of voices arose in agreement.

"Yeah!"

"Do you have the proof, girl?"

"Do you know how important Lance was to us?!"

The herbalist stood by my side, head bowed, seemingly not convinced by my story either.

"Enough!" I cried. They all stilled. I couldn't believe they didn't trust me! "I have already decided that I would join you, right?! Do you see this skirt? I tore this piece of perfection to shield me against the rain! And you say Lance was important to you?! Well, he was important to me too! I loved him!"

Everyone's voice hushed at my declaration.

"Love...?" the herbalist muttered.

"Yes, friends." My hands lay in my lap, clenching and unclenching. "I loved him. He showed me the flaws of this world. He showed me what it meant to be truly happy. He gave me that happiness. I was the desperate maiden and he was my knight. But then..." I covered my face in my hands, sobbing. "He was ripped away from me right in front of me! I-I could've saved him, but I was just too powerless!"

A streak of light suddenly illuminated the sky, almost immediately followed by the crashing sound of thunder ripping through the thick air.

I perked up, eyes wide in shock. Chills went up and down my spine.

The others seemed to have felt it too, for they stirred and looked at each other in speechlessness.

Lance's disappearance from this world.

That was when I couldn't take it anymore. I covered my ears and screamed my heart out. It was like waves upon waves of grief and hurt crashed onto me, hitting me harder and harder each time until all that was left was a fragile heart, shattered to the point that I was on the edge of heartbreak. The herbalist, sadness and sympathy dancing in her eyes, knelt beside me, rubbing my back in reassurance.

"It's okay, Asteria," she said in a soothing voice. "It's going to be alright. We're going to avenge him. I promise."

Promise... That word seemed so faraway and foreign to me...

The raven-haired man also knelt by me. "Hey... We believe you now. It's obvious you loved him very much. We're saddened by his loss, but... I can't imagine just how much worse it is for you. And yes. We will defeat the Angels and avenge him. Just you wait."

I nodded, taking a shaky breath. "Okay." Wiping my eyes, I tried for a smile. "This is so embarrassing..."

The herbalist and the man laughed softly, almost tentatively.

"Let me re-introduce myself." The herbalist stuck out her hand. "My name is Iris. Like the flower. Nice to meet you."

I shook her hand.

"And I'm Brian," the man said. I shook his hand too. "I'm sure Lance told you how he died, right? With the car accident and all? Well... I was in the car accident with him."

"Oh." I laughed bitterly. "I'm sorry... He told me that he was drunk..."

"Yeah, I know," Brian smiled at me. "Anyway, you're officially one of us now. Welcome, Asteria."

The rain had begun to cease at that moment, the gray thunderclouds ever so slowly giving way to the incandescent moon, a sliver of a white crescent in the night sky.

✧

celestial_infinity I know you probably won't read this until much later, but I updated faster, just like you wanted me to!

Until next time, please

Vote,

Comment,

and Share!