Hard Light (NaNoWriMo15)

Chapter 2 - Saying Goodbye

Dedicated to @Kerozeo for the awesome cover up there! ^ <3 

Even with the usual Teridian night seeping fatigue into her bones, Leah barely slept that night, too excited by the fact that there was a Leaguer in her house that had come specifically to invite her to the League of Light itself.

And here she'd been thinking that mural was going to be the highlight of the week.

She was up with the sun and recharging her heart in its rays before her father or Asriel was even awake. As the crystal filled with Light, she glanced back on the ground, watching her shadow fade. It'd once been said that the Radiant's homeland was a place where shadows didn't exist, that they had truly been the children of the sun, but if there was once any truth to it Leah doubted it still held now.

Shadow gone and heart filled with Light, Leah skipped back inside, heaving open the heavy door with its usual creak to find Asriel and her father around the table.

"You must be excited," said her father, eyebrows raised as she sat down and accepted the plate of food. "I don't think you've recharged your heart completely before leaving the house once this month."

"You aren't going to find any excuses to keep me in today!" sang Leah, digging into her food.

"I'd hate to have to explore the ruins alone," said Asriel with his usual grace. He turned his questioning look to her father. "You don't care to join us?"

He shook his head. "I have work to get done. Someone has to keep this place standing, and Leah's too busy in her ruins with her books to recharge the Teridian's crystalite."

"Ah, I was curious as to how you made a living around here," said Asriel. "The Teridians have crystalite?"

"Yep," said her father. "These ones, anyway. They're on the slightly more civilised end of the Teridian scale, and the chief managed to get his paws on some Human crystal-tech. Only problem is, the crystalite that powers it doesn't recharge in the sun. They need a Radiant for that, and in exchange, they give us what we need to survive."

Asriel bobbed his head. "Intriguing. Teridian culture has always fascinated me with their avoidance of modernisation. Are there any other Radiants in this area?"

"I hope not, or I might be out of work."

Asriel laughed. "Fair point, sun brother."

The conversation turned to Leah's work for the rest of breakfast. In between hasty mouthfuls, she told him what she'd learned out of her mother's books about Radiant history, her early education in the Human's cities before they'd moved to Teridia. With every nod and smile Asriel gave her, Leah's ego swelled a little more.

"Shall we be off to these ruins?" asked Asriel when they were done. "We'll come back after for anything you wish to take with you to the League. Speaking of which," he said, glancing to her father, "Would you care to join us at the League? Your daughter's work would more than cover the expense, and I'm sure we can find work for you."

Her father stroked his teal-coloured beard, fingers running over a thin line of imbedded crystals on his cheek. "I think I might have to decline. The Teridians around here need me, and I've become quite fond of the area, even with the frosts." His smile crinkled as he looked at Leah. "Besides, sometimes you have to let the young ones glow on their own." Leah rushed forward and hugged him, which got a laugh out of him. "Oh you aren't going just yet, missy. Go out to the ruins, I'll start making preparations here."

With a quick kiss on his cheek, Leah grabbed her backpack and led Asriel to the door.

"It's a little walk, but it's not too bad," she said, closing the door behind her. "This way!"