Worlds Apart

Benevolence

Eadric and I make up some excuse at the emergency meeting we call that night, or that morning, depending on how you see it, to explain our sudden departure as I vow to try to uncover Nightblood. But Eerika seems wary of our sudden travel plans given she is one of the only people in that room who knows the full story. All the others on the taskforce team as well as my mother, Einar and David will obviously need to be informed of our actual purpose for leaving, but I reckon Apache will inform Einar and I can handle my mother in order to get as much information and guidance as I can out of her to dedicate the last month or so we have left to cracking the formula for an even more powerful variation of Nightblood, hopefully a version strong enough to handle the expected radiation levels post the wave hitting us. Eadric, for slightly cryptic reasons, is struggling to accept my wishes to go on this little radical mission of mine, but as we exit the meeting hall, Eerika being helped along by her brother himself as we do so, he decides to voice his concerns to me now in hushed tones.

"You realize how pointless it all is, right? To try to make everyone here immune to radiation?" He mutters in my ear once we have managed to get out of earshot of most of the individuals still filling out the large, makeshift meeting hall. "We should remain here with our people, helping to ready this place for the radiation."

"There's little more I can do here, Eadric. But this Nightblood solution could change the course of our lives for the next six years. Does that mean nothing to you?" I challenge, crossing my arms over my chest as I face him head on.

"And what if you can't crack it, Aurora?" He presses, insistent. " You already know your mother is too busy treating burn victims and the occasional injury to those working repairs to offer you any assistance over there, and we have maybe four weeks before the wave arrives if it's not accelerating any, which is a big if, don't forget. I don't think we should do this."

"We don't have to." I retort with a pointed raise of my brow, to which Eadric stills, disbelieving. "You're more than welcome to stay here and monitor conditions here while I go with the team. We can handle this on our own-"

"You know that's not an option, Aurora." Eadric insists, his eyes widening with urgency.

I take a moment to process his sudden change in manner before abruptly clearing my throat to continue. "Then come with us if you feel like you have to. But I have to give this a shot, Eadric, you know I do-"

"Right, for the sake of your people." Eadric interrupts bitterly. "Meanwhile, you've been neglecting them since you've gotten here."

I narrow my eyes towards his biting remark. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Eadric and his sister exchange wary glances before the latter shrinks upon my suspicious gaze momentarily catching her own. Eadric, on the other hand, speaks freely when I look back to him. "Einar has voiced several concerns to Apache regarding the soundness of your people. They don't approve of how much you've changed since you've gotten here, and yet you haven't even begun to realize it."

"My people doubt me because of the uniform I'm wearing?" I clarify in a state of disbelief.

Eadric nods firmly, his stubbornness not wavering any. "They do."

"What about you, Commander?" I cannot help but retort as I take in his own appearance in a guards uniform of his own, his hair only adding to the effect. "You've changed more than I have since we got here, yet your people haven't complained any. Why is that?"

"Because I have taken to personally reassuring my people since the day I've taken the throne. Since I meet with my best hunters, old shopkeepers, children from my clan on a daily basis whenever I can because I make the time to do so, because I care. You haven't shown your people that level of consideration in weeks, and it's starting to show."