Beyond the Horizon
Red: Under Heaven's Skies
The sound of a ticking clock and the warm rays of the earliest sun lightly pierced through the soft white curtain of a half-opened window, and in the stillness of dawn's embrace, Pyra found herself awakened by a gentle push to her shoulder.
With a soft movement, she retires her messy fringe and scrunches her crimson eyes, to be greeted by a small figure who stands barely above the bed's frame. The girl who's quietly watching has dark curly hair and parted bangs that reveal a round face with clearly childish features, and accompanying eyes the color of amber that observe her with a tint of eagerness.
"Mama?" The tiny girl speaks sheepishly.
"Good morning" Pyra replies softly, running a naked palm through her daughter's cheek, who instantly cuddles on it, giving a tiny smile in return.
"Good morning, mama"
"Did you sleep well?"
An enthusiastic nod is her response.
"No monsters under your bed?"
The confirmation she receives is equally decisive.
"That's great" Pyra declares with a beaming smile, and she finally incorporates from her resting position, slowly but decidedly, but also not before scurrying a bit to the side and unclogging Mythra's arm from her stomach, with the same difficulty and yet the same movement she's grown accustomed to; first take her hand, squeeze it just a bit, and then gently pull back. It always works.
The wood creaks under her bare feet when she finally leans forward from the edge of the bed, and with a relaxed yawn, she stretches a pair of slender arms up.
"Papa left earlier" The adorable tyke elaborates as Pyra washes the drowsiness off. "Nia-mama and Mana went with him… Said they'd be back for breakfast"
"I see. They should return soon" The vermillion-haired mother responds. "And the rest of your brothers and sisters?"
"Lux is still sleeping…"
"And the rest of them?"
An immediate gulp.
"O-outside" and her stuttering is obvious as well.
"Is that right?" There is no twitch or changes in her inflection, but well… she knows better. "Where exactly are they now?"
"Uhm…" The girl fidgets, tapping the tips of her indexes against each other. "They… didn't tell… B-But Grandpa March is with them! They should… be… fine…"
She doesn't sound convincing at all, and her mother knows full well why. Poor old Dromarch at the end of the day is the one pushed around by the kids, when it should be him playing nanny. But no matter what anyone would be told, the fact was that good ol' Dromarch loved the kids and would not hesitate to take off the kiddie gloves should real danger come to happen, and she trusted him to keep the kids away from anything truly threatening. Pyra gives a soft sigh with a reassuring smile, and pecks a small kiss in the child's forehead.
"Then we have to get ready for them to come back, don't we?"
The girl's amber eyes light up immediately.
"I… I've already b-begun the preparations!" She declares proudly, puffing her chest victoriously.
"Really now?" Pyra gives a non-faltering smile, releasing a breath easily and taking a moment to finally study her daughter up-front. And she had indeed been in the kitchen by the looks of it, if the spots of flour on her sleeves and the grease on her chin were anything to go by.
"O-of course! I said I would help you with the house chores!"
"Alright, then. How about you go on ahead? I'll catch up soon"
The girl nods enthusiastically and turns on her heels to leave the room without missing a beat, her smile growing to its brightest at the prospect of cooking breakfast with her mother.
Pyra then turns to Mythra, who's sprawled in all of her ignoble lack of glamour of the early morning. Even after almost a decade, the blonde ex-Aegis still kept doing all sorts of stunts, turns and kicks in her sleep. Thank the Architect that Rex slept like a rock. At the very least, Mythra didn't sleepwalk anymore, if only due to them sharing the bedroom… although that wasn't much of a consolation, all things considered.
There is a reason why Mythra slept on the farthest corner.
"Mythra, it's morning already. Rise and shine" Pyra nudges her former half, to no avail. She doesn't press further; the blonde was exhausted, so it was only fair. That last mission must have not been easy, even with the help of Praxis and Theory. She wonders briefly were those two could be, but surmises they should be nearby, all things considered.
She could worry about them later. Right now she needs to collect herself and begin preparing breakfast. Armies march on their stomachs, after all. Once she is back on her feet she discards her nightgown, a simple white dress, and greets her own naked frame on the grand mirror at their bedside, huge enough to let 4 people stand side to side, which tends to be the usual scene in the mornings. Pyra inspects herself, going through the same usual motions, and perhaps due to this rare occasion of her being the only one at the mirror's reflection, she does her motions a bit slower than usual.
It remains an odd sight still, of that emerald gleam in her chest. In a way, she had grown accustomed to that x-shaped fissure in her Core Crystal, and to date, she would find herself unconsciously brushing it whilst peeking at Rex's own chest in moments of stillness. The physical proof of their link is long gone, but the bond itself is stronger than ever. She is glad about not having to think too much about it; Nia had often poked at her for it before, and though a bunch of bad habits remain, being able to simply laugh upon the memories instead of doubling back at every single step gives the flaming ex-Aegis a peace of mind she once couldn't dream possible.
She calls upon her usual get-up. In a burst of soft ether light that gently envelops her, Pyra attains her trademark form. The emerald accents of her clothes shine brightly with the same glow of the Crystal in her chest, now whole and proudly standing out against the crimson hues of her outfit. She takes a peek at her reflection for a while, and decidedly brings a comb to make herself at least a bit more presentable.
The ex-Aegis still isn't quite sure of the whys or hows, but she is definitely aging. Had it been part of her father's final gift as well? Along with her sister, Pyra has slowly realized that they are not the exact same as they had been prior to that one fateful day, if the tips of her hair hanging just below her shoulders, which along with small changes such as the increased need for sleep and eating had been anything to go by, even though they already were different from the common Blades.
Perhaps the most obvious one comes in the form of a need for glasses, now that she spends most of her days reading, many times well after hours. While she is by no means a bibliophile (and Architect knows she had to put up with Adenine), reading is now a constant in Pyra's evenings, so it came as a big surprise when her eyesight started failing her. Cue a checkup by Nia and Dromarch, followed by an actual oculist (who had trouble going around to the fact that he was diagnosing a Blade, even more the Legendary Aegis of them all), and it was concluded without a doubt that she had developed hyperopia.
Nia hadn't let that one down for a while. For someone so seemingly grand, almost divine in nature, something as mundane as farsightedness struck on quite a number of levels.
Pyra takes the prophesized article and places the clear glasses on her face, a fancy rimless pair with a dark red frame that matches the darker accents of her outfit; custom ordered by Mythra of course, who wouldn't have her going around with a "boring, flavorless pair" as she so eloquently put back then. The novelty wore out quickly, especially when it became apparent that she'd need something more combat-friendly (Spinning and pirouetting in battle like she did would only keep a pair of glasses on her so well. Pyra still wondered how Pandoria put up with it). The legs are scratched and well-worn by this point, with the glass sporting minuscule, almost invisible dents on the crystalline edges.
A hairbrush resulting in a bushy ponytail and a quick visit to the washroom later, Pyra is ready to begin her day, so she marches out of her shared bedroom with soft, light steps. By the time she's halfway down the flight of stairs, she's pleasantly greeted by the smell of flour and sweet fruit, and the sight of a tyke with an oversized apron vigorously beating the pancake mix at the best of what her tiny frame and current abilities allow her while standing on top of a small stool, as otherwise she wouldn't be able to reach the cupboards at all. Pyra quietly strides to her right, fitting a pink apron matching her daughter's in design to her body.
"How many eggs?" Pyra asks.
"Three for this batch, just as you told me!" The girl beams confidently.
Pyra eyes the mixture critically, and gives a reassuring smile.
"That's perfect, honey. It seems to have the right amount of milk and flour too"
Practice does make perfect, after all.
"At this rate I won't have anything left to do!" The mother exclaims exaggeratedly.
"T-that's not true! I need help with the fruit, mama!" The refutation is immediate and earnest.
"Of course" The mother replies by brushing her daughter's flour-dusted hair, then eyes some particular utensils which are out of their usual place, still sheathed, but clearly ready to roll. "Knives are?"
"Dangerous and should be used with caution" The child finishes the phrase.
And so Pyra does, taking a small knife from the counter to peel the assorted fruits of vivid colors, while also making note of what should be saved for lunch and dinner. She never stops giving stealthy glances to the girl beside her and her progress. It's not been long since Soleil, cute little thing, started joining her in the mornings to make breakfast for the whole "battalion", as Rex so heartily puts when the table of their home is filled to the brim, but having this little activity gives the Blade a deep, immense joy.
"Should I turn on the pans yet, mama?"
"Let me see that…" Her mother takes a quick but still inspective look at the mix. "That is fine, you can, but…"
"Of course, with s-supervision"
Pyra observes bemusedly how she carefully places the bowl on the counter and slowly slides it near to the stove, quietly drops down from her stool, carries that stool to the front of the stove, and climbs back onto it without saying a word, although it's obvious that she's still flustered, surely because she's still nervous about handling the apparatus.
Pyra had made herself perfectly clear on the dangers of gas and sparks after Mythra tried her hand without supervision and nearly blew off their kitchen 8 years ago, resulting in Rex needing to make more cuts to their already strained finances and doubling up on Mercenary work for a few weeks, so after the incident, a rule was created, in which unless the members of the household had Pyra's permission to touch the devices of her domain (read: the cooking equipment of the kitchen, namely and mainly knives and the stove), nobody would try it without her being around, especially for the kids (no one will stop the kids from their sandwiches though).
The assorted fruits are easily peeled and chopped in pieces. Pyra separates them.
As Soleil grows comfortable around it though, of the kids that populate the house, the child can proudly declare to be the only one that's allowed to use the kitchen (not that her brothers and sisters cared much for it in the first place, but in her 6 year old mind, it's the next best thing after pudding. She has responsibilities!).
The twin pans are now heated up, and Pyra helps her daughter by buttering them up. An enticing smell smokes from the melting gold pulp, and soon enough they're ready to pump out the first batch. Pyra takes care to place them on the rightmost burners, as those are right in front of her daughter, for she herself stands on her daughter's left side, where she takes yet another pan to prepare the eggs.
Soleil eyes her mother expectantly.
"C-Can I…?"
"Of course"
So she reaches for the bowl she had previously moved to the side, and using the big plastic spoon she had previously left at the ready, she scoops the mixture, and biting her tongue in focus, she tries to replicate her mother's movements she's so intently studied for years. The motion results a bit awkward as she cannot grip the spoon effectively due to her small hands and shorter arms, but she doesn't let that stop her. Soon enough the pancakes are cooking themselves. Pyra does not miss a beat and also cracks some eggs to cook on her own pan.
"D-Did I do it right, mama?"
"You're doing well so far"
"But it's not over until it's served and the stove is off"
The Fire Blade nods sagely at her daughter's words. For someone so small, Soleil takes all of her mother's advice and indications to heart, and might as well be the one who takes after her the most. Not necessarily physically, but more in spirit. Mythra often joked that Soleil is a miniature Pyra, only for Nia to snidely remind the blonde that Soleil is to Pyra to what Lux is to her, only truly cuter (jokingly on this last matter of course), which in return would cause the child in question to cry out to the heavens that he was not like his mother at all… only to meekly come to Mythra later when she's alone, and with teary eyes, admit that he loves his mother too much but is embarrassed to admit it in front of others. Mythra would then squeeze the living daylights out of him, which would only serve to make him return to tsun mode.
The dere side might come out rarely, but it's always a pleasure to see the strongheaded Lux being meek. The kid does take a bit after his father of course, for he's a lot easier to manage compared to his mother (something which Rex has made Lux promise will not tell her. Ever.). Dense skulls and big hearts from both sides is prone to have that effect.
Pyra instructs Soleil to flip the pancakes, and reaches for two stacked large plates on the shelf in preparation. The first batch is done soon enough, and after another serving of butter, like before, a second batch of pancakes is in place, while she easily takes out her sunnysides and places them on the remaining plate.
The open window in the kitchen allows a delicious smell to reach the outside of their house, and soon enough, Pyra and Soleil can hear familiar voices.
The door to their home is unceremoniously opened, and new voices fill the household.
"We're home!" Nia's voice announces.
"We're home!" Rex's voice parrots.
And light steps reach into the kitchen.
"Good morning, everyone" Pyra beams radiantly.
"Mornin', Pyra, Soleil" Rex's visage brings an even bigger smile to Pyra's face, and he walks assuredly towards her, taking her by her back and hugging her, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Pancakes an' eggs?"
"Yep. But it's all Soleil here" Pyra squeezes Rex's hand with her own free left hand, for the right one is occupied with a spatula to tend to the eggs.
"'s dat right?" Rex lets go of Pyra and scurries over to watch her daughter, who's looking at him with expectant eyes. "Wow! Ye've outdone yerself again, little sun!"
"I-It's not much…" The girl turns a shade that easily rivals Pyra's hair color, but is nonetheless delighted to receive the praise. "Morning, Nia-mama"
"Mornin', sunlight" Nia lightly squeezes the child, quickly allowing her to resume her activities.
"Where's Mana?" Pyra asks. "I thought she went with you?"
"She did. Oh, I'll get that" Nia answers at the sight of Rex pouring the coffee beans on the machine, and she takes it over from him, who easily surrenders the machine and spoon to her. "But she spotted Erio and Clark goin' at it again, so she wen' ahead to get 'em good. Mythra still in bed?"
Pyra nods, and feels a small breathe leave her. Mana was by no means a violent girl, but putting her in the same equation as those two often ended in disaster… And then she remembers that Felicia's also there.
Nia's ears twitch slightly. An amused grin creeps to her face as she directs her attention to the kitchen's window.
"Should be back in…"
The thing is, that no matter how much they went at it, the disaster came over for the children, not so much for anyone else.
"Right 'bout now"
And right on cue, a pitiful yet faraway cry reaches Rex's home. The other adults and kid present within the place turn their attention to the kitchen's window to mimic Nia, and from there, they identify a ball of sorts rolling at high speeds towards their direction from the hill.
"Not again…" Soleil whines pitifully.
"I got dis" Rex says joyously and leaves the house from the backdoor. The women left inside catch him walking uphill with easy steps.
"So, what got you up so early?" Pyra asks after taking out the 3rd batch of eggs.
"Right. Coffee?" Nia produces a number of cups from a counter.
"Mhm"
"Nothing much. I caught up to Rex before he went on his own to get chewed by the old coots"
"I thought the Chiefs were pleased with our services?"
"Of course" Nia snorts ungracefully. "But they're bein' stingy about the payment"
"Again? Oh dear… At least tell me you didn't have to push Rex too much this time?"
Nowadays it's basically a worldwide known fact that New Alrest's savior is a total pushover when it came to helping others, so it fell upon them to keep him from being taken advantage of. Not because he's gullible, but simply put because he refuses to say no to anyone in need.
"Just had to elbow him twice before he let me take over" Nia elaborates.
If the Driver of the Aegis was known for his kind heart, his wives were known as the counterweight to his often times excessive benevolence; Nia and Mythra more so, and having the guidance and support of the Flamebringer herself and the Crown Prince of Tantal also spoke leagues (Mòrag herself had seen through the social murdering of a select few who proved their utter ungratefulness. Zeke had been much less subtle in his advances of course).
Pyra for her part did not see the field of combat much these days; she's content with sitting on the back and supporting the rest of her family by providing them a warm meal and a home to return to after their daily trials and tribulations were over.
This does not mean she's always at home by any stretch or that her strength's rotting away; the full conquering of the New Leftherian Coast was only possible after a rampage of hers after all. Architect (And also the local Lexosi, Flammies and Crustips, of which the last two became a food source for a good few weeks once she was done with them) knows that her children are enough cause for her to berserk against anything and win against everything that stood in her path, Driver by her side or not.
"Morning" A new voice joins them. The other two Blades turn their attention to the stairs, where they spot a blonde woman, clad in just a white top and black shorts coming down, a hairband tucked on her lips and hands busy scrambling her hair. Mythra has to stop dead in her tracks for a second before she's able to do her hair.
"Morning, Mythra" Pyra greets.
"Mornin' you two" Nia parrots casually.
"Good morning, mama Mythra" Soleil also follows on.
The blonde Aegis finishes pulling some stray strands away from her face, and coming to terms with her appearance, walks fully into the kitchen. She pecks them two and shuffles for the fridge, ruffling Soleil's hair with a wide grin when she passes by her, who in return sheepishly allows herself to receive the sign. Pyra then spies a small snow-haired child trailing behind Mythra, eyes half-closed in heavy drowsiness.
"Good morning, moms" He greets while rubbing his eyes, followed by a gargantuan yawn he does not hide in the least. Nia gives an amused smile and lovingly pats his head; thankfully, he's groggy enough to let it slip.
"Slept well, sweetheart?" Pyra inquires.
"Yeah…" Lux grunts in response.
"Go wash yourself. Breakfast is almost ready" Mythra says, her face peeking from the fridge's opened door.
"Yeah… yeah…" The child keeps rubbing his eyes and trails off for a corridor in search of an available washroom.
Pyra resumes her operations, and is briefly joined by Mythra, who's served herself a glass of juice. The elder ex-Aegis eyes the pans and gives her sister and Soleil an approving look.
The sound of an opening door is the next thing that Pyra notices, and she can barely register a speeding blur.
"Goodmorninmomsgottarushberightbackforbreakfastokay!" The voice of Felicia passes by.
"FELICIA!" Mana comes into view, hair and collar disgruntled. The child stops in her tracks on the kitchen unlike her fleeting sister.
"Good morning" Mana greets with irritation clear as water in her voice. Mythra and Nia merely acknowledge her presence with an amused smirk, but Soleil is clearly bothered by their antics, although she does not show it outwardly. Mana traces Pyra's eyes looking at the floor, and she gulps at the sight of dirty footprints. Those tell everyone in the kitchen everything they need to know. "I-I'm sorry…"
And so Mana darts after her sister.
Pyra does not let the antics stop her from indicating Soleil to turn her pancakes. Mythra for her part keeps her juice in her lips, an amused smile hidden from view, but as she turns to the red-headed Blade, she caves in.
"Need help with-"
But their returned peace is perturbed once more by a child's indignant scream. Mythra sighs.
"I got this"
And she leaves, with her destination being the residence's washrooms. Nia chuckles, bringing a hand to her mouth, but is not amused that much more when a loud thud shakes the house again.
"EEP!" Soleil shrieks, having forgotten about the sight of a rolling furball from earlier.
"Owwwww" A miserable whimper is heard from the outside almost in response.
"And I got that one" Nia announces, leaving for the backyard after her husband and her most-surely injured daughter.
Pyra turns her attention back to Soleil, who has a complicated expression adorning her features. The mother decides to shrug it off for now.
"Care to prepare the mop for after breakfast?" She asks of her daughter. "I'll finish here"
Soleil doesn't look very pleased, but caves in nonetheless. She drops from her stool and takes it to the storage room.
"Don't forget to wash yourself after that!" Pyra raises her voice a couple decibels.
"Yes, mama…" She hears her weary response along to the sound of running water.
Pyra decides to wrap up the preparations for today's breakfast. The pancakes are piled up with their brethren, and so are the eggs in their respective plates.
"Morning, mother" Clark announces serenely.
"Good mor-" Pyra turns back to her eldest son but doubles back at his filthy appearance, as his face, arms and clothes are dipped with a layer of now-drying mud. "By the Architect, Clark!" She reprimands.
"I'm sorry, mother" Clark grunts, scratching the side of his head awkwardly. "I'll go wash myself now…"
"Breakfast is almost ready. If you catch Felicia, tell her to only wash her face and arms. She will take her shower later. This applies to you too" She orders without chance of rebuttal.
Thankfully, Clark is always ready to take the fall.
"Of course, mother" He responds without defiance, and scrambles for the washrooms.
"OH COME ON!" Lux's indignant cry comes from the washrooms and not too late after.
Pyra sighs, taking a hand to her cheek.
"We roughed up yer morning, didn't we?" Rex's voice comes from behind her. "Sorry about that, Pyra"
But her spirits are instantly renewed.
"A scolding is in order" She nods sagely. "But first, we all need to fill our stomachs"
"Dat we do" Rex grins widely, then opens the counters to fill the table with plates and glasses. "Let me help ya with dat"
The duo then starts setting the table, with Rex filling the 10 spots with plates, glasses and their respective fork sets.
"No bacon this time?"
"We have a lot of fruit due to Mrs. Alura's kindness" Pyra answers calmly. "Next time?"
Pyra herself places the larger plates containing the eggs, pancakes and fruit to the center, each one with a respectable hill of their own.
"Next time" Rex concedes. Pyra finishes by putting a small metallic pitcher on the stove at the lowest fire in preparation for those who will undoubtedly ask for chocolate milk.
"So how did it go with it go with the Chiefs?" Pyra finally allows herself some respite.
"Uh…" Rex fidgets awkwardly. "Honestly, I'm not sure. Nia took over from me early"
"No complications?"
"In the least" Rex waves his hand. "Chief Franz just wanted to cut down on the Merc's pay for the last escorts. Nia didn't let 'im have his way"
The notion of "And I'm glad she did" went unsaid, but its intent was obvious. Pyra allows herself to chuckle.
"T'be fair, I know it's been awkward going around New Leftheria an' the small towns with the crazy movements of the creatures an' new monsters an' new routes an' all dat"
"Our friends at Garfont must also be a bit restless without Yew and Zuo around, too…"
"Yeah, no kiddin'" Rex chuckles.
"At least they're finally settling down. Architect knows they've been overworking themselves for years"
"And cheers to that" Nia comes in with a defeated Erio in tow, who has her good right arm cast into a sling. Soleil is worriedly inquiring about it.
"Morning, Erio" Pyra greets solemnly, then processes her state. She turns to Nia. "No healing arts this time?"
"It's 'bout time she got her head outta the gutter" Nia ruffles her daughter's hair, who only gives a dejected sigh. "'sides, I think ya should give her a piece of yer mind. We all know she needs it"
"Is that so…"
Erio pales completely at the notion. She slowly, very slowly turns her gaze towards Pyra's face, who's sporting a perfectly clinical smile, which hides a maelstrom of dangerous intent behind it, which the girl can easily sense. Nia snorts a little.
"Aw, c'mon. Don't bully her too much" Rex chides in. "She's already gotten a busted shoulder and no arts to heal it. I think she's got plenty to think 'bout fer a while"
"Y-yeah!" Erio tries to save grace. "I'm already bruised as it is! M-more would be overkill!"
But Pyra's perfect smile does not falter in the least.
"Go get cleaned up before you dig your grave further, Erio" Clark comes into the kitchen, and takes his place at the table, face, glasses and arms clean with a new shirt on his torso. His hair seems a bit wet too. Erio defiantly flashes her tongue at her brother, but Clark is too amused to let it bother him.
"Moms! Clark is being a smartass again!"
"Language"
"Titan's Foot! Not you too, dad!"
"Language!" This one is Mythra, who also comes into view with 3 other kids behind her, who are also cleaned up, or in the case of Mana, gained at least a bit of dignity back by fixing her hair-do and collar.
"The shovel keeps going deeperrrrrr" Clark sings.
"I really think it's time for you to clean yourself up" Nia says solemnly.
Erio whines in defeat and does as told, disappearing on the doorway to the washrooms.
"I'll help her" Soleil volunteers and follows after.
"So, isn't it time for breakfast already? I'm starving!" Felicia declares unabashedly.
At least, all the members of the house could relate to that one statement.