After twelve years, I have finally put down one of the original scenes I envisioned for this story to paper.
Buckle up, Buttercups.
Chapter Thirty-Two: Where the World Cracks
Hurting. Dark. Wrong. Too thin. Stretched. Too Much. Hurting.
Cannot stop it. Too late.
Need to come. All. Need.
We need All.
Tino blinked and heaved his hands out of the muddy earth, feeling as if he was covered in a heavy shroud weighing down his movements. The sound of drums echoed in his head, war drums almost from centuries past, and his arms were trembling with a pain that was not his own. He took several deep breaths to shake off the remnants of his commune and when he opened his eyes a second time, he felt more like himself. He stared down at his muddy hands and then pushed himself to his feet, wasting no time in heading back towards his house, still tired but able to call forth the earth to mirror his legs' movements, changing his run into an earthrun, which carried him faster than he would on his own. He did not have any time to waste.
The mantra was getting worse. For the last few weeks, Tino had repeated the same exercise. He would travel deep into the forest until he was within a day's walk of the Barrens, plunge his hands into the earth, and listen to what it was saying. And it was always the same words and half formed phrases, calling for help, expressing its pain, stating it could not stop whatever was happening.
It was nothing like what he was used to hearing when he was younger or even a year ago. And with each passing day, it got louder and louder until Tino could only describe it as a scream that reverberated through his very soul. But today was different. Today, the Balance had broken through and added a new plea, a desperate call to gather, and Tino knew what he and the others had suspected since Matthew Jones' kidnapping was coming to a head.
Ivan was making his move against the Balance and Tino and the rest were needed to help curb the assault.
He made it back home before the sun began and dropped the earth back into the ground before he made his way inside to Berwald, tracking mud all along their floors. He did not spare time to look for Berwald, just called out for him and headed to their garden out back where he could earth-call Nikolai, Matthias, and Oskar. His hands were no longer trembling from the earth's trauma and call for aid, but they shook just the same as he headed toward the back corner of their garden and knelt in the ground. He felt Berwald's hand against his shoulder and paused for a moment to lean into the warm, comforting grip before he dug his hands into the ground, the soil the exact same to a patch the others had in their own garden.
"B'd?" Berwald asked as Tino reached forth until he felt an answering reach from Oskar. He nodded as he brought his hands out of the ground, leaning back fully into Berwald's larger form as it crouched into dirt with him.
"Yes, it's bad. Oskar got my call; they should be here soon." Berwald nodded and pressed a gentle kiss to Tino's brow, his hands gently brushing the dried mud from Tino's as they waited for the others to arrive.
They did not have to wait long. Within the quarter hour, the others had arrived, Nikolai and Matthias carried on a cyclone Oskar had summoned. Nikolai had a distinct green pallor to his face and Tino felt a swell of pity—Nikolai hated traveling by wind and avoided it whenever possible, but Tino had impressed the urgency to Oskar, so he had bore it. Oskar touched down after Matthias helped steady Nikolai's jellylegs, banishing the cyclone with a wave of his hand. He looked even younger than his sixteen years with his ice-blonde hair windswept around his wind-pink face—Tino felt a swell of grief that instead of doing normal, teenage things, he was about to by swept up into a war for the survival of the Balance.
"Thank you for coming so quickly, I'm sorry Nikolai, I know air travel is not ideal."
Nikolai waved off Tino's apology and patted Matthias' arm as he straightened up and stood on his own. "It was needed—Oskar said your message was urgent."
"Urgent is putting it lightly," Oskar said playfully. "More like 'get your butts here right now'."
Tino smiled wanly at Oskar and nodded. "Yes, I suppose that about sums it up."
"So, what's got your pants in a twist then?" Matthias asked bluntly. Berwald frowned at their resident firebrand, but Tino put a hand on his arm to calm him—they did not have time for an argument now.
"Today, when I communed with the earth, I got something new. The Balance broke through and said it needed help and for 'all' of us to come and do so."
"The Balance?" Nikolai asked, needing to confirm.
Tino nodded. "Yes, it spoke to me directly through the ley lines in the earth—we need to go to the Barrens as soon as possible."
Understandably, Tino's declaration was met with silence. It was a big proclamation; it was one thing for Nikolai or any one of them to travel outside the Nords for a period of time, but it was something else entirely for them all to be called to arms and go to the very place they were tasked with protecting the world against. Tino knew in his bones nothing like this had ever been asked of their predecessors before, even without needing to look through old texts and diaries kept by those who came before them. For them to be called, as one, to go to the Barrens, something was about to happen that had never occurred before and that something was not good.
Surprisingly, it was Berwald who broke the silence first. "'f n'd 's, we go."
Matthias nodded, in rare agreement with Berwald and clapped him on the shoulder. "What Ice-man said. Some bad shit must be about to go down if the Balance is reaching out to you on its own. If we can help, we need to."
Nikolai was quiet, thoughts undoubtedly inward, before he nodded as well. "It's starting. Whatever Ivan is doing to upset the Balance, he is making his move and we need to do everything we can to counter it."
Oskar nodded and came up on Tino's other side, bumping his shoulder with his own. "We're the most powerful incarnations of the elements in centuries, you said so yourself Tino. Doesn't make any sense the Balance would bless us with that responsibility to sit on the sidelines."
He chuckled and tilted his head to the side, his smile taking on an impish quality. "Besides, I love Alfred and the guys, but there is no way I would trust the fate of the world to a group who once got so badly turned around in the Straits during a storm they ended up in Leituvos instead of the Nords."
Tino smiled and could not stop his own chuckle as he remembered having to send Nikolai off after the Evangeline and guide them across the Straits. He had never seen a more disgruntled group of seafarers in all his life. Matthias and Berwald joined in on the laugh and even Nikolai smirked in humor at the memory. "No, we certainly can't, can we?"
Their good humor faded but did not fade into despair or dread. No, instead it transformed into determination and confidence in their course of action, iron resolve solidifying between the five of them as they knew what they needed to do. What the Balance was calling them to do.
It felt something like fate, as if their whole lives had always been heading to this singular point in time, and they were stronger for it together.
"Well, looks like we're gonna dance with Braginski after all then," Matthias smirked, his voice clear and sure in its conviction. "Good, I owe that røvhul a few rounds with my fireballs for all the shit he's caused. You ready for some payback, Icy?"
Berwald grunted in agreement and Tino griped his hand tight in response.
Nikolai rolled his eyes at Matthias but did not move out from the arm around his shoulders, pulling him in close to the fire elemental. "Sure, fate of the world at stake, but let's make this a pissing contest between you both and Ivan."
"Gotta have my priorities straight," Matthias shot back with a grin, smacking a loud kiss to the side of Nikolai's face. Nikolai looked unamused but did not shove him away.
Oskar bounced on his feet, wind already whipping around him. "So, we going or what? You guys can make goo-goo eyes at each other on the way there."
Tino pulled Oskar in close and nodded. "Yes, all right, yes. But we need to grab supplies first. There will be nothing for us in the Barrens, we need to be prepared." He looked around at his small family, at their surety and readiness for whatever came next, and was glad that fate had brought them all together. "Go home and get what you need, be back here by sundown. We'll head to the Barrens tonight."
Everyone nodded and then they were all off, Oskar whipping Matthias and Nikolai back into a wind cyclone, Berwald heading inside to prepare their things for the journey north.
Tino stayed in the garden a moment longer, pressing his hands back deep into the soil and willing both the earth and the Balance to hear him and his words one last time before they departed.
We hear you and are coming.
Arthur's mind was occupied as the made their way out of Sofiya and on their final leg towards Ruthenia.
Sure, there was the anticipation of finally confronting Ivan and his followers, the hope of rescuing Alfred's brother, Toris, and nay others being held there against their will, the dread of what he would have to do in order for them all to succeed, and of course the fear of what would happen after (or bugger maybe during) their fight with Ivan when he had to uphold his stupid end of the deal with the Fey. A deal he was fairly sure was every bit as devious as Alfred had initially feared all those months ago in Spandow and had caused their huge row. Well, their first huge row, the one that had catapulted them together into what they were now. A deal that now hung over Arthur's head like an axe, waiting to drop and sever whatever future he had hoped for with Alfred after all this, breaking his heart in the process.
Arthur was afraid he might die, yes, he was sure they all were afraid of that in some way. No, it was more he was afraid they would win, but he would not be strong enough to undo whatever damage Ivan had wrought already and he—and Alfred would lose him, them, and a future where they would be happy together.
Those wonderful thoughts were enough to occupy his head thoroughly, but currently, to not spiral into a depression which would help no one, it was also the fact that even though it was still early in the fall, it was getting colder and colder the further east they travelled. Unseasonably and unnaturally cold. Just that morning there had been a light film of frost across the ground, ground which had drastically changed from fertile and health soil to dry and cracked earth seemingly over the course of a day's travel. The trees were no longer towering fir trees with big, green pine needles, but stripped, bare tree stalks, white and worn and surrounded by gray boulders. It was if they had crossed over into another world; a desolate and plagued world that did its level best to make them all feel as if they needed to turn around and escape.
Arthur had gathered through their search for Ivan's mountain hideout that the collapse of Ruthenia's empire had been more than just a governmental one—it had been a magical one as well. Hardly any history texts in Britannia even mentioned Ruthenia and those that did certainly did not have spent ink detailing how the once rich empire had also suffered a magical calamity at their fall. But through every text and tome and childhood story he and the others read while trying to identify the KauKhasis mountains, Arthur had pieced together that whatever the cause of the civil war that engulfed the nation, magic had played a part in its demise. And now, between his own encounters with Ivan and his followers, with Yao's input, and with what he knew about Ivan being from Ruthenia, he had deduced that whatever Ivan was doing to disrupt the Balance, it probably had to do with Ruthenia's current state.
None of that helped with understanding what exactly happened to Ruthenia though, or at least about the magic piece. And Arthur knew in his bones that understanding what had happened in the past might help him figure out how to undo whatever Ivan was doing about it now. He was desperate to have any kind of game plan or strategy on that front. Anything to have some sort of optimistic mantra to combat the overwhelming sense of 'this task will kill you' on repeat in his mind.
It was with this goal in mind, that he sought to bring up to topic with the group. He was hoping if enough people got talking about it, maybe he could get some sort of idea on what happened without having to write down every question. Or have Alfred parrot his questions to the group. And inevitably ask why Arthur was asking said questions.
He had not exactly shared the bit he learned about the deal with the fairies with anyone else yet, because frankly he did not think it would do anyone any good if some (aka Alfred) split their focus from anything but getting to Ivan and defeating him. And while a part of him was desperate to say something, anything, just to get reassurance that his fears were completely out of proportion, he knew it truly would not help anyone, least of all him. So, some level of subterfuge was necessary, even if he hated lying to Alfred more than he had ever felt about lying to anyone before.
The weather has been a bit odd, hasn't it? He asked Alfred on the way from their tent (finally shared) to the communal bonfire set up for dinner that night. The fire served dual purpose now that it was colder at night other than cooking their food. At Alfred's questioning brow, Arthur shrugged in what he hoped was a nonchalant manner and waved about their surroundings. We had mild weather a few days ago in Sofiya and this morning we had frost. I wouldn't be surprised if it started snowing on us soon.
"It has been weird I guess—they say Ruthenia's winters are nearly year-round, maybe Bulgar is similar because it's so close?" Alfred shrugged, but did not look all that convinced at his own explanation. He must have caught something to that effect on Arthur's face because he laughed and gave one of his more bashful grins. "What? I may be pretty awesome, but I don't know everything. What about you, Mr. Bookshop, any theories you got in your head?"
Arthur felt a flush in his cheeks at Alfred's teasing. As I matter of fact, I do. Weather and terrain do not just change so drastically over the course of a day's travel, not naturally at any rate, so the answer obviously must be unnatural.
"So…what? You think it's magic that's causing this?"
You think it's natural an entire country only ever experiences winter?
Alfred gave a considering hum as they approached the bonfire, grabbing two plates of food for each of them since Arthur was carrying his tablet. "You're right, I never really gave it a lot of thought before. We don't really cover Ruthenia history in school as kids, it's just one of those things you know, accepted, like the sky is blue or gravity or—."
"What is just one of those things?" Francis interrupted as Alfred handed a plate to Arthur after they sat down. He was sitting closest to them with Seychelles, practically draped across her lap. It seemed Arthur and Alfred were not the only ones pleased with the relaxed travel restrictions. "Are you and your beau debating philosophies, dear Alfred? I would never think I would see the day!"
Arthur scowled at the blind man, but Alfred just chuckled and took a bite of his dinner, uncaring how disgusting it was to talk with his mouth full. "No, we were talking about the weather. Well, the weather in Ruthenia and how the weather is getting weird here too. Did you ever learn about Ruthenia growing up, Francis? Like why it's always winter there?"
Francis shook his head. "Non, but why would we? Gaul is on the other side of the world from Ruthenia, no need to trouble ourselves with a neighbor so far away. What about you, ma chéri, did you learn of the mighty Ruthenia's downfall as a child?"
Seychelles scoffed and tore off a piece of bread, feeding it to Francis. "No. My people don't bother with any past but our own. You learn what you need to know as you grow and sail the seas. I did not even learn of most of the Byzantium until I began apprenticing before gaining my own captaincy and ship."
"That makes sense," Alfred said. "Hey Basch, what about you? Ever learn about why Ruthenia has got such messed up weather?"
"Well, I—," Basch began before Feliks laughed and cut him off.
"Why would he, like, know if Francis doesn't? You know you should totally ask though? Someone who basically lived across from that hellhole most of his life."
Alfred grinned, eager for information now that Arthur had planted the bug in his brain. "Ok then, do you know, Feliks?"
Arthur leaned forward at attention as well, thought he tried to be a bit less obvious about it. However, now that the conversation had gotten going, most of the table looked interested in the topic, so it did not really matter. The only two who did not seem engaged now were Kiku and Yao, sitting at opposite ends of the table from each other and wholly uninterested at first glance. There was a tenseness to each of them, though, which betrayed their disinterest. In nearly a year of forced silence, Arthur had gotten fairly skilled at picking up nonverbal cues and the two of them were practically glowing with how obvious they were pretending to not pay attention.
Arthur was sure these two probably knew more on this topic than anyone else at the table but would likely not broach it voluntarily—Yao's reticence stemming from his own and Kiku's likely because of unpleasant memories, if what happened to his fellow apprentices under Yao was any indication. Still, Arthur did not have the time nor luxury of gently approaching this topic with them (not that Yao deserved a gentle approach at this point).
"I know that Ruthenia is, like, totally cursed," Feliks answered dramatically. "We used to sail across the Axenios Sea growing up and no matter what time of year, the mountains had a way disgusting cloud of them. Like smog. We'll probably get the joy of seeing it in a few days."
"Ok, well, do you know what kind of curse?" Alfred shot back.
"No, I'm not, like, a sorcerer or anything. I just know there is no way those clouds could be natural."
"Well, I heard it's not because of a curse," Basch cut in, shooting Feliks an annoyed look for cutting him off earlier. "It's because during the fall of the Empire, the lords scoured the lands to try and cull the rebellions. Put so much toxic waste into the air that now nothing grows, and it blocks out the sun."
Esther scoffed. "I do not care how much salting of the ground one does, that cannot cause the weather to change. I say it is cursed, with Feliks."
"No, a curse that large is not possible by any one sorcerer," Rosa jumped in. She looked to Alejandro to provide some back up and huffed irritably when he remained stoically silent. He and Sadiq looked content to simply observe and not participate tonight. "I studied magical theory as part of my training and there is now way that amount of damage could be done by one sorcerer and curses are specific to the individual castor."
Arthur felt his heart speed up at Rosa's input and he clenched his hands on his thighs to hide the sudden shake in them.
"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Gilbert asked, annoyed. Arthur felt a pang of sympathy for him as he probably had not been able to keep up with the conversation once Arthur had nudged Alfred to change topics.
"Ruthenia, Gil, and why it's always winter," Alfred said. "Feliks and Esther say it's cursed, and Basch and Rose think it's more natural."
Gilbert rolled his eyes and took another bite of his stew before answering, having the same lack of manners as Alfred. "Both of those are horseshit. Have any you all actually met someone from Ruthenia, our resident asswipe world destroyer notwithstanding?"
Silence. Gilbert smirked, swallowed, and continued. "Yeah, didn't think so. Well, I have—Spandow gets people from all over and we got people who had literally crawled their way across the world to escape Ruthenia. It's more than just bad soil and terrible weather. It's—it's a hellhole. It's—"
"Imbalance?" Yao offered once Gilbert trailed off. All eyes swung towards him, Kiku's included. Arthur felt a silent exhalation leave him and he was grateful no one could hear the sheer triumph in it.
"What, you know something about something, Mr. Sorcerer?" Gilbert drawled. He hadn't been able to hear what Yao had said, but he recognized the heads all whipping to where Yao sat well enough. "Well then, come on, regale us with your wisdom. It's worked out so well for everyone in the past."
Yao ignored Gilbert's baiting and faced him directly so he could read his lips. "I said it's like Ruthenia is imbalanced. I am sure the people you met who had left it all agreed that life there felt wrong and twisted."
"Well," Seychelles began, her voice carrying the authority it always did now when she addressed Yao. "Do you have any insight or opinion to offer then on why Ruthenia is so wrong and twisted?"
Yao was silent for a time, and it was Kiku who spoke up. "He does because he was alive when the Empire collapsed. Whether it is the truth he tells us or not is another matter."
"Always so quick to assume the worst of me," Yao murmured as if it was the world's worst private joke. "Kiku is correct, though. I was alive when it fell, though I was still in my home country, Zhongguo, and had not yet traveled to the west."
"So you know why the weather is all messed up there and here in Bulgar then?" Alfred pressed.
Yao nodded. "You are not all mistaken. Neither are you all correct. The truth of the fall of the Empire falls in the middle, and it is a closely guarded shame that the Ruthenian people still do not want shared to this day.
"At the height of its power, the Ruthenia Empire stretched from their eastern most coasts, down to the southern seas which borders both the Maw and the Kingdom of Bharat. It even crossed into Avrupa and nearly incorporated the Nords at one time—you all know that particular stretch of former Empire as the Barrens."
There was a murmur of shock across the table at that piece of information. Arthur was not as familiar with the Barren as the others, beyond what he had learned from his books while aboard the Evangeline. What he did know was that it was a toxic wasteland to the far north and the the Nord elementals were charged with protecting the Nords and the rest of Avrupa from the Even Sadiq looked surprised and he leaned forward into Yao's space. "The Barrens, the Cursed Lands, were part of the Empire willingly?"
"Yes," Yao said simply. "The Barrens were once the crown jewel of the Empire. It was land rich in magic and resources and the most powerful in Ruthenia made their homes there, including the Emperor. The sorcerers and magic users of the Empire learned how to channel the ley lines and magic running through this area to all of Ruthenia, which allowed all their people to prosper. For a time.
"As with most who wield such power, though, there grew a movement amongst the wealthiest to not share those resources with the common people and a rebellion grew. Sorcerers and Talentborn chose sides and while the armies of the Empire fought against the rebellions, magic fought magic."
Yao paused, his eyes faraway, and Arthur was struck with the knowledge that Yao had never told anyone this next part of the story before, no one, apart from maybe Ivan. "I cannot know for certain, as I was not part of this war, but it is believed someone advised the Emperor that to quell the rebellions and war, to overload the ley lines which travelled through all of Ruthenia, sharing the magic across a whole country, to crush the rebels and put an end to the rebellion, at the cost of civilian life. He did—he was Talentborn himself, as most leaders of the past were and continue to be today. He commanded all sorcerers loyal to him to overload the ley lines with magic and amplified it with his own.
"It backfired and created a ripple effect throughout the world. Wild, corrupted magic, corrosive and toxic to the Balance from soaking up years of in the hatred, blood and civil war spread through all of Ruthenia through the ley lines instead and damaged the ground, the water, the very air itself. And it threatened to spread beyond the Empire so those who survived the initial blast in Ruthenia banded together and instead figured out a way to confine it all to one section of land to keep it sectioned off and safe from the rest of the world."
"The Barrens," Alfred exclaimed, completely captivated by the story. Arthur felt as if he had a lead ball in the pit of his stomach. "They trapped it all in the Barrens!"
"Yes, Alfred," Yao confirmed. "They did, and they kept the corruption from spreading, but they could do nothing for Ruthenia and what the wild magic had already destroyed."
"So, that is why nothing grows there," Seychelles murmured.
"And why it is always winter," Esther agreed.
"And why Braginski is messing with the Balance," Alfred breathed out, his voice sounding as if he was testing out the idea as he said it. "Right? He's from Ruthenia, you said you rescued him from there when he was a kid and going to die, so he knows it's all messed up and that's why he's taking power and Talents and magic."
Yao stared at Alfred for a beat before looking at Kiku with amusement. "You did tell me not to underestimate your friends, Kiku."
Kiku nodded. "They are stronger and smarter than most, it not the most polished."
"All right, gonna ignore the insults here because I'm right!" Alfred smiled wide in triumph. "Braginski is trying to fix Ruthenia then. That's what he is planning!"
"Alfred," Yao began, his voice ominous and sending a prickle of unease down Arthur's spine. "It is not what he plans to do. It is what he has already begun."
Eduard could do nothing but watch helplessly as Ivan arranged hundreds of power bearing and Talent-containing stones around him in a huge spiral. Maybe in a different life, he would have been braver and able to stand up to Ivan more readily. Maybe in that life he would have seen Ivan's 'vision' for what it was, seen Ivan for who he truly was. But not in this life. No, in this life, Eduard had been foolish at best and a blinded zealot at worse. Even now, having seen what Ivan had done in the Barrens last time, he remained frozen in inaction, watching as Vladimir helped Ivan arrange hundreds of stones on the ground, their gentle light pulsing with the energy and magic they contained. Ostensibly, he was guarding the stones, but Eduard knew he was really there as witness to Ivan's next trial in the Barrens.
His next triumph.
They were in the Barrens, but in another part of it that had not been touched by Ivan's last energy transference. The ground and air were noxious as ever and there was a chill in the air that had nothing to do with the cold. The sky above them was gray with low, thick clouds that would look like smog if it were not for the absence of any civilization for miles. It was desolate.
Not unlike his own mood, Eduard thought briefly, as Ivan and Vladimir arranged the last of the stones into the spiral, Ivan using some Talent he had stolen that granted him telekinetic abilities to do his share around Vladimir's placements, which in the centermost of the spiral. Eduard was in the center with Vladimir as well and watched him place a last bunch of stones in the very center, where Eduard presumed Ivan would stand.
"We are ready, Brothers," Vladimir said softly. He finished arranging the stones in the center and came over to stand by Eduard, nodding at him, all dark eyes and sallow skin. Eduard did not respond. He had never been particularly close with Vladimir, given as his main role within Ivan's following was to use his Talent to drain blood from a person and turn it to energy, which was mostly used on children. Anyone who was all right with that use of their Talent did not deserve anything from him.
Ivan joined them in the center not to long after, his smile grateful and aimed at them both. "You have both been of immense help so far. I will continue to need your help as we begin. I have never channeled this much energy before, it is unclear what may happen."
Vladimir nodded, but Eduard felt a small protest claw its way out of his throat, unable to stay silent. "Brother Ivan are you—if it is not known how dangerous this endeavor is, should we not reconsider our course of action for the time being?"
Ivan looked at Eduard kindly, his eyes not quite glowing violet yet, but drowning Eduard in their depths, nonetheless. "I wish you would have more faith in me, Brother Eduard, as you used to."
Despite himself and all that Ivan had done, Eduard still felt a sense of shame and embarrassment wash over him at Ivan's gentle admonishment. "I—it is not that. I only thought, could this not be too dangerous, for an unknown reward?"
Ivan gripped his shoulder and squeezed it gently, an approximation of a comforting hand. "Great things require sacrifice. I am willing to accept the risk for our Vision to come to pass."
"We are with you, Brother Ivan," Vladimir cut in before Eduard could try a different tactic. "You will not fail."
Ivan tipped his head in thanks and stepped into the center of the spiral. Eduard watched him with a growing sense of dread as he stood, motionless, for a moment before he stretched out his arms and began calling the magic and energy to him from the stones. One by one, the stones and quartz in the center lit up around the huge spiral, bathing them all in a soft multi-colored light. Then slowly, so slowly, the lights blinked out and gathered around Ivan until he was so bathed in light Eduard could only see the outline of him dropping back down to his knees and thrusting his hands in the damaged soil with a soul-wrenching cry.
Eduard looked over at Vladimir, at the hungry and fanatical expression painted across his pale face, and then refocused as much as he could back on Ivan. He was still mostly obscured in dappled light as he continued to channel the magic and energy, and Eduard could feel a heat emanating all around him as Ivan's screams got louder the longer he continued. Or maybe that was something else, causing the roaring in his ears.
Eduard felt his body begin to vibrate as the earth beneath his feet started to shake, gently at first but growing worse and worse until he had to drop down to the ground before he fell. The roaring got louder and louder the more the earth shook and started to break apart and Eduard curled in on himself and covered his ears, his own scream adding to the cacophony of noise all around him as he reached out and Saw…
Antonio was running as best he could back to the inn, the ground beneath him shaking with the force of an earthquake he had never experienced before. The sky above him was storming, biting rain adding to the panic from the buildings shaking, some of them cracking and crumbling to the ground. His lungs burned as he sprinted faster, narrowly avoiding a chunk of rock and plaster as it broke off from a one of the guild collectives. The people of Spandow were flooding through the narrow streets, trying to get away, trying to hide, trying to get to their loved ones.
The inn's red roof came into sight and he let out a cry that it still appeared to be intact. He pushed further until he all but collapsed through the doors, lungs heaving as he spotted Ludwig in the back corner of the bar, huddled under a table with Feliciano and Romano. Ludwig had a cut on his head that was spilling blood down the side of his face, likely from a falling bottle, but he looked all right other than that. Antonio felt a rush of relief that the twins both looked unharmed, but his heart clenched as he got closer and could see they were both in distress. Romano silent, eyes vacant and far away, while Feli cried and writhed on the ground in pain as Ludwig tried to keep him still.
"What's wrong with them?" Antoni shouted as he dropped to the ground with them. He pulled Romano close to him, alarmed at how he did not fight the embrace at all. His Romano did not suffer Antonio's affections so docilely.
"I don't know," Ludwig bit out, fear plain on his face. "As soon as the shaking started, I heard one of them let out a yell and found Feli like this, hovering over Romano on the ground."
Antonio gripped Romano tighter and looked around as the inn continued to groan and shake with the ground. He let out a cry as the windows nearest to them shattered and spilled glass all over the floor. He could feel blood dripping down his face from a cut to his cheek, but was relieved Romano looked unharmed. "We can't stay in here, Ludwig! If the building collapses—"
Ludwig nodded and scooped Feliciano into his arms as if he weighed nothing. "The alley."
Antonio couldn't lift Romano like Ludwig could Feliciano, but he draped on of the smaller man's arms across his shoulders and half-carried him after Ludwig. He sent up a prayer to whatever force could hear to see them through this as he felt the ground shudder violently under beneath his feet again…
Elizaveta had been outside in her garden when the shaking first started. Not long after, she felt pain bloom behind her eyes and had been barely able to stagger inside the house. She narrowly avoided the paintings shaking off the walls and the different trinkets and vases that littered their hallways crashing to the ground, the pain in her head worse than the cuts on her feet from the broken porcelain on the floor.
Lily found her first, her little, frail arms wrapping around Elizaveta best she could to guide her to Roderich in the main dining hall. The shaking did not seem as bad in here, but the room was vast and had large, sturdy columns holding up the ceiling in an arch, perhaps that provided additional stability. Lily helped Elizaveta sit down in a chair and Roderich came over, gripping her face in worry.
"Why is she hurting?"
"I don't know, Lily. Liz? Did something fall or did you hit your head?" Roderich asked, his voice losing some if its normal calm as more and more of the staff started to flood into the hall, all with various degrees of injury.
"No, no I—it feels like there's something roaring—" Elizaveta began before some of their staff rushed over.
"Master Edelstein, the shaking is causing the sea to break over the levies in the docks. Several of our shipped have become unmoored—"
"The west stable has collapsed; we don't know how many hands or horses may have been lost or injured—"
"We have people outside our gates looking for shelter from the winds, they fear that if the shaking continues, we may have larger waves that spill over into the city."
Roderich held up his hand to halt the clamoring and put on his most collected persona as he gave them directions. "Leave the ships, they are insured for a reason. Anyone who is outside and is looking for shelter, bring them in, if any look suspicious, keep a man on them to keep an eye so they do not take advantage of anyone who is hurt or scared. We—we cannot risk anyone else getting injured so leave the stables for now, at least until the earthquake stops."
"Liz?" Lily asked, slipping her wrinkled hand into Elizaveta's. "Do you feel any better now or—does your head still hurt?"
Elizaveta tried to smile encouragingly for Lily, but she feared it came out as more of a grimace. "Don't worry about me, Lils, it's just like a headache, nothing to worry about, I'm sure. I'll be fine."
She pushed herself to her feet, blinking back the dizziness behind her eyes and started to make her way towards the kitchens, knowing they'd need to organize their food and water stores to help people and to make sure they did not give more than they could afford, should they be left without resources for some time as Vindobana recovered. Roderich noticed her and reached out, taking her hand gently.
"If you do not feel well, I do not wish you to make yourself worse." His words were soft and caring, full of love that Elizaveta still felt undeserving of sometimes. "This shake is not natural and if you are impacted from it as well, it means it is magic in nature, you need to be careful."
"I know my limits, Rod, and I can help." She pressed a soft kiss to his lips and held out her hand for Lily to follow her. "Come on, Lils, let's get some food and blankets ready."
As Lily followed her, both slowing as another tremor shook the house, Elizaveta hoped whatever was happening was not endangering her friends but knew in her heart that hope rung false.
The wind crackled with the static of magic in the air.
Thanh* crouched in the middle of the same thicket she had been practicing her spell work, her eyes wide as she took in the ripples through the earth. She had been in the middle of her clan's trials when the shaking started; she had expected some hardship or difficulties before she could ascend into her status as sorceress, but nothing like this. She could feel the earth calling out to her in pain. She had nearly been overtaken by it when the shaking first started, the rush of wild magic ripping and screaming its way through the Balance, but she'd had the presence of mind to throw up her shields at the last moment before she felt it slam into her.
Now, all she could was watch helplessly as the mountains of Zhongguo shook and groaned under her, the bamboo splintering and spraying all around as trees shook and cracked under the pressure. She worried for her village and clan, but knew she could not leave yet, not while whatever was happening ceased enough for her to make her way back down to the valley safely.
All she could do was wait and offer up prayers for peace and safe passage through this attack of the Balance. And hope whatever was causing it could be stopped.
Peter watched from his brother's old bookshop as the people of Berth ran around like chickens with their heads cut off, all worked up over a little shaking. Granted, it was getting worse and he heard some of the villagers talking about higher ground due to the ocean waves. He ducked under the old abandoned till his brother used to let him read under when he was younger and wished, for maybe the first time, that Arthur was still around, not disappeared and a heathen. He always made Peter feel safer, more so than his other brothers at least.
"Peter! Where the fuck—there you are, come on! We can't stay in here." Allistor looked scared. Peter had never seen him look scared before.
"We can't leave it! Arthur might come back and—"
"If he's smart, he'll never drag his scrawny arse back here. Now come on! Patrick's waiting for us, we have a couple horses, we need to get distance between us and the tide before this whole blasted town goes tits up in the waves."
Peter let Allistor drag him out of the shop and he tried to memorize it, one last time. The only thing he had left from his older brother and tried not to let the tears spill when not more than fifteen minutes later, he and his brothers on their way out of Berth, a big shake brought the shop down and caved in on itself.
The Bazaar was in chaos. Stamboul was crumbling in on itself as huge cracks appeared through the main markets up to the palace gates. People collapsed and began praying for anything and everything while their world broke apart around them.
The sailors of the Evangeline were only able to keep the ship upright through years of experience and due to the seafaring heritage. Around them, they watched as other ships in Herzliya's marina capsized and plunged their sailors into a roiling and angry sea, the earthshakes whipping up huge waves and maelstroms, whirlpools even forming further out, drowning incoming ships desperately trying to get to the docks.
But they could not spare any thoughts for those poor souls. Captain Seychelles had tasked them with keeping the ship safe and whole while she and the others travelled through the Byzantium and took on the fiend, who they all were confident was the cause of this madness. They continued to do all they could to keep the Evangeline afloat and would worry about their fellow seafarers later.
Matthew felt a soft shudder under his feet as he brushed back his hair and pulled it back up onto top of his head. He tied off his hair and looked down at the ground, kneeling and placing his palm flat to the floor, marveling at the small vibrations that travelled up his arm.
And, even more amazingly, he saw the sun shining through his cell window, the first bright rays of yellow he'd seen since his capture.
"Oh," Tino gasped, collapsing to his knees, dropping them all down to the ground as violent earth shudders made him feel as if he was made of clay, soft and unsteady. He could not seem to hear any of the others through the pain shaking through to his core and the roaring in his head, but he knew they must have felt it.
"Oskar! You gotta get us off the ground! We stay down here, we'll get crushed!" Matthias yelled.
Tino felt something gentle wrap around him and then he was aloft. In the air, he found his head cleared, not so tied to the earth from the air, and he saw Oskar's face screwed up in concentration as he used the wind to hold them all up.
"Can you hold us, Oskar?" Nikolai shouted over the noise.
"I'm not going to drop any of us, so guess I am," Oskar grit out. He flashed one of his trademark smiles then, all mischievous determination, and squared his shoulders, head standing proud. "Don't worry, I got this!"
Tino glanced down at the ground, watching the forest of the Nords shake and break apart, before a bright prism of color drew his gaze back up, to where they could see the Barrens from this height. Trees of all different colors, meadows of vibrant flowers, and rivers that seemed to glow silver were appearing all over the Barrens, replacing the scarred land with a beautifully unnatural landscape.
Ivan was making his war on the Balance. More than ever before.
Arthur felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin, shaking in pain as he felt something like a roar echo in his head, making it hard to see straight. He could feel Alfred collapsed next to him, like everyone else had just as the shaking had started. Yao had been midsentence to Alfred when he had suddenly stopped, and all the color had drained from his face.
"He's started—," was all Yao had gotten out before a violent earthquake ripped through their camp and the entire countryside. And with it, came the pain that had dropped them all to their knees in pain and disorientation.
Well, all of them, save for Basch, Feliks and Sadiq. The only people in their party who did not have a Talent or channel magic.
Arthur forced his eyes open and could see Feliks and Sadiq were both working to keep their horses safe so they did not bolt. Basch was trying to help Seychelles to her feet, her head sporting a nasty gash that was bleeding sluggishly. The tremors kept him from doing much though, so he settled for crouching down with her and Francis, eyes wary for any other pieces of their encampment that could fall and hit someone. The rest of their group did not look much better, but no one looked especially injured, apart from the obvious pain they were all suffering from.
"What the fucking hells is happening?" Basch shouted.
"Ivan—he's doing something," Arthur heard Kiku say softly, weakly, to his left. He was next to Alfred and looked like it was taking every ounce of strength to speak. "With the Balance. Look."
Around them, violently blue grass started to sprout from the ground, the warped trees surrounding their camp shooting up and their trunks coloring in crimson and silver. Flowers of every color imaginable sprouted up all around them and the buzzing wrongness sent another wave of hurt through his body. Another shudder ran through the ground, and he heard Feliks call out to Sadiq, a warning. He heard a swearing gasp from Sadiq and then nothing.
Arthur clenched his teeth as he rolled over onto his stomach, getting his legs under him and pushing himself to his knees. He felt like he was going to be sick, but more than that, he could feel something thrumming through his veins, whispering to him to do something, anything, to stop what was happening. He swallowed and buried his hands in the soil, reaching deep down to his Voice. He bent over as another wave of hurt wracked through his body, but there was a different kind of pressure pushing him past it and he summoned every ounce of will he had and whispered one, soundless word.
-STOP-
His eyes were screwed shut, but he could feel the tremors stutter halt around them, could feel the soil under his hands stop shifting and settle. He kept his hands buried in the ground until he felt whatever connection that had been formed snap shut and he leaned back, feeling like a puppet who's string were cut. He hurt everywhere and felt as if he had been dragged behind the caravan, skin prickling with a thousand little cuts. The last thing Arthur heard before he let himself fall into a comforting quiet oblivion was Alfred, calling his name.
And then, blissful nothing.
…when it all, suddenly, stopped.
Eduard blinked open his eyes. The roaring in his head had subsided and he felt as if he could breathe again. As he took in his surroundings, he felt it stop again, as he was surrounded by lush trees and a vibrantly green meadow. In the distance, he could spot lush trees of all different colors and he could hear the flow of water not too far off from where he stood. The Barrens looked completely transformed into a wondrous, beautiful dreamscape. Eduard felt horrified at what he saw and looked down at the fertile soil, almost expecting to see wild magic flaring out and cracking the ground. Nothing though, it was quiet and still and magnificent as far as he could see.
It was also wrong.
Eduard blinked again and looked over to where he could see Ivan in the center of what had been the spiral and was now just a flattened bit of meadow. He was hunched over and looked half-dead, chest rising slowly and in a staggered rhythm. Vladimir had also recovered beside him and rushed over to Ivan's side, getting an arm around the now frail looking shoulders and helping him to a standing position. Eduard staggered to his own feet and gasped as he took in Ivan's haggard appearance.
Ivan looked old, ancient even, with wrinkle, age-spotted skin and a frail, stooped back and limbs that looked barely able to hold up his diminished height. His hair, which had always been more silver than blonde, was stark white and clung to his head in straggly wisps. His violet eyes were milky and unfocused and he leaned on Vladimir heavily as his cracked lips split into a wide smile.
"Brothers, how does it look?" Ivan whispered, his voice wavering in age. "I admit, I am somewhat diminished and can only see what is nearest. Is it as wonderful as I had dreamt?"
"Yes, Brother Ivan," Vladimir responded, his own voice tinged with awe and respect. "It is incredible. This land can no longer be called the Barrens."
"Well, perhaps not quite yet; changing its surface is one thing, it will need to be able to create its own life independent of me to be truly transformed." His voice was weak, but his eyes held Eduard still just the same as he turned his focus on him. "And you, Brother Eduard, is it what we used to speak of transforming all of Ruthenia to?"
"I—" Eduard started and faltered in turn.
He did not know what to say, not really. He looked around helplessly and found it unbearably lovely and everything he had imagined of being possible for Ruthenia as a child, growing up with nothing but scraps and dreams. At the same time, the perfect and incredible landscape also was an affront on his soul, because how many people had been hurt for this to happen? How many children's stolen energy made up the grass and trees? How much stolen magic thrummed under the earth, waging a losing war against the corrupted magic already there? What had been sacrificed for this—it had not been worth the cost. He could not let this continue, would not let the dreams he had of a thriving Ruthenia be reduced to this.
"It is wrong, Ivan," he said at last, a quiet steel keeping his voice steady and spine straight. "None of this is real and you cannot achieve a sustainable and healed Ruthenia through these means."
Ivan sighed, the breath rattled out of him, and shook his head. "Brother Eduard, you disappoint me."
"Good! You have horrified me!" Eduard shot back, making his way over to Ivan and Vladimir, his resolve to stop Ivan and everything he was doing building with each step he took. "I have only ever wanted our people to have a better life than what they were cursed to by more powerful people's selfishness and stupidity. But can't you see that this, all of this, is unnatural and cannot be maintained?! I Saw what this is doing to the world, Ivan, to the Balance, and if you continue this path, you will kill millions of innocent people and destroy the Balance! That cannot be the Vision you once spoke to me of, what I followed you for and what I still believe we can do. But not like this."
Eduard felt as if a weight had lifted from him and met Ivan's stare, unwilling to back down now. Ivan's countenance looked contemplative and less severe in his aged form, and Eduard felt a flare of hope that maybe, just maybe his words had gotten through to him. Maybe he did see what Eduard saw, or felt what had happened to him through his efforts and understood it was not worth it. A ray of sunshine broke through the clouds then, perhaps the first bit of sun this land had seen in centuries, and Eduard watched Ivan as his ancient face slid into a kind expression.
Vladimir was there and grabbing Eduard's arm before he could even put up a struggle, slicing through his arm and pressing his hand over the cut where blood was spilling over. He adjusted Ivan in his other arm and placed his free hand over Ivan's forearm and Eduard felt an unpleasant pulling sensation as he felt Vladimir begin to take his energy, his life, and transfer it to Ivan.
"What…I…you can't…" Eduard tried to say something, anything, weakly pulling away as he felt himself get weaker and weaker, age spots and wrinkles spreading across his skin as Ivan's aging reversed and he began to look like his usual self.
"I am sorry we have come to this, my dear Eduard," Ivan murmured. He stepped closer and placed a hand on Eduard's face, his eyes sad and filmed over with tears as he watched Eduard age. "I had hoped you would not lose your way so completely, that seeing this would bring you back to me, but—I cannot let anything, not even my affection for you, stop me now."
Eduard knew then that he was going to die.
He put up one, final struggle before he collapsed down to the ground, Vladimir continuing to take everything even as his grip on him faltered and Eduard fell to the ground. Ivan followed him down, his hand stroking through his thinning hair and over his wrinkled face as he pulled Eduard to him and held him in an embrace the way a mother cradles their child. Eduard kept his eyes open even though his vision was fading, his breathing gone labored as his body and organs began to fail. He spent his last, conscious thoughts hoping that his death was not in vain, that it would mean something, do something, change something. That it would change the path Ivan had inexorably set the world on and—and—
He hoped the friends and family he had made missed him. He hoped Raivis would be all right and that Asmin would grow up strong. He hoped Toris forgave him for leaving him to try and change things all on his own. He hoped Matthew was able to fight back with his brother and that Alfred Jones did not end up meeting his same fate. He hoped that he had not misplaced his belief in what Arthur Kirkland could so and his role in this play.
And, with these thoughts wrapped around him, warm in contrast to Ivan's hold, he faded.
I AM SORRY EDUARD.
Next update - 6/13/2021 - triple update!
*Thanh – Vietnam cameo
*Zhongguo – Pinyin for China, from zhōng ("central") and guó ("state"),[p] a term which developed under the Western Zhou dynasty in reference to its royal demesne. The name Zhongguo is also translated as "Middle Kingdom" in English.