Chapter 15 – Sera's Sadness
-.-.-.-.-.
It was night, and the darkness had yet to fall.
Delicate feet stepped tentatively over the rubble, causing smaller pieces to tumble down the pile with soft clacking sounds. Studious eyes swept over the cemented pieces, examining the damage that had been done. Thank the Pond that the destruction hadn't spread any further. If the whole of Loc Lac had ended up like the arena did… Sue didn't want to even look at what she walked upon. She risked imagining what the city would be reduced to if it was ruined even further.
She averted her eyes and stared up at the dark sky. The moon, full and silvery, peeked out from the clouds that slowly drifted past. Its light fell on a vast ruin, formerly the Loc Lac arena and its surrounding buildings – but an unnatural darkness still lingered over the area, quenching some of the moonlight. The work of humans from centuries past, gone in less than a day. Seeing the moon cast its mournful light on such desolation brought tears to Sue's eyes. But she didn't let them fall.
Sera… she thought sadly, gazing out at the hills of shattered buildings that stretched for at least a kilometer in every direction.
There was a clattering of concrete, and Sue whipped around to see Odon climbing up to meet her. For once in his life, he was completely still, and his face serious.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I am fine," the Mizutsune-woman replied, bowing politely. "I was just reminding myself of how thankful we should be that the destruction was far less calamitous than it could have been."
Odon nodded. "I know," he muttered. "If I hadn't gotten lucky, I wouldn't have been able to take the Unknown-girl down. Is she… you know, still alive?"
"Yes," Sue affirmed. "I found an empty building and treated her wounds while she was still unconscious. I stayed with her all day, but not once has she awoken… I fear that it will take her time to recover from her…" She couldn't finish the sentence.
After a brief silence, Odon broke it. "There weren't many lives lost. Most of the population is safe. I'm glad Duruhos wasn't here to see what happened."
"What is to come of this?" she asked him.
"Don't know," he replied, bluntly. "Only this area was affected – I guess we all go back to our normal lives until Duruhos, Cindy, and Ray come back. Oh, and the Jhen Mohran-boy, too. We'll let them decide what to do next… if anything."
Bemused, Sue raised her eyebrows and looked up at the taller hybrid. "When did you become so wise, Odon?"
It didn't look like he had the heart to glare at her, but his reply certainly wasn't amused. "Probably when I was fighting with that Unknown. Fatalis on high, she fought like a rabid Zinogre. I've got scars in places I didn't even know I had. And the things she was screeching probably won't be leaving my head anytime soon."
"The fury of the Unknown is more terrible than even the stories claim," Sue whispered, shuddering.
There was no reply from the Astalos-man, so Sue turned back around to stare contemplatively at the desolation that lay in front of her. She heard the beating of his wings as he lifted off the ground, then saw him soar over her to wander deeper into the wasteland. The neon green of his wing membranes was a splash of color that stood out magnificently amongst the drab blacks and greys, allowing Sue to see him no matter how far he flew.
She saw him moving his feet in a peculiar manner, tearing away small blocks of debris with his talons like a Kut-Ku scratching at the sand. Even from such a distance, Sue could see that he did it with a strange confidence, as if he had a purpose for doing so – or if he had found something, buried underneath the rubble.
Quickly, Sue made her way across the ruins, opalescent bubbles floating after her wherever she moved. She stopped at her fellow Elite's side, peering intensely at what he was doing with his claws. Pebbles and dust flew into the air with each motion of his foot. Slowly, the debris was cleared away to reveal…
…the remains of a body, its flesh torn up and its skin thoroughly burned. The rubble around the dead hybrid was also blacker than the rest, as if it had been scorched by intense flames. The shaggy black hair and the horns made it clear as to the victim's identity.
"Spark," Sue murmured his name.
Odon was apparently comfortable enough to start acting like his old self again, because he cackled. "Well, there's finally some good news to report to Duruhos!"
The woman in pink was about to chastise him when a nearby scrabbling sound got her attention. It sounded like something was trying to climb its way through the piles of rubble that existed where the Loc Lac arena no longer did. She caught a glimpse of a slimy tail slithering behind one of the piles nearest the little pit in which Spark was buried. With the utmost caution, an unusual hybrid crawled out and exposed himself to the two Elites.
Blinking in consternation, Sue recognized the newcomer as the one Sera was looking after.
Boldly, the hybrid crawled closer and let his tongue out of his mouth with a soft hiss. Immediately, his head jerked to the spot where Spark's body lay. With a low gurgle, he coiled his tongue around Spark's neck and started to pull. Sue and Odon simply watched, simultaneously puzzled and awed, as the hybrid ever so slowly tugged Spark out from under the debris he had been buried in. Soon, he was free.
What was his name? Sue asked herself, trying to remember what Sera had called him. The Pond had not mentioned the hybrid's name at all.
Of course, a proper burial wasn't on the Baruragaru-boy's mind, since as soon as Spark had been unearthed, he stood up and stabbed the dead Rajang-man in the chest. After a pause, he jerked his head back a couple of times, causing the body to flop slightly. The scene gave Sue chills – although she knew that he was simply trying to feed himself like any monster would, it couldn't be denied that the hybrid was still a predator at heart that would gladly disturb a resting spirit if it meant filling his belly. And the way he did it was nothing short of disturbingly violent.
But apparently his efforts were for naught, as Sanguis soon retracted his tongue with a completely irritated look on his face. He turned around and glared at Sue, as if it was her fault he wasn't getting any sustenance.
She sighed. "Why aren't you with your caretaker?"
Sanguis continued to glare at her. All Sera did was lay unmoving on that nest-like thing that she had been placed on. He had ventured out into the city out of boredom and hunger, as he hadn't had anything to eat or drink since that morning.
"Come," Sue said quietly, motioning with a hand. "Let us go check on her. If she is not awake, I won't bother you if you decide to wander away again."
He huffed, irritably thinking to himself that of course she wouldn't bother him, because he'd go where he wanted when he wanted. It wasn't as if she was Keyren or Sera, both of whom he felt at least a little bit obligated to follow.
It was Sue's turn to glare. The expression quickly reminded Sanguis of who was in charge here – indeed, the flower-headed woman seemed like a particularly powerful creature, despite being trapped in the body of a human as he was.
"Sssss…" he let out the hiss, somehow managing to express the entirety of his displeasure with that single, simple sound.
A curious glint came to Sue's eyes, and she reached out with her hand. Sanguis saw the fishhook-like claws coming toward him and spat out a hiss. The fins on his head and arms quivered, warning her to stay away.
She frowned. Turning around, she made her first steps toward the building where she had left Sera to rest – and after the fifth step, she turned around again and saw that, indeed, Sanguis was following.
He is… a curious monster, the woman noted.
-.-.-.-.-.
Pity, Sanguis mused, was an emotion that he felt he was going to get used to. It seemed as though every time he laid eyes on his caretaker, she found a new way to put the feeling inside of him.
As soon as Sue had stepped out of the way, he walked, on two legs, into the dim room and immediately saw the Unknown-girl on the nest, her hair and clothes dark against the white coverings. There simply wasn't another word in Sanguis' vocabulary to describe her. Pitiful.
Hesitantly, uncertainly, he picked his way across the floor and stopped beside the bed, peering down at her with glowing eyes. He didn't know why, but it was… fascinating, how still she was, yet not dead. For the first time since he had met her, her face wasn't troubled by guile or disgust or anger, or the comments from the other hybrids which he understood were meant to be offensive. He had never seen her face, pale as it was when framed by her black hair, look so… peaceful.
"Yes, I worry for her too," murmured Sue, joining Sanguis by the unconscious girl's side. The Baruragaru spared her a surprised glance, then decided she wasn't a threat and turned his attention back to Sera.
"I've never seen her look so peaceful," the Mizutsune-woman continued, basically saying Sanguis' thoughts out loud. "She's always felt the need to bottle up her fear, her sadness, her anger… all deep inside of her so that it would never come out. I've seen the changes in her over the five years I've known her… every year, more and more negativity festering inside, the pain in her eyes growing until it became nothing but exhaustion. Sera has been slowly killing herself over all this time… and now she's free from it."
As she spoke, Sanguis slowly turned his head to look at her. Her words were interesting, even if he didn't understand them in their entirety.
"She finally let it out," Sue continued with a heavy sigh. "She… finally let it all out. And Loc Lac suffered dearly for it."
At first, Sanguis didn't understand. Then, as he thought more about her statement, his eyes slowly opened wider and wider as the implication hit him. Sera had leveled all of those buildings? She had buried the Hairy Man under all that rock?
He looked back at the sleeping Unknown-girl. It seemed impossible.
An image of a burning red light stealing across her eyes surfaced in his mind, and suddenly, it no longer seemed as impossible as he initially thought.
Just what are you? Sanguis thought. He wanted to ask, but he couldn't speak.
It was at that moment when Sera faintly stirred. While the room had already been silent, it really became still as the two onlookers watched her return to consciousness.
Her eyes slid open, and she said nothing for a few moments, preferring to observe her surroundings before reacting. The dark orbs set in her almost-white face flicked one way and then the other, from Sanguis to Sue and back again.
"I should've known you'd be here," she whispered to the latter. Although her voice was no different from before, it still sounded calmer, as if all possible inner tension had been removed. "You're the only one that cares whether I live or die."
"Sssss…" Sanguis hissed, taking in her scent.
"And you," she murmured, turning her head ever so slightly to face her stony-faced charge. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon…"
He tilted his head at her – not quite a reply, but he didn't do anything other than that.
Sue let out a soothing sound and used a single claw to brush the hair from her face. "We were very concerned about you," she said by way of answer. "You were so exhausted you slept for almost a full day."
It took a long time for Sera to reply. "I feel… at peace," she finally remarked. "There's no anger, no fear… But that could only mean…"
Silence once again reigned. Sue looked apologetic, but no words were spoken.
"I let it go…" Sera spoke into the silence, her tone heavy with such sheer despair that it caused pity to stab deep into both Sue's and Sanguis' hearts. "Five years' worth of pure rage… I let all of it out."
More silence, before the Unknown-girl broke it with a grim question. "How many?"
Somehow, even Sanguis knew that she was asking about whomever had perished in the devastation outside. As incredible as it was to him, she believed the notion that she had flattened a good portion of the human city. That meant that she, indeed, had the power within her to do it.
The Baruragaru was only now learning of the true horror of the Unknown.
"Not many died," Sue assured her. "The worst that happened was that the arena was destroyed. The only lives lost were Spark and a few others."
Whereas Sanguis expected her to react at least a little when she heard the Hairy Man's name – at least a spark, if you will, of irritation – Sera didn't even blink. She truly was drained of all negativity.
"Serves him right," she deadpanned.
But that wasn't all, because she sat up, brushed her bangs away, and gave Sanguis a severe look. "You see?" she would've snapped if it weren't for the lack of emotion. "This is who I am. A wyvern that shouldn't exist, whose rage only builds until everything is devastated around her. A wyvern that's hated and feared wherever she goes, with nowhere and no-one to turn to other than herself. Who's… a danger to everything and everyone around her, simply… simply because she exists."
Sanguis only stared. If he could talk, he still wouldn't say anything. On the surface, he was as neutral and unreadable as ever, but internally, he was telling himself to stop, just stop with the infuriating feelings of pity and guilt for a strange human-monster mix that had already been proven capable of causing vast destruction. He couldn't believe he needed to remind himself that he was a Baruragaru, the sole bringer of death and fear where he had originally roamed, and that his heart had no room for weakness.
"Sssss…" he hissed with disgust at himself. He went to the shadiest corner of the room and curled up on the floor there to sulk.
No one spoke for a period of several minutes, which suited Sanguis fine. It was dark in here, and a little chilly, so he supposed it was a good place for a snooze. He crossed his arms in front of him and lay his head down, the orange glow of his eyes fading as his eyelids slipped into place. He could relax, knowing that his inner conflict would be resolved after a few hours' rest.
A soft voice broke the silence, speaking in a strange rhythm that made Sanguis look up and forget his efforts to fall asleep. He remembered that, back when he had first encountered the hybrids, the one called Melody had at one point spoken rhythmically as well, which was something she called a 'song'.
Now the song was coming from Sera, and it made his new, troubling emotions come back up to the surface. The dark-clad girl sang in a soft, dreary tone that could barely be heard…
"When the sun went down,
And the monsters there were sleeping,
They would hear a sound.
A dark wyvern came creeping.
Her talons lashed and killed them,
She'd eat them, leave them scared,
But being feared was lonely, because…
There's no-one there."
Still as the grave, Sanguis kept his sight trained on her. It was interesting, the way she so easily blended words together into something that carried a deeper meaning. At least, that was how Sanguis thought of it. The way she sang made something within him respond, filling him with an empty, uncomfortable feeling. But at the same time, it was… kind of nice.
Unaware of what he was going through, Sera ducked her head so that her face was hidden by the shadows, and continued.
"When the storms would come,
And the rain made prey go hide,
She'd go hungry that night.
She would crouch and breathe a sigh.
There was no-one there to promise her
That she wouldn't starve and despair,
And she always was afraid because…
There's no-one there."
She took a deep breath, and went on in a bit louder of a voice…
"No one's there…
No one there to count on, to comfort you.
No one's there…
The Unknown aren't welcome,
There's nowhere to run to."
Sue was watching her intently, stony-faced. Contrasting with the stillness of her expression were her eyes, which held a strange intensity. Even for one as observant as Sanguis, she was impossible to read. Sometimes, the flower-headed woman interested him, at other times she made him feel safe – but other times, such as now, she just unnerved him.
Thankfully, Sera took his mind off of the Mizutsune-woman as she began another verse…
"When I transformed that time,
And I was turned into a girl,
I almost dared to hope
That things would take a whirl.
But my reputation precedes me,
The hatred follows me even here.
My rampage today, my powers too…
There's no-one there.
No one's there…
No one there to count on, to comfort you.
No one's there…
The Unknown can't be loved,
That's just so true."
The last mournful note hung in the air for a few moments, until Sera let it drop. She left behind another thick silence, but one that had a melancholy energy that weighed on Sanguis' shoulders like a physical pressure. He slumped back into his sleeping position, but kept his eyes on his caretaker.
What was with the hybrids and expressing themselves through these "songs"? He couldn't figure it out for the life of him – maybe it had something to do with being part human.
Wordlessly, Sue reached out with a small, delicate hand and gently took hold of Sera's. The contact caused the Unknown-girl to raise her head and peer through a short curtain of hair with eyes full of pain.
"You don't know how it feels," she rasped. The new, harsh sound caused Sanguis' fins to prick up alertly. "You don't know the life I've lived, shunned and hated by anything and everything that could think for itself."
"No I don't," agreed Sue, stroking her arm. "But I do know that you're not nearly as alone as you think you are."
When neither girl spoke after that, Sanguis put his head back in his arms and dozed off. In a situation such as this, it was preferable to be asleep than aware.
-.-.-.-.-.
For those of you who've seen the fourth Harry Potter film, I like to imagine the aftermath of Sera's attack to look a bit like the atmosphere of the desolation of the World Cup.
Secondly, the song in this chapter is a depressing twist on "Always There" from the fifth "Land Before Time" movie. Not my best composition ever, to be completely honest… And to answer the question undoubtedly circling in all of your minds – no, I will not be getting all of my songs solely from that admittedly wonderful franchise.
Send your reviews, please!