The Celestial Way

Chapter 20.3 - Clearing Ways

After the summit meeting concluded and peace was established between the Consortium and the Union, Airo and Veralla said their goodbyes to the H'raal and left for Ouroboros. They had come aboard the H'raal starfleet again via a lasership, so now they flew once more in cramped quarters on the way back.

Veralla was getting rapidly used to the sense of weightlessness that was microgravity, and even enjoyed it. Now when she had attained all the talents of a real dragon, she appreciated the sensation a bit less, being able to reproduce it anywhere, but it certainly was more fun this way, without having to constantly concentrate. Vacuum, on the other claw, she was not very fond of. It felt strange, hostile even, causing her whole body to tense and tighten as if preparing for battle. She also could not breathe in vacuum, and it felt like she was being cut off from an ephemeral yet vital energy source. While she was mildly surprised to learn dragons did not need to breathe to survive, she certainly liked the act of breathing and the flow she experienced through it.

As she and Airo traveled back to Ouroboros, Veralla thought about all the nice H'raal who had died in the horrible battle against the Revenant. She felt sad because they had died only because they had promised to help. It seemed unthinkable to her that people would die because they wanted to do a good deed. Yet was it not sometimes exactly because someone wanted to do good that they ended doing something bad? She remembered Ferrtau's words, whispered to her so long ago: Veralla, I will not harm you. Yet if Ferrtau did not want to harm her, why had he killed so many others? Why was his soul so dark and terrible? Why had he abandoned the Way? She dwelled on those and many other thoughts, quietly musing about the world around her. So quiet, in fact, that Airo, who normally liked silence, asked her if something was wrong.

"No, I am okay," she replied. "Can we visit Nightsong once we are back?"

"Of course," he replied. "Hopefully she will get better soon."

Veralla nodded eagerly. Her mind bloomed with light and hope. She looked at Airo happily. He was more close to her than ever and she could feel his presence in her mind almost continually now, a small, yet resolute flame which was becoming brighter and warmer. She felt as if she could talk to him with thoughts alone. She smiled, joyful to have succeeded in her desire to help Airo overcome his sadness and become once more the person he had been before the tragedy that had broken him.

They returned to Ouroboros, and then used the psi-gate to travel to Ilsorin. As the two of them walked toward the medical level, Veralla grew anxious again. She hoped ardently Nightsong was better, or would get better soon, because she wanted to say so much things to her, and wanted Kiana to be happy, and wanted the other dragons to be happy, who also were concerned about Nightsong's wellbeing. She felt Nightsong as a sister, as a fellow fledgling who had endured much hardship. Veralla, too, had had many difficult moments in her life, and had managed to overcome them all – and she believed Nightsong could also do so. That was why she hoped brightly, hoped passionately, hoped very much for Nightsong to get better and become a healthy dragon.

"You are glowing," Airo suddenly said. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, oh, nothing," she replied. She used a meditative exercise to clear her mind, and the soft magenta light around her disappeared. "I was... thinking too hard, I guess?"

"Hmm. Better learn to control your new talents before they get you into trouble," he said with a stern expression, but his tone was warm and relaxed. "Huh, this is a surprise."

Kiana greeted them outside Nightsong's room. She looked much better than before, and had put on her clothes again. Veralla was slightly disappointed, because she thought Kiana looked much more beautiful without clothes. She had never fully grasped the idea exactly why humans always wore clothing, even when they did not need protection.