»»-----ʙᴇɴᴇᴀᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʟᴏᴜᴅꜱ------►

Part 1 - ᴍᴇᴍᴏʀʏ -

Avojol stood there, watching the raindrops fall silently.

The freezing droplets hit his skin, drenching his usually bright hair to a dull beige. His white cape, once full of light energy, hung drooping over his shoulders and sagged to the rough concrete of the bridge he stood on. He stared at the running stream below him as his light slowly dwindled. Still, he did nothing, not even when loose strands of wet hair swept across his eyes, blurring his vision.

His mind begged for his aching legs to move, to get out of the light-draining rain, to find a nice shelter somewhere to dry up and leave. But they refused to obey, his heart so overwhelmed with shame and grief to listen to his common sense. His head was tilted down, eyes sullen and shadowed as he replayed the traumatizing moment over and over, each replay more torturous than the last.

He felt that if he were to close his eyes, he'd fall into an endless void of pain and sorrow.

He could still hear her as he cradled the flame in his shaky hands, reminiscing the times when it used to brim with life. It seemed to laugh joyfully as he sheltered it with what remained of his cape, keeping it safe from the rain as he breathed in the warmth of the soul.

But even as the soft laughter flooded his ears, her desperate screams still echoed through his mind with a vicious bite. He could still hear her, see her, as she strained her hand towards him in a last desperate attempt to survive.

He didn't make it in time.

I could've, he thought as he dissipated the flame, the whisps vanishing into the damp air.

" Excuse me? "

Avojol's head jerked up, his neck punishing him for the sudden motion. As he gripped the back of his head to dull the pain, he glanced slightly to his left. There, another child of light stood next to him, holding out an umbrella that sheltered them both.

The loose clumps of hair over his face made it difficult for him to recognize the other, but Avojol could tell his general appearance.

He wore a cape, dark as night, and pants so blue it reminded Avojol of the ocean back in Isle. He wore a friendly smile with bright, golden eyes, much like every child of light.

And his hair... much too resembled a certain creature he never wanted to face again, after it took away someone he was supposed to protect.

He angled his face down, not wishing to be reminded of the horrors he had seen.

" What are you doing out here in the rain? You'll lose your wings! "

Avojol was stunned. He did not know how long he had been standing out on the bridge. The stranger seemed to snap him out of his trance, and as the other grabbed his hand and dragged him to a nearby shade, Avojol struggled to thank him.

" oh, it's alright. You don't need to thank me, "

The stranger pats his back as Avojol felt his throat go dry. His voice was hoarse, and what was supposed to be a "thank you" most likely came out as incoherable grunts.

Avojol clears his throat a few times.

" Sorry, I didn't quite catch your name... "

He trails off in a question, and the stranger gave him the softest of smiles.

" You can call me Illubic. "

Avojol nodded, mumbling his response, though Illubic seemed to understand.

" And you can call me Avojol. "

As Illubic flew them both through the dense forest, Avojol stared at the ground, not bothering to look up at the flock of glowing birds overhead, chirping a cheerful song in unison. They were nearing the end of this wretched realm, and Avojol was hit with the longing for warm rays of sunlight against his dulled palette.

This stranger could be what he needed to get her back...

His heart seemed to swell with hope before he realized that maybe it wasn't right to use someone he just met to solve his struggles. His mood plummeted like the pouring rain around him. Illubic chirped beside him out of nowhere, startling him out of his thoughts.

" I'm guessing this is your idea of home, "

Illubic gestured towards the entrance to the next realm, which glowed with the abundance of light, brought out by crimson and orange smudges. Creatures of light spiralled upwards creating a spectacular array of multicoloured lights dusting the clouds. Avojol stared, his mind now fixated on the entrance.

He lept for it, eyes centred on the light show, his eyes wide with desire as if the lights had put him in a trance. The familiarity of the word made his skin tingle.

Home.

" Wait for me! "

Illubic followed, and the two soared into the spiral.

---------------------> ♡ <-----------------------

[holy 797 words and it still manages to be a short story - anyway what's a plot???]

cover design - Sky Cotl
chapter photo - Sky Cotl

- all screenshots, original characters and headcanons from/of the game are mine.
- all credits go to Sky: Children Of The Light/TGC.

♡ thanks for reading - next part soon♡