The Pillar of Enera

[Chapter 3 part 1] Rose - The HEAVENLY DAO and the Dark Age

This is frustrating... Everyone was sitting silently while Simon waited. It's hard to believe how eager we were a while ago. They weren't accustomed to seeing their mother shook up. She hides her emotions so well we forget she has them. They'd witnessed an another side of her today. It's unsettling.

This left Rose in an excruciating position. My whole life I've been waiting for this opportunity, and now guilt holds me back. She knew better than anyone the lengths their mother had gone to keep certain secrets. Pouncing on this vulnerability would feel despicable.

To calm herself, Rose tried predicting which of her siblings would break the ice. Soul will defer to someone else. As a 'hero', he put himself last to an unnatural extent. Light won't speak either. His current archetype was silent, withdrawn, and brooding. He'd only chime in if a topic got his blood boiling. Silver... No, I think not. Her brother made honest efforts to compensate for his condition. With his recent interruption, he'd be self-aware. Free... Maybe? Her sister was too tough to read. It won't be Dawn. Stealing the spotlight went against the warped 'humility' she adhered to. As for Hope, you'd have to twist her arm to get her to go first at anything. The girl abhorred any form of special treatment.

It might have to be me after-all, Rose sighed. Then her eyes fell on Wise. God... damn... it. Thinking back, he'd been quiet while they discussed Simon's arrival. Of course he was, he already knows everything!

Wise didn't need questions, already having access to anything those around him were willing to share. He's probably conducting a wordless interrogation this very moment. Rose burned with jealousy. I must remember to exploit him, she berated herself. The 'old' Wise would've shared his discoveries. Now he hates his gift and, by extension, himself.

"I can't believe Arther is dead." Soul said.

I should've anticipated this. Her brother would have no issue if it wasn't a question. He must've wanted to break the tension. If so, he erred in the topic. The deeds of the seven heroes had been their bedtime stories. Wistfully, Rose recalled the Dark Age's first hero.

After the Black Banquet, Enera had been divided by uncertainty and fear. Something had changed, but none knew what. Stars were vanishing from the night, and catastrophes were striking with increasing frequency. Those regions lucky enough to be spared bunkered down and let their neighbors fall to ruin. The only ray of hope was Arther Bard, the leader of the powerful Adventurer's Guild. He used the full resources at his disposal to offer succor to a collapsing world, overseeing evacuations and delivering rations to the starving. When Sola emerged from hiding, he organized the coalition to oppose her. The goodwill he accrued on the Guild's behalf survives to this days. Astra had promised they'd meet him someday. Now that chance will never come.

"So Simon, how are you alive?" Free asked, leaning forward. Figures she'd recover quickest, Rose groaned.

Simon was perplexed, "'how am I alive'?"

"Ah, sorry." Free said. "What I mean is the temperature. Each of us is dealing with it in our own way." She gestured. "Dawn and Soul have their ice-based martial arts. I'm supercharging my metabolism. Rose is warming her blood. Silver's aura is insulating him. Light is manipulating the atmosphere. Lastly, Wise and Hope have coats stuffed with heating enchantments."

At this rambling, Rose felt only regret. This is the result of listening to my conscience.

"What about you?" Free persisted.