Alitia: Crown of Ash

XXXIV: In Search of Stability

When S.M. finished her meeting with Briyana, she, Mina, and Kanoa were teleported back to Millennia. It was clear that a few hours had passed since she first left the school behind, and the sun was slowly starting to sink over the horizon. S.M., Mina, and Kanoa had been speaking with Briyana for quite some time about strategies for the upcoming coup. Everything on Igni was going to be changing in the blink of an eye, and S.M. wanted to be ready for it. She was looking forward to being able to kick her grandfather out of his position of power. He had been the strongest person on the planet for far too long, and S.M. was ready to take matters into her own hands. 

S.M. was slow in making her way back to her room. She hadn't been fighting for hours, but she felt as if she had been. Her entire body felt heavy, and she could have sworn that she saw the world spin around her when she lost her concentration. Her eyes were trying to slip shut, but she managed to force them open as she shuffled her way back towards her dorm room, praying the others were still there. 

When S.M. arrived, she pushed the door open, and she saw that Luce was sitting on the couch in the main area, her head propped backwards against the cushions of the couch as she stared at the ceiling. When she noticed that S.M. was there, she pulled herself into an upright position and faced her companion. "Hey," she greeted, her eyes wide. S.M. cringed inwardly at how messy Luce's hair had become, and she watched as the enchantress of light stroked one hand through her haphazard tresses. "Where did you get off to?"

S.M. glanced around the rest of the room, trying to figure out who all was there. The light was on in Sophia and Tanith's room, and she suspected that both of them were back. She was surprised to see that the light was on in Carys and Iris' room as well. S.M. had been sure that neither one of them would be back for another few days, and yet, one of them was most certainly there. 

When Luce noticed that S.M. was staring, she explained. "Carys came back a few hours ago," she told S.M. simply. "She said that she heard Tanith's message about an attack, and she wanted to make sure that everyone was safe. She and Helena have been practically glued to the hip ever since."

S.M. couldn't help it when her jaw dropped in sudden surprise. "Seriously?" she asked. When Luce nodded, S.M. released a sigh. "Damn... I don't know how I thought Carys would react, but I certainly wasn't thinking of that."

"Carys has been acting really different ever since she got back," Luce continued. "I think that there was something that happened back on Etruna that made her think about how close she and Helena are. Of course, I don't have any evidence of this, but... I don't know. You can put the pieces together."

S.M. nodded slowly. "Yeah... I guess so," she muttered, but it was more of just wanting something to say rather than having anything meaningful to communicate. Luce seemed to understand, and she didn't ask about it. Her eyes closed once again as she tilted her head to the ceiling just as before. 

"The attack was taken care of, but we aren't able to deny it anymore," Luce suddenly said. "There's a war starting now, and we're just going to have to deal with it. I wish that wasn't the case, but here we are. There's nothing we can do about it."

S.M. sighed. She should have known given the circumstances, but she still hated the idea. Then again, the war would give her the perfect chance to mention her discussion with Briyana. If she was wanting to change Igni for the better, she was going to need help, and there was nothing better for Millennia to do than help in out with the rebellion. 

"I've got some important information to share," S.M. told Luce, looking up at the ceiling just like Luce was doing. "As soon as we get the chance, we all need to talk about Igni."

Luce nodded her agreement, but she didn't make any efforts to move. S.M. couldn't blame her in the slightest given all that had happened that day. The two were silent afterwards, and S.M. tried to think of how the hell she was supposed to word her findings for the rest of her team.