Alitia: Crown of Ash

XXXV: Acceptance and Balance

When life began to continue on as before, there was an unspoken sense of heaviness and worry. The declaration of combat had earned unease from everyone, but there was nobody who dared to voice it. Igni hadn't attacked since the initial invasion where the declaration was made two weeks prior. Classes continued at Alitia, and the rest of the Millennium Six, for better or worse. It was as if they were being balanced on the edge of a cliff, knowing what awaited them on either side but not knowing how to walk away or keep from crumbling away from the ground. No matter what anyone said or did, they understood that there was no way for them to escape what was to come without injury. 

Luce spent practically every single day tense and nervous. She set down her materials in her room after finishing classes, rubbing at some sweat that had gathered on her forehead. She let out a heavy sigh before reaching for a nearby water bottle she had placed on her desk the day before and unscrewing the lid. She took a long swig from the bottle before setting it back once again, a sigh pushing its way free of her lips. 

S.M. had explained everything to them about the events that were bound to take place on Igni within the next few weeks. The resistance was going to be starting its invasion as soon as the preparations were completed, and S.M. had vowed to help when the time finally arrived. As nervous as Luce was about the idea, she knew that there wasn't going to be any stopping S.M. as soon as she put her mind to something. Her friend was stubborn, almost too stubborn, and nobody would be able to keep her from getting involved with the war. 

It wasn't as if Luce was any better. She was fully aware of her own issues involving her own resolve, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was a good or bad thing as she unpacked her supplies from the day. It bothered her how normal life was seeming, but she knew that there wasn't a way for her to change that without asking for the start of the war properly, so she just stayed silent and dealt with it as anxiety took hold in her mind and body. 

According to Tanith, Zylphia was still making preparations regarding what they were going to be doing if anything else happened. Luce couldn't exactly say she was surprised given how prepared Zylphia liked to be for everything that came her way. It was simply how the headmistress of Alitia was, and Luce wasn't going to complain given how powerful Zylphia was when it came to combat. If there was something for them to worry about, they would have already heard about it. Zylphia told Tanith practically everything about the ins and outs of running the school, so the group would have surely been aware if something had gone too wrong. 

Luce thought back to the conversation with S.M. about what was coming their way. She knew that the resistance was going to need all the help it could get, and siding with the rebellion was going to be the best thing for Millennia. Even if they were up against the powerful army of Igni, they were going to find a way to overpower the other planet. They simply had to. There was no reason for them to stand against the resistance being led by Briyana Frazier, and Luce knew it. The fighting was going to continue for quite some time, and Luce was aware of that too. Still, that didn't mean that she had to like it, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she absolutely hated it. 

~~~~~

Cerise still didn't know how to approach anything involving her past with even a semblance of tact. 

It had been a few weeks since she first met Shiho and Zaeran, and yet, she found herself nervous whenever she thought about them. There was nothing she could do on the matter aside from simply speak to them, but it felt impossible. How could she reach out to people who she feared were going to change everything that she had ever come to know? 

Hearing the truth about her past had been a shock, but Cerise figured that she should have realized it when looking back. Surion had blocked any information on the subject from completely reaching anyone, but Cerise undoubtedly would have been able to pull the pieces together if she had been given the opportunity. If she had learned about what was happening sooner, she surely wouldn't have wound up feeling so absolutely rotten about everything. She was tired of thinking about it, but she knew that there was no easy way for her to escape it.