Alitia: Crown of Ash

XXXVII: Loss and Gain

Briyana had been waiting for this. 

She was finally finished with the preparations for the upcoming invasion of the capital of Igni. Briyana had dedicated far more time to the invasion than she knew how to describe, and the time had arrived at long last. Somehow, it didn't feel real, as if she was standing at the center point of the future and past for Igni. The royals and the stuffy mages of the nobility had no idea what was coming to them. 

A few weeks had passed, and summer was almost a touch away. As Igni somehow grew even warmer than before, the desperation and anticipation of the members of the rebellion seemed to reach a boiling point, ready to spill over and infect every aspect of life. Briyana was more than ready to lead them into battle, but it wasn't just the members of the rebellion that she would be in trouble. 

There were others on her side as well. The planet of Millennia had ultimately agreed to help in carrying out her plans of resistance, and there were a few volunteers in her forces from the Millennium Six. Some fighters who had retired to peaceful life on Millennia were in the army as well. There were people in the hideout from all walks of life, and if not for the spell censoring the noise of the area, Briyana was sure that someone on the surface of Igni would have figured out what was happening. There were more people in the area than she ever could have imagined. 

Briyana had been standing with Eros at the front of the crowd, admiring her handiwork with a silent smirk, when she heard footsteps that stuck out from the rest of the group. Eros seemed to realize that something was strange as well, and both of them turned to see a pair of girls walking closer. Briyana remembered hearing S.M. talk about them during a previous meeting on Igni about the upcoming war. Their names were Luce and Cessair if she recalled correctly. 

Luce was holding the axe of fire that Eros had come to be known for wielding, and Cessair stood at her side with her hands clasped together tightly. "I think this belongs to you," Cessair told Eros with a small, nervous chuckle. She was clearly trying to alleviate the tension hanging in the air, but it was debatable as to if it was actually working or not. "Sorry that we took it all that time ago."

Eros raised an eyebrow in her direction before Luce handed over the weapon. All of his previous reservations were immediately cast aside, and his eyes were filled with something that looked like a mix of bloodlust and pyromania. He didn't even remember to thank the two girls for going to the trouble of bringing the weapon back to him. 

"He means thanks," Briyana told the two girls. Luce nodded, her expression detached and emotionless, as she retreated. Cessair trailed after her, clearly wanting to say more to Eros but not knowing how. Briyana certainly thought it was for the best that Cessair never got the chance to say anything, knowing that Eros would have absolutely hated having to talk to people when his axe was finally in his hands. Eros was a powerful fighter, but he was lacking when it came to situations that needed anything resembling tact. 

Briyana looked out of the corner of her eye to see that Eros was still staring at his axe, almost as if he was trying to make sure that all of the little ins and outs of the weapon remained after all its time away from his hands. His fascination with the weapon was almost impressive, and Briyana shook her head silently. He sure was a strange creature. She didn't think that she would ever understand him. 

Still, she supposed that she didn't have to. Instead, Briyana needed to focus on the rebellion at hand. She walked towards the nearby wall and picked up a sword that had been set aside. The blade was inside a sheath, and she attached it firmly to the belt at her waist. She checked to make sure that it was secured before taking in a small breath and turning her attention back to the rest of the rebellion before her. 

"Alright," Briyana murmured, determination starting to glitter in her eyes. "Let's do this."

~~~~~