A Reaper's Calling [ON HOLD]

XII. I'm a foolish, fragile spine.

XII.

I'm a foolish, fragile spine.

Mymi stared at the pile of food in front of her, her appetite lost. It had been a while since she had eaten, Bemem would come in every so often, take her plate of uneaten food and give her a new one. He never said anything to her, nor she to him. Not after he had told her that when she eats, her father would like to talk to her. And she refused, not after what had happened.

After the initial attack, Mymi woke up in the back of one of the pubs in the main square. Dawn was barely breaking, but the little light was agonizing for her eyes. There was no crusted blood on her forehead from where she had hit the wall, surprisingly it had been bandaged. She had been stripped of her belt and her knives, leaving her in only her clothes from the night before and a leather collar around her neck. Sewn into it were metal sigils, and at the front of it hung the symbol for Eredin. The Warden of the Underworld in the bible of the Circle of Faith. It had a slight sticky texture to it, meaning that it had been soaked in a potion of some sort. As Mymi tried to summon magic, she knew exactly what kind of potion. For she could not use her abilities, she couldn't even sense energy around her. The collar was a nullifying one. She knew that the effects of it were only temporary but when she tried to take advantage, they merely knocked her out and reapplied. But that was also after.

When Mymi first awoke, she struggled to stand, nearly gagging as nausea washed through her. But she gritted her teeth, and quietly walked over to the door so she could put her ear next to it. There was scattered movement, the sound of liquid pouring and soft conversation though she could not make out the exact words. She was curious about who had helped Bemem, if it really was her father. But she was in no position to try and figure out who it was. First she needed to get out, get to the rest of the group and go back to Janema and meet up with the Order.

Mymi made it to the other side of the room, pushing through the materials and supplies for the pub. Perhaps there was a cracked window, a hole in the wall, or even another door that she could escape through. And somehow, she was in luck. There was a patch in the back, where a piece of the wall had only been crudely patched up. So she pulled, the effort causing her to vomit once, but she managed to pull the slab of wood from the wall. Sweat and blood from her reopened wound coated her skin, loose strands of hair sticking to it. She crawled out of the space, blinking in the harsh light. As her eyes readjusted she tried to yank at her collar but found her fingertips burned by it instead. A burning sigil, somehow combined with the others to not only dampen her magic, but to keep the collar on her throat without causing her constant pain.

She would have to figure it out later, first she needed to find the others. She had to tell them what had happened before they left the city, because she knew that even if Nommi and Ryf no longer cared, she knew – hoped – that Jaym still did and reached out to report her missing. More than likely upon that word, the Order would have summoned them to a location to meet and discuss the details. She had to find them before they left, so that they could take her with them and figure out a way to get this collar off.

Mymi staggered through the dim alleyway, focusing on the bright light ahead of her that was the main square flooded with the rising sun. She was nearly there, just a few more steps and she would be able to find them. She pushed out into the main square, blinded by the direct light, swaying into the wall. It wasn't dawn, it was much later in the day than she had thought. That meant that her team – Jaym – was already gone. She gasped as panic gripped her stomach in twisted talons.

Hands wrapped around her torso, yanking at the collar on her throat. And Mymi wasn't prepared, she couldn't stop it. The snap of magic back into her body was overwhelming. So incredibly agonizing. She screamed and screamed, doubling over as the magic attacked her body. The fear that was already clawing inside of her intensified, and she found herself drowning as she became overwhelmed. She sobbed, blinded by the light that the magic – green and blue, merging together to create a new color that was too brilliant to describe – that was leaking out of her very pores. She thought she as going to die, and she thought she had.

Until her eyes blinked open and she winced at the pale light around her. She wondered why it was pale when the sun was at its brightest just a moment ago. As her vision cleared, she realized. The sun's light was obscured by ash and smoke. She looked around and saw flattened landscape around her. Landscape that was scattered with glass, wood.... and blood. There was so much blood, striking against the light ash that was still falling. Mymi got to her feet, looking around at the chaotic scene that surrounded her. She had no idea where she was, and how she had gotten here so abruptly and violently. She staggered forward before falling, coughing as she inhaled dirt.

She rolled over, looking at what had made her fall. It was a sign. For the pub that she had been in with Ryf, whenever she had last seen him. Mymi flinched when her chest was wracked with a sob. Her hands came up to her cheeks, and she found them wet. She looked up and saw Bemem barely standing on his own, covered in blood and ash and holding something against his chest. With a shock she realized it was what remained of his arm. Next to him was Eamem. Somehow, without a single word, she knew.

She knew that Eamem was her father.

And that she had just destroyed Selente.