Kaiya stepped a foot onto the cold sand, and breathed a sigh of relief. The sand was just as coarse as she thought, the sky was the deep, dim blue as usual, and the ocean surrounding her looked stunning. Turns out existing in a monochrome void for a while really makes you long for even the mundane.
She stepped forward, taking the, compared to the still air she’d breathed for the past while, crisp air in and out. A fire formed on her hand, and she expanded it, taking full advantage of being alone to exercise her magic.
The thought crept up on her, though.
“Could I… use my…”
She tried it.
Kaiya quickly formed a piece of ice, bringing it up to a shape she could stand on, and stepped up, reforming the ice around her feet and legs.
She was a solid foot off the ground, and looked into the distance, before trying.
“ale. jan en soweli.”
She looked behind her back as best she could with stuck feet, to see nothing. She spoke again, and added to the phrase.
“ale. jan en soweli, li len. sewi Amiti. alasa.”
A piece of fabric in the distance lit up, and she melted down the leg guards. The light was pretty small, but she decided it was a start.
Immediately as she laid foot on the sand, a little thought grew in her head.
“Why is it… so small? It’s not that far away.” The fabric was just a strip, and even just through the limited glow she could create, it was clearly severed from something…
***
The bridge creaked behind Amity as she stepped out of the castle in search of food.
“Alright… more of those cacti would be nice…”
Her steps were brisk but careful as she lapped the castle, before noticing the distant horizon. The dim equivalent to the sun shone along the intersection between land and sky, making the surrounding light a beautiful mosaic gradient of warm reds to yellows. The time she spent looking at it took away from the time she could spend foraging, which was limited. Sooner or later, the group would need to find Winter, or at least start heading to the next important place.
She quickly pulled her mind away from that line of thought, though, as Amity saw a distinctly familiar glow not too far away. It was by the decrepit tower she had camped in that night, and…
The glow. I know that glow.
I’ve seen it. It…
Amity felt a tear form in her eye, as she gasped, before feeling her breath hitch. She looked into the distance and didn’t immediately spot anyone, but it was certain in her mind, just who made that glow. The brilliant glow of the horizon was lost in her vision, which clouded as she ran back over the bridge and into the castle ruins.
“Guys,” she struggled to say. “Guys, she- I saw Kaiya’s glowi-”
“Kaiya?!” Everyone was shocked, saying this in almost unison.
“I saw the, the glowing thing she does-”
The group nearly bolted out of their seats, darting to the door, and seeing the glow as well.
Sand flung in the air as the group of four started to sprint towards the light. They admired the rays of the sun and how they shined on the land, but focused on the mission. Finding Kaiya.
***
Kaiya’s leg screamed at her. She ignored it, and walked forwards. There was little going through her mind, besides get to that fabric.
She was so tunnel-visioned to her goal that she didn’t notice when it started moving. Lifted, then dangled. Then, dropped back where it sat. The glow remained steady, and so did she. The hope grew in her heart, maybe she could find everyone, and they could go back to their normal. Their “normal”.
The radiance of the horizon caught her eye. Kaiya’s vision, focused solely on the brighter than ever light not too far away from her, had hid the glow in the sky from her.
Warm yellows, reds and even some pinks shone through, scattering on the dim, deep blue sky. She felt a warmth in her pounding heart, as if it would all be okay.
That okay wasn’t quite here yet in her mind, as the fabric she was still walking towards moved again. This time, it was lifted, swayed, and eventually torn at an edge.
Shit- She couldn’t finish the thought, interrupted by a commotion. Everyone was yelling. The voices that clouded her thoughts though.
They were familiar.
***
“Does this mean…” Amity slid down the edge of the tower.
“Kaiya’s alive.” Himiko replied.
“This… she died.” Katie said.
“Himiko, you were the most certain about her death.” Raleigh tensely stated. “You said she had to have been dead.”
“She had to have been! There was no way she was alive for that long, alone, in the facility!”
“It was very possible! She clearly did it, because she’s finding us!”
“Guys,” Amity called. “Everyone needs to chill. If that is Kaiya, we don’t want her to find us yelling at each-other.”
“…”
The group collectively stared at the young girl who walked a final step, before collapsing onto the sand.
