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It was over.
It was finally over.
The war had been won, vengeance had been taken, and TITAN had been destroyed. Every glistening statue erected of him was demolished and his followers were completely decimated by the defeat of their leader.
By the death of their god.
That’s what it had been, really. Ava and her company had killed a god and it was under his own sword that he had fallen. It was sick justice for an entity obsessed with himself. He had changed the world to fit his own image and it was that image that had ended him. It was almost funny how Ava’s axe, a weapon designed in Wrathia’s image, had been taken by TITAN in the scuffle. It only made sense. He took the blade as he had taken the empire long ago. It was honestly comical how easy it was for him to seize it from her, like candy from a baby, and toss it aside like nothing.
But he had taken for the last time. Ava, who had already had everything good stolen from her in her youth, now finally had something to fight for. She’d started with nothing and now had everything to lose. Taking fate by the reins, she wrenched the knife that crafted time and space from his hands and used it as her own.
In a single second, TITAN became mortal. Without a weapon, he was as good as finished.
In a single second, the fearless god became less than the dirt his palace was devoid of. The pristine white floors became stained the same blue as the walls.
In a single second, those under Ava’s guidance felt their demonic, alien bonds rip from them, completed or not. It seemed that with the end of the deal that Wrathia, the woman who started it all, put in place, all that remained felt the weight lift.
And Ava remained. Against all odds, Ava remained. Her wish for a new life was one she denied needing anymore and so upon the return of her collateral to Wrathia, she was left alone. Finally. For good. Her horns and claws and teeth also remained, but she was still herself. She was still Ava Ire, organizer of the rebellion that took down TITAN and reinstated the empire Wrathia had lost so many years ago. They took it back and gave it to the child that had to be abandoned amidst the chaos.
Said child had been found on a sleepy planet with the gamer host and her lazy, incorporeal compatriot. The entire group had watched them grow up, each taking turns in protecting the child, keeping them safe and away from the clutches of TITAN. It was a proud moment to pass them off into their true legacy.
This meant things were out of their hands now. Out of Ava’s hands even more so. She could forget any of this ever happened. All of them could. But why would she want to? She had friends, a lover, and she was lauded as a savior. She had made this life for herself and she wanted it.
She wanted to live.
Still, despite the victory, not all was well. Ava had lost many along the way. They all had. What were needless deaths to her were necessary casualties according to some. She had lived so long through the means of the potion that changed her physiology. Her very anatomy had been twisted and with Wrathia’s soul inside her up until now, she was unkillable.
But not all had taken their vials. All had pacted but some were not as brave as herself. Not even Odin had managed to knock back the nail, though he had swallowed his proverbial pride by pacting at all. He would have died otherwise and Ava was grateful to still have him standing at her side. He walked in tandem with her, sharing the hardships of it all.
Then, there was of course, the horror of watching a pact fail. Maggie had been on the verge of losing it but in a last ditch attempt with Erios, she had sealed her end of the bargain. Erios treated Maggie well and she was happy with him. Tuls was happy too even though the only one who ever heard his confession was the flowery daughter of his love at the gravesite of the once kind princess. She was the clear proof of the reciprocal nature that had been his relationship with Ranunculae.
No, it wasn’t Maggie but Gil who had failed. He had foolishly pacted with Nevy on terms neither could complete in a moment of crisis. After all, there was no Paradise and there had never been one. That, and Nevy wanted what she could not have as it was already spoken for. Both Wrathia and Pedri had no care for the covetess high priestess so it was doomed to fail from the start. Watching the slow downfall had been agony for all involved. Having to kill the horrible amalgamation Gil and Nevy had become was even more painful but it was all they could do.
Ava hoped he was at peace. Perhaps, in the end, escaping the mortal coil did grant him paradise… at least in some way.
In the end, only two of the sinful seven had lost their lives, the other being Veevra. Despite her shared soul with someone Wrathia deemed a ‘greedy but powerful insect’, her betrayal of Strategoes Six lead the rat to cut her down. They were merciless with their Peacemaker, dealing relentless blows until next to nothing was left. Even still, it was the countless supportive civilians, expendable resistance members, defected followers, and total innocents, that burdened their hearts and minds.
But it was done. The living were tired and wounded, but hopeful. It was tragic but it was also a relief. Bittersweet. Melancholic. Somber. That was the only way to describe it.
They were heroes now. The seven, or now five, that had grown up too fast now had all the free time in the world. Each had earned a long deserved break so Wrathia’s heir would tie up the loose ends for them. There were still followers of TITAN who didn’t want to give up. They hadn’t yet accepted that it was the end. Likely, the followers would be imprisoned at best and executed at worst but all the five that were left wanted to do was rest.
All Ava wanted to do was go home.
And home had come in the snowy planet of death that Odin was from. It was cold there and Ava hated the cold, her own body seeming to reject it, but somehow it was the warmest place in Ava’s heart.
Besides… along the way, the black hole sun of Aedinfell had been restored.
Odin was just as eager to get back. He’d had to forgo a visit home as the rebellion was well underway at the time, but it was finally time to head back and see what he only had brief memories of. To see what he’d never seen. He’d been only a child when the sun had died so who knew what was in store for them? He only hoped the multiple freezing years hadn’t damaged the land to an irreparable degree.
And so, once dismissed by the successor to the empire, that was Odin and Ava’s first destination. The two gave their goodbyes to Maggie and Erios, who were retiring to what was left of Excessa, before setting off on their way. Ava found herself sitting in Odin’s lap at the wheel while Crow, Raven, and Magpie slept in a pile in the back.
Just as the sun had been restored, so had most of the Arrow family. Magpie was eventually found but Olai, however, was gone to the wind, his whereabouts unknown. He was a true Strodinger’s Brother as not one of the siblings knew if he had lived or died. All they knew was that he was lost, in one way or another, and it was a topic no one brought up just in case it would spare them later pain.
Raven had been the one to find Magpie, stolen away by TITAN like so many other things to learn the ins and outs of Wrathia’s magic. The young girl was used to study the effects so that they could have a leg up on the resistance. Unfortunately for them, the middle triplet stole her back and nearly lost her own life trying. Magpie was just that important.
Crow had left Merita behind at the Arrow Estate, not wanting her girlfriend getting hurt in battle. She was currently like a soldier’s wife, waiting for her spouse to come home from the war. It might as well be that. It was that. Crow and Merita hadn’t been able to contact each other since the oldest triplet joined the rebellion. The two needed to be reunited and all Crow had talked about before dozing off with her siblings was marrying her Merita.
She had even constructed a makeshift ring out of dark wire to give to her until she could get a better one. The youngest triplet aided Raven in teasing their sister until succumbing first to the fatigue of fighting so hard. The other two joined soon after.
Ava had a similar ring on her own finger, one Odin had crudely whittled out of some wood Maggie provided for him when they had a break in their crusade. He kept it simple, a promise, as he planned to slip his mother’s ring on her finger one day instead… even if the gem in it wasn’t the original.
Despite similar heaviness tugging at their eyes, and the autopilot on their ship charting their course, neither Ava nor Odin let sleep come to them. They had to stay awake. They had to stay up and watch to make sure this was all real. Deep down there was a fear that if they fell asleep, they’d wake up back in the frey, reconnected to their evil and their torment.
There was also another matter at hand.
“Odin?” Ava said, breaking a long silence that had formed between them since the triplets had fallen asleep. She looked up at him, the top of her head touching his chest.
“Mm?” Odin said, sitting up so he could look down at Ava. Their eyes met, they stared at each other, and for a moment Ava forgot what she had planned to say. They weren’t kids anymore, having crossed the threshold into adulthood years ago, and still they ended up like twitterpated teens from time to time.
Ava pushed herself up a little to kiss him briefly, a small peck on the lips. “You know I love you, right?”
“Oh, is th-that all?” Odin replied, teasing, stutter ever present as if he were trained to do so by now.
In response, Ava’s hand may or may not have slapped his arm lightly. “C’mon, be serious.” She got the little pout on her face that she made when she wasn’t getting her way and all Odin could do was smile.
“Alright, al-alright… of c-c-course I know y-you love me. You kn-know I love you t-too, yeah?” Ava’s pout evolved to a pleased smile at that and he couldn’t help but lean his head down and plant a kiss to her lips as well. It wasn’t a peck. It was lingering, Odin relishing in it a few seconds longer before pulling back. “Wh-What brings that up, f-f-firefly.”
“Nothing, I just need you to know I love you, always.” Odin stared at her expectantly, able to tell there was something else on her mind and this conversation was a ruse. “Quit looking at me like that.” He only continued to look at her, his expression unchanging. It broke down Ava’s walls quick as it ever did and she sighed. “I just… I just want you to be careful.”
“C-Caref-f-ful?”
“Yes, careful. When we get to Aedinfell… please… be careful. I know what must be going through your head but I don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
Odin looked away in shame, the heavy topic settling in his chest. After a thick swallow, he replied, “I know… I-I know.”
Ava wasn’t convinced. “I mean it Odin. I don’t want you to be disappointed if what we find there isn’t what you wanted to find. We could find anything.”
“Then i-is it so wr-wro-wrong to be h-hopeful?” Odin asked, making a desperate face.
“No.” Ava replied, decidedly. “No, not at all. Just… keep them in your line of sight. Don’t let them get beyond your reach… and let me be there to help catch them again if they float too high.” And when they ultimately crashed down to Earth, to Aedinfell, she wanted to help pick up the shattered pieces.
Odin blinked down at her owlishly before sitting back. “You al-always know w-what to say, firefly.” He let himself sink in his chair before adding, “I-I’ll keep my hopes gr-ground-grounded as much as I can. Pr-Promise.”
Ava sat back with him, “I try… wolfboy.” They were such stupid names but it brought ease to them all the same. “And thank you,” she nestled herself into him a little, “I hate seeing you get hurt is all.”
With a tired ‘mhmm’ from Odin, the tension was able to part ways and they could ignore its inevitable convergence with their path once they landed on Aedinfell.
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“Ava?” Ava heard a voice coming from the shadows. She ignored it, too tired to care. “Ava!” Apparently it was pressing, the voice was far more urgent.
“Nngh?” Her eyes fluttered open. Had she fallen asleep? For a split second, panic filled Ava’s body. They weren’t still on the battlefield were they? TITAN was still gone? She sat up suddenly and heard Odin making a confused, bleary noise behind her.
“Whoa! Are you okay?” Ava, once she’d rubbed the sleep from her eyes, was able to see Magpie standing in front of her.
“... Yeah.” She replied, unsure, before shaking her head, once, twice, three times to clear it. “Yeah.” This time, her answer was more firm and true. “I’m alright. More than alright. What’s up?”
Magpie seemed to understand without Ava saying anything. She was good at that and she didn’t acknowledge Ava’s worries as they weren’t reality. Instead, after a nod, her face split into a beaming smile. “We’re home! We’re on Aedinfell~!”
“What? We’re here?”
“Yep!” Magpie darted off to the side of the chair and vigorously shook her brother. “Odin! Odin get up! We’re finally home!”
Odin had half fallen asleep again after Ava’s violent waking stirred him up a little. Now he was forced to full attention. “Y-Yikes! Geez, what g-gives?!” Startled, he looked over to see Magpie and the more numerous streaks of white in her hair she had earned from her trauma. He’d expected to see one of the other girls so the irritated look on his face melted down into a smile.
He’d always had a soft spot for the baby of the family. “What’s going on, l-love?” Magpie just shook him again, moving his arm with each punctuated word, lifting it and slamming it against the armrest of the chair. “We. Are. Home. H. O. M. E. Home!”
Confusion crossed his face for a moment, then realization. He looked back to see Raven and Crow weren’t on board anymore. “W-Wh-Where are the o-others?”
“They already left, they didn’t want to wait.”
“How long ago was this?” Ava asked.
“Not long. We only just landed. Crow really wanted to see Merita and Raven followed her because they go everywhere together.”
“I see.” That definitely sounded like them.
Odin spoke up again. “And why ar-aren’t you with them?”
“I had to wake you two first, silly! I wouldn’t leave without you.” Magpie got a look on her face that only Odin could read.
“And?”
“And what?”
Odin just kept his gaze trained on her and, like Ava, the younger girl broke easily. Magpie turned a lovely shade of pink before blurting out. “Y-You meanie.” She sighed and Odin was reminded yet again of Ava; the two had such similar habits. “I’m kinda… kinda scared. I haven’t been home in years and it’s gonna be all different now.”
Both Ava and Odin nodded. Of course she was scared, she’d been away from home for far longer than even Odin had and had never seen a single glimpse of anything other than ice on Aedinfell. Neither had her sisters but they didn’t have as much apprehension, clearly.
Ava looked to Odin. Magpie was his sister and it was him who could ease her mind better than she could. The two girls were friends but she let Odin parse this out. She slid out of the chair to let Odin stand and approach his sister more formally. He looked down at her and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Truth be t-told… I’m a l-lit-l-lit-lit-” He cleared his throat. “A bit scared t-too.”
Magpie’s eyes widened at that, his stutter an obvious sign. “R-Really?” Still, she had to ask. He never admitted things like that and even Ava was surprised.
Odin nodded. “Maybe for d-different r-reasons, but yes, I’m sc-scared to see what has be-become of our home. I only e-ever saw the tail end of G-Gildhaust before the endl-l-less Frerinott began.” Odin took a big breath in and Magpie unconsciously followed his lead, the brother and sister exhaling in unison. He continued, “I-If I’m right… it sh-should be just past S-Sumerfr-frest. I… I can b-barely even remember the n-name.”
At that, Magpie nodded solemnly before looking up, renewed hope sparkling in her eyes. “We can name it together then!”
A wide smile broke out on Odin’s face, “and we can ent-enter it t-together too.” He held out his hand for Magpie to take and she took it gladly.
“And Ava?” Both siblings looked to where she was standing and waiting for them to have their heart to heart. Odin extended his arm to her while Magpie bounced on her feet.
“And Ava.” She replied, wrapping her arms around Odin’s so they could all brace for it and enter the world together.
Arm in arm in arm in arm, the three moved together to reopen the main exit of the ship that the other two had closed behind them. Like a drawbridge, the stairs descended, and they could see bright light, and…
Green.
There was green.
Magpie, with her excitement increasing tenfold, let go and started to run down the stairs. At the bottom, however, she did pause and looked back up at her brother. “C’mon, what are you waiting for?!” She wasn’t just bouncing on her feet now, she was full on jumping up and down, unable to contain herself.
Humming gently, Ava smiled and started to follow her only to feel a tug as she walked too far from Odin. She looked back at him to see he wasn’t moving. Oh, he really was waiting. With one arm still around his, Ava reached up with her free hand to caress his cheek. “Odin?”
“... Yeah,” was his distant reply. He was staring outside at the spot of grass they could see.
“Odin?” Still Odin didn’t look at her and just stared off into the unknown that had become of his once-familiar planet. She patted his face a couple times, gently. “You with me, wolfboy?” This finally got his attention and he looked over at her. He blinked at her until she asked, “what are you waiting for?”
His pale face went pink and he looked away, past the splash of green and to the opposite wall. “Ah, s-sorry. I just-”
“I understand. Don’t worry. This is a lot to take in.” Ava glanced down the stairs, “but it’s really not fair to Magpie to make her go alone. Not after we said we’d all go together.” When he looked back down, he could see Magpie where she was still standing instead of past her. She was also no longer jumping. Instead, she was looking up at them, worried and apprehensive again.
“Is everything alright?”
“We’re fine, Magpie. I’m fine.” Both girls gave him a look, finally gifting him a taste of his own medicine. He sighed, managing a weak chuckle. Why did his lies have to be even more obvious than theirs? “I’ll b-be fine. Is th-th-that better?”
Magpie smiled happily and nodded before running back up the stairs. She grabbed both of his hands. “Together. Like you said.”
It wasn’t a suggestion and Odin was powerless to refuse his youngest sister. Before he could even nod, Magpie pulled on him anyways so he’d walk down the stairs. With Ava close behind, it was a wonder they didn’t all tumble down in a heap.
Miraculously, they made it to that final stair and stepped down off the ship and onto the grass.
There wasn’t the expected crunch of snow. There was no sound at all really save for the high whine of cicadas.
Cicadas.
Before now, no insects bothered to live here anymore save for the usual house flies and tiny spiders. But the cicadas had been dormant underground for years, waiting until now to unburrow themselves and sing.
But aside from the song and the grass beneath their feet, the trees overhead were blocking much of their view. There was a small path that lead away from the cliffside the mansion was nestled on and down into a valley.
Ava, Odin, and Magpie, with stars in her eyes, all stepped out further to get a better look, following the path away from the house to the hillsides. They weren’t here to go inside. Not yet. The estate was the same as it always was and no member of the household was inside anyways.
Much of the path was still covered by the coniferous trees that made up the land as they were the only trees that could survive the cold. Sometimes even they used to snap from the freezing temperatures. Ava was glad for it as it would make the transition easier for Odin who had taken to holding her hand rather than having her on his arm.
As they went on, the trees became more mixed with their descent. Previously bare deciduous trees now had small spatterings of green leaves. It was nothing like a real tree, nothing like Maggie’s, but for Aedinfell it was a huge step up. Still, Ava bit her lip at the sight. Already she could sense that Odin’s hopes might be dashed soon.
They kept going and as the trees became less and less dense, they could see the blue sky where it poked through the gaps. Odin had seen blue skies here before but he still looked up in shock as he had seen only gloomy grey for so many years. Magpie, who had never seen such a vibrant color on Aedinfell before, gasped loudly and started to pull on the group harder, urging them on even faster.
She was eager and Ava could understand but dread still pooled in her stomach, worried that they would both be upset.
Soon, the path stopped descending and came to a small slope that marked the end of the tree line. The three halted, for just a moment, before making their way up those few short feet.
After they all crested the small hill, they could all see a much larger expanse of the land and Ava made a face at the sight that first graced her eyes. The grass was all patchy like the trees, some of it green and some of it weird shades of yellow and brown. There were flowers, sure, even flowers besides the hardy florem mortem that could grow in the snow, but they were small and not very colorful. The land was struggling and given time it would look nice again, but for now…
“Oh… Oh, no… Odin, I’m so sorry.” Surely, he was devastated to see this. And when Ava looked up at him, it seemed he was. Tears were in his eyes and panic filled Ava. Odin was always so insistent that Arrows never cried but besides Magpie and maybe Raven, he was the most emotional of the bunch. He hid his feelings close to him and usually only Ava got to see his truest self. But even then, he tried to rarely cry.
Yet here he was, staring out into the valley with silent tears running down his cheeks.
“Odin.” He didn’t answer so she wasted no time in reaching up with the hand he wasn’t holding to and used her thumb to wipe at his tears. She forced him to turn his head towards her. “Odin, you don’t have to look. It’ll be alright. The land will heal eventually. I know it looks bad now but-”
“B-Bad? What d-do you mean, A-Ava?” He turned to look back at the land, a huge smile, larger than Ava had ever seen on him, breaking out on his face. “A-Aedinfell has nev-never looked so alive. Even b-before our s-sun was s-s-split in two.” He let out a half laugh, half sob of pure joy. “It’s p-perfect.” He laughed again, harder. “It-It’s warm.”
And he wasn’t lying either. He literally couldn’t be. Ava turned back towards the valley and started to see what Odin could see.
This was growth. They’d started from nothing so seeing anything like this was a spectacle to be had. Apparently, it truly wasn’t wrong to be hopeful because that was all this was. Hope. This was highly concentrated hope for a land once thought to be unsalvageable. The sun was shining above them and that was all they could ever really ask for.
Magpie had already taken off running towards the sound of laughter that carried easily on the cool breeze. It was Raven, sitting atop Ulfbjorn’s back and riding him as he ran among the grass, chasing itty bitty butterflies. Despite Raven having grown, the dog was still plenty big and strong enough to handle her the same as he’d done through the snow drifts when she was only a child. He was getting old now but he was enjoying himself just as much. Magpie could be heard yelling after them, “Hey! It’s my turn next!”
No one minded the childish behavior, especially not from the youngest Arrow daughter. Raven and Magpie both were young at heart and after what they’d all been through, they deserved to do as they pleased for a bit.
Not much farther in the distance, two dark spots were seen standing by a tiny creek that likely lead into a lake or larger river somewhere. It was Crow and Merita.
Crow had hiked up her long pants and was trying to help Merita gather up her skirts so they could both cross and check out the other side. It seemed that for a moment, the more mature Crow gave in to her trickster side and couldn’t resist in taking a moment to splash Merita lightly. At which, the other girl squealed, the water still being icy to the skin. She ended up dropping the long skirt she’d been trying tuck in and tie away. This earned Crow a mild scolding but Crow only pulled Merita in after her, hugging Merita close to her and pulling her in for a kiss. The water soaking into her dress was easily forgotten.
Ava looked up at Odin again, who was wiping away the last of his tears, still smiling brightly. Olai would have said the look was unbecoming of him but Ava thought he should smile more. With the hand still holding his, she squeezed it three times and Odin instantly gave the response to her call. Four squeezes in return for ‘I love you’ and ‘I love you too’.
It was their tradition for when they couldn’t find the words, and right now. They were both a touch speechless. This really was awe inspiring now that Ava looked at it more clearly.
Taking in a deep breath, Ava let herself smile with him. There weren’t any pieces to help pick up right now, just a see-zon to enjoy with her one and only. Finally, the words found her.
“You’re right, Odin. It’s beautiful.”
And it would be beautiful from now on, again and again and again.